It's My Party

"What?! Here, let me see," said Parni as she grabbed the binoculars and took a long look. "My gosh Carla, she's right! This guy is a dead ringer for one of the guys in the tunnel!"

"Do you think he belongs to Kappa Alpha?" asked Suvarna. "I think they mentioned some other fraternity in the tunnel, but maybe it was all a ruse!"

Carla gave a loud humph voice. "People, shut this down now! Friendly thoughts only, that's an order!"

A few moments later the Jada's team approached the shore. About forty meters out, Jada stopped paddling and looked closely at the people waiting to meet them. She had been expecting joyous shouts and waves, desperate people gleeful over their rescue. Instead she saw a group of seven people watching her group very quietly. The situation made Jada pause. The rest of her teammates also stopped off her bow, Tom to port and Mandy and Madison to starboard. What followed was an awkward silence.

Tom finally decided to break the ice. "Ahoy the shore!" he called out.

"Ahoy the boats!" one of the women called back. "My name is Carla. Who are you?"

Jada answered for them all. "My name is Jada. I'm in charge of this team." She pointed with her arm. "This is Tom, and this is Mandy and Madison. Madison and I are survivors of Party #1. Tom and Mandy are survivors from Party #5. We're not sure, but we think you're from Party #2, Great Balls of Fire. Is that correct?"

Several of the women on shore looked visibly shaken by Jada's response, and Carla replied at once. "Yes, correct! You don't know how glad we are to see you!" A moment later Jada and her team came ashore.

What followed was a brief and intense discussion, sprinkled with frequent pauses for fierce hugs. Several members of Carla's team couldn't stop themselves from laughing at the riches of the central island described by Jada's group. The rescue team quickly learned of the existence of four additional Party #2 survivors, at the end of the river these people were calling the Missisquoi, an Abenaki word meaning "crooked river."

Very soon after they landed, Tom and Mandy left and returned to the island, carrying notes on the shoe sizes of all eleven survivors of Party #2. It was one of their most critical needs, and Carla had told them of her commitment to return to her society's home base tonight and tell Sandra and the others of their rescue. Chatting with Jada and Madison while the others got the supplies, Jada made the offer that Tom should accompany them. Carla had noticed he was armed and accepted immediately. His gun would be an incredibly priceless asset on the return trip.

The people on shore could soon see three kayaks approaching them, Tom and Mandy and a third kayak in tow loaded with supplies. New backpacks and boots and clean and wonderful outdoor clothes, what a luxury! Carla could hardly believe her ears. Were these people really saying there were stores in the basement of that pale yellow building, including an Eastern Mountain Sports?!

In a very short period of time, the gear was unloaded and it was time for Carla's team to return home. The time was just past local solar noon and Carla was adamant about making it home before sunset. Tom would fill Carla's group in on many details on the way back. With the five kayaks here, Abit and Oona would return with Jada's team and head back to the island. There was a final round of goodbye hugs and then it was time to separate.

Jada saw Carla eyeing Madison's gun wistfully and Jada looked Carla in the eyes requesting a lock, and for an instant one formed. Carla had previously told Jada about being a U.S. Marine, and her desire for a gun was so pure and appropriate that Jada make a snap decision. "Yes, of course you should have it," Jada thought within the link.

Carla's head snapped back in a hiccup so large she almost vomited. She stood for a moment gasping for breath and looking very confused. Jada turned to Tom and locked eyes. "My God Tom! These people don't know about linking!"

"Maybe I should try to tell them on the way back to their camp."

"You might want to wait until you reach it. The news is going to hit them like a ton of bricks!"

Tom thought back the pictorial image of a nod and then politely disconnected from the link.

Jada's mind returned to normal time. Carla was staring at her and said with hesitation, "I'm sorry, but did you just offer me Madison's gun?"

Jada nodded. "Maddy, hand it over, the extra clip too."

Madison complied without hesitation. "There are fifteen rounds in the clip that's loaded," she told Carla. "The spare has thirteen rounds."

Carla took a moment to give the weapon a brief but very professional inspection, checking the safety and the fact that a round was already chambered in the breech. "Oh boy, two pistols. The caliber is a little light to use against the cats, but oh boy, you don't know how good this feels." She paused for a moment. "Thank you for the trust. You've given us both your guns."

