Story of fiction and fantasy and science fiction

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LostNFound
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Re: Story of fiction and fantasy and science fiction

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44 ALEXEI AND THE GULAG

Surprisingly enough Ken, John and Sally all wanted to go with Samuel and Mary. Six of the other seven chose to stay in the army and go to the place that Samuel had told them about. All the while that these folks were choosing there next place to be Mary had been reading their minds and searching their thoughts. She found that they all were of good heart and spirit except for one and he was the one that wanted to go to the place that had been mentioned as the other place that would have to be talked about with others. When she read his mind she found that he was a plant from the Emperor and he meant to find out where she and Samuel came from so he could report back to the emperor and destroy the cell.

Agent Alexei Pavlov had been sent by the secret service of the Russian emperor to infiltrate the American Emperor’s minions in Denver. He had spent two years becoming familiar with the American secret service and had volunteered for the duty at the Idaho base because of the project using small children. His assignment was to be a guard with the other 10 or so soldiers on the base and find out what he could about the experiments and send that information back to his Emperor. Once they had the formula’s that actually worked they could make their own army of children that would wipe out the American forces. He had made himself comfortable to the men and women on the base and watched the General and his men closely. When these two people showed up and, as best as he could tell, virtually destroyed the underground areas and the experiments he decided he would find out where they came from and how they had accomplished their job. He knew about the dark thing that lived below and for someone to destroy that thing was quite an accomplishment.

Samuel asked the man what his name was. Alexei spoke up quickly and said it was Alex Peterson. Mary smiled within herself knowing what his real name was and who he was. Samuel said “well Alex, as I said we will have to talk with our companions so if you will give us some time to communicate we will get back to you shortly. In the Meantime if the rest of you will follow Mary she will see that you get to your destinations and that the folks there will know who you are and where you are coming from.” Mary stood and moved toward the exit to the outside. “Please follow me and the three dogs and handlers please come along there is something I must show you.” All the folks except Alex and Samuel stood and began to shuffle towards the exit. The dogs ran in front and bumped Mary as she exited the building.

As all the folks and dogs were filing out the door Samuel watched Alexei. The man was watching all the others leave and then turned to Samuel with a questioning look. While all the others were leaving and Alexei’s attention was diverted, Samuel had pulled his TMG and dialed in a year and place. He was holding it in his hand when Alexei turned back toward him. “Well it would seem that I am the only one that does not want to stay in the army. May I ask what that thing that you are holding is?” Samuel said it is just an ordinary flashlight but it is your ticket to a special place you may have heard of at sometime in your life Alexei.” Alexei was surprised that this man knew his real name but he held his reaction in. However Samuel saw the glint of surprise in Alexei’s eye before he went blank. “To who are you referring to, I do not know anyone by that name.” “Well then Alexei I guess your Emperor won’t miss you.” “How do you know my name and where I am from?” “I read your mind Alexei and I know why you are here and what your mission is.”

Alexei became infuriated and at the moment that he jumped from his chair toward Samuel, the blue beam bathed him. He fell over a table with bowls of gruel and hit the floor. Two men picked him up and shoved him out the door into a cold snow bank. He jumped out of the snow and hurried back into the poorly constructed building. When he entered three men in furred coats stood and waited for him to start something. One kicked the bowl of gruel toward him that he had pushed to the floor when he fell. The Russian accent was thick and the man told him to eat what was left because there would be no more until tomorrow. Alexei spoke his native tongue and asked where this place was. The men in the building started to laugh and one spoke up and said. “You seemed to have lost your mind Alexei; maybe you hit your head a little too hard eh? This is the Gulag and we are all prisoners of the political regime. Comrade Stalin has become the new Dictator and ruler of mother Russia and is butchering all that opposed him. We are located in Siberia in what is called the Gulag and if you make any waves you will be put to death, so I suggest you settle down and eat what is left of your gruel before someone else finds need of it.” Alexei picked up the bowl and moved to the table. As he ate what was left he asked what year it was. All the men at the table laughed and one said it is the year 1945 you dumb brain and the war is ending with Germany. That idiot Stalin does not know what he is doing other than killing all the good fighting men of Mother Russia.

Alexei did not know how he had come to be here and he did not know these men and how they knew his name. He had been away from Mother Russia for a few years and he knew that the year was 2035 and it was August the last time he had checked. Someone came up from behind him and slung a string around his neck. The string tightened around his throat and he began to choke. The air would not flow into his lungs and the man that was tightening the string pulled his head back and began to tell him that he had killed his family. The big man sitting in front of him stood up and he heard him say to the man that was choking him to do it another way. Alexei watched the big man hand a knife of some kind to the man and then he felt the blade enter his back. The pain was sharp and then he went numb. He watched the big man with two other men pick him up and his mind could not grasp the meaning of what was happening. His next and final vision was hitting a pile of snow as he looked up into the heavens. Darkness consumed him. The next morning, two guards picked the dead body up from the snow bank and carried it to a trench where many other bodies had been thrown into. One more body landed on top of the others and quickly became covered with the heavy snow that was falling.

Mary walked back in leading Ken, Sally and John. The three dogs all ran in behind and made their way to where Samuel was sitting. Ken asked where Alex had gotten off to so Samuel told him and all the others that he had elected to go home. The other three had witnessed how Mary had opened a portal and sent all the others to the mountain camp where the other good military personnel were staying. They had been completely surprised and Mary had to explain some of the special talents that she and Samuel possessed. After the others had gone to the mountain retreat she took the three and the dogs to the chopper and showed them some of the gear. When they all got settled Samuel began to tell them about the next mission and how some of those military folks from the Mountain retreat were going to be in on it. When everyone was briefed they all packed up what was needed and headed for the chopper. The dogs took the lead and were watching out closely. Samuel waited until they had exited the base and then turned His TMG on it and the buildings disappeared. The only thing he left was the fence and he made some of it disappear also so it looked like an abandoned place that people would call a ghost town or something. Once they reached the chopper and boarded. Samuel lifted off and they began their trek toward the Area 51 battle or so they thought.
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Re: Story of fiction and fantasy and science fiction

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45 NATHAN LANDERS

The Land down under was going through birthing pains, a change from one paradigm to another and so the men and women and the children of the Haven were nudging along the paradigm change in the America’s. The Children of Paradise had begun to spread their gifts or discoveries of who they were through the Dreamnet to all the new peoples that came through the Community centers into the healing centers. The tyranny of the governments with their police and military forces began to change and connect the hearts and minds back to freedom and liberty and health of all life. The aborigine peoples, the blue eyed star people, came to be in closer touch with all and it was that Aberdeen and Connie’s hearts touched more and more and homelessness was becoming a thing of the past. Hunger was disappearing and all had a plentiful bounty. The talents and creative forces were coming forth in abundance and whole new technologies were being discovered and created that healed the Mother instead of harming her. Money or the concept of it was disappearing as Value was being known as life. What was needed was given and peoples grew into the love for one another.

It was at the beginning of this change and the end of the storm that Galia’s soul mate entered into her sister’s life. He had been orphaned at a very early age and was the same age as Galia. When he chose to come back to the corporeal plane on this world, he lost his memory of who he was. The mother and father he was placed with had been drafted into the ARMY the year he was born. They both had been killed in the war of 2025. He had been taken by the STATE and placed into a care center which was a hell hole for him. He was soon adopted by Reager and Jeanette Landers and raised in Brisbane. Reager left Jeanette to go to the west coast and work as a construction worker and Jeanette was left to raise him. It was a hard time for them because of the economy and oppression of the people, but she managed and Reager would send money ever so often but it never seemed to be enough. When he turned 14, Jeanette received a package and a letter stating that Reager had been killed in an accident while working on a bridge around Perth. The Package had all of his belongings which weren’t much and the letter also stated that Jeanette would be receiving a small pension that Reager had managed to build up while working. The Pension was hardly enough for them to even buy food once a month.

Jeanette managed to make meager wages at a clothing factory she worked for and stashed away enough money to send him to school. She wanted him to go to the college so he could gain knowledge to do higher paid jobs. He loved her and she loved him so he was always helping. He took odd jobs to bring in money to help pay the rent and keep food on the table. He knew that she had loved Reager and when he left to find work on the west coast she pined for him greatly but kept a steady heart to raise her son. When Reager had died, he could see that something died in Jeanette also and he watched as her health slowly degraded. He was an exceptionally tall lad, every bit of 6’-2” and a bit on the skinny side as most would say, but he was also strong. He had built up his muscles from doing all the chores that needed to be done. So yes he looked skinny but he was all muscle.

These memories always seemed to be on the fore front of his thoughts. He had left Brisbane three months earlier with two buddies to bicycle up to the northern perimeters of Queensland and come back along the eastern coastline. All three were going to start school at the University of Queensland as they had all graduated from the high school stage. He had just turned 17 when they began their journey. His two buddies where both 18 and had already been out of school for more than a year. His foster mother, Jeanette had been strict with him and made sure he finished the lower schooling and did everything she could to help him into the University. He still was not sure about going back to school so soon so the trip was to give him more time to make that decision. They were only supposed to be gone for 2 months but circumstances had caused a major delay and kept him, Shaun and Rodger longer than they expected.

Megan drove the truck back to the Store/house while Hattie finally broke down and cried a river of tears. She had held it in when Megan broke down and then the boy Devlin came close to death. The trip to the beach had saved Devlin’s life and Megan and Hattie both had met his mother who was also living in the sea. Devlin and his mother had taken Bob’s body into the ocean to be with his beloved friends the dolphins. Megan was sad but happy. Her heart had been healed somewhat by Devlin’s love. She needed to get Hattie home so she could console her. She knew that Hattie had loved Bob and the two of them had even lived together and were the best of friends. She could never quite understand why they did not get married.

