He jumped slightly and turned to look at her. She motioned for him to go to the girl. He wasn’t quite sure what she wanted him to do but something inside him told him that this woman needed to be comforted. His own feelings of loosing his father were riding close to the surface but what he was feeling from Megan was fiery and on the surface. He had seen his own mother be this way in the past and knew that Megan needed to be held, to be consoled, to be loved and his love for her, that had hit him like a ton of bricks, welled up mightily. He moved into her path as she stomped around. She looked at him and then waded into him with both fists pounding on his chess as she cried loudly and screamed. Devlin just stood and took the pounding while his love for her welled up even more. Megan was crying so much and hitting Devlin, she finally ran out of strength and fell into his arms. She buried her head into his chest and continued to cry while he held her. She began to slump so he picked her up and carried her to a divan that was sitting on the far side of the Pot belly stove. He gently laid her down and knelt beside the divan. She reached up and pulled him to her while she continued to cry.

Hattie had known that the young man had stolen Megan’s heart so when all the commotion started she moved to him and gave him a gentle push to go to her. Her pain and sorrow was riding high on the surface but it was the young people that needed the most at the moment. When the young man had picked her up and taken her to the divan she turned and walked out the back door and went to Bob’s body where she mourned for him in her own way. After awhile she had covered Bob back up and went back into the house/store. When she came in the first thing she saw was Megan leaning over the young man as he lay on his back and appeared to be having a hard time breathing. She hurried to his side and knelt down with Megan. “What is going on girl?” Megan looked up and said “I don’t know Hattie he just fell over and acted like he was trying to breathe as if he swallowed something and it was choking him. I have tried mouth to mouth and pushing on his chest but nothing seems to be working. We got to do something Hattie, I ain’t loosing another. Hattie unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it back to do her own pushing and that is when she saw the gills. She just looked for a minute and then said “go get the truck started Megan we got to get him to the ocean and we got to do it fast, now go.” Megan did not know what was happening but she did not hesitate to go out to the truck and get it started.

Hattie had buttoned up the shirt and struggled to get Devlin up. Megan had come back in and they both were able to get him up and out to the truck. He was having the hardest time breathing and could hardly walk but managed. The girls put him in the back of the truck and he lay down on his side and continued to try and breathe. Megan climbed up into the back with him while Hattie drove the truck. She hurried over the hill and down toward the water. The road down to the beach had been washed out but she knew another way down to the beach further up so she took off over the old goat trail or so it seemed and bounced her way down the side of the sloping bank to the sand below. The truck came to a dead stop in the sand and she hopped out. She ran around to the tail end and pulled the tarp up. Megan had already begun pulling Devlin toward the rear. The tarp that had covered Bob had bounced off and his body lay crossways on the flatbed. Hattie reached in and helped Megan and they both got Devlin out of the truck and onto the sand. Devlin began trying to crawl toward the water and would crawl, then get on his hands and knees and travel that way for about 5 feet before falling face first into the sand. Megan and Hattie picked him up by the arm pits and began to drag him toward the water. “Why are we doing this Hattie?” “He needs the sea water girl, he is some kind of Merman I think and that is why he is not breathing very well. We must hurry before he dies from not having the water in him. They both drug him to within the wave edges as they hit the beach. The waves were big as they came in due to the storm but the women had only gotten Devlin close to the wash up. The needed to get him into the water further out

Hattie was exhausted and could not drag the man any further. Megan was also becoming very tired and was loosing ground with her strength. She was not going to give up but it seemed hopeless. She was crying again as she tried to pick up Devlin when a very large wave crashed on the beach and swallowed all three of them. They all were pulled back out and Hattie was having a very hard time trying to keep her head above the water. Megan had been pulled out further while Devlin took a deep gulp of the sea water and began to revive. He popped up and saw Hattie first as she was struggling to stay above water. He moved to her first and dragged her up to the sand on the beach and turned just in time to see Megan go under about 50 yards out. “NO” he screamed and ran and dove into the water.

Megan had been caught in the undertow of the big wave as it receded and pulled her ever further out into the deeper water. She was so tired from the ordeal of getting Devlin to the water; she had no strength left to swim back in. As she bobbed to the surface she saw Devlin take Hattie to the beach just before she went under again. This time under, the undertow took her further out and she could not get free to get to the surface. All of the thoughts of her mother, her father, Galia, Bob and this new man that she lost her heart to passed before her as she looked up at the surface that seemed like it was forever unattainable. The darkness was closing in around her when something took hold of her and the surface shot at her. She flew through the edge of the water and flipped as she came back down and landed feet first in the water. She went under but came back up quickly. She saw the beach and it looked like it was a mile away. She wondered at the distance and then saw the fins floating around her. At first she thought, the sharks are going to have a feast today, please Divine Creator let this go fast with no pain. While her mind was thinking these thoughts a dolphin popped up in front of her and whistled and pulsed at her. Something touched her shoulder and she turned in the water. A woman smiled at her and said “don’t be alarmed Megan we will make sure, you get back to the beach safely.” Megan smiled with amazement and started to turn back to the beach when Devlin’s arms wrapped around her. She spun around and his face was right in front of her. Impulsively she kissed him and wrapped her arms around him.

Hattie had gotten herself up and stumbled back to the truck. The rain had subsided somewhat but was still falling fairly steady. She meant to climb under the tarp and cover Bob back up but first she climbed into the truck and fetched her coat. She did not know what had become of Megan and Devlin and was hoping beyond all hope that they were both safe. If she lost Megan today it would be the end of her also. She retrieved her coat and climbed up into the back and shifted Bob back and covered him with the tarp. Seeing him again made her well up with tears. She finally crawled out and when she came toward the front she saw the man and two women walking out of the water toward the truck. She recognized Megan and her heart jumped for joy. She also recognized Devlin and that made her even happier. The older woman, she did not recognize and the wonder of who she was made her feel young again.

Megan ran up and hugged Hattie. “I am so glad you are alright” she said as she hugged her. Hattie hugged her back and said “girl, I was so worried about you but it looks like you are doing fine and Devlin has got his color back, now shall we get back home and get dry?” Devlin looked into the back of the truck and then asked Megan if she would like to bury Bob here. Megan looked at him and then the other woman that had come ashore with them. Hattie could not wait any longer, “may I ask who you might be missy?” Hanna had to smile at the use of the word missy. She started to say who she was when Megan spoke up. “Hattie, she is the one that brought the dolphins to save me.” Hattie looked at the woman again and said “So you are a mermaid then?” Hanna smiled again and said “no I am not a mermaid although I do live in the ocean mostly and Devlin is my son who also lives in the ocean a lot. He was one of the crew of the ship that sunk before that freighter came along and saved the crew.” Hattie looked at her closer and then walked right up to her and said “you have gills just like the fish and Devlin also has them, is there a species of beings that live under the oceans then?” “No Hattie, my name is Hanna and there is only me and Devlin that can live in the ocean.” She turned to Megan and said “Megan I and my family can take Bob and give him a good place. They have told me that he was close to them when he walked here and they would be very glad to take him to where he longed to be for such was his wish.”

Megan began to tear up again and said that Bob should go to be with sea. He was always talking about the dolphins just like he talked about the pigs. He would tell me and Galia about them and how he would come to the beach and even go in the water and how they would gather around him and help him to swim in the deeper waters. I think he loved them and he did talk about going home to the sea one day.” Hattie welled up also and she could hardly hold back her pain and elation from her heart at the same time. She had spent many a day and night on the beach with Bob and had watched him go in the water with the dolphins. Her and Bob would build fires on the beach at night and listen to the dolphins talking to each other and them. Bob would tell her what they were saying and it was like love songs to her. She was crying of days gone by and for the one man that she truly loved in her life as she walked to the truck. Hanna caught up to her and put an arm around her shoulder as they moved closer to the truck. Devlin had gathered Megan into his arms and they both began to walk to the truck also. The rain was still coming down steady but it seemed to be light, almost like a mist now. Hattie had climbed into the truck and gently pulled Bob to the back. Devlin pulled the tarp out and found some long poles of beach wood. After placing them a certain way he placed the tarp over them and tied it to the poles.

