Jalaby's Journey

by Duane Alston

  The next morning was not the cheerful awakening that Sarah had provided them on the previous morning. She nudged Jalaby awake and said that it was time to get up, then promptly lay back down on her own bed before Jalaby could get to his feet.

  “OK, let's get up everyone. We have a long way to go today before we get to the mill. Once we get there, we'll rest a few days so don't worry about getting enough sleep now.” No one moved. “Come on, come on! Get up Tom!”

  “Hey, I'm never first getting up. Besides who wants another day like yesterday. First you lose us a kack then you walk us into the dead of night,” Tom finished rolling over.

  “Now I know your feeling better. I haven't heard any complaining since we started this journey and I was beginning to worry.” Jalaby said as Sarah laughed lightly and rolled over as well.

  “Well, I just laid down and now have to get up, so quit whining brother of mine.” Sarah got to her feet and began picking up her blankets.

  “Ugh, I guess I have to get up too,” said Connel as he rolled over and got to his feet.

  “Does anyone want a cooked breakfast or shall we just eat more dried meat and get on our way?” Jalaby hesitated above the cook pack.

  “No, let's get going, I want to get to the mill so we can sleep some more,” said Sarah, while Connel and Tom, in unison, mumbled agreement.

  “OK, I'll hand out some dried meat and bread once we get our animals packed.”

  Once mounted, the group moved down the road munching on their dried meat while riding toward what they hoped was an old mill, about one days journey away.

  The road was the same as yesterday, moving alternately close to the drop to the river and then inland from the river, but never very far. It wasn't long before Tom took up singing again and his voice echoed loudly, as they rode through the canyon of Crieton River.

  We've journeyed hard to cross the Crieton.

  And on we go on this side a fight'n.

  To get to some old mill that Jalaby thinks our due.

  And pull along these kacks that smell like poo.

  Never met a kack as tough as Sammy.

  He hit the bottom and the water went wammy.

  We'll miss him as we go along.

  But I will remember him in this song.

  Tom's songs came in waves and Jalaby, Sarah, and Connel both laughed and groaned with some frequency to each new verse that was added. They finally took a lunch break at midday and removed the packs so the animals could have a rest.

  “Take and hour lunch break everyone. We better have a hot meal this time or we won't have the strength to keep going. I'll cook pancakes and dried bacon on the side.” Jalaby set up what he called a quick stove. It was a portable stove that could use either oil or wood and his Uncle had given it to him five years ago. He set the stove up, poured in the oil and used some starter flint to light the fire. Within a few minutes, he had mixed the pancakes and was cooking up a batch.

  “Tom, there's syrup in the cook pack, get it out.” Jalaby piled the last of the cooked pancakes on a large tin plate and they feasted and finally rested before their journey began again.

  They were lucky that at least a few clouds had come out to block the harsh sun that beat upon them as they moved slowly along the road. It was late afternoon and Jalaby was worrying that again it would be a late night.

  “I hope we don't have to sleep out again,” grumbled Tom. His singing had stopped sometime back and he was stumbling more when they walked to give their horses a break.

  Jalaby knew they were all tired and he didn't know what else to do but keep going. He gave them a choice.

  “Well, we can keep going or we can stop here in the middle of the road and set up camp. There hasn't been anyone along this road in years, so I don't think the traffic will be a problem, but I'll leave it up to you. What's your choice?” Jalaby and the others kept walking as they mulled over his suggestion. Sarah finally spoke first.

  “Well, I want to keep going, at least another couple of hours. If the information you received is correct, we should be nearing the mill any time now.”

  “I'll go along with my Sis. My feet are sore and my tummy's empty but what else is new. Jalaby, you need to do more to provide the comforts that good folks like us deserve. This is no way to run an exotic travel business.” Tom's voice took on a very business like quality when he gave this short speech, which make at least Connel laugh.

  “You're right, I'm not into this no frills trips either, but I'll keep going,” said Connel. "I'm not too tired yet and besides, I would like a roof over my head tonight, if possible. It looks like rain on the way or at the least a cold night.”

  “OK, let's keep moving then and I'll try to come up with some accommodations that are worthy of Tom's position in life,” answered Jalaby.

  “Oh no, not that! Looks like another night with a couple of blankets.” Tom then began singing again as they continued on.

  It was evening and for the last several hours the road had not strayed inward from the river and as if remembering what happened to the kack, they all rode on the side closest to the cliff wall. Since it was quite dark now, they could not see the river even if they had ventured toward the edge. They had taken turns at the lead and it was now Jalaby in front, followed by Connel, Tom and Sarah. They were all on foot and leading their animals by the light of the few lanterns that hung from their saddles. The wind was beginning to pick up and Jalaby knew, from the smell in the air, that a rainstorm was approaching. Jalaby was the first to see the distant yellow light framed by its black surroundings and promptly brought their movement quickly to an end, by stopping and not letting the others know. Since the others had been walking rather sleepily and not paying any attention, they ran into each other.

  “Hey, Jalaby! What's the big idea, give us some warning will ya!” Tom's harsh voice broke the silence of the night, along with the noise of the packs hitting each other.

