IMAGINATION'S PLACE
FICTION
JOURNEY TO THE LIGHT
By; Speaker Gerald Polley
All rights reserved.
Chapter 5
Carol was thinking about the telescope when a
thought suddenly returned to her, something she wanted to do.
With all going on she'd forgotten it, and she hoped it wasn't too
late. She got on the computer and emailed the Red Cross
representative, a darling old man named Humphrey. They'd talked a
couple of times on the computer.
"I don't know if this is legal," Carol typed, "but
I'd very much like to talk with Mary Henderson, the young woman that
testified at my trial. Is there any way I can get her email?"
Carol didn't even get to turn the computer off when
the little light flashed indicating that she was getting a reply.
"Up late aren't we?" was the response. "Don't know about
that. I'll have to contact the recruiter back where you came
from. Twenty Ponies wasn't it? Delightful man! His
grandfather killed Custer, poor man. I'll get a reply or have him
reply."
Carol typed "Thanks, as always!" turned off
the computer and got to bed. She was working the next day when
Zorba came in the yard.
"Inside!" he remarked. "You got a call coming in. They wanted to make sure you didn't miss it."
"Oh!" Carol sighed. She climbed down and
hurried to the house. The computer started beeping and she turned
it on.. The screen showed a woman lying in a bed. "Mary?"
Carol managed.
"Yes, Carol!" Mary answered. "I heard there was some kind of problem and you wanted to talk to me."
"Not really a problem," Carol answered, rather bashful. "Are you dying, Mary?"
The woman smiled. "Carol, dear, we're all dying from the moment we're born. It's a natural part of life."
Carol returned her smile. "Aren't you afraid at all?" Carol asked.
Mary laughed. "Not one little bit! Not at
all! I've never done anything that concerned me in the
slightest. I've just got a lot of friends waiting for me.
Oh, maybe a couple of high school girls mad I stole their boyfriends,
but nothing serious. Don't worry, Carol! I think
everybody's pleased with the way things are going for you. Did
you like the telescope?"
"Like it?" Carol managed, "I love it! I gotta get it
together and get it set up. But I think I should have a cover for
it and I don't know when I'd be able to use it. But I'd be anxious to
try."
Carol suddenly thought and the words came out. "How did you know about the telescope?"
"Oh," Mary answered, "when everybody talked about getting
you one I chipped in. I'm glad you enjoy it. Everyone will be
pleased. Any male entanglements yet?"
"One," Carol answered, "but he's a real problem."
"Won't be!" Mary teased. "Something will come along.
It always does. Take care, Carol! I really enjoyed that you
called me. I'm glad you got through. Don't worry about things.
It's perfectly all right."
Carol returned her smile. "I gotta go," Mary
continued. "Tire pretty easily now. But still doing some
work on the computer, helping a little bit each day. It makes the
time go by. Best wishes and if you find a new planet or
something, name it after me!"
"Will do!" Carol managed.
The screen went blank and Carol started
crying. She knew there was no reason to, absolutely none. But she
started crying.
The next morning as she stood by the gate and the
vehicle pulled up, she saw Zorba get out. Then she saw a little
face staring at her and a hand waved. Carol waved back.
"Who's that?" she asked.
Zorba looked around. "My daughter," he
sighed. "Her babysitter died. Whole bunch of us with nobody
to take care of our kids. She's gotta ride with me all day."
"No damn way!" Carol snapped. "She can stay with me! I'll look after her."
Zorba looked at her for a moment then went over to
the truck. "Xena," he remarked, "this is Carol. She's very
nice. Would you like to stay with her today?"
The little girl's eyes widened. "I take that as a
yes!" Her father laughed. He unbuckled her and let her out of the
truck. "Now you stay with her, you've got your art things and
your story book. Try not to get in the way."
The little girl just continued to smile. "Pick
her up this afternoon," Zorba continued. "Really appreciate it!"
Carol took the girl and went to work cleaning the
condenser. "Do you ever see the batties?" the little girl
asked.
Carol had to think for a minute. "I never have!" she
told her. "I hear them sometimes. I know they're up there.
I've never seen them. But they're very important to us.
They keep the insects away. I'm told we'd be overrun without them."
"I like them," the little girl piped.
"Sometimes the ones at our house come down and get scraps. Father says
I'm not supposed to do that. But as long as I chop them up real
small he doesn't mind. They like roast chicken!"
Carol giggled. She finished up with the
condenser and headed down for the harvester. As she came around
the corner she nearly ran into a woman with a little boy!
"Hi, Frances!" her companion piped. The woman looked
at Carol. "Can you, ah," Carol smiled. "Of course!" she
answered. The two children played happily behind her as she
harvested. About an hour later she heard a deep woman's voice saying
"Excuse me!" She turned to see a heavy set woman carrying a baby
cradle and a diaper bag. Carol sighed, brought the harvester down
and looked at the baby. "Oh, adorable!" she managed. She held out her
hands and the woman gave her the things. "Come on, kids!" Carol
sighed. "I'm not gonna get my work done today. Have to catch up
tomorrow. More important things!"
