“Was it only John? Was he all alone in that place?”
“Not exactly,” he said as he snickered.
Just then, the pair heard Ceannt’s pipes squealing loudly into the forest air. Cooper began laughing and said, “I suppose we should head that direction!”
As they approached the brewery, they could hear the kids squealing along with the pipes, most of them laughing and others jokingly yelling at him to stop. Cooper could see that old Ceannt actually had two of them pushing the sack that forces the air through the pipes.
Aria’s eyes grew twice as large as she saw the scene. She counted more than ten children all running and playing in this spot. One large boy was standing next to Ceannt, humming along with the tune that the old man was piping out. She clutched Cooper’s arm as she stared out at the flurry of activity. “This is amazing! They’re all children! This will double the amount of children in the village. I don’t know what to say. This will make so many people so happy.”
“Well, let me introduce you to some of them.”
Albert had already stopped humming and walked over to them. He stopped just in front of Aria and extended a hand to shake. “Hello. My name is Albert.”
Aria went down on one knee and looked into the steely gaze of the young lad. She was struck by how large he was, but how young he sounded. Still, there was a great deal of confidence and wisdom in his voice. “Hello, Albert. My name is Aria.” Her long wavy brown and white hair had fallen of her shoulders and was swaying in front of her now.
“I like your hair” he said as reached out to touch it.
“Aren’t you a little gentleman. You know, complimenting a lady as soon as you meet her is a sure way to get in her good graces.”
“Ok” replied Albert. Then he went back to stand next to Ceannt and began humming the same tune Ceannt had been playing.
The old man had stopped playing his pipes and the two children who had been helping him ran over to Cooper. The girl poked him in the knee and said quietly “Who is the pretty lady?”
Aria blushed again, but her eyes were still sparkling with excitement to meet all these kids.
Cooper slowly turned both of the shy children towards Aria. “These two are brother and sister. Born at the same time if I remember correctly. Andrew is the boy and Reagan is the girl.”
“Twins! I’ve only heard stories of it ever happening,” exclaimed Aria. The two siblings had white-blonde hair and icy blue eyes. They looked to be around five years old, but Aria couldn’t tell for sure. Andrew had an intelligence in his eyes that was unmistakable for anything else. Reagan, even at such a young age, was obviously athletic and agile. Aria remained bent down as the two slowly moved over to her and hugged her simultaneously.
Cooper could see tears coming down her cheeks as the little girl asked if she was sad.
“No dear, no. I am very far from sad.” Aria wiped the tears away and started laughing warmly. As she looked around she saw a few tears on old Ceannt’s cheeks as well.
Cooper quickly ran through introductions with all the other children but he stumbled over a few names. John was right there to save him. “The last two are Jackson and Blake,” he said, while staring at his feet. “My name is John.” He still hadn’t looked up.
“John, I’m Aria. You must be a very special man to have cared so well for all these children. It is truly an honor to meet you. Cooper has told me wonderful things about you, but I never expected this. Welcome to our village.” After shaking hands with the big man, she threw her arms around him in a tight embrace. Tears began their losing battle against gravity as they streamed down her cheeks again. John was uncomfortable, but to his credit, he made no move to squirm away.
She released him from the prison of her arms and John took a few steps back, the children all clustered around him still taking in all the sights the village had to offer.
“Is anyone hungry, or would you like to walk around and see some things first?” Aria asked of the mass of children.
No one said anything until Albert stepped up front again and declared. “We ate on the barge. This place is so different than home I think everyone would like to look around.”
Aria smiled at him then looked over to Cooper. “Hey, if that’s what Albert says, then it’s probably the best idea.”
“Then get out of here! I still got some finishing touches to put on this beer for the celebration. I could use a little help too, fellas.” Ceannt put his pipes back into their box and strolled up the small steps into the brewery. All the other men except for Cooper and John hurried after him into the malty smelling building.
“More than happy to help,” yelled Doc as he scurried up the steps first.
11
John leaned down and spoke to all the kids. He told them that this was home now and to be polite to all the people they met. If they got scared or nervous they only had to grab onto one of his legs. Truly, John looked to be the most nervous of the group. The children’s shyness had been exchanged with curiosity about their new surroundings.
Once Cooper told them about the other dogs and other kids who lived in the village, that excitement only grew. “And the best part is, you don’t have to eat carp anymore, unless you really want to!”
Some of the children seemed excited about that. Others simply didn’t seem to hear him, as they were anxious to walk around. Aria sensed this and told them all to walk around her and John. Cooper was following behind them to make sure none wandered off into the village and got lost or scared.
As they walked through the village with Aria pointing things out here and there, many people stopped to see them. It was like a little parade marching through the village. The other residents were able to tell that the children were still a little nervous, so mostly they just waved and welcomed them.
The children quickly grew comfortable with Aria. Little Thomas fell asleep in her arms only halfway through the walk. Cooper could tell that John was quickly being overwhelmed. “Hey John, I want to show you some things over here.”
