Chapter Ten Lily

Lily steals a backpack and tries to find her way out of the mountains. Jacob follows her. The people from Davis Brown Farm visit the Lodge.

Chapter Ten

Lily

      Jacob glanced at her as he continued his task.  "I'm not going to have sex with you," he said.  Lily stared at him.
      "Why not?" she asked, and then she furiously berated herself.  You idiot, Lily, she thought.  What does it matter?  It looks like you might be safe for another night.
      "For one thing, I don't think that it would be all that comfortable to have sex right here.  For another thing, I'm not allowed to have sex before I'm sixteen.  I won't be sixteen until August.  But mainly, I’m not going to have sex with you, because you don't want me to have sex with you," Jacob said as he finished unlacing his bag.
      For some reason, Lily's mind focused on his second reason.  He is not allowed to have sex before he's sixteen?  Lily looked at him.  He was young.  He was much younger than she had originally guessed.  He was fifteen.
      "Who are you?" she asked.  She found it unbelievable that she had not asked him this until now.  "Where are you from?"
      "I'm Jacob," the boy replied.  "I'm from a camp about five days away from here."
      Lily thought about that.  "What kind of camp?" she asked.
      "It was supposed to be a camp about birth control for kids," replied Jacob.  "There are kids there from all over California and Nevada.  But then the Fog came.  The adults all left except for one lady.  Then she was killed by some bad guys."
      Lily stared at him astonished and with disbelief.  "You come from a camp of kids?  There are no adults there?"
      "There are two adults.  Hector is a man from a logging camp who found us and stayed with us.  Jean is a United States Forest Ranger," replied Jacob.  He frowned.  "I guess you could count Mrs. Brown as the third adult.  She lives on a farm nearby."
      Lily's mind was reeling.  This was unbelievable.  "What do you mean, the Fog came?"
      Abruptly Jacob stopped what he was doing and stared at her.  She could tell that he was startled by her question.
      "You don't know about the Fog?" he asked.  Lily shook her head.
      "Something has happened to the world.  At least we think that it's all over the world.  Some kind of fog is surrounding us.  The only land that's not covered, is above six thousand seven hundred feet," explained Jacob.
      Lily looked at him like he was addled.  "A fog," she said.  "A fog that covers the whole world up to almost seven thousand feet."
      "Yes.  What did you think had happened?" asked Jacob.
      "I saw what happened," she insisted.  "Some men took over the Eagle’s Retreat where I was staying.  That was last year.  They started mistreating people.  They killed some people.  They started raping women, and they intimidated others into having sex with them.  They control the phones, they disconnected the TV's, and somehow they are blocking the satellite cable, and they did it all so that they could set up their own little kingdom, here in the mountains."
      "How's their food situation?" asked Jacob.
      Lily ducked her head.  "Not good," she said.  "We had a lot in the beginning.  That's the other reason I escaped.  I could see that we were running out of food.  I don't know why they haven't resupplied.  Maybe they are afraid that someone is going to find out what they are doing.  They tried to slaughter a sheep and eat it, but everyone who ate some of the meat got sick."  

Jacob didn't say anything.  He thought that she would find out the truth soon enough.  I wondered how she would feel then.

      "What's your name?" he asked.
      "I'm Lily," she replied.  

After that, they slept.  When Lily awoke, she felt rested for the first time in a year.  Once again she followed Jacob.