As she drove the truck into the front area of the store she could see the lights on inside. She did not remember them being on when they left, of course it was still kind of light outside even though the storm had turned the sky a deep gray. Hattie sat up quickly and said “did you turn on the lights when we left?” “No I was going to ask you the same question.” “Well I suppose we may have left them on when we left in such a big hurry.” “I hope that there is a light on out there in the storage building because Timoth never did like to sleep in the dark.” “I suspect Timoth will be alright seeins how he has all those others with him and he seemed to be a real protector of them.” “Oh Hattie, I am so sorry that Bob died, I know you and him were very close and he was like a father to me.” Hattie looked at her with red eyes and reached and touched her. “Yes dear girl we both loved him and now I will have to grieve so much more but we all have to do that when we loose a very close loved one. For now we both need to get into some warm dry clothes and get some food into our bodies. I hope the stove is still warm so when we get in you go get a hot shower first and I will make sure the stove is stoked and gets some of that soup heatin up.” Megan started to say something about that but said that she had to check on Timoth first. Hattie just shook her head and Megan stopped the truck and they both climbed out and climbed the steps to the covered front porch. Hattie stopped short and grabbed Megan’s arm. “Was that bike here before, I ain’t never seen one like that before and I don’t remember it bein here earlier today.” “I never came through the front Hattie so I couldn’t tell you one way or the other.” Hattie just looked at her for a minute and said “well shucks I don’t think I used the front door today either so it could have been here all along” and with that she moved to the door and opened it.

The store was warm. Hattie waited for Megan to get in and closed the door. Megan started to walk toward the back but Hattie reached out once again and stopped her. Megan looked at her as Hattie put a finger to her mouth and walked over to a barrel that was full of baseball bats. She quietly removed one and moved back to the main isle that led to the rear of the store. Both women could see the stove through the opening that was at the end of the shelf racks as they slowly moved to the rear. As Hattie peered around the edge of the shelving unit, she saw a man or an older boy sitting at the back counter. His clothes looked wet and there was a towel lying on the stool next to him. She could hear the scraping of a spoon in a bowl as she watched him feed himself. Well, she thought, he had at least found the soup on the stove and heated it up. Megan peeked around beside Hattie and they both looked at each other before moving forward and asking “and just who, might you be?”

Nathan Landers was sitting at the counter and eating some of the warmed up soup he had found on the old cooker behind the counter when he had first come in. The soup was beginning to warm his body up and tasted like no other soup he had ever had. His clothes were still wet but he had tried to wring them as best he could before he came into the store. He had taken his main pack from the bike, the one that had his extra clothes in it, and brought it into the store with him. He intended to find a privy and change into some dry clothes but when he came in he could not find anyone and could feel the heat from the back area so he moved toward the back and found the old pot belly stove. It was still warm so he opened the door and picked up some of the chopped wood next to it and stoked it up. The heat felt good and quickly enough as he stood next to it his clothes began to put off steam. He stood for a short while as the heat made him stop shivering and then searched around until he found the cooker behind the counter and got that stoked also and checked the pot with the soup in it. His hunger got the best of him so he made sure it was hot and dished himself a bowl. He found a towel and dried his hair as best as he could and sat down at the counter and slurped down the first bowl. While he slowly sipped on the second bowl, he wondered where the folk were that operated this store.

Nathan was bringing the spoon full of soup to his mouth when the person spoke to him from behind. He dropped the spoon into the bowl and jumped off the stool. As he spun around he saw two women standing close to the wood stove. One was holding a baseball bat and looked like she knew how to use it. The other one was younger but had a look on her face that clearly meant she could be quite capable of hurting him if he tried to make any move that might be construed to show harm to her or the woman that held the bat. He stood looking with an open mouth at the two and not saying a word. The older woman asked him again “I asked who you might be young man and why are you in my store and home?”
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Nathan stuttered for words and all he could get out was “yyyyyour…..nnnot…. going to hurt me are you?” “Well now, that depends on you and whether or not you intend to rob us or hurt us. Now tell us who you are and how did you come to be in here?” “My name is Nathan and I stopped here to get out of the rain. This is a store, is it not? When I got here the front door was open but I did not see any lights on. I came in and asked if anyone was here but there was no answer so I made my way back to that stove and added some wood to it. The thing was almost out and as you can see, I am soaked completely and as a matter of fact so are both of you.”

Hattie and Megan both had been so involved with this stranger that they had forgotten how wet and cold they were. They both moved closer to the stove while continuing to watch the young man. “Okay then, we got a name and now you can tell us what your intentions are.” Megan wanted to go and see how Timoth was doing but the excitement of this strange boy being in the store had her torn between seeing Timoth and not letting Hattie face this stranger alone. She knew that Hattie could handle herself, especially since she had a baseball bat but the neither one knew what this boy had or could do.

Nathan was not sure what these two women were capable of but he sure as heck did not want to tangle with the older women with the bat. He had been hit with one of those before and it hurt real badly for 3 weeks after. He received two broken ribs from the ordeal and was glad that the thugs had not hit him in the head. Fortunately some friends had tackled the two punks and put them down and then called the police. That did not turn out well for any of them. The police beat the two punks almost to death and took them all to the police station. He and his friends spent the night in the jail cell and he had quite the hard time breathing. The police did not care and the next morning he and his friends were released and told to make them selves scarce. He was taken to the nearest hospital and received the minimum treatment and spent the next 3 weeks in bed. Jeanette nursed him back to some semblance of health but he always had a twinge in his side after that.

“Look ladies, I don’t want any trouble and as soon as I can get dry and this rain lets up, I will be on my way. I am heading back to Brisbane and it is quite a ride from here I think. So just a rest up and this soup that taste’s good, and a place where I can change my clothes would be all I would need and then you won’t see me again.” He looked straight at Hattie and said “that is my only intention.”

Hattie turned to Megan and told her to go and check on Timoth and get back quickly to get some dry clothes on. “I will watch our friend here while he finishes the soup and gets himself changed. So go on now and hurry back.” Megan was reluctant but she knew Hattie well enough to know that the woman could take care of the kid if he tried anything. Nathan wondered who this Timoth was and how was it that he never came in the store since he had been there. He kept his silence as the young woman moved toward a back porch and went outside.

Megan rushed to the Storage building under the umbrella she had grabbed at the back door of the store. The rain was still falling but its harshness had let up and the wind did not seem as fierce either. She reached the door and opened it. She noticed the lights in an area toward the rear of the building and moved toward them. She saw the piles of blankets and then the movement under them. Timoth had heard the door open and was watching as he knew someone had come in. He thought it might be the man that had fed them earlier and given the blankets to them so he just watched and then he saw Megan. His heart jumped for joy and he stood up. The two little pigs fell away from him and squealed as their warmth moved away. Timoth hurried to Megan and she bent down and hugged him. “Well it looks like you have been taken care of Timoth. It must have been Devlin that got you all cozy.”

Timoth understood that she was talking about the man that had been very kind to him and the others and had saved the little ones at the water. He had seen and felt the bond between Megan and the man and he had felt the loss of a very close friend. Bob Comet had saved all of the others that were hopelessly dying on the farm and his mate had come from that place. He had a new family then and now he was adding to that family. He was restless to get home but knew that they could not leave until the rains slowed. He thought about Eliphal as she had been named by Galia, and so dearly wanted to return to her. He bumped Megan with his snout and she told him that she understood and they would try to make it home the next day. “I am going to try and put you all in the back of Bobby bears truck so you will have to help with this new family we have taken on.”

After making sure that Timoth and the others were feed and comfortable, Megan went back to the store/house. She needed to get out of the damp clothing and take a hot shower. She was shivering when she came into the back area and moved directly to the stove. The heat was a very welcome thing to her as she glanced at the boy that was still sitting at the counter and eating the soup. She did not see Hattie but saw the bat leaning against the counter at the far end from the boy. She wasn’t quite sure what to do and where Hattie might have gone or what had happened while she was in the storage building.

The boy or Nathan as he called himself had watched her come back in and continued to eat the soup. She slowly moved toward the bat at the end of the counter as she kept her eye on the boy. He seemed to be quite busy eating the soup and when she was half way to the counter, he spoke and said “you should try some of this soup it really is delicious and the warmth does hit the spot.” She stopped and continued to look at him and then he turned and looked directly at her. He saw where she might be headed and looked at the bat and back to her. “You don’t intend to pick that up and hurt me now do you?” Megan had been so uptight about the situation that when he said those words she almost jumped straight up. She moved a bit quicker to the counter and sat down on the stool next to the bat. “Where is Hattie, uh the woman that came in with me? You haven’t done anything to her have you?”

Nathan just looked at her and turned back to his bowl of soup. “She went upstairs to change into some dry clothes, which reminds me that I need to do the same but I told her that I would wait for you to come back in and besides this soup is warming me up considerably.” Megan did not know what to say to that but her hunger was getting the best of her condition so with a weary eye she got up and moved behind the counter to fetch some soup. She grabbed the bat and moved it behind the counter and took a bowl and dished up some of the hot soup. She moved to the chair that was on the inside of the counter and away from where the boy was sitting and began to sip the soup. It was hot and tasty and quick enough she began eating with enthusiasm.
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Re: Story of fiction and fantasy and science fiction

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Hattie had waited for Megan to go to Timoth and then moved around behind the counter. She leaned the bat against the exterior side because she could feel the boy was not a threat. He was just a weary traveler in the middle of a storm. She grabbed a bowl of the soup and sat down and began to eat. It was hot and did make her feel better. She had been shivering and was so wound up tight that her stomach hurt. The boy kept on eating the soup and it seemed that he was going to eat more. She watched him finish the bowl he had and get up and fetch another bowl. After he sat back down she asked him how many bowls he already had. “This will be my third bowl if you don’t mind, I have not had anything to eat for two days now and when this storm hit I had to find a place that gave some shelter because the winds almost picked me up and flew me away. I found an old culvert and managed to get out of the wind but the rain just got harder and the creek started getting higher so I had to find a different place and that was hard until I found an old abandoned building. That proved to be a welcome place even though the roof was being blown away. I finally decided to take my chances and struggled on the road until I came across your store. I have to be back in Brisbane by the beginning of next week although I don’t think I will go to school. My bike trip has given me a different perspective and me mum is going to be quite mad at my decision but she will be better off.” Hattie had caught the sadness in the boy’s tone as he gave that brief talk and thought to her self how she had chosen a different path so many years in the past when her mum and Dad wanted her to do a similar thing. She finished up her soup and told Nathan that she was going to change her clothes and when she got back he could do the same if he would wait for Megan to come in. He told her he would and continued to eat as she made her way up a set of stairs.

