Cooper shook his hand and found it rough and calloused. There was a strength behind it that belied his thin frame. His long face was also riddled with wrinkles from spending a lifetime in the sun.
“Hey man, great to finally meet you. I brought some stuff you might want to trade for!” The man pulled several large bulbs of garlic from his pocket, laced with shades of pink and purple. They looked very different than the types of garlic they grew in the village.
Cooper smiled wide. “Do you need potatoes?” he asked wryly.
“Oh man, potatoes! We haven’t seen those in years! No way?”
Cooper smiled even wider, remembering a time that seemed far longer ago than it actually was. “Come on, let’s walk to the village.”
The trio walked over the small sand dunes lining the beach into the forest while all the dogs sniffed madly at their clothing. Ann scratched each one of them and let out a gentle laugh.
“How did you get here so quickly?” It suddenly dawned on Cooper that it had only been a few hours since they had pressed the button on the egg.
“I have a confession to make, Cooper,” Ann said.
The redhead suddenly heard all of Handro’s complaints and worries rattle around inside his head once again as he waited for her to continue.
She went on, “It wasn’t hard to get a general idea where you lived from our conversations. At the least, I knew you came up river and this was the largest river. We came here and waited for you to press the button. We have been traveling the whole week.”
Cooper breathed a sigh of relief. At least she hadn’t said that she was going to take all the children! “What kind of boat is that out there? I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said pointing behind himself towards the gulf.
“It’s called a submarine. It travels underwater very quickly. When society collapsed, it was just about the most advanced piece of technology known. The boat wasn’t even technically finished when our ancestors escaped in it to the main facility. I can give you a tour. The engines are incredible! They can’t be shut off. It’s a nuclear device that can run hundreds of years before refueling.”
Once Cooper had heard that it traveled underwater, he didn’t hear anything else. It was all too hard to wrap his head around at the moment so he changed the topic. “Are you going to take the samples you need now?”
Ann patted the small bag over her shoulder. “That was the plan. Get business done first and all that. I have everything I need in here. Jack’s also trained to help if needed. And Cooper, thanks for pushing the button.”
“Actually I didn’t. A young boy named Albert did after the village decided it was a good idea. If we hadn’t pressed it, what would have happened? You were right out there all along. Actually, I don’t know how no one spotted you before just now.”
“We were underwater until you turned on the beacon. We don’t need to discuss ‘what if’s’ though Cooper, because you did push the button and here we are.”
That wasn’t much of an answer and Cooper knew it. Still, she had a point and the trio continued walking through the woods.
+++
Ann had been warmly received at the village when they made it there. Aria was waiting for them at the end of the trail. Caitlin had told her something was going on.
Cooper was thrilled to see everything coming together. Albert had been the first in line to give his blood.
The little man stood there, unflinching, as Ann lowered a small tack onto his finger and then collected the subsequent drop of blood. Afterwards, Jack spread a small bit of gel on his fingertip and the bleeding stopped immediately. Albert was rewarded with a small, hard piece of sweet candy.
Cooper, having watched the whole thing, asked about the candy and was pleased to also be given a piece while Ann smiled up at him. The redhead thought it tasted like the syrup they made from the sweet trees, just harder. He liked it a great deal.
Once Albert had spread word of the candy, all the other children came out to meet Ann and give a sample. Some of them winced when she poked them with the tack and a few of the younger ones started to cry, obviously confused about what had just happened.
Jack was able to soothe them while putting the gel on their fingers and the big dog Fry was there, making himself available for the children to utilize the healing power of a dog hug. The candy probably helped greatly with the pain as well, Cooper knew.
With all the samples taken, Ann gave them to Jack to take back to the beach. Another small craft had been sent to pick them up. Jack went jogging back through the woods with the bag slung over his back. He had wanted a tour of the gardens first, but Ann was certain to get all business done before anything else.
+++
Aria and Cooper gave a tour to Ann and Jack. Jack was thrilled to see all the different varieties of vegetables, but mostly he was thrilled to find new types of garlic, and of course, the potatoes. Cooper had learned that growing garlic was one of Jack’s favorite pastimes, and it was a benefit to the people because of the health benefits of the pungent little bulb.
Ann was most interested in the brewery. She took very quickly to all the ales that Ceannt had, proclaiming each one her favorite as she drank a sample.
It was very surreal for Cooper to be sitting inside the brewery of his village with this person he had met inside a hidden bunker, and even then only saw on some strange black screen. He was very pleased to find her just as friendly as she had been then.
“Aria, we have a full lab aboard the submarine and had planned on staying parked out there to complete the cure. We have miles of cable on board and can easily string up electricity for your village. As I told Cooper, the ship makes power no matter what, so it may as well be put to use.”
