Road Tripping Pt. 23.5 - Side Trip Pt. 01

Maggie caught Donna's eye discreetly and they shared a secret smile of recognition. Next the three older, head priestesses gathered from behind open doorways in front of them as she now had to hide her surprise at seeing Darcy dressed in a fine ceremonial garment, necklaces, other jewelry, and headdress, of gold and many precious stones.

As they both looked at Darcy, her skin much darker but the facial features and gaze from her different colored eyes shown her soul through, standing to the right of a woman who lit a ceremonial lamp, for a moment while she gazed at them and did her best to control her own emotions and keep up with the event, she was compelled to participate in.

The senior priestess said a few words of blessings and then said to all. "I am honored that we have joining us on this joyous day, the head Priestess of the Temple of Insight from Cortinarius, Euthalia.

From behind the doorway a slight woman in her early forties, with blonde hair in elaborate braids, with her own golden and bejeweled, ceremonial headpiece, and great crystal on a polished silver chain hanging over her own white and purple wrap, with many beautiful things embroidered in it. Her deep, green-eyed gaze looked out warmly upon the two dozen women gathered today.

Her eyes met Maggie's and they locked with each other for just a moment as she almost swore there was a glint from the crystal that shown in her eye. The smile never left face and she hesitated for a moment with Donna too, while her eyes greeted all before her.

The head priestess soon ended the short ceremony, with a reminder of where and when to gather again early this afternoon and her hopes to see all at the early feast before.

The women broke up quickly to talk and Maggie and Donna went to talk with Darcy quickly and discretely. "My friends we will talk more later, but it is wonderful to see you two here...again." She finished with a smile, and they all hugged for a moment.

Euthalia, watched the three women gather and talk for a moment. She had seen how the two women from the group reacted to her and deep in her soul, she did know these two women also. They needed to talk!

She walked over to the three gathered in a small group talking quietly. "Sisters. I too feel the fact our souls know the other from outside this place and time. It is difficult to explain, but we will have time and if you wish too, and it is allowed by your Gods, I would like to join with you in a sacred mushroom ceremony. There is much of interest to explore here, and it could be of value to those who will share our souls after we have crossed over and had our time of rest.

All four women drew together for a hug as all took ahold of the crystals and other amulets they were wearing and shared a moment of energy between them and Euthalia said "Remember for later when you are not here anymore, but it is wonderful to meet you now and when we see each other again or, looking at Darcy, when we meet for the first time in that other world."

"Love to you all." Euthalia finished.

Their dream ended with the sound of an alarm clock in the hall calling all to the world of such technology as Euthalia bid them goodbye for now.

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In a tent in Ohio, Star was furiously scribbling in her notebook as Joe took the kids to the bathroom in the campground and she fought not to pee on their cot, writing down a wonderful dream of a time she had never seen before.

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In a hotel in Arizona three women awoke with a start and took a moment to sit up and look at the other, amazed at what they had just experienced, Donna was the first to gather enough brain cells and look for a notebook to write down as much as she could before it faded.

Darcy followed her out of the bed saying. Ladies I want to talk more of this night later. I love you are writing down what we saw there. Can you ladies stay at my place tonight, and we can have a real deep talk about this?"

"We would love to Darcy, Maggie said after finding her own notebook."

"I do have one question. The green-eyed woman from Cortinarius, I think they said, was she your friend Star? When Molly talked with her, she mentioned that word to her, I think. I do not know where that is, and I don't remember hearing of it."

"We will talk with Molly later at the site for a little while and she can fill you in on more of that, but have you been where we were before in your dreams. I will ask her to bring her notebook and we can talk more."

Donna spoke up next heading to the bathroom. "Yes Darcy. The woman named Euthalia I think looked an awful lot like Star but a few years older and thinner. We were thinner too but still big women for that time I suspect too."

"I thought she might be. I saw her in that other dream, and I hope to meet her someday soon."

"As for Egypt I have been interested and having dreams about it for a long time, since I was a girl reading about Carter and his finding King Tutankhamen's tomb when I was ten. We will talk more later." She said with a smile, at having someone to share these dreams and visons she had experienced for over sixty years.

They were all dressed and ready to face the day soon and met up with their friends for a good breakfast. Maggie asked a slightly worse for the wear looking Molly if she would bring her notebook of dreams with them. "All three of us shared a profound dream last night and although you and Lou were not in it, but Star was, and you may be able to add some context to things for Darcy.

Molly nursing a second coffee agreed saying. "I'll bring it and come in around ten after the usual rush she has before then. We can all talk for an hour or two and then give the men some time off. All of us are a bit run down from the last four days of digging. Pool tonight after we dig, please."