Aria turned to see John walking away with Cooper and nodded her approval to the redhead. Cooper nodded back and walked John down a different direction. “I want to show you my house, John. You can stay with me for awhile if you want. I have plenty of room. Asher, the architect of all the houses, has built extra so you can have your own place whenever you want it.”
John’s eyebrows went up as they stopped in front of Cooper’s home. “I get my own place like this? It’s so much bigger than the boxes back home!”
“Yes, you can have your own place, there is even one near to mine if you’d like. The kids can all stay in this area until everyone gets settled.” Pointing at the cabins on either side of his, he said, “Aria lives there and Ceannt lives there, so we have enough room for the kids right here for awhile. Really though, the village isn’t very big so they will never be far, it’s not even half the size of the old city.”
“That sounds nice, Cooper.” John looked around the porch and his eyes had grown slightly hazy. “I think I would like to take a nap. Can I lay down?”
“Of course, come on in. I’ll open some windows and let the fresh air in.”
+++
Cooper hurried out of his house once John fell asleep to go find out more about the mysterious new arrival. He was thinking about the poultice the man had made and how well it had worked. As he looked around for Tom, it got him wondering what other secrets the forest might hold that they didn’t know.
He bumped into many people along the way who congratulated him on his successful journey; nearly as many inquired about his injured head. He was happy to stop and chat with all of them as it gave him another chance to ask if anyone knew where Tom had gone. No one seemed to know, though.
Finally, he ran into Katherine. She was just as kind as always, and her eyes squinted nearly shut when she saw him because of her huge smile. She gave him a big hug, and Cooper remembered how she had given him his first tour of the village.
“So glad to see you made it back safely. I saw all the little monsters you brought back with you. They are all so cute!”
“Yeah, it was a bit of a wild ride bringing them back down the river,” he said while running his hand over the covered wound on his head, “but we made it.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” she said, staring at the bandages on his head. “Do you want me to get you something for that?”
Katherine always loved to take care of him, but he was feeling better already and it barely hurt anymore. “No, it’s fine now. Hey, have you seen Tom anywhere?”
“As a matter of fact, I just passed him. He was headed toward the gulf, shouldn’t be too far ahead of you.” She paused and blushed slightly. “He had his new friend with him too.”
Cooper chuckled at her and after a quick hug, he ran off towards the bay. He learned very quickly that he was not ready for a full run yet. His head started swimming and he began to feel a little nauseous. After slowing down and taking a few deep breaths, he started to feel better.
As the smell of the salt water grew stronger, he knew he was almost to the beach. He could hear the waves, and soon enough, the sand was beneath his feet. When he first came here he had learned how much nicer it is walking on the sand. The lake where he had grown up was surrounded by large black and gray stones that hurt his feet.
The sand crunched beneath his toes. It always seemed like it should give more, being so soft, but it held firm. He could see the little shells in it and the mosaic of colors that made up the beach.
As he walked along, he let the waves carry away the pain that had developed in his head. The rhythmic crashing of the waves always calmed him down. He knew why Tom always snuck out here for peace and quiet, even though the gulf was never actually quiet.
Eventually, he saw two figures walking along the beach in his direction. He couldn’t see who it was, but waved his hand high over his head anyway.
After leaning against a dune for a bit, the pair had caught up to him.
“Cooper, great to see you back.” Pointing up at his head, Tom said, “Hope the other guy looks worse.”
“Nothing like that Tom, stupid accident on my part.”
“Good to hear. Good to hear. I was just taking a walk with Handro here. He has a pretty incredible story.”
“Yes, I would love to hear it. I was very impressed by what you did for Caitlin. We all thank you for that.”
“I was happy to help,” said the dark-skinned man.
The three of them all walked a little further down the beach until they found a nice place where they could all lean against a dune and listen to Handro’s tale.
+++
Handro had been born in the woods. His parents were nomads; they continued to move all over. They never stayed very long in one spot even if they had resources there. With the birth of Handro, their nomadic lifestyle was put on hold. Surviving on the move would be too difficult and treacherous with a newborn, so his father had built a house out of mud into the side of the small hill.
His parents had been born into a city. They watched it spiral into darkness, just as their own love was beginning to blossom. His father, Brian, was very handy and had always escaped the city to spend his days in the woods, learning how to make tools and catch animals. His mother, Rosa, was a natural survivalist. She had learned all the plants before ever leaving the city they were born in. Nearly every day she built upon this knowledge. She seemed to have an innate ability to know what many of the plants could be used for.
They had walked around for years, honing their skills to perfection before Handro was born. They had stayed in that mud dwelling for several years while the baby went from a defenseless, squirming brown wiggle worm, to a smart, fast, and capable young boy.
Handro remembered those early years well. He loved them dearly. When they eventually told him it was time to move on, he didn’t understand at first. He assumed they would be back. After all, they had taken small adventures to survey their land and to teach him new skills, but they always returned.
