Gaia Dreams (Gaiaverse Book 1) (61 page)

Nathan's thoughts were interrupted by Sam
running over to him and tugging on his hand.

"Come on, Uncle Nathan!" she was insisting. "Cap'n
Joe says we can go out on the boat for a few minutes. You said we could have
some fun when you came over today, so let's go ride on the boat."

Cap'n Joe approached, shoving his cap further
back on his head, saying, "Hello there, young fella. Little Sammie here tells
me you're her uncle. You can call me Cap'n Joe."

Sammie?
Nathan thought, stifling a laugh. Oh,
how Jessica would hate that nickname for her daughter. "Um, yes, hello. I'm
Nathan Ames," he said, holding out a hand for a quick abrupt handshake from the
boat captain. "A boat ride sounds like a great idea, Cap'n Joe."

"Yay!" Sam shouted, and took off with Harry and
Mutt for the boat tied up at the dock.

"So," Nathan inquired, "you getting settled in
here?" He motioned to the small house up behind the dock. It was one of a row
of bungalows. Small to medium-sized sturdy homes lined this part of the lake
with docks of various sizes jutting out into the water.

"Yes, siree, got me a right fine little place
here. That girl--Harmony? Yeah, she told me it was okay to move right on in, so
me and Mutt got ourselves all set up. She said there's gonna be more fishermen
coming here soon--that true?"

Nathan nodded. "Yes, there will be more people
arriving over the next several days and weeks. Sam says there will be people
who want to live here and help with the boats and fishing."

"Sammie says so? You mean that little slip of a
thing there? She's just a little kid! How does she know?" Cap'n Joe asked.

"Uh, well," Nathan responded in surprise. Cap'n
Joe didn't seem to hold Sam up as their modern-day prophet or seer. No wonder
Sam asked to come here when Nathan suggested going out to have some fun. It
must be a relief for her to be around someone who just saw her as a regular
little kid.

"We, uh, we have information from other sources
as well," Nathan continued. "You ready to ride herd on a bunch of fishermen,
Cap'n?"

He heard a chuckle coming from the other man. "Ah,
other sources. You must be talking 'bout that damn cat I met. The one who talks
on the computer. Well, like I told that Mrs. Philpott, I got no problem with
any of that, just don't go 'specting me to start talking to animals. As far as
other people coming here, sounds like a good thing. We got a lake full of fish
just waitin' to be caught. 'Course we'll probably get some landlubbers in the
bunch, have to learn a few things. But as long as they listen and don't go off
on their own doing damn fool stupid stuff, should be okay. You ever fished,
Nathan?"

"Some, but not much," he admitted. "I'll be
happy to learn any tricks of the trade you can teach me."

"Aye, yes, well, there are a few tricks," Cap'n
Joe said with a twinkle in his eye. "But here, let me get a life jacket for
Sammie. She says her dog Harry would never let her drown, but it's my rule that
little kids gotta wear a damn life vest."

As Cap'n Joe bustled off, Nathan climbed into
the boat and sat back on the seat watching Sam laughing with Harry at Cap'n
Joe. She did look like a regular kid. With knowledge the adults around her were
having trouble dealing, how could she handle it? He knew part of his sister's
fears was focused on their mother, Abby. If Abby could crack under the pressure
of all that was going on, then Jessica was afraid for Sam's mental health. And,
Nathan thought grimly, in all the stories, the accounts of people in various
cultures who were the seers, the prophets, the shamans, didn't they all end up
at some point sounding just a little bit crazy? Yes, they might be respected or
feared or adored for what they knew, but they were never seen as normal. They
were always depicted as somehow otherworldly, different, off from the norm.

He sighed heavily, thinking how different it was
being a part of the culture he was examining. No matter how hard he tried to
stand back and look at all of it objectively, he was also right in the middle
of it, experiencing it along with everyone else. He thought back to his time in
Africa, recalling how even with his and Alex's intent to immerse themselves in
the tribal culture, they could never really be a part of it. They were
outsiders, no matter how hard they tried to fit in, and they always would be.
Now, however, it was all so immediate and personal. There was no way to keep
any distance from what was happening. Especially not when the nightmares kept
coming, the dreams of such chaos and destruction.