Hattie had taken a hot shower and put on some dry clothes and was standing at the top of the stairs watching Megan move toward the bat and cautiously talk with the boy. She could see that Megan did not trust this boy and she could not blame her. She herself still did not know what to think about this boy but she felt a little more at ease with him now that she knew a wee bit of his history. Funny thing is, if they had been in the store when he first arrived she would have welcomed him and made sure he was warm and dry and she would have even fed him the soup. The large pot she had made it in could feed 10 people easy. She forgot that she had made some biscuits yesterday and thought to heat them up when she got back down. She had to smile about the way Megan was being so cautious and protective. She started to sing her little jingle as she moved down the stairs so the young ones would know she was coming.

Nathan and Megan both heard the jolly tune as Hattie made her way down the stairs. Megan felt a relief that nothing had happened to her and relaxed more so from her tension. Nathan continued to eat and as soon as Hattie reached the floor level and strolled over to the counter he asked if she could show him where the privy was so he could change his clothes. Hattie sat down and said “Why of course young man. You see that sign over there?” She pointed to the hallway that was to the side of the stairs and Nathan looked where she pointed. Sure enough, the sign said Privy’s. Nathan pushed the bowl away and stood up. He walked to his pack and gathered it up as he headed for the privy. Megan watched him go and then looked at Hattie. Hattie looked back at her and said “how’s the soup?”

“You gave me a fright Hattie; I did not know where you got off to and was afraid that the boy may have done something to you.” “Oh come now deary, that boy has no intentions of hurting anybody, I thought you picked up on that before you went out to see Timoth, besides you know me and what a tough old bird I am.” “You ain’t old Hattie and you know it.” “Well I am old enough now ain’t I?” “Yes you are, so what do we do now? I don’t think it would be good to send the boy out into the night and the rain on that bicycle do you?” “Well we could offer him that couch over there until the morning and I do have some rain gear we could lend him if he wants to continue to ride.”

“Just where might it be that he is headed?” “He told me that he is going back to Brisbane and his mum was going to pay for him to go to the university but then he said that he did not think that he would be going to school.” “Brisbane is a long way from here and if I remember the school season starts next week. I could be wrong but if that is the case I don’t see how he could make it in three days.” “Yeah I thought about that also. The boy has been on the road, according to him for the past three months. I know you got to get those piggies home and you will have to use Bob’s truck,” With the mention of Bob, Hattie’s voice choked up and Megan moved to her and they both hugged each other. Hattie held Megan for a few minutes and then they both sat down. “Listen girl, you got to get those pigs home where they can be safe and dry and feel secure in their own home. The truck is the only way to get there with all of them at once and you can bring it back when you go to town the next time. In fact you should keep it for the farm. I have that old jeep in the garage and it still runs just fine for my needs. Maybe the boy can help you get the piggies home and then you can take him down to Brisbane. That’s only a good day’s drive from here and besides you can pick up some much needed supplies for you and Galia and the farm while you are there, and I have a short list of things you can bring back for the store.”

Nathan had found a shower in the privy and had taken a hot shower and put on some warm dry clothes. He took his wet clothes and was going to ask the older woman where he could dry them before he left. He knew that he was going to get wet again but thought about asking if the woman had any rain gear that he might purchase. He had lost his on the upper road over to Cairns when he and his buddies had been waylaid by a gang. The thought of the incident was not a pleasant one and it was very fortunate that the gang had at least left them the bicycles and there packs although they had taken their money and any other useful items that suited their fancy. They had to backtrack to the nearest town and that was hard because they had to walk. The gang had slashed the tires on the bicycles. They had to camp on there way back and it took days. Once they reached the small town they had to work off the payment for the new tires and were finally able to move on toward Cairns. That leg of their journey became very cautious because they were afraid they would run into the gang again.

He came out of the privy and started to move back to the counter area when he overheard the two women talking about what was to happen and how the younger woman needed to get her piggies back to the farm. He stopped and listened and could just barely see the two sitting at the counter. He heard the older woman “Hattie”, tell the younger one about taking the truck and her piggies home and maybe he, the boy, as he was referred to could perhaps help her and then she could take him down to Brisbane. He thought that might be a better way for him to get home and a whole lot faster. He still was thinking about not going to school this year and was wondering about working to save up the money to possibly go next year. He wanted to make sure that Jeanette would be okay before he went down to Melbourne to find work. He knew she would be alright with the pension she was receiving at the moment but if she paid for his schooling she would have to go back to work and he did not want that to be the case. He waited until the women seemed to stop talking for a moment and walked out like he had just left the privy.

“Well now, you feel warmer and dryer?” Nathan made his way to the stove and the couch beyond and said “yes and thank you very much. Your soup is a gourmet’s delight and the hot shower in the privy is a great thing for me to run into. I and my friends very rarely ran into that on our trip.” “Well your welcome lad, are you still hungry? There is quite a bit of this soup left and I can stir up some home made bread with fresh butter.” “I had three bowls of that soup but some fresh bread and butter would be quite nice while these wet clothes dry. Perhaps I can just lay them on the floor unless you have a better suggestion of where I might hang them until they dry enough for me to pack them. When I can do that I will be on my way so you both can get on with what you need to do.” Hattie got up and walked over to him. “Give me those clothes and I will get them dry for you, I have a dryer in the laundry room.”

Hattie took the clothes and walked into the house part of the building. Nathan sat down on the couch and began to readjust the stuff in his pack. Megan had finished her soup and turned to look at him. She was not so afraid of him anymore but was still being a bit leery. “So Hattie tells me that you are heading back to Brisbane, I don’t see you getting back there before Monday. That is quite a distance from here and riding a bicycle surely is going to take at least 5 days if not longer.” “I figured to ride continuous with just a few short breaks and possible make it in 3 to 4 days but your right; I won’t make it by Monday.” “Well if you are planning to start school, I suppose you could enroll late.” “Looks like you and Miss Hattie had a good talk about me and my future plans. Did she also tell you that I am seriously considering not going to school, at least this year?” “Yes she did say that you had mentioned that and that would be a shame but then again we all have to do what we have to do.” “How is it that you are not in school, you don’t look much older than me.” “Well I am old enough and I have a farm to run, so going to school is not an option for me at this time.” “Don’t your parents run the farm?” Megan felt the pang of hurt at the mention of her parents. She hopped off the stool and moved to the stove. Her clothes were still wet and she was very tired after eating the soup and feeling the heat. “My parents are not here and have been gone for a number of years. I have a younger sister and her and I run the farm.” She said this with a strained voice and held her hands over the stove.

“I am sorry, I did not know. I have a step mum that has raised me and she does not or can’t really afford to pay for my schooling. I tried to tell her that I could work for at least a year and save up the funds to pay for the school so she would not have to live any worse than she does now. My step dad had to go to the west coast awhile back to work and keep us going but he was killed in an accident and mum sort of lost her way. I have been trying to help with the bills and such but the work is few and far between. I work off and on for a farmer on the west side of Brisbane but he only hires me during certain times of the year and can’t pay very much. So I try to do other things but as I said it is tough. My bike is the only transportation I and mum have and it takes a bit to get to anyplace these days.” “I hear ya, times are tough all over but Paradise seems to be turning a new way of life for most folks these days and the money thing is slowly but surely disappearing. People are growing their own food and building their own homes with the help of some wonderful folks. What do you do on the farm you just mentioned?” Nathan had waited for her to ask that question after he casually mentioned that he worked on a farm. He knew she had piggies and he himself had tended to them on the farm down in Brisbane. If fact he was really good with them and he liked them quite a lot. He started to tell this young woman that he helped raise Pigs but Hattie came back in and told Megan that she should go and get a good hot shower and into some dry clothes. “When you get those wet things off bring them down and I will put yours and mine into the dryer when Nathan’s are done.” Megan looked straight into Nathan’s eyes and turned sharply and went upstairs
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Hattie moved into the Kitchen type area behind the counter and fetched a loaf of bread. “Now then young man, shall we eat some of this fresh backed bread?” Nathan stood up and moved to the counter. He had not eaten any real home made bread since Reager had left. Jeanette pined for him fiercely and stopped cooking the breads like she did prior to his leaving and then when he had been killed in the accident she quit cooking altogether for quite awhile and he had to take over that task and make sure she would eat. Hattie had placed the bread on a pan and shoved it into the oven. As he sat and reminisced about his life he could smell the bread and it began to make his mouth water. Hattie had slathered the top of the loaf with some melted butter. It had taken around 7 or 8 minutes to warm it up and in the mean time she had given him some hot fluid in a mug. The smell of it was calming and delicious so he began to sip it and the taste seemed to burst open all of his taste buds. The fluid or tea, he suspected, began to make him feel very comfortable. He thought to himself that this woman was a gourmet chef and that everything she cooked or concocted in drink was designed to make one feel euphoric. He almost asked her if she could use a handyman around the store so he could partake of her skills every day. He would gladly do anything that needed to be done just for one of her meals.

Hattie could see that the boy was starved not only for good cooked meals but for love. She could feel his sorrow and his loss. She didn’t know what may have happened to him in life but he did say he had a mum and she was having a hard time of it down in Brisbane. She began to wonder about helping this boy and his mum and thought about bringing her up here and giving this lad a job. God only knew that she could use a good steady hand around the store especially in the summer months and come to think about it, the winter months also. She opened the oven door and pulled the fresh warmed loaf of bread out and sat the pan on the top of the stove. Nathan said “wow that smells so good I can hardly wait to eat a piece.” As she placed the loaf on a platter and moved it to the counter she took a bread knife and laid it next to the platter. “Here ya go lad, you do the honors and be sure to cut yourself a healthy piece. I have fresh butter and other toppings if you wish.” Nathan’s eyes were filled with delight as he picked up the knife and began to cut the bread. “Tell me how big a piece you want Miss Hattie. I will use the butter on my first piece.” Hattie had to smile and told him to cut her a thin slice for now. “It’s getting on late and I am getting quite tired so I think I could eat just a little before I have to sleep, but you sure are welcome to eat as much as you want.”