      Lily took over the cooking chores.  When Jacob caught it, Lily prepared it.  She cleaned up afterwards.  She tried to give Jacob his mummy bag and take her blankets back.  Jacob was gentle but firm.  The answer was, "no."  She didn't press it.  She was alive, and she was free, at least for the moment, and Jacob seemed intent on keeping her that way.  She still didn't quite believe that the bad times were over, but at least he had not tried to force her to have sex with him.
      Once, he asked her how old she was.  She told him that she was twenty one.  He responded by saying that she would be the third adult in their camp.  She didn't tell him that she had no intention of staying in their camp, and that she was headed down the mountain as soon as possible.  She knew that he was making up much of what he told her.  She did not know why.  She wondered how he would explain the fantasy when they got to where they were going, where ever that was.
      On the third day of their travels together, they came to a stream.  Jacob turned right towards the west, and they followed the stream.  The next day, the stream grew larger and faster as it gathered the water from other small streams, and the day after that, it became a river.  About noon, Jacob stopped. Behind him, Lily stopped also.  She could tell that Jacob was alert and listening.
      For a moment her fear returned, but then Jacob said in a loud voice, "It's Jacob."
      A minute later, she saw two boys come out of the woods.  They hailed Jacob.  The smaller boy was an African-American.  The other boy was lighter but not by much.
      "Hey, Bro," the younger boy said.  "You're back early."  He looked at Lily with reserve in his eyes.
      "Change of plans," said Jacob.  "This is Lily.  She's from the Retreat."  He looked at Lily, and he pointed to the younger boy.  "That's Eric.  And that's Ahmad."
      Lily had been examining the two boys.  Startled, she looked back at Jacob.  This was the first time he had indicated that he had already known about the Retreat.  She kept silent, waiting to see what would happen.
      "Do you want one of us to run down and tell the Chief?" asked Ahmad.
      "No need.  We'll be there soon enough," answered Jacob.
      "How's your food?" asked Eric.  "You hungry?"
      "Nah," answered Jacob.  "We've been eating.  What have you got to drink?"
      "Mrs. Brown sent us a whole canister of Kool-Aid," said Eric.  "The Chief is reserving it for the patrols.  But you can have some."
      "Cool," replied Jacob, his eyes lighting up.
      Eric handed him a thermos.  Jacob took it and, ignoring the screw-on cup, drank straight from the thermos.  Then guiltily he looked at Lily.
      "Want some?" he asked, indicating that she could use the cup.
      Typical boy, she thought.  "No, thank you," she answered politely.  She took a drink from her water bottle.
      After exchanging a few more words with the patrol, Jacob and Lily continued their journey along the swiftly running river.  At sunset they came out of the woods, and Lily got her first look at the camp.  The sight of the crude Lodge astonished and alarmed her, but the A-frame cabin and the dining hall and the big yellow bus beside the heavy machinery in the parking lot conveyed some sense of normalcy.
      "I need to check in," said Jacob.  "But first, I think I'll use the bathroom," he added with a blush.  He headed for the Lodge.
      Lily saw a woman talking to a teenage boy.  When she approached them, they were obviously surprised to see her.
      "Pardon me," she said with a smile.  "Can you direct me to the Administration Office?"
      "Uh...it's over there," the woman said while staring at Lily.  She pointed to the A-frame cabin.  Lily thanked the woman, and she went to the cabin.  She knocked on the door.
      "It's open," came a voice from inside.  Lily opened the door, and she stepped inside.  She saw a young boy staring at her.
      "Hello," she said.  "Is the person in charge, here?"
      "Who are you?" the boy demanded.
      "I'm Lily," she replied patiently.  "I came here with Jacob.  I need to speak with the person in charge of the camp."
      "Jacob's back?" the boy asked.  "Where is he?"
      "He is using the restroom.  I really need to speak to the person in charge," replied Lily.
      At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and then a man and the woman that Lily had just spoken to entered the cabin.
      "Hey, Chief," the man said.  "Everything okay?"
      "I guess so," said Mike.  "This woman says that she came here with Jacob.  Supposedly he's using the Porta Potty."
