River of Dreams #38: Combining Stories

Posted on November 9, 2010 by randomyriad

19

Convergance

After Larry left Emmylou led them all into the kitchen and started to prepare dinner for everyone. She started with tea for Random. As he drank his tea he told them about the dreams he had and the things that had happened, about Steve and Lin Chen, and coming to the farm the first time, and Karen Masterson and Lucille, the file of pictures and stories. Essie chimed in about her experiences growing up in the little provincial village on the Orinoco, the tales of the Talagi, and Tegethnot. Jered told of his experience with the Talagi and why he brought Essie to the US. Finally it was Essie’s turn to tell what made her leave early Thursday morning. As she spoke, Essie looked at Random as if she could not bear to look away from him for fear that he would not be there. He smiled easily at her as if all the weirdness and chaos of the last few days were far away, and only her face and voice mattered.

“I woke up from a dream. A black bird flying over a farm and horses running like feesh in a stream and eet all made no sense. Then I was een a red room with beeg turtle in a pool who told me I had to find a farm that was a school. Den I woke up and remembered when we had passed the road and driven to the gate that first year we were together. Remember, there was no sign just a locked gate.”

Random nodded at the last bit.

“That was before I started selling my things to Felton. I was still working in town and renting out more of the place,” Emmylou explained, “but I gave Random my phone number when I ran into him in San Francisco.”

“I am sorry about that, but I was a bit preoccupied by Essie’s situation at the time.”

“Well, anyway I remembered the highway and a tiny town close but not de name, but I could not take de car to get there. I had to do eet on my own. Weeth my own things.”

She decided to take a greyhound. She found an ATM and took out 200 out of her savings. And called a taxi. By this time it was getting light and she was exhausted. She went to the bus station and bought a ticket for Santa Cruz and figured the bus would go on Highway 9, but it took a different road so she ended up in Santa Cruz.

She had to get a cheap motel room and sleep for a while. She woke up Friday evening and went out to rent a car in Santa Cruz but it cost too much. So she decided to hitchhike. She got a ride up to Felton and arrived there at 10:00 at night, and the woman who picked her up was kind enough to let her sleep on her couch until morning.

“She said she could take me to Weston in the evening and she deed. And that ees when I met Maddie when I see sumteen in the dark like two eyes of a wolf.”

“I saw that too!” Emmylou broke in, “That very same night two nights ago. And I dreamed of horses like fishes too! This is all very hard to believe.”

“This is obviously something we will never fully understand, but I think we all have to stay here tonight and see what happens,” Random said.

“Did you say everyone in this house?” Emmylou looked uncertain and not pleased.

“I promise we weel be gone by tomorrow.” Essie reassured her.

“Well we’ll have to be creative. I have 3 beds upstairs and a couch.”

“Essie and I can take one bed,” Random said.

“The devil will take the couch,” said Jered.

“That leaves a bed for Maddie upstairs,” finished Essie.

“I don’t know Debbie’ll have a conniption if I don’t make it home on a school night.”

“Tell her the car is broken, Jered can drive you to school tomorrow and you can take the bus from there,” Essie was talking fast and forceful.
”Yay! Sleep over. I guess I’d better call Debbie.”

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River of Dreams #37:A Black Bird Speaking / A Wet Man Walking

Posted on November 7, 2010 by randomyriad

VI

The Black Bird Speaks

They all walked back to the house in a group. Small things were tossed of shelves. Stereo was on the floor, but the house seemed perfectly sound and there were no broken widows or shifted door frames. So Emmylou put on the radio to see if there was any news of an earthquake. But nothing was being reported.

“Seems like it was something local and on the surface,” Jered said.

Just then the raven came flapping up and perched outside the living room window.

“That bird again,” Emmylou said to Larry.

“Zat the one that speaks a strange language.”

“Yeah,” Emmylou opened the window.
”Tegethnot, “ said the bird clearly Jered and Essie turned as if both of their heads were on the same string.

“That’s what it said to me yesterday.”

“Tegethnot?” asked Essie.

“He is speaking Talagi,” Jered said in the dead still that had fallen. Outside the rain and wind had stopped and the air seemed to held in suspense like a breath.

Everybody in the room turned toward Jered who shrugged and said, “Maybe we need to talk. I think you all might be in a position to understand some of what is going on.”

Just then there was a knock on the door. Emmylou looked puzzled, shrugged and walked out to the entranceway to answer it.

