Tomorrows Child (6 page)

“Ruben, I think
it’s time to go. I hope no one had their heart set on staying for
dinner.”

“Nah, I was
thinking it’s about time we left. Tahinah will be starting to
wonder where we are anyway, I’ll get the boys, find Raven and we
can go.”

Libby, Phoenix
and I stood on the crossroads and waited.

“We’re not
staying, and that’s final,” Ruben said to Navarre and Raven.

Seth and
Lachlan arrived. Lachlan appeared to be in a blacker mood than
Libby. “Well I’m out of here. If I don’t leave now, I might punch
someone and we know how well that usually turns out.” No one was
sure what had upset Lachlan so much, but he stomped up the road,
trailed closely by Ruben and Seth. The rest of us followed.

We stopped
several times on the trip home to check on friends. Most people
lived on acreage blocks tucked into the rainforest. Although they
were relatively close to town, they felt quite isolated. The scene
at each stop was similar to one we discovered at Nell’s house. We
dug graves in the backyards, buried friends, closed the door and
left. At one home, we dug five graves. After that, I didn’t even
get out of the car.

By the end of
the day, we’d dug nineteen graves. Anger replaced heartache. I had
the feeling that things were about to change in our peaceful
valley.

“I’m sorry
Ruben, I just don’t think we need to carry weapons while we pull
weeds,” said Libby.

The
conversation began several hours ago and the temperature in the
room varied from mildly warm to fiery hot. Now it was somewhere in
the middle.

“I know this
isn’t your idea of Utopia, but I won’t have raiders murdering my
family while we sleep,” said Ruben.

“Oh, I agree,”
said Libby, “but there has to be another way.”

“You have
taught me many things and one of them was to listen to my heart. My
heart is telling me that I have to protect our valley and the
people in it. I’m a soldier, Libby, it’s what I know and I’ll trust
my instincts on this one.” Ruben just stared at Libby and for a
moment, I thought we were heading into dangerous territory, but
Libby and Ruben both nodded. Somehow, they had come to an agreement
that left the rest of us shaking our heads.

“We could block
off the roads, and let the driveways overgrow. You know it doesn’t
take long for the rainforest to reclaim what’s hers. In a couple of
months, it will look as if no one ever lived here,” Tahinah said,
causing the temperature to drop to a pale shade of blue.

“That’s not a
bad idea; but in the meantime, we need a more proactive approach,”
Lachlan nodded.

“We already
have a boundary of magick protecting the valley. We can reinforce
that. It seems to have worked so far.”

“Tahinah, I
thought you said that lately the magick was behaving
strangely.”

“Yes, Ruben,
but it seems to be doing a good job protecting us so far. We are
all safe and there have been no raids here.”

Every house we
visited yesterday had been isolated and solitary. The victims were
mostly old people or young families who faced the intruders alone
and without the security of belonging to a group like ours. The
raiders simply took advantage of their isolation and knowledge of
the area.

“What I’d
really like to do is find out who it is and stop them,” said
Ruben.

“I’m in,”
Lachlan, Seth and Navarra all said in unison, far too eager for
combat.

“We’re not
sending out a hunting party. That’s just asking for trouble. What
if one of you gets shot or killed? What would we do then?” said
Libby.

“Of course, it
was just a thought,” Ruben frowned at the other men. “But if the
raiders come, all this will have been for nothing.”

“I’m more
worried about Lon and his ideas of grandeur,” said Libby. “The
raiders will come only once, but Lon’s ideas could affect us
forever.”

“The raiders
only need one visit.”

“Yes, that’s
why we need a plan to protect ourselves,” said Ruben. “But we need
to discuss Lon’s plans as well. We should expect a visit in the
next day or two.”

“He’s coming
here, after all these years?” Tahinah was more than a little
surprised and I wondered about the history of these two men.

“That’s what he
said. He’d give us a few days to think about his ideas and then
discuss it with us,” said Ruben.

No one wanted
Lon Everly in our lives anymore than they wanted a visit from the
raiders. It seemed to me that Lon was only trying to help any
refugees and locals without enough resources to survive on their
own. That didn’t seem so bad.