Hanna had talked with Hattie and Megan while Devlin made the Litter and when he had finished, they all helped place Bob on it and then moved out toward the water. Hanna had told the two women how she had become a sea living being and how Devlin by birth had also become that way. She told them that they had to have sea water to stay on the land for longer periods of time and how they had to get back in the ocean on a fairly regular basis or they would suffocate just like the fish did if they were beached or left on dry land to long. Megan had taken this all in while they moved to the water’s edge. The waves were still coming in bigger and would splash with white crests closer in. Megan had fallen in love with Devlin and the whole idea of him being an ocean dweller made her wonder how he would or could be around for she was sure that he loved her also. Her heart was aching for the loss of Bob and now she began to feel that she was going to lose Devlin before they could get to know each other. The deep bond in her heart for this man began to heal the loss and she knew that this man and she were meant to be together. She moved up beside him as he pulled the litter forward and for a moment walked silently beside him. Her mind was racing along trying to formulate the words she so desperately wanted to say when he spoke in a whisper to her. “Megan, are you so tied to the farm that you could not come with me on the ocean?” The question caught her by such surprise that she did not know what to say. The next words from his mouth were “I love you”

Hanna and Hattie were walking behind about 30 feet and talking about Bob and how Hattie and he were the best of friends and had been for over 30 years. Hanna listened with a heavy heart because all the memories of her and Forrest had surfaced during the conversation. She listened to Hattie talk with a voice that betrayed her steadfastness. She could hear the pain and sorrow and the great loss in Hattie’s speech as they slowly walked along. She had thought to herself that she would have to visit this woman quite often, there seemed to be a very close tie that had formed since they first met. Hattie started to continue with a story of when Bob had come and helped build the store when they both saw Megan stumble in the sand and Devlin grab her before she could fall. He picked her up and hugged her closely before setting her back down. When he did she moved to him swiftly and kissed him. They both held each other while they kissed then parted and began to walk toward the water again. The group had reached the edge of the waves as they washed up and receded. Hattie stayed back and Hanna explained to her that she must take Bob out to family and see to it that he would go safely to another place. She told Hattie that she would return to her store/home and they could have a long visit. Hattie was happy for that and would wait for when Hanna showed up. Megan looked deeply into Devlin’s eyes and the telepathy was strong between them. I will return soon but now you must take Hattie and go back to the house. Timoth and the new ones are missing you. I will come back soon and we must talk about where you and I will go. She started to say something but Devlin placed a finger to her lips and her mind spoke about waiting for him. She turned and walked back to Hattie and they both watched as Hanna and Devlin waded into the ocean with Bob in tow. They kept watching until they could not see them anymore and turned and made their way back to the truck. Both women were soaked to the bone but there was warmth in their hearts as they drove back to the house/store. Neither one knew that the big storm had stalled out in the Coral Sea and switched its course toward the southeast.

In the Dream healing center, Bob watched the boy and a woman, surrounded by the beloved dolphins he knew so intimately take his body down into the deep blue depths of the ocean. He wondered what body he would use if he so chose to go back. He sincerely wanted to see Hattie again and Megan, the wonderful woman now that he had adopted. He could see that she would be going with that boy or Devlin as he was called and Galia was destined to meet a man of her dreams soon so the farm would be tended with his help and the pigs would live a very happy life. Timoth would miss Megan very much but he had a mate now and his family was growing. He saw the captain of the freighter that had brought the animals to paradise, as his ship moved toward the Islands in the east on its way back to another world. Bob smiled at all of this as the young woman wheeled in a cart of delicious smelling food and the coffee was to die for. He had been watching all of this on a big video screen as if he was watching some movie or something but when the young lady wheeled in the food, she came over and touched something and the video screen disappeared. His heart jumped for joy and he knew that what may have been lost has now been found. He took a big mug of the coffee and a sweet looking pastry and began to talk with the young lady. “What is your name young one?” “Ha” she said “in here everybody is young so don’t give me that stuff, my name is Helen if you must know.” The laughter could be heard all over the dream center

20 THE TEACHER’S FARM

Just over the top of the Hervey Range Mountains and on the western downhill slope, Deb directed Otto to turn right on the Sharps Rd and follow it to the west. This road had never been paved and was red dirt. The sky had become quite cloudy and the winds had picked up considerably. They had passed the larger group of animals on the old Hervey Range Rd as they climbed the eastern side of the Mountain range. Shortly after turning on the Sharps road they crossed a creek that seemed to be easy enough and followed the road toward the west as it sloped gradually downward. “My old farm is about 3 or 4 miles down this road where there is another turnoff to the right. The farm is bordered on two sides with the creek that we just crossed. It is called Speed creek for some reason or another.” Otto looked at the terrain as they drove slowly and asked “does this creek ever flood?” Deb looked at him sideways, “yes it does but I have never seen it get so high that it would endanger the buildings on the property. The creek actually runs through the property and there are some tributaries that feed into it from the mountains so it does get quite wide and deep, I would imagine during the monsoonal seasons. There have been a few times where I could not get out but fortunately the barn is on higher ground and the two houses are built high enough to avoid being flooded.”

An hour or so later the group pulled into the yard of the Farm house. Otto stopped the truck in the front yard and could see the barn sitting back away from the main house. Deb said “that is the barn and as you can see it is in need of repair. Around behind the house is the bunk house where you and the men can stay. You are going to have to clean it up a bit but for the most part it is in fairly good condition.” Otto could see the corral and a fence running toward the west and winding toward the North and off the corral he could see the fence running back toward the east and could not see where it went due to the trees that seemed to be growing inside the fenced area. Deb jumped out of the truck and said as she stuck her head back in, You can take the truck up to the barn so you can unload it and the animals can be let into the corral area over there” and she pointed to the gate. Otto saw the cow feeding on some grass and a couple of chickens moving around close to the barn. “I’ll get a fire going and some food prepared so when you men get the animals situated and the truck unloaded you all can come in and we’ll have something to eat. That storm is going to be on us soon and the barn will hold up until after it is gone. Will you ask Rene’ to come in, I sure could use her help with a few things.”

Otto pulled the truck up to the front of the old barn. He climbed out and walked to the big doors and slid them to the side. As he opened the doors the children and his two companions had opened the gate to the corral and began to lead the animals in. Otto walked over and asked Rene’ if she would like to go to the house and give Debra a helping hand. Rene’ smiled and skipped off toward the house. Lonny and Leif led the Stallion and the Mare over to the rear of the barn while Johansson and Henry walked the cows behind them. The old milking cow had moved in from the pasture and came through the open gate into the corral. She was very curious and once inside the corral she stopped and watched the other animals walk toward the back barn doors. She was a Brahman and had been around for the past 7 years. Otto jumped back in the truck, turned it around and backed it into the barn and hurriedly got out and closed the big doors. The rear doors had been left open so the milking cow and the chickens could come and go.

The Barn had been built as a pole building. The left side and the right sides had stalls or mangers along with tack rooms while the center was an open Isle way for use to repair equipment or drive into to unload feed. The stalls had gates while the mangers were mostly open to the center but had small hutches or houses for the chickens or other types of birds and/or rabbits. The stalls could hold the horses and the cows as needed as well as the pigs and other animals of that size. The two sides of the building had lofts built over the stalls and rooms that extended from the outside walls to the poles that lined up along each side of the center isle area. The entire building was 60 feet wide making the side portions each 20 feet deep with the center isle 20 feet wide. Otto wasn’t sure but guessed that the building was close to 100 feet or more long from the front to the rear. Debra was right that there wasn’t much stocked up feed but he could see straw bales and some hay bales in the lofts.

Toward the rear of the barn on one side stood the old tractor and Johansson was kicking around inspecting the tractor and the tool chests lined up on three sides of the bigger space with work benches in between. On the opposite side was another open room area that had what looked like wood working tools and on one wall was folded up tarps and ropes in a large shelf area. There were shelves stocked full of cans and buckets with nails and spikes and a variety of other types of fasteners. Leif had been drawn to this area because he was a carpenter by trade prior to his becoming a sailor. It appeared that this barn was well equipped with the necessary tools for an operating farm. Whoever had built it in the first place had made sure that it would be equipped very well for all the different things that were needed to build and repair and take care of animals. Otto had walked to an enclosed room toward the center of the building and slid open a 4 foot wide panel. The room was roughly16 feet wide by 20 feet deep and had all the tack. All the grooming equipment for horses and cows and saddles and what not lined the walls and there was a nice work bench at the outside wall. He noticed that this room and some of the others had concrete floors and some of the open mangers had block walls built up to 4 feet high with wood fencing on top up to the ceiling or floor of the loft above

Otto began to inspect the walls and the upper roof of the building while the children started to bring the animals in the rear door opening. He could see where some of the boards had fallen away on the sides and he could see daylight through the roof structure. Johansson came from the mechanical room and helped the children bring the animals in. Leif had climbed up onto the right side loft and was standing on the floor extension of the back wall looking out of the upper loft doors. The floor extension was 20 feet deep and extended from one side to the other of the lofts. He shut the doors that had been left open after he swung the boom with the pulley cable back into the wall and secured it. “Captain, we should get all the animals in and secured, that storm is moving in and the rain is starting. I suspect it has already begun on the east side of the mountains.” “Okay let’s get these critters bedded down for this storm and hope this building doesn’t leak to bad. Let’s grab some of the tarps and cover what we can for now.”

