Broken Wings 2 - Midnight Flight

by Andrews, V. C.

  “I can't do anything else. I'm ready to die!” Teal moaned.

  “You must come with me,” Natani repeated.

  None of the buddies were there to bully us, but we followed him around the far barn, carrying our tools. There we saw what looked like a dumpy old shack made out of logs and brush and mud. He pulled aside the blanket door and stepped back, urging us to enter.

  “What is this?” Teal finally asked.

  “This is my house,” Natani said. “We call it a hogan.”

  We entered slowly. It wasn't much of a house. A thick blanket and a slim mattress were on the left. On the right was what looked like an ancient stove, the pipe up through the roof. We saw a drum and a pile of clothing beside it with two pairs of moccasins. Strings of beads hung on one wall.

  “Where's the television set?” Robin joked.

  Natani smiled. “My television set is out there.” He indicated the door.

  “Don't knock it,” Teal muttered. “At least there are no commercials.”

  “Right now, I'd settle for commercials,” Robin replied.

  Maybe because we were all so tired and overwhelmed, we all became silly.

  “And think of this: he doesn't need any cleaning lady,” Teal said.

  “And his electric bills must be very low,” Robin added.

  “He can't complain about the neighbors making too much noise. It won't do him any good,” I said. “The neighbors are all animals.”

  Natani looked at us as if he had known us all our lives and expected us to be silly. He went to his stove where he had a pot of water simmering. Then he plucked a leather bag off the wall. The bag had fringes and a band of colorful beadwork on the bottom, as well as beads on its drawstrings. He opened it and produced handfuls of what looked like beans, which he dropped into the simmering water. He covered the pot and turned back to us.

  “What are we doing here?” Teal asked. “Is that supposed to be our dinner tonight? Another sick joke of Dr. Foreman's, I bet,” she said to Robin and me.

  Could it be so? I wondered.

  “No food, no. Soon, you will hear the sun,” Natani said.

  “Hear the sun?” Teal turned to me. “What the hell is he talking about now?”

  “I think he means your sunburn.”

  As if speaking about it woke it, both she and Robin grimaced and then looked at their arms and felt the backs of their necks.

  “Oh, Jesus,” Robin moaned. “My skin feels like someone's holding a match to it.”

  “Mine feels like it was turned into cellophane. I think I can hear it crinkle,” Teal added.

  “You must sit,” Natani said, indicating a place in his hogan. We did. Then he took his drum and sat with it between his legs.

  “I'm in a tent with an old Indian man playing a drum. Am I going crazy or am I going crazy?” Teal muttered.

  “We're beyond crazy,” Robin said.

  Very low at first, Natani began to beat a rhythm and chant something.

  “I thought we weren't permitted entertainment until we earned it,” Teal joked through her lips, now twisting with some agony. The sun was speaking, just as Natani had predicted.

  “This is starting to really hurt,” Robin complained as she touched the back of her neck again. “Now that we're indoors, I see what he means about the sun talking. It's not talking; it's shouting.”

  Natani raised his voice and we all jumped. His chant became stronger, his drumming louder.

  “Should we just run out of here or what?” Teal asked.

  “Wait,” I said. “I have a feeling he knows what he's doing.”

  “And you have sunstroke, too,” Robin told me.

  Abruptly, Natani stopped chanting and put the drum aside. Then he rose and went to his stove and the pot. He took it off the flame and stirred the contents. He poured the remaining water on the ground, then squatted in front of us and set the pot between his legs.

  “These are beans from mesquite,” he said. “They will keep the sun quiet.”

  “You're kidding,” Robin said. “Mesquite. Isn't that a bug?”

  “No, it's a plant,” Teal said. “I know that much.”

  Natani dipped his fingers into the pot and came up with the dark, muddy mix.

  Teal grimaced. “Maybe that will make it worse. Who told you it works?”

  Natani smiled. “Many, many years ago, the coyote told us.”

  “The coyote? What coyote?” Robin asked.

  “The coyote,” he repeated, and urged her to give him her arm.

