Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Monday, September 27, 2021
Friday, September 24, 2021
Monday, September 20, 2021
Saturday, September 11, 2021
Saturday, September 4, 2021
Friday, September 3, 2021
Monday, August 30, 2021
Friday, August 27, 2021
Saturday, July 10, 2021
Friday, July 9, 2021
Saturday, June 26, 2021
Monday, May 31, 2021
Monday, May 3, 2021
Saturday, April 3, 2021
Thursday, April 1, 2021
Monday, March 22, 2021
Morningstar
Morningstar Chapter 2: The Distraction
Morningstar: Chapter 3: The Ling Collection
Morningstar: Chapter 4: Carl Stuki
Morningstar: Chapter 5: The Teeples
Morningstar: Chapter 6: Bekah’s Rage
Morningstar: Chapter 7: Charlie Blackeagle
Morningstar: Chapter 8: The Cabin
Morningstar: Chapter 9: The Earthling
Morningstar: Chapter 11: The Envelope
Morningstar: Chapter 12: One Man, Four Worlds
Morningstar: Chapter 13: Friendship
Morningstar: Chapter 14: T.J.’s Discovery
Morningstar: Chapter 15: Bobby Sekaquaptewa
Morningstar: Chapter 16: The Evidence
Morningstar: Chapter 17: Sgt. McKay
Morningstar: Chapter 18: Reluctant Ally?
Morningstar: Chapter 19: Activists
Morningstar: Chapter 20: Birds, Snakes, and Dragons
Morningstar: Chapter 21: Stones of Light
Morningstar: Chapter 22: Morning Star
Morningstar: Chapter 23: Letters
Morningstar: Chapter 24: Resilience
Morningstar: Chapter 25 Animal Spirits
Morningstar: Chapter 26: Unhinged and Surprised
Morningstar: Chapter 28: T.J./Court
Morningstar: Chapter 29: Girls Week
Morningstar: Chapter 30: Jason’s Hand-Written Note
Morningstar: Epilogue: But not the end…
Morningstar: Recovery: Chapter 1: Tragedies
Morningstar: Conspiracy: Introduction
Morningstar: Conspiracy: Chapter 1: Home
Morningstar: Deliverance: Chapter 1: Unexpected
Chapter 1: Unexpected
My mom was up early,
getting ready for work. As she came out
of the bathroom, I asked; “Mom, Tye and Jason will be over pretty soon to fix
the window. Is it ok if I ask Tye over
for dinner? I’m thinking about cooking;
but I don’t know if that’s really a good idea.”
My mom
laughed. It was good to hear her laugh
after all we’d been through. Maybe her
own need to relieve stress was part of the reason she laughed so hard.
“Sure, invite him
over.” she said with a big understanding grin.
“Tell you what, how-bout you and I make dinner together. What about everybody else?”
“Thanks mom, making
dinner together is probably a good idea.
I’m going to call Amanda in a bit.
Maybe I’ll ask; but Jason’s really hoping they can get the Coaliers over
for dinner, at their house tonight.
Amanda and Jason don’t know how Stephanie’s going to react to
everything. They’re worried she won’t
allow them to see each other for a long time.
We’ll see.”
“What about Bekah
and her mom, and, uh… uh... Pierre?”
Almost shuddering
at the thought, I responded, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea mom. She hated me before all this happened and I
think it’s a lot worse now. Maybe someday,
but not tonight.”
“Well, maybe that’s
something you and I can talk about too some time. Are you going to be ok? Looks like you’re going to need some
clothes. When are you going to take care
of that? You’ll probably need some
money. When are you going back to
school?”
“I need to get back
tomorrow. Some of us are going shopping
today. We’re all going to try to get
clothes that deemphasize the physical changes we’ve all had. Tye gave me some money… you’re in a hurry so
I’ll explain that to you later too.”
“Well, ok, I will
want to hear about that, AND a few other things! I’ll be back just after five. … I’ll pick up
a few things on the way home and we can talk about everything while we’re
making dinner.”
Her last statement
sounded more like a directive than just a simple comment. I could hear my dad getting T.J. up and knew
they’d be downstairs soon so I made a quick breakfast while they all finished
showering and dressing. After my mom
left and then my dad left with T.J., I decided it was late enough for me to
call Amanda. I wanted to know how she,
and her mom were doing, and plan for our afternoon shopping trip.
The phone rang just
a couple times before Stephanie answered.
I asked how she was, and after a silent pause asked if I could speak to
Amanda. Stephanie tersely
responded. “She can’t speak to you.” and
just hung up. My heart sunk and I sank
into sobs in the chair.
When my dad got
home, I was still sobbing. A lot of it
was worrying about Stephanie and Amanda.
I was so worried about Stephanie’s reaction. I couldn’t bring myself to believe that Amanda
wouldn’t talk to me. Even in the past
when I had deserved her anger, she always forgave and loved me, and I, even
with all my insecurities, was sure she still loved me. I guess part of it was just everything
finally piling up and pouring out emotionally.
This was my first real-good cry since Jason, and I followed the others
through the portal. It was probably
due. I was also expecting Tye and Jason
before now and the wait was making me even more nervous.
I don’t know how
long I cried before my dad came home. He
just sat down and held me. It had been a
long time since I had let myself sink into my daddy’s arms like that. He just sat there, stroked my hair, and
kissed my head. Didn’t say a word. At that moment, he was the perfect father.
After I finally
started to regain some control, all I did was wipe my face with my long sleeves
and say, “thanks dad!”
“No problem honey,
that’s what I’m here for.” I realized at
that moment, except for the time I left, my dad had always been there
for me. He didn’t always understand, and
sometimes we hadn’t gotten along so great; but he had always been there. Both of us stood up as I was still wiping my
tears and I reached to give my dad a big, long hug.
Within just a
second or two, we could hear a knock at the door. I wanted to run to answer; but didn’t want my
dad to feel like I was just tossing him aside.
He must have read my face because he just said; “it’s ok honey, go get
the door,” as he motioned his head towards the front of the house.
As soon as I opened
the door for Tye and Jason, asking them to come in as brightly as I could muster,
which from the looks on both their faces wasn’t very cheerful at all, I closed
the door then threw my arms around Tye and started crying again.
I could hear Jason say,
“no worries, you just do what you two need to, and I’ll get started,” as he
walked towards my bedroom with an armload of supplies.
“I can help you
with that,” said my dad as he followed Jason towards my room.
“Are you sure? I can do it; we’re the ones who broke it.”