The three children that had come with them could use telepathy and had learned how to levitate through the dreamnet and they also had learned how to communicate with the animals through the same place. Lonny had spoken to the stallion and his mate the mare and lead them to one of the stalls. Both horses understood that a bad storm was coming and they would be safer in this place so they willingly moved into the stall. Lonny moved to the tack room and found two blankets for them and came back and covered them both. Henry had done the same with the cows and took them to two stalls. He asked Johansson to help him and removed the fence between the two so it would be a double stall into one and all the cows went in. There already seemed to be straw in the stalls so at least they could bed down in some comfort. The pigs had found an open manger with straw and decided to make it their new home. The few chickens wandered in and went straight to their hutches, while the big rooster inspected the barn and wound up in the loft somehow. Leif looked around and asked where the dogs had gotten off to. Henry said “I saw them go over to the main house awhile ago and those cats seemed to head off in that direction also. Otto had walked out of the rear doors and the rain was starting to come down harder now. He walked around to the west side and saw the implements for the tractor. There was a plow rig and a disk rig sitting side by side up against the side wall and he also saw a front bucket blade and two wagons all parked along the side wall in an even row. He was impressed and thought that if they could get the tractor running they might be able to do some planting. He wanted to go down to the creek to see how wide the dry bed was and perhaps how much water was running in it at the time so he went back in the barn and went to the tack room and grabbed a rain coat that he had seen earlier. When he came back out Johansson asked where he might be getting off to. “I am going down to that creek for a peek and should be back shortly. You and Leif go on up to the bunk house and see what we need to do to make it homey. Debra told me that it had a couple of bedrooms and some bunks in it and a nice big pot belly stove. She also said something about a small kitchen so you two might see about getting some wood for a fire later. Lonny came up and asked if he could go with him and produced his own rain jacket. Otto had to wonder where he had snatched it from but said “sure lets go and get back before that storm gets to strong.”

Debra had gone into the main house to prepare some food for later. She had thought to wait for the men and children to secure the animals and come up to the house before she started to cook. Rene’ showed up quick enough and wanted to help so she had her set some dishes out on the big dinning room table. The table had not been used for a number of years now since the Miller family had packed it in and left. They had lived in the big two story house for 5 years after the war and in the bunk house for 10 years prior to the war of 2025 and operated the farm. When Barney, the father had hurt himself badly and could hardly walk after the accident, Katherine and the two children and she tried to operate the farm but it became a huge chore with the children going to school and her doing the teaching. Barney’s injuries continued to get worse until finally a brother showed up from Melbourne and told them that he had a place for them to stay down there and possibly get Barney into a hospital where he could be treated properly. Barney did not want to leave Debra alone and he knew she could not tend the farm. Katherine was kind about the situation but she was thinking about the children and especially about Barney possibly getting better. She had some very serious long talks with Debra and Deb agreed with her.

She sold off most of the animals After the Millers left and rented out the house to a couple from Brisbane. They wanted to try the farming thing but he was such a city dweller she doubted that it would work for them. His wife was some sort of fashion model and she would commute down to the city and left him alone to tend to what he could. It wasn’t more than a year or so that Ebert decided that farming was not his cup of tea and he missed his wife dearly. Deb had rented a small 2 bedroom apartment in Paradise that was close to the school so when Ebert came to her and said he was going back to Brisbane and thanked her for the opportunity to try the farming thing she decided to put the whole thing up for sale.

Ebert had told her that the milking cow and some chickens where still left and she might want to find someone that would take care of them. She advertised the cow and the chickens and actually listed the farm; meanwhile she had to make the trip out to the farm everyday to take care of the animals. Some times she would take the children out to experience the animals and the wide open space. The farm had the old Victorian style 2 story 4 bedroom house with a bunk house and a very large barn. The acreage was close to 50 and had a creek running through it. Her thoughts were interrupted by Rene’, “Miss Debra is there something else I can do, I was looking out side a few moments ago and the rain is starting to come down harder.” Deb looked at her with a smile and said yes I think there is young lady, let’s go upstairs and make up the rooms that you and Lonny and Henry will stay in tonight. Rene’ smiled and hopped over to the stairway. Deb had stored up some extra foods in the big pantry 3 days prior because she had been in the dreamnet and had seen the storm moving toward the big continent. She was prepared to stick it out and then Tom Hartwell showed up with a ship load of animals and the man that stole her heart. She was so infatuated with the man that when he told her that he wanted to farm in made her swoon. As she and Rene’ reached the second floor she was thinking of how the whole encounter was destined and she almost slipped into the dreamnet. “Which room first” Rene’ said as she skipped down the hall. Debra snapped out of her revelry and said “well now aren’t you chipper, here is the linen closet and we can start with the room next to my room, which will be yours.”

Leif and Johansson along with Henry had secured the animals and shut the big doors and moved over to the bunk house. The woman had told Otto that they would be sleeping in it and they meant to see what would be needed to prepare it. As they walked toward the building the two dogs came running around the big old house and up to them. Henry stopped and began patting them and then they all moved again. The rain was getting stronger and the wind had picked up. A rather big gust caught all of them before they reached the bunk house and Henry almost took off flying but Johansson grabbed him in the nick of time and they all climbed up onto the porch. Leif noticed that the buildings main floor was a good 4 feet off the ground so they had to walk up 7 steps to reach that porch. Leif turned to look at the main house and sure enough it had steps leading up to a wrap around porch also. He turned to Johansson and said “hmmm wonder if that creek has ever flooded around these buildings?” Henry stood with the dogs waiting for Leif to open the door. Leif turned around and opened the door while telling Henry that the dogs had to stay out for now until he could find out if the misses would allow them to be inside. The dogs looked at the men and then at Henry with a questioning look and Henry spoke to them and told them they would have to stay on the porch for now. Both dogs moved over against the building and found dry areas to lie down.

The afternoon had turned dark with the rain clouds and the wind was starting to howl as the rain was being blown sideways with the gusts. Otto and Lonny had made it down to the creek on the west side from the barn and stared at the water that seemed to be some 20 meters away from the banks. The width of the creek bed from side to side was around 60 or so meters at this point. The water he saw was moving slowly and its body width looked to be around 10 meters as it wound itself in a snake shape along the center of the entire dry bed. He could see old snags of tree trunks closer to the sides half buried in sand and small rocks. There were brambles and bushes growing in the dry parts and along the banks. He knew then that this creek could run deep and fast and wide through here. He gauged the depth of the bed as he could see and did not know how deep the water was although he suspected it was running along the surface of the bed at that point. The bank that he and Lonny were standing on had a vertical drop of about 2 meters before the bed began to level and slope towards the center. He started walking along the edge toward the north and saw areas where animals had made pathways down to the level part. Lonny and he kept walking and the creek made a sharp turn back toward the east. They had walked perhaps a hundred meters or so from the barn to the edge of the creek and now had walked another hundred to the bend. The rain was coming down harder now and when they reached the bend Otto could see a very wide area of the creek bed where water had made its mighty turn and washed out the outer edge of the bank on the far side and as he stood looking he could see where it had overrun the bank and flooded the low lying land on the far side. This made him feel better that the water would flood on that side and not the building side. Lonny Spoke up and said “don’t you think we should get back now cause this rain is getting harder and I remember coming out here once just after a heavy rain and the pasture was very wet and the mud was deep.” Otto turned to the boy and said “yes I think we should get back, we can explore the rest of this maybe tomorrow if the rain lets up, you up for some hot chow and drinks?” Lonny smiled at that while the water ran off his hood. “You know Captain, I do remember seeing the creek run pretty high and further up there toward the hills it broke over the banks and ran into the pasture. It never got up to the barn but it sure did run around and splash up against the house and the bunk house. Both of those building are built off the ground so everything was safe but it was a sight to see the water running around them. It only took a day for the water to quit running but it sure was muddy for a number of days. Miss Debra called someone to come and pick us all up so they brought out some big truck that plowed right through the mud and took us all back to town.”