Jada nodded. "Oh, our island is safe enough. Take a flare rifle too. Tom brought over a dozen flares. We have a second rifle back at the island, and more flares too."

At 12:43 in the afternoon, Carla's group started for home. Her group was equipped with new boots and wonderful backpacks filled with supplies, food and vitamins and even a large first-aid kit. Her group of six took off in very high spirits and confidence. Carla had to remind her team that they would still not challenge the cats if a confrontation could be avoided. But even she was grinning with optimism.

Jada's team of five headed back quietly to the island. Oona and Abit had both kayaked in the rivers and lakes around Burlington and they were quite proficient with the boats. Not as good as Mandy perhaps, but they made the sharp turn out of the current to the boat docks more smartly than either Jada or Madison. It wasn't long after 1 PM that they were all safely back at the island and hauling their kayaks into the boathouse.

The two cousins had been quiet for most of the trip, and the other women gave them time to adjust to their new situation. It was after the boats were secured that the two women finally began to get chatty. They all walked out of the boathouse as a group of five, and Jada asked if they'd like to circle the island before going inside. Abit and Oona quickly agreed.

"This is so strange," Abit commented as they walked. "The water is so cold here. The spray from the paddles was freezing."

"And the current is so swift," added Oona. "A drop in temperature from the shore I can accept, but the current is truly bizarre. The Missisquoi is so wide here. The current should be at a minimum."

Madison nodded. "Yes, you're right. We have a model of a vertical loop of water, perhaps even rolls of water spinning downstream, powered by God knows what. We were planning to test if there's a return current deep underwater, but we haven't gotten to it yet." Madison paused. "May I ask? Who first called the river the Missisquoi?"

Abit sighed. "I did. I remember it well. It was the morning of Christmas Eve, the day after we first left the safety of the strange rooms. It was our first big excursion day."

Madison looked out over the river. "I used to call this river the Mississippi, but you guys named it first. I will call it the Missisquoi too."

Oona commented on her cousin's earlier remark. "The rooms at the entrance to Wobanakik were safe enough, and the shower facilities were nice too. But there was absolutely no food there, and by Christmas Eve we hadn't eaten in three days. We had to abandon the safety. Patrick was in charge. He died later that morning."

Mandy nodded. "Carla mentioned a little about how that happened."

Abit answered in a quiet voice. "Yes. We were so naïve then, so inexperienced. A cat attacked. Patrick charged it with a stick and a rock and that gave us time to run away. Looking back, if we had all fought, we probably could have driven the cat off. But in the terror of the moment…"

"It was not your fault," Jada said gently.

Oona sighed. "I tell myself that sometimes, but I really don't believe it. I'm ashamed of my lack of courage. One thing for sure, it won't happen again. Abit and I have sworn to each other. Upon the honor of our tribe, we will never flee from the cats again. We owe Patrick at least that much."

Mandy tried to change the conversation. "Abit and Oona, I've never heard those names before. They're very pretty."

Abit gave a small chuckle. "Our fathers are brothers. We were born almost on the same day. Our parents decided to name us after an old Abenaki legend, very ancient. It's vaguely similar to the story of Cinderella."

Mandy smiled. "Oh yeah? So which one of you is Cinderella?"

Abit chuckled again. "The analogy is not exact. In the Abenaki legend, a plain girl shows her bravery by going to another tribe and seeing a young man who is invisible to everyone but his sister. The plain girl proves she can see him by correctly telling his sister that his shoulder harness is made of a rainbow."

"Ah…"

"But that's not Oona or I. In the legend, we are the plain girl's evil step-sisters!"

Mandy laughed. "Oh wow! Your parents named you after the evil step-sisters, huh?"

"Yep!" Abit then turned to Jada and became more serious. "I recognize you from the University, from the swim competitions. You're Jada Horowitz."

Jada nodded. "Yep, that's me."

"You deserve to know then. Two members of your swim team were here, the twin dynamos."

Jada gasped. "The Benning sisters are here?!"

Abit nodded sadly. "Were here. Their deaths were tragic."

Oona spoke up. "Not just tragic. They were unnecessary."

Jada shivered and gave a deep frown. "What happened?"