She opened the door on a man of about 35 years who looked like he had walked through a storm two miles down a gravel road.

“I hope you don’t mind the gate was open so I just came up to the house. Long time, its been a long time. Have you seen a woman about so tall.” he held his hand palm down up to the level of his chin “with a Venezuelan accent?”

“Yes she’s in my living room. Nice to see you again, Random, come on in and join the party.”

He walked in passed Emmylou and straight to Essie and picked her up and gave her a huge kiss. He did not show any sign that he saw anyone else in the room.

Essie pulled herself free after a couple seconds of completely giving into the kiss.

“Random?! How deed you find me?”

“That is a long story. But why didn’t you tell me where you were going, leave a note. I thought you left me for good.”

She came back close to him and put her arms around him.

“I thought I was leaving for good. I deedn’t know how to esplain where I was going.”

Random suddenly became aware of the others in the room. The first one he noticed was Jered who was standing back.

“When the ground shook I thought you were close. I just knew it, Man.”

Random looked at him, “I didn’t think I would ever see you again. Where in hell have you been for 5 fuckin’ years.”

“Hey man watch the language there are minors present.”

Maddie perked up at being referred to and said, “Hey I am a lot better at swearin’ an’ that anyday.”

“The thing I wan’t to know is what the hell is going on here?” Emmylou interrupted in exasperation and utter confusion. “Can anyone tell me what all this means?”

“Yes,” answered Jered, Random, and Essie at the same time.

“Well not completely,” added Random.

“Somehow I get the feeling that you are not a reporter and she is not a photographer. I do believe that you are friends with him, and I remember Random talking about you the last time we met. I don’t think I told you where I was living and I bet you lost my number.” This last was addressed to Random. He looked guilty.

“I was very distracted that day. It was the day Jered disappeared and Essie showed up at my apartment. A lot was going on.”

All eyes on Jered. “Hey I came back and explained what I could. I said I was sorry and Essie knows the truth now. I hope we’re OK.”

“Yes we’re OK”

“What about the last 5 years? We really thought you were dead or in some prison somewhere.”

“I just had to go. It was all too stale. I tried to stick around, but I had to split. I went back East, worked for my dad a bit, I thought about you guys, but I was busy, Man. Living, you know. How’s Steve?”

“As loose as ever. I just spent a lot of time with him this weekend. It was a weird weekend, weirder than Mexico.”

“That must’ve been weird.’

Emmylou suddenly stood up and said, “Look! I want to know what is going on here, and somebody needs to start explaining. That is obviously going to take a while so before we get to that let me just get my business out of the way.” She turned to Larry and said, “Can you get the goats and cows in and everything closed up?”

“Yeh, I can, but you hafta fill me in on this stuff when I get back.”

“Done, thanks Larry.”

“No problemo,” He said as he went out the door and across the yard to the goat barn.

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River of Dreams #36: The Earth Moves

Posted on November 6, 2010 by randomyriad

II

White Car, Wind and Rain

Random’s white Subaru crept along through traffic as the rain began with big, splats every now and then on his windshield.

Finally he was able to get off the freeway at Saratoga-Sunnyvale road and head south toward highway 9. There were a few signals on the 5 mile stretch but he miraculously made them all when he got to the highway the rain let loose and hammered the car his wipers could hardly keep the windshield clear. He had to go slower than he wanted to. It was almost 3:30 and he was still at least 30 minutes from the Ranch. Giant whips of lightening lashed the now galloping clouds north. And the wind picked up, driving sheets of water across the car. He pushed the speed a little but had to slow down for the windy parts. Random cursed and pleaded with the weather which took no notice of the small white car winding its way up the ridge.

III

The Interview

Emmylou came out on the porch and waved to occupants of the car. She was surprised at the sight of the Porsche. Random and Essie must be doing pretty well for themselves she thought. Then she saw the driver get out and knew it wasn’t Essie and then the cowgirl princess in the long gray overcoat and she thought. Who are these people and then Essie came clambering out of the back. It’s like a clown car, she thought. No, that’s it. Only three. Essie overtook the others on her way to the porch and stretched out her hand as she came up the steps.

“Hello, Emmylou, my name ees Esmeralda Estrella-Flores.”

“Nice to meet you. You picked a heckuva day to visit looks pretty biblical out there.”

“Oh, dat ees a good way to describe eet. Beebleecal, yes. Dees ees my photographer Maddie and my friend Jered who was nice enough to geev us a ride.”

