Day 9

Kerri-liana Jones woke up early. She could hear James, snoring away in blissful sleep. Yesterday they had seen the devastation the bugs were causing. Even though she wanted to search for the city of gold. She understood why Tẽra had sent them there.

She read the book she had been studying. She had taken it from the castle.

From what she understood there was three crystals removed and hidden. The center crystals that was removed meant none of the others worked. One was in the city of gold but she couldn’t find any named for the city of gold.

These crystals when put in their places opened the sugs.

But she was battling to find where this place was. The place the crystals needed to be returned to.

One crystal was in her bag and the other was in the jewellery that most of the women that come was wearing. So that left one more, the center crystal, to be found. But then she wondered what if the one in her bag and the one in the jewellery was part of the same one?

The farmer and his family got busy with the day. The children were not quiet not even a little. James was woken by a child bouncing on him.

Thistles bounced and babbled on.

Somehow James understood that she wanted him to go look at something. Maybe it was a universal child thing that they all behave alike.

James sleepily got up. The house was already a buzz. Adam had milked the cow. Dawn had collected eggs. Misty was making a yellow portage, Tom and Lentil set the table. Leaving Thistle to drag James to come see her picture.

She had drawn a field with people holding hands smiling. She was giving it to him.

They sat and ate at the table. James noticed how much could be done in a day without the distraction of a TV. He had a few shows he really liked to watch and preferred not to miss. But being away from home for over a week changed how he looked at things.

He reflected on the traumatic week he had experienced. Yet he wasn’t feeling traumatized only grateful to still be alive. It dawned on him that you needed time to feel traumatized. He expected experts to disagree but this is what he found.

He had been so busy and scared, running for his life and not dwelling on the almost, meant he somehow was ok.

He had seen people getting sold. Been taken captive by a crazy red haired who killed someone at the dinner table and still had an appetite. Been thrown into a stinky dungeon, rescued by a lovely woman. Crawled in the dirt in the dark. Almost died from being poisoned. Walked the dirty street of a dank city. Almost attacked by a human cat. Watched an old government fall and a new one rise. But on the other hand, he had a lovely evening with a strawberry blond. He had his first off world kiss. He also was sent on an adventure with this woman to a noisy little retreat with a bug problem.

It’s all about how you see things!

James put the picture in his pocket and they all ate together.

Afterwards, Tom led them to the fields.

The bugs had laid eggs. In a day or two there would be an empty patch on dirt where food was once grown.

James took bugs and tested many options. Kerri acted as a translator in between reading her book.

“James, I think the city of gold holds the answers. From what I can see the crystals open the sugs which are instant time portals. Meaning one second here and the same second there.”

“What?” James asked.

He had a serious bug problem and she was going on about crystals and a city of gold.

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“I have heard that Mexico has a city of gold?” James answered.

“What!?! No. Pay attention.”

“Kerri, I know what you are doing is important and you will get us home. But I’m trying to find a solution to a very big problem for this world. Please can we talk about it later?”

Kerri tried not to feel annoyed. Her work would get them home. Bugs are not more important.

The real problem was the underlying issue of that kiss. Neither had spoken about it and when James had wanted to talk, she hadn’t.

Now leaving them with an awkward underlying issue.

She didn’t want to talk about it as she wasn’t sure that an off-world relationship would last in their world. She didn’t want a fling or to be a pass time, the girl of opportunity.

He was sweet and handsome and nerdy. But his closeness to his niece who was around her age did make her uncomfortable.

Lakisha was only ten years younger than him but he spoiled her like she was his only daughter, his only child.

Kerri had been close to her grandfather but it was different.

Or so she told herself.

James had reached a dead end. He didn’t know what else to try. Every plant he tried they ate. It seemed they would eat everything; nothing was uneatable to them. He sat down in the field trying to think.

An invasive bug…. What kept this bug from becoming a problem in the past?

He asked about the weather. Maybe it hadn’t been cold enough to kill of the previous seasons bug.

But the weather had been normal.

He asked if these bugs had been a problem in the past. He found out that fifteen cycles before they had a famine caused by bugs.

This was not encouraging.

In the distance he could see rain. Dark clouds rolled slowly towards them. It began to spit on him, little drops of water six inches apart. He looked up at the sky feeling hopeless.