Lonny had been talking as they trudged across the pasture toward the barn. Otto had to smile when Lonny called him Captain. He started to say something but thought it could wait until they were in a dryer situation. He was thinking of picking the boy up and hurrying because the rain was coming down in bigger drops and falling much harder and then the thunder made then both go deaf for a few seconds and the lightning bolt struck about 40 meters away to the east. The both felt the static electrical charge and the smell of ozone. The sky had turned quite dark now and after the bolt hit, Otto picked up Lonny and began to run. He was about 50 meters from the barn when his hearing came back to fullness and the sound he heard gave him a chill. Lonny could see behind them as Otto ran and said calmly, “you might want to run faster if you can, it looks like the creek has overflowed its bank where I told you it would and there is a wall of water headed toward us. The pasture was uphill to the barn and Otto was struggling through the muck to reach it. When Lonny told him what he could hear and feared the most, he tried to move faster but his legs were giving out from sticking in the muck as he ran. He could barely see the barn now as the rain was falling like a waterfall on them. As he struggled he did not see the bank and ran into it. He fell forward first and lost his grip on Lonny. Lonny fell backwards onto the bank and watched Otto fall backwards onto the sloping pasture. Otto hit the ground and the air was knocked from him. He turned over and lifted his head at the freight train sound of the water. What he could see through the rain was very frightening. The wall of water looked to be about 5 feet high and he was sure it had debris in it. He flipped back over and struggled to get up but his left leg would not move. He screamed at Lonny at that point and told him to “RUN GET UP TO THE BARN AND INSIDE.”

Lonny hit the ground on his back and the air was knocked out of him also. Fortunately the ground was wet and muddy so his landing was softer. He sat up quickly and watched the Captain fall backward on the downhill slope and then saw the wave coming right at them. He started to get up and go and help the Captain but the Captain yelled at him to get up to the barn. He could feel that something was wrong with the Captain who was not getting up from his downed position. He made his decision and stood up quickly. He levitated the Captain and while keeping a hold of him he turned and ran toward the barn. The gate into the corral was open and he ran through to the big doors on the rear of the barn. Otto could see that the boy was going to have a hard time getting the doors open and told him to put him down so he could help. The wave of water hit the bank and splashed over the top. There were small trees and other debris that shot into the air and flew toward the barn as the wave turned its course and shot toward the west around the bank that had been built around the perimeter of the Northeast and west sides of the barn. Lonny brought Otto to the doors where he could work the latch and both of them managed to open one side and slip in just as a tree trunk slammed into the closed door side. Lonny laid Otto down and with all his strength he shut the door and dropped the latch board.

The inside of the barn was dark, almost pitch black. Otto lay on his back and felt the excruciating pain in his left leg. “Lonny, can you see anything in here?” “Just a little Sir, I did see some torches up there where the saddles and stuff is. I think I may be able to find one so we can move around in here better.” “I don’t think I can walk so you go get that torch or something to light this space. I am going to try and drag myself toward the front.” “Wait sir, I can levitate you up there and I can go get some help.” “How is it you can do that Lonny, I have only seen that happen one time in my life and the person was some kind of magician or something? I always thought that he was using some kind of apparatus to do the trick but no one ever figured out what that may have been.” Lonny had to think about the whole ordeal and his decision to use his levitating ability. Miss Debra had told the children that they had to be very careful with their abilities because there were bad folks around that could cause trouble for all of them if they knew. He knew this man was not one of those bad ones and that he had a deeper feeling in his heart for Miss Debra so henceforth he used the ability to save the Captain. “I’ll go and get a torch and be back in a few and then we can discuss what I did okay?” “Okay Lonny, I think there is a medicine cabinet in there also so maybe you can bring back some pain pills or something. I could also use some wrapping, I think my leg is broken and I need to put a splint on it fairly quickly.” Lonny said okay and disappeared into the dark as he headed toward that tack room.

Otto was sweating with the pain being excruciating. He lay on his back on the dirt floor and closed his eyes while trying to concentrate on not feeling the pain. He heard the Horses and the cows making small noises and all of sudden something jumped on his belly. His eyes popped open and even though he could not see what it was in the dark, the cat made a meowing sound and moved closer to his face. “Well now there is one of you and I wonder where the other two are?” The cat lay down on his chest and began to purr. “Well I am glad you found yourself a warm place to sleep but unfortunately your bed will have to move soon.” A large rumbling thunder cracked the sound of the rain outside and almost immediately the night was lit up outside the doors. The cat jumped off his chest and moved away while hissing. Otto moved to roll over but his leg caused a sharp burning pain. He gritted his teeth and waited for the pain to subside. His movement was going to be a very hard thing to do. He wasn’t sure how Lonny moved him from the pasture and was not sure it he could move him toward the front of the barn so he was resolving to turn over and start to drag himself forward when he saw the torch moving toward him.

Lonny had left the Captain and headed for the tack room. He could see in a fog type light as he moved through the dreamnet. The children had learned how to enter the dreamnet while still awake and could move in the no-time realms. His goal was to find the torch or torches and then get some medical supplies to take back to the Captain. He reached out with his telepathy and talked with Henry and Rene’. Henry was with the Captains two companions in the bunk house and the wave that had come across the pasture had run its course around the western side of the barn and flooded around the bunk house and the main farm house. The creek had been raised to a flood stage with the big wave that started further up in the mountains and fed with all the tributaries as it rushed further to the west. Henry had told him that they were stranded in the bunk house at this point and could not get up to the barn. Rene’ told him that her and Miss Debra had been stranded in the house also and had cranked the generator on for power. Rene’ had then told Henry where the generator was at the bunk house so they could have some power also. Lonny was going to have to take care and help the Captain until they could get across the yards to the barn. She had also told Lonny that there was a generator in the Barn where the old tractor was parked.

Lonny had found the torches resting in a rack on the wall and picked the first one up and turned it on. It was dim so he figured the battery was low. He picked up the next one and it was brighter. He saw a drawer in a cabinet on the wall and opened it. There were two full packages of new batteries so he replaced the first torch with new ones and then did the same with the second one. The brightness of both was amazing. His next move was to find the medicine chest and sure enough it was stocked well with all sorts of bandages and pills and ointments. He found a gunny sack and placed all the supplies in it and struck out to go back to the Captain.

Debra and Rene’ had finished making all the beds and went back down stairs. Deb went to the front door and opened it. A big gust of wind caught the door and tore it from her hand. The door slammed into the wall and bounced back at her. She quickly grabbed it and looked outside. The rain was coming down fairly hard now and the wind was whipping in sudden gusts. Her covered porch was leaking in several spots and the ground looked like it had water running across it. Rene’ had moved over to the old stove and was putting another piece of wood in it when Deb had opened the door. The fire flared from the wind and then stopped for a second. She shoved the small log in and shut the door quickly and turned to see Deb step out onto the porch. Through the open door she could see the wall of water falling from the sky. The darkness from the clouds was rapidly dissolving the daylight and the heaviness of the rain made it very hard to see into the distance of any greater length than 5 or 6 meters. The sound of the rain was deafening, she wanted to tell the teacher to come back in quickly. Deb did turn and hurry back into the house and shut the door with some struggle because the wind was blowing against it. Rene’ rushed over and helped her to close it. Deb moved toward the back porch and was hoping that the men and the two boys had made it to the house. She reached the door and looked out the side window before opening it and saw the bolt of lightning strike somewhere in the pasture behind the barn. The loud clap of thunder was almost simultaneous with the lightning. The ringing in her ears brought back the raining sounds. The silence lasted for just a few seconds but it seemed like an eternity to her. She turned to see Rene’ holding her hands over her ears and in slow motion or so it seemed she said “ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” She caught herself but not quick enough before her question was almost screamed out.

Rene’ looked at her with wide eyes and started to cry. Debra moved to her quickly and hugged her. “It’s alright, just a thunder and lightning. Can you hear okay?” Rene’ shook her head yes and they both moved closer to the stove where the room was warm. The lights and all power had been knocked out with that lightning bolt so Debra grabbed her torch and told Rene’ they would have to start the generator. She was worried about the men and the two boys and she knew the animals would be at least dry if the barn wasn’t leaking to bad from its disrepair. She took Rene’ and they both went to the back mud room and she opened the door to the generator room and proceeded to examine it for fuel and then cranked it over. Her father had built this into the house plans when they first came here all those years ago. She knew exactly how to operate it from years of experience and always kept the tank full as well as extra fuel in the room. The machine started up and she flipped the switch that transferred the entire house to the generator power source. The lights came on and she knew the other important appliances would be operating. She took Rene’ back into the kitchen with her and made sure that the big refrigerator was working and the freezer. The house had been supplied with all the modern appliances when it was first built and her parents had also supplied the older more reliable cooking stoves that operated on wood or coal so she decided to get the wood cooker started. There was a bucket full of kindling next to the stove and the back mudroom had a nice store of split logs that would fit in the firebox as well as the old pot belly out in the living room. She asked Rene’ to gather some wood and bring it in and they might as well stock up the living room while they were at it.