  “You should let him do it,” I said. “He lives here. He should know what works and what doesn't. You can be sure Dr. Foreman and her buddies won't care about your sunburn. I didn't see a nurse's office at this school.”

  “Quit calling it a school. It's a hellhole,” Teal said.

  Robin grimaced and then timidly leaned toward Natani. He began to wipe the mix over her shoulder and arm. He did the same with the other arm, then turned his hand to indicate she should let him get to the back of her neck. She closed her eyes and did so.

  “How does it feel?” Teal asked.

  Robin thought a moment. “Better, I think.”

  “Damn, I have to put mud all over me. It's not enough I have it under my nails,” Teal complained, but offered her arms and her neck to Natani, who applied the mix on her. Then he put the remaining dark mush in a can and handed it to me.

  “For later,” he said, and I took it.

  “Look at my hands!” Teal moaned, turning her palms up and then showing the blisters to us.

  Natani nodded and rose. He went to his bag again and brought back another salve, which he applied to her hands and then to Robin's and mine.

  “Natani!” we heard M'Lady Three scream. “Are those delicate flowers in there with you?”

  “Go,” he said, nodding. “You did good work today. Every day it will get easier, like a stream starting in a new direction. Soon, it flows freely.”

  “Just what I wanted to be all my life,” Teal said, “a stream.”

  “Thanks,” I said. Robin and Teal thanked him, too, and we left his hogan.

  M'Lady Three was standing there with her hands on her hips. “Oh, you poor babies. Natani felt sorry for your delicate skin, I see.”

  “Didn't he do the same for you or weren't you as delicate?” Robin shot back at her.

  Her face reddened. “That,” she said, pointing at Robin, “will cost you a demerit, smart-​ass. One more and you're in the Ice Room. Now get back to your bunkhouse. It's time to clean house.”

  We looked at each other. Clean house? How could we clean that barn? It had floor of straw and no real furniture. When we arrived, we saw that Teal's cot was still outside. Our other two buddies were waiting at the door.

  Teal raised her hand.

  “Speak,” M'Lady Three said.

  “Am I going to sleep out here again tonight?”

  “Let's have you all decide.” M'Lady Three nodded and M'Lady Two called Mindy and Gia out. “Teal here wants to sleep in the barn tonight. We're going to let you all vote. Of course, she can't vote, so it's the four of you. A tie means no.”

  Teal looked hopelessly at Gia and Mindy.

  “Would you like to tell the voters anything before they decide?” M'Lady Two asked Teal. “You did insult their house last night.”

  Teal glanced at us, lowered her head, and then nodded.

  “And what would that be, pray tell?” M'Lady Two asked.

  Teal raised her head. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult the barn or any of you. Please let me sleep inside tonight,” she begged.

  The buddies looked self-​satisfied. I, as well as Robin and Teal, I was sure, wished I could smother them.

  “Okay, then,” M'Lady Two said. “All in favor of Teal being permitted to return to the barn, raise your hands.”

  Robin and I lifted our arms quickly. Mindy and Gia looked as if they were still not going to vote for Teal, but after a second more, slowly lifted their arms.
<
br />   “Well, then, Teal, you and your friends can bring your cot back inside. You all have an hour before dinner. You are to wash down your cots and wash the barn windows. Gia and Mindy have done their part. They brought the soap and water and the rags into the barn for you,” M'Lady Three said.

  Robin and I carried Teal's cot back into the barn and put it where it had been. Then, with the buddies watching us, we began to wash down our cots. We were all working like robots now, just moving thoughtlessly, doing what we had to do. When we finished the windows, we were told to bring the dirty water out and dump it. Then, we were rewarded with ten minutes of rest before dinner. I was afraid if I lay back and closed my eyes, I would fall right to sleep, even on the hard wooden surface of the cot.

  “I mean it,” Teal muttered. “I'm running away tonight. I'd rather die out there.”

  “You will,” Mindy said. “You don't know anything about surviving in the desert. You would have to trek through miles and miles of brutal desert where there are scorpions, snakes, poisonous lizards, and devastating heat and dryness during the day, bone-​chilling cold at night. You wouldn't know the first thing to do if you ran out of water or if you got bitten.”

