Anarchistbanjo's World

Chapter 13

“Hey Rafe,” he changed the subject. “ I really need to talk to you about something. Remember when I tried building my base camp on the lake and those rogues destroyed it? Do you remember that abandoned gathering spot I told you about?”

“Yeah, what about it. I hope you haven’t been snooping around there.”

“I think Sarah’s mother is buried there and two older brothers that she doesn’t even know about. I also think it’s where my parents died.”

“What!” Rafe exclaimed. “You’d better tell me what you are talking about.”

For the first time Tobal told Rafe about his parents and how they had been the creators of the sanctuary program, how it had been first a social experiment and then a classified Federation project. He told how his uncle had been the military officer in charge of the program and how his parents had been found floating dead on the lake. He added the part about Uncle Harry getting injured and closing down the project.

Then he went on to mention what Sarah’s father had told him about knowing his parents and working on a classified matter transmission project and an even more secret project concerning bi-location and a shaman named Howling Wolf. He told how his parents and a small group including Sarah’s father had been at a secret meeting when the entire village by the lake had been attacked and everyone massacred.

It had been right after that his parents were found dead and two surviving members of the secret group were hunted down and executed. Howling Wolf and Sarah’s father were both members of the secret group that had survived along with a few children.

“What I don’t understand,” he told Rafe. “Is my uncle never told me about any of the stuff Sarah’s dad told me about. He didn’t tell me anything about the sanctuary program either and he must have known quite a bit about it. All he did was give me a letter from my parents and a ticket to Heliopolis.

He didn’t want me to go to Old Seattle like the letter said. He said no one lived there anymore. I had to change the ticket myself at the last minute. I felt I ‘needed’ to go to Old Seattle first and do what the letter told me to. That’s where I met Sarah and her father.”

“My uncle said the same thing about Howling Wolf, that he wasn’t alive anymore. I need to go back Rafe. I need to check it out and find out anything I can about my parents. That place is haunted and something doesn’t feel right. The Lord and Lady keep telling me that I need to go there.”

Rafe was startled, “The Lord and Lady? They talk to you and tell you to go to the lake?”

“Well they don’t really talk to me,” he said. “It’s more like they put thoughts in my head and my heart. It’s like they are guiding me or something.”

Rafe ran a hand through his tousled hair with a worried look on his face. “This is too much man! I’ve got to think about this awhile. I never heard of the Lord and Lady talking to anyone except the High Priest and High Priestess. The rest of what you said is just crazy. If I didn’t know you, I would say you were making the whole thing up.”

His eyes searched Tobal’s and probed deeply with no hint of his grin. “But you’re not making it up are you?”

“No,” Tobal answered quietly.

Rafe sighed in frustration. “I didn’t think so.” He rubbed his hair again. “Promise me you won’t go there until we talk about this again, ok? It might be dangerous and we have to be careful.”

“I’ll talk to you at circle next month then,” Tobal said. “I need to go back there before it gets snowed in.”

He left Rafe and went back to watch the other initiations. There were five initiations this month. Sarah was going to be initiated with Melanie’s newbie, Butch and Becca’s newbie, Mike. There were two others Tobal didn’t know. It was going to be a long night at circle again.

Tobal couldn’t stop the thoughts running through his head. He looked around the circle at some of the others he knew. Char was watching her newbie get initiated. Apparently Char and Wayne had broken up. Tobal looked around and didn’t see Wayne at circle and wondered if he was at sanctuary waiting for his own newbie.

It was late after the initiations when he finally caught up with Melanie and told her about his plan. He was relieved when she seemed to like it.

“That’s a good idea,” she told him. “This past month was hard for me and I don’t think Butch is ready for winter yet. I don’t even know if I am. I didn’t want to tell you but I am a bit worried. We didn’t do a lot of winter stuff when you trained me and food is getting harder to come by. I know how to make snow shoes and winter clothing in theory but it’s a lot different in real life.”

“I’m pretty much the same way,” he told her. “Rafe taught me at the end of winter when we really didn’t need anything. I made some things then and they’ve been sitting at Rafe’s ever since. I need to stop by there and pick some of that stuff up to help me remember. That’s why I thought maybe a bunch of us could get ready for winter together. I was going to ask Nick too if that is alright with you.”

“Sure,” she said. “Maybe we can have Becca and Mike over too. I know she was having the same troubles because I talked with her earlier this morning and she was worried about Mike too. She was thinking she might have to hole up for the winter with him before he gets a chance to solo because he wouldn’t be ready to survive a real blizzard yet.”

“Well, I hadn’t really thought about anyone but you, Butch, Nick, and Sarah,” he replied. He really wasn’t keen on the idea of having Becca around that much. It was uncomfortable for him and her presence always seemed to prevent his thoughts from going where they should.
“Oh, please!” She pleaded. “Becca really likes you. You should get to know her a little better and give her a chance. It would be fun!”

Tobal felt his face getting red. “I’ll see what Nick has to say first. He should have a say in this too.”

“Ok, maybe I’ll talk to him too,” she smiled and gave him a big hug and a kiss. “You are so nice to all of us.”

Tobal didn’t feel so nice. In fact he was hoping he could talk Nick into saying seven people would be too many. Still he couldn’t help feeling a little guilty as he searched around the camp looking for Nick. He didn’t see him or Tara either. Not knowing what else to do he went over to the beer barrel for a brew.

When Tobal tracked down Nick later that night, he was with Tara. Tobal congratulated Nick on his solo and proposed his plan. Nick wasn’t really interested. He had just soloed and was happy about it. He didn’t think he needed anymore training and was partnering up with Tara for the winter anyway. He needed to be helping her get their winter camp together.

“Tara, I thought you were training someone this month?”

She regarded him with cool eyes and said, “I thought you were training someone this month too. What does it matter if I have Nick over this month when you are going to have six people at your place. I wouldn’t point too many fingers if I were you,” she cautioned. “Maybe you should just mind your own business.”

With a glum face he found Melanie and Becca and told them Nick wouldn’t be joining them. Becca was so excited about the plan she jumped up giving him a big hug and a kiss. As she kissed him, he felt an electric spark that tingled his ears and worked its way down to his tail bone. She had already turned and was hugging Melanie so she didn’t see his face turn white in shock.

He was not at all comfortable with the way he felt around her. She jangled his nerves and shook him up. He still hadn’t dared explore his feelings about her. Forcing his mind back to the subject at hand Tobal suggested they all go to his base camp for the next month and prepare for winter by working together. They agreed to start out the next day after breakfast.

PS: I have started a new Facebook discussion group called Organic Gnosticism. Feel free to join if you are interested.