Outside the darkness had settled in and the rain was falling even harder. Debra knew from past experience that the creek would be running full and could possible overflow its banks with this kind of rain. The two houses had been built on pilings and set off the ground around 4 feet or better because the creek could flood the particular area where the buildings were erected. The Barn had been built on the highest ground around and a cut bank had been carved partially around the east side and completely around the north and west sides. The drive climbed a good slope up to the front so the creek could wash around the entire barn and the two houses until it ran itself out. She had hopes of it not getting so high that it would do this but the rain gave her second thoughts.

The stove was hot and Deb was reluctant to start any food just yet until she heard from the men and boys. The noise of the rain outside was so loud she did not hear the rushing water at first and when she finally did she recognized it almost immediately. This had only happened a few times in her life on this farm. She rushed to the back door and cautiously opened it. She turned her torch on and walked to the edge. The rain was swirling around and coming down in sheets of solid waves. The wind was blowing very hard and she could hear something banging up toward the barn. She lit the ground or to put it more bluntly the rushing river that had engulfed the house. The water was just below the third step down from the porch and she sincerely hoped it would not get any deeper. She could see the bunk house by shinning her torch over to it and it was dark. She could not be sure it anyone had made it to the building so she definitely was praying that they all were safe up in the barn. As she flashed the light to the bunk house she saw one of the dogs standing at the edge of the porch. It looked totally soaked and she wanted to fetch it and bring it over but she knew the water was washing by to fast. She was wondering where the other dog was and the cats when the one standing on the porch jumped off into the raging water.

“NOOOOO” she screamed and quickly moved to the steps. She was going to jump in and retrieve the dog. It was paddling to keep from being carried around the building and she could see chunks of debris floating by. She stepped down on the steps and was starting to wade into the rushing water while calling to the dog, “COME BOY, COME HERE” the dog was swirling around and moving toward her slowly but she could see that the poor thing was loosing its momentum to the rushing water. She jumped into the water and almost immediately was swept into the foundation of the house. She spun around and grabbed the old rail that had been secured to the sides of the building and stopped the movement. She was at the far corner of the house and her torch was still lying on the porch. The dog flowed into her and almost made her lose her hold. She frantically reached around the dog’s middle and held him tight. She could barely see but when she looked she saw Rene’ standing on the porch above her. The child held out her arms and Deb felt herself rising out of the water. She kept a hold on the dog and just as they were above the water she reached over to the porch edge and thought to climb on it. The feeling of flying was in her mind and right under her and the dog a large tree trunk slammed into the side wall of the foundation. Rene’ pulled both of them over to the porch and let them down. Deb let go of the dog and he moved quickly away from the edge and began to shake himself dry. Debra began to laugh with relief while Rene’ reached down and tried to help her up. Debra broke into a crying laughter while tears ran from her eyes. She finally got up and her and Rene’ began to move toward the mudroom. She stopped and bent down to the dog and wrapped her arm around him and gave him a hug then said “come boy let’s get you dry and warm and perhaps some food.” The woman and child cried and laughed as they moved with the dog to the door and into the house. Debra started to shut the door and noticed that the lights were on in the Bunk house. Her laughter became more hysterical as the relief was draining the painful worry

She sat down at the kitchen table and dried her hair with a towel as did Rene’. She stopped for a minute and saw the dog sitting patiently close to her. He looked so cute just staring. She took the towel and began to dry him off also. As she was roughing him up a distant memory flooded into her mind. Reilly was lying down and would not come to her. Molly was saying something about him being shy or perhaps knowing something was going to happen. She was wondering what that might be and then thinking that she was going to find out. The dog sitting in front of her looked so much like Reilly that it made her stop short. She got up and moved to the pantry. She had picked up some dog food while they were still in town when she knew that there would be some dogs on the farm. She fetched a dish and opened the can and placed it in the dish and set it on the floor for the dog. “I think your name is going to be River, so River here is something to eat.”

“I see that whoever is in the bunk house has found the generator. I am so relieved that they made it there.” Rene’ had dried her hair and said “yes, Henry and the two other men are in there and they do have the other dog. Henry told me that they went over there after they got all the other animals secured and safe.” “Where is Otto uh I mean the Captain and Lonny?” Rene’ seemed reluctant at first then said “The Captain and Lonny are up in the Barn and I told Lonny about the generator up there.” “Are they alright, wait, how did you know there was a generator in the barn?” Rene’ knew that she was not suppose to read other peoples thoughts unless she was given permission so telling Miss Debra that she read her mind without getting her permission was a very hard thing to do but she figured that it was of a very important nature this one time.

“So you and Henry and Lonny can speak telepathically?” “Yes Miss Debra we have always been able to do that but we did not want others to be afraid and there are those that would harm us if they knew. You know how to speak in the mind and Mr. Aberdeen and all that enter the dreamnet know also. It is just that most do not or have not fully opened the doors yet. There is so much to learn and we all take our time in the ongoing process. We children that were born here and within the last 10 years have come back with our abilities closer to the surface at birth now and the children born after and to come will be full cognitive as they come back. We are the children of Paradise and we are all over now or growing more so on this world. Hava and Luun were sort of the first and they are teaching more and more as we will be doing. You are our teacher and you are also a student.” “Okay, I get that, Nick showed us all certain ways and things and did tell us that we would all reach our greater potentials on our own time, so tell me how the Captain and Lonny are doing.” “The Captain has been injured.” Debra jumped up and in doing so, River backed off. “What has happened?”

Otto’s leg was hurting so bad that he was sweating and gritting his teeth. He had rolled over and over once more toward the tractor bay thinking that if he could grab onto something he might be able to pull himself up. He knew that he could not stand on his leg but if Lonny could find something he could use as a crutch he could at least hobble toward the front. His second roll over had almost made him pass out. He even tried to sit up so he might be able to at least feel his leg. He could not see anything yet until Lonny got back with a torch and it looked like he was on his way. The light got closer and Otto waited. He was fighting very hard to keep from passing out so when Lonny touched him and said “Captain, you must wake up.” It was like a dream. He had just seen Lonny and then there he was telling him that he had to wake up. “Lonny, how long have I been out?” “I think you may have passed out when we first came in from the pasture. I went to the tack room and gathered the torch and the medical supplies and Rene’ told me where the generator is here in the barn.” Otto raised his head and noticed that he was in the same spot as when he was first brought in by Lonny. He shook his head and then asked Lonny “where is Rene’.” “She is over in the main house with Miss Debra.” “So how is it that you have talked with her and she has told you about a generator?”

Lonny hesitated for a moment when Otto asked about him talking with Rene’. He had already shown the Captain his levitation abilities and now he was going to tell him about the telepathic abilities. He did not feel that the man was bad and would harm him or others, in fact he felt perfectly comfortable with this man and could see his heart and how he was in love with Miss Debra and he and the others had seen how Miss Debra was in love with him. “We, I mean Henry and Rene’ can talk in the mind thoughts to each other and we can also read the thoughts of other people around us. We must ask for permission to speak to each other and those around us because it can be considered a violation of ones privacy. Nick showed us how to talk but we always knew, he just showed us how to open the doors wider.” “Who is Nick?” “Oh he is the one that started the dreamnet.” Otto’s mind was whirling and his leg was burning from the pain so he decided to put off asking anymore questions about whom and how. Instead he asked about the generator and then asked Lonny to shine the light on his leg. Lonny knew what the leg looked like but moved the light to the spot where the bone was sticking through the pants. Otto had raised his head and lifted himself on his elbows in order to see his leg. Raising himself caused a greater pain in his side so he lowered himself back down and just raised his head. When the torch shinned on the bone and blood, Otto almost passed out again. He did notice that the break had been clean but to reset it was going to be a bugger. He looked up at Lonny who was staring and said “you want to find that generator and get it started, we may be for a stay out here and I need to get this leg splinted and bandaged before I loose more blood.” Lonny handed him another torch and moved toward the tractor bay.

Otto shined his torch over at the tractor and moved it along the back wall. There was a large case of some kind that looked like one of those chest freezers. He told Lonny that the big white box was probably the generator. Lonny moved to it and pulled open a lid. Sure enough he could see the power plant inside. There was a large tank on the top so he opened a lid and shined the light into it. The tank was almost full so he looked around and found a can that was full of fuel. He could not pick it up physically by himself so he levitated it up and stuck the nozzle into the tank and slowly turned the can up till the fuel ran into the tank. Once it was full he moved the can back to its original place and made sure all the lids were sealed. He then discovered a switch and turned it to the on position. The motor cranked over and started. A few moments later lights started to come on along the center area of the barn. Lonny closed the lid and the motor sound became quiet. He knew that the Captain was hurt real bad and had already lost too much blood. Another ability that he and the other children had was the ability to heal but they had to be together to do it so he spoke to Henry and Rene’ and asked if they could come to the barn and help make the Captain better.

