Village E3: Survival of the Human Spirit (13 page)

Three months ago they prepared a
small garden plot and weren't sure if the seeds they found in the cabin would even
grow. They decided to plant some, and to their surprise many of them
germinated. A crop of corn and beans started growing in their small garden
plot, which is located a short walk from their hut, in a spot where plenty of
sunshine comes through the trees.

Along with their other chores, they have
to check on the garden and weed it on a regular basis. While rain provides most
of the moisture it needs, they do have to carry water to it occasionally. In order
to make carrying the water easier, they use gourds that hold about a
half-gallon of liquid. By cutting holes in the tops, they were able to run a
vine between two of them, then carried them by hanging the vine across their
shoulders.

Also growing was the girth of Katie
and Hailey, whose pregnancies were showing much more now. They had been
discussing baby names, although they hadn't settled on any yet. Once the
reality of their predicament sunk in, they realized just how unprepared they
were for parenthood. They had no diapers, baby blankets, bottles, or anything
else a baby needed, including a place to sleep. Hailey and Katie were still
trim and fit in appearance, except for their enlarging stomachs. Even though
things seemed unnatural at first, the slight tension that existed between Katie
and Hailey had lessened and they were becoming a family unit.

They were a pretty happy group, and working
as a team came easily to them. If one had an off day or didn't feel well, the
others picked up the slack. Within each was a certain level of acceptance of
their new life. Although it wasn't perfect, it was the one they had to live.
They were even allowing themselves to be excited at the prospect of a bigger
family.

To their surprise, the hair on their
heads stopped growing at about an inch, and the hair on the rest of their
bodies hadn't grown back at all, except for their eyelashes and eyebrows. They
were used to their new appearance, and their enhanced physical abilities were
an afterthought. Because they tired much less easily now, if a task needed
hours of time, hours were given.

While John was down at the stream
fishing, Katie and Hailey were working on a project. Using straight saplings,
about two inches across, they laid out a rectangle on the ground. Working with
some clam shells and one of their empty containers, they carried dirt to fill
the area inside the rectangle. After filling it to the top they walked off, carrying
their supplies with them.

Fifteen minutes later, they returned
with the container full of flowers; roots and all. There were several types and
colors and they began transplanting them with care. Once planted, they used a gourd
to water each plant. "That's beautiful," said Hailey, admiring their
handiwork. "I know. I wonder what John will think," said Katie.
"He will probably think it's silly," said Hailey, anticipating a
smart remark from John.

While they were still enjoying the
appearance of their new flowerbed, John walked up on their well-worn path.
"What is that? That looks pretty good," he said, after laughing.
"Do you really think so, or are you just kidding?" Katie asked.
"No, really. That looks really good for such a quick job. I wasn't gone
that long," said John, as he placed several fish he had caught next to the
fire.

Hailey and Katie were still fussing
with their new flowers, straightening each one till it looked just right. John
readied the fish for cooking, then said, "I'm going to go check my traps.
I'll be right back," he said, then took off jogging back toward the
direction of the cabin. In a very short time he came running back with a small
mammal in his hand. It looked a little like a guinea pig with long legs and was
about the size of a rabbit. "More meat. We can have this with the fish,"
he said, holding up his catch, as he walked toward the stream with his knife in
his other hand.

As Katie turned the fish over, Hailey
prepared another stick for John's catch. Minutes later, he returned with the
freshly-skinned animal. They had eaten several of these small animals since John
had discovered that he could trap them. His traps were made of sticks and were
baited with fruit. He usually set about four traps and caught one every few
days. The meat tasted pretty good, and after eating fish for months, more
variety was welcome.

Once they had eaten, they sat quietly
for a while, almost seeming sedated. "I'm really tired," said Hailey.
"Me too," said Katie. "It's still a couple of hours till
dark," said John. "I don't care. I'm going to bed," Hailey said,
as she stood up and walked to the hut. Without even taking care of their
evening chores, Katie and John followed her. None of them spoke, and as if they
hadn't slept in days, they were out almost as soon as they hit the blanket.

Before she opened her eyes, Katie
could feel a breeze. It was rare to feel any type of breeze inside the hut. She
was lying flat on her back even though she almost never slept that way. Nothing
felt right, and as she opened her eyes she was instantly confused because above
her was blue sky.
How could I be outside,
she wondered.

She looked to her left and saw Hailey
next to her, completely naked.
What's going on
, wondered Katie. She
looked to her right, and saw John there, also naked. Rolling over to her side, she
raised up on one elbow and what she saw astounded her. Just beyond John were
nine people, who were equally spaced. They were all flat on their backs, naked
and asleep. Sitting up, she quickly looked in Hailey's direction, and saw the
same number of people there. In a clearing at the edge of the jungle, Katie was
the only one in the group who was awake. There were voices coming from behind
her, but she couldn't see anyone because of the trees.

Katie positioned herself very close
to John's ear. Simultaneously, she held her hand over his mouth, and whispered,
"It's me, Katie." Startled, John jerked awake, as she pointed to his
right. Together they woke Hailey, who also had a look of fear and confusion on
her face. The three of them quickly headed for the nearest cover.

"What in the hell is going on,
and who are all of those people?" asked John, in a loud whisper, looking
right at Katie. "I don't know. They were there when I woke up," said
Katie. Even though they were hidden from view, they could see the rest of the
group from their hiding place. They counted eighteen people; twelve women and
six men. All of the women appeared to be pregnant, and had short hair, just
like Hailey, Katie, and John. Two of the women looked Caucasian, but the rest
of the men and women appeared to be of a wide variety of ethnicities.