Megan had taken a hot shower and dressed in some dry clothes. Hattie had told her to sleep in the guest room and tomorrow if the rain let up she could take the piggy’s home. The Idea of asking the boy, Nathan, to help her and she could take him down to Brisbane had some appeal to it as the herd she had now was quite a handful and she was counting on Bob to help her but he went and left this plane of existence before she and he could get them all home. As she came down the stairs she could hear Hattie and the boy talking about bread and she could smell it. Her mouth began to water so she reached the bottom and hurried into the larger room. “Well now young lass you look a lot better and I suspect you might even be warmer.” “Yes Hattie the hot shower and the dry clothing has me feeling civilized again. I smelled the bread and that has made me hungry again. I think I will have some more of that soup and a piece of that bread if you don’t mind?” Hattie looked at Nathan and back at Megan and said “well then why don’t you ask Nathan here if he’ll cut you a slice and here is the butter. I can dish you up some more soup and we all can eat a good hot meal in comfort then.”

Nathan fetched himself another bowl of the soup after he cut the bread and they all sat at the counter filling their tummies and enjoying the warmth. The room had finally become quite comfortable. “So Miss Hattie, you live here all alone and work this store?” “Well I guess you could say that lad. I had a very wonderful man that stayed here on a regular basis and he was quite the handy man. He was always fixing things and he would tend the store also but he has passed on now and it will be very lonely around here. Megan and Galia live about 5 or so miles away back up into the higher slopes and run that farm so visits are not as often as I would like.” She was looking straight at Megan when she said all of that. Nathan took all of that in and thought more about asking Miss Hattie for a job. He was a pretty good handy man after all and he sure was not afraid of learning anything new. “Sorry to here about your husband. Perhaps after I go see me mum and tell her that I won’t be going to school this year, I could maybe come back and find a place to stay and help you out.” Hattie wasn’t expecting that from this lad but it did give her some comfort to know how he felt and what he was willing to do. “Well now, you got to tell your mum for sure what you are planning and I suspect that she needs you more than you think.” Megan listened to this conversation in quiet solitude and had thought about how this boy could help out at the store and the farm and then thought about how to pay him. She was not sure how Hattie could pay him but she at least made money operating her store.

“Say, I got an Idea that is if you’re up to it?” Hattie had waited for the right moment in the conversation to express how Megan could drive the boy to Brisbane and she had been formulating the idea of his mum coming and staying with her and helping to run the store. It appeared that Megan did not want to or was having a hard time broaching the subject. “Listen, Megan here has a real handful of Pigs to get up to her farm. They are staying out there in the storage building right now. I have told her that she can take the truck and since you are here and could use a quicker ride home, maybe you could give her a hand with them piggies and she could drive you down to Brisbane. It is only a good day’s drive from here that is if you want to?” Megan was taken by surprise with Hattie’s abrupt forwardness and started to say something. She had been working her way through the process of how to ask this boy the very same thing that she and Hattie had talked about but by gosh and by golly if Hattie hadn’t come right out and said it all. So instead she spoke and said “you did tell me earlier, that you have tended pigs down there on a farm so you would be very helpful and we could stay the night at the farm and the next day we could come by here and pick up your bike and drive down there.” She looked at Nathan with a big question mark on her face and waited for him to speak. Hattie sat with a big smile on her face and waited also.

Nathan was surprised also. His thoughts seem to be bursting forth. These two women had seemed to read his mind and he was almost overflowing with joy. He kept a somber face as he didn’t want to appear jubilant just yet although he was brimming with laughter of the good feeling he was getting. His whole trip and many years prior never seemed to give him much of a break in life and here he was sitting with two women that he had just met through the happening of a major storm, that were offering him some kind of happiness that he seemed to have missed in his life. His politeness that had been taught to him by Reager and Jeanette got the better of him and he said “Well ladies, I am at a loss for words it seems. I sure would like to help out with the pigs but I do not want to impose on you. I think it is still raining outside and I can see that both of you have had a hard day and certainly would like to get some rest. I can find another place down the road to stay for the night. So if you have that rain gear you can sell me, I should be on my way. I can come back if you want and help with the pigs which I would be more than willing to.

Megan had not been sure about the proposition that Hattie came up with but when the boy appeared to turn it down or so she perceived, although he did, in a round about way say he would help, she felt at a loss. There definitely seemed to be more to this boy than he let on and it felt good to her. She looked at Hattie to see what was going to be her response and it was not but a minute later that she spoke up. “Nonsense young lad, you can sleep on that couch over there for the rest of this night and stay out of that rain. Besides if you sleep over there you can tend the fire also. I can make a mean delicious breakfast and hopefully the rain will stop or at least slow down tomorrow.” Megan held her breath and waited for his response to that. Hattie wasn’t quite done and stood up. “Megan dear, would you get the blankets and extra pillow for the lad, I am about to fall asleep so I am going upstairs before I can’t make it. Goodnight to the both of you.” And with that she turned and walked to the stairs and climbed them.

Nathan watched Hattie climb the stairs and disappear. She was about as old as his mum and had the same big heart. He felt the warmth of the woman as she had spoken to him and fed him. Megan was not much older than him and he could feel her heart and a sorrow but yet she emanated happiness also. He watched her get up and head back into the house area and return carrying some blankets and a pillow. She moved to the couch and laid them down. When she came back to the counter she went around and cleaned up the dishes and put everything away. He stood and helped her and soon they both were sitting down again over by the stove. He was sitting on the couch and she was in a chair next to it. “So if the rain lets up, I figure we can load the pigs into the truck and get them out to the farm. It is around 10 miles contrary to what Hattie said but it should not take to long. I figure we can spend a day up there and you can meet my sister, her name is Galia. I think you and she could be around the same age, by the way how old are you if you don’t mind me asking. Nathan thought about that for a minute and said “well let’s be fair, I tell you how old I am and you tell me how old you are.” “Okay fair enough.” “Alright then I just turned 17 three months ago.” “Well isn’t that a coincidence, I turned 19 around three months ago and Galia is 17 also.” “I think I need to go to sleep also, Hattie and I had a very harrowing day and we lost a very dear friend. I’ll see you in the morning then, goodnight.”

Nathan said goodnight back and watched her go up the stairs. He threw some more small logs in the stove and unfolded one of the blankets and lay down on the couch. He lay in the dark after he had turned off the light and thought about his good fortune. He intended to fully help these two and the one named Galia. He knew there was great sorrow with these two and it took a lot in him to not actually cry for them. He saw in their minds the death of the one called Bob and he saw the man that Megan had fallen in love with. He also saw the abandonment of her and her sister by their parents but he also knew why. He knew the man was a special being that could live in the ocean. He had been able to read minds and even speak in the mind to others since he was 1 year old. He was very careful to not let anyone else know not even his foster parents. He suspected that Jeanette knew something was different about him and he witnessed so many times how she stood up for him and kept secrets from others that might be suspicious when he would exhibit attributes that he could not control at younger ages. He finally fell asleep and dreamed of a beautiful woman lying in a bed with two little babies. He saw the two babies grow into two girls with red hair and then he saw them floating in the air as if they were flying. His dreams showed him the woman called Megan swimming with dolphins in the ocean and the man she loved swimming with her. He dreamed of the woman called Hattie and his step mother sitting at a table with him and the woman and the two baby girls.

“You gonna sleep all day?” He opened his eyes and Hattie was standing next to the couch and telling him to wake up. “What time is it?” “Its day time, I got some coffee brewing and biscuits cooking in the oven. If you want to get up, I’ll pour the coffee, do you drink coffee?” “Yes I do”, he rolled back the blanket and raised himself to a sitting position. His senses started to work and he smelled the biscuits cooking. “That smells good, I must have been very tired, and I usually don’t sleep this hard.” “Well to tell the truth it is just starting to be daylight and Megan is out in the storage building feeding the pigs and the rain has let up considerably. I think you and her will be able to get them critters home today. I thought it would be good for you to get up and have some breakfast. I usually don’t open the store until around 8 am in the morning but today I think I’ll wait until at least 10 so you and the lass can eat and get the pigs loaded. He stood up and walked over to the counter. The stove was hot and he could feel the heat in the room. “I guess I slept hard and forgot to stoke the stove.” “Don’t worry about that it was still burning some embers when I got up so I kept it going. I take it you rested comfortably?”
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Re: Story of fiction and fantasy and science fiction

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Nathan moved to the counter and sat down as Hattie poured him a mug of coffee. It really did smell good and as soon as he tasted it his eyes opened up with joy. “This is excellent.” “Thank you, now how about some fresh eggs and hash browns. I also have made some great milk gravy for the biscuits if you like and there is some real good jam.” Nathan just shook his head and said “the eggs and hash browns sounds good as well as the biscuits and gravy. I certainly am hungry. I thought I got pretty full last night but guess that all filed away so I need to refill.” “You looked pretty starved last night that’s for sure, when is the last time you had a decent meal?” “It’s been over a month ago, least ways that’s the last I remember. We had to sort of live off the land but that seemed to be okay although it was skimpy.” “So where are your two friends?” “Shaun flew back to Brisbane when we reached Cairns and Rodger is in the hospital up there as far as I know, he got an infection in a cut on his leg and by the time we reached Cairns it was pretty bad. He told me that he would be flying back when he was released. I really hope he makes it before school starts. Any way he and Shaun both spent a whole year working and traveling so they both got their minds together to go to the college.” “I see” said Hattie as she stirred the potatoes. “How do you like your eggs?” “Oh I like them over easy.” “Megan should be in shortly, she’s been out there long enough.”

