Universal Mass
Page 30
Betsy picked up the rifle she once had slung over her shoulder, which now lay in the snow beside her. She inspected the gun to insure the barrel was clear and that the weapon would still fire. She did not want to meet up with a predator and then discover her gun would not work. She had a four-mile walk back up the mountain to the cabin where her clan resided. Even though the sun shone brightly in the sky, the time of day eluded her. Before the mountain had moved under her feet and she had fallen ill, it was mid-morning, but now the sun hovered in the southwest, as if time had slipped by while she lay in the snow. She was almost certain she had not passed out during that time, yet the position of the sun was all wrong. She made a decision to hurry back towards the cabin. She knew that running in the forest might provoke an attack by a mountain lion or a wolf, but she needed to insure she arrived to the safety of the cabin before dark. Being out in the forest after sunset would mean certain death, not only from the predators, but also from the frigid cold.
With her rifle in her arms in front of her, she began a steady jog along the frozen trail. She watched the sun in the sky and realized that it moved much slower than normal, as if time had somehow changed, as if the days had suddenly gotten longer. She kept up the steady pace, knowing she could jog the entire twelve miles to the cabin if she kept careful attention to where she was planting her feet. Small tree branches littered the trail, many blown down during last week’s windstorm.
Once, when she slowed her pace to adjust her bra straps so her backpack would not rub on the raw spots on each shoulder, two partridge flushed from a clump of tall grass beside the trail. Her reactions to the frightened birds gave her reason to laugh outloud. She had almost dropped her rifle on the ground and the dampness she now felt in her underwear reminded her that she should have stopped to pee twenty minutes ago when she first felt the need. She leaned the rifle against a tree and removed the wet panties from beneath her wool skirt. Getting them off over her tall leather boots and wool leggings was difficult at best but she managed. As she squatted and finished emptying her bladder, she realized that she required more time for her task. Scanning the surrounding forest for any sign of danger, she realized that two fledgling bald eagles where sitting in a nearby tree. They too were scanning the forest, providing a safe zone around where Betsy squatted. When she finished her business, she used the dried mullein leaves growing near her to clean her bottom.
After another half hour slow run, she reached a road that led east. She realized then that deep cracks had formed crisscrossing the road, making many places impassable by motorized vehicles. The sun had set twenty minutes ago and the forest and road was now quite dark. She walked slowly, trying to not step into a crack in the road. Injuring or breaking an ankle was of great concern to her. The wolves would quickly consider her prey if they sensed she was injured.
Betsy decided to find a safe place and bed down for the night. She needed to find a tree that would support her weight where she could climb up off the ground. Being at ground level at night was a dangerous place to be with the wolf and coyote packs that roamed the forests. Members of her clan had also talked about mountain lions roaming the forest and taking large prey, even killing large moose when the opportunity presented itself.
She located a tree along the trail that would suit her needs. Once she found a forked section of the tree where she could sit and be somewhat comfortable, she wrapped up in her wool blanket and tied a rope around her chest to secure her to the tree. Then she settled in for a long cold night in the forest. She realized that her situation was precarious, but she knew she would survive the night. The only predator that was of concern was a mountain lion. They could easily climb trees.
Once the sun rose, she would make her way back up to the cabin where her clan made their home. She hoped that the cabin was still there and that her clan was still alive. She feared that she might have to survive in this world alone from this point forward. She feared that the large earthquake had destroyed the top of the mountain. The sounds she heard coming from the north as the earthquake rumbled signaled some horrific event had taken place.
Once the sun was high enough in the sky so that Betsy could navigate the forest without breaking an ankle, she headed north towards her home. Within an hour, she realized that the entire top of the mountain had literally sunk. She now stood on the edge of a forest looking down a few hundred feet into a newly formed basin. A magnificent mountain once towered over a thousand feet above her head. She realized then that the entire top of the mountain had sunk and now resembled the crater of an extinct volcano. Water was now filling the bottom on the basin and would eventually become a mountain lake. The ground where she stood began to crumble under her feet. She stepped back a few feet and realized that the sides of the crater were beginning to slide down into the void. She quickly turned herself around and began walking south; away from the place that once supported her clan and their homeland.
Betsy walked for five or six hours towards the south. She knew that if she walked far enough down the mountain, she would find a highway that led down to the city of Hillsburg. What she would do once she arrived there would be the next thing. She did not intend to beg for assistance, yet she could hardly survive on her own without proper shelter.
As she walked towards the south, she came upon a well-traveled trail. It appeared as if someone had recently killed a large moose and gutted it along the trail. It was also apparent that someone was selectively cutting down trees, possibly for firewood. Betsy decided to follow the trail. If someone lived around here, maybe she could find food and shelter for the night. That might give her time to assess her situation before deciding upon a course of action.
