The Fell Good Flue (26 page)

I said, “my flag is my pants, and when they are down, you’re the only trap I need.” Brandy, “you say the sweetest things in the morning, too bad about that shrinkage, maybe you should put something on.”
I said, “and I love you too, let’s get our flag up. What should I ware today?”
She said, “two 9mm’s, two machine guns, two swords, a rifle and a crossbow, as usual.” I said, “that still don’t get my flag up or shirt on, but a warrior in the buff can still be a bad ass.” Brandy, “how about jut a cup to keep the boys warm?”
I said, “it’s a start, I’ll see what I can find.”
So I went to the walk-in closet and checked my wardrobe. I had racks of choices, clothes were not a problem, years of free shopping had got me the best. I found a leather codpiece with a fur lining and strapped it on, then walked out and said, “this will do.”
Brandy, “you better cover your ass, if you want other’s out there to cover your ass, not just look at it,” and we both laughed”
I went back in and replaced it with a set of hunting-ware, and a lined vest. Socks and boots latter I was ready to strap on the rest, and Brandy said, “there’s my warrior, the hardest working hippy I know.”
I said, “better to be a hard working hippy, than to just work hard at being one.” Brandy, “yes, the only thing you should work hard on is getting hard, and you may not write that one down.”
I said, “all come on now, the boy needs to know his mother really talked that way.” I strapped my guns on and put my swords in place, then went to the roof for a stretch and a look around. The air was still very fresh, and I took it in deeply, as I walked around the roof and checked things out. The guard on the next roof was having a smoke and I waved to him, he waved back then a runner got there, and I went to the zip line to pull the flag and open the line. After it was clear he came over and said, “morning sir, I bring word.”
I said, “and a good morning to you, lighten your load, what’s the word?”
He said, “TT has transport for rabbits caught at field with your traps, men need word it’s okay.” I said, “word heard, load lightened. How’s the lines, wet and slick?”
He said, “yes sir, but firm and well bolted down.”
I said, “well I think flying without wire may be even faster, so I’ll take word to the field now. Do you have any needs before you go?”
He said, “no sir, thank you for asking, have a good day sir,” and he was back on the lines. I went to the stairs and yelled down to Brandy, “I’m going into the wind, look for me when you see me,” and got to my flyer. Off into the wind I went, over the buildings and streets, to the field near the mall. I did a scout of the area, then came down near the end of the field, this time with the music off. Then I talked to the men there, and looked over what was caught. This area was a breeding ground for the rabbits around here, and another three dozen or so were caught last night, but the numbers per hour were going down fast. Good for the gardens to come, bad for the rabbits, and anyone that livedof of them in the winter. But we were going to take care of that problem as well. I asked where the live rabbits were going, and was told High Harry was taking them in, so it was just as I thought. Most of the brush had been cleared away from this edge of the field, so the traps were all moved, and they started to burn some of the brush. I used my crossbow to nail a few snakes moving away from the smoke, then got a few men to take some smoking wood to other places to drive them out. We had a nice controlled burn and scented the area so dogs should turn away, and most of the snakes were driven out. Then I flew to the goat park to see how things were. While high in the sky I could see far off dear running from the smell of smoke, here and there they would break their cover as they ran. A few seemed to be headed for the goat park, and its high fences that they will need to run around, so I did a dive that would cut them off shortly before landing. Hard to tell the speed of a dear from the air, they don’t travel in a straight line and the ground is moving as well, but as I got on my final approach to the fenced in area they were coming toward me. With ear plugs in and glasses on, I scoped and dropped three as I came down, and the rest of them keep running. When I came to a stop I yelled out to the tower guard, “how many did you get?”
He said, “I didn’t see them coming, they were too fast for me.”
I said, “well I can’t heard them any closer that that unless you open the gates for them, better get some men to take care of my drops.”
Laurence came out saying, “he’s the tower guard and you’re dropping more than him, I think I’ll give his rifle to Billy, at least he uses his.”
The tower guard sent out word to others to get the dear for me, while Laurence and I went inside. We talked about how well the work was going on the new field, and he said the polls and fence works were all right there at the old mall, waiting for the rest of the brush to be dealt with first.
I said, “well the smoke from the burn drove the dear this way, so you know they are making progress, and the rabbits are getting caught quickly enough.”
Laurence, “yes, you put out enough traps for the job, I hear TT is going to farm some for you.” I said, “your ears are sharp this morning, mine are still a bit off from the shoot, oh wait my plugs were still in.”
Laurence, “maybe some more raspberry brandy will help them, and your tongue as well.” I said, “I heard that, and I’m willing to try.”
He handed be the bottle and I took a drink then said, “thanks, hard work getting a month’s food before noon, maybe I should have slept in.”
Laurence, “you’re dropping more meat every day, and I heard five dozen rabbits caught.” I said, “yes, half will go to pay for the workers, and the other half will get feed and bread. This way there will be meat for the winter, and a way to get things done.”
He said, “things are sure moving around here in the past week, it’s like spring has sprung and I’m waiting for the something to bounce off me that I don’t want, but we can hope things work out,” he then took a drink of the brandy.
I said, “doing nothing get’s you the same, you know that, so just the divvying up when times are bad can be worth it.”
Laurence, “when times are bad, it’s the who is holding that gets the headache, and the promised to that give it to him.”
I said, “that’s why I don’t want to hold on to morethan I have time to guard, and the one’s that hold for me never have headaches, just me to deal with if things go wrong.”
He said, “you’re right, a bullet in the chest will never cause a headache, and those that deal with you or TT know the both of you have plenty.”
