Weathering Storms

by Taborri Walker

  Beulah swallowed and after another long moment stood up and stepped away from the wall, but still didn’t reach out to Sesha.

  “You could have already run out and told your husband and the Monitors about all this, but you haven’t…” That last did it for the woman and she took Sesha’s hand. “I promise, no harm will befall you…look… computer, resume,” she put her own hand into the light. “It can’t hurt you, I promise…”

  Beulah held out her hand and Sesha played the beam over her skin. “See? Just a light, this one is. This light is a bit different, it tells me things after I shut it off.” She waited a minute more and the light seemed to slide back into the Gem.

  “Scan complete,” Shni used his normal voice again. “Walls soundproof. No holes or listening devices detected. No humanoids present within twenty meters of structure. But, Sesha… I detect a substance in Beulah, potentially deadly.”

  The women looked at each other, startled. “Shni,” Sesha asked quietly, “is there a cure for the substance?”

  “Our technology can create one,” the Realistic program replied. “it would be a great help if we find the source of the poison. In the meantime, is there anything you suspect that could be delivering the poison without you knowing?”

  “I do and don’t worry,” Beulah snorted. “I’m not ‘ingesting’ anything else that man hands me. Or any of his lackeys. Wait,” It suddenly hit her, “I’ve been talking to your bracelet all this time!” She smiled crookedly at Sesha, the alien smiled back, comforting, then continued.

  “Before I can tell you anymore, Beulah, I have to ask you something important. Please, please answer with complete honesty, okay?”

  Beulah nodded, a little confused.

  “Shni, download this conversation to shuttle mainframe, encode and store permanently even if you have to delete a non-vital portion of shuttle commands,” Sesha ordered.

  “Will do.”

  Standing there nude, shivering, Sesha asked, “Beulah… are you living here and following the rules by your own choice?”

  Lifting her face a bit, Beulah shut her eyes and tears started to leak out as she whispered “No. Oh dear God, no, I am a prisoner… most of us here are though we left willingly; everything changed for the worst and now we cannot escape.” She sucked in a deep breath, fought for, and gained, control. “Why did you ask that, dear?”

  Sesha stepped back into the water and started to resettle there but Beulah had her turn so her back was to her and then sit so she could start removing the dressings. While she gently worked off the slightly bloody cloths, she listened without comment to Sesha.

  “Because of our laws. We’re not supposed to even come close, but I had to. When I saw what was going on I knew there’s another set of laws that would excuse what I had to do… let me explain. I did arrive on your shore by ship. Just… not the kind of ship you’re used to. I come from… the Null, um, where you see the stars. What do you call it? I don’t think you ever taught me that word.”

  “The Heavens.”

  “Thank you. The Heavens. We travel across the Heavens in huge ships, getting things our group of worlds needs and wants. We are far advanced compared to your world, so we are supposed to leave any world that can’t travel to the stars alone. Problem is, my ship developed a problem – there really was a boom and it broke an important part of the engine – and I’m the only one awake to try and fix it.” She knew she had to make more explanation.

  “See, we travel at very high speeds, so we sleep most of the trip. I was the only one who got woke up when the problem occurred and I couldn’t wake up anyone else. Your world was closest to my ship and I learned that what I need is a large quantity of your ocean water, so I came down in a smaller ship to get some. But I ran into bad weather and sort of crashed in your forest not too far away. As I reconnoitered to figure out how to get it, I discovered your encampment. I was in your camp the day they beat poor Anna and her fiancé Jeremiah so viciously. I wish I’d killed your husband then, but that would have thrown the camp into terrible disarray and is against the rules of our worlds.” She felt Beulah peel off the last of the bandages and gritted her teeth for a moment as she started washing the injuries gently.

  “So,” she let out a yelp of pain as the once impacted area was scrubbed, “I decided on a way to get into here until I could figure out how to get the water. If I don’t get it soon, my crew and the ship will die and be floating around behind your moon until the distress signal is picked up and another ship arrives to take it back. But by then it will be too late for the other nineteen crew members, a few animals and a massive amount of high valued merchandise. I don’t care about the stuff, it’s the crew I want to save.”