Nathan sensed something wrong so he hurried and put his shoes on. “Megan may be in trouble” he said as he moved to the back door. He looked out the window and saw a man standing near the truck and the storage door open. He turned to Hattie and quietly asked her where the bat was and if she might have a shotgun. Hattie became very concerned and moved over to look out the window. “Oh damn” she said. I saw that character two weeks ago and he was traveling with another unsavory character. Bob ran them off before they could cause real trouble. I don’t know what they are up to coming back here but you can bet it ain’t no good. Did you see the other one?” “No but the storage door is open and I have a bad feeling he may be in there with Megan.” Hattie hurried over to the counter and fetched the bat. She handed it to Nathan and said she would go around the front and come up on them from another direction. “You go out there and tell them to get off the property and you have called the police. Be very careful with them they are sneaky buggers and I suspect they are looking to steal anything they can. This storm has caused enough havoc without these two taking advantage of others misfortunes.”

Megan had come into the storage area and was feeding the pigs. Timoth led them all to the pales and trough that just happen to be there. She was patting the little ones and making sure they got enough of the food when a cold chill came over her. She had been in the storage building for about a half an hour and was thinking that it was time to go and eat and get the sleepy boy up. The rain was just a drizzle this morning but she could not be sure if it would pick up. The cold chill made her turn around toward the exterior door and that is when she saw the strange man standing just inside. The man just stared at her and that gave her the creeps. He was tall and skinny. His hair was scraggly and wet from rain. His clothes looked like he had not changed them in a month of Sundays and she could almost smell him from where she stood. He finally smiled and she caught the glimpse of his rotten teeth. It looked like he was missing a couple. When he spoke it made her cringe. She wanted to run and hide but she knew it was too late. “Well now little lady it looks like you got some fine ham there and me and Ustus sure are hungry. I ain’t had any meat for quite awhile.” With that, the creepy character pulled a knife from his belt. “I think those little pigs will make a fine meal for me and my partner.”

Jethro and Ustus were what one would call homeless. They had been on the run for a few years since they had killed a man and his wife in Perth. They had stolen what money they could find and took their car and drove into the interior. When the car ran out of petrol they managed to stop a ranger and kill him. That gave them a land rover to drive further into the interior. They did not get much further before that vehicle quit on them also so they began to walk, always toward the east. They planned to go to the east coast and continue there unsavory ways. They had managed to catch rides and decided to not cause anymore problems until they got to the east coast. A few weeks back they had come across this store and thought to steel the vehicle and food and whatever else they could and disappear into the mountains and lay low for awhile. They had seen a news bulletin about two murderers on the move and how they were suspected of being on the west coast. They did not count on a man and a woman standing up and chasing them off. They disappeared into the bush and found a camp where other homeless people lived and hung out. When the storm arrived they found a cave and stayed in it until the worst blew over. Jethro figured that the store might have been damaged so they sought to return and perhaps pay the man and woman back for what they had done to them earlier. Ustus was dense but Jethro kept him around because he was big. More like a gorilla, Jethro thought. And beside he was useful when it came to beating people and robbing them.

When Hattie had seen the big man standing by the truck, her hackles stood straight up. She knew this man and the other one were pure trouble from the first time they came around and it was a good thing that Bob had been there then. The shotgun had scared them off but she still wasn’t sure if they would come back so she kept the shotgun handy. Well here they were again and Megan was in the Storage building alone and she had the bad feeling that the other man was in there with her. She told Nathan what to do and be real careful and as soon as he left the store she called the police to tell them that there were some unsavory characters at her store and they did look familiar. She thought they might be on a wanted list or something. The Police sergeant she talked to said that they could not get someone out to her place for a few hours so she would have to hang on as best as she could. Well that was par for the course. She retrieved her shotgun and loaded it with the rock salt loaded shells. She knew that the shells probably would not kill someone but they sure as hell would blister their hide. She had no idea what these men were up to or if they had weapons but she was not going to let anything happen to Megan and the boy for that matter either. She made her way to the front of the store and figured to slip around the far side and come from behind the storage building.

Megan could see that this man was unbalanced and dangerous. She did not see the other man that this one mentioned and desperately hoped he was not in the building somewhere else. She glanced around hurriedly to see if she might spot him. She saw no one else and said “who are you and what do you want. I have no money.” “Well now little lady, I thought I made myself fairly clear. I and my partner are very hungry and those two little porkers will suit us just find. Now if you want to stay alive perhaps you can bring them over and hold them while I slit their throats. After that, I guess I can determine what else you have to give.” “You can’t have the pigs, they are my friends and I won’t let you kill them.” “Oh come now, you have plenty of them and that big one back there, he could make a wonderful dinner for all the other men where we live. So how about I kill him first and you give me the keys to that truck out there and then I take the two little ones also. I am thinking that you would make a wonderful companion also so you get to come along.” He moved closer as he was talking and Megan began to step backward. She was going to give Timoth the command to attack this man but as long as he wielded the knife, Timoth could be hurt and perhaps even killed. She was waiting for the right moment. The man stopped and looked around wearily. He was not sure that there may be someone else in here and it could be that man or the woman that drove them off before. He watched the girl back up and then spoke up. “Ustus is it clear, if so get in here I need your help.” There was no answer and no one came to the open door. The man called out again. “Ustus, damn it, I said get in here you idiot.” There was still no answer, so he turned and hurried to the door.

Nathan had stayed low as he left the back porch and crept his way over to the rear of the truck. The big gorilla of a man was standing close to the front and looking around. He lit a cigarette and blew a big puff of smoke out. Nathan could hear the conversation inside and knew that Megan was in trouble. He figured it was time to use his special abilities that no one knew about except maybe Jeanette. He became invisible and levitated himself straight up and moved to just over head of the big man. The only thing about being invisible was the bat in his hands was still visible so he brought it down on the man’s head. There was a quiet smack as the bat landed across the back of the man’s head. The bulk of the man fell in slow motion face down in the mud. Nathan hoped that the man inside did not hear the hit and the fall. He could hear both and it worried him. He moved away to the far side of the truck and hovered. He heard the man inside call to the man that lay in the mud. He called twice and then all of sudden he was at the door. It did not take him long to see that his partner was down so he disappeared quickly.

Megan watched the man turn and hurry to the door. She was getting ready to give the signal to Timoth when the man spun and came at her so quickly that she didn’t have time to react. He reached out and grabbed her and brought the knife up to her throat. “You tell who ever, out there to get in here and if they are armed, to drop the weapon in here, you understand me? Tell them that I will kill you if they try anything and don’t do as I say.” The knife was touching her throat so any sudden move on her or his part would result in a slit throat. The smell from this man’s breath and his body was making her wretch. She had been around the pigs at Angus’s farm and the Urine smell could make one virtually throw up but this man stunk far worse.

Timoth was busy eating and herding his new family to the buckets of food when the strange man came in the building. He sensed right away that this man was dangerous. He backed away from the buckets and stood still while the others continued to eat. He looked at the man and then heard him talk to Megan. She talked back to him and he knew that she was in fear and still he just watched the man. Megan had a signal for him to attach if she was in trouble but she was not giving it. He could see that the man had a thing that cuts in his hand and that made him almost charge but Megan still did not give the sign. When the man moved and then took a hold of Megan he could see that she was really frightened then. He could see her hand and it was giving a warning to not do anything. He had seen this many times before and knew that he was not supposed to move. His instinct was becoming overwhelming in him to attack this man no matter.

Outside the storage building Nathan was in the air and still invisible when he heard Megan call out and say “come in and lower your weapon if you have one, this man says he will kill me if you do not do as he wants.” Nathan slowly moved to the doorway and ducked as he floated in. He rose up once inside and moved closer to the man and Megan. He could see the knife and he could also sense the man’s agitation, his fear and how he would kill Megan in an instant given the right circumstance. He knew he had to make the man move the knife from her throat before he could disable him. He moved to a stack of barrels and kicked one. The sound reverberated because the barrel was empty. The next thing that happened astonished him. The man moved the knife away from Megan’s throat and spun around still holding her. She back kicked him and as he let go of her she flung herself away and clapped her hands twice. The big pig plowed into the man from behind and knocked him forward onto his face. The pig fell on the man and Nathan could hear the air forced from him. The man lay very still and Nathan heard the shotgun blast from outside. He heard the scream and then all was silent.
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Hattie had come around the far side of the house/store and moved to the side of the storage building. She heard Megan tell who ever was out side to come in and drop their weapon or the man would kill her. She did not see the bat hit the big man in the head but was ready to shot him when she came around the front. She stepped around and saw the big man starting to get up. He was rubbing his head and pulling a knife from his belt. She heard the ruckus inside and watched the big man head toward the door. She cocked both barrels of the shotgun and fired. The rock salt peppered the entire side of the man and he screamed and fell back into the mud. She reloaded the gun and cocked it and moved over to the man. He was bleeding from a thousand spots on his side, his leg and the side of his head that had been facing her when the blast went off. He was not dead but he sure was moaning and she suspected the salt in the wounds was burning like hell. She stuck the barrels of the shotgun in his face and told him not move or his head would experience an atomic bomb.

In the storage building, Nathan dropped down behind the barrels and became visible. He hurried out and went to Megan. He picked her up and she hugged him tightly. They stood for a moment and then she moved to Timoth and knelt down. “It’s okay now Timoth you can get off of him.” Timoth looked at her and rolled himself off. He stood up and all the other pigs came to him and gathered around. Nathan bent down and touched the man’s neck and could find no pulse. He looked at Megan and then rolled the man over. The knife had plunged into the man’s chest as he fell forward from the attack of the pig. When Timoth had fallen on him, the 400 or more pounds squashed his body onto the knife even further and the hilt had been buried deeper into the man’s chest. It was for sure that this man would not be killing anyone anymore. Nathan went out and moved to Hattie. She was standing close to the big man who was still moaning. He could see that the man was not going to get up any time soon and wrapped his arm around Hattie. She let him take the shotgun and fell against him. She began to cry and he let her while he held her. Megan came out and they all three held each other while the two women wept.