“Sure, I’m sure, besides,
I might learn something,” replied my dad with some eagerness. In-spite of my original apprehension over my
dad’s remodeling of the house, I learned he really loved working with his hands
and seeing the physical results of something he had repaired or created. Since we moved to Logan, he must have checked
out dozens of how to books
from the library, meticulously studying each one. Now it was all coming together, which really
made him happy.
“We’ve already done
some of the prep outside. We were
surprised Anna didn’t hear us and come out;” said Jason as they walked into the
den and out of sight. Obviously either
my sobs were too loud and/or me and my dad were too absorbed to notice.
Tye gently kissed
me on my forehead as I cried. I
immediately felt a calming warmth flow through my body. Somehow, through all our trials,
difficulties, and even the near-death experiences we had passed through
together, we had kind-of melded together.
Maybe, because of those things. I
felt his strength and calmness pouring into me and I knew he deeply felt my
pain.
We both started
walking to the couch in the middle of the room and sat down together. After a while he looked deep into my eyes and
said, “I can guess a thousand good reasons why you might be crying. Do you want to tell me what finally opened
the faucet to let all these tears out?”
After a long but
comfortable silence, as I collected my words, and better control of my emotions
I responded, “It’s probably all of those thousand reasons: but mostly it’s
Amanda, or really Stephanie…. I called
this morning and Stephanie was pretty-mad.
Wouldn’t let me talk and just hung up.
I hope everything is OK for Amanda.
Having Stephanie so mad isn’t good.
Has Jason been able to talk to her?”
“Not this morning,
but Beth has. Amanda and her parents are
going over to the Teeples for dinner tonight. …
Don’t worry about Amanda.
Stephanie needs to work through a lot.
From what you and Amanda have told me, Stephanie can be pretty
histrionic, and this time she has good reason to be. She almost lost her daughter. AND… who could possibly believe our story??? Just give it some time. I know the Teeples, they can be very
comforting. I remember my parents being
pretty hysterical one time and after a couple hours of ‘adult time’ in the Teeples living room, while we kids played in the
family room, my parents stress level just seemed to melt away, at least for the
moment. It’s one of the strongest
memories of my childhood. I’m pretty
sure it happened soon after my mom was diagnosed, but before I knew what was
going on. It was pretty scary seeing my
parents falling apart, and not knowing why.”
Tye kissed me again
on the forehead and I felt more warm, calming assurance from his words.
“I was going to ask
you over to dinner tonight. Have you
already made plans with the Teeples?”
“I’d love to
come. Do you want me to bring
anything? What time do you want me?”
“Right now, and
forever,” I responded immediately with a huge smile.
Tye grinned and
then said, “I mean tonight.”
“How about
6:30? My mom and I, are making dinner
and I know she has a lot of questions she wants to ask in private.”
“Then 6:30 it is. …
I’ve got some things I need to talk to you about too and I’m hoping we
can talk privately before we go shopping.
Right now, I think I should go help Jason and your dad with the window
and patching before they get it all done.
Besides, it’ll be a good way to start to get to know your dad.”
Tye leaned over and
we tenderly, momentarily, kissed before he left to help with the window. I could hear them working, talking, and even
laughing together. I could not have
possibly realized what a wonderful feeling it could be to hear my father, who I
loved, and the young man I loved, working and laughing together. After about half an hour, Tye came back to
the kitchen where I had gone to start preparing some things for dinner.
“Your dad and Jason
are both driving over to the lumber and hardware store for, as your dad said; ‘a
little man time’. Jason’s going to
help your dad get a few things for another project here on the house. Jason knows a lot more about that kind of
stuff than I do. Jason called Beth and
Amanda before he left. After he and your
dad are done at the store, Jason’s going home to get Beth then Amanda and the
three of them will go shopping, then back over to the Teeples for dinner. Serge and Stephanie will meet them
there. You’ll be happy to know that
everything’s fine between you and Amanda.
Stephanie just doesn’t want her to ever speak with you again.” Tye said
with a slight grin, then added; “but Amanda assured Jason it will pass and even
if it doesn’t, you’re still best friends forever and she’ll be speaking with
you every chance she gets… Do you mind if just you and I go shopping in a
bit? Jason will drop us off and we can
walk back.” “Sure, I’ll miss seeing
Amanda and Beth, but the one on one with you will be great.”
Tye then walked closer
to me, kissing me on the cheek, then stroking his finger down the front of my
nose and asked; “Do you feel up to a pretty serious talk? It may even be pretty upsetting.”
“If you put it that
way, I guess I have to be. If you don’t
tell me, I’ll just obsess, and my obsessions are probably worse than what
you’ve got to say.”
“I don’t know,
maybe not;” responded Tye with a dreadfully somber look on his face. “Let’s go in the den and have a seat.”
Tye and I sit down
on the joining ends of each of the two couches.
Tye held out his right hand and I took it with my left as he began to
talk.
“There’s a lot I’ve
got to talk to you about. Something’s
changed history. At first I didn’t think
it would be a big deal.”
Tye paused and just
looked straight forward as I finished his thought. “But now you’re worried.”
“Yes, now I’m
worried. I’m worried about everyone who
went through the portal, and your families.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, for one
thing, you and your family were the only ones who were supposed to go through
the portal. I know that from
history. Creates quite a sensation. Three different families disappear from the
same house. Lots of speculation. A couple movies even.”
“Wow, that’s kind
of exciting? Who played me?” I asked
with just a little wry humor in my voice.
“Don’t get too
excited, I watched them both and neither was very good. One of them had the house haunted and the
other had all of us abducted by aliens.
They were pretty stupid. … And, neither of the girls that played
you were anywhere near as beautiful.”
Tye added that last part with a wink and a squeeze. “The other big thing that changed was Sue and
Bekah. Sid didn’t go to your place, but
he found and killed both of them. I have
no idea how that piece changed, but it did.
Maybe it’s my fault because of something I said to you that one morning. If it’s my fault, I’m so, so, sorry and I owe
you all a debt I don’t know how to repay.”
“Well, Tye,” I
responded, “Bekah went through hell, but she and Sue and still alive, and she
has Pierre. Jason and Amanda, even
though they were apart most of the time, and had more near-death experiences
than most around here do in a lifetime… but they came out stronger and
closer. Beth even told me before we came
back that she wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. Maybe no “B” movies, but I got you. I think we did OK.” “I’m
glad you think that way, really hope the others do too,” added Tye.