  “Quiet! Keep your voices down,” Jalaby said urgently in a deep whisper. “There is a light up ahead. Put out the lanterns so our eyes can adjust and see if we can see anything else before we move ahead.”

  “OK, but I thought the whole point of this trip was to get to the mill and that's probably the mill. So I wonder why we're not just going on up to it.” Tom said as he put out the two nearest lanterns.

  “Because this isn't Onan and not everyone can be trusted,” Jalaby said sharply.

  “What about that stone you have? If there had been danger, you would have known it by now.” Tom asked.

  Jalaby was beginning to think that Tom's tiredness had made him a bit irrational, but had to concede that his last point made a lot of sense.

  “You may be right about that, but I don't exactly know how and when this stone works, so humor me. Now that the lights are out, does anyone see anything more?”

  “Not a thing, but there is definitely one lone lighted window or a single lantern light ahead.” Connel spoke in a whisper.

  “Wait, I can make out a dark silhouette separate from the canyon. I think it's a building of some sort. It must be the mill!” Sarah's whispered voice was excited and they all quietly looked again. “Hey, I think I hear the creak of its water wheel,” she finished.

  “OK, let's go. Light the two lanterns on Willow's saddle and leave the others out. Keep close to me and let me know if I'm going to fast. Don't get too far behind or you might not be able to see.”

  Jalaby led Willow forward with the others following a very short distance behind. Before long, the road widened into a large cleared area before breaking sharply to the east, away from the river. They all brought their animals to a stop in the wide area and stood in amazement. Between them and river stood a massive mill built of wood planking and standing the height and width of several barns. It was square in shape and on the side facing them, Jalaby could see with his dim light, several large doors as well as one small door that was to the far right. A loading dock ran across the front of the large doors and a flight of steps
led up to a small door. A dim light glowed in a dingy window several floors up, midway up the structure. A faded sign in the front read, "Crieton's Mill".

  Chapter 11

  As they stood looking up, the rain, driven by a brisk wind, began to sting their faces and they heard the rumble of thunder in the distance.

  “Move up against the building to block the wind and I'll try the small door.” Jalaby handed his reins to Connel and with lantern in hand, moved up the steps to the door. He pulled on the door and to his surprise, it opened easily, revealing a small office with a desk and some filing cabinets. He held his lantern high to see around the room but there was nothing unusual, except based on the yellowing papers on the desk and the dust on the furniture, the place looked extremely old and may not have been in use for several years. A door was at the opposite end of the room and Jalaby quickly opened it. This revealed a large warehouse storage area and he could see the backside of the large doors he had seen from the front of the mill.

  “Hello, is anyone here!” Jalaby yelled as loud as he could and his voice echoed noisily off the walls. The warehouse was empty except for a few sacks of what Jalaby thought was probably flour, since there was a fine dusting of flour all over everything. He knew he needed to get everyone inside and out of the rain as soon as possible, so without waiting for a reply, he moved to the front corner of the warehouse where there was a large side door. He unlatched the door which revealed a ramp running down towards the front of the building.

  “Hey, over here!” Jalaby yelled out the side door which made Tom peer around the corner suspiciously, so Jalaby held his lantern high and waved him forward. It didn't take Tom long to convey the potential of dry accommodations to the others and they, along with their horses and kacks, quickly moved up the ramp and into the warehouse, beating the rain off their clothes as they stood in their new dry surroundings.

  “Anyone here?” Asked Sarah, who had pulled her hood off and shook her hair.

  “I yelled but I didn't hear anyone. I figured they wouldn't begrudge us shelter from the rain. Let's unload the animals before we take a look around and find out about that light in the upper floor that we saw from the road.” Jalaby said and began to unload Willow. The creak of the water wheel could be heard distinctly from within the mill, then all of a sudden it stopped.

  “Hey, what happened!” Tom's wary voice was sharp and loud in the confines of the warehouse walls.

  “We are definitely not alone. If I had to guess, I would say someone has disengaged the water wheel that is used for grinding,” Connel answered calmly.

  Jalaby didn't answer but held his lantern high to look around the large room. There were more doors at the back and another stack of sacks of presumed flour against the back wall.

  “OK, well there must be some better accommodations than this dusty area for us to sleep, so I better look around for someone to give us permission and show us where to bed down for the night.” Jalaby tied Willow's reins to some storage shelving that ran the length of the back wall.

  “I'm going with you,” Sarah said looking into Jalaby's eyes, who only nodded in agreement and moved toward one of the back doors.

  “Tom and Connel, you stay here and keep alert, have your weapons handy and yell if you need help. Don't try to explore, we'll be back shortly.” Jalaby looked at them sternly but they were not paying any attention.

  “We are too pooped to explore, we'll just rest here on these flour sacks while you find us the best accommodations. Sarah, you need to keep alert as well, I don't like the way Jalaby keeps looking at you so tenderly.” Tom and Connel then laughed a weary laugh and Sarah just smiled as Jalaby looked at her blankly.

  The door Jalaby took, led him to a hallway with a couple of doors to the left and a stairway both up and down at the far end. He knocked and opened the first door, while holding his lantern high as the door swung open. Sarah pushed against him to get a look.