      Jacob came through the door.  "Hello, Chief," he said.
      "What's going on here?" demanded Lily.  "Where is your Administrator?"  Her fear had returned.  She had thought that everything would soon be back to normal, but nothing seemed normal about this place.
      Jacob, Hector and Jean looked at Mike.
      "I'm in charge here," he said.  "My name is Mike, but most everyone calls me Chief."
      "This is Lily, Chief," said Jacob.  "She's from the Retreat.  She doesn't know about the Fog."
      Jean gasped.  "You're from the Retreat?"
      Lily didn't answer.  Her mind was numb.  She sat down heavily on the bed.  "This can't be happening," she whispered to herself.
      Jean looked at her with pity, and then Jean said to Mike, "Chief, can I be alone with her for a minute?"
      "Sure," said Mike.  "Take your time.  Let's go guys."  The three males left the cabin.
      "I didn't get to the Retreat, Chief," said Jacob.  "I found her about a week away.  I decided that you would want me to stop and bring her here.  I'm sorry."
      "Good job, Jacob," said Mike.  "You can go back later.  I was already thinking that sending you there alone was a bad idea.  About Lily.  It's late, so I'm going to let her stay in my place tonight.  I want you to stay there, too."
      Jacob's mouth dropped open.  "What?" he said.
      "Upstairs," explained Mike patiently.  "In the loft.  Just so she'll have someone around who she's familiar with.  Tomorrow, I’ll move her to a bunk."
      "Oh.  All right," replied Jacob.
      The next day, Lily feeling weary and subdued, met with Mike and his Council.  She gave them an account of her experiences at the retreat.
      "Jacob, why do you think that they got sick from eating that sheep?" asked Mike.
      "Didn't prepare it properly.  Sounds like they cut the stomach or intestines," replied Jacob.
      "Have they tried to eat another sheep, Lily?" asked Mike.
      "Not while I was there.  No one wanted to take the chance," was her answer.  ”We were living on deer and goat milk.”
      "How many of those people are still alive?"
      "When I left, there were five men, eight women and four kids, but one man was very sick," answered Lily.  “He might not survive.”
      "Seventeen people," said Mike slowly.  He stopped talking and thought about it.  Then he looked at Jacob.
      "Jacob, do you think that you could prepare one of those sheep properly?" he asked.
      "Yes, I could do that," Jacob responded.  Mike thought about it some more.
      "Lily, are they keeping a close watch on those sheep?" Mike asked.
      "They didn't seem to be watching them at all," she replied.  Mike nodded.
      "Jacob, I want you to write down a detailed description of how to prepare the sheep for cooking.  Lily, you draw some diagrams for him.  When you are ready Jacob, I want you and Jean to go to the Retreat.  Steal a sheep.  Slaughter it and prepare it so that it's ready to be cooked.  Then leave it where they will find it.  Attach the diagrams to the sheep."  Mike finished speaking and looked around, waiting for their reactions.
      For a moment, no one spoke.  Then they all spoke at once.  Mike raised his hand.  "One at a time.  Erin?"
      "Chief, I get your point, but if you do this, you are letting them know that we are here.  Or at least that someone is somewhere."
      "They won't know what direction we are," answered Jean.  "And I'm sure that Jacob and I can point them in a different direction."
      "I not crazy about the idea," confessed Howard.  "But there are children there."
      Mike looked at his carpenter.  "Hector?"
      Hector shook his head.  "Amigo, you never fail to amaze me.  We have a choice, here.  We can keep ourselves safely hidden from these evil people, or we can try to save the children.  We already know what you are going to do."  The room fell silent.
      After a moment, Jacob spoke.  "Yes, we know what the Chief will do.  That's why he's the Chief.  So let's get it done."
      Two days later the plan took a drastic change.  It began that morning when Gabby came to Chief’s Headquarters to complain.
      "Some one stole some food, Chief," she said.  "They took some of the smoked meat that we save for the patrols.  And they took some roasted potatoes that we were going to serve for lunch today.  And they stole a thermos."
      Mike was mystified.  "I can see why some of our goofballs might steal some of the jerky.  But why would anyone steal potatoes?"
      A little later, Jacob came by.  "Have you seen, Lily?" he asked.  "I need her to draw some pictures of my instructions for preparing the sheep."