In the bunk house, Leif and Johansson had made a fire and checked to see if there was any food or drink in the open kitchen area. They found some dry goods but that was about all at this point. Henry had told them about the generator and they found it alright and got it started which gave them light and operated the refrigerator and a cook stove. They all had heard the water rushing before the generator was found and when they looked outside they saw the creek flooding around the buildings. Leif had thought that the dogs should come in and he could explain to the teacher later. The big crack of thunder earlier had spooked them and when he went out to get the dogs only one was standing at the door. He tried to go out on the porch but the wind was driving the rain into the wall of the house and as he stood with the door open he was almost soaked so he motioned for the dog to come in and shut the door. The other dog had been lying up under the porch furniture so he could stay out of the rain. When Leif had opened the door and let the other dog in he was too afraid to come out from under the old couch. It wasn’t until a human shined a light from the other building that he finally came out and stood in the driving rain looking at the human. The water was rushing by and shortly he jumped in to swim over to the human. The water caught him and he struggled mightily to get over to that human but she had jumped in the water and was also trying to swim to him as he swirled in the water. The woman finally caught him and they were all taken to safety inside the big house.

Henry had found a towel and was drying the dog off when Lonny spoke into his mind and asked if he and Rene’ could come over and help heal the Captain. Henry knew he could levitate across the rushing waters and land next to the front doors of the barn that were well above the water. He was not sure about the wind and whether or not it would blow him away. He was not to sure about levitating without the two men knowing what he was doing. He spoke his trepidations back to Lonny and Lonny told him that he had told and shown the Captain the two abilities and how he thought that the two other men would be able to accept them without doing any harm to the children.

Henry looked at the two men as they sat around the old wood stove, Mr. Johansson had found an old coffee pot and some coffee and had fixed it up to cook on the stove. He finished drying the dog off and walked over to the stove. “Mr. Leif and Mr. Johansson, I must tell you both something and you must promise to not tell anyone outside of the folks here on the farm.” The coffee had perked and Johansson had found a towel to wrap around the handle and was starting to pour it into some cups. He asked if Henry would like some and then asked what it might be that must remain a secret. Henry could read their minds and each one was intrigued with his conversation. “The Captain has become injured and….” Leif stood up and said “how bad is it, wait, how is it you know this, you have been with us?” Henry decided it was time to tell them and he must hurry now because the Captain was not getting any better. “I and Lonny and Rene’ can speak telepathically and read minds and Lonny has told me that the Captain is hurt fairly bad and we will need to help him.” Both men looked at each other and stood to gather their jackets. Johansson said “we will all go over there and help our captain.” Henry looked at him and said “you can not get across the flooding water now and it is very dangerous. Johansson started to move to the door and Leif was doing the same, “we have been on the oceans for years and have been in much worse situations than this so I think we can swim across.” Henry knew that the rushing waters had big chunks of debris that could cause serious injuries and even kill someone venturing into the rushing stream. He waited for both men to open the front door and become soaked with the driving rain. They both hesitated before moving out onto the porch with the wind blowing so hard that it almost blew them back. The water was just inches below the top of the deck now and while they stood there some broken branches and brush came swirling by and the stairs were torn off the porch. They backed up quickly thinking that the porch could be ripped off also.

Henry had put on his raincoat and cinched the hood up. The dog laying by the stove by now just looked at the boy and new that he was going into some sort of danger. Henry floated up about 12 inches from the floor and moved to the front door. The two men were fighting the wind but stood and looked at the water rushing by. “I think the boy was right Leif that water looks quite deadly at this point and I think the Captain wouldn’t let us get into it.” “So we gonna just let the captain die over there?” “We don’t know if he is that bad off yet now do we?” “Let’s ask the boy how bad our captain is because if he is in dire straits I am going in or you are. I thing I saw some rope in the generator room so maybe one of us can tie it off hear and try to get it across.” Leif turned around and there was Henry levitated on the porch. “How are you doing that?” “That was the other thing I was going to tell you but now it is very important that I get over to the barn so if you want to get that rope I could levitate over and take one end to tie off on the barn if it is long enough.” Both men were now totally in awe of this little boy. Johansson shook his head and moved to the back room quickly and found the rope. He hurried back and took one end and tied it around one of the porch posts and handed the coiled up part to the boy. “If it will stretch to the barn wall then tie it off on the door handle, if it don’t stretch that far then tie it to the nearest upright thing you can find and we will see what we can do from here. Are you going to be alright getting across?” “I think I can make it. The wind is the only factor that may hamper me but I am going to give it a go.” The men’s admiration for this boy grew immensely and from the main house came the little girl floating through the rain and wind.

In the main house, Rene’ had calmed Debra by telling her, what had happened and how she was going over to help Henry and Lonny make Mr. Otto get better. She had told her how they all three had to be together to be able to heal him. Debra had known about the healing centers and how the dream healing centers were so connected with the community centers. She also new about Hava and Luun and how they could heal folks and even they would use others to gather around an injured or sick being. She hugged Rene’ and made sure the rain coat was secure while River sat close by and watched Rene’ levitate and move through the back door. Debra saw the wind swirl her around but the girl caught the currents and used them to her advantage. She also saw the men on the porch of the bunk house and then Henry doing the same thing as both children moved toward the barn in swirling motions.

Lonny had levitated Otto to one of the open mangers that had some straw in it so he could lay the captain down. He had found some blankets in the tack room also and brought them to the manger. The captain had passed out again and Lonny though to let him stay unconscious for the moment. He had managed to stop the bleeding from the broken leg where the bone protruded but then discovered the broken piece of wood sticking out the side of the captain’s midsection. This is what made him call Henry and Rene’. That particular injury could be very deadly and he wasn’t quite sure about removing the wood yet. Henry and Rene’ talked to him and told him that they were in the air and moving to the front barn door. He had covered the Captain up and headed for the front to meet them. All the animals where quieter now that some lighting had come on and the thundering had grown further away so it was not quit daunting. Henry and Rene’ had met in the air and held each other as they moved closer to the barn. Henry kept the rope tightly in his grasp and let it out as they both moved. When they finally set down, the rope was almost at its limit and Henry had to pull on it tightly to stretch it. He did not have enough to reach the handle of the door so when Lonny pushed it open enough for them to get in the rope slipped around the handle enough for him to tie it. The door would not close so they left it open and all three headed toward where the Captain was lying.

They walked by the stalls and mangers where the animals were and noticed that all of them were standing close to the gates and or sitting in the center section looking down toward the area where the Captain was lying. The children could hear the concerns of the animals and spoke back to them that all would be alright soon. Lonny was the first to reach the spot where he had moved the Captain and saw such a wonderful sight. All three cats were lying around the Captain as if on protective guard. Rene’ was the first to pick up one of the cats and pet it. The little fur ball purred loudly. Lonny felt the Captains forehead and it was very hot. He could see the sweat on the Captain’s face and then pulled the blanket back. Rene’ put the cat down quickly and moved to the Captain’s side. His entire side was wet with blood; his face at a closer look was pasty white. Rene’ looked at Lonny and Henry and said “we need to work fast.” She reached down and touched the piece of wood that was sticking out. It was toward the back side of the Captains midsection. She could see where the piece of wood entered on his belly. The blood was still seeping but mostly had coagulated by now. “We must get this out and begin to heal this wound first. The leg will be the second healing but this piece of wood is draining the Captain’s corporeal existence. He does not have much time left here and he must stay in the corporeal body for Miss Debra. He is her soul mate as she is his and they both will experience the universe together in their love.” The two boys new this as well so Rene’ joined their hands as they kneeled down and concentrated at removing the wood from the Captain’s body.

The cats had moved over next to the short block wall and proceeded to preen themselves. They had been busy catching mice and removing them from the barn since they first came in earlier in the day. The other animals were all watching were the children had walked to closely when all of sudden a very white light flashed and stayed lit for a few minutes or so. Windspirit the stallion looked at his mate Cloudrider and they both heard the cows moo. The chickens jumped from their hutch nests and moved around while clucking. The older milking cow, which had been on the farm for quite awhile now, moved back to her bed of straw and lay down. The pigs had meandered down the center isle to where the children had gone and stood watching from a short distance. The bright white light engulfed the human children and it seemed to them that they all became one in a bright ball.

