Strangers, Strangeness and Surprises
A log rolled from the grate, startling Aleister awake. He'd dozed off in the parlor, it seems...awaiting Jack's return, to no avail.Rousing himself from the sofa, he flipped the log back from whence it strayed and stirred the dying embers. Well, may as well head on to bed then...Al sighed. He was divided between genuine concern for his friend, and for himself. He was lonesome, he knew.
Where was his Alice? She had been napping beside him when he
'd dropped off. Just then, he heard Boreson whinny shrilly in the pasture and the sound of running hoofbeats. What could all this be?
Al stayed prepared nowadays. Grabbing the shotgun by the door and shrugging into his coat, he headed onto the porch outside.
At first he could discern little in the gloom. He took the small electric torch from his coat pocket and switched it on, heading for the pasture gate beside the big barn. Boreson neighed and ran to the gate, pawing excitedly, wild eyes showing white. Al grabbed a rope and hitched it to his halter, opened the gate, and led Boreson, leaping about like a scalded cat, on through. 'There, old boy, what's the matter then, eh?'Al asked his equine companion, patting his sweating neck. Boreson reared up then, snorting; action most uncharacteristic for this Amish-trained Halflinger,always steady and sure as the sunrise.
Al wrapped the rope around the hitching post afew times and
tied his beast up tight; although a smallish horse, Boreson was still a draft animal and formidable indeed. He then turned his attention to the pasture, as he entered, Boreson whinnied a warning, dancing about and pawing the ground madly.
Al shone the light about the dark pasture, which was comprised of many acres of darkness to the light's small luminosity. He saw nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps we should get a good large watch dog, Al thought belatedly, as well as Alice...
He trudged over the uneven ground, tripping here and there in the dark, calling 'Who's there!?' altered with: 'Alice? Kitty, kitty!'
He thought he spied something in the corner of the fenced field. Heading that way, he heard something now, it was Alice! She was racing to and fro and hissing and growling like a thing posessed. But at what? As he neared, he saw.
Good gods! It was a bear!
And his little Alice was trying to keep it at bay!
. . . . . . .
The days were warm now in the canyons of Mexico. Emmeline felt healthier and was taking long herb-gathering hikes up
and down the hills surrounding Esperanza's village. In fact, she thought, as she stood at the top of the ridge gazing about at the miles and miles of hills and canyons surrounding, she had never felt better, at least in mind and spirit, if not quite whole in body. She coughed abit still and found herself winded more than she was used to. 'Take it slow,'Esperanza told her. Em sighed. She wasn't used to doing that. She was too impatient to live.
'You're like a clock wound too tightly! Your minutes will tick by too quickly if you don't learn some control, and slow your thoughts! Admit it you don't sleep well!' Esperanza had told her, and she was right. Her mind was like
a crazed monkey at the worst times...nights she felt, just weren't for sleeping! She could doze in warm afternoon sunshine, but nights...she felt she belonged to the night.
'That's fine, as far as it goes, there are things best done at night, indeed,'Esperanza had agreed,'...But! -- you need to master your thoughts or you will be dragged about by them like being roped to a runaway caballo!' And she motioned Emmeline down next to her on the sheepskins before the fireplace and they both sat cross legged,a maneuver which, Em was surprised to find, the older woman seemed to execute with ease. Esperanza then instructed her on how to breathe.
'Here, from the belly.' She put her warm worn hand on Em's abdomen. 'Breathe in and out deeply. Push energy from your belly, into the chest, and then into your head, and back down and out.'
Em tried this now, sitting on the ground above the arroyo far below, and incorporated something Jack and Yeats had begun to teach her as well, what they called 'zazen' or sitting meditation, counting breaths. In-one, out-two...up to 10 and begin again.
She managed this awhile, in between coughing fits, and after a time, she felt more at ease with herself. She sighed. It just takes practice...and time out from hiding from lynch-mobs, and breaking friends out of jail, and doing battle with the library, and trying to find work and a place to live, etc. etc...
Well, perhaps she could, at last, catch up with herself here. That would be nice for a change.
Suddenly she thought she detected movement on the far ridge across from hers. She slowly stood to a crouch and inched her way behind the manzanita.Narrowing her gaze she pulled her wide hat brim down to shade her as she studied the trees and brush that lined the mesa yonder. There! Someone or something had just moved behind that tree...too tall to be an animal. Moved like a man. Could be someone from the village, but they usually would greet her, not skulk about.
Best hie thee to home, girl, she told herself.
So much for catching up, she thought.
. . . . .