      "I haven't seen her," replied Mike absently.  Then a thought came into his head.
      "She’s having a hard time accepting that the Fog is real, isn't she, Jacob?"
      "Yeah.  I'm still not sure that she believes us," answered Jacob.
      "Jacob, find her.  As soon as possible," said Mike.
      Jacob gave him a questioning look.  "Something wrong?" he asked.
      "I'm not sure yet.  But go find her. Now."
      Lily could not be found.  But someone's backpack turned up missing.  And the last one to see her was the girl at the guard post on the road overlooking the camp.
      "Sure, I saw her, Chief," she said.  "She said she was going down to the Hanging Tree to draw it.  She said something about drawing it for our history."
      "Did you see her come back," asked Mike.
      "Uh...no," she answered uneasily.  "I got off my shift right after that.  Did I screw up?"
      "No, it's all right," Mike answered.  Mike went to find Jacob.  He told Jacob what he had learned.
      "She's gone," said Jacob.  "Chief..."
      "Yeah, go find her," said Mike.
      Jacob was on the road in minutes.  He walked swiftly, not taking his time as he usually did.  He was worried about Lily, more than he cared to admit to himself.  Would she try to go through the Fog?  He shuddered at the idea.
      He walked far into the night, but he did not overtake her.  Eventually, he had to rest.  He slept for five hours, and then he set off again.  He remembered the first time that he had made this hike.  He was in much better shape now.  The days in the woods had toughened him, and had honed his senses.
      For a second day he followed Lily.  Then, a few hours after dark, he stopped.  She was close.  He did not know how he knew, but he sensed that she was close.  Then faintly he heard her crying.  His blood ran cold, and he began to run.
      "Lily!" he called.  "Lily!"
      "Jacob?  Jacob is that you?"  She stopped crying, and she called to him.  He found her.  She was just off the road in a small clearing.  She flung herself into his arms, and she started crying again.
      "Lily, are you hurt?" he asked urgently.
      She wiped her eyes and gave him a shaky laugh.  "No.  Sorry.  Just feeling miserable, that's all.  I can't see very well.  I should have stolen a flashlight, too, I guess.  I saw a dog tonight.  It scared me."
Jacob did not respond to that.  He doubted that the animal she had seen was a dog.
      Jacob had his LED flashlight.  He quickly made a fire.  Shortly, they were warming their hands by its flame.  Jacob saw that Lily had put of all her clothes on again.  She was carrying her blankets.  And she had a club of wood.
      "So you found out," Lily said as she stared into the fire.
      "Yes."
      "I'm sorry for stealing your food.  I’m sorry I stole the backpack."
      "You could have asked," said Jacob flatly.
      "Would your boss have given me some?  Would he have let me go?" she asked
      "We call him, Chief.  Yes, he would have given you food.  Yes he would have let you borrow a backpack.  Yes, he would have let you go.  He's not running a prison.  He's trying to keep us alive.  He's even going to try to keep those men at the Retreat alive, because he hopes that will keep those kids alive.  You would have known that if you had asked me," said Jacob sadly.
      Lily was silent, and then she spoke.  "I'm sorry, Jacob.  I still not used to the freedom that your people have.   But there must be a way out of here.  I've got to find it."
      Jacob sighed.  "I need to sleep," he said.  "Give me your blankets."  Lily did not argue.  She handed Jacob her blankets, and she took his mummy bag.  Jacob rolled up in her blankets, and he fell asleep.
      The next morning, Jacob said, "Let's go."
      Lily balked.  "Where are we going?" she demanded.
      "To the Fog," he answered.
      By the end of the day, they were barely a half mile from where Jacob had first encountered the fog.  Jacob insisted that they stop.  He didn't want to be closer that this to whatever was in the deadly mist.  He didn't make a fire.  They ate cold food, and then they lay in their sleeping gear talking.
      “I wonder why the men at the Retreat didn’t tell us that we were surrounded by this mist of yours,” Lily mused.
      “Good question.”
      “Why didn’t you tell me that you knew about the Retreat,” asked Lily.
      “Didn’t know if I should.  Waited to talk to the Chief,” he replied.
      Lily thought about that.  “You’re very loyal to him,” she offered.  “Why it that?”
      “He’s loyal to me,” was his reply.