He thought about what Jessica had told him, her
questions about what had caused the changes in Samantha. She seemed inclined to
believe that it all started with the illness, that somehow Sam being sick
triggered these new abilities. Yet, if that were the case, wouldn't there have
been other instances before this of it happening? And what about that illness?
The timing of it. Nathan sat forward and thought hard. What if it wasn't really
an illness at all? What if it was some kind of side effect to the changes that
ended with Sam's new abilities? Was that possible? He looked up, startled as he
realized he was muttering aloud, to discover Sam standing in front of him, dark
brown eyes looking very wise and older than her years.

"Sure, it's possible, Uncle Nathan," she said
matter-of-factly. "I was telling Harry and Perceval that you were pretty smart.
And see? You figured out something nobody else figured out."

He frowned. "But did you know this, Sam? Know
that it wasn't actually pesticide poisoning, but some kind of side effect? You're
saying your sickness only happened because these changes occurred. The changes
that allow you to know things and be an animal talker. How much of this have
you known?"

She fiddled with the buckle on the life vest. "Well,
I didn't know it when I was sick. Then, I was just sick a lot and felt kinda
mixed up and...uh...confused, that's the word." She paused and said earnestly, "See,
later on, when I started knowing more and more, I knew bunches of stuff that didn't
make sense to me. I was getting better, not sick anymore. And it seemed like
Mom and Dad were kinda afraid, so I didn't tell them some stuff that I knew.
Like this. 'Sides, I was already well by then."

"But, Samantha, do you know what did this? What
made you able to have the dreams and talk to Harry and know stuff?"

He watched her put a hand on Harry's head as the
golden retriever came up to sit next to her. She seemed to be struggling to
find the right words. Finally, she said, "I'm pretty sure I know. It's kinda
like it's...everything."

"What? What's everything?" he asked, bewildered.

"How I know stuff," she replied. "Like it's the
whole world. Bigger than the whole world. It's....huge." she stopped and shook
her head. "It's not like a person or something, somebody I can say their name.
The only words that kinda make sense, when I ask Perceval, are consciousness
and sentience. You know those words, Uncle Nathan?"

"Yes," he said, nodding his head. "Do you mean
the...Earth? The planet is conscious? Sentient?"

She giggled. "Oh, it's bigger than that."

Mrs. Philpott's House

Perceval watched Mrs. Philpott putter about the
kitchen, pouring tea for Doctor Shapiro. Some sardines might have gone nicely
with those little sandwiches she was heaping on plates. But Mrs. Philpott
seemed quite able to tune out all thought requests for sardines...hmm, the cat
thought. Something about the smell of them she didn't like. Ah, well.

"Eat up, Doctor," she was saying now. "It's the
last of the bread from the stores. Even though we froze as much as we could, I'm
sure at some point there will be a gap between our running out of flour and the
processing of wheat into flour."

"Call me Mark, and yes, I'm sure you're right,"
the doctor said. "Actually, that's going to be more of a problem with
medications, I think, in the long run. The gap between our running out of them
and our ability to make them."

"Ah, I thought that was why you were here.
Eventually, after things settle down--if they do--I've thought we could send out
scavenging parties and put medicines on the list. Some will last for quite a
while. Of course, any requiring refrigeration won't."

The doctor nodded. "Yes, I'm sure we will lose
some people in the aftermath, people with chronic illnesses who no longer have
access to their meds or treatments. But I heard you have been researching
herbal medications?"

Mrs. Philpott looked across the table at this
imminently solid-feeling man. He exuded a sense of calm, patience, and
capability. A great bed-side manner. She was more than relieved that the other
town doctor had fled. He would never have considered asking about herbal
remedies.

"Yes, I've gathered quite a bit of information.
I think we need to do two things: start an herbal garden, trying to cultivate
certain species, probably in a greenhouse, and also set up a team of people to
search for plants growing in the wild that could be useful. I've even thought
of tearing out my rose garden and starting there."

The screen door to the kitchen banged open as
Harmony waltzed in. "What? Tear out the rose garden? No way, Mrs. P!" she
stated emphatically.