  “Hey! Tom told you to watch out for me but for the record, I'm not the one pushing us so close together,” Jalaby's smile could barely be seen by the dim light.

  “Oh,” Sarah stood up straight with an embarrassed expression on her face, then promptly pushed close again to look into the room. “Don't be silly. Looks like a pantry, we might be able to eat something besides dried meat for a change.”

  “Sorry my pancakes and dried bacon were not up to your standards.” Jalaby laughed and then continued. “Come on, we need a place to sleep.” Jalaby moved to the other door and pushed it open and because the room was large, he went in. He panned his light around the room revealing a fairly clean room with bundles of empty flour sacks and some small barrels. The walls were quite high, extending another story up, where a wooden balcony ran the length of the room. Through the railings, a few doors on the upper level could be seen.

  “Looks like we found our bedroom for the night. With all these sacks we should be able to make a bed. I like the door also, did you notice, there was no way to lock it from the outside, so we can't be locked in.” Jalaby was looking up at the balcony. “I don't really like having a balcony above us though.”

  “It'll work out, we'll post a watch. What about that light? Let's find the room with the light, someone may be there.” Sarah's excitement was evident in her voice and Jalaby smiled back in admiration.

  “OK, OK, let's get moving,” Jalaby moved quickly out the door and headed upstairs with Sarah close behind.

  At the next landing Jalaby hesitated. The stairs led further up but he felt that this must be the level that had the room with the light in it, so he opened the door and looked in. Again there was a hallway and as he proceeded, his boots noisily caused the floor to creak under his weight.

  “Sarah, I'm going to put out the lantern so we can see which doorway has the light,” Jalaby did so and plunged the hallway into darkness. Sarah grabbed at Jalaby's sleeve and they stood, letting their eyes adjust to the darkness. After a few minutes with only the noise of their breathing and the moan of the wind outside, Jalaby could make out light coming from one of the doors down the hallway.

  “There it is, third door down.” Jalaby lit the lantern and again the dusty wooden walls of the hallway reflected the lantern's yellow light. They moved cautiously down the hallway and paused in front of the door. Jalaby knocked hard on the door.

  “Hello, is anyone there!” Jalaby banged again but it was only greeted with silence. He tried the door and again to his surprise, it opened freely.

  “Must be a trusting sole that doesn't lock any door,” Jalaby mumbled and pushed the door completely open, revealing a small living area complete with sofa, coffee table and a large bookshelf covering the back wall completely. The room had two other doors off it. Jalaby moved into the room with Sarah close behind.

  “Looks like we have found the owner's living area. He, she-”, Jalaby paused remembering his parents words about a creature that lived in the mill, “or it probably needs all these books to pass the time, as desolate of a location that this place appears to be.” Jalaby moved to a small writing desk and began to look at the papers that lay on top. Sarah moved through the room and opened one of the other doors.

  “Kitchen! Found the kitchen. I'll check it out for food.” She said gaily.

  “You seem awful hungry lately. Be careful and yell if you see something.”

  “You can count on it,” and Sarah brushed through the swinging door.

  Jalaby returned to looking through the papers, which were receipts for material bought for the mill and receipts for the orders processed by the mill. The mill seemed to be doing a small but continuous business from what Jalaby could make out. There were entries for a pickup just yesterday in one of the ledger books. Satisfied that there was little to learn from the papers, Jalaby moved toward the other door, opened it and found a bathroom. He used it and washed his hands and face in the sink. It felt good. He turned to find Sarah looking at him.

  “Ah, you found something I need, so if you would just get out of here
, I would appreciate it.” Sarah said pulling Jalaby towards the door.

  “OK, I'm going, find any food?” But Sarah had already closed the door, leaving Jalaby's question unanswered. He headed for the kitchen. He looked briefly around and saw another door, opened it and found a bedroom. It was sparse and tidy. There was a small bed in the middle with a clothes dresser, upon which rested a lamp. The lamp light shown brightly and Jalaby moved to the window and looked down to the area where they had stood before entering the building. This was the light they had seen.

  “Hey a bed!” Startled, Jalaby jumped back and grabbed his sword hilt.

  “Sarah, give me some warning and no you can't sleep in the bed, it belongs to someone else. Someone who is in this mill and we haven't been able to find yet.” Jalaby said quickly.

  “Don't be such a crouch. You need to be making more noise so they'll hear us. They are probably working in another part of the mill and don't even know we are here,” Sarah feigned a pouting gesture with her lips. “I would love to sleep in a bed tonight.”

  “We'll see. You said they, do you think there are more than one.”

  “Well, it's a big mill and seems to me it would take more than one person to run it.” Sarah moved back through the door to the kitchen with Jalaby following.

  “Well you are right, we need to make noise, lets get Tom and Connel and make a noisy march through this place to see if we can raise someone.” Jalaby then grabbed Sarah's hand, that was poised to look through more cupboards and pulled her in the direction of the way they had come.

  “OK, I'm coming, no holding hands or I'll tell Tom,” Sarah's laugh was light and Jalaby quickly let go, but laughed as well.