After a whole season away from their home, he finally accepted what his life would be. He wanted to cry out, he wanted to throw a fit, but he knew his father would have no time for such actions.
Brian had a great deal of patience with his son while he was growing up, but once they got on the move again, he felt the boy was old enough to put aside the childish reactions and embrace his life.
Handro did learn to love their nomadic lifestyle. Sometimes they would stay in one spot for as long as a whole season, but never any longer. They would always gather what few things they wanted to keep and get back to walking. His parents told him that people were simply not to be trusted. They warned him that even though they offered wonderful things like tools or medicine, it was never worth it. Betrayal could quickly lead to death in this landscape.
When he was younger, they would frequently find evidence of a human settlement. Typically they would see beat down trails and smoke from multiple fires. These settlements were always along a river or a lake. Proximity to water was a given for all those encampments.
Once, when Handro was feeling curious, he snuck right up near one of these settlements and watched the people. He saw men walking around with large sticks and when they would come close to other people who didn’t have sticks but were always carrying sacks, they would hit them and yell at them. The beaten ones would always scurry off.
Brian quickly found him and yanked him quietly out of there, explaining that those men with sticks were the reason they stayed away from these villages. Men with sticks will always take whatever they can from men without sticks.
Handro quickly understood the concept and never again ventured close to the settlements without his father’s permission. On several occasions, they snuck inside these villages and grabbed a few things, clothing typically but sometimes various pieces of metal to repurpose. The boy hated the metal because it was so heavy. He knew it lasted much longer than the stone tools, but he didn’t like having to carry it around.
For years they walked all over the land, his mother learning more and more about the plants from all the regions and sharing all this knowledge with the rapidly growing Handro.
The young boy gradually grew into a very competent man. He had quickly learned all of his father’s tricks, from manipulating stone to braiding tree bark into a strong rope. Rosa, however, always had more to teach him. They would frequently go out and collect herbs upon arriving into a new land while Brian constructed a temporary shelter.
It was on one of these walks that the pair had heard Brian scream. It was a sound that Handro, at this point over 17 years old, had never heard in his entire life. It made all the small hairs on his body stand straight up and he knew something was terribly wrong.
They ran at full speed back to camp only to find Brian with his back pressed against a rock. He was sheet white and had four angry, red slashes running across his chest. Standing to his side and staring at him was a great beast. It was tan in color and covered with a thick coat. It was at least twice the size of his father with a long swooping tail that was twitching back and forth.
When Handro burst onto the scene, the beast turned its great square head and made a noise unlike any other that he had ever heard. It was a sound like a squealing, but incredibly deep. For a split second he had felt that sound penetrate his bones.
As Rosa came running around the scrub brush she saw Brian and the beast, but didn’t slow down at all. She ran full speed at the creature and leapt onto its back. She began pounding on its head, trying to punch it in the eyes. The animal did not appreciate this and began slashing at her. Handro pulled his stone knife out and began approaching the scene, hoping for some kind of way to get in and help his mother.
The beast, along with his mother, was spinning around and crashing through the bushes. Handro was no longer able to tell who was making what noises. Just as he was about to enter the fray, Brian launched his body into the air with a spear he had h
urriedly created. With blood still dripping down his chest, he crashed into the back of the animal and plunged his spear deep into its neck, narrowly missing his wife, who was still clinging to the creature.
Rosa finally let go, took several steps, and fell into a crumbled mass. The creature did the same with Brian still on its back. Handro was in shock at all he had just seen. It all seemed to happen so fast and now both his parents were lying on the ground, covered in blood.
He regained control of his legs and ran over to them. Rosa was unconscious and Handro could not readily see if she was breathing. The entire front of her body was shredded. He could see things under her skin that no human was ever meant to see. He heard his father groan, and quickly covered the short distance to him where he had fallen near the beast.
Brian had blood coming from his nose and mouth and was coughing even more of it. As he tried to draw ragged breaths, tiny bubbles of blood burst on his lips. The claws of the animal had punctured his lungs. Still, he tried to speak to his son. Handro’s entire world was collapsing around him as he watched his father attempt to say something.
Time seemed to slow down even more than it had during the battle as he watched the life slip out from behind his father’s eyes, never having been able to say whatever it was he wanted to say.
Handro had lain there for a long time, covered in the blood of both of his parents. He stared at the beast that had destroyed his life in a matter of moments. As if controlled by a force other than himself, he stood up and walked over to the tan, toothy monster and began kicking it violently. Again and again he pounded on the dead animal while tears streamed down his cheeks. He continued beating it until he nearly passed out from exhaustion
Finally, he slid down the rock at his back. The beast had been reduced to a mass of tan fur and red, bloody meat. Handro quickly fell into a fitful sleep, trying to imagine that the day had never happened.
Further: Page 6