"And hello to you, too, Harmony," Mrs. Philpott
said, smiling slightly. Harmony's dark blonde hair was a mass of braids with
flowers interwoven throughout. And she was barefoot, again. "Harmony, didn't I
tell you yesterday that we have to be more careful? You just run around without
shoes all the time, but if you get injured, get an infection--"

"Oh, phooey," Harmony interjected. "If that
happens, the doc here will fix me right up, won't you?" she asked with a
dazzling smile.

The doctor looked a little dazed as he took in
Harmony's entrance and appearance. Sort of resembles my idea of an earth
goddess, he thought. "Um, sure, yeah. Always here to help," he replied
belatedly.

The smile became more radiant, if that was
possible, as Harmony said, "Oh, good! That's what I'm here about, Mrs. P, to
help."

Apprehensively Mrs. Philpott asked, "Help with
what, dear?" Visions of Harmony becoming a nurse to work with Doctor Shapiro
danced through her head, causing a few inward shudders.

"Well, see, I thought one of my jobs could be to
cheer people up. Like a candy striper. I could visit anyone who's sick or
upset, take them some crystals, some flowers, sit with them. You know. That's
what I wanted to do now--get some roses from your garden and then go see Jessica's
mom, Abby. So you can't get rid of the rose garden, 'cause I'm going to be
needing it."

As Doctor Shapiro grinned at her appreciatively,
Mrs. Philpott frowned slightly. Harmony could be so...so much sometimes. She saw
Harmony watching her.

"I know what you are thinking, Mrs. P," Harmony
began. "And no, not 'cause I'm psychic or an animal talker or anything. You
think that whatever I touch I mess up, right?"

Chagrined, Mrs. Philpott nodded, saying, "Well,
you do have a history, Harmony."

Harmony's smile faded as she stated, "I know I
do, and I don't want to mess up here, mess up anything for the Gaians. Still, I
can sit with people quietly, or do stuff to help out. It's not that I'm dumb,
Mrs. P., I just have trouble focusing sometimes. There's always so much going
on in the world, so much to notice and think about." She paused, and then
continued, "I do want to help out, like helping you grow the herbs. I'm willing
to work hard at it, and as long as it's all written down for me, what to do and
not do, I promise I'll do a good job."

Mrs. Philpott listened to this speech with
surprise and a bit more understanding of this free-spirit before her. She didn't
even have to turn to Perceval to know his thoughts on this one--take the help,
she'll be okay.

Doctor Shapiro spoke up then. "Frankly, it would
be nice to have someone I could rely on to check on people who are feeling low,
or who are ill. So I'd be more than happy to have you help me out."

Harmony grinned at him, stating, "You won't be
sorry, Doc." Then, facing Mrs. Philpott, she asked, "Well? Am I hired by you as
well? Oh, but one thing, I'll only work on herbs if we can keep the roses."

Mrs. Philpott laughed and agreed. "You're hired."

"Wow! This is the first time I've gotten two
jobs in one day before," Harmony said, delighted.

Perceval stared at her.

"Well okay, yeah, there was that day with the
fireworks, getting fired so soon in the day, and then I got another job right
after, but really you know, that wasn't my fault totally, and--"

Doctor Shapiro started laughing, the cat meowed
and Mrs. Philpott stood up.

"Hush," Mrs. Philpott stated firmly. Handing
Harmony a basket and garden shears, she said, "Go get some roses for Abby and
put the past behind you. We're starting over here, after all."

Harmony smiled happily and skipped down the back
steps to the rose garden. This was turning into a very good day. And that
doctor, those green eyes...wow.

Cape Fair, Main Street

Main Street was deserted except for the SUV
slowly driving toward Rachel and Black, who were standing in the middle of the
road. As the vehicle pulled to a stop before them, Rachel said, "Let's hope Sam
was right about them."

Black flashed his bright white teeth at her in a
big smile and replied, "Sam's pretty much always right, I think. But just in
case, we're prepared."

Rachel nodded, one hand ready on the gun at her
side. She watched the car doors open and felt some of her tension evaporate as
a golden retriever bounded out of the car onto the road. The rest of the family
followed, a man and woman in their late thirties, she thought, and two kids--teenagers,
maybe thirteen to fifteen.

The woman looked frazzled, but was grinning as
she walked up to Rachel. Her husband just stared at the empty street.