Coven of the Ancient Swamp Ch. 02

Author's note:

I am a new author here at Lit, and I'd genuinely appreciate your constructive comments. I would greatly appreciate chatting with anyone who might like to sign on as a beta reader/editor; hopefully, you're someone who has posted your own stories. And thanks to you for reading this. I hope you enjoy going out into the bayou and swamp. But first, I would like to thank Gamblnluck for his kind assistance in getting these stories kick-started and posted.

If you are looking for a stroke story, this is not it. All characters are over the age of 18.

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Coven of the Ancient Swamp - Chapter Two

As the storm rages, the sisterhood grows.

Opening my eyes and looking about my new bedroom in the dark, then looking outside to see a new world. Next to me, my beloved Paulie was sleeping. Yesterday she danced in my eyes playfully, delightfully. A virgin sprite who willingly entered my life and gave all of herself to me. In doing so, she became my woman, and she changed my life. No longer am I, Tom. Going forward, I know I must guide and grow the Coven of Ancient Swamp, for I am their Shepard. Taking on the mantle that the old Master of the Mill left, my dream is to be the new Wizzard of the Ancient Swamp.

This woman next to me took me to heights I never dreamed of as she gave all of herself freely to me this night. While outside, the winds cried joyfully, lighting danced in celebration as the thunder rolled through the night skies. The cries of the night leave me to question what changes will be the light of day show? One thing that will not change going forward. This woman will be my constant companion, my helpmate, the light of my life, and my handmaiden. Seeing my lady next to me, I know all will be well.

Softly she moves about in our bed while whispering my name. Reaching out to her and placing a soft kiss on top of her head, I know the elders are happy. With that, she stirs slightly then, looks up, and sees me watching her. "Good morning, my lady. Welcome to our new day. Soon we will see the sun rising out of the windows in our bedroom."

"Hello, Shep. That storm last night was amazing. As amazing as you are, my beloved." Laying here together in our new bed, the bed, the old master, had created and experiencing sensations I had never dreamed of before. But with my lady here with me, anything is possible.

Into the waves of a new dawn rising came a tug of reality as my sweet, wonderful Paulie poked my side. "Hey! Why did you do that little miss imp?"

"Cause I wanted to, and I can anytime I want to less you forget." With that pronouncement, my angel bounced out of our bed and slowly made her way across the bedroom. "Shep? Do you know what is to happen this morning after we have coffee? Mother and I will move my clothes here. I know you might like it if I were to go around the house all the time naked. But that great idea just isn't workable." With that, she carefully stepped out of our bedroom, leaving me lying there wondering, what is next?

Is that the sound of the coffee pot springing to life as it creates its magical brew that gives life to a new day? Oh, yes, yes, it is that beautiful sound of coffee coming down. Ahhh Shadow, seemed to be greeting PG as she was making her rounds. The coffee pot stopped its chugging, and PG came back to the bedroom holding a cup of steaming coffee in her hand. "Do you want this?" My magical imp teases me. "Then you need to get up and put on some clothes, old man. Then you can have this."

Seeing her standing there, I knew for sure that this woman, my woman was her mother's daughter. She will change my life in ways I haven't dreamed of yet. "Hey? Where did you get those clothes? I liked having you go around naked; you looked so good."

That brought out a soft, almost shy giggle from her. "Did you think I walked across the yard to you naked last night? You silly man. Now, do you want your coffee? If so, shake your ass." With that, my imp disappeared from the doorway. Grumbling, I rolled out of bed and looked for my seabag to get a clean shirt and pants out. It was gone, nowhere to be seen, but the door to the closet was cracked open. Ok, let me look there. What? How did all my clothes get in here, hung up neatly? Yet another mystery.

Going into the kitchen, there she is, leaning against the kitchen table, holding out a cup of coffee to me and sweetly smiling. Welcome to my new world, I thought. "Shep?" Reaching out and taking my hand in hers, we went out towards the old dock. Standing there, we looked down the line piers that had fallen into the swamp. "Shep? Do you hear the breeze in the trees? The splash of a turtle going in the water? Did you see the eyes of the whitetail deer and next to her, her fawn? Ah, that's the owl calling out to all who will hear. Shep, this is our world that you must protect and your creatures that seek your shelter." She wrapped her arms around me and held me close as we watched the sun appear over the treetops while the rooster called out to meet the day.