  “As it should be, dear. How do we figure into this problem?”

  “When I saw what… your so-called ‘Reverend’… was doing to all of you, I knew I couldn’t leave until I tried to correct the situation, or see if any of you wanted out.” She paused to figure out how to explain more. “I’ll probably get into trouble with our lawmakers for making contact with a forbidden world, but we also have a group that works to… liberate people from, uh, wicked dictators. So I figure where I get into trouble with one, the other will help counteract it. That’s all there is to it, Beulah. I’m sorry for the deception…”

  “But what else could you do?” the woman asked. “You have a great need to fix your ship and save your crew, yet you risk breaking your laws to help those of us who want out?”

  “Yep.” Sesha turned around now and looked Beulah fully in the face. To her relief, she looked back at her with an interested look on her face.

  “Were you truly injured when you arrived?” She folded up the bandages that had been on Sesha’s back. They would be soaked, boiled, washed and reused.

  “My back really was injured, and badly, prior to coming here Spine, between my thighs and shoulder too. When our ship broke down, I fell in some fluid that’s like your seawater, and tore my back up, plus hitting the insides of my thighs really hard. The arm and head wound my… bracelet helper did to match the blood on the dress so none of you would be suspicious as to why the dress was torn and bloody, and I wasn’t. I found the buggy in a ravine several miles away, there were dead people in it. I took the dress from the female and moved the bodies out so I could use the contrivance to get here and look like someone in trouble.” She decided to be totally honest.

  “So did you know our language when you arrived?”

  “No, I really didn’t. But my “bracelet” is actually a sophisticated device called a ‘com-pu-ter’, which can perform a lot of tasks. It translates directly to my brain what you’re saying, then tells me what to say and how to say it back to you. I have learned almost all the language now, though. I’m not using the translator right now, haven’t in the last month. This is the ninth language in my repertoire.”

  “That is impressive.” The woman pulled the fire bucket out and poured some water on the flames, quenching them. “Let me run out quick and get the ointment and new bandages still in your room here… I will be right back.”

  Sesha practically held her breath trying not to worry the whole time she was gone, which wasn’t long but seemed like an eternity. “Soak a bit more,” Beulah pushed her to gently turn around and kneeling down, picked up the washcloth and started cleaning her back again.

  “It… it is all so fantastic…” the Reverend’s wife shook her head. “How… how can I know if what you are telling me isn’t just the imaginations of a very active mind? I’m not trying to call you a liar, child, but…”

  Sesha nodded. “I think I know a way, give me a minute,” then she sunk into her mind. Shni, I need to take you off. Can you connect to Beulah, help her believe?

  I’m programmed to link with every known being in the galaxies but genetically linked to you, sweetheart… not a good idea, but doable for a short time… and I mean short.

  “Watch this,” lifting her right arm, Sesha played her fingers across the surface
of the opal-like gem covering half of her forearm, and the vision of silver metals and the gem vanished. In its place was a three inch wide but extremely thin bracelet that wrapped around the middle of her forearm. It was black in appearance and not at all ornate. “This,” Sesha gestured to the thing, “is what is actually there. The look of the beautiful gem and metals is just an illusion.”

  “No,” Beulah drew in a gasp again, “for I have felt it countless times! It is smooth, hard and cool to the touch, we tried to find a way to take it off, we could not, nor could we put anything underneath it but wet cloth and a finger…” she fell silent as Sesha pressed it on either side with thumb and middle finger. Smoothly it separated at the top and fell onto her left hand. Beulah gasped, jerking backwards as Sesha clamped her eyes shut and shook all over for a moment, then leaped up and leaned over to hold her.

  “Child! What is wrong with you?” her voice was alarmed; this was too close to the quaking poor Sesha had all those days she lay unconscious – the thought crossed her mind, wondering how much of that was real…

  “Let me put it on you,” Sesha gasped. “You’ll understand better… please… I must hurry. Can’t stand to be without him for long,” she crawled her fingers up Beulah’s arm, shoving back her sleeve. Before the woman could think to refuse, Sesha squeezed it shut around her forearm.