Two hours later, two policemen showed up and called for an ambulance. 30 minutes later it showed up and took the dead man and the wounded one away. The Police took a report of the incident and told them that the two men were wanted for the murder of 8 people all toll across the continent. It was almost 1pm before the police left and the three of them finally were left alone. Hattie was shaken very badly and Megan was pacing in a nervous agitation. Nathan had gone out and talked with the pigs and got them all settled down. When he came back in he sat down on the couch and let the emotional buildup drain from him. He finally stood up and stoked the fire in the stove and moved to the counter. Hattie appeared to be in a deep shock while Megan just kept pacing. He knew that they had experienced a great loss the day before and then this evil thing that happened today just piled on the pain and suffering. Being who he was and having all the gifts from birth, he could feel every pain and emotion in these two as they battled to keep themselves sane. His first thought was to help them feel and grieve. It was what he did with Jeanette after she was told about Reager’s death. He could take the pain away but that was not the right thing. He could feel the pain but he had to help others to feel their own pain. He stood and walked to Megan. She was in a fury within her heart and he reached out and stopped her from the pacing. She turned on him and looked at him with anger in her heart. He said nothing but rather pulled her to him and held her. She fought at first but then let go and fell into his chest. She cried and wept and even screamed but continued to hold him as he did her. She finally began to fall and he picked her up and moved her to the couch. He saw in her mind the man called Devlin and how she was connected to him. He telepathically talked to him and told him what had happened and how he should come back for her soon. She lay back and fell into a deep restful sleep.

He stood and moved to the counter where Hattie was still sitting in a trance. He reached into her mind and saw how she had retreated into a deep place where she was chained to a wall, a wall of sorrow, of pain, of loss, of forgetfulness. The man she had loved who loved her had left on a separate journey and she felt abandoned. He had seen this man in Megan’s mind also and he was her father after her first father had left. He reached over and touched her. She turned and looked deeply into his eyes. He reached her mind and began to break the wall. He broke the chains and the wall began to crumble. All of the sorrow, the pain, the loss began to flood forth, she began to remember everything. The love flooded through all of her memories. She reached for him and they both held each other. She began to cry to weep and her body racked with the weeping while the tears flowed like a river. He stood and she stood with him. He slowly walked her up the stairs and to her bedroom. He laid her gently on her bed and pulled a blanket over her. She fell into the restful dream place that was a healing center. He knew that Megan and Hattie both had entered a special place that he had been to himself and they would be healed. Hattie and Megan both would see Bob. He had returned to the main room and picked Megan up and took her to the bedroom and placed her there under a blanket. After making sure that both women were comfortable he made sure that the store was secure and cleaned up the kitchen. He then went out and made sure the pigs were comfortable and cleaned up the mess that was made by the encounter with the two criminals.

The next morning Hattie and Megan stood at the top of the stairs and wondered how they had come up here. They looked at each other and Hattie said “I don’t remember climbing the stairs last night; in fact I don’t even remember last night. I have a vague recollection of yesterday afternoon and something about some policemen being here and then going to a hospital and seeing Bob.” “Yes I remember the policemen also, had something to do with some escaped criminals and I think we both went to the hospital and saw Bob.” The smell of coffee made both of them continue down the stairs.

Nathan had seen when both women would wake and come down. Another of his gifts, as he called them, was to see a future outcome of a person that he would come in contact with. There were times that he did not want to see a coming as he called it and he would try to shut his sense of it off. He could never do that as it seemed the more he tried the more the coming would grow stronger so he learned to just let it happen with out fighting. He had started the coffee and knew that Megan would drink tea. He found some herbal tea in a glass container and put on a pot of water to heat up. He had sliced and diced some potatoes that he found in a pantry and had them cooking on the stove. “You seem to know your way around a kitchen lad. If you are cooking I would like a couple of eggs over medium and some of that bread toasted up.” Hattie was not one to be shy so he waited for her to sit and poured her a mug of coffee. “Now then, what would you like, Megan?” Megan looked at him with a smile and said “I could drink a nice hot cup of tea and then I must go and feed the pigs.” Hattie started to say something but he spoke first. “The pigs have been fed and they are roaming around in the sun shine right now. I think the big fellow is anxious to go some where. He hung around the back end of the truck and kept looking at me like he wanted to get up in it.” Megan walked over to the back door and looked out the window. She saw Timoth moving around the truck and the two little ones following him. The other ones she could see were rooting around. She turned and came back to the counter and sat down. “They look so happy today, you can make me a couple of scrambled eggs and those potatoes smell good.”

“The rain stopped sometime during the night and the sunrise this morning was quite amazing. I heard one of the policemen that were here yesterday, say something about that hurricane stalling and changing course toward the south. I would guess that the coast line to the south may have gotten a bit more wet and windy than they expected.” Hattie took a big sip of her coffee and asked Nathan when they had gone to bed. “I seem to be missing a chunk of time. I do remember the police showing up and coming in here but that seemed to be early afternoon. It’s like from that point on I was in another place, Oh and I saw Bob there also.” Nathan just smiled and said “well we did come in by the early afternoon and you and Megan seemed to be very tired and said something about taking a nap.” Megan did not say anything while she sipped her tea. “I think we could take the pig’s home today if your up to it, I know you and Hattie had quite the work out yesterday.” Megan looked at him and finally spoke. “Yes, today would be a good day to get them all back to the farm, and perhaps once we get them settled we should make the arrangement to get you back home also. If we leave early enough in the morning we could be in Brisbane by the late evening. That is if the roads are clear and we don’t have to back track or go around.” “You two kids go and get yourselves ready to take those piggies home, I am going to open the store and see if I get any customers today.” Hattie stood and began to gather the plates and put them in the sink.

Two hours later, Megan drove the truck toward her farm. Timoth was standing in the back in an anxious mood. He knew that they were going home and he could hardly wait. “You said that you worked on a farm and me and Galia just so happen to own a farm and we have quite a herd of pigs now. We also have a very huge vegetable garden that we have to tend to. So, would you be interested in working part time to help us out? I can’t pay much but I do plan on selling some of the pigs. We have some wonderful neighbors that have expressed their wishes to have some of them.” “That is a very kind offer and I surely would like to help you and your sister. Hattie made an offer to me in a similar way by asking if I would like to work part time at the store. I am not sure how my mum is going to handle the idea of me not going to school this year since she had her heart set on me getting that higher education. It has been very hard on her since Reager passed and she has worked very hard to support me even though she only has that meager pension and the place we live in is nothing more than a shack. I did plan to get a job and help out.”

Megan understood what Nathan was saying but her mind was whirring at ideas to be able to get him to stick around. She would have an entire day alone with him as they drove to Brisbane and she was certain that she could come up with a way that would be good for him and his mum and her and Galia and Hattie. Hattie was going to be really alone now that Bob moved on and in the dream she had where her and Hattie had talked with Bob, he had told them both that he was going to place that he had always dreamed of since he was a child. He did tell them that he loved them both but his time on Mother Earth had ended. She and Hattie had been saddened to learn that but they both felt the love and were happy that he would be stepping away from a continuous loop. “Well we have some time to give this a good thinking and you did say that you would like to work. I think we might be able to come up with a solution but we shall see.” Nathan liked the idea of living up here and working part time for the two women that seemed to open doors for him in his life. He never liked living in the city of Brisbane; it always seemed to be too busy for him. He would like to gather his mum and move away from that place but the opportunity seemed to be only half way. For some reason he could see a future for Megan and he even saw the future somewhat for Hattie but his own future seemed to be shrouded except for the woman and the two children that seemed to be to far in the future and in another room from him. “Yes I suppose we will have a good amount of time to try and formulate something. Do you know the interior roads from here to Brisbane? I suspect that the coastal roads may have suffered some damage and we could be stalled somewhere.” “No I have not been down the coast beyond Mackay so further than that is completely unknown to me.” “Well I have been over the interior roads so I can direct us that way. I think we have to take the highway over the Hervey range or something.” “Yes I have been on that road and there is another one further south of Paradise that will connect us to a main road that does run south.” As they talked of the roads, Megan turned onto the drive that took them to the farm house.

Nathan saw the house and a barn. He had to wonder how Megan and her sister managed to keep this place. The house was a single level ranch style home. He suspected that it had been built prior to the 20’s but he could not be sure about that. It looked to be in fair condition from what he could see. The barn was a bit different. It also was a one level structure and as they came closer he could see where it needed some repair work. He began to notice the animals moving around and saw some chickens roving in the grasses that grew around the barn and beyond. He could see the pigs lying around and moving also. There was a long trough for feed and one for water in the yard. He also noticed an old pump handle at one end of the trough and figured there must be a well. Megan drove the truck up to the barn while some pigs and chickens scurried out of the way. She stopped and turned the key. “This is it. I suppose we need to get the ramp placed so Timoth and the others can get down.” The truck shook and they both turned to look. Timoth was trying to pace and Megan knew that if they didn’t hurry with the ramp and remove the tail gate, Timoth was going to crash through. It seemed that all the pigs came from everywhere and were forming up in a herd at the end of the truck. She hopped out and Nathan got out on his side and they both moved to the rear. “Timoth, you got to settle down, I know you haven’t been home for quite some time but you mustn’t hurt yourself.”
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Re: Story of fiction and fantasy and science fiction

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46 GALIA

Galia had been in the garden behind the barn when she heard the truck pull in. She knew it was Bob’s truck so she hurried to fill her basket with the cucumbers and squash she had been harvesting and walked toward the gate. Megan and Timoth had left a week before it seemed, to go into Paradise and pick up some supplies. Megan told her that she was going to visit with Hattie and would be gone a few days. Two day’s later Bob came by and visited for a short space and mentioned the big storm that was coming. He had checked the buildings and made sure that everything was weather tight before he took off to help Megan. He was worried about her and Timoth riding a bicycle with the storm coming. It was that afternoon that the storm began to dump the rain and the high winds came. She spent the entire night pacing and worrying about Megan, Bob and Timoth and the next day was even worse. The rain and winds seemed to get stronger and the creek that ran to the south of the farm was overflowing by mid morning. She had managed to get all the animals into the barn and shut the doors before the big winds and rain came. In the house she could hear the creaking and moaning of the window shutters and during the night the power had went out so she had to start the generator. Thank the Divine that her parents had set up the house and the barn with auxiliary power. There always seemed to be times when it was needed. Today was the first day that the sun shined fully and she had wanted to get some of the vegetables from the garden. She had let the animals out and they were roaming around having a good time.