Shadow, who had been quite content to lay by the steps to the back porch and chew on his bone, jumped up and ran towards the chicken coop barking, a loud greeting as his tail danced. Paulie and I smiled as her mother and father came around the corner and towards us. "Good morning, my mother. Good morning, my father. The elders sent us a strong storm overnight. But, here, everything looks to be in order." Slowly Paulie went to her mother, hugging her warmly. "Shep? Will you see if the chickens have left us some eggs that we can have for our breakfast?"

Jack walked over to me and put his arm around my shoulder. "Welcome to the honeydew club. Do you need me to introduce you to the club's president, or do you know who the boss is? Now let's go get those eggs in for our bosses; then I'm going to need a cup of coffee and breakfast too."

When we entered the kitchen, both mother and daughter were deep into a serious conversation. Quietly Jack got his coffee as we retreated. "Shep, you'll find out real fast. That when you see any of these women putting their heads together, the best thing for you to do is get out. Anyway, after last night's storms, let's take a ride down Shell Road and see what the neighborhood looks like."

"Yeah, those are both good ideas; let's get out of here before those witches brew up something else for us to do."

As we went around the front of the transporter, Shadow raced ahead of us with tail twitching. First in the transporter was, of course, Shadow, who took up his place in front next to me. As Jack got in, he reached over and scratched the dog's ear, "Shadow you, are a mess." To which he gleefully responded with a volley of barks as his tail wagged. It seemed he knew that he was safe and with friends.

The three of us, Jack, my constant companion Shadow, and I headed down Shell Road towards Jack's old home site.

The further we went from the new cottage, the greater the devastation we saw. It was almost as if nature had pruned and cleared trees out in the swamp. As we came around a bend in the road, what we saw was total devastation. The storm had tossed the trees like they were little twigs. "Well, Jack, I guess this is about as far as we are driving today. Let's get out and climb over this mess and see what the rest of the road looks like." Cautiously the three of us picked our way through the tangled mound of broken limbs and trees uprooted in the storm. "Jack? There is nothing left there. The four winds have swept everything away. Now, the only things left are some lone trees standing out in the water. Like sentinels, who bore witness to the changes."

"Shep, you know our boy LL will come out here sooner or later. And all he's going to see are the waters of the Gulf. Years back, the folks from shoreline conversation told him this would happen if he persisted in cutting unauthorized channels. Well, he didn't want to listen. But! There is an upside. The bayou behind the house is open to the gulf."

"PG!! Look, our two intrepid explorers have returned to us from the uncharted wilds, and they brought their fearless companion too. Oh, we are blessed. Now we can have breakfast at long last!" With that, Shadow barked his greetings, then went back to the crucial things, chewing on his bone.

Jack looked at me, shaking his head and muttering under his breath, "Thank you, dear."

The thought crossed my mind as we all sat down at the old kitchen table; this will be the first of many happy times around this table, in this kitchen. Jack looked at Angie, "Miss Angie, what we thought might happen seems to have occurred. The Gulf came up in last night's storm and has taken the point we lived on back. It has gone back to the gulf. All of LL's property below here is no more. Let's get cleaned up here and into town. I'd like to see Zeke and them. And Shep wants to go talk with Bob."

As we got up from the table, my PG reached over and took my hand in hers, then very softly whispered, "Come with me; I have something to show you. And NO, it is not that, at least not now." Shaking my head, that woman is reading my mind as she guided me to our bedroom. "Do you see anything different?"

Looking carefully about, as I knew well that there had to be something that had changed. Then going to the closet and looking in and seeing all of PG's clothes hung there beside mine. I saw. I knew she was here until the sun stopped rising.

As the five of us left the cottage, with Shadow racing ahead, knowing that he was going for a ride again. When we got in the transporter, Shadow bounced in first and took his place between the seats. Jack held the side door open for Angie, and after she got in, he slipped in beside her as PG popped in the other seat upfront with me next to Shadow. Thinking to myself, well, this a new seating arrangement, one that I rather like. Then again, I do like having my Paulie girl next to me.