Within a few miles, she came upon a single-track road, which someone had recently plowed with a tractor. She knew that towards the west was the main highway that led down to Hillsburg, but to the east was a mystery. She decided to head east. Even if she could find an abandoned building or barn, she could find some protection from the night’s frigid cold and roaming predators.
As she walked along the road, she came upon an area where someone had parked vehicles and then covered them with tarps. As she stood looking around, she realized that there was a house back into the side of the mountain. There were footprints of varying sizes around the building and it looked as if three or four people had walked around with snowshoes. As she stood looking around, a man stepped out from the front entrance and spoke to her. She pulled the hood of her coat off her head and spoke to him. He walked out to where she stood and asked her if he could help her. He introduced himself as Robert. Betsy reached out, shook his hand and explained that she was in desperate need of shelter for the night. She asked if she could spend the night in the garage out of the bitter cold wind. Robert laughed and said, “Not a chance. You will come inside and spend the night with my clan. We have a warm fire and hot food. You are welcome to join us. I insist that you come inside and warm yourself.”
As Betsy stepped inside the front door of the Mountain House, she realized how large this home truly was. There was a warm fire burning in the wood stove and there were plants growing everywhere. Robert took her heavy coat and hung it up on a hook so it would dry and then allowed Betsy to sit on the hearth to remove her boots and warm clothing. Once she was down to her pants and shirt, Robert escorted her towards the bathroom. He said, “Please use the restroom if you like. I will get you a towel so you can wash before we eat.” Betsy started to explain that she did not want to impose, but Robert held up his hand and said, “You are not imposing. For tonight, you are our guest. You can explain why you are out wandering around in the cold during the evening meal.”
When Betsy stepped out of the bathroom, the clan all gathered around to meet her. Rodney introduced everyone to Betsy and escorted her into the mineshaft. As she looked around, she said, “Oh my. This is quite pleasant. I have never seen an underground home before.”
Once everyone was seated and they began passing the food around the table, Betsy s
aid, “I want to thank you for allowing me to spend the night indoors. I fear I would have spent a very cold night sleeping in the forest.”
Britney asked, “May I ask why you are out alone this day. Are you lost or have you run away from somewhere?” Betsy said, “Actually, my home in the mountains north of here was destroyed by the earthquake yesterday. I no longer have any family or a home. I am now on my own and I will have to make my way down to Hillsburg and try to find a job. I too would have died that day if I had not been out hunting. Thankfully, I had my backpack and rifle with me. I am a good hunter and I can survive for a while on my own, but I will eventually have to find a permanent home.”
When it was bedtime, Jenna and Bonnie made up a bed for Betsy and showed her around the kitchen and bathroom. Once everyone was in bed and comfortable, Betsy heard the sound of her new friends sleeping comfortably. She realized that she was safe and needed to sleep. She had not slept in two days and her body was feeling the effects. She rolled over on her side and stared at the flickering yellow firelight shining through the mica window on the woodstove. She took a deep breath and then fell asleep, but soon woke with a start from the feeling of falling. She realized then that she had dreamed about sliding down into the abyss in the mountain. A woman’s voice from the bed beside her said, “Rest easy, Betsy. You are safe here. Nothing will harm you in your sleep. It is only your nightmares that disturb you.”
That was how the clan met Betsy. They soon invited the young woman to remain with them and she accepted their offer. She was strong and capable of sharing the workload and earning her keep. She was a good hunter and loved caring for animals. Her presence in the Mountain House would be very welcome.
***
As the cold bitter winter slowly receded and the warm sunshine brought life back to the mountains, the events of the resizing slowly faded. In the thirty fifth century, stories abound of the little people that once populated the planet, but as with any folk lore, the stories fade from existence as time moves on. To this day, the history books discuss the horrible events surrounding the resizing. Signs of small buildings and tiny machinery still litter the junkyards and scrapyards around planet Earth. Often time’s hunters will find old dilapidated cabins and machinery that the little people used to eke out a living.
I discovered this story of the resizing, written in a well-worn leather bound notebook, carefully hidden behind a loose stone in a gold mine I purchased a few years back. Someone had carefully wrapped the notebook in deer hide to protect it from the elements. The gold mine was perched atop a river and appeared to be the residence written about in the story. The document was unsigned, but after reading the tale, I felt as if the character named, Britney, might have been the author. I have rewritten the story as best I could from the faded and water stained fountain pen writings. The inside of the mineshaft was just as the story told. It looked as if the humans who once lived there left in a hurry. Maybe, just maybe, they moved to the city to join the communes. There were no skeletons lying around, so I must assume they did not meet a horrible demise. I often sit and think about what life in the Mountain House would have been like. I, at times, wish I had lived in that century and could have been part of that story. I hope I have done the rewriting of this story justice.
Ronnie Coleinger