  “Oh, and you do?” Robin snapped at her.

  “I know some, but not enough to make me confident enough to try it.”

  “What about you?” Teal asked Gia. Gia looked up at us. “You want to ran away? You want to get out of here? Give Dr. Foreman what she wants. That's your only escape.”

  “When are you getting out, smarty pants?” Robin asked.

  “Soon.”

  We were all quiet. I knew I was thinking she might be right and she was lucky if it was soon. Robin looked defeated, too. Teal just looked angry.

  “Okay, my little princesses,” M'Lady One said from the doorway. “It's time to go to dinner. You all go to the pottery room first and fetch your bowls and your plates. When we see them on the table, we'll decide if they're good enough to eat upon. Move it!” she ordered, and we rose and filed out.

  As we crossed toward the bigger barn, I could hear Teal muttering under her breath. She was losing it faster than Robin and I were, I thought. Soon, not even Natani's mystical medicines would be enough to save her.

  Our bowls and dishes were on the table. They didn't look bad to me. I couldn't imagine anyone not approving of them. We carried them back to the house, set them down, removed our shoes, and washed our hands. Then we were permitted inside. Our food was already on the table to be served family style from large plates and bowls. I saw what looked like steamed vegetables, as well as mashed potatoes and slices of chicken. There was water to drink, but no bread and certainly nothing for dessert.

  We set our bowls and dishes down and greeted Mindy and Gia with the “Excuse me. I'm sorry.” I had forgotten about it, but Robin remembered and we did it.

  Dr. Foreman entered the dining room. She was wearing a pink and white blouse and a skirt. Her hair was the same, but I could see she wore some lipstick. She stood there for a moment looking us over.

  “Natani took care of two of them, I see,” she said to the buddies, who smiled. “I hope you thanked him properly. Tomorrow, after breakfast, I will be giving the three of you your school books and assignments. Every night after dinner, you will have two hours to work. You can work together or separately. That's a decision I leave up to you for now.”

  She nodded at the buddies, who then stepped forward to inspect our pottery, M'Lady One inspecting mine, M'Lady Two inspecting Robin's, and M'Lady Three looking at Teal's. They ran their fingers over the plates and around the bowls and then looked at each other and shook their heads.

  “Bumps and crevices,” M'Lady One said.

  “Inferior work,” M'Lady Two agreed.

  M'Lady Three dropped Teal's bowl and plate and they shattered on the floor. The same was done to Robin's and mine.

  “Eat off the table tonight and try again tomorrow,” M'Lady Three told us.

  “Before you leave, you will wash their bowls and dishes carefully and then clean up these broken inferior bowls and dishes,” M'Lady Two said.

  “There was nothing wrong with my bowl. That wasn't fair,” Teal protested.

  I looked up at Dr. Foreman.

  She smiled at me.

  Soon, she was surely thinking, soon you will be my girls and whatever I ask you to do, you will do.

  The four of them left the dining room and Teal lowered her head to the table and started to sob.

  “Don't do that,” Gia said sharply.

  Teal raised her head slowly and looked across the table at her. “Why not?”

  “There's no point in trying to get them to feel sorry for you or any of us for that matter. We can't do much, if anything, to help you. And it doesn't do you any good here to feel sorry for yourself.”

  “Oh, you're so damn smart,” Teal said, flicking the tears from her cheeks.

  “No, not smart. Desperate,” Gia replied with no emotion.

  “Why are you here?” I asked her.

  Mindy began to serve herself food.

  “Lots of reasons, I suppose.” Gia began to serve herself as she spoke. “They called me an arsonist.”

  “Arsonist? What did you set fire to?” Robin asked.

  Gia paused. “My own house.” Then, in the coldest, most matter-​of-​fact tone I could imagine, she added, “Almost killing my baby brother.”

  The three of us sat staring across at her.

  “You'd better eat,” Mindy urged. “They'll be back very soon and whatever you've eaten will be it.”

  Robin dipped the serving spoon into the mashed potatoes and dropped a glob on the table. Then she took some vegetables and some chicken and did the same.