Jacob slept next to Lily that night.  Lily reflected on the fact that she did not feel disturbed at having him so close.  She accepted it as a sign that she was recovering.  She was glad that he was near.  Once again, she imagined a conversation with a woman from the distant past.

      "They are not all like that," the woman would say.  "Some will feed you, clothe you, and protect you, and ask nothing of you in return.  What ever you decide to share will be up to you.  Some of them will say that it's because they are decent.  Some will say that it's because they are honorable.  Some will say that it's because they are civilized.  Whatever their reason, they are why our tribe has not just survived, but actually grown stronger."
      In the morning, they packed their gear, and they walked to the fog.  As they approached, Lily stared in dismay at the dreary brown mist covering the ground.  She stopped walking.  Her eyes filled with tears.  She turned and went well back up the road before she sat down.  She put her head against her knees and sobbed.
      But Jacob was intently examining the landscape.  He looked at where he was.  He looked at the land on either side of the road.  He bent down, and he studied the ground.  He took a large rock, and he started to throw it into the fog.  Then he hesitated.  He wasn't alone, he remembered.  And besides, throwing the rock would only be an act of defiance.  He went back to Lily.
      "Lily," he said.  When she didn't respond he said it louder.  "Lily!"  She looked up at him.  "It's going down."  Her eyes were bleak and red.  She wasn't hearing him.
      "Lily, listen to me," he urged.  "The Fog is going down.  The more he thought about it, the more excited he felt.
      "What," she asked.
      "The Fog.  It's not as high as it used to be.  Last year you would have been sitting in it."
      She rubbed her eyes.  "It's going down?  It’s receding?”
      "Yes, it's going down." Jacob turned and looked at the edge of the fog.  "It's going down," he whispered with satisfaction in his voice.
      He looked around again.  On either side of the road there was some reddish brown goo on the ground.  But grass was growing through it.  He looked up.  For the first time he was struck by the fact that the trees whose trunks disappeared into the fog below, did not seemed to be dying.  They looked perfectly healthy.
      "We have to get back, Lily," said Jacob.  "We have to get back and tell the Chief.
      Lily winced.  "Do you think I can go back?  Do you think that your Chief will let me come back?"
      He smiled at her as they started walking back the way they had come.  "Oh, he'll be pissed.  But he'll let you back in the tribe."
      "After hearing you talk about him, I would think that he would devise some gruesome punishment for me," she muttered.
      "Yeah, probably," he said cheerfully.  "But look on the bright side.  At least he won't hang you."
      "Ha, ha," said Lily with a scowl.  