“Well, as I was
telling you, in the history I knew,” Tye continued, “a few months after Sue and
Bekah were killed, the police got a tip where to find Sid, AND incontrovertible
evidence he was their killer. He was in
an old sleazy hotel in Denver. Somehow,
he was very well armed and put up quite a fight. He was killed in the ensuing gun fight. My dad and I always believed it was a little
too convenient.
In the original
history I knew, your family disappeared soon after Sid was killed. I believe, that had you and your family not disappeared,
they would have found a way for both you and Amanda to have had an accident. But, with all the media hype from your disappearance,
it became too toxic, and I believe they decided to just let it alone and hope
nothing pointed back to them.”
“THEM? THEY?, who are you talking about?”
“That’s a long
story; but I’ll give you a short summary.
Ever since I realized I needed to tell you about them, I’ve been
thinking about how to say it without drawing it out forever or making it too
boring. If it sounds rehearsed, it
is. It really started during the cold
war, a group of extremely wealthy individuals and powerful organizations and
agencies, created a syndicate whose primary purpose was to undermine Western
civilization, especially the United States.
It wasn’t a hierarchical organization with one head, but more of a
committee with a unified goal. Part of
the organization made billions of dollars manipulating currency, eventually
undermining the US currency. They even
get U.S. taxpayers to fund them through various organizations… crazy and
corrupt really. Right now, according to
my research, and I may be wrong because it was so shrouded in mystery; but I
believe The Syndicate, which is sometimes called The Foundation, is now primarily
controlled by some very wealthy Eastern Europeans, an organization from China,
and some minor players, to include Iran.
The main North American office is in Montreal.”
“Their goal is the
erosion of US power around the world, the destruction of Western Civilization as
you know it, and the extension of their own power and influence.”
“Are they trying to
take over the United States?”
“From what I
understand of history, their goal is more to fragment, divide, and control, not
total-destruction. My mom would say
their goal is to enslave and control.
They know a complete destruction of the western world would cause so
much global chaos that it might not be profitable for them. Their goal is to make sure the United States is
no longer a super-power and make all Western Countries dependent on their
organization. Using all kinds of disinformation,
they manipulate data, the history you read, and even science. It’s not that they always make stuff up, but
they are masters of the half-truth and misinformation. Like so many in your days, they are absolute
masters of prevarication.”
“I know Carl was really into environmentalism, does this have anything
to do with climate change? …… And you can tell me what prevarication means
later.”
“The climate’s always changing and there are thousands of reasons
why. It will get a lot worse too, but
not for the reasons a lot in this time think… but there are things coming, much
worse than the weather and climate change.
It will be one of the worst times in the history of the world. But there will be a lot of good too. Good people will step up, speak out, and do
amazing things. The Foundation is a part
of the chaos that ensues, but they don’t come out on top in the end. They fund a lot of organizations and
institutions through back doors and muddy channels. The problem though is how out of control it
gets, even for them. Both Sid and Carl
were a part of one of the extremist groups that as you know, got at least one
person killed, perhaps more. The
problem that I believe got Sid killed was… he got sloppy, and he knew too much. He helped funnel some of the money from The
Syndicate to his group and he became a liability after he killed Charlie and
you handed over the information Charlie sent.
I think they got him out of jail to get rid of him. Too many questions might arise if he was
killed in jail, but they do that sort of thing too. It would have been pretty hard to get away
with that in Logan. I expect The Syndicate
feared that Carl knew too much too, and perhaps even Sue. I think Bekah just got caught in the middle,
in the history I knew, and they just wanted to make sure Sid’s mess was cleaned
up. Oh, and sorry, prevarication means deceitful
or dishonest.”
“Do you think
they’ll still try to kill Sue and Bekah?” I asked. “I don’t know, maybe you and Amanda too. They can’t be sure you don’t have more
information than you told the police.
They won’t do anything until they return to Montreal, present what they
have, and get new orders. When we were
all outside together, there was a vehicle down the street with two men. I noticed Mrs. Pearson with two pugs watching
them then walking to tell a neighbor. I
remember Mrs. Pearson being really odd, but I like her. My mom adores her. Anyway, these two men were watching and
taking pictures of us. I’m pretty sure they
were from The Syndicate, and they have software in Montreal they can use to get
a pretty good idea who I am. THAT would
be bad for all of you. I’m sure they
have pictures of you and Bekah too from just before you went through. When they compare with their software, they
will have questions. Maybe not many
answers, but they’ll have more questions, which will make them even more
dangerous.”
Starting to tremble
just a little, I asked. “What are we
going to do?”
With the most-stern
look I’ve ever seen from Tye, he looked me in straight in the eye and said,
almost shaking; “I’m sorry, I know this is going to be really hard; but this
time Anna, we’re not going to do anything. This isn’t like when you insisted on coming
with Jason, Bobby, and me, and a group of Shoshoni out looking for Bekah, this
is actually a lot more dangerous. If
something goes wrong and you’re with me, it will put you and your family
and maybe everyone else in even more danger.
Even if you just disappear, it could put your family at risk. I can create a false death record and
accident for Sid. That will draw them
off; but the best thing, and I know this will be really hard for you; but you
need to just sit tight and go back to school.
You, Beth, Jason, Amanda, and Bekah, as much as possible, need to make
everything appear normal here.”
“B, but!” I
interjected.
“No buts!” Tye
quickly cut me off. “I’m going to see if
Pierre will go with me. My French isn’t
very good, and I think he could be helpful.
I’m sure he’ll be glad to help if it might save Bekah and Sue. Have you noticed how much his English has
improved, in just the last month? He’s
really quite intelligent.”
“Yeah, his English
is a lot better; but won’t his French stand out. You said he speaks a very old dialect.”
“Shouldn’t be a
problem. There are parts of Canada that
still speak French pretty much the same way it was spoken hundreds of years
ago. It will be noticeable, but people
won’t think much about it except that he’s a hick and that might even be to our
advantage.”
“If it’s so
dangerous, why should I let you go?”
“They’ll have no
idea who either Pierre or I am if we can get there before the two here get back
with their film, and if all of you stick around and act normal, the two here
will probably just watch and take more pictures while they investigate Sid’s
fake death. Their computer system is
completely secure and not on the internet.
They will not do any comparing until they get back, and they won’t send
any pictures over the internet. That’s
what I’m hoping for and what I understand about them. BUT we, all of us, REALLY need everyone to act
as normal as possible... Pierre and I
have a better chance of going unnoticed if we go alone. We have a better chance of fixing this and
getting the two here called off, with Sid’s death and everything else just
looking as normal as possible.”
“So, what, do you
really think they have pictures of me from before? Do you really think they were watching before
we went through?” I asked.