“Pleased to meet you all. Shall we go in and talk over some tea or coffee? Have you eaten’?”

“Sounds good, Jered and I have, I can’t speak for Maddie.”

“Oh, I’m jus’ fine thank you, but tea sounds nice, Oh I left the camera in the car. I’ll jus’ go get it.”

“Its not locked. The camera’s on the floor in the back.”

Emmlou eyed Maddie suspiciously as she ran down the steps.

“Isn’t she a little young for a photographer.”

“She ees een our apprenticeship program for high school students,” Essie covered quickly, “and actually she’s bery good. She could probably get a job except for child labor laws and a leetle more maturity wouldn’t hurt. But what are ya gonna do, she’s 15”

Emmylou smiled thoughtfully.

“Yeah, I’ve got an 18 year old with some of the same issues. Sounds like a pretty cool opportunity for high school.”

“She gets credit for all her published work and a letter of recommendation as well as a certificate of training.”

Jered couldn’t help but wince a little at how Essie was piling it on.

Maddie came back with the camera and they all settled at the kitchen table. Essie pulled out a note pad. And a pen and wrote a few notes.
”I don’t think we will be able to do much of a tour of the ranch in this weather but I can show you my creamery and barn and the goat pen, I’ve got to get all the animals in any way as it is.”

Essie asked her a few questions about her animals and her operation and how long she had been running the place. She wrote notes.

“haf you encountered any interesting wildlife on de ranch. Eet seems like a pretty wild place here abouts.”

“Well a coupla years ago we had a mountain lion prowling around actually got one of the lambs and dragged it off. And every so often feral dogs come rummaging through. The other night though I was sure I saw a wolf on the ridge, but I know that isn’t possible.”

“mebbe a Coyote?”

“No it was too big. Coulda been a feral dog, but it was quiet and shy. The feral dogs are always blundering about. Oh yeah every now and then we get a one of the little black bears foraging in the garbage and raccoons are always around as well as the coyotes and possums, but you never see those only catch little glimpses out of the corner of your eye.”

“Doesn’t it make you nervous all alone most of the day.”

“Oh I’m not alone. I’ve got my boarders around most days and my son visits most weekends. “

“You run the farm all by yourself?”

“Oh, heavens no, I hire help to put in the garden and my boarders help with the big work. I just do the day-to-day stuff and I usually don’t mind so much doin’ it on my own. I was thinking of adding bees and ostriches next year. I hear they would do well here, and I could sell the eggs and feathers as well as the honey from the bees that is.”

When the rain let up a little, they walked out past the sodden garden to the goat barn.


IV

The Earth Moves

 

As Random pulled onto the dirt road at about 4, the rain let up and wind died down a bit. Suddenly his car lost control. He had both hands on the steering wheel but the road jumped and shuddered and jostled the car until it slid off the road into the ditch and landed in about 2 feet of water flowing in the bottom.

“What the hell?” he said out loud.

* * *

On their way to the goat barn, the earth gave a huge lurch and all the members of the farm tour tumbled to the ground.

“Woah, What in world?”

“Was that and earthquake?” Essie remembered the huge earthquake a few years ago. She had been on her bed and was bounced off and had to stagger over to catch the TV before it wobbled onto the floor. This was more of jolt and less of a quake.

Emmylou looked back to see that her house was still standing.

Larry came running down the path from the dorm.

“Is everyone alright? That was a real bone rattler,” he said as he approached the group.

“Is everything OK up there, Larry?” Emmy asked.

“Yeah it tossed everything around a bit and broke a few plates, but no major damage.

“What about the house?” Larry looked nervously across the garden at the old farmhouse.

“Well we best go find out, hadn’t we?” Emmylou said.

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River of Dreams #35: Into The Storm

Posted on November 4, 2010 by randomyriad

Chapter 18

III

South Into the Storm

Ominous black clouds loomed in the southern sky and a chill wind blew. Random went to the back of the car and pulled out his jacket. He got in and roared off for the freeway south. He found an apple in the jacket pocket and realized he had hardly eaten. He ate the apple while negotiating the freeway onramp and on around past Daly City. A feeling of panic was rising in him little by little. He tried to examine it, but he could not get too close without it vanishing like smoke, drifting away staying just out of reach.  As he passed Millbrae he began going through all that had happened in the past four days and trying to make some sense of the dreams and real life weirdness. By the time he reached Burlingame he had thought about how it all had to do with the black bird and dreams and little visions. As he passed the off ramp east to San Mateo, he passed by the thought that he was being manipulated by some power, but his love for Essie was more important than the feeling of annoyance at being used like a pawn in some game of spiritual chess. He passed the City reservoir, Crystal Springs, and realized he was driving along the San Andreas Fault. Golf courses sprang up to the left. He was passing Stanford University and a sign for The Veterans Memorial Cemetary and Page-Mill Rd. He realized the engine was straining and looked at the speedometer. He was doing 90 and coming up on cars very fast. He slowed to 60 as he started to hit the afternoon traffic around Sunnyvale and Silicon Valley.