As we went up Shell Road, a car came flying towards us. "Jack? Any idea who that might have been?"

The collective chuckles from everybody got me to realizing how new I was here in Crawl Bayou. "Yeah, there goes the proud Leo the Lion in his big fat black transporter out to survey his domain. But, he is in for a surprise. A force greater than him has taken back that part of his domain as he wasn't a good steward and has given it to a new owner. The crabs and fish will be swimming there soon. Do you think he might have learned a lesson from last night?" That left me shaking my head. Do they learn? They learn it seemed to me, only after paying a tremendous cost.

Going past the grocery store on one side of the road and Caroline's Cafe on the other, the scene here was like what Jack and I saw earlier. Trees people had planted and nursed along for years were uprooted and discarded, while many branches of other trees were discarded and snapped off. The destruction we saw was breathtaking yet disheartening. I was thinking back to when I was in the Navy stationed in South Asia after one nasty storm had ravaged the coastline, an old settler there commented. It looks like nature has handed in its opinion of our efforts and is saying you failed.

The five of us drove around the village seeing the losses inflicted on many here. Yes, there were clusters of homes left untouched and standing. The downed trees led me around, as it were, on a tour of the village. What I kept hearing caused the old settler's words to echo in my mind. You failed.

"Folks? Who lives in that big house? Sure does look like it took a beating like so many of the other homes here?" The broken windows were had curtains dancing in the breeze. One of the columns holding up the front porch had snapped, and the porch looked like it was about to collapse. The wind tore the roof off in places, so the rains poured inside. Whoever lived there is going to be thankful for their insurance. That place looks like a total loss to me, like all too many other homes here.

From the back seat, I heard a chuckle, "that? That thing is LL's new house. He built it to be imposing, almost overwhelming. As if he was saying to the world, I'm the king of Crawl Bayou. Seeing this, I have to wonder if that's what he's thinking today? Do you know what's somewhat sad? His Dad had a house on the same site for years. A nice home where people welcomed. Leo? Hell, Leo doesn't welcome anybody unless they have money or help Leo get more money. Do you know Shep? I recall this little village when I was a youngster growing up. Crawl Bayou was a happy place to live, a happy village for everyone. Yeah, we all were poor. But we all worked together, and we all got by. Not today. Not today."

At last, we found a way to get to Zeke, Judy, and Karen's home. The three of them were on the side of their place tossing debris aside to uncover their transporter. Seeing them gave rise to a whole new range of feelings I had never known before. These good people are my family, and they are hurting. I fear for their safety and health here.

All of us slowly got out of our transporter and picked our way through the debris field. Of course, Angie went to her sister, Judy, and just held her as only sisters can. Wrapped together were PG and Karen, holding each other closely. Jack was holding Zeke's shoulder and muttering, "brother, oh lord, brother." At the same time, I stood on the side as Shadow lay at my feet. The only thing I could compare this to was a funeral. I knew that house would never rise again.

After I could regain a little of my composure, "Guys, on the way into town earlier, we passed by Caroline's place. It looked like she was open. Let's get Zeke's transporter uncovered, and the debris moved aside. Then let's go to Caroline's and see about getting something to eat. Then we can talk and see what's next for all of us."

When we got to Caroline's, she came out of her kitchen and greeted all of us. It turned out the cafe was untouched, but her home looked like a pancake. As fortune would have it, her transporter was usable, so she tossed a few things in it and came here. Somehow, she knew many of her family, friends, neighbors, and customers were going to be in a lot worse shape than she. She knew she could help. So she did.

The six of us headed to the corner table; Karen and PG got mugs and the coffee pot they brought to the table for everyone sitting here. The chorus of thank yous that greeted the girls once more reminded me why being a part of a family was so good as we settled in and took time to absorb the events of last night. LL came in the door and demanded that he get a cup of coffee right now! Caroline looked out of her kitchen and yelled out at him. "You damm well know that ain't the way it works here! You want coffee, then get it yourself. This cafe is a waitress-free zone! You take the last cup. You start another pot." Welcome to the realities of Caroline's Cafe LL and the dawn of a new day here on Crawl Bayou.