  Now Beulah sucked in a harsh breath and jerked. While it didn’t hurt, the sensation of attaching was an odd one, for which there was no reference for. The closest explanation any of the millions of beings who wore it was that it was like being stung all over the body by the nastiest bees, yet there was no pain, just tingles and at the same time having an exquisite orgasm while being drowned in a pool of ice-cold water. And it happened in a split second!

  Grimacing, Sesha turned, got on her knees and cradled the head and shoulders of the woman who’d cared for her all these days and held her firmly for several minutes until she stirred. Repeating Sesha’s gestures, Beulah popped open the bracelet and passed it back. But Sesha didn’t put it on right away.

  “Well?” she asked quietly.

  “I… I believe,” suddenly she was sobbing, tears gushing. “The things that beautiful young man told and showed me, all so very quickly, yet it took so long! And then he asked me… did I want to remember, or forget and go on as I am? So… I chose. I wish to remember. I believe you, sweet Sesha.” She reared up more and held Sesha now while the Nestram woman reattached the bracelet, shook with the paroxysm, and recovered. Gently Beulah eased her around and down into the warm waters, and the room fell silent again.

  The Reverend rose when a knock came upon the Pulpit side of his Inner Sanctum and then his first and best Monitor entered.

  “I have need to tell you of a circumstance… I have begun teaching Sesha the ways of the Lord! And while she does not understand the finer points, she has been understanding far more than we imagined. We must plan carefully what to teach her that she may fulfill her role in our great plans.” He did not tell though, that Beulah now knew of his secret place. For some reason he felt that would be a dangerous thing to do, knowing Monitor Hosea like he did.

  “I must say you’re awfully calm about meeting someone who isn’t even from your world.” Sesha wished she could see Beulah’s face right then. “Are you … going to be able to keep my secret until I can get out of here?” If it thought Beulah couldn’t, Shni would have erased her memory while attached, but still Sesha held her breath waiting for the answer.

  “Only if you take us with you.”

  Startled, Sesha whipped around rapidly and that caused Beulah to accidentally dig a bit on her back as she was still washing out each too-slowly healing wound track. Sesha gasped and Beulah dropped the cloth and eased her back into the hot water.

  “You mean it?” Sesha asked, trying not to squirm from the pain her back was giving her just then. She figured she’d just undid most of the healing of that section.

  “There are about one hundred eighty of us who want out of here that I know of, all the women and children under the age of fourteen for sure. Some of the young men are attracted to the Reverend; they’ve been inducted into his trusted circle, and these are leaning towards violence. I don’t dare talk to many of the men, but there are some I know of. What men do not stand firm with Peter are put to work in the worst places; the mines on long shifts with little food and water or in the sewers cleaning or other high labor chores.”

  “Like farming and tending the livestock and trapping the wild animals in corrals?”

  “Oh, yes… then these discontents are so exhausted from long work, not enough food and still have to attend all meetings, and to add to all that, are not given weapons other than a knife.”

  “Do you know of any in his elite forces who are just keeping silent, waiting for their opportunity?” Here Sesha could only hope.

  “Grace’s husband, who is a Tower Guard… perhaps the two youngest Monitors, though. Most of the young men not engaged to be wed talk of nothing but The Mission to Save the Heathens. Those to be wed are willing to leave as well especially since it will ensure no more beatings. It’s just that no one is sure who to trust, more than the women, and we do not truly know which men to trust to organize us to either overthrow Peter and his henchmen, or to just leave.” Beulah heaved a great sigh and a few tears slipped down her face. Sesha gently wiped them off and stayed silent.

  “We are being used and oppressed to further my husband’s insane schemes. I believe that Peter wishes to have his own Country of which he would be the Spiritual Leader, he believes over all. But Monitor Hosea believes he will be dictator. Both men wish to rule all facets of our lives in their quest for Power. We don’t know how much longer we can tolerate these conditions, but since we are mostly women and children, just fighting back or walking out of here isn’t an option.”