But she was glad of one thing.  Jacob seemed animated.  He seemed happy.  And Jacob’s cheerfulness was infectious.

      Three days later, the embarrassed woman stood in front of Mike, and she listened to an ear scalding lecture.  It was humiliating, she thought glumly, for a twenty one year old woman to have to listen to a scolding from a fourteen year old boy.  Still it was only proper that she take her medicine.  Mike sentenced her to clean the Porta Potties for a month, which actually caused the rest of the tribe to generously forgive her theft.  One boy even suggested that, at the end of her month, she steal something else.  In addition to cleaning the toilets, she was to begin a visual record of their tribe.
      "And the first picture that you draw will be the Hanging Tree," Mike said sarcastically.  Lily winced.
      Mike was excited to hear Jacob's report.  He had Jacob describe what he had seen at Meeting that night.  By the time Jacob finished speaking, the tribe was cheering.
      "How low do you think the Fog is now, Jacob?" asked Eric.
      "I think it's down to about six thousand four hundred feet," replied Jacob.  "It went down about three hundred fifty feet in one year."
      The cheers were slightly muted at that observation.  It would take two decades for the Fog to dissipate at that rate.  But they realized that there was a chance, that one day they would live once again in a world without the Fog.
      "But the problem of my moss covered three handled gredunza remains," commented Mike the next day.
      "Huh?" said most of the Council.
      "Cat in the Hat," explained Gabby.
      "Who let you in here?" asked Mike
      "You know, Chief, it wouldn't hurt to have one of the younger kids on your staff," offered Gabby.
      "One of the younger kids," repeated Mike.  "Well, that would be me."  Gabby looked surprised.
      "How old are you, Chief?" she asked.
      "I'm fourteen," he replied.  Gabby giggled.  "And a half," he added defensively.  "Now get lost."
      "Going, going, gone," she said airily as she left.
      "Now where was I," he said.
      "You were saying that we have a problem with a moss covered three handled gredunza," said Hector. "What ever that is."
      "What I meant to say is that Jacob and Jean still have to go to the Retreat and do the sheep thing," said Mike.
      "We'll be ready in twenty four hours, Chief," said Jean.
      The next day, Mike met with Jacob and Jean before they left.
      "Two weeks to get there, two weeks back, one week to do the job," he said.  "Six weeks if you run into trouble.  After six weeks, I'm going to get worried.  After seven weeks, I'm going to get really worried.  After eight weeks, I'm going to get pissed.  And I want you to take the Admin’s whistles.  Use them if you get separated."
      "We'll be fine," said Jacob as they left Chief’s Headquarters.
      "Famous last words," muttered Mike.
      Outside, the two scouts found Howard and Lily.  Howard didn't say much.  He just wanted a few kisses, and he warned Jean not to pick up stray men.
      Lily asked Jacob if he had enough food.  He assured her he did.  She asked him if he had enough water.  He assured her that he did.  She asked him if he had packed his tube of Neosporin.  He assured her that he had.  She asked him if he had packed enough clean underwear.  Jacob blinked at that, and said that he and Jean really needed to leave now.  Right now.  So they left.  It was the first day of May.
      April had become May.   The snow was gone at this elevation.  Hector and Kathy were busy making shingles for the roof of the Lodge.  Hector vowed that the roof would have less than five leaks come winter.  Mike didn't have enough guilty people to cover the stuff under the Porta Potties, so Mike made everyone carry a few buckets of dirt to cover the excrement.  The tanks were reinstalled in the Porta Potties to everyone’s aromatic relief.
      Mike sent another pair of boys to the Brown farm in May.  Tyler returned eager to see Gabby.  Gabby sat him down for a long talk, and she told him that although she was fond of him, she didn't think that she was ready for a serious relationship, being that she had just turned thirteen.  Disappointed Tyler started to leave, only to find that Gabby had covered the plastic chair with a thin layer of glue.  Mike threatened to make them stay in their underwear for a week, even if it took every tube of sun screen in the camp.
      Desi and John were enjoying their single room, especially since some of the girls were camping in the bus at night.  This meant that it was not as crowded in the living areas of the Lodge.  The bus got very warm during the day which made the vehicle a toasty place for the girls to gather together.  The only problem that the girls had was finding enough coverings to hang over all the windows at night, since the area right outside the bus had become a favorite loitering spot for some boys.  The girls asked Mike to intervene, but he was surprisingly unsympathetic.
      Mary came down with her tractor, and she plowed some of the meadow.  She planted ten acres of wheat, five acres of feed and five acres of oats.  The kids griped about the loss of so much of their playing area, but they helped sow the seeds.
      "I believe that we can make oatmeal and oat cereal," Mary said.    They were cutting the whole milk with water.  Mary told the kids that if they built a chicken coop, she would give them some chicks.  Mike said that, no, Hector could not help them.  Hector did tell them about a roll of metal wire still up at the old logging camp.  Several of the kids, led by Rasul, hiked up to the logging camp, and they carried the wire back.  Hector didn't help them build the chicken coop, but Kathy lent them a hand.  Kylie and Paige came to visit, and they helped, too.
      Mike worried that the patrols were not covering the Brown farm.  One day, he thought about the RV that was still in the bikers clearing.  He asked Hector to see if the RV could be started.  It could but just barely.  The winter’s cold had damaged the motor.  But Hector got it started, and he and some of the kids managed to roll it down to the junction of the gravel road and the logging road.  It became a guard house.  Mike asked for volunteers to man it.  Those who were willing to stay for forty eight hours had to walk to and from the RV.  Those who were willing to stay for a week were taught to ride a motorcycle.  There were several volunteers to stay a week, and Mike had to relent and allow girls to be RV guards.
      This meant that one of the motorcycles was stationed about half way between the Lodge and the Brown farm.  The Council agreed that this was a good way to speed communications between the two communities in case of an emergency.
      By the end of May, Hector and Kathy finished shingling the roof of the Lodge.  Hector told Mike that he wanted to take a stab at building a fireplace on the east side.  Mike agreed provided that after forty five days, if he was not finished, he would replace the wood wall that he had removed.  Hector began to gather stones and remove the wall.
      Lily's latrine duty was finally over.  During the day she was busy making drawings in charcoal of the various historical sites of the camp, including the infamous Hanging Tree and the graveyard.  The kids also insisted that she make a drawing of Mike's Throw.  At night, she had been helping Howard to develop drawings of plants in the forest that could be harvested for food.  Howard knew most of them by sight, but he wanted to wait until Jean confirmed their accuracy before he used the drawings.  Together, they worried about Jean and Jacob.  When the middle of June arrived, Howard and Lily went to see Mike.