This was obviously more than Aria had expected and excitedly agreed. “I am sure many of our people will want to help. Scoob, our mechanic, has been trying to get an electricity generator running and has had some limited success. I know he would love to learn more.”
“Excellent. We also brought some small tidal generators to leave out in the gulf to provide you with power once we leave. It sounds like he should learn all about how they work.”
“That would be wonderful.”
“The cure will probably take a month or so to finalize, then we will run a few test simulations and be ready to administer it.” Ann stopped and her eyes fell onto Cooper. “If this young man hadn’t stumbled into our facility, I don’t think humanity would have lasted much longer.”
“Yes, our Cooper has a knack for stumbling into just the right place. It’s been his fate all along, after all.”
Anne looked at her quizzically.
“It’s his story to tell, I’m sure he’ll tell you in due time.”
Ceannt pulled a full mug of the bitter, hoppy ale for the guest. Ann had said, with certainty this time, that the big, hoppy beer was her true favorite.
Ann raised her mug high into the air and said, “To humanity, then?”
“To the cure,” Aria responded, “and to the children!”
Everyone raised their mug in mighty cheers as the whole brewery grew loud enough to shake the trees.
Epilogue
Cooper sat on his front porch on a fine spring afternoon. He was sipping a white grape wine, served cold.
It had been three years since they had made it back from the facility and Ann’s people had fashioned a cure for the virus.
He thought of Ann as he took a sip of the wine. It tasted oaky and had just a touch of buttery goodness to it as it slid down his throat. Ann had decided to stay behind in the village when her people left. She said she wanted to retire from work, but all Cooper had seen her do in the village was work!
After much discussion with Ceannt and Jack, Ann had planted several varieties of grapes in an unused pasture and was now churning out this wonderful concoction. Ceannt had made many wines before, but never anything that couldn’t be described as “rough”.
Ann had taken to life in the village immediate
ly. She spent much of her time with the children. She was a natural storyteller and had written stories about all the kids. Katherine was using these stories to help the kids learn to read faster. Cooper had been amazed to watch it all unfold.
Handro had stopped by several times over the years, but always briefly. Cooper had tried to explain that very little had changed. They had electricity to the whole village now, but mostly it was just to keep things cold and to pump water around. The new medicines that were provided were rarely used. Most of the villagers chose to rely on the herbal remedies, many of which Handro had taught them.
They did provide a series of shots for the many new children that were born, but that was simply to keep them healthy during the first years of life. Cooper knew first-hand the level of disease that could be caught in some of the outlying areas.
Still, the dark skinned man refused to trust them. He suspected the shots had a nefarious purpose, even suggested that the pumps moving the water might be adding something to it.
The only person who used to listen to his ramblings was John, but he rarely had time anymore. Much to FZ’s dismay, John had found himself a lady friend and now had two children of his own! Both happy, healthy, and as Ceannt liked to point out...eyes that looked in the same direction.
Cooper hadn’t thought about the old prophecy involving his flame red hair in years, but as he sat there in his chair, listening to the ‘peep peep’ of the spring frogs, he couldn’t push it out of his mind. Some day he planned on telling his entire story to Ann. She had wanted to turn it into a story as she heard more and more fragments of the tale. Cooper chuckled to himself at the thought of it.
“You’re barely sipping your wine; is everything okay?”
Cooper looked behind him at the voice and saw Caitlin walk onto the porch, her coal black hair hanging long below her shoulders. “Everything is exactly as it should be,” Cooper said, staring lovingly into her dark brown eyes. Raising one finger into the air, he said, “Actually, there is something I need, give me that little monster!” Cooper exclaimed as he snatched the toddler walking along the porch.
Lifting his tiny daughter up and plopping her into his own lap, he cooed at her and poked her nose. “Isn’t that right, little Grace? Everything is just as it should be.”
If you enjoyed this story, please leave a review on Amazon. I give the pooches a treat for every review any of my books get. Let’s fatten up these hounds!
Another huge thank you to my beautiful wife! Her support and encouragement through the writing of these books is what made it all possible. Also, big thanks to my team of proofreaders, any mistakes left in here are not their fault (I blame the younger hound). Finally, thanks go to the fellas at www.Homebrewforums.net for providing me with endless fodder and ideas for character sketches. I would also like to thank all of you for reading this book, please let me know what you think!
The prequel, Finding Their Path, in which the fall of civilization is explained, is now available. It goes into great detail about the facility that Handro and Cooper discovered.
Also, check out Singular Points, a totally new story in a very different world.
Travis lives in rural Missouri and would love to hear from you! Feel free to email him at [email protected] if you have questions, want more info, or just have a comment to make. You can find him on Facebook and discuss things there as well. He’s also happy to talk about the fine art of brewing or meat curing! He will email you back usually within the day.
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