"After Patrick was killed, we elected Sandra to be our new leader. That lasted about three weeks. During that time we make one and half complete revolutions around the world, staying in the highlands to avoid the cats. Sandra decided the caves at the end of the Missisquoi were the best place for us to be. Our footgear was wearing out, and the caves offered us a place to survive."

Abit picked up the story. "Our stay at the caves there was short. Derrick demanded a new vote for leader, and promised us a more active campaign to escape from Wobanakik."

Madison blinked. "Yes, you mentioned that name before. From where?"

Abit smiled. "Ah, forgive me. Of course you do not know. My cousin and I named both the river and the world. Wobanakik means, place of the dawn. My cousin and I decided to create a new Abenaki legend, a story of a great cave where the dawn goes to sleep after its morning work."

Abit's smile disappeared. "My cousin and I voted for Sandra. We thought her path was correct. We needed to act with patience. Amy was Sandra's close friend by this time and voted for her too. All the others voted for Derrick."

Oona spoke up. "It was a difficult week. In one week we hiked almost another full revolution around Wobanakik. Derrick was getting very moody and authoritarian."

Abit added. "Not just authoritarian. Derrick was petty. He began to pick on Sandra, always assigning her the dirtiest jobs."

Oona continued the narrative. "One day we spotted a wild boar down in the deep forest. Derrick ordered Sandra and Roxanne to hunt it. My cousin and I tried to complain how foolish this was and were almost disciplined. To spare us Derrick's discipline rite, Sandra and Roxanne agreed to the hunt. It ended in disaster. Things were very tense after that. Our group almost tore itself apart. And rather than accept the fact he was a poor leader, Derrick marched us down from the foothills to the edge of the Missisquoi, very close to the very spot were we met. He proclaimed he would swim to the central island and he ordered the Benning sisters to accompany him."

Jada cried out. "But the river is freezing here! We've taken measurements, 6C around the island! No one can swim in that, not without a wetsuit!"

Abit nodded sadly. "We had no idea about that. It was the 18th of January, and it was an unusually warm day. The water at the shoreline was cool but swimmable, we were guessing about 20C. It wasn't just Derrick. The Benning sisters didn't particularly want to go, but they didn't think the swim would be dangerous either. It was only about eight hundred meters through calm water."

"And they just didn't make it," whispered Madison in a guess.

Oona sighed. "We watched them die. We were so helpless. They got very near the island and then were caught by a current. They seemed to have a very hard time leaving it."

Mandy nodded. "We've noticed that too. The current flows into its center, not just downstream, almost as if there were two convective rolls of water turning and pulling everything into the center path. It's great when we're kayaking and wanting to go downstream. We just find the current and the boats steer themselves."

Jada shivered. "But for a swimmer, the river is deadly. The current traps you in the center of a super cold flow. The centerline flow is about 10C along most of the river and 6C around the central island. So all three drowned?"

Abit was glum but tried to finish the story. "The Benning sisters were better swimmers and were out in front. As they neared the island, one of them started flailing, slapping her arms on the surface of the water and we think calling for help. From our distance, we couldn't tell who was who, but the other sister swam to her. They both struggled for a moment and then they both went under. They never resurfaced. It happened as quickly as that."

Oona added, "Derrick was in trouble too. He was close to the women by this time but did not attempt a rescue, which was the correct decision. But perhaps the coldness dulled his brain. We think he tried to rest for a moment before swimming back, and the current pulled him as he floated into its central part. It happened very quickly, before he realized the danger. He died a moment later."

Madison's eyes went wide. "Uh, did you say this happened on the 18th of January?!"

Abit answered simply. "Yes."

Madison turned to her leader and spoke in an excited voice. "Jada! Don't you see?! A man and two women dying on the 18th! We thought it was Mark and Frida and Toshi!"

Abit was puzzled. "You know when people have died?"

Jada was lost in her thoughts for a moment, remembering her husband's disappearance and feared death after his great battle with Party #5. She finally turned to the Indians and nodded. "Yes. Let us tell you about the census counters…"

The time passed quietly. It was such a fine day, the five women completed their perimeter walk and then sat on the grass and chatted near the boathouse in a small garden of edible wildflowers. An unspoken understanding seemed to develop between the old and new arrivals at Wobanakik. The new arrivals had sad news that none of them could ever return to Earth, and they wished to become friends with Oona and Abit first so that they could better comfort them in their loss. Oona and Abit both felt profoundly grateful for the kindness. And the two cousins thought as much to each other, briefly linking and sharing their feelings.

