Creation Ranch 1

I interact with both Zola and Lois in this edited version again. It is has a lot fewer mistakes.

Chapter 1:  Zola and Lois

 

 

“Zola,” I said one day.  “I realize you want to be like a king of your family, but I will not permit it.”

“My Lord!” he shouted, “who are you?”

“Who I am is not important.  You will not be a king for I love you but despise that practice.  Therefore I request you alter the name of your place, the land of your family, where I also shall dwell until I have fulfilled something great in your line grand enough to negate the horrors of Ewodo.  Do not concern yourself.  I will not allow another Ewodo to ever take over your ranch.”

“Are you Deag then?”

I had never considered myself the ultimate God and was not about to then also, but I did not want to imply that I knew of anyone with my immutable abilities either, so I held my peace.  Then I decided to say, “I am a family member of yours if anything.  You know it is not right that you should be a king.  Such things are of the nature of Ewodo and not me.”

“What shall I tell others your name is when I share this conversation with them?”

“Tell them I spoke to you, should you find need to speak of me.  But there is no need to share this conversation with anyone but me.”

“You are me then?”

“No.  I am me, myself, and I …”

“Why do you not want to share your name with me?”

“There is no need.”

“I will call you Deag.”

“I would not do such a thing if I were you.”

“But you are a god?”

“I am not that easy to define, and you will never understand all that I may be.  Therefore be very careful what you call me.”

“Pardon me, My Lord.  I shall not ever dishonor you again.”

“Can you really do that, Zola?”

“What My Lord?  Can I really do what?”

“Never dishonor me again?”

“I can,” Zola said but I realized it would be very difficult for him to accomplish if not impossible.

“You may make the attempt.”

“Why then do you dishonor me by refusing to make me your king?”

“There is no honor in being immoral.”

“Of course, My Lord,” he said, “I am sorry.  Please forgive me.”

“As it is with me concerning the matter so it is with you from now on.  Go from me in good standing.”

With that I left off communicating with Zola but never left his presence until the time of his demise which was this wise.

It was one day when Zola was 62 years old about the 4th hour of the morning when it occurred to me he and his family were the great thing that had made the entire horrible situation with Ewodo bearable and his legacy would be a family forever if I had anything to say about it, and I felt so strongly about it I was about to swear to it.  Thus I called to Zola who was asleep in his bed alone, for his wife had long since passed.

“Zola,” I said.  “I have made a decision concerning you and your family.”

“My Lord,” he said and rubbed his eyes and sat up on the edge of his bed, “Is that you?”

“Yes,” I said and gave him time to collect his wits.

“I have not heard from you since my youth!  I am sorry, My Lord, I did not mean to …?”

“I forgive you in the matter of Lois,” whom I realized at that moment was his daughter by choice; a clandestine affair with a woman he never knew the name of.  “Is there any other bit of remorse you have that I may help you with.”

“I failed you, My Lord, and am not worthy that you should talk to me like this.”

“I was there when you dishonored me in the case of Lois’ conception.  Isn’t it enough for you, Zola, I forgave you for it?  What troubles you now?”

“I have not included Lois among my family, but be pleased, My Lord, and yet allow her to be included from now on.”

 “It shall be as you desire I realize it now.”

“My … my Deag!” he managed and died as I realized his joy had been so profound and his excitement so great that his heart could not stand it, and it burst within his chest just as I took away his pain by realizing it never existed because I could not picture it existing in this dear man in my mind.  And, so Zola passed and I resolved to resurrect him one day, but not now.  His story was finished.  What more could I have him do, what more could I have happen to him than this?

So, I turned the bulk of my attention to Lois who likewise was asleep in her bed, but she was not alone; her lover slept next to her side.  Therefore when I said her name she thought it was her lover.

“Not now, Hap,” she moaned.  “I am so very tired; sleep Hap; sleep.”

“Lois,” I said again.  “It is not Hap talking to you.  It is I.”

“Whom,” she said wondering if someone had entered their sleeping room and intended to announce themselves.

“Lois, don’t you know me?”

“Who are you, My Lord?”

“My name is of no importance.  Zola sent me.”

“Zola!” she whispered very loudly.  “What does Zola have to do with me?”

At this point Hap groaned and mumbled, “Who are you talking to, Lois?”

“No one,” she said and then nervously added, “No one you need to be concerned about.  Now sleep, Hap; sleep.”

Then she got out of bed and took a long shawl, a long garment that resembled a shawl anyway but was long enough to cover a woman’s entire body discretely, and flung it over her naked body and walked to the larger room where she stopped and looked around.

“Where are you, My Lord?” she said thinking perhaps I was still in the bedroom.  “Please do not wake Hap.  He’s a bear when he is awakened before he has slept enough.”

I made certain he could not hear us by closing his ears for a short time.

“Please come out here where we can talk?” she pleaded from the main room of their shack, a very basic two room abode.

“I am here; you just cannot see me, Lois.”

“Why, My Lord, are you a god?”

“Zola called me that.”

“Zola this, Zola that.  What does a man like Zola want with me?”

“You are his daughter, Lois.”

“Mother!” she shouted, “Why didn’t you tell me?” which I thought peculiar since her mother  had given her no place in her life since she deemed children were not good for a harlot’s business, since most men prefer only the company of the harlot herself and become annoyed when children interrupt.

“The harlot never knew,” I said, “and still doesn’t.”

“How do you …?” she said.  “You are Deag!  I cannot believe it!  You are thee Deag!”

I was surprised and said, “Is that so, my lady?” without considering it first.

“You are to me.”

“Even a Deag would be honored by your reaction, my lady.”

“My Lord, I am no lady.  And, how can it be that Zola is my father?”

“Trust me.  I know.  And I also know I will teach you his ways and you will take your rightful place among the rest of Zola’s family.”

She fainted dead away and I unstopped Hap’s ears and shouted, “Light!” in my own language and it was suddenly light there in the bedroom though it was a foggy night and not very light even outside.  Hap rose quickly from his bed and his sleep at once clearly thinking some danger was afoot, and when he ventured to the larger room he saw Lois lying lifelessly on the floor, but ran past her outside; probably thinking he was on the trail of some sort of intruder for he was clearly ready to fight even a Kodiak.  But finding no one he ventured as far as the nearby woods even, in his bare feet.

When Lois awoke she did not realize she was alone, and slipped outside probably thinking Hap was still asleep in bed.  Thus when she sneaked down the path toward the village of Dacica she went undetected by her lover who returned more preoccupied by his sore feet and scratched legs than the whereabouts of his “woman” that no longer lay on the floor where he had last seen her. 

Assuming she had gone back to bed he quickly checked the stash and the safety of his booty and then went back to bed, surprised to find it empty.

“At last I have the bed all to myself,” he sighed as he lay down and soon found sleep seemingly completely unconcerned for Lois in the slightest but only because he was ignorant as to her relationship to the late Zola I assure you.

Author's Note

It is the same story with the errors cleaned up.