“Really! They just
might. They may have pictures of you
from before you went through the portal, and when they share the pictures with
their superiors in Montreal, they will be compared. They were probably watching Sid watch you. I have no doubt they were watching Carl, Sue,
and Bekah.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I’m sure they are desperate
to find Sid. Their superiors will NOT be
happy with them if they don’t find him…
But if they create any kind of mess here, their superiors will be even
less happy. That is yours and everyone
else’s biggest protection. When I create
a death for Sid, they will relax and likely return to Montreal with the
information they have, and to get instructions.
I need to do it in a way that will pull them away from here but give
them something to look into for a while.
Tomorrow, I’ll find myself a place to live, get a car and a few
things, and tell the Teeples I’m going to do some traveling. After tonight, you probably won’t see me
again before we get back.
Don’t worry about
it, if I need to, and I expect I will, I can change the data they have in their
computer in Montreal and they won’t have any reason to watch your family or
anyone else here. Hacking their computer
system in Montreal and the computers it’s connected to in Europe and Asia will
be easy. Getting into their secure
office will be a little trickier. Faking
a record for Sid’s death hundreds of miles from here will be easy too.”
“What about the
police? Can’t they help us?”
“Not with this;
besides, how could we explain what we know?
I’m sure it would get Sue fired, and there may be someone in Law
Enforcement with lose lips, maybe not on purpose, but still lose enough to
cause problems. These people are well
connected, even in The Federal Government.
I need more information, and Pierre and I can get it in Montreal. I need to find out if and what we need to
fix. They will then just pull their
people out of here, knowing that you guys just aren’t worth their efforts, or that
you would cause more trouble than you’re worth.
If I must, I know enough about them to make it worth their while to get
away and stay away. That could get messy,
so I hope we don’t have to go there.
After that, I hope you and I can get married and spend the rest of our
lives together in peace.”
“What do you want
me to do?”
“Well, right now, I
know Bekah hates you. I know she’s going
to need someone, but you or Amanda getting closer may just make things more
dangerous for all of you. I hope you can
all at least appear relaxed and normal.
I don’t think it will take long in Montreal. They have no idea I’m coming or that I know
how to hack their computers. Everyone
knows not to say anything to anyone but their parents, and Amanda knows to keep
it minimal for hers, for now at least.”
“Yeah, I agree
about Bekah, me and Amanda. Beth tried
to talk to Bekah a few times after we found her and Pierre. Maybe Beth will be able to get through to
her. I know she’ll try without even
saying anything. Do you think that would
be OK?”
“Yes, I think so.”
There was a long
pause as Tye and I both thought about the situation. After quite a few minutes, a realization came
over me. I sat up and am sure my eyes
bugged out as I asked with about as much excitement as the situation could
possibly allow without screaming...
Looking at Tye and squeezing his hand as tight as I could, turning my
head, I asked: “Did you just propose to me???”
Looking deep into
my eyes, Tye responded with the slightest grin. “I guess I did; but we still
need some normal time. I’ll do it
better when things get settled a little and when you and everyone else are out
of danger.”
Taking his right
hand with my left and pulling him towards me, I gently but briefly pressed my
lips against his and said, “and I’ll do that better when you do a better
job of proposing.”
Morningstar: Deliverance: Introduction
Morningstar: Deliverance
Introduction
It seems like
forever since I’ve written. All the
mysteries are now solved. Well, not all
the mysteries, but all the mysteries that just fell in my lap after moving here
to Logan. There’s just so much to write
about now. There’s Tye, and there’s Tye,
oh, there’s more; but he’s just about the only thing I can think about right
now. Well, there’s Amanda too, and Beth
and Jason.
We got back yesterday
morning, and I was in bed by noon. I
know my parents will have a lot of questions and I’ll write the high and low
points of what happened while I was gone, as I tell my parents all about
it. It will probably take a few weeks or
maybe even months to tell and write everything.
It was an amazing experience, well yeah, I almost died; but even
that ended up absolutely and unbelievably, incredibly fantastic. It all really worked out great for me. Beth and Amanda had a pretty rough time, they
both got sick, and hurt, and I guess only they can say how bad it was; but some
pretty nice things happened for Amanda. I’ll
talk about that later too. Jason had it
pretty-rough, especially at the beginning and end; but I think he’s pretty
happy about how everything worked out too.
The person who had the worst of it though; and I can’t imagine how she
made it, was Bekah. I would have never
believed she could handle anything as bad as what she must have gone
through. Sometimes people find something
deep inside, some kind of inner strength or determination, and somehow, Bekah
did. Maybe something good came out of it
for her too. I think she loves Pierre;
but I wonder if she’ll ever think it was worth it. Somehow, I just can’t imagine.
We all think
Bekah’s pregnant, though none of us think Pierre’s the father. She hardly talked to us after Tye, Jason, and
I found her and Pierre. About the only
person she’s talked to at all, except for Pierre, and even that’s been pretty
nasty half the time, (it’s amazing how patient he is with her), has been
Tye. He brought a lot of money with him
and gave some to everybody. I don’t
think it’s just the money though. She
just associates Tye with coming home; but not with getting captured.
That brings up
another really, really cool thing for me, Tye’s staying around for a
while. Long enough for us to, as he
says; “get to know each other better, under less stressful circumstances, and
decide where we want our relationship to go.”
Well for me that ship’s already sailed.
I already know what I want, and I think he wants the same; but he thinks
we need some “normal” time to get to know each other and figure it all
out. That’s ok by me, as long as he’s
close by, and I see him like every minute of the day (yeah, I know, that’s not
going to happen), I can be at least a little like Amanda, I can be a “sort-of, patient
woman.”
This morning I need
to call Amanda and see how things are going there. Tye and Jason will be over to fix the
window. Hopefully, all of us, Tye,
Amanda, Jason, Beth and I can go shopping.
I’m going to ask my parents if Tye can come over for dinner. I’m debating if I should cook; but I’ll
decide that later. I’ve eaten Tye’s
cooking, and he’s an incredible cook, not as good as Stephanie, but pretty darn
good. So, I’m not sure if I’m ready for him to taste mine. He’s tasted my Shoshoni food and unfortunately,
it wasn’t any better than what I make at home.
Fortunately, I think he fell in love with me before he ate any of my
cooking… and I think he still loves me.