Megan helped Nathan pull out the ramp and remove the tail gait and told him to let the pigs roam. Timoth will watch over them and they all need to get acquainted anyway. “I will be in the house when you get things unloaded. I think Galia may want to meet you.” Nathan watched her walk toward the house and unloaded a few things they had brought from Hattie’s store. He took them into the barn and found the place where they should go. Galia had taken the time to finish loading her basket and was halfway to the front of the barn when she saw Megan reach the house and go through the back door. She could hear the pigs squealing and grunting so she figured they were all gathering around Timoth. She was going to greet Bob first before going in and greeting Megan. When she reached the front of barn she saw Bob’s truck and the pigs. The first thing she noticed was all the new ones and thought that Bob and Megan maybe purchased them while in Paradise. She didn’t see Bob anywhere so figured he might be in the barn. She smiled and felt happy as she walked to the doors. Bob was like a father to her and Megan and it was always such a great time when he would come around.

She stood in the open door way and peered into the dark area of the barn letting her eyesight adjust from the brightness to the darkness. Nathan had begun to walk around inside to familiarize himself to what ever was inside. He figured that if he was going to work part time here he might as well get familiar. He would like to see how much land this farm had and if there were any motorized equipment and tools he could use. He knew how to tend to the pigs and they seemed to be free roamers just as the few chickens he saw. He came across the chicken hutches and a large area where the pigs bedded down and noticed a door that seemed to be open at the rear. He walked to the opening and looked out. He could see the rather large garden that had a fence around it and a line of trees beyond the far edge of the garden. Something made him turn around. He could feel a presence of another human. When he turned he could see the person standing at the doorway at the front of the barn. He could also see a light aura around the person.

Galia was expecting to see Bob but to her surprise she saw a person walking to the rear of the barn and he had a bright light aura emanating from his being. She did not quite know how to take that but she continued to watch the person, she assumed the person was a man, walk to the open door and saw his outline as he stood in the opening. She knew that this man was not Bob because he would have said something to her as soon as she stood in the door way.

As Nathan starred at the person he was transported to a spot directly in front of her. He saw a beautiful woman with striking red hair, she was smiling and her eyes sparkled. He then saw her lying in a bed holding two little babies with red hair also. It was his dream that he had a few nights earlier and this woman was his soul mate. He reached out to touch her and he was still standing at the door to the rear of the barn.

Galia did not quite understand but the man was standing right in front of her. She saw the two babies in her arms as she lay in the bed and the man standing next to her. She started to reach out to him and then he was still standing at the other end of the barn. “Hello, my name is Galia. Did you come with Megan and Bob?” Nathan could hear the slight Gaelic accent as she spoke to him. It was the same he had heard when Megan spoke. It took a minute for him to speak back; he was so infatuated with this woman. “Ah, I came with Megan but there was no one else. My name is Nathan.” “Oh I suppose that Bob stayed down at Hattie’s then?” Nathan did not know what to say to her. He suspected that Bob may have been the one that passed on the day he had first arrived at the store. He thought it would be better for Megan to tell her what had transpired. “I’m sorry, I did not meet Bob and Megan brought me along to help her with the pigs she acquired down in Paradise.” “Oh, well I suppose you should come up here so we can introduce ourselves properly.” Nathan stood for just a moment longer and began to walk toward the front. He had been frozen in wonder and the vision of the future, his dream and finally dropped back into the reality of the moment. The closer he came to the woman the stronger the feeling in his heart grew.

Galia watched the man walk toward her. He was still in the shadows of the interior and she was glancing moments as he walked where the light from certain points lit up his features. As he got closer her heart began to flutter faster. As he reached the light that was beaming into the open door she could see that he was just a young man that looked to be around the same age as she was. He walked up to her and stopped. He reached out his hand and said “hi my name is Nathan; I have come to help Megan bring the additional pigs home. She has offered to take me home tomorrow.” Galia reached out and took his hand. His hand was warm and his smile was friendly. “I am Galia, Megan’s sister, glad to meet you, and I did not know that she was going to bring more of the piggies’ home. I guess she must have picked them up down in Paradise. Can you tell me where Bob is?” Nathan had never met Bob and he was not real sure where he was or if he had been the one that died. When Galia had first asked him about the man, he knew not to speculate on his where a bouts. He just repeated himself and said “to tell you the truth, I never met Bob; he was not around at the store when I arrived there. Miss Hattie and Megan acted like something bad had happened but they didn’t tell me anything and then we had to deal with a couple of real bad men that showed up.” Galia finally gathered her senses and said “why don’t we go in the house, I saw Megan go in awhile ago and I haven’t seen her in a week or so, are you hungry?” Nathan shook his head and offered to carry the basket of vegetables. Galia blushed and slowly handed the basket to him as they begin to walk toward the house.
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Megan had entered the house and went into her bedroom and opened her mother’s diary. The aching in her soul was still very much on the surface from the death of Bob. She had seen him in a sort of dream hospital and he had told her that he was going to another place and he would be fine and she should proceed forward with her life. He had even told her that some time she would be reunited with her mother and father. She knew that all he had said would be so because within her mother’s diary there were all sorts of diagrams and mathematical formulas, that if she could learn to decipher them, would tell her how to do the mystical things that her mother and father could do and her mother had talked to her about how life always was and how she would just move to different places when she left this place. She still did not quite understand it all but she was determined to learn. She was looking for a comforting way to tell Galia about Bob passing away when she heard her and the boy Nathan come into the kitchen. They were talking about the pigs and Hattie and her store. She closed the diary and reserved her thoughts for laying in the meadow and sun gazing. She knew that to tell Galia the truth was her path at the present and she would just have to give it the best she knew how to.

Galia had begun to talk to the young man, Nathan as he called himself. She always was the one that could talk with anyone and make them feel so welcome. There was a real connection with this boy or man as she thought. Something inside of her jumped with joy at the touch of his hand. She could see in his eyes that he was experiencing something similar. In her mind and heart she could see him and her always together. When she experienced holding the two babies and him standing next to the bed she was resting in it was as if they had always been together. She could sense a deeper sorrow within him and she wanted to hold him, to help him feel and heal the pain that lay inside him. When they entered the kitchen she was telling him about Timoth and how Megan and she had found his mate at a real bad farm outside of the land they knew as Paradise. She was starting to talk about Bob and how he had saved the pigs on that farm from a fate worse than death when Megan came out of the back bedrooms. Galia could see her red eyes and knew she had been crying. She felt that something terrible had happened. She stopped talking and hurriedly walked to her sister. “What is wrong sis, you look like something has happened, is Hattie alright, what about Bob?”

Megan had stopped at the kitchen door into the living room and listened to Galia’s worried questions. She knew that Galia could see that she had been crying and she also knew that her sister was clairvoyant. She could read feelings like reading ones mind. She had always been that way since she could walk and talk. Megan had to be careful how she felt around her although it never seemed to matter. Galia always knew when she was sorrowful or was deep in thought. Their Mother had tried to tell Megan about Galia’s special gifts, as she called them. She was always surprised when Galia would be so empathetic to her and would guess so accurately at what was going on. Megan was amazed when Galia would sooth her pain, her deeper heart sorrows. It was as if Galia would reach into her soul and pull the pain and sorrow out. She never quite understood what Galia did with the pain and sorrow but she could see tears well up and visibly see Galia sometimes bend as if she was in pain herself. She reached out and hugged Galia and said “let’s sit down and I think the water is hot for the tea.” Galia had hugged her back and followed her to the table. As both girls sat down, Nathan moved to the stove and picked up the boiling water. He found the cups and the tea and poured the water and waited for a few minutes to let the tea steep. He could feel and knew what was coming between the two and it was in his mind to let them be alone for now so he brought the tea over and excused himself. “I saw a couple of things I could take care of in the barn so I will be out there for awhile.” Galia watched him walk out the back door and then turned her complete attention to Megan.

“Is Hattie alright?” “Yes she is okay; we had a real scare the other day. Seems there were two murderers on the run and they just happened to show up at the store the day after the worst of the storm. I was in the storage house feeding Timoth and the others when this real scary man came in and was going to kill Timoth and eat the two little ones. He said he was going to take me with him and his partner, who I did not see until the fracas was over.” Galia reached over and took her sisters hands and looked at her with big sorrowful eyes. “Oh Megan, that must have been so frightening. Did Hattie shoot them, I know she has that old shotgun and she does know how to use it.” “She shot the one outside but Timoth and Nathan took care of the one inside. He actually killed himself but not before he threatened to kill me. Oh Galia, he had a knife held to my throat and I thought he was going to cut me dead.” Megan could see the tears dripping from Galia’s face and realized that she was crying also. It was another outpouring of the fear and pain for her. She and Hattie had broke down after the incident and she still could not figure how her and Hattie had wound up in their beds upstairs and slept for the rest of that day and through the night. Telling Galia had opened another door that was keeping more pain and fear locked up. It made her think of Hattie and how she might be going through the same thing right now. “Galia, I am going to take Nathan down to Brisbane tomorrow and I want you to go and stay with Hattie until I get back. Do you think we can ask Thomas to come over and feed the pigs while we are gone? I don’t think we will be gone more than a couple of days.”

“I think Thomas will come over, is Bob staying with Hattie? I would like to go with you and Nathan if that is okay?” Megan stopped and her mind seemed to become muddied. The passing of Bob had been pushed away from her because it was so painful. First her and Galia’s parents up and left them and now Bob who was like a father, was gone. This was what she needed to tell Galia and she managed to avoid it with the nightmare of the killers. It could not stay buried though because Galia would always bring it up by merely asking about Bob. “Galia,” the words seemed to be frozen in her throat. “Galia,” she was having such a hard time just to get the first words out and her tears began to run thicker and faster. Galia was crying now and spoke. “Where is Bob, what has happened to him?” Megan could no longer restrain herself. “Bob is dead.” There, it was out. She looked at Galia and saw her face turn white. Galia just sat very still while her face went numb and then the pain from deep inside welled up. She burst out with a cry and wailed. Her body shook with rigors as a puddle of tears splashed on the table and ran over the edge. Megan stood up and moved to her. She kneeled down and put her arms around her sister. Galia backed the chair away and both of them kneeled to the floor while holding each other and wailing.