The piece of wood or broken root slid out of Otto’s side and fell on the floor of the manger. Otto had been dreaming or was it real, of flying over the landscape. He was not in a plane nor did he have any mechanical apparatus to ride on. He saw Debra standing on a hill top and began to drop down to her. She reached out and touched him then hugged him and said “I am so glad that you made it back safely and don’t you think we should go back to the house now. You can tell me all about your flight at the dinner table. We are having company tonight.” His love for this woman was so deep and he knew her all his life and it was like forever. He put his arm around her and they both turned and walked down the small hill. He could see the old barn on the hill and the two houses. He felt so warm and his stomach growled. “See I knew you were hungry.”

Rene’, Lonny and Henry had held their hands together and gathered the light in their spirits and entered the universe then reached together with their hands and rested them on the Captains stomach. When the piece of wood slipped out the entrance and exit in the Captains body closed up in a short amount of time. The blood dried up and then disappeared. They then moved their hands to the Captains Leg and the bone slid back into the break in the skin and the whole opening closed over. They took their hands away and the light flowed back into each one and then dissipated. The children then stood up and spoke to the animals. The two pigs went back to their manger. The children told them that they would be alright and said that they were going to turn off the lights so they all could rest easy. All the animals moved back to the beds and proceeded to bed down for the night. The three cats had found a very cozy warm spot up by the tack room and were busy grooming themselves and then a little later fell asleep curled up with each other. “Lonny, you and Henry go back over to the bunk house and bring Mr. Leif and Mr. Johansson over to the main house. I don’t think this storm is going to last much longer but we will have to levitate around for a little while. I am going to take The Captain to the main house because Miss Debra is waiting for him. I’ll meet you over there.

Lonny gave one of the torches to Henry and walked over to the generator and flipped the switch to cut the power. Henry turned on the torch and Lonny had his and they all three began to levitate the Captain and moved toward the front of the barn. When they reached the doors, they opened them a little more and Rene’ kept her power of levitation on the Captain and began to move across the water to the main house. The wind had died down somewhat and it seemed that the rain had also slowed and was not falling as hard and fast. Lonny and Henry both stepped out and shut the big doors. Henry had untied the rope from the barn door and began to roll it up as he and Lonny levitated over to the bunk house.

Well then, looks like I finally got all the chapters together, named for PART II, BOOK TWO of this trilogy. I know I have posted 20 chapters so far but you can travel back to page 21 and get a good scope of the upcoming chapters now. So I am going there now and posting, Thank you all for being patient with me. Some of these chapters in the beginning, I have been writing them as I go along. It has been a lot of fun. Most of the chapters back in the States, I wrote last year and kept the characters from the first book moving right along. I am trying to make connections between the big island continent of Australia and the North American Continent. So hopefully I am doing that okay. As most know by now, I am just a newbie at writing although I am chalked full of stories. I sincerely hope that you get enjoyment, a break from the seriousness of this world that we all continue to search for the truth in.

Small note here, I have already written a bigger part of book three and will give a taste of that in the near future. Thank you all
Steven

I am an ardent fan Mr. Steven and look forward to more...<3

21 LOVE AND COURAGE

The rain was coming down in steady sheets like a water fall. The wind was blowing it sideways and the trees were bending as small limbs and foliage was being ripped from the taller trees. 14 km’s to the east, from the old Bruce Highway the beaches were being drowned by the huge waves that were rolling in on such a constant basis it would appear that the ocean had risen and decided to take over the land. One huge wave after another crashed into the cliffs at the edge of the sea while the waves covered the sandy beaches and traveled inland until the land actually rose high enough that the water could not climb any further. The Beach towns and villages were being flooded and buildings were being destroyed as the big storm continued to move closer toward the big continent. Most of the people had left for higher ground and community centers that had been built for emergency situations such as this.

The car had skidded off the road and hit a tree some 30 feet into the forest. The ground fell away into a gully that was created by the Walter hill Range. The car had lost its windshield and then fallen some 20 feet into the gully and landed on its side. Cody had been thrown through the windshield area when the car struck the tree and landed some 40 feet down into the gully beyond the tree. His right hind leg had been cut open by the glass as it broke up and he had minor cuts on his body. He landed on his left side and some of the glass had fallen on him. He was bleeding and the rain had started to rush deeper down the slope from the road which was covered in water. As he lay there with his head pointed down hill he felt the excruciating pain in his rear leg. He was softly whimpering but the rivulets of water that washed over him and under him was beginning to drag him further down the hill and he could here a louder sound of water running somewhere below him. His love for Kyra was so strong that he slowly picked himself up and spun around. The water was running in sheets now but the tree canopies were keeping most of the driving rain above him. He skidded down hill with the water and then began to make a slow walk up the slope. His leg was making him limp but his resolved to get to the wrecked car outweighed the pain. The forest was dark and the clouds above had made it even darker. He could barely make out the car and then something caused a light. He stopped for just a second and then pushed on with a hurried rush. The light was a small fire from the car. He reached the down hill side just below the front of the car and the fire had found more fuel as it blazed from the rear of the wreck. He could see Kyra still sitting in the seat but laying sideways against the door that was lying on the ground.

He moved around the tree and to the front where the windshield had been. He looked up at the car wearily before climbing into the front. Kyra was still strapped in and her face was covered with blood. He knew that he must get her out of the car before it became engulfed with the fire so he attacked the seat belt with his teeth and began tearing at it. His rear leg ached but that did not matter now. He continued to chew on the belt while watching the fire grow in the back of the car. With renewed vigor he bit and chewed and finally the seat belt broke. He was not sure how he was going to drag Kyra out so he crawled down on her legs and saw that she was free. His movements caused the car to move and he thought it would turn over so he got back up on Kyra’s side then got behind her and pushed her forward toward the steering wheel. He was thinking how to drag her body around the steering wheel and lodge her on the thing so he could get out side and hopefully grab her arm with his mouth and pull her out that way. He had pulled plenty of bigger things out of pipes and holes and thought that pulling Kyra out would be sort of like the same thing. The fire was burning away the fabric of the rear seat now and the smoke was turning black. He got Kyra lodged against the upward side of the steering wheel and backed himself out to the ground. Kyra’s left arm had flung out of the windshield area and he gently bit into the sleeve of her jacket to pull her out.

Deeper in the forest, two Eastern Grey Kangaroos watched the little white dog stand up and move up the slope toward the car that was burning. They knew all about the human metal beasts that rolled on four round things because their brothers and sisters were always being hit while crossing the wide clear strips of land with the hard black or gray surfaces on them. Boxer and hopper had been making their way back into the higher mountain range and were coming up to cross the grey strip. They had heard the crashing earlier when they had skirted the lower parts of the small hill and moved along the creek bed that ran south along the western side of the hills. As they stood next to some thicker trees they could see the little white barker trying to get a human from the metal beast. The barker was quite resourceful they thought but they knew he would not be able to drag the human from the beast by himself. They both looked at each other and Boxer asked Hopper if they should help the barker. The barker will bite at us don’t you think? Yes I know so if we go and help we will have to hold him aside until we get the human out and then we can let him drag the human further from the metal monster. You know that these humans have been helping us and for the most part they are quite kind to us. Okay let’s help, you watch the barker and if he gets real mean we’ll bop him until we get the human out.

Cody was struggling mightily to pull Kyra from the car and had her almost halfway through the front hole. He would pull and she would move but then fall back. He had torn the jacket sleeve in two places and had to keep grabbing higher up the sleeve. The Jacket had begun to slide forward and was now riding almost over Kyra’s head. He knew that if it slid over her it would come off and it would hurt her all that much more. His anxiety of the car being on fire and her still in it was making him pull harder. He was not going to give up so when the Kangaroo reached out and took her arm he was so surprised that his growling roared from him. He was getting ready to attack when another Kangaroo picked him up and held him so he could not use his teeth. Cody was barking and growling all the while the kangaroo that had grabbed Kyra was pulling her from the car. He watched as Kyra finally slid through the opening and the Kangaroo drug her away from the car down hill so if the car fell over it would not fall on her. Cody stopped struggling in the grasp of the Kangaroo that had a hold on him and then the Roo set him down. He immediately ran to Kyra. The rain that was coming down and getting through the canopy of the trees began to wash the blood from her face and Cody turned to see where the Kangaroos were. They both had moved up the slope and were close to the road. They both turned around and looked at Cody and the human and then jumped up onto the road and disappeared into the darkness. Cody licked Kyra’s face and dragged her further away from the car. He did not want any part of it to hurt Kyra again.