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Morningstar: Conspiracy: Chapter 1: Home
Chapter 1: Home
The sense of smell
creates our most powerful, most emotional memories. When I awoke to the incredibly delicious aroma
of fresh baked bread, German pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs, and
rhubarb-apple pie, a flood of memories flashed through my mind. Childhood memories from all the days and
nights spent in the Teeples’ home so many years ago. As soon as I filled my lungs with the smell,
I was out of bed and down the stairs in the pajamas Jason had loaned me. I knew there would be fresh milk and orange
juice with breakfast. Right behind me
were both Jason and Beth, also in their pajamas. It seemed so natural, like old times.
As soon as we got
to the kitchen, Sarah let out the biggest laugh, I’ve ever heard from her.
“What’s so funny
mom?” asked Beth
After Sarah
regained some control of herself, she finally spoke, still cracking up as
she talked; “Just look at the three of you.
Just like when you were kids. For
one thing, if any other boy, or girl, your age was here, there’s no way
any of you’d be down here in your pajamas.
And for a second reason, just go in the family room and look in the
mirror.”
All three of us did
just as Sarah asked; then we all broke out laughing. We must have been too tired the day before,
and too hungry, when we got a whiff of breakfast to notice how small the
pajamas were on us.
“Talk about high
waters Beth, how much do you think you’ve grown?” asked Jason.
“Well, I just
haven’t gotten around to measuring, but I sure didn’t think it was this
much. Guess we’ll have to go
shopping…and thanks to you Tye, we’ve got shoppin money;” responded Beth
cheerfully.
The three of us
returned to the kitchen and just pitched in like it was yesterday, when Jason
and I, plus Mia and Beth would help get the table ready for breakfast.
“You really cooked
a monster breakfast mom; I think you’ve got all our favorites. Thanks.
It’s sure good to be home;” said Jason
Which was
immediately followed by a “thanks mom,” and a hug from Beth and another, “thanks,”
and a hug from me. It felt so good, so
like home, to be in Sarah’s arms again.
“Before we eat, Max
wanted me to get him. He doesn’t want to
miss anything, and he wants to say morning prayer with you. I’ve got everything warming so it’ll be hot
when we eat. I’ll be right back;” said
Sarah as she left the kitchen.
I could see her
walk out the back door, then out to Max’s shop through the window. The two of them were back within just a
couple more minutes.
“I’ll just wash up
here in the kitchen. Sarah made me
promise not to do anything that would really get me dirty. I’ll be right there.”
Max washed in the
sink and knowing the routine, we all kneeled at our chairs by the table and
were soon joined by Max, who thanked God for our return and my visit, for the
food and our freedoms. He then asked God
to bless all of us, our families, our nation, and the food Sarah had
prepared. Max ended in Jesus’ name and
we all said Amen.
“I guess you kids
have a lot to tell us;” began Max as we started to enjoy the incredible
breakfast Sarah had prepared. “Probably
a lot more than you can say in one sitting, so before you start, how long will
you be with us Tye? I want to make sure
we hear about your family while you’re here.”
“I think I’ll be
here for about a year. Don’t worry; I’m
not planning on staying in your den.”
Sarah quickly
interrupted, “you could, and we’d love to have you as long as you want to stay.”
“Well, you know I
love you a bunch; but I’ll be here a while and I’d really like a little space
of my own.”
“How about this
Tye, there’s a space above my shop that I’ve wanted to convert into a studio
apartment for a long time, Jason and I have been working at it when we’ve had
time. It’s insulated and has a toilet,
shower and sink. It’s not finished but
its personal space. If you want, you can
have it while you’re here.”
“I really
appreciate that; but there’s things I need to do while I‘m here and that might
not work out the best for me.”
“Up to you Tye, we’re
always here for you.”
“I know, and really
appreciate it.”
Max finished a bite,
he was chewing and directed; “Now kids, tell us everything.”
“Did you guys read Anna’s binder?” asked Jason.
“We saw it and read
some of it, including the part about the portal and all of the ending… still
seems pretty crazy. By the way Jason,
the next time you’re in a life and death situation where it might be critical
for someone to be able to read what you’ve written, print!” Sarah
pleaded.
“Sorry mom, we were
panicked,” then after a slight chuckle, “besides, nothing like that is ever
going to happen to me again.”
“I hope not! So, what happened after you guys went through
the portal?”
Jason looking at
Beth; “why don’t you start? You went
through before I did.”
“Some of it’s hard
to remember, we were pretty panicked too.
We had grabbed onto Bekah trying to pull her away from Sid then all the
sudden we got pulled through. I had no
idea what it was or where we were until Anna explained it later. In a way it probably saved our lives because
I’m sure Sid wasn’t going to leave any of us alive to be witnesses. Just the way he was acting, I knew he planned
on killing all of us, as soon as he had what he wanted from Bekah.
Anyway, the next
thing I remembered, after we got pulled through was both Amanda and me lying on
the ground. One of the Bloods was
fighting with Bekah and hit her really hard.
I don’t know if it knocked her out, but she stopped fighting. The other one was fighting with Sid. Sid cut him; but he killed Sid. As soon as Sid fell to the ground that Blood
made sure Sid was dead and then started after us; but they must have both seen
the Shoshoni, because they ran to their horses carrying Bekah and took
off. A bunch of Shoshoni chased after
them and a bunch surrounded us. Right
about then Jason and Anna came through with a bunch of backpacks and things.
We thought we were
all dead. Right when we came through, we
couldn’t tell the difference between a Blood and a Shoshoni, didn’t even know
what a Blood was; but we sure do now!
Anyway, Amanda said
something in Shoshoni. They didn’t
understand it at first, but a couple started laughing and said something back. Amanda didn’t have a clue what they were
saying. I guess Shoshoni has changed
quite a bit in the last couple hundred years or so. … Jason, do you want to tell the next part?”
“Sure, almost as
soon as Anna and I were through we were surrounded. They looked pretty menacing and pretty mad. I started fumbling in my pocket for Sid’s
pistol and I could tell Anna was grabbing her pepper spray.”
Imagining Anna
using pepper spray on a large group of adrenaline pumped Shoshoni warriors made
me chuckle. “Sorry, I was just thinking
about what might have happened if Anna had actually used the pepper spray, or
if you had used the gun for that matter.
None of us would be here right now.”
“Yeah, I’m sure
you’re right,” continued Jason, “if those two hadn’t laughed at Amanda’s
attempt to speak Shoshoni, which really calmed things down quite a bit, we’d
probably all be dead, well not Tye, but the rest of us. Some of this almost seems funny now, but none
of it was at the time.”
After some silence
and a few bites of food, Jason continued; “To tell you the truth, though, we
had it pretty easy compared to Bekah.
