by Tom Hunter
Robbie’s mind raced at half-remembered conversations and deep-seated feelings. The air on his face under the trellis at the beach. Annie’s hair swept upward into loose curls around her face and a simple ring of flowers around her head to mark the occasion. It was their wedding day and just a few months before she had set off with her father on what would be their final trip.
Anyone looking at Robbie would have been hard pressed to figure out if he was worried or frustrated at the tone on the other side, as he said softly into the speaker, “It’ll be…we’ll be fine. It’s…it’s coming together now and…yes, I promise we’ll be careful. Don’t worry about us. We’re the good guys.” He took a breath. A sob caught in his throat. She should be here. She should be on the phone.
Robbie hadn’t heard the phone ring. His cheek pressed the answer button.
A voice sounded in his ear, startling him. It was Dr. Donald Cunningham, asking for news of Abby. Without missing a beat, Robbie confirmed, “Abby is safe.” He listened as another question was asked. He looked around, wondering how much he should say, then remembered that Dr. Cunningham had been there when it started. He was just trying to see how much more, if any, damage had been done in the meantime. “Oh, right. Yes,” stammered Robbie, his thoughts moving faster than his mouth could speak. “The news about the earthquakes and the creatures…” he caught himself and took a deep breath. “The Kisgar sightings aren’t as bad as they seem. They’re actually rather docile unless you provoke them.” Or play that damned drum.
“I’ll tell her when I see…” Robbie had paced to the tent flap and lifted it absentmindedly as if simply searching for something to do. Dr. Cunningham had offered final thoughts before hanging up, but Robbie’s thoughts were elsewhere.
Annie filled his mind. As the museum director said his goodbyes, Robbie whispered, “I love you.” He realized too late it wasn’t his wife he’d spoken to. He sucked in a breath. “Sorry, been thinking about Annie a lot lately,” he explained quickly, as his cheeks reddened. “Pediah and Abby are heading this way, I’ll let them know your thoughts. Thanks.”
Robbie stepped out of the tent. “Hello!” he called. “I’ve been…” he looked at the shallow trough his shoes had worn in the sandy trail behind him. “Waiting,” he explained with a shrug. His usual devil-may-care smile was now little more than a ghost.
Abby nodded and wrapped her arms around him. She’d been thinking about Annie and Albert today, too.
Five
Without a word, Abby stepped back and released Robbie. He swallowed, smiled, and turned to Pediah. “What’s up?”
Pediah scuffed a toe against a small mound of sand and kicked it upward in a little geyser of frustration. He shook his head; his nostrils were flaring. He was the peacemaker. He’d always prided himself on this role. But now, mounting frustrations undermined his will to keep peace within himself and with others. His parents had always told him ‘if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,’ so his mouth stayed resolutely shut, pulled tight and cinched like a drawstring bag.
“Mochni,” answered Abby, her eyes casting a sidelong glance at Pediah.
“He’s down. Like, um…” Pediah searched for a phrase he’d heard. “Down in the dumps.” He looked from Robbie to Abby and back again. “That’s how you say it, right?”
Both nodded and Pediah continued, his eyebrows pinched together. “It’s more than that though. There’s something else I can’t quite put my finger on.” He twisted his mouth, and Abby laid a comforting hand on his arm.
“Relax, Pediah. He’s been through a lot…” she trailed off. From her discussions with Thomas, their biggest problem with Mochni was that he was a loose cannon. They had no idea when, where, or under what turn of phrase he might be set off.
“How do you mean?” Robbie’s eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms across his chest. Though he and Mochni had started off on the wrong foot, their innate natures had brought them together. They had become so close, Mochni considered Robbie a blood brother.
“Well, I tried to speak with him, but he’s…resisting. He’s in a glum mood and he looks like a coil ready to spring. I’m afraid if we don’t do something, the boy may snap. He’s lost everything,” Abby finished quietly. Pediah nodded, his face a mix of concern and sadness for the losses they had all suffered.