I said, “you know it has been a long time since either of us has shot anyone, ourselves that is.” Laurence, “yes, but your reputations keep it open, so trade deals are firm and respected. When one of you puts his name on a thing it is like the dear you just shot, you just give the word and it gets secured for you, no one puts their hands where they don’t belong.”
I said, “and backing that word up puts a lot of cargo on me, that wears you out, it’s hard and hungry work.”
He said, “have a few pounds of cheese and some milk to take with you, I’m sure that will help you keep up your strength.”
I said, “I’ll do that thank you. How’s the wolf, do you have him trained to heard your goats for you yet?”
Laurence, “yes, I just rattle his door gate and they all run back inside. Come see how he is.” So we went out front, and he showed me the run-line he put in, and the wolf was using it well. I said, “how did you get him hooked up?”
Laurence, “I just used the polls we made when he was caught, and snapped the chain in place, then pulling just enough to put a lock on had him. Next it was a pull on the gate from the other side of another one and he was running on the line. That’s why a rattle of his cage now gets the goats to go back in theirs.”
I said, “next we take him for walks, and he can guard the new field for a while.” He said, “stop asking for miracles, I do them on my own thank you.”
I said, “yes, I have been seeing them just about every day this week,” and I handed a piece of cheese through the fence to the wolf. He smacked his lips and stood there for more as Laurence said, “he likes my cheese, and I gave him some milk he made short work of, but if you let him at the brandy I will not be responsible.”
I said, “no worries there, he got a taste as a welcome to the family, the rest he will have to find on his own.”
He said, “I think my guards have been finding too much, not a one of them got a shot off at that heard of dear that went past, even thought it’s the kind of thing they dream of every day.” I said, “I told him you will have to leave some gates open, so they come inside to shoot at.” Laurence, “and I suppose you have a plan on how to heard and trap them, I don’t want to know, I already have enough to deal with.”
I said, “three are enough for one day, I’ll capture the heard when I have less time.” He said, “you will be feeding the whole town for a year, with a deal like that, if you could feed them.”
I said, “I’ll trade that to another, and just carry the load of my word.”
Laurence, “and your word may just get a thing like that done, if you can force mother nature to listen to it.”
I said, “I’ll sweet talk her the way I do my wife, she always treats me right.”
We then got my cheese and milk, and went to the flyer.
Before I took off he said, “now you tell Brandy to drink plenty of that mild, we want her to stay healthy and strong.”
I said, “will do, and thanks again for the cheese,”then I was off.
With the engine on and a good run, the air under my feet grew until I was high in the sky again. I waved at Daisy as I passed overhead and headed home, what better of a morning could I be having. Then it started to rain just before I got home, and I worked my way down as it became harder, and the deck was wet on landing. After a few feet of sliding I came to a stop and hit the switch to take the pad down. Looking up into the now hard raining sky as the lift went down, I wondered how this storm moved so fast and if it would last. When the platform was down I pulled the flyer off and sent my roof back up, as I went for a towel from a bench. After wiping my face and arms off I dried my weapons off a bit, then rode my bike to the other end of the building to get dry clothes.
Brandy meet me coming in and said, “it’s really coming down out there, and your wet, it’s good you made it when you did.”
I said, “yes, it started quite sudden, but I got a bit done before it did.”
Brandy, “take off your things and I’ll wipe your weapon for you.”
As I took them off I said, “always trying to get your hands on my weapon.”
She said, “you know I do my best to see you get a load off.”
I said, “let’s not start that kind of talk now, people may misunderstand what you mean by it.” Brandy, “how about I just say strip, and leave it at that?”
I said, “that’s as far as most men get,” and I dropped my wet things.
After putting on dry pants and a shirt, I went to my chair by the window. Sheets of water were coming down, and anyone that was more than fifty feet from shelter would be soaked, as well as any fires in the field. That put an early slow down to things today, but I had come home with three more dear to my credit, and meat to trade is credit making itself. I lit my pipe, and blew the smoke at the closed window, to see it get sucked through a crack and appear outside the glass. The wind then took it away, and left hard rain to clean the windows.
Brandy came in and said, “three down on your rifle ammo but all dry now, and so are you. So what’s for supper tonight and don’t say dog.”
I said, “I brought home cheese and milk, but dropped three dear on my way in to his place, all his guards never got a shot off.”
Brandy, “now you’re death from above, and a life giver to the hungry. This sets us up even better than yesterday, I hope TT is having fun with those rabbits while you keep us safe from the skies.”
I said, “they are going to High Harry, but I don’t know the rest of the deal, there is always a subplot.”
She took care of the milk and cheese, and made hot tea for me, then gave me a foot massage with some lotion. Between that and the smoke I was relaxed in no time, then she made grilled cheese sandwiches, and we had a bottle of wine. We put some music on, and kicked back for awhile on a rainy day. An extra log on the fire keep the chill out, and the flickering flames caught our eyes for awhile, as they danced to the crackling of the wood. We felt good to be in such a comfortable and safe place during a storm like this, and made love as the sky hammered at our windows, then took a hot shower together. Little Sage joined us to get clean, but choice that moment to clean out his bowels as well, fortunately he was still on milk and it washed away quickly. I put that in this so you will remember that you were not all that disciple yourself once, and will have understanding for your parents. That night brought your sister, and the days before it gave us all what we needed to get by. I’m sure you have heard many things about your parents, and I just wanted to put a few down for you to compare them with, but only you can decide what’s real for you. If I’m still around when you read this maybe we can talk and find it, but in any case good luck.
By Nibor, father of Sage, husband of Brandy.

Sage, “when I finished reading this I turned to my father and said, “thank you for writing it down for me. I can believe all the things about you, but was what you wrote about mom all true as well?”

By Robin Miller 8/13/2010
Words 80,228