Eden (14 page)

“The barn?”

“The barn,” he repeated the new word. “You told me all about your home on earth and, although I could not make a complete replica, I think I have made something similar.”

She continued to gape. “You must’ve been working on this long before we were lovers?”

“I was.”

“Oh, Fly.” She looked at him, tremulous, but then turned away, brushing her eyes. “And I believed such awful things of you back then. “

“But you have all your life to make it up to me,” he said with a teasing smile before striding out into the corridor. Jenny followed at a slower pace, her regard for him higher than high. He stopped at another door, pushed it open, and then stood back.

“A kitchen!” she shouted. “Oh, my God! This is fantastic! Fly...” she turned a full circle; taking in the iron stove, a washbasin, and beautifully made wooden kitchen surfaces surrounding the walls. There was a tall cupboard in one corner, which she opened and found the shelves crammed full with the cartons of dried food from the spaceship.

“Let me show you the bathroom -”

“Bathroom?” She felt dizzy.

“Is that not the correct word?” he asked. “You told me once you loved to relax with, er, wine? In a bath full of
bobbles
?”

“Bubbles,” she corrected. She laughed. “Oh, show me!”

Fly pointed to the final door, and Jenny opened it with caution as if expecting hordes of people to leap out shouting: “Surprise!”

The bath was sunken and made from a hard,
colored
stone. Piping, and an attached handle, emerged from above, which Fly explained, if pumped would shoot out water. There was a sink beneath a screened window in the same stone as the bath. Everything was
positioned exactly how she had described to him.

Reaching over the sink, Jenny pushed open the screen. Her mouth gaped once more. Outside was tall, thick piping attached to an equally tall, but hardy, tree. The tree was an anchor to scaffolding, which stretched into the sky. At the highest point, there was a sunken shaped device, with smaller objects protruding like ears. Beneath it on the ground was an ugly cylinder-shaped contraption.

“A generator?” she asked in disbelief. She turned to him. “You did all this alone?” she asked stupidly.

“It is not perfect,” he said. “In the darker seasons, and when we will probably need the generator more, it will not be as effective. I
’ll
have to think of something else to generate our heat. The river freezes during the winter so we couldn’t use that, and with little wind -”

But Jenny cut him off, and standing on tiptoe, she kissed him. “You
’re amazing, d’
you know that?” Smiling, she turned back to the sink and pumped the small handle. After a moment, water rushed noisily out, accompanied by steam. She turned to look at him, grinning. “Hot water.
Hot
water,” she said, pumping.

Fly left her to wander. She still felt in a state of shock, but was highly
honored
that Fly had built this for her.

She inspected the barn lastly, and discovered more stored “junk” from the spaceship. She walked around the rear of the house and stood looking up at the tree and its device.

Fly was standing on the riverbank, watching as the water jetted down-stream in a noisy frenzy. Its turbulent current spat jets of steam, which were vicious compared to the golden lake where they frequently bathed. She walked towards him, her head twisting backwards to keep the house in sight, as if frightened it would disappear.

When she neared, he pointed to a narrowed part of the river that foamed into white rapids.

“You can see where I have started to build a bridge,” he had to raise his voice over the noise.

“You swam out there to construct that thing? You could’ve been swept away,” she shouted back, and glared at him, angry that he could risk his life. “Why the most dangerous part of the river, anyway?”

Fly didn’t answer, he often didn’t and it wasn’t until recently that Jenny
realiz
ed he wasn’t being rude, but merely hadn’t understood her.

“I will make the bridge strong enough to hold the buggy.”

She looked on anxiously as the river rushed by on its noisy and furious journey.

“Dangerous,” he said, finally understanding, “but narrow, which means less material.”

He looped his hands around her waist, and pulled her purposely against his body. Without warning, he swiftly kicked her legs from beneath her so she lost her balance. He moved down with her, and cushioned her fall.

They landed breathless and laughing among the yellow flowers and were bathed in the light pollen that fell from the tall blooms, and it was there where they made love.

Afterwards, both naked, Jenny lay with her hand resting on his massive chest. She gave a sigh of contentment and dreamily stared up at the sky.

“You know, I never thought I’d get used to seeing two suns, a large moon, and then seven more at night - but I have. It
’ll
seem strange with anything less now.”

Fly, his hand resting beneath the swell of her breast, opened his eyes and followed her gaze.

“Itor has two stars,” he said. “But I hope they have gone nova while I am here.”

“Because they didn’t come for you?”

Fly stayed silent, his expression was one of indecision. Jenny didn’t notice, she was more interested in his thumb doing magic things to her body. His hand moved over the curve of her abdomen to rest in the soft hair of her femininity. His fingers moved, creating a whole load of sensations that no man before had disinterred.

Her knees drew up and opened like a flower to sunlight for his touch. She held her breath, silently begging for more while knowing that sound would only break the spell she was under.

She moved her hands and traced a pattern on his upper thigh. His manhood was already engorged, nesting in tight black hair.

“Jenny...” he lowered his head and groaned into her hair. “There are things you should know about me.” he began to say, but his words were whipped away in a gust of desire.

He rolled to lay upon her, careful not to burden her with his weight. Lowering himself, he entered her with a soft grunt of satisfaction.

Jenny clung to his back, her hands splayed over the taut muscles that played across his shoulders. She could feel the power moving beneath her hands, and
marveled
at the strength that lay captive under her fingertips.

Jenny
’s
life was certainly different from the previous. It was hard, but definitely rewarding. The food was simple but plentiful, thanks to Fly
’s
skillful
hunting, and their small crop of vegetables. And Jenny tasted new exotic fruits and vegetables that had ripened for the summer.