The
conversation flowed from the raiders to Lon and back again. Even if
we wanted to carry guns, there weren’t enough of us to do the work
and still protect the valley.

Navarre arrived
the next morning, running and yelling into the wind.

“It’s alright,
Psyche, there is no need to be afraid,” Libby reassured me. She
knew my first thought was the raiders.

“Dad said to
come to the house. Lon just arrived.”

“Okay, tell him
I’ll be right there.” Libby turned to me “Psyche, you come
too.”

When we
arrived, Lon and his men were sitting at a table in the yard with
the men from our valley. Libby sat beside Ruben with Tahinah on the
other side. I sat beside Phoenix and Navarre on the stairs.

“Where are the
rest of the women?” I whispered to Phoenix.

“You’ll see.
Lon only requested the men, but Dad said Libby and Mum need to be
here.”

“So, what we
need is a cooperative effort to save these wretched souls,” said
Lon. The conversation had begun before we arrived.

“Good morning,
Lon,” said Libby.

“Libby,” he
nodded. “As I was saying, these people are looking for guidance,
they want to be saved. Everyday more arrive. It makes sense that we
should be the ones to provide this guidance. We can be their
saviour.”

“Like the new
messiah?” Even Ruben was surprised by this.

“Don’t you
think that’s striving a little high, maybe a touch above your
capabilities,” asked Libby.

“I was thinking
more of a new government. You heard them, they want someone to tell
them what to do. Ruben, surely you can see the sense in this,” Lon
answered.

“You don’t need
us to form your new government, so why exactly are you here?” said
Ruben.

“A government
needs to provide for the people, give them food and shelter, just
the basics will be enough. As you know, I’m no farmer, my thumb’s
as brown as the desert. Ruben you can grow things, provide the
extra food.”

“We are only
just managing ourselves; there’s hardly enough to feed us, let
alone a few hundred extras.”

“Yes, yes, but
don’t you see? They can work for you. There’s plenty of land and
the people to work it. You show them what to do, get them to work
and sit back. You’ll have more food than you know what to do
with.”

“And have you
discussed this with them?”

“What’s to
discuss? These are city people. They have no skills of any value.
They have nothing. Everyone is equal now, even the wealthiest is no
better than a pauper. This has shifted the power, created great
opportunity. We have the land, the food and the skills. We have the
power. Don’t you see?”

“Oh, I see
plenty, but I don’t see how creating a slave economy is beneficial
to anyone,” said Ruben, “If you want to teach these people new
skills, then you know I will be there; but I won’t enslave them for
my own benefit.”

“Slave
economy?” Lon was thoughtful for a moment. “No, it may seem like
that in the beginning, but really it’s just the start of something
bigger. Without a system of government, we’re just savages.
Civilisation thrives under good leadership.”

“Thrives? Or
gets oppressed?” said Tahinah. Lon continued to address Ruben,
excluding everyone else from the discussion.

“Of course,
we’ll need to set up a hierarchy and create laws,” he continued.
“No one will be oppressed, just organised. We need to control the
chaos while we still can.”

“And what of
these new laws, Lon?” said Libby, “You mentioned yesterday that you
have been working on these laws for a long time. I am sure that
everyone here is interested in your new laws.” Again, Lon continued
to speak without actually acknowledging Libby’s inquiry.

“The thing is,
we have many examples of laws that don’t work and systems of
government that have failed. I have researched all forms of
government and found them all to be flawed, but most have some
benefits. Monarchies, for example, instil respect and gain the love
of their subjects. Communism is able to provide equally and fairly.
We need a new system, one that combines the best of both.”

“And who would
rule this perfect system of government? A king?”

“Come now,
Ruben, we wouldn’t actually have a king, at least not in title. I
see it more as a shared position, one that evolves naturally. As we
provide for the needs of the people, we would become like royalty,
but under new titles.”

“Well, I think
I’ve heard enough. This is not how I see the future and it is not
something I aspire to. Once again, we must agree to disagree, Lon.”
Ruben stood up, waiting for Lon to leave.