“I tried to share some of my meal with him,” added Pediah. A look passed between Abby and Robbie. “He wasn’t interested…”
“Ummm, Pediah. I hate to break it to you, man,” began Robbie. “But,” he looked at Abby, who shrugged. “Your food. It’s not exactly…edible. It’s bland. No taste at all.”
Abby stepped forward. “Okay. Okay you two. Enough. Pediah’s spice or lack of it on his food is not the issue just now. Right now, we need to figure out a way to help Mochni overcome his troubles.” Abby looked at Robbie. “I came to you because Thomas is otherwise engaged and you’re closer to him in age and are a counterpart to Mochni. You both have the brashness of youth with the desire to be the hero. Warriors, the both of you.” Abby spread her hands. “In a nutshell, I thought you’d be the best person to try to reach him.”
Robbie arched an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t Pediah make a better candidate? His food limitations notwithstanding.” Abby glared at him and furrowed her eyebrows in frustration.
Before she could say anything, Robbie held up a hand to stop her, and continued. “Look, Abby, it’s just that Pediah is more Mochni’s size…” As he said the words out loud, Robbie realized how ridiculous it sounded and conceded another point. “But, then again…” he turned to Pediah. “Sometimes, polite isn’t called for and now is one of those times.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Pediah’s eyes narrowed and he prepared himself for yet another joke from the social media star.
“It means you’re too nice, and that means you won’t get any further than Abby in trying to talk to Mochni,” explained Robbie. “But, me and my big mouth, we’re a perfect fit for the job.” Robbie sighed. “Seems I’m your man after all, Abby. I’ll talk with Mochni and see if there’s anything besides the obvious buggin’ him.”
“It’s settled then. Good.” Abby turned on her heel.
“Hey, wait up!” Robbie called after her.
“Get a move on, boys. We don’t have time to dilly dally, and the quicker we get to Mochni and try to help him the better. I’ve got an odd feeling, and I don’t like it.” Abby shared.
“Well, of course you do! Think of why we know Mochni, what we’ve seen, what you’ve learned, and the part the –” Robbie affected a terrible British accent and exclaimed haughtily, “dastardly deeds of one Noah Ashbridge.” Pediah looked confused, and Abby laughed.
“Too true,” agreed Abby as they reached the edge of the camp.
Mochni’s back was toward them. Either he didn’t hear them coming, which Robbie doubted, or he didn’t care. But, the creature they came upon was shrouded in defeat and sadness under the now moonlit sky. The silver glow showed a giant boy-man with his legs curled under him so his heels rested against his thighs.
He was staring up at the night sky, rocking back and forth gently. If it had been anyone else, Robbie would have thought they just couldn’t balance themselves. But, Mochni looked like a wound-up coil ready to spring.
Robbie motioned the others to stop. He had no intention of scaring the kid. He didn’t want to know what would happen. Robbie motioned again for them to back away and return to the main camp area. He hoped they’d have the good sense to keep others away from them until he could figure out what was so troubling the Woidnuk youth.
He chortled softly, remembering his answer to Abby regarding the same thing. At the sound, Mochni tensed, but did not turn around. Robbie mumbled to himself,
“Annie’d kill me if I got killed.”
Six
Mochni’s great size and not-quite-human looks generally kept people at a safe distance from him. For anyone who might find bravery in their approach, his pos
ture suggested they back off. This was usually enough to keep people from getting too close, asking too many questions, and insulting him either by accident or by design.
Most of the volunteers and staff understood this unspoken rule. But Robbie Blake, Thomas Knight, Pediah Lapp, Alexia Fraga, and Abby Hogan had been with Mochni since he first stepped foot in Thom’s tent to retrieve what had been stolen from his people. And they had proven themselves to him, his parents, and his village time and again.
Mochni had found a quiet spot not far from the camp. A place of solitude.
Robbie approached carefully. Tension emanated from Mochni in an almost visible electric charge, yet the Woidnuk sat silent and perfectly still; an alien statue in an alien land. His mind was a million miles away and though Thomas Knight’s team was not afraid of him, it seemed only he and Robbie had established a brother-like connection.