Jada gasped. She was too skilled with sharing thoughts not to recognize what she was seeing. "So you DO know how to link!"

"What?!" Oona answered in a half shout, and her cousin looked bewildered too.

"I'm talking about mind linking. What do you call it?" Jada stared at Oona and offered to link. Oona half tried and then hiccupped in rejection.

The next half hour was a time of revelations. Abit and Oona had discovered their ability to share their thoughts about a week after coming to Wobanakik, lying under their winter coats together at the break of dawn and sharing their warmth against the last of the bitter cold night air. For the first day they were too stunned to speak, and afterwards they feared they would be condemned for hiding their power.

And their fears were deeper than just against a condemnation. They assumed the power was theirs alone, ancestral myth and reality merging into a true nightmare. If discovered, they thought they would be judged monsters. They feared being ostracized or worse.

Jada had seen this fear before, in her husband's thoughts and with her two sister-wives. She told Abit and Oona in great detail her group's struggle with accepting the new ability, including the full details of her sister-wife Toshi capturing Holly in a dream. Abit and Oona listened with rapt attention, a tremendous relief visible in their faces and body positions.

Oona plucked a nearby flower and ate it thoughtfully. "So you know what it's like? The power almost drove us mad. The truth of physics and the truth of magic, the two can not coexist. The truth of one invalidates the other. All our lives, Abit and I believed in the truth of science. Our Abenaki legends at their core were parables, our honored ancestors' model for how the universe operated. The legends were our heritage and we cherished them, but in terms of actual belief…"

"We were both seniors at the University," Abit said in almost a wail. "We were both modern students trusting the validity of science! And what we were experiencing with Wobanakik, with sharing our thoughts, with this strange land that was like Earth but not Earth… Tell us plainly, we are ready to hear. This is not Earth, is it?"

"No, not Earth," answered Mandy, her eyes offering the Indian women as much compassion as she could. "But it is a beautiful planet though. We have satellite images, back on the surface. It is a beautiful planet, full of promise for us, and we think our Parties are the only ones here. The planet is fully worthy to be our new home, and we have been given a phenomenal amount of resources to get started."

"And I can see it in your eyes Mandy," Oona replied. "You have no hope ever to return to Earth, do you?"

Mandy shook her head. "No, no hope at all. We will share this with you soon." Mandy took in a deep breath and sighed.

"Tell us it's not magic," Abit begged in a whisper.

"Oh no, not magic," answered Madison firmly. "But the science displayed here is showing us things Earth scientists would have declared absolutely impossible. Time dilation inside kitchen cabinets, teleportation through elevators, plant life that acts as if it is self-aware…"

"The killer ivy!"

Madison nodded in sorrow. "We've lost people too, not in our society but others. My brother Mark once used the ivy to kill a group of people that were hunting him and two of his wives."

Abit nodded thoughtfully and turned to Jada. "She means you?"

Jada smiled. "Almost. Madison is speaking of Toshi and Frida, my two sister-wives."

Another thoughtful nod. "Jada, I don't mean to be impolite, but this sounds rather surprising. Your group has adopted polygamy?"

Jada nodded. "Oh yes, and the reason is obvious. There are a lot more women than men on this world. The ratio is on the order of ten to one."

"What?!"

"We'll give you the full details soon. We'll tell you everything. But first…" Jada stretched in the afternoon sun. This really had turned out to be a delightfully pleasant day, and Jada felt grateful for the good fortune. "Come! We'll show you our beautiful home first!"

Chapter 57.

Time: Saturday, March 2, 2019 3:45 PM

Three hours after leaving the river and already half-way home, Carla felt so confident about their situation that she called out a fifteen minute break. They had been jogging along a ridgeline roughly two hundred meters west of the edge of the cylindrical sky, a short gully on their left, and a broad drop on their right to the forest below. Within a few minutes, the four Hindu women drifted away to a spot about twenty meters distant. They sat and chatted while munching on some of their new high-energy food bars.