  My stomach churned both with disgust and with hunger. I quickly copied her. Reluctantly, Teal followed and the three of us ate like dogs over a table, gobbling the food, drinking some water, and staring blankly ahead. All the food tasted bland. The chicken had been boiled until it fell apart when touched, and there was no salt or pepper or any seasoning on anything.

  “The chef has to be a reject from some fast-​food joint,” Teal said.

  Sooner than we expected, the buddies entered and announced dinner was over. Mindy and Gia rose immediately and left the table.

  “The kitchen sink is right through that door,” M'Lady One told me, and pointed.

  I gathered Gia's dishes and Robin picked up the silverware and Mindy's bowl and dish. Teal stood there watching us.

  “That table better be gleaming when we return,” M'Lady Three told her.

  Teal followed us into the kitchen and found the sponges and cleaning liquids. “I never cleaned anything,” she moaned.

  “Oh, give me that already,” Robin snapped, and took everything out of her hands. “You just dry the dishes Phoebe washes. I'm tired and I want to get out of here.”

  She returned to the dining room and Teal stood beside me while I washed off the pottery.

  “Don't you want to try to run away with me? You can't want to stay here a moment longer than you have to,” Teal urged.

  “I do, but I'm afraid. I've lived in the city all my life. I wouldn't know a poisonous anything and I'm so tired, I don't think I'd get far anyway.”

  “Maybe we just have to follow the dirt road out. Maybe they're lying to us and we're not that far from a town?”

  “You see any lights out there at night? And what if they're not lying? You have any doubt that they wouldn't bother to come rescue us? I don't.”

  “I won't make it through another day like this,” she moaned.

  “You'll make it.”

  “I don't deserve this. My parents were just very upset. My father and mother will take me back if they know I'm sorry. I've just got to be able to call them and tell them,” she said, nodding at her plan. “Maybe, maybe I can sneak in here during the night and use the phone in Dr. Foreman's office.”

  I raised my eyebrows and looked at her. “And if you get caught? That's the
Ice Room for sure, I bet.”

  “And I bet there isn't even such a thing. It's just something they say to keep us terrified.”

  I tilted my head and looked at her. “Do you want to be the first one to find out if there is or isn't?”

  She started to shake her head and raised her hand too quickly, knocking Gia's dish out of mine. I was just about to give it to her to dry. It flew up and away, shattering on impact with the floor, the pieces exploding in every direction. For a moment we both stared in disbelief. I felt the blood draining from my face. Teal's eyes bulged and her mouth dropped open. She looked at me.

  “Why didn't you wait until I saw you were handing it to me?” she cried.

  “Wait until you saw? Why didn't you watch how you were swinging your hands wildly?”

  “I wasn't. I...”

  We both turned to the doorway. M'Lady Three was standing there, her arms folded under her small bosom, her shoulders back.

  “Who did that?” she asked, nodding at the pieces of ceramic dish splattered over the floor. “Who threw that plate?”

  “Nobody threw the plate,” I said. “It was an accident.”

  “There are no accidents at Dr. Foreman's School. You did that deliberately.”

  “We didn't,” I insisted. “You weren't here to see it.”

  She smiled coldly. “I was here as a student just like you two, remember? I know what you're thinking, feeling. You're angry because you had to eat off the table. This is just your way of showing it.”

  “That's not true,” Teal wailed.

  M'Lady Two came up beside M'Lady Three and looked at the shattered dish. “I remember doing that.”

  They both nodded.

  “We didn't do it on purpose,” I shouted. “Just because it's something you two might have done doesn't mean we did. Stop saying we did.”

  “You won't make any progress here until you admit to your guilt, to your meanness and selfishness, and you hog-​tie that anger,” M'Lady Two said. “Now, finish up here, clean every piece off the floor, and come outside immediately.”

  They left.

  “Nice work,” I told Teal.

  I turned back to the sink and washed the remaining silverware and pottery. Teal dried everything carefully and placed the remaining pottery so softly on the counter, I could barely hear it touching. We both picked up the pieces and put them into the garbage bin.