Pediah and Abby had taken Robbie’s silent advice and turned back toward camp. The few workers nearby were well out of earshot. Robbie cleared his throat in an effort to make his presence known and drew closer. He stopped and began shuffling into a seated position next to the Woidnuk youth.
“Go away.” Mochni had his back turned and remained staring at the expanse of desert in front of him.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. You see, I drew the short straw,” a familiar voice joked halfheartedly. “I know everything that’s happened so far has sucked and I wish a lot of it could have been prevented. But terrible things did happen. I’m not discounting that and I know you’re probably still…processing. But, here’s the thing,” Robbie sat down and placed a hand on Mochni’s shoulder. “You’re not alone. We’re all in this together.”
Mochni pursed his lips and exhaled softly. “Robbie.” He turned his head to look at and mumbled something unintelligible. Robbie had decided to wear the mantle of his personality somewhere between devil-may-care and blood brother. The devil on his shoulder moved him to continue.
“Thom wouldn’t leave you alone and as I’m second in command, it’s my duty to not leave you alone, either.” Mochni wrinkled his forehead in confusion.
A rumbling sound echoed in the distance and both knew it was the Kisgar moving beneath their feet, their long sleep over at the battle cry of an ancient drum. The earth shook, shifting sands, and both were thankful the sounds were no closer than before. The giant, lumbering animals moved slowly, their food source below ground depleted. The pace of the drum did not yet have them in its thralls to begin their murderous rampage.
It feels like some kind of test, Robbie thought. As if something is being…planned. The psychological warfare of the slow, methodical rumblings began to eat at them. But now was not the time. The animals were not yet near the dig site and both Robbie and Mochni breathed a quick sigh of relief. There was still time. Not much. But, hopefully, enough.
Mochni broke their awkward silence. “Ab-bee in charge. No, you. Yes?”
“We’ve already fought together. And you’ve helped us since, well, since you were caught going through Thomas’s things in his tent.” Mochni looked at him sharply, his teeth bared. Robbie held up a hand. “Yes, I know why,” he explained. “But we didn’t know then, did we?” he reasoned. He laid a hand on Mochni’s shoulder when the Woidnuk remained silent, his lips pursed. “Right?” Robbie asked again.
Robbie could almost see Mochni searching for a comeback or deciding to stay silent indefinitely. He let the question hang suspended in the air between them. He was about to ask again, when Mochni at last shook his head. They were agreed. No one had known what domino effect the one action would have on all their lives.
“Okay, then. See?” Robbie clapped him on the shoulder and Mochni jumped.
“Hey, relax. It just means you’re a good egg.” The Woidnuk youth stared at Robbie.
“I’m not egg!” he roared.
“Would you calm down! A good egg isn’t bad. It means you’re a good…guy. Your heart is in the right place. You want to help…” Robbie’s attempt to explain had him floundering in his efforts. One corner of his mouth turned up in a lopsided smile. “Geez, you’re sensitive!”
“You’re no in charge. Ab-bee is charge. She is…second…to Thomas. Where Ab-bee?”
“Well, if you want to get technical about it,” Robbie pouted, “she asked me to come to you. She’s worried about you. We all are.”
Mochni stood up. “I’m…” he stomped a foot in frustration and the earth shook. He seemed surprised and cocked his head. “That’s not me,” he whispered. Robbie had felt it, too. He arched an eyebrow and gave a halfhearted shrug.
“You were saying,” Robbie prompted wryly as another tremor shook the ground under them. “What’s up, er, wrong?” he corrected himself and was surprised when Mochni turned sharply, seething in anger.
Mad at the world in general, Mochni’s upbringing by Lt. Whipkey, a soldier from the surface and his mother, a Woidnuk from below, held his temper in check. His face was flush and his lips were set in a thin line. Mochni gave him a hard look and attempted to arch one eyebrow as he’d seen the others do when they were surprised. “Wrong?” he asked, incredulous. His voice cracked slightly, the only giveaway that he was still, in the eyes of both worlds, a teenager. And now, an orphan and a leader of his people.
“I mean, why are you off by yourself?” Robbie asked. “You’re shaking with anger so bad, I can almost feel it. You seem sad and mad, and that’s not a good combo. We need to think straight and we need to be able to work together. All of us.”
