Creation Ranch 4

New order of chapters

Chapter 4:  Eli’s Mystery

 

 

When Eli, Tom and Lora returned to the main house they found Lois and Zoe sitting around the table laughing and talking, and assuming … they were surprised at how quickly Zoe was at joining them; Lora and Tom that is, since Eli stayed with Lois to help her in the kitchen.

“From now on that is your job, Eli,” Zoe had said, “Help Lois in the kitchen and you won’t be around under my feet all day.  My challenges have changed.”

Tom and Lora had no more than left when Eric arrived in the kitchen.

“Where’s the queen?” he smiled.

“Do you mean Zoe?” Lois asked Eric who was busy feasting on her … um … beauty.

Eric nodded.

“She just left with Tom and Lora,” Lois said and blushed at Eric’s actions.  “I’m afraid that you must be one of my new brothers the Deag told me about … um …” she looked at Eli, “I’m not supposed to tell anyone about this, right?”

Eli shrugged.

“Welcome,” Eric said, “But it is too bad we are that closely related.”

Lois was flattered but went back to cleaning up the kitchen, and when she turned to see why Eric never said anything he was gone.

“You are in big trouble now, Lois.  When Zoe finds out she will be furious,” Eli said.

Lois walked over to the boy and said, “Now Eli you should know better than to attempt a career as a politician at such a young age?” and she took the boy by the back of the head and buried his head in her bosom.  “You naughty little boy,” she said as she backed away, “What have you been looking at every time my eyes find yours staring at me?  What if word gets out how you are a naughty little boy and touch when looking is all that is permitted and that improperly?  You didn’t know I have a husband, now did you?” she said as the boy, Eli’s, eyes rolled in fear for his face was touching exactly that he had been eying ever since he met Lois.  Then he broke loose and shouted, “Don’t, don’t!” with large black eyes.

“Don’t worry,” she said correcting the looseness of her apparel so that neither man nor woman could see even cleavage.  “I am just as unaware of what you may have done as you are unsure of what I may have said by accident.”  Then she winked and turned her back as Eli took the bucket of eggshells out the back way to the chickens.

His attempted blackmail had not worked.  He knew he had let the cat out of the bag back at the woodpile when he told Tom and Lora about their mission but had hoped to gain some bargaining points with Lois anyway by making her think she would be the one in trouble.  Now it seemed he was walking on eggshells both literally and figuratively, but he smiled; what a way to reach such a place!  So he looked up as they all do when talking to me … I don’t know why … and mumbled a quick, “Thanks,” just before he upended the bucket of eggshells over the top of the coup, and as he nearly always does he wondered about how it came about … Zoe and Ewodo … his mind was full of questions.

How I wished I could tell him that one of the things Zola, her father, had never told anyone was that when Zoe was seventeen Ewodo had taken them prisoner; it doesn’t matter how.  Zola knew Ewodo, a large, fat and very dark man most assumed was an African was going to kill him and Zoe was no help for she had a crush on a young Native woman who was apparently some sort of maid of some kind.  And, when Ewodo picked up on it, he smiled and separated them.

Ewodo took Zoe to his office and said, “You adore Essie, don’t you?”  

Zoe’s eyes brightened.

“Do you know who I am, my dear?” Ewodo asked.  “I am your own personal demon,” he added and moved close to her implying things Zoe wanted no part of it was clear.  Then he opened the door and said, “Run!  Run like hell and hope I don’t change my mind and kill you too.  Stay and your father lives, but I will not say for a certainty he will enjoy his little visit.  You see he wants to drive me and men like me out of this territory; men who murder … blackmail … rape …”  he again added but this time touched her lips and whispered, “That’s right, don’t scream; not yet.”   Then turning he yelled, “Essie come in here please, honey?”

Essie came in with surprising joy in her eyes apparently anticipating being in Zoe’s company while they accomplished something for Mr. Ewodo.  “Yes, what is it, sir?” she asked as she timidly entered the door, very much in awe of the powerful man, who seemed to produce a hunting knife out of nowhere.  She backed off, she was uncomfortable … and as he proceeded to rape Essie there was nothing Zoe could do that would not put her father in danger for as she looked toward the door two men held Zola with a knife to his throat.  When he was done he calmly sliced her throat from ear to ear, stood, put his jewels away, zipped and approached Zoe who stood there in tears, amazed she had not called out, though no one important would have heard anyway, meaning no one who would dare say anything.

Then he walked over to Zoe and began to undress her and as he removed her clothing he spoke thus.  “You were just … well, it doesn’t matter now.  She was an old Native chief’s half breed daughter … queer as you are I’m afraid.  Go ahead cry out to the Deag.  He won’t help you.  You see he and I have this little understanding.  He doesn’t believe I can be a part of his imagination to the point … ah!  Exquisite! … He can never really get rid of me.  You see, I’m his private . . .  demonic image … the one he can never get rid of, the one who is to prove to him that evil does exist in the imagination, in the thoughts, and even in the writings of one like the honorable Deag, and I will prove that to him.  Your father’s armies are about to surround mine and a bloody siege will take place, and I will not survive long enough to hang . . .” He laughed nervously,  “But the Deag knows he cannot resist making you the mother of my child!  He knows that every time you look at it, you will see me.  Every time your father looks at it, he will see me.  Oh, at first I suppose your father will want to kill it, you may even get fond of pain and bailing wire, but you are both too honorable.  It will live.  It will survive.  You will survive.  The Deag is gracious.   It hasn’t done anything wrong anyway . . .”

Zoe cried and whimpered but she would not cry out, she would not scream, and though he raped her and beat her severely, she did not die.  Zola was spared that much.  And Eli was born in Hey’s Inn and afterward Zoe went back to the ranch.  She was free to go.  Ewodo was dead.  The siege was over.  She didn’t want the baby.  Zola didn’t know it existed yet.  And, it would have remained a mystery to this day if Eli hadn’t gone to Creation Ranch looking for his mother, who was too honorable to hide the fact from her father who the boy really is.