Chapter 19

I

The Cowgirl Princess Meets The Prince of Darkness

Maddie bounced and swayed and rattled with the rhythm of creaking bus. The dark clouds gathered in the sky among the white puff sheep of the morning and a wind began to bring the smell of electricity and damp bluster. The bus stopped with a whoosh and squeak of the air breaks. Maddie was the first one out flying off the second step landing on the toe of her clunky combat style black boots. The first large drops of rain hit as she landed, big plashing drops that thudded to earth, but widely spaced like water bombs.

She wore cow spot tights and a leopard print skirt topped off with a bright pink t-shirt and baby blue cowgirl vest covered in plastic gems and sparkles that spelled princess across the back. She made this herself. She carried a man’s gray overcoat. Even after Essie’s description this outfit took Jered by surprise.

Maddie had her hair in short pipi longstocking braids tied at the ends with mirror ball hair ties.

As she ran the sun peaked out from the gathering clouds and touched the ends of her braids with sparks. She was almost as tall as Jered but thin. She looked like a combination of a cowgirl princess and Olive Oil from the Popeye cartoons. She clumped gracefully up to Essie.

“Who’s the guy? He looks like Beezlebub hisself.”

Essie looked at Jered with his handsome,  but rough around the edges look and stylish Italian driving shades.

“Dees is my friend de dark prince.” Essie laughed, “Otherwise known as Jered Trolleski, my ex-husband.”

Jered laughed and held out his hand, “And you must be the cowgirl princess.”

“Otherwise known as Maddie Bolter.” Maddie finished taking his hand and nodding.

“Well shall we go?” Essie motioned toward the car.


”In this, Sweeet. Is this a real Porsche?”

“Yeah, real italian very small so good luck squeezing in the back.”

“I’ll squeeze in the back,” Essie said “I’m more the right size.”

“This is a whole lot better than that ol’ crappy bug without the headlights. That is for sure.” Maddie emphasized.

“It’s actually my father’s car, officially. I just drive it a lot.”

“What does your father do? Mine drinks and fights a lot.”

“Mine makes clandestine deals in the black heart of the corporate conspiracy.”

“So you are the prince of darkness,” Maddie said casually “And I am the cowgirl princess because my life is like a sad country-western song,” Maddie continued working it out as she went and then exploding into laughter as all the pieces fit.

The rain came down a little closer and the dark clouds herded their lighter cousins on across the sky.

Jered pulled the Porsche out on the highway and roared through town, but ran into the bus about 3 miles down the road with its stop sign out and had to wait another 2 miles to pass. Finally Jered whipped the Porsche out on a straight piece of road and passed the bus just getting back before a Christian school van ran headlong into them because the driver was looking around behind him. He looked up just in time to see the black blurr of the car shifting out of his way and a spray of water hit the side of his windshield.

Jered did not even blink, but took the road as if he had driven it many times. They got to the gravel road and had to creep along due to the extra weight of Maddie in the car the bottom was just about on the road.

“The suspension is shot. It will be a miracle if we don’t put a hole in something down there.” Jered said but not complaining.

By the time they got to the gate and the heavens had opened and cats and dogs and buckets too poured down on them.

The gate was open and they slipped and slid a little down the dirt drive to the house that had turned into a stream of chocolate milky looking liquid.

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River of Dreams #34: Driving

Posted on November 3, 2010 by randomyriad

Chapter 18

I

A Slow Drive in the Hills

Jered and Essie took back Rick’s car and left the keys in it as the rusted bug did not seem a likely target for a car thief. She wrote a nice note to Rick thanking him and telling him to check the headlights.

Rick’s old man came out with a shotgun and pointed it at them and said, “Whatchoo want with that ol’ piece a crap. git outta here for I blow a hole in ya.”