'Alice!' Aleister yelled, thinking only to distract the bear. Not large, a young brown bear it seemed, although hard to make out in the dark. Al shouldered his rifle and aimed, although he hated to kill any living creature, it was especially loathesome for a man dedicated to saving lives. Alice stood her ground still, crouching and growling low. The bear regarded Aleister then and ducked it's head as if to charge. Al pulled the trigger. And missed.
Luckily, or not, thought Al,hoping to have hit him, the bear turned tail and ran.
'Alice!' Al commanded. As the bear loped off toward the safety of the trees, Al strode toward his little calico defender,still crouching frozen. 'Alice...baby...are you alright?' He squatted next to her and gently touched her back. She growled. She was in shock, Al realized, but seemed otherwise unharmed. He lay the gun down and took his coat off, and wrapped it around her.
He scooped up Alice, coat and all, having left a wee aperture for her head, and taking the gun, he headed back to the house. What to do now?
He had to get Boreson somewhere safe. It was nearing 11 o'clock when he left the house. Woody's would still be fairly lively and he could get there in about half an hour.
Woody wouldn't mind letting Boreson stable there overnight.
And there was the added safety of being across the wide river from the bear.Al and Alice could sack out in the backroom of the Lizard while Al thought about what to do.
Al took Alice into the barn and lighted a lantern, then made a cozy nest in the hay with her in his coat still. He inspected her as much as she'd allow and found her safe and sound, just scared out of her wee wits momentarily, shivering with nerves. Al shook his head, wondering at his cat's intrepid defense against a bear of all things! But he had to get moving. He saddled up Boreson who stood sweating and shivering , and gave him a handfull of oats which the animal wasn't too beside himself to give attention to, and then fetching his hat and another coat and blankets from the house, Al locked up and taking the shotgun and Alice still wrapped in his mac, up against his stomach before him in the saddle, they were on the road to Woody's.
Hopefully they'd get to the bridge before Mr. Bear.
. . . . .
Emmeline found no one home at Esperanza's so she went across the creek to see Carlos. Habanera and Lobo came trotting up to greet her, tails awag, sniffing where she'd been.She patted the big wolf dogs and went to find Carlos in his workroom, stringing a violin and humming to himself with the satisfaction of nearly completing a long job done well.
'Carlos! Buenos...dias? Or is it tardes already?' Em smiled at her music mentor and friend.
'Ah! Emmeline! Come in! Do have a seat...what do you think of her, eh?' He held up the violin proudly, a beautiful piece of work.
'Absolutley gorgeous, Carlos! Who is it for?'
'I don't know...I've been here working since daybreak...it could be tardes already. Who cares?' He smiled. Em was confused, wondering who Tardis was.Then she realized he had answered only her first question, and smiled in return.
'Ah, it's to be for a Norte Americano, but someone with relatives here in the village. Not a gringo. In fact, someone living not too far from where you hail. It is going on a journey to San Francisco.'
Em frowned then, thinking of what she now had labeled The Past and had since stored away in the far attics of her mind, not wishing to be reminded of the jumble of chaos remaining therein. She tried to never think of it and to focus entirely on Here and Now. It was exceedingly unpleasant to be reminded of The Past.But then, there was that skulking dark figure on the hill...
'Carlos...I was up on the ridge and I thought I saw someone over on the western mesa, a tall dark figure. I just glimpsed it for a minute, but...'She didn't know how to express what was just an uncanny feeling. '...well, it didn't seem to be anyone from the village here. They would be out in the open, not trying to hide.'
Carlos regarded her seriously, putting the instrument down.
'No one you recognize then?'
'Didn't really get a chance to see them properly. They seemed hooded and cloaked, all in black.'
He frowned in turn. 'Hmmm...could be someone out hunting...
but, just to be sure, perhaps you stay near Esperanza's and keep close to the village awhile, si? We are fairly safe here, nena...no one could enter from outside the pale, you see. But...there are some who have a certain access, by the back door,you may say.'He gave Em a curious glance.
'Where is Esperanza? She's not at home.'
'Oh, she's off to the see the wool woman, you know, Elena, who keeps the sheep in the valle. That's why I'm keeping los lobos here. For some reason, they make the sheep nervous.' He grinned.
'I sympathize with the sheep,'Em did. She felt rather stalked herself at the moment.
'No worries, nena! We'll see what Esperanza has to say about your mystery man. Meanwhile, los lobos are on guard here!
Fear not.'He stood and smiled at her. 'Well, this job is nearly finished. How about lunch? I've made a fine stew...with plenty of comino and chilie peppers just as you like, eh?'
Em felt a little better then, with chilie figuring prominently in the Here and Now.
. . . . .