A little while later, Galia asked in a choking voice, “how did he die?” Megan was having a very hard time recalling the scene. “We had to run from a title wave and he picked me up and carried me to the higher ground where the road climbs the hill just before Hattie’s store. He saved me but it was too much for his heart. His last words were for me and Devlin to get his truck and bring him some hot coffee. Timoth and the new pigs stayed with him while we hurried to get the truck. When we got back, he was gone. He had passed so we gathered him up and brought him to Hattie’s.” “Is he still there and who is Devlin?” “Devlin is a man I met at the docks in Paradise and he saved us all from the title wave and no Bob is not at Hattie’s.” “Where is Bob and where is this Devlin?” “Both of them are in the ocean. We’ll talk about that later, I am worried about Hattie.” “So you want to tell me where Nathan came from?”

“Nathan showed up at the store during the storm. The poor boy was riding a bicycle and he was completely deluged. He told us that he was on his way back to Brisbane and said something about school. He has told us that he would rather not go back to school this year but his mum is working to get him in.” “Megan, you just told me that Bob is in the ocean, how did he get there?” “Hattie and I took his body there and Devlin and his mother took him into the ocean to be with the dolphins.” Galia was a bit confused with all the information that Megan sporadically talked about and she really wanted to know, to put the pieces of puzzle together. She caught glimpses of the man called Devlin from Megan’s thoughts and deeper feelings. She had a suspicion that Megan may have fallen in love with this man. At the moment she was thinking very strongly about Nathan. Her sorrow and pain for the loss of Bob had welled up in her and she had felt Megan’s pain deeply and as was her gift she took that pain away from her sister and felt it all within herself. The peripheral talk of Devlin and the ocean had helped and the whole incident of the two murderers seemed to release pain from Megan also. Nathan was so vivid to her. It was truly as if she knew him forever. She stood and moved to a Vid phone and called Thomas. Helga answered the phone and Galia asked if Thomas could watch and feed the animals for a few days as her and Megan were going to Brisbane. Helga said she and Thomas would be glad to watch the animals and then asked her to come over for a bit so she could give her some money to pick up a certain item. Galia said she would be over shortly and cut the feed.
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Post by LostNFound »

Galia walked out to fetch her bike in the barn. When she walked inside, Nathan was near the back stacking some lumber. “Hello” she said as she moved to her bike. Nathan turned and saw her and said “hello, are you going somewhere that requires a faster mode of transportation than a bike?” “No, I am just going up the road to the neighbors for a few minutes. They live about a mile further on. Megan asked me to ask you if you would come in. She is preparing some dinner and wants to show you were you can sleep tonight. I am coming with you and her to Brisbane tomorrow.” “What about the animals?” “Oh, the neighbors have said they would take care of them while we are gone. They do that for us and we do the same when they have to go somewhere for more than a day so everything works out.” She pushed her bike and hopped on and said “I’ll be back in a bit” as she peddled out the door. Nathan watched her disappear out the door and thought how nice it would be to talk with her and Megan as they drove down to Brisbane. It was going to be a long drive and he was not sure if he would be staying down there. He had talked with Hattie a little bit about helping at the store and how she had a place where he could stay if he wanted to hang around. He had been offered work at two places and even a place to stay sort of. Galia had been such a surprise to him. She was what made up his mind to stay in the area. It was his mum that he was worried about and he intended to see if she would move up to Paradise so he could then help take care of her while he was helping Hattie and these two girls on their farm. All of this was running through his mind as he walked to the house.

Megan was preparing fresh fruits and vegetables and she had put some bread in the oven to bake. Galia and she had a good cry about Bob passing and she fully intended to tell her all about the hospital in the dream and how Devlin and his mother had taken him into the ocean. She also fully intended to talk with Nathan about staying up here for this next year and helping out around the farm. She knew that Hattie had given an invitation to him to help out around the store and Hattie had that extra house out behind her storage building that he could stay in. The house needed some work but it was livable, a two bedroom with two privies, a decent kitchen and living area with an old fireplace and even old wood stoves. The boy seemed to be quite strong and they all needed a man around now that Bob was gone. He used to take care of so many different things that they could not do. She was always one to learn new things and was not afraid to try anything but there were things that just needed a man’s ways to take care of them. She would welcome that and so would Galia and Hattie. She suspected that Thomas and Helga might even have things that he could do for them. There was something different about this boy or man and she sensed something in Galia that had changed. The very idea of wanting to go with her and Nathan down to Brisbane gave her thought. She would have to talk with her sister but that discussion would have to be between her and Galia alone. She started to walk out to the wood pile to get some more logs when Nathan opened the back door.

“Oh good, would you like to help me, I need to gather some more wood for the stove.” Nathan turned and walked back out. He had noticed the wood pile under a roof structure and a chopping block when he came in. They both walked over and he began to gather the small logs in his arms. “Thank you Nathan I think what you have and what I can bring will be enough.” They both walked back in and piled the wood in a bin next to the old stove. “I find cooking on this stove so much better that the new electric cookers. Sure we have one but I rarely use it.” Nathan had to agree with her on that. His mum had been cooking on an old wood burning stove for years. He learned how to cook on it and it served a dual purpose in the shack that they lived in. The cooker was the only source of heat they had in the winter. “My mum and I cook all of our meals on one of these. We could never afford to purchase the newer appliances. The place we live in has always had a four burner stove and we use it to keep warm in the winters.” Megan took that in and thought more about asking him if he would like to bring his mum up here to live.

Megan had shown Nathan where he could sleep for the night. They both talked about the farm and all the things that needed to be done and how Bob used to do the maintenance on the mechanical systems and do carpenter work. “He used to do all that down at Hattie’s but now she is going to be all alone, I am worried about her.” Nathan could hear the subtle hints from her about him sticking around. Nathan started to say something about his willingness to stay up here for the next year when Galia walked in the back door. She had a basket in her hands and walked to the table and sat it down. “What ya got in the basket sis?” “Helga baked a cherry pie or a few of them and she gave me one to bring back. She also had some fresh baked bread so I got a loaf of that and it all smells delicious. She and Thomas said they would be happy to watch the animals and the place for a few days and Thomas asked about us selling him some of the pigs. I told them that you brought some more back from Paradise and that we would be glad if they took some. Thomas said he would size them up while watching them and Helga gave me some money to pick up some things for her while we are down in Brisbane.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the money and a list.

“Wait a minute Galia I thought you were going to stay with Hattie while I take Nathan home?” “Megan, I think you should stay with Hattie. You two suffered through quite an ordeal this week and you both need to be together to deal with it. Besides, you always get to go places while I have to stay at home.” “You can’t drive the truck.” “Well Bob let me drive it once and he said I did pretty well so don’t you think it is time for me to get more experience?” Nathan was listening to the bantering going back and forth between Megan and Galia. He wasn’t quite sure who was going to actually take him to Brisbane. He would be fine if both of these women took him but to be honest he was hoping that it would be Galia. He could not say anything at the moment, the first time he saw Galia he felt a very strong connection between them and when he come close enough to her to introduce himself properly, it was as if that connection became imbedded in his heart. Now when he saw her again, the connection seemed like it could not be broken and he could feel deep within his soul that Galia was having the same connections. It was as if they had known each other forever and they had finally found themselves once again. He refrained from reading into her mind. He always knew it was an invasion to do so with anyone unless they gave consent. Reading the minds of the two criminals had become a matter of safety for him and Hattie and Megan and he had done that before for pure safety. It was forced on him in dangerous situations mostly. He wanted to know Galia so much more and it did seem that she wanted the same from him. Megan and Galia’s talk had become a distant sound as all these feelings and thoughts ran through him and then he heard Megan say “how about we eat some dinner while we talk about this more?”

It was still dark outside when Nathan woke. He got up and showered. The conversation at the dinner table was quiet and after they had sat around and discussed the trip to Brisbane. He had talked about the roads away from the coast and how they would probably be the best way and the fastest. The talk about which one of these women would be taking him seemed to have been hushed somewhat so he had figured that Megan and Galia would probably talk about that when they were alone together. He did tell them that he could drive the truck because he had experience driving other trucks and cars while working for others. The talk was good and finally they all had turned in and went to bed early. The next morning, he made his way to the kitchen and found a pot of coffee on the stove. Megan and Galia were obviously outside or somewhere else in the house. He found the pie and then some fresh bread and ate what he could. While he was sitting at the table munching on the warm bread, Galia came in the back door and said “Good Morning, did you sleep well?” “Yes it was quite restful. I haven’t had a good rest like that for a long time.” “Good, we should eat something filling because it could be awhile before we get to eat again. Megan is finishing feeding the animals and I think she is telling Timoth that we are going to be gone for awhile and Thomas is out there with her so Timoth will know who will take care of them. I packed a small bag and you have your pack so Megan will have to gather her things and eat also and then we can be on our way.”

Nathan had taken his pack and put it in the rear of the truck. Megan had come in and taken care of her things and soon enough they all piled into the truck and drove toward Hattie’s. Nathan still did not know who would be driving him to Brisbane as Megan had taken the wheel at the farm. The truck was a two ton, gas powered Toyota, one of the old trucks that still ran on petrol. It had a flatbed on the rear with side fences that stuck up at least 4 feet from the bed surface. The fences or side rails were removable and Bob had made them very sturdy because he would haul all sorts of things for the farms and even the small stores like Hattie’s. There were still old petrol stations scattered through out Australia but most had been upgraded or added on the electric recharge stations. Nathan had seen the large petrol tank behind the barn and Megan asked him to fill some 15 liter cans full and place them in the back. There was a rack that had been built to hold the cans and some rope to tie the tops up against the cab. The conversation was scarce on the way to Hattie’s. Nathan thought about asking who would be driving to Brisbane but could not bring himself to speak. He could feel the tension between Galia and Megan and decided to wait and see how things were going to turn out once they reached Hattie’s.
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