Lon hit the
table with his fist “Damn it! You’re a stubborn man, Ruben! By the
time you realise that this is the only way, it will be too late for
you and your tribe. This opportunity will be gone and you will be
begging me for protection.”

“Protection? We
didn’t talk about protection or did I miss something? What do we
need protection from? Surely not from your new and improved
government?”

“Desperate
times, Ruben, create desperate men. All I am saying is there may
come a time when we are overrun by bandits and thieves. Raids to
your little piece of paradise could become a regular event.”

“I’m sure
you’re right, but we will deal with that when the time comes.”

“Join with me
now, Ruben. Protect your people while you still can.”

“Goodbye,
Lon.”

“Well, you know
where I live, but this window of opportunity is closing fast.”

Lon and his
three bodyguards left on four-wheelers, blowing thick black
smoke.

“Well…” said
Ruben, “what does everyone think?”

“You know what
we all think,” said Libby. “We have discussed this possibility many
times. It just came much earlier than we expected.”

“This is going
to bring nothing but trouble, maybe we should reconsider. At least
let him think we agree,” Tahinah said, placing her arm around
Ruben’s waist.

“No good can
come from this, I’m sure,” said Ruben, “but he is a scary man. One
we don’t need as an enemy. I may have done the wrong thing today,
but I couldn’t agree with him. I couldn’t even pretend for the sake
of our safety.”

“Do you think
he is responsible for the raids?”

“It’s a
possibility, but surely, even he isn’t capable of murder.”

“Everyone is
capable of murder.”

Maybe Lon
wasn’t capable of murder, but the goons who stood at his side
looked capable of anything.

My mind was
occupied by thoughts of magick and prophecy as well as raiders and
death. Life had become unfamiliar, controlled by forces beyond
anything I could understand. The predictability that once made me
feel safe was gone and I floundered to fit in. But I had little to
complain about compared to so many others. I had food, shelter and
water - life’s essentials. Beyond that, I had Libby and the people
in the valley. I felt ashamed that I should feel so disenchanted
with my life.

Pushing away
thoughts of self-pity, I focused on harvesting fruits and
vegetables for tonight’s party. The basket I carried was heavy with
plump, red tomatoes and sweet-smelling oranges. The branches of the
persimmon tree hung low with bright orange fruit and I carefully
filled the remaining space in my basket with the sweet, ripe
fruit.

Libby was in
the kitchen, kneading dough for bread when I returned a second time
with lettuces, zucchinis, beans and yams. Together with fruit and
bread, this was our contribution to the meal and I was fast
learning that sharing was essential to our survival. One person
living alone couldn’t produce enough to meet his own needs.

Libby continued
to knead the dough, “There are books on the table and enough time
for you to study before we leave.” Libby was a relentless teacher
and pushed me well beyond my level of enthusiasm.

“We have just
passed the equinox, an important day in the wheel of the year.
You’ll see references to the equinox in many of these books; some
refer to this day as Mabon. It marks the beginning of autumn – day
and night are equal. It’s reason enough to celebrate and a good
time for you to learn about it.”

“Is that what
the party is for?”

“Not really,
Tahinah will find any excuse to gather the tribe. It’s a bit late
for Mabon, but today is the second full moon this month, a blue
moon. It’s rare to get two full moons in one month so I guess that
alone is a good reason for a celebration.”

Libby brought
me tea while I scribbled notes in my book, not my Book of Shadows,
just a notebook like the ones I used for school. We had not
discussed the prophecy since Saturday and it continued to trouble
me without reason. I felt I was missing something, but I couldn’t
figure out what. I had to have missed something or what was all the
fuss about?

I turned to the
prophecy “The ninth daughter is the dreamer of dreams, She is the
keeper of secrets, She is the custodian of the stone, She is all,
She is every daughter’s daughter, She is the last.” I understood
that the daughters were my ancestors, but if Libby was the keeper
of secrets, then she must also be the last. As we headed into an
uncertain future, our links to the past were important, so perhaps
it was the history that was significant and nothing more.