Their cattle was gradually expanding in number, and Jenny began cultivating further land to grow the bladed grass clumps that were the main food for the large oxen-type animal that roamed the horizon.

They planned to bring some over once the bridge was finished, and she was preparing for that eventuality. The unfortunate animals had thick skins, which would provide them with excellent material for clothing and bedding; their horns could be shaped or sharpened and used as weapons or cooking implements. Their meat was good, and they provided excess milk.

Flexing her shoulders from the back-breaking work, she carried the spade over to the wooden cart, which was a simple contraption with two wheels and a long handle, and deposited the smelly would-be
fertilizer
inside it. She trudged the field, pulling the cart looking for dung, as the animals scattered from her in all directions.

She caught sight of Fly
’s
distant figure on the far side of the river. He was busy felling trees, which were lacking this side; trees that would eventually become fencing to hold the soon-to-be cattle in confinement.

She smiled at the sense of peace within herself. It was something she had never experienced before it, but only able to admit now.

In her old life she was a prisoner to the twenty-four hour clock - forever rushing from one appointment to another. She had thought she led a busy but fulfilling life, but in reality it had been routine and boring.

Here her life really was in Eden.

SEVENTEEN

Laying on his stomach, Matt crawled beneath the twisted chunk of metal that had trapped Bodie, and using his back as leverage he pushed upwards with all his strength.

Each movement caused pain, and for every action his eyes rolled, and darkness fogged his brain, but gritting his teeth he struggled to his feet and inch by inch the bar lifted away from Bodie.

But then his feet slipped on the watery floor of Taurus and he stumbled with the pole still against his back, and he collapsed against the other man, cracking his forehead against the back of Bodie
’s
scull.

Bodie screamed, and the sound pierced through Matt
’s
head causing a million fairy lights to blink and flash in his perennial vision. His skull felt too tight for his brain; his head throbbed with the pressure.

Panting nosily, Matt took a steadying breath before trying again and pushing upward.

His legs buckled, and he almost gave up to allow the pole to pin him alongside Bodie forever in a metal grave. And as if sensing the other
’s
surrender, Bodie dragged himself forward, muttering incoherently.

Matt
’s
legs shook from exertion; one was angled abnormally. Then Bodie was free, and Matt ducked out from the metal prison, and it crashed to the ground causing more debris to rain upon them.

Both in pain, both exhausted, neither noticed.

Matt slumped against the wall, fighting against unconsciousness. Bodie lay on his front. His eyes were open and they stared across at Matt.

“I don’t suppose there
’s
any food?”

Matt smiled despite his desolation. “Food, Commander? You must be feeling better. “

Bodie continued to lay motionless, but he didn’t answer. Matt doubted he had even heard, locked away in his fevered thoughts.

“We’ve eaten all the salvageable stuff,” Matt said at last.

“We
’re
done for, Zack,” said Bodie. “Have... tried yelling? Maybe Logan will hear. Is Jen OK...?” his voice began to fade. “Check that
’s
she
’s
OK...” until it disappeared completely.

“She
’s
dead, Bo.” Matt
’s
voice was gentle. “Remember the wolves?”

“Ah, yes,” he said as if he’d been told to remember something trivial. “Tell Diana and Zack
I’m
sorry... tell them
I’m
sorry I can’t come for Sunday dinner. “

His eyes fluttered shut, and Matt leaned his head back against the wall. His throat became constricted with tears, but he had no energy for the pointless emotion. He was thirsty, but walking hurt and wasn’t worth the light relief a drop of water would create to dispel his thirst.

Jenny wiped sweat off her brow with the back of her hand. She was dressed in clothes made out of animal skin, and a grubby white skirt, sarong style, from the rags of her old spacesuit. She straightened and flexed her hands, they felt stiff from holding the woman-made fork, which she used for preparing a tilth in the new grazing land. She thrust the fork into the moist ground and rolled her head back on her shoulders.

Fly stood waist deep in the river, wrestling with a metal structure that would be the frame for the bridge. His huge arms shook in effort, and he grunted and shouted like an animal as he heaved it about. Plain old-fashioned nagging had won in the end, and Fly
humored
her by tying a rope (painstakingly hand plaited twine) around his waist, which secured him to a tree root on the riverbank as he worked.

But as she watched, he stopped and bent down in the water. He looked like he was searching for something at his feet. He straightened, with a large, flat object in his hand. It was white, and had the beginnings of a word... T A U.

Jenny paled, and as Fly turned towards her with a strange expression on his face her world crashed around her feet.

As Taurus came into view they saw its main bulk was stuck fast to the riverbed, which only a few
meters
on flowed into a deep canyon that churned with white rapids. Angry water slapped around the ship, urging it to move, and its debris floated away into the deep swell before disappearing beneath the current.

Jenny began to moan, already believing the occupants dead. Fly couldn’t understand her anguish, not yet. Jenny was a bag of emotions and, just when he thought he was beginning to understand her, she said or did something totally unfamiliar. He hadn’t come that far to see it as caring, to Fly Jenny needed him for protection, food, and for shelter; she needed him full stop. And the way he saw it, she was sobbing over her failed rescue.

“Stay here,” he had to shout over the turbulent water. He killed the engine of the buggy, climbed out and began to wade into the river.

“Be careful!” she called. “I couldn’t stand it if I lost you too.”

Fly glanced briefly at her, and acknowledged her words with a small wave of his hand, even though he didn’t understand the meaning.

Slivers of ice cut against his body, sharp as glass, and the water pulled on him, sucking him down. It was a struggle to stay upright. As he reached the shuttle, he felt his body slide beneath him. He lunged an arm at Taurus
’s
side, and forced his claws into the metal structure until his balance was corrected. He edged around the ship, using the strength of his clawed hands to keep himself above water.