“Tom is calling for us to go. He says a storm is coming.” Kerri said.

“I’ll catch up.” James said.

Kerri left with Tom. She didn’t want her books getting wet.

James sat in the dirt. There had to be something, there always was and usually the answer was right in front of you. But he couldn’t see it. The heavens opened and it poured.

He sat in the mud soaking wet. Then saw a little blue bird trying to take refuge under the leaves.

Shame little guy, he thought watching it.

James continued to sit very still in the mud watching the bird. He knew he was missing something. The cold rain didn’t bother him as he pondered. The little blue bird had four wings. James realized something taking a mental break was all one needed. So, he focused on the bird. It hopped from under one leaf to another. It was happy in itself. It was eating the bugs.

“Eureka!” he exclaimed.

He had it! The little blue bird was eating the bugs. He needed more birds.

He jumped up and ran all the way to the farmer’s house.

“I’ve got it! I’ve got it!”

Kerri smiled awkwardly at Tom.

Thistle come over all excited by James’ excitement. They held hands and jumped around in circles in the rain.

“Little blue birds with four wings eat those bugs!” he excitedly proclaimed.

“That’s great. You solved the bug problem.” Kerri said.

“Almost, we need lots of little blue birds with four wings.”

Kerri told the farmer. He was delighted. But he explained that the little blue bird with four wings was not usually seen in these areas.

So, they decided to send word to all the farmers that little blue birds with four wings, ate the bugs eating their crops. The birds were called Swifts.

Now they needed to import these birds. But from where?

So, the afternoon went by. Writing letters to all the other farmers in the area who were also experiencing problems. In general farmers didn’t like bird because of the belief that they ate the crops and, in some cases, this was true. But in some cases, the birds were a friend and not a foe. However, farmers hadn’t bothered to find this out. All birds were labelled as foes.

James sat down next to Kerri who was engrossed in her book.

“We are half way there?” he said.

Kerri gave him a, I’m happy for you look.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“Is this about not listening to your theory about the city of gold?” he asked.

“No” she lied.

“So, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing”

James was tired of the… whatever it was between them.

“So, then I guess if everything is fine. We can discuss this city of gold?”

“I’m still looking into it. It appears that there are a few different tribes each with a piece of what happened.”

James didn’t understand that at all. He nodded as if he did.

“So, the city of gold belongs to one tribe and they have a clue to the location of the next tribe and its crystal.”

“So where is the city of gold?” James asked.

“It doesn’t say.”

James hated feeling so nervous around her. It was like he was unable to say what he wanted to, and this was not normal for him. He was usually confident and able to express himself adequately.

He psyched himself up.

Here goes, he told himself.

“I like you a lot and you really don’t make it easy for me. But I have to know if this is going somewhere. I’m I wasting my time on you?”

Kerri blinked in surprise then she panicked inside. She was expected to answer to make a decision.

“We met nine days ago.” Kerri said weakly.

James waited for her to say something more but she didn’t.

“It doesn’t feel like nine days ago.” He said, then added

“Are you saying this is going too fast?”

“I’m not sure what you want from me?” she was feeling cornered.

“Do you like me?” he asked with a sinking heart.

“Kinda”

“Do you want a relationship with me?” he asked dreading the answer.

“I don’t want to lose you as a friend” she said.

He forced a smile. But he was not smiling inside.

He forced another smile leaving the room.

Kerri felt bad but she can’t commit to someone just to spare their feelings. That wouldn’t be right. She didn’t want to get distracted by men.

At dinner James and Kerri seemed like everything was fine. Tom nor his family knew anything was wrong. They were rejoicing that an answer to the devastating bug problem had been found. But neither James nor Kerri felt like rejoicing.

James was a rock star to them. His name was going to become a household name among all the farmer’s whose crops he had saved. They would possibly name their sons after him and tell the story for years to come. The man from afar who brought the answer. Saved their crops and livelihoods.

Kerri hoped in a day or two the awkwardness would fade and everything would be as it was.

A message arrived for them to please return to the castle. It didn’t say why or how urgent.

James sent a message back with the man. Telling Tẽra, that they needed four winged little blue birds called Swifts to solve the bug problem and that it was urgent that they find these birds and get them to the farms that needed them.