As the day went on two more girls and another boy
showed up. Carol was amazed at how well the children behaved. She
had no trouble with any of them. She wondered where she was going
to let them nap when there was a knock on her door. She opened it
and there was a big truck by the gate and several men were already
unloading bunk beds! The foreman came in.
"Which room?" he asked.
Carol pointed to the furthest one from hers. The man
nodded. In minutes there were eight beds in the room! Two boxes
of toys also appeared. Shelves were set up. "Why do I have
the feeling," Carol muttered, "this is going to be permanent?"
The baby started fussing and she returned her
attentions to it, and finishing the children's' meals. A young
woman appeared. "Is the harvester where you left off?" she asked.
"Yes," Carol answered. The girl hurried off.
Carol checked on her later and she was working away.
"Have you had lunch?" Carol asked.
"Yes, ma'am!" the girl answered.
"I'm Carol!" Carol replied, "Not ma'am. I don't think I'm much older than you are!"
The girl laughed. "Yes, Carol! Andrea
here! They said I'd probably be coming here every day. I
think father will be happy. He doesn't like me working for the
older men."
Carol nodded. "Come get a sandwich when you're ready!" she instructed.
Finally the end of shift came and all of her guests
departed. "Got somethin' for you!" Zorba snapped. He handed
her a bundle of heavy canvas. Carol opened it up. It was
obvious what it was, a telescope cover!
"Are they monitoring my communications?" Carol asked.
"Of course!" the little girl answered. "When is father going to help you put it together?"
"Well, tomorrow night," Carol answered, "if he's got time."
"Will have!" Zorba answered. "Oh! the Foo
girls. Their house is pretty crowded. They'd like to use the
extra room. One of them finishes school next week, and she'll
help you with the children. The other one's already got a summer
position. Would you mind?"
"Not at all!" Carol agreed. "But when will I be able to use the telescope?"
"Any time after 8 o'clock!" Zorba answered.
You're inside so you don't know they turn off all the outside
lights We have infrared scanners, anyway. The lights
actually interfere with them. You'll have very good
viewing. The cities are far away. And most of them black out at
night, too. We'll get you set up. Come on!" he told his
daughter. They hurried out.
Carol had just finished her supper when The Foos
arrived, all of them! They were carrying bedframes, mattresses,
bureaus, drawers, she couldn't believe so many people were in one
house! "These are all your children?" She asked Mrs. Foo.
"Every one!" the woman answered. "Love 'em
all! But they're growing up! In a few years just be me and
Gristle. But he's good company!"
The children and her husband all laughed.
"Don't you let her fool you!" the oldest girl put in. "She's
already a talking about adopting! There's so many children that
don't have anyone with all this damned killing."
"Knuckle," Mrs. Foo snapped, "do not reveal family secrets!" Everyone laughed again.
Carol told everyone she had to get to bed.
Please, don't make too much noise. "Of course not!" her youngest
housemate piped, "You will hardly know we're here."
"That had better be remembered, Black Ant!" Mrs. Foo
remarked with a very heavy stare. The girl half smiled.
Carol was going to have to ask how the girl got that name. She
simply had to know! She got off to bed. The girls were good
to their word. They kept their voices down and used their
earphones. Carol hardly noticed they were there. There was
a little confusion over who was going to use the showers first in the
morning, but a schedule was worked out. The oldest one went off
to school in the morning but came back before lunch and began
helping. There was always a nose to wipe, or some place else, and
a baby to be changed. She had some formula but her mother came
twice a day to breast feed her.
As the day ended Zorba arrived, they had supper,
then they went up and worked on the telescope. They soon had it
fully assembled. "Professor will be calling you tomorrow!" Zorba
remarked. "Got to get your courses going. They've wanted somebody
around here to do observations for some time. They'll be
sending out some recording equipment so you can send the professor
readings." He sat something up.
"What's that?" Carol asked.
"It emits a low frequency sound," Zorba explained,
"that the bats don't like. It will keep them from flying
overhead. Doesn't do them a bit of harm, but you won't want to be
cleaning the telescope every day. And we don't want them getting
in the way of what you're viewing. They'll enter the back side."
Carol shook her head. "These people thought of
everything! They always think of everything!" Sometimes it
made her nervous. Sometimes it scared the life out of her!
Zorba got his treasure and took off. The girls stood
in the door watching Carol. "What?" Carol asked.
The girls just grinned. "I gotta know," Carol answered. "How did you get the name Black Ant?"
The girls chuckled. The youngest one answered
"A black ant bit my mother on the butt. She went into labor and
had me. Mother said the black ant gave me her soul so I got her
name."
Carol stared for a moment then everybody roared with
laughter! She got to bed. She was anxious to talk to this
professor, very anxious
Page 5