“I’m jes’ leaving a note for Reek.”

“Well, he’s down at the market affer school. You can jus’ stop in an’ tell him, now git afore my patience give out.”

Jered was already in the car and starting it up when Essie jumped in.

“Hey, thanks for the support back there.”

“I thought I otta just get the car going just in case he started shooting.”

They decided to go up and find the ranch and come back for Maddie later.

They drove up along the golden grass hills and forest winding up onto the ridge of mountains that is the spine of the peninsula on one side the rocky coast of the Pacific on the other the mud flats of the south bay and silicon valley. The terrain is wild and rugged covered with thick scrub and crumbling outcrops of dark gray stone. It is the end of the range of the coast redwood more spreading pines, cedar, and cyprus, bay laurel, and madrone as well as scrubby oaks, birches and aspen trees all tangled with berries, manzanita, and poison oak with large plush green leaves. It was a pleasant drive, and Essie was beginning to relax into old easy friendship with Jered. They found the turnoff to the gravel road and the Porsche clunked and chunked over the rocks. Jered winced with every rattle and clunk, but nothing broke. He creeped the car along caustiously, and it took them quite a while to reach the gate with the sign.

“Yep, this looks to be the place I saw. I guess we should go back and find that wild girl photographer of yours and come back. It won’t hurt to be a little early back in town. We could get something to eat and make a few plans.”

‘Sounds right to me. You have really changed honey. No more crazy boy in you that used to drive me crazy.”

“Yeah, I guess I have matured a little. I actually make plans and attend meetings. Kinda weird. Random was the one I expected to go this way not me.”

They talked as they drove back into town, Two old friends who used to be lovers.

II

A Winding Road into Afternoon

Random had studied the map before he left and knew the roads he wanted to take. They retraced their drive from Mendocino through Booneville to Cloverdale. The last 10 miles of that road was curving up and over a ridge and down into Sonoma County. They stopped for milk shakes and French fries at the Frosty Freeze in Cloverdale it was 10 O’clock am, and Random was ready to go so they ate and drank in the car. Lin loved milk shakes, wasn’t as fond of French fries greasiness and kept wiping her hands and wrinkling her doll-like nose.

Random drove south to Geyserville and cut off onto 128 through the heart of wine country. They blew threw Calistoga and ST. Helena. Random had not said much. Lin and Steve dozed.

“Jack London lived around here and died about 5 miles east of here.”

“White Fang that was a great book, and Call of the Wild, I loved that one when I was kid.” Steve said.

“Did you know he was a socialist?” Random said.

“There you go bringing politics into it again,” Steve said shaking his head. “Tha man could write. Yeah, he could write.”

“He wrote a book about being a hobo and riding the rails, before Woody Guthrie and Kerouac were born.”

“Yeah, and he worked a Yukon claim too. He lived a life, Man!”

They headed on south through Napa and Vallejo and over the bridge to Martinez and Concord and up to a little town called Clayton and up a gravel road onto the mountain.

“This is Mount Diablo. When we get to the top you should be able to see at least 100 miles in every direction.” Random said as they bounced and rumbled up the rough road.
When they reached the top. They looked out over the great valley and Sacramento River delta to the north and the patchwork hills fading into flat valley to the east and south and to west hills and then The City in a shroud of fog.

“On a clear day you can see the Sierras off that way, and the Pacific Ocean on the west,” Random sat down on the hood of the car and moped a little remembering the fine blue day, though the wind was bitterly cold for their summer clothes, They could see what seemed like the whole state. It was a great feeling to be alone in such vastness with someone who filled your soul and emptied it with simple gestures of her hands, movements of her lips, they way her body showed him how she felt.

“Lin’s cold, Man. she wants some lunch. That girl is always hungry.”

“Thank you for taking me here. This whole trip has been quite interesting.” Lin said as she came back to the car.
”Your welcome, I kinda found it enlightening too,” Random said climbing into the driver’s seat.

“And I am always up for a good weird road trip, and this was no slouch, no sir.” Steve finished off the commentary as they all climbed into the car and headed back to Steve’s place.

Random dropped them and headed back over the bridge. He walked into to his apartment at 2:15 in the afternoon and hit his message machine on his way to the fridge for a beer.

There was Emmylou’s message and a message from Bianca. He was so unraveled by the first message he did not hear what Bianca said.

3:30, thought Random I might make it if I jam down the 280. He was moving out the door toward the car. Bianca would have to wait.

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