"What are we going to do?" asked
Hailey, whispering. "I don't know. But I think we should stay put for
now," said John, also whispering. Hearing voices, they all crouched a
little lower, finally getting into a prone position on the ground. Two men who
had clothes on and normal hair emerged from the trees. Their clothes looked
like they were made from the same material as the blanket from the cabin.

The taller of the two men said
something, but they couldn't make it out. Just as the man spoke, one of the
sleeping men woke up, then shook two women near him. They huddled together,
clutching each other, then one by one, the rest of this group of helpless,
naked people gained consciousness. In groups of three they sat, not sure what
to do, while the men talked to them. As one man talked, the other looked around
as if he was looking for something. "I'm pretty sure they know we're gone.
Let's move back some, till we know what's going on," said John.

The three of them inched their way
deeper into the vegetation until it was a struggle to see the clearing.
Finally, the whole group of frightened people stood up and followed the two men
into the trees. "Let's follow them," said John. "What if they
want to harm us?" asked Katie. "We can see what happens to the other
people, and that will let us know what to do," he responded.

As the last person entered the trees,
the three of them made their way in that direction. Once they reached the place
where the group entered, they came to a well beaten path. John got on his hands
and knees, and crawled up to the trail. He could see the white skin of one of
the Caucasian women, standing out in contrast to the vegetation around her.
John motioned for Hailey and Katie to join him and they waited for the group to
get farther down the path. Just as John started to stand up, he saw one of the
two men with normal hair walk past the white woman, heading in their direction.

"Here comes one of 'em. Get
back," John whispered. Easing their way back into deeper vegetation, they
just got settled in when they saw the man walk out of the trees, into the
clearing. Turning in their direction, he yelled, "I know you are in there.
You don't have anything. We want to help you, so follow the trail to our village."

They remained motionless and silent.
"Come on out, and I'll take you there now. Hello, I know you are in there.
Come on out," he said, trying one more time. After a few minutes, he
returned to join the rest of the group. This time they waited much longer, then
once again, they worked their way toward the path. Seeing a piece of dead wood
about the size of a baseball bat, John picked it up and held it in his hand
like a club, as they snuck forward.

"Let me go up ahead, just in
case something happens. Stay back about 30 yards or so. If anything happens,
run like hell," said John. "We're not going anywhere without
you," said Hailey, emphatically. "OK," said John, knowing that
there wasn't any use in arguing, since Hailey was just as strong willed as he
was. After a walk of about fifteen minutes, they saw smoke through an opening
between some trees, and stopped. "Maybe we should get off the path, so
they won't see us coming," said Hailey. Moving off the path, they
continued toward where they had seen the smoke. Seeing that they were nearing
another clearing, what they saw next defied what they believed about this
place. It was a village with log type cabins, similar to what people built in
the 19th century. All of the people they saw had on the same type of gray
colored, one piece clothing, and normal hair. Many of the women had long hair that
came just past their shoulders. Of the people who they could see, there were
many races represented.

As a group of people with short hair
walked out from between two cabins, John counted eighteen of them. "Those
are the people we were with," said John. "Now what?" asked
Hailey. The three of them stood there trying to decide what to do. "Think
about it. Someone brought us here. We're naked. Where are we going to go? Let's
just join them," said Katie. "She's right," said Hailey.
"At least let me go in and get you some clothes, and come back," said
John. "No, we're going in together," said Hailey. "Damn you,
woman," said John with a slight grin.

They walked in single file, till they
reached the edge of the tiny settlement. John stopped and dropped his club,
then took Hailey and Katie by the hand. They walked forward together, till two
people standing nearby noticed them. One of the two pointed, then the other ran
to a cabin and went inside. Right away, a man emerged and walked toward them.
"Welcome, my name is William. Come with me," the man said as he
neared them.

They walked together between two rows
of cabins, which had two more rows of cabins behind them. As they passed,
people stopped what they were doing to watch them go by. They continued until
they passed the last two cabins, and finally reached a place where the path
took a sharp left turn.

After a long hike, they could see seven
more cabins. William took them to the last one, opened the door, and motioned
for them to enter. Inside were three single sized beds, each with a blanket
identical to the one they had been sleeping on back in their own hut. Also
inside was a small table with three benches next to it.

On the table were clothes like
William was wearing, which were gray in color, and made of the same type of
fabric that the blankets were made of. They were one piece, jump suit type
outfits. William handed one to Katie, one to Hailey, and then one to John. Once
they had them on, they found that they fit as if they had been tailored for
them. They had two sets of strings at the top front that
could be tied to secure them.

"Wow, this is nice. Something
clean to wear," said Hailey, breaking the silence they had maintained
since arriving. "Where are we?" asked John. "This is your
cabin," said William. "No. What is this village called?" asked
John. "This place is called E-3," said William. "Is there an
E-1, and E-2?" asked John. "Probably," said William, in a
matter-of-fact way.

"Why don't you have short hair
like us?" asked Hailey. "I'm a caretaker, and you are a modified. All
modifieds have short hair," said William. "I have to go now. Someone
will return soon," William said as he walked out the door. "Why
didn't they just bring us here in the first place? Nothing about this place
makes any sense," said John. "If I remember correctly, you are the
one who said, "'It is what it is. We might as well make the best of it,'"
said Katie. "I don't care anymore. I'm tired of playing this game,"
said John.

"Did you hear what he called us?
He called us modifieds," said Hailey. "The group we woke up with, are
just like us," said Katie. "And the women are pregnant too,"
said Hailey. Focused on the anger he felt, John was only half listening.
Something had changed in him, and they could see it in his eyes, and on his
face.