Al heaved a sigh of relief as he crossed the bridge into West Pankhurst at last, bear-free. Boreson was sweaty and jumpy still, snorting and starting at moon shadows and totally unlike his steady self. Alice rode quietly and had inched herself deep inside his coat making herself small as possible against his warm stomach. Poor bloody creatures, thought Al. But, soon, they'll all be fairly safe and secure for the night at least.
The Leaping Lizard was a welcoming sight all alight and soon Al could catch strains of fiddle and banjo ringing out into the late evening. They would be wrapping things up around midnight which Al knew was soon. He rode around the stray groups of folk smoking and talking outside in the chillish air of late spring, and continued on back to Woody's stable where he unsaddled Boreson and haltered him, and gave him a nice rubdown just to help settle the beast's poor nerves then gave him a cup of oats and some hay and water and put him in a stall next to Woody's old grey who was now too old for much, but Woody kept him like a prize racehorse still, for old time's sake.Sentimental, like me, thought Aleister, as he scooped up Alice again and took her wrapped like a mummy in his coat, into the bar which was quiet now with folks winding down the night at last. His shotgun Al had stored in the tack box in the stable for the time being, as Woody didn't allow firearms on the premesis.Recalling Jack's troubles there, a good thing too, thought Al.
Greeting a few people Al recognized, some of them recent patients, Al headed in back of the room and found Woody there wiping down the mahogany bar and glad-handing a few
gents farewell. Woody saw Al and raised a hand his way.
'Well, party's about over, Doc! What brings you here in the midnight hour?' Woody heartily shook Al's free hand.
'And what's that you got there?'He nodded at the coat wrapped up under Aleister's arm.
Al sighed and took a seat at the bar, setting Alice in his lap, who stayed well-hidden. 'Been quite a night, Woody. Have you any coffee? And a brandy, if you please.'
Woody was a good judge of people and moods, having made serving the public his business. He said not a word as he
readied a cup of black thick midnight java and pouring brandy in a snifter, set it sideways on the coffee cup to warm, just as the doc liked it.
'Thanks. When you have a minute, we need to talk, Woody.'
Al eyed him seriously.
'You got it, Doc. Give me a sec to see to these stragglers, and I'm all ears.' Woody collared a bartender who was sweeping up and set him to patron-wrangling and herding the strays on out the door, then he poured himself the last of the syrupy coffee and a shot for himself and took a seat next to Aleister.
Al looked about finding only the staff cleaning up about them now. He sniffed the warm brandy's bracing scent and took a sip. An another. 'Had a run-in with a bear tonight.'
'Good lordamighty! You don't say? Where?' Woody knew bear talk was serious stuff.
Al sighed. 'At the house. Well, out in the pasture, really...'
and he recounted the whole surreal scene for his captive audience, now encluding most of the staff who had heard the word 'bear' and were now all about Aleister like moth to flame. '...and this little package...is my brave watch cat, little Calico Alice...the Bear Warrior.' Al's eyes misted up abit as he touched the warm little lump not stirring still upon his lap.
'Ooooohhhh...the poor little thing!' Sugar the waitress was at Al's side then, and put her hand on his shoulder. 'It's amazing what our animals will do for us sometimes! She's still scared, isn't she?'
Al nodded and finished his brandy. Woody poured him another. 'On the house,' he said, and a shot all round for staff. This was now a community affair.
Taking another gulp, Al continued,'The thing is, although I have taken the liberty of putting up Boreson in your stable...?' Al looked enquiringly at Woody who nodded,patting his shoulder in consent, 'Jack and Trotsky are out of town, gone up in the hills to Homer and Jethro's. He's been out there alot of late. And I don't believe he'll be back tonight but...he doesn't know we're being stalked now. He'd turn his bay out into the same pasture where I found our bear.'
One of the bouncers spoke up then, Tom. Al recalled he'd come to see him last week regarding a sprain received in line of duty at Woody's. 'Say, doc! I head back up that way on weekends. In fact, I was going back up tonight. I could stop at Homer's and let Jack and them know about our lil' bear problem...be no trouble. And the shoulder's feeling better now too, by the way.'
Al closed his eyes with relief. 'That'd be a mercy, Tom! Thank you! Next visit's on me--no charge!' Al suddenly felt the adrenaline drain from his system at once. 'Finally, I can take a moment to just breathe...'
'Well, we're safe enough on this side of the river, 'long as Mr. Bear doesn't find the bridge...that's aways from your place...but word should go out that there's a bear headin' for town!' Woody looked around at his people and they nodded unanimous agreement.
By the next day, the whole town would no doubt be up in arms and loaded for bear.
. . . .
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