Arthur Curtis was sitting in the communications room of the community center in Mackay trying to get the Cairns community center back. His last communication with Kyra was early afternoon and he hadn’t heard another word from her since. She had said that she was leaving Cairns and would be stopping in Paradise before coming back to Mackay. He looked at the time piece on his wrist and it was now almost 8pm. He was becoming very worried now because the storm had already caused damage up and down the coast from above Cairns all the way down to Mackay. Mackay was suffering the high winds and the rain which was causing major flooding. The oceans were not as drastic as further north but he suspected that they would become worse as the storm moved into the land. He had even tried to enter the dreamnet and when he did he could not find Kyra. He had thought about contacting Nick but he knew that Nick would be very busy dealing with the folks that were in the worst of the storm as it created havoc up and down the coast.

Someone had told him that Chief Wakely was on his way down to Mackay but he was in Paradise at the community center. He knew that was were Kyra was headed when he last talked with her so he called the center and asked for Victor Reed who was the head man for that center. The communication line was very sketchy but soon enough Victor showed up on the Vid screen. “Ah, Arthur, how is it going down there?” “Victor, its going okay the storm is causing some power outages and flooding but we are managing. How is it up there?” Victor told him that there had been quite a bit of damage from the winds and the flooding had become severe. “The center is pretty full at this time and we are holding our own.” “Well hold on and hopefully we can send some help. Has Chief Wakely shown up and is Kyra there?” “No to both of those questions, I have been waiting for Kyra. She called earlier today and said she was on her way. I have posted folks to be on the lookout for her but so far no show. As for the Chief I have not seen him either. We have quite a few injured and we are sending them to the healing centers, leastways the ones that are familiar with the Dreamnet. The others we are trying to comfort the best we can until they can be opened to the Dreamnet. ‘Have you tried the Dreamnet to contact Kyra?” “Yes but she is no where to be found. She might have stopped some where north of Paradise to wait out this storm but she would at least have tried to contact us.” “Well the com net is down for now and hopefully you are right about her stopping somewhere safe. I guess we just wait for now.” Arthur said goodbye to Victor after asking him to contact him as soon as she showed up or Chief Wakely and cut the connection. His worry was eating away at him and he thought to try the Dreamnet again.

22 ETHAN WALLACE

Ethan Wallace owned a small antique shop on Donkin Lane close to the main beach of Mission beach. He had stayed long enough to board up the windows and hopefully secure his shop from the coming storm. By the time he left the rains were already coming down with a stinging force and the waves were washing onto Central Avenue. The other streets had water running across and down them and the entire township close to the beach had been shut down. All the folks had been told about the possibility of a title wave striking and most had already left for higher ground. Ethan had wanted to make sure that his shop would not be washed away but that could be an impossibility if a big enough title way came in. He had loaded some of his more valuable pieces into his old truck and tied the tarp down good and tight and then drove up the El Arish Mission Beach Road. By the time he reached the old Bruce Highway it was dark and the rain was coming down in buckets. The Bruce highway was swimming with water and there did not seem to be any traffic on it. He turned south and headed for the turnoff to go to his home up in a canyon of the Walter Hill Range Mountains to the west of the road. A few kilometers south he entered the Walter Hill Range Conservation Park and had to drive slowly due to the hardness of the rain and the road way being semi underwater. His turnoff was only a few more kilometers when he saw a light up ahead through the rain on his windshield. His wipers were on full but it was still hard to see. The light was on the left side of the road and as he got closer he could see it was a fire. He was only moving around 5 km per hour and the closer he got he could see that another car or something may have driven off the road. The guard rail was missing and one of the posts had been splintered. He drove over as close as he could and tried to look down into the gully where the guard rail had been broken. He finally left his truck in neutral and set the hand brake. He crawled out into the rain after he donned a rain coat and walked to the edge of the road. He had grabbed a torch and shined it down into the gully. The fire was burning on the rear of a car that was lying on its side.

He looked for a way down and finally found an easier bank that he could traverse. He kept looking at the car and could see where it had flown through the air and hit a big tree up off the ground maybe 20 feet or so. He pictured the car hitting the tree and then falling to the lower gully. How it wound up on its side he could not tell but the drivers side was on the ground. He braced himself for what he might see when he reached the car. He had seen these kind of accidents before and it was never very pretty, most of the time the driver and even passengers were all killed either instantly or died later in a hospital. Sometimes it made him violently sick and other times the driver and any others in the car would survive. The ground was very slick and the rain water was running over the surface as he approached the car. He stopped and studied the car to see how secure it might be or if it could fall one way or another. The fire was burning bright now and he could tell that it could cause the gas tank to explode although he could not see any leaking from the tank at the moment. His first thought was to see if anyone was inside the car and whether or not he could possibly remove them. He moved wearily around to the front end on the down hill slope and saw the tree. He shined his torch though the front windshield area that had been broken out and could not see anyone. He did see blood smears on the seat and the front hood of the car and as he shined his torch toward the ground he could see foot prints of Kangaroos and then noticed the drag marks. He shined the torch along the ground and almost had a heart attack when the dog barked at him. His torch had rested on the little white dog and the person laying on the ground just beyond.

Ethan was an animal lover so he moved slowly toward the human and the dog. He could tell that the human had been dragged down the slope away from the wreck but this little dog did not look big enough to do such a thing. The little feller was barking and growling ferociously, just trying to protect his master. Ethan had to squat down and talk with him. “Easy fellow, I just want to help.” The dog stopped for a second then started barking again. Ethan again talked calmly to the poor little fellow and continued to squat. The rain above was still pouring buckets but the canopy of the trees was keeping it from being to wet like up on the road. The dog would bark and growl and then turn around and lick the face of the person. Ethan finally saw that the person was a woman and her forehead had an ugly gash toward the top of her skull. He could see where she had bled down the front of her clothes and he could also see where the dog was bleeding from various cuts on his head and body.

Ethan could tell that the dog was hurting but the little fellow was still barking even though his barking was getting less ferocious as the time slipped by. He watched the dog wear himself out and finally move to his master and lay his head on her. He though the dog might be dieing so when he stood up and moved toward the two, the dog tried to get up and bark again but it was totally exhausted now. He moved close and squatted again almost next to the woman and the dog. He could see some blood smears on the ground but the water was washing it away so he figured the dog was bleeding also from somewhere. He reached out his hand slowly and touched the dog. This time the dog did not move but just whimpered. He rubbed his hand over the dogs head and spoke softly. “Easy boy, I am just going to help you and your master.” He kept petting the dog and talking to him as he moved the little fellow off of the woman. He laid the dog on a dryer patch of the ground and had found the source of the bleeding. The little fellow had a gash in his right hind leg so he took out a handkerchief that was in his coat pocket and dabbed the wound. The dog whimpered as he did this and he finally wrapped the kerchief around the wound and moved back to the woman. The first thing he did was to feel for a pulse and then listen for her heartbeat. The pulse was weak but he heard her heart beating steady. He pulled another kerchief out of his coat pocket and held it out so the rain that was making it through the canopy got it wet. He finally rung it and dabbed her forehead. The wound had coagulated so he was careful to not break the seal at the moment. He picked the woman up and she hung like a rag doll as he moved back up to his truck. He had to struggle at the bank up to the road bed but got her up and had to cover her head with the coat that she had on to keep the rain from washing away the seal on her forehead. He placed her in the front seat and propped he up and went back for the dog. As he approached he noticed that the dog had tried to crawl up the slope and was about 5 to 7 more feet closer from the place he had left him. He reached down and gently picked the little fellow up and carried him up to the truck. He opened the driver’s side this time and placed the dog on the seat next to the woman. Both of them were unconscious as he put the truck into gear and slowly headed out for his home

Ethan turned on the Djarawong E. Road and crossed over to the Old Tully road and then headed back north toward the Schumann Road. Once he turned on the Schumann Road he had to drive further into the canyon to reach the road that would take him to his home. He had to stop once to prop the woman back up in the seat. He drove very slowly and was able to dodge the ruts and holes in the old road. The dog would whimper every so often and Ethan knew that he must hurry to the house so he could tend to these two. He finally made it to his house and the rain was still falling fairly rapidly and heavy. He pulled as close to the front door as he could and jumped out and opened the door to the house before going to fetch the woman and the dog. He had grabbed another rain coat and when he picked up the woman he semi placed the rain coat over her while he hurriedly carried he into the house. He laid her down on his bed and went back out and picked up the dog and took him inside. He laid him down on the old couch and found some blanket to pile up on the floor and moved the little feller to them. He then started heating up some water and found a pale and some disinfectant and other medical supplies and went to the woman first and washed the blood from her forehead and placed a large towel that he had soaked with warm water across the wound. With that all done he went back out to the living room and did the same with the dogs hind leg. He finally sat and waited for the water to heat up for hot tea.