"Where are they?" demanded Lily.

      "Good question," answered Mike.  "We knew that this might take some time.  They know what they're doing.  Let's give them another week before we panic."
      Except for worrying about the two scouts, the year was passing pleasantly, so far.  The grain was growing well in the meadow.  The hunters had brought back another buck.  They were getting regular shipments of vegetables, milk, butter and bread from the farm.  There were the usual squabbles but nothing too serious.  Even Tyler and Gabby were behaving.
      But another week passed, and there was still no sign of the scouts.  Seven weeks, thought Mike with a heavy heart.  Seven weeks.  Howard was grim faced, and he was becoming unpleasant to be around.  The only one he would talk to was Lily.
      Another week passed.  The whole camp was worried now.  Howard demanded that Mike send him and the Spears up to the Retreat to look for Jacob and Jean.  Mike agreed to discuss it that night.  After talking it over with the Council, there was unanimous consensus that they would have to go in strength to the Retreat.
      But the next morning as they prepared to leave, the motorcycle from the RV guard post came roaring into camp with the message that Jacob and Lily were at Davis Brown Farm.  Jacob had twisted an ankle, and they were both bone tired and in need of a long sleep.
      "They got in late last night," said Ralph.  "Mary is planning to bring them home in the wagon tomorrow.  They really need to sleep today.  Ralph had ridden one of the horses to the RV guard post, and the guards had agreed that this was an emergency.
      There was happy relief in the Lodge.  Ralph was thanked repeatedly for swiftly bringing the message.
      "Thanks, man, for coming to tell us so quick.  I really appreciate that," said Howard shaking Ralph's hand vigorously.  Lily wanted to ride the motorcycle up to the farm, but Ralph convinced her that the two desperately needed to sleep.
      "I promise you, Lily, that you will see them tomorrow," he said.
      He met privately with Mike.  "I hope you can make sleeping arrangements for all of us.  The girls are coming.  So are Comet and Star.  I'll leave the boys to watch the farm and to do the chores.  I need to get back, now.  We'll need the horse for the wagon tomorrow, and I want her rested."
      "Anything you need, Ralph.  Anything," responded Mike.  Ralph rode the motorcycle back to the RV post, and then he rode his horse home.
      There was joy in the camp that day.  Desi and Yuie suggested that cakes should be baked to celebrate.  Mike agreed, but he suggested that they wait and bake them in the morning, so that the cakes would be fresh for the scouts who were expected in the late afternoon.
      The next day everyone waited impatiently for time to pass.  The cakes were baked, and then fresh butter was spread on top while they were still hot.  Mike allowed people to wait at the top of the hill, but they were forbidden to go down to the Hanging Tree, because he was afraid someone's foot would get run over if there was a pressing crowd on the narrow road.
      As darkness arrived, the wagon appeared and a cheer went up.  Jacob and Jean were sitting on the bench next to Mary.  Paige, Kylie, Star, Comet, and Ralph were riding in the back.  The cheering got louder as the wagon approached.  Jean waved to the crowd.  Jacob appeared to be startled and annoyed at the fuss.  The wagon came up and over the hill, and the boisterous crowd followed it down to the parking lot.
      Jean and Jacob jumped down, and then they were immediately surrounded by the mob.  Mike had to yell at them to let Howard through.  Howard got to Jean and lifted her in his arms.  He couldn't speak.  He just held her for a long time.  She put her arms, around his neck, and she buried her face on his shoulder.  Finally, he placed her on the ground, took her face in his hands and kissed her.  A long kiss.  A cheer went up, and there was some good natured razzing.
      When he finished kissing her, he growled, "Eight weeks?"
      "Hey, you said it was okay if I went with Jacob," she replied laughing.
      He was clearly not amused.  "Eight weeks?"
      "What can I say?  The kid held me up."  She shrugged her shoulders and smiled.  "Sorry."  