Lou and Felix both gave thumbs up to the pool statement while putting down double stacks of French Toast and bacon. Marta was having a separate conversation with Darcy and Donna, but nodded in agreement, while looking at the empty coffee pitcher and looking for a waitress for needed refills for all after all seven had long and wet night last night, after a long and exhausting day.

Lou asked everyone to come back to his and Molly's room after, but would not say why, but that all would be happy after. He left a few minutes before everyone else to get something ready but would see everyone in a few minutes.

Molly let everyone in and closed and locked the door with the do not disturb sign out. Lou lifted a sheet, and all of their pot stash was on the bed. "I do not want to carry all of this back east with me. I may leave some in our storage unit under some of the rocks in one of my buckets, but we want to share some of this for the road and show Felix and Marta the roach collection and samples we've kept over the last two months.

He gave Felix and Marta almost a half in three small bags of remains and a good purple and red-green bud. Maggie and Donna still had had enough for two more joints, and Lou gave them over a quarter in two other bags and two buds from the very good pots.

Molly had been rolling joints from a mixed pile with Marta and they gave Darcy four for her to keep her hip pain down she said with a smile and then passed out the others, for a relaxing trip to the digs today. Lou also wrapped up a good purple bud for her saying. "Keep this for your grandson so you can show him how cool grandma is. Do you have a pipe of any kind?"

"I've got an old tobacco pipe I use for that occasionally and I will keep it for him. About once a month I find someone's pot out there or someone turns in a lost bag. You will be back again just around when he will be here if everything works out. I'll still have two of those fat joints left when he gets here. Marta's almost looks like a Camel." Darcy joked and struck a pose with it in her hand.

They put all their pot where they need to and then went for last stops at their room as all gave Maggie and Donna a hand loading up before they checked out after explaining they were going to stay and Darcy's tonight.

Lou told them their rough travel plans for the next days after and where they intended to stop. "We hope to see you and meet up for a late dinner or anything else." As he gave them the phone numbers for the hotels they were hoping to get too, if they wanted to get a reservation or if they had a problem and Lou and Molly could help them out or the reverse.

Getting into the vehicles Darcy told all. "If we make good time and get there before 8:20 we can all pile in the back of the pickup and I will have Felix drive you on a quick tour of the place out back. I know Lou and Felix are dying to have a good look around."

Felix led them out and down the roads as fast as he dared, knowing all the speed changes. They made very good time after only a quick stop for twenty more gallons of water Lou got on a sale and Darcy got a few packs of C-cells as Molly and Marta smiled at her and each got a fresh four pack themselves, and some peanut butter cups for the rest of the ride.

They made good time and Lou was unlocking the gate for the pickup to drive onto the site while Donna and Maggie went with Darcy to check on her home and help her for five minutes before they went out to meet the others and go for their thirty-minute ride, past her Quonset Hut full of vehicles and a lot of petrified wood. She then had them drive out to see other equipment left by the government after the war when there was no longer a strategic need for her minerals. Most of the equipment was just rusting in place but four covered pieces were still operational she said, and she showed them more of their diggings on less than an acre before the war ended and they left.

"They built us a road, and the two huts joined back there and brought in all of this stuff. Even the rusted pieces may be bought back with a lot of work, or someone may buy them for parts someday, but you now see how I keep everything full in the pit for the kids. There is enough in the hill they and I half took down to keep this place running for another two hundred years at least. I see what Lou and Felix are doing and so far, they have done better than anyone else in a dozen years with what they're doing and their claims. At the end of the day, I will give you more rope for the claim markers to cover all you have dug with your double claim.

Lou and Felix asked Darcy questions about the large pieces they saw weathering out from the half-dug hill. She talked as they went back, and then showed them the inside of the hut where she had the tow truck they had seen, two old school Willys Army Jeeps, both running she said, a late 1960's GMC four-wheel drive pickup that was her regular driving vehicle and three antique vehicles next to several huge piles of Petrified wood and buckets for the dirtier of the two jeeps.

"I drove those Jeeps in the army guys, and they are a lot of fun. Maggie told all with a gleam in her eye over some of the fun she had with them in the army. They were everywhere when I was in, and everyone could fix one back then. They even had three on the Kibbutz I grew up on."

Lou and Donna had just gone to look at the Ford Model A convertible coupe, when Felix said it was 8:40 and they better get Darcy to work soon, as Molly asked if it was ok to take a few pictures of the cars, but she would not take any of her wood stash.

Maggie volunteered to take one of Lou and Molly in the Model A with Marta and Felix in the rumble seat. "It still runs, and I fire her up once a month. Next time all of you are out here I'll bring her out for a little drive. She does need work and is not safe for the dirt road out of here but can be fixed. The Plymouth and the Desoto are basket cases and one day I'll sell them for parts to the right buyer.