After that, LL blew out of the cafe under a cloud of various oaths and other mutterings, much to everyone's else amusement. "Folks, if you haven't yet, and something tells me you might have heard. But, Paulie and I are together, and if the elders permit, we will be together until the sun doesn't rise."

Karen looked over at Paulie with a wide smile. "Yes, we know. Paulie, welcome." That comment only added to the mysteries. Welcome, to what? How could she have known?

As we finished another of Caroline's breakfast platters, I looked around the table. "Folks, as you likely know, I was in the Navy for years. I became a Master Mender, which meant if the Navy could break it, I could fix it. I was often on one or another team that went into a disaster area, an area like where we are. I know the drill. Hell. Likely as not, I know and have worked with the people who are on their way here.

The Navy will fill the field across the street with airbuses and equipment in the next few hours. First off will be survey teams who will quickly see what is needed and where the greatest needs are.

From our wandering around town earlier this morning, the greatest need is shelter. A lot of people have lost their homes. They will want to put temps up where people's homes are. I don't think they can; there just isn't enough space to do that. What I think will happen is they will install inflatable shelters to house people. The property owner will have to get the debris from his property cleared and the property free of any hazards. Many homes have suffered severe damage, and they are uninhabitable. The owner will have 15 days to do the demo and removal of waste. To delay the disposal of waste will create a public health crisis, which isn't needed here. If the owner doesn't comply, the Navy will do the clean-up for him, which is the last thing you want to have happened. The owner is on the hook for the costs the Navy has for doing this. If the owner doesn't pay the bill, the property will go to the National Government to dispose of it. The former owner will never be allowed to own that property again. We need to get to your place Zeke and Caroline's place, and get those places cleaned up quickly.

As I looked around for the life of me, I could not understand everyone was smiling at me. It was like I had just given everybody the best news ever. Zeke finally spoke up. "Shep, many of the houses, like mine and Caroline's, are owned by LL, and we rent them from him. So? Is it likely he might just end up losing his fat ass?"

"Zeke, let me explain it to you this way. If the property owner doesn't meet their responsibility, they will lose their property, and hell, they may have other assets attached to pay off the bill. The result is the government isn't going to be on the hook for the owner's negligence. Also, the former owner can not own will that lot again. That brothers and sisters you can take to the bank."

As I talked, a Navy grey airbus touched down across the street from us, and the hatches opened. Looking over, I nodded as I saw my old boss walk out into the sunshine. "I know the man who will be leading the recovery; he's my old boss. I'm going to talk to him now. Zeke, you and Alice go back to your place, salvage everything you can from there, then go to the mill and unload there. Karen, you and PG get Caroline's transporter and go to her place and do the same. Now? Has anyone heard from Bob this morning?"

Karen looked up, "I have; he's at the Supply Store. But he lost everything too, just like everyone else who lived in one LL's shacks."

"Karen? Where was Bob's place?"

"Not far from where we live, almost around the corner."

"Jack? Alice? Can you guys go with Zeke and them? Go to Bob's place and get it organized so getting things from there will happen smoothly? Let me go across the street and talk with the Navy. See everybody back at the mill."

I walked up to my old boss, who had his back to me as he drank in the loss. "Well, it damm well took you buzzards long enough to get your circus on the road. What took so long? You couldn't find your socks?"

The smoke that rose from the old man's ears was almost visible. He stood there shaking his head as he seemed primed to explode. "There is only one kind of creatine that talks like that, and that is nasty-ass old Master Mender. One that just loves to say, see, I have done told your sorry ass, but you won't listen! How the hell did you get here, and what the hell are you doing here? The last I heard, they had tossed your ass in a brig in South Asia somewhere."

As the Admiral turned towards me, the smile swept over his face was the second best thing I had seen today. "Ensign, listen to me very carefully. Under no circumstances whatsoever is this crazy man to be allowed anywhere near any tool bunker. He has a reputation for cleaning out tool bunkers. Granted, unproven, but still, things have seemingly grown legs when he is around. If that happens, Ensign, it is your ass, and you will spend the rest of your time in the Navy counting all the parking lot stripes in Galveston. Do I make myself clear?"