Even Anna had it better than Bekah, and Anna almost died. I think we all got pretty sick and we’ve had
some bad nicks and scraps, a few broken bones; but Bekah had the worst of it.
There’s a lot to
talk about and a lot to tell you; but Tye and I have to pick up some materials
and go over and fix Anna’s window. Then
all three of us need to do some clothes shopping. … Well maybe I’d at least
better get some jeans and a shirt to work in first. I don’t think I have anything that’ll fit, and
I really don’t want to walk around town in the clothes I came home in
yesterday.”
“You’re not going
shopping without me, Amanda, and Anna, are you???” asked Beth.
“No,” answered
Jason. “I’ll just get one pair of jeans
and one shirt. After we fix the window, we’ll all go shopping together.”
“Do you kids need
some money?” asked Max as he started for his wallet.
Before Max could
reach his pocket, I interjected, “no, we’re fine. I brought some money with me. Enough to live on for the year and travel a
little too, which I’ll probably do while I wait to go home.”
“How do you have so
much money?” asked Sarah with a bewildered look on her face. Then after a little pause, she added; “sorry,
that’s really none of my business.
Knowing your family, however you came by it, I’m sure it was honest.”
I laughed, “It’s ok
Sarah, there’s absolutely nothing you can’t ask me. You’re like my mom, and she can ask me
anything. The US debt and corruption
just got so bad the dollar finally collapsed.
The whole economy kind of imploded.
Lots of changes had to be made in a hurry. There was a lot of chaos and hardship for a
while. It was about as bad as you could possibly
imagine. Maybe worse. After that, the dollar has been just a
collector’s item and not a very popular one at that. My parents collected a lot of it for
practically nothing just in case one of us would need to come back to this
time, and here I am. It’s not like I’ve
got millions; but I’ve got enough. Most
of its hidden where I hid the stones; but I’ve got some and I gave a little to
everyone who came back through the portal.
Enough to get started on a new wardrobe at least.”
“I’d like to talk
to you more about that when we’ve got a chance;” said Max.
Realizing I’d
probably said more that I should have and not knowing quite what to say, I just
said; “that’s about all there is. I’m
sure you can put the rest of the pieces together; but I’m sorry, I really can’t
go into detail about too much of the future.
I probably shouldn’t have said what I just did.”
Max kind of grumbled
but looked like he understood. After
another pause, while everyone continued to eat, Jason cleared his throat; “I
was wondering, do you mind if we ask Amanda and her folks over for dinner
tonight? Maybe grandpa too. We’ve really been worried about how Stephanie
is going to react to all of this. Maybe
if we all get together and talk, it’ll help ease things for them a little. I’m sure she’s pretty freaked out, and that’s
understandable; but I’m thinking it might be easier on them if we got together.
… It might be best if Beth called, if it’s ok with you.”
“Yeah, that’s fine
son.” then turning to Sarah, Max asked; “is that ok with you dear?”
“Yes, that would be
great, then you can all tell us more about what happened; but,” … Sarah’s look
grew more intent as she stared into Jason’s eyes. Guessing the question and the answer, it was
hard for me not to laugh.
“Is there anything
your dad and I need to talk with you about in private?”
“It’s all good
mom! Snap, we weren’t even together most
the time we were gone. Both Amanda and
Beth spent most of their time with Charlie; while I was with Bobby.”
Max and Sarah
looked a little relieved, but that quickly turned to a look of astonishment.
“Charlie?? Bobby??” questioned Sarah with surprise.
“We’ll explain it
all tonight;” answered Beth.
“Thanks for breakfast!”
I said earnestly as I stood up. “We’ve
got a long day ahead. Do you want some
help cleaning up?”
“No, you two get
going on that window… AND you need to tell me all about Dahnaya when you get
back,” answered Sarah, “Beth can help me clean up.”
I could barely hear
Beth whisper to Sarah; “I’m sure Tye’s pretty anxious to see Anna.”
She was right. Jason and I quickly took a shower and got
dressed. Jason’s clothes were clean, but
at least mine fit. I didn’t think I
looked near as funny as he did.
When we got downstairs
and just as we were leaving, Beth called out; “I got a hold of Amanda. They’re all coming over for dinner.” Jason’s smile grew so big I thought he’d
explode.
Morningstar: Conspiracy: Introduction
Morningstar: Conspiracy
Introduction
Dear Sarah and Max:
I hope this will satisfy
my promise to tell you what happened to my family and me and explain why I had
to distance myself from you these last few months. After I returned, I realized something had
caused unexpected changes. At first, I
didn’t think anything of it; but then after getting some sleep and having time
to consider the possible ramifications, I realized that I needed to investigate
more closely. At that time, I realized
my actions might possibly put anyone involved with me, or who Sid had been watching…
at risk, so for your protection, I separated myself from all of you. Please do not share with the younger boys or
anyone else. Please burn after reading. I will keep a copy to take back to my family
with me, if/when I’m able.
I love you,
Tye
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Morningstar: Recovery: Chapter 1: Tragedies
Chapter 1: Tragedies
Pointing to a car
across the street and giving instructions to Pierre, I directed; “walk my mom
over to the blue car across the street.”
With a baffled almost
pleading look, Pierre looked at me with huge imploring eyes and asked; “I
understand blue, I’m sorry, you told me many things; but please, what is car?”
Just then a car
drove by at a speed typical for a residential area of Logan, causing Pierre to
jump back almost losing his own balance and letting go of my mom.
“That was a car;” I
replied. “I’ll lead you to ours.” Looking at Tye and Anna in the Teeples van
then Jason and Amanda, making out next to the Coalier’s car almost made
puke. Shaking my head, I yelled at them
in disgust; “get a room, will ya?”
“Do they always go
so fast?” asked Pierre.
His question drew
my attention to my more immediate concern and I initially stammered; “W, what?
… “OH, that was nothing; they can go a lot faster.” When we got to the car, I took the keys from
my mom’s pocket, and opened the back door and helped Pierre get my mom in the
back seat. I then opened the front door
and I’m sure with an exasperated tone said, “I think I’ll drive. You walk around to the other side and get in
the other door. I’ll open it from the
inside.”
Just as Pierre
walked to the front passenger door, Serge and Stephanie walked out of the
Turners house, Serge yelled something speaking to Pierre in French.
“What was that?” I
demanded.
“He just said he
would see me soon and he can help.”
“You won’t need
him. I’ll help you,” I was still pretty
angry; maybe I’ll always be, but I didn’t want any help or involvement from any
of them. Tye might be an exception, but
I didn’t want any involvement, any connection, any help, or relationship for
that matter, with any of them or their families.