Mochni often wondered how no one had yet been able to realize the repercussions of each ivory domino to fall in their quest to either idolize new discoveries or sell them. The lives of others were simply…an obstacle. A problem to be solved. He knew he wasn’t being fair to Thomas Knight and his team. They were different. But the other humans… His face grew flush with anger, darkening his gray-green hued skin. His nostrils flared as the breath caught in his throat and his eyes blazed.
“No reason for father to die like that. He should have listened! Should have stayed.” The Woidnuk slammed his hand on the rock beside him to emphasize his point. He paused and bowed his head low. “Mother gone,” he said softly. Robbie was silent as Mochni continued. “Family gone. Friends gone. Home gone. Everything gone! Everyone gone! Nowhere to go, to be home.” His emotions ran roughshod over him, rising and falling with each new memory.
At any other time and with anyone else, Robbie knew he would have tried to say something. He would have tried to make a joke or lighten the mood. As if some invisible hand held him, Robbie let Mochni talk without interruption. It was the most Mochni had ever said.
The earth trembled again, trying to shake off its inhabitants in Death Valley. Together, they sat in silence and watched the rock and sands shift, and the earth roil and split with narrow cracks.
“Kisgar,” Mochni said, pointing to the ground. “Home is gone. Destroy-ed.” Mochni shook his head, “No, not destroy-ed, destroyed.” His life had changed irrevocably and he had much to learn about the world above. From Abby, he’d learned communication was a first step. His language skills had improved and he smiled at the thought, but he knew he still had a lot of work ahead of him to sound like the others.
He looked at Robbie and one corner of his eye glistened. “I must take my father’s place. I am not ready.” He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “I’m scared. I thought…I thought there would be more time. More time to learn. More time to prepare…” his voice trailed off into a forlorn sigh. “I think everyone is gone, but maybe –” he stopped and swallowed. “Maybe some got away?” he asked Robbie with hope in his eyes and in his voice.
“It is possible,” Robbie remarked warily. Then, warming to his role as optimist, he added, “We got away, didn’t we? Why wouldn’t anyone else have a chance?” Mentally, he crossed his fingers and hoped he was telling Mochni the truth.
Mochni’s eyes brightened. “This is good, but…” his voice rose, then cracked again. He n
arrowed his eyes and the skin in his forehead crinkled with concern.
“But, what?”
“I still do not know what to do. I do not know how to find….” His face was pinched with worry. “I am lost.” Mochni hung his head and threw up his hands in resignation. “I am no leader,” he mumbled into his chest.
“Hey,” Robbie chided. “I disagree with you there. I’ve seen you leap first and ask questions later; all without a thought for yourself. Your thoughts were only on getting others out of harm’s way and into safety. Sure, you may not have the years or whatever it is that marks Woidnuk as a leader. But!” Robbie held up his index finger to make his point. “You have the most important part inside you.” Robbie’s voice seemed distant and he spoke in a voice not his own. It was almost as if Lt. Whipkey spoke through him.
Mochni raised his eyes to Robbie’s. “What?” he asked. “What do I have?”
“Your heart.” Robbie placed his hand over his own heart and patted it gently. “Look, I know it’s been rough. It’s been rough on everyone, dude.” He walked forward to meet Mochni toe-to-toe, his eyes level with the Woidnuk’s midriff, and looked up. “You know sometimes how I laugh when nothing is funny?” Robbie asked.
Mochni nodded slowly and Robbie continued, “Well, that’s how I…” Robbie put his hand on his chest over his heart. “Deal with bad things.” He paused, his voice caught with emotion, and he swallowed. Once he had composed himself again, Robbie asked, “See?” Mochni quirked his mouth but said nothing.
Robbie sighed. “Yeah, I’ll admit it’s not a great way to process sad stuff, but it works. For me.” Mochni made a clicking noise as Robbie spoke. “Right, so it’s important to…” he searched his mind for a phrase he hoped would make the oversized teenager smile. “Keep calm and carry on.”