  “I heard some talk how over a hundred left and were not allowed to take anything for their journey back.”

  “The second year one family did try to leave and the Guards shot them all in the back, claiming they were trying to kill Peter. A month after that two men and one woman just vanished… oh, dear god…” Beulah stared at Sesha. “You found bodies of two men and a woman?”

  “Yes,”

  “Can you tell me anything about them?”

  “Not really… they were fairly decomposed, but the woman had a small necklace, a tiny rose charm carved from wood on what was left of a string. One man was missing a little finger, although animals,”

  “No,” Beulah interrupted. “T’was Jason, Frederick and Petunia. Frederick and Petunia were affianced, Jason lost his finger when a Monitor struck it with a blacksmith’s hammer on the anvil as punishment. That part has never changed; children between 3 and 12 may be spanked by any Monitor or Tower Guard for whatever reason they deem; men who are not in the Inner Sanctum are oft accused and punished in many ways. ‘Tis like… trying to walk through a pit of snakes and not be bit.”

  It was fear they lived in here.

  Beulah looked up and caught Sesha’s gaze, and held it. “Would you take us with you if you could?”

  “I will take you, I promise.” Sesha laid her hand over her heart. “But first we have to get rid of this megalomaniac and his Monitors. Then I can repair my ship and make the trips to bring all of you aboard.”

  “Do you have a definite plan?” Beulah looked hopeful.

  “Nope, just winging it all the way.” When she saw Beulah’s face fall, she added hastily, “but don’t give up hope yet. The way things are going, something will happen soon and I can finish this. I… just think I’m going to have to… kill your husband, I’m sorry. I’m sure he won’t just let us go and…” she hesitated a moment, then finished. “He did rape me, after all.”

  The woman’s eyes teared up and spilled over. “I was afraid that was what he’d done. You,” her eyes widened in alarm, “don’t think you’re pregnant, do you?” Her hand went up to her mouth.

  Sesha chuckled darkly. “I�
�m not. I can’t get pregnant. In our worlds this can be set up easily and it is what I wanted a long time ago; I’m far older than I look, Beulah. So even though he’s trying to kill you so he can marry me and get his heir, it will never happen.”

  Now Beulah did cry. She cried for all the years of lies, for all the years of hopes that had slowly died, and for the innocent people who had suffered so long under the hand of her husband and the Monitors. She cried for Peter, for his insanity, she cried for stifling her questions and doubts all those years. Sesha held the woman in her arms and let Beulah cry herself out, and when she was done, she washed Beulah’s face and kissed her cheek gently.

  “I don’t know if it helps, but I love you.” Sesha said. “You are a most wonderful woman who was born at the wrong time and got drawn into a horrible situation. And much as it hurts you, I need to know if you think you know whose skin it is on that book.”

  “I’m sure I know,” she said grimly as she blew her nose on her kerchief. “When Peter was courting me, and shortly after we were wed, he said his parents had consumption and were dying. I never met them, not even at our wedding. They lived in a room in the basement of their mansion because he said light and heat bothered them. He spent hours with them, tending to their needs and praying over them, he said. After they died, I was allowed into the room once. It was a sumptuous room, and they lay in a wonderful bed with candelabras on each side to give light. Their faces were drawn up, frozen in grimaces of pain when they’d died, but I laid that to the disease.” She shook her head, remembering.

  “They were overly pale and sunken too, and Peter said it was because they’d refused any food or drink for the last two weeks before dying, and so help me God, I believed him! Shortly after I left the room, a fire broke out and the mansion burned to the ground. But we’d lost nothing for Peter had had his congregation packing us up a month before to travel here. He said one of the undertakers had accidentally knocked a candelabra over onto the bed and it blazed up too fast to contain. The man died in the fire, my husband escaped with a few burns he sustained trying to rescue the worker. I’m sure now that Peter tortured his parents, skinned them and bled them for his book. But why? How could he not know what he was doing was wrong?” The woman began to weep again, harder, completely shattered having to fully face what she’d suspected for years. Sesha just held her close, the way the woman had held her many times. After a few moments Beulah regained control.