I started the car
and drove away, but by now, both my mom and Pierre were almost in a state of
shock. For my mom, it would be the
second time in just a matter of hours.
When we arrived home, Pierre helped my mom out of the car and into the
house. I then helped my mom to bed,
explained a shower and toilet to Pierre then laid out some of Carl’s clothing,
which was way too big for Pierre; but would do for a few days. I then took a shower in my mom’s bedroom, got
some bedding for Pierre, and laid it out on the couch. I was sure we were both hungry, so I got some
food from the refrigerator and put it out on the table for the two of us. Finally, I directed Pierre to his bed on the
couch. Looking back with a little less
irritation, I realized almost everything was absolutely amazing, even supernatural
for Pierre. He must have felt terribly
confused and alone.
As Pierre sat down
on the couch, with a few bounces of sheer amazement, he reached his hand out
taking mine just as I was turning to leave, and gently, gratefully said; “you
know that you are very beautiful Bekah, more beautiful than I could have ever
imagined. … Thank you me saving the life.”
His English was
still pretty jumbled. Before meeting me
in captivity, he hadn’t even spoken English a full year. I understood he was thanking me for saving
his life. In-spite of all our
differences of language and culture, I think I understood him better and he me
better than anyone I had ever known. I
turned for just a moment, and with maybe even a tear or two replied; “thank you
for saving mine, Pierre. I’m sorry I’ve
been such a jerk.”
Shaking his head
and with another imploring look Pierre responded, “I do not understand. What is jerk?”
“Oh, never mind;” I
responded with some irritation as I turned to walk quickly to my room, “Have a
good sleep, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
My mom and I slept
in until mid-morning with Pierre waking up before either of us. He was waiting, sitting on the couch, when I
got to the living room. I just pulled on
about the only thing that fit, a baggy set of sweats. After checking on Pierre I called my mom’s
work to let them know she wasn’t feeling well, (that was an understatement),
and wouldn’t be in that afternoon. Still
famished and knowing everyone else would be too, I walked into the kitchen to
fix breakfast and found my mom already making waffles.
“I can do that mom;
you look pretty worn out.”
“Since when do you
cook? Besides, I’m fine. We need to eat
something, and then talk. Is he
still here? I don’t want to talk in
front of him.”
“Yes, mom, he’s
still here and he’s going to be here for a while. We’ve all got a lot to talk about and it
includes him.”
“He’s not staying
here!”
“There’s a lot you
don’t know, a lot we need to talk about mom.”
“Well, ok, get him
in here. Get some juice on and set the
table, I’ll have a plate of waffles ready in about two minutes.”
The three of us ate
breakfast with little conversation except for Pierre’s questions about almost
everything on the table and in the house, how to use the utensils, and my short
mostly exasperated responses. After
breakfast I helped mom clean up and the three of us went into the living
room. I had already folded Pierre’s
bedding and tossed it on the floor next to the couch. Pierre and I sat down on the couch while my
mom sat in a recliner across from the two of us.
“Mom, I don’t know
where to start. I’ve been through
hell. It’s been a year; but I feel like
I’ve aged ten, maybe twenty.
After I went to the
Turners, Cid broke in and wanted to know where you were. I don’t know if somehow… he had seen me
driving and followed me or what. He had
a gun and was holding a knife against my face and was about to cut me because I
wouldn’t tell him anything.”
My mom gasped as I
spoke and then sorrowfully responded; “I’m so so sorry Bekah. This didn’t have anything to do with you, and
I promise, I didn’t know anything about whatever Carl was up to.”
“Mom, I know this
isn’t your fault. … Anyway, like I said, Cid had a gun and I thought he’d shot
Anna; but she’s ok. All the sudden we
were both in a different place and time. Sid was fighting with one huge Indian and I
was trying to fight the other off me. I
scratched the Indian that grabbed me. I
got him pretty good too, but that just made him mad. The one Sid was fighting with killed Sid; but
Sid must have cut the Indian up pretty bad because I noticed he was bleeding, a
lot. Anyway, by the time my mind stopped
spinning, I realized the Indian that had me was scratched and bleeding. I was so frightened and mad; but seeing his
face bleeding from my fingernails, for a split second, gave me some
satisfaction and maybe even delight. I
was back to more than terrified, a half second later. The next thing I knew, the three of us, me,
the Indian who killed Sid, and the one that grabbed me, were on two horses and
another group of Indians were chasing us. The two that took me, caught up with a group
of their friends, I later learned they were called Bloods from the Bear Clan,
with some Blackfeet. There was all kinds
of yelling and they were ready to fight the group chasing the Bloods. I guess the ones following were Shoshoni; but
as soon as the Shoshoni saw how many Bloods and Blackfeet there were, they
stopped. The Bloods had already captured
a bunch of Shoshoni horses, and then me.
After a while a bigger group of Shoshoni started chasing us; but they
gave up after a few days. It was hell; I
don’t know how I lived through those first few days. I almost didn’t… They tied me up until after we reached their
camp. I don’t know how many weeks that
took but it was a long time. Once I was
there, I was either watched, or tied up all the time for months. I was beaten so bad because I wouldn’t do
what the Indian that captured me, wanted me to, I almost died. Pierre took care of my injuries and fed me
when I couldn’t feed myself. We were
both slaves there. If it wasn’t for him,
I would have died; but those weren’t the only times he saved my life.
Mom… I was a slave
for almost a year. The others from the
Turner’s house didn’t do anything to help.
I don’t even think they cared. It
was just lucky we ran into them and got back when we did. It was hell mom.”
My mom sank further
back into her chair as if she was going into shock again.
“I still don’t understand
Bekah;” said my mom; “but I am so so sorry.
This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Cid and Cid wouldn’t have
happened if it wasn’t for Carl, and Carl is my fault. I’m so sorry.”
“Mom, none of this
is your fault; but there’s more, a lot more.”
After a very, very, long pause, I finally added; “I think, I’m pretty
sure… I’m pregnant.”
After another pause
as my mom just stared at the wall, she finally asked, looking at Pierre; “is
he?”