They went up to the dining hall.  Mike decided that he would talk to the scouts later.  He went with a crowd to the dining hall to have a piece of cake.

      Eventually, only Jacob and Lily were left.  He noticed her.  She found that she wanted to hug him badly, but for some reason she felt too shy.  She noticed that he was limping.
      "How's your foot," she asked.
      "Sprained it.  Had to get back.  Need to rest it," he replied.
      "Lean on me," she said.
      "All right."  He leaned on Lily, and they made their way over the bridge.
      "They have cake in the dining hall," she said.
      His eyes lit with pleasure.  "Cake?"
      "Yes.  I missed you," she dared to say.
      "I missed you," he acknowledged.  He and Lily went to eat cake.
      After the party, Jean was tired and needed to rest.  She and Howard walked back to their room in the darkness.  Suddenly she stopped.
      "Holy, smoke," she exclaimed.  "A fireplace."  In place of the east wooden wall was a stone fireplace.  Smoke was curling out of the chimney.  "That is so cool.  Does it work?"
      "Of course it works," said Kathy who was following behind.  "Hector built it."
      "I was only asking because I thought that maybe you built it," explained Jean.
      "You are so funny, old lady," replied Kathy.
      "Just kidding, kid.  No, really, it's great.  Too bad Desi and John got the room next to it," said Jean.
      Meanwhile, Star came running up to her mother.  "Can I sleep in the Lodge with Kylie and Paige and Gabby, please?  They're going to have a slumber party by the fireplace."
      Mary was noncommittal.  "Uncle Mike is going to let us stay in Chief's Headquarters tonight.  You are still a little young to be sleeping with the big girls," she responded.
      "Please, please," Star begged Mary.
      "Go ask Ralph," was Mary's answer.  At that moment Ralph arrived.
      "What's up?" he asked.
      "Dad, can I go to a slumber party tonight with Kylie, Paige and Gabby?" Star asked.
      "Sure, why not," replied Ralph.
      "Yaaaay!  Thanks, Dad," said Star and she gave him a hug.  Then she quickly ran off to find her friends, so she could tell them the good news.
      Mary gave Ralph a critical look.  "She always calls you, Dad, when she wants something," she said.  "Sooner or later, you will have to put your foot down and say, 'no.'"
      "I know," Ralph admitted.
      That night, the four girls lay on mattresses by the fireplace, giggling, chatting, and generally just enjoying a girl night.  The only person close to them was an older girl, who was sitting on one of the bus seats that had been placed in the open area of the Lodge.  At one point, some boys with mischief on their minds approached
      Suddenly the older girl stood.
      "Can I help you?" she asked in a sweet but goose bump raising voice.  Her face could hardly be seen by the light of the flickering fire.  Her yellow eyes seemed to gleam with wicked intent.  She appeared to appraise them as if she wondered how long they would take to bake.  There was an aura of danger about her.
      "N....no," the boys stammered, and they fled to the safety of their small cave.
      Satisfied, the young woman sat down, and glanced at the four girls.  They had not been disturbed.
      In the safety of their cave the boys shuddered.
      "Did you ever notice how much Desi looks like a witch," asked one young man.
      "Don't ever say that to John," cautioned Tyler.