I quickly
interrupted to let her know; “no, no mom he’s not. We haven’t even been together that way.” An overwhelming feeling of loss,
vulnerability, and depression was beginning to cover me and I curled up into a
tight fetal position on the couch and started rocking, then, I’m sure almost
inaudibly said; “Like I said, horrible things happened; but…” then after
another long pause, “Pierre is sort of my husband. He saved my life more than once and we…
kind-a ended up having to get married. I
either had to marry Pierre or the brother of the Blood that captured me. Pierre killed the one that captured me, but
he did it during a Cree raid and made it look like the Cree did it. During the same raid, Pierre saved the life
of one of the Blood Chiefs and they gave him his freedom. I either had to marry Pierre or the other
Blood. That was an easy choice; but they
still wouldn’t let us leave. If they had
known I was pregnant, I would have had to marry the brother, so we had to
escape. Thanks to Pierre we got away in
a canoe he made. The Bloods don’t like
canoes, they’re afraid of some water spirit.”
As I continued to
rock, Pierre slowly reached his right hand out to take my left, squeezing it
ever so gently. Feeling comfort from his
gesture, and even a slight lift of the depressed mood that had covered me, I
responded by placing my right hand on top of his, holding it tightly.
My mom then jumped
in again with vehemence; “Well, you’re not keeping it! I’ll make an appointment, and as for being
married, I’m sure it’s not legal.”
“I don’t know if
I’m keeping it or not, Pierre and I were talking…”
“What does he
have to do it? It’s your body!”
Mustering almost
all the strength I still possessed, I very slowly and deliberately responded; “Yes,
mom, it’s my body, and it’s my baby, it’s my life, and now Pierre is a part of
that life. This isn’t what I planned;
but it’s what happened. I’ve got a lot
to think about, a lot to talk through, and it’s going to take some time.
We’ve all got a lot
more to talk about. I just can’t talk
about it all at once. It is going to
take weeks, months, maybe years, for me to tell you everything and there are
some things I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to tell you, or anyone. Tye gave me some money and I need to get some
loose clothes. I’m not ready for anybody
at school to know I’m pregnant. I don’t
think the others know. I need to get
some clothes for Pierre too. Do you mind
if I take the car? I’ll tell you more
after dinner.”
“Bekah, you’re
right, we’ve got a lot to talk about.
And remember, you don’t even have a license. Every police officer in town knows who you
are and knows you don’t have a license.
We’re lucky we didn’t get stopped yesterday;” continued my mom with some
anger in her voice.
“Oh yeah, I guess I
forgot about the license thing. I don’t
want you to take us because one of the officers might see you and wonder why
you called in sick. It’s not far to the
mall. We’ll walk and get a few things
and then we’ll be back.”
“Well, ok; but are
you sure you can walk? You’ll have to
remind me who Tye is. Why did he give
you money? How much did he give you?”
“He gave us $500.00
each. He knew Pierre would need clothes
and… I suppose, he might have guessed I was pregnant, because he thought I
would too. I’m going to get some safety
pins to pin Pierre’s clothes up while we walk and shop. He’ll just have to live with oversized boots
until we get him something better. We’ll
be fine.”
“Wh, wh, why would
this Tye, give you that kind of money?”
With a lot of
fatigue and frustration on my part, and a huge sigh, I answered, “oh, I don’t
know mom, he just did. We’ve got to get
Pierre some clothes he can wear around here, and I’m going to need some loser
fitting pants and shirts. Like I told
you, if I’m pregnant, I really don’t want anyone to know. I’m going to have to go back to school. One of us is going to have to get an
education.”
After getting
ready, Pierre and I walked to the mall.
He had questions about everything.
It was kind of annoying; but I guess it also made me feel kind-of smart
and even a little more capable. Over the
last year there hasn’t been many times when I’ve felt capable or like I even
had any control, except in one area. I
decided to live. I did have that choice
and I chose to live. I made another
choice too; I chose to save Pierre. I
have to keep reminding myself that what I did, was my choice.
After shopping,
something that used to be a lot of fun; but was now more of a chore, and after
getting Pierre more suitably clothed, we started the long walk home. I guess it seemed a longer trip back than
going, because we, especially Pierre, were carrying a lot of bags. I could tell Pierre was struggling and his
limp was more pronounced, but he insisted on carrying almost everything. He only let me carry a couple small bags.
As we turned the
corner to my house, I noticed a black Ford Escape Hybrid parked in front.
“There is a car in
front of your house. Is someone making
the visit?” asked Pierre
“Actually, it’s an
SUV. I know, that’s kind of
confusing. An SUV is bigger than a
car. This one’s pretty nice. It looks brand new. We don’t know anyone who drives one of
those. I have no clue who it might be.”
As Pierre and I
approached the sidewalk to my home, two men walked out our front door. One was black; the other had dark hair and
kind of olive skin. Both wore charcoal
suits. They were talking as they walked
to the Escape; but I didn’t understand.
When we walked in, my mom was white again, almost as bad as yesterday
morning, almost like she was once again in shock.
“Mom, sit down,
what happened? Who were those men?”
I helped my mom sit
down on the couch, then turned to Pierre.
“Get a glass of water for my mom from the kitchen.”
Pierre put everything
down he was carrying and almost ran to the kitchen. I could hear him making all kinds of noises,
but he didn’t come back, finally I rushed in to see what the problem was. The kitchen faucet was different from the one
I’d showed him in the bathroom. He was frantically
trying to figure it out. At the time I
was pretty frustrated; but looking back, it was kind of funny. After I got some water going, gave my mom a
sip and got her feet up on a pillow I’d put on the coffee table, and… after we
had taken some deep breaths together, I finally asked again.
“Mom, what was that
all about?”
“Those two men said
they were with the FBI. Said they were
looking for Sid. I told them I hadn’t
seen him since before Carl died. I don’t
think they believed me because they kept pushing and asking more
questions. They both had identification;
but I, I don’t think they were FBI. They
both had really heavy accents.”
“They spoke French,
but it was different than I’v never heard;” responded Pierre. One spoke of “the foundation and then said syndicate.” Said they would not be happy.” Shaking his head Pierre then continued; “I
did not understand. How can foundation
be ‘they,’ how can foundation be happy?
One said Sid was maladroit, I do not know word in English. I am sorry, I did not understand.”
“I think one of the
English words is foundation. It probably
has different meanings now than it did a few hundred years ago. It can be an organization. A group of people like a big business or
syndicate, something I’ll explain more later.
It might be the foundation, or syndicate, that put the money up for
Sid’s bail. Maybe the foundation and the
syndicate are the same thing.” I
explained to Pierre and my mom.
All of this caused
a huge sinking feeling to overwhelm me again.
I pulled Pierre to the couch next to me, as I sat down between him and
my mom. He pulled me in close and just
held me without saying a word until I was ready to get up again. At that moment I was very, very, grateful he
was mine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)