They all went up to the main house moments later and Darcy let Felix put his truck in the lot and everyone got their needed things for the day and went up to help Darcy and Molly finish opening up, before getting out to the digs early and trying to finish all they planned on today.

Maggie and Donna got out to their side and went at the digs hard early too. "Donna, I think we can bring home at least five buckets. Any more than that and it will be too much for the van."

"I agree Mags. Lou said we could leave anything that was too heavy in his storage unit, and it would be safe."

Four other groups showed up today including the couple at the far claim site. All chatted with those who came up as Maggie and Donna filled half a bucket before ten, when the four women called a break for themselves and went to talk with Darcy.

Lou and Felix went to work together on one side and dig out another thick log and more large thin pieces they kept digging out. They knew that even when they got the sides joined then they had to clean and set up the whole thing to drain while they were away. They had a lot of dirt to move and hopefully some more rewards along the way.

Darcy passed out ice cold water from one of the jugs Molly had left her along with coffees for all. "Molly. Darcy asked. Do you have any pictures of your friend Star with you? I will let you in on some of why I asked you women in here. I've had dreams with all four of you women in them in two different settings and in both of them there was a woman with blonde hair and green eyes."

Molly went to her car to get the photos of the road they had taken, along with a few of Celesta's. In the third photo in the stack there was one of Star and Joe camping in the redwoods with them.

"That's her, ladies. Euthalia from last night."

Molly looked at Maggie across from her then Donna next as both women agreed with her about last night and that Star was the woman in the photo.

"That's her Darcy. Star in our times, and Euthalia, the head priestess of Cortinarius." Maggie said quietly.

"You three ladies were together last night in your dreams, and you saw someone who looked like Star and said she was from Cortinarius? Where and when were you and were we there?" Molly asked as Marta looked suddenly shocked by what had just been said.

She was in for an even bigger one soon.

For a few minutes they explained what they had seen and done while Marta sat silently, as she tried to piece together a dream interrupted by an alarm clock that she did not understand at all until now. She thought it had been symbolic.

When Darcy finished Marta added, surprising all. "I was there too. I came in just as it began compelled in my dream. I saw Darcy at the front and Donna as she turned at the end but really did not understand it was a deeper dream until now."

"If you think the last one was a doozy Marta you are going to love the next one. I almost don't want to tell you, but I've seen you with Felix and I think you will take it the right way, although what I'm saying here does not go beyond this room unless you want to tell your men about this one Molly and Marta."

"I had this dream a few nights ago and was here with you two and Star, I know now along with several kids from toddlers to early teens running in and out as both of you were very pregnant and had your water's break. Marta's first and then Molly's as she went to help her. Me, Star, Lou, Felix and two teens loaded you into the back of the station wagon and we left the guy next to Star in the photo and my grandson in charge of the shop as we headed to the hospital."

Molly and Marta looked at the other with a smile and Molly spoke first. We saw each other in a joined vision the first day here after we left early and tripped on those fresh mushrooms we got at the last show."

"Those were fuckin good.!" Donna exclaimed.

"Do you know about magic mushroom Darcy?" Maggie asked.

"I am not sure, but I have heard about LSD and acid and tripping. We get idiots who have been eating cactus out here at times. Had one wander up my road half dead years ago. Had to take him to a hospital or he would have died. Scorpion sting didn't help his trip."

Marta continued. "The four of us were making love together, while deeply tripping by the ponds in the park about thirty miles from here. Molly and I climaxed together, and our joined eyes saw us about to give birth in about ten years with Felix and Lou nearby getting washed for the delivery after digging here. It was a brief and powerful vision and we have not shared it with the men and do not plan to."

"We only discussed it once and it was very powerful. Thank you for telling us your part Darcy." Molly added holding Marta's hand.

"I'll just be glad to be here ten years from now to see some of your little ones. As she banged, he knuckles twice on the wood counter she was sitting on. None of us will speak of this again. I'm anxious to meet your friend Star and her family too someday."

Over the next hour Molly and the others all discussed some of their dreams, what "Magic Mushrooms" were and more with Darcy of what Cortinarius was and how connected Star was and how long ago these things happened.

"So, Molly we were seeing a time last night about five hundred years before the time of Zephyra and Myrine in Cortinarius?" Maggie asked.

"Yes, to the best of my knowledge. I don't have any books on Egypt handy to check when they think all that was built, but five hundred sounds about right."

As Molly said this a five-year-old and dad came in for band aids and an antiseptic spray on some skinned knees.

"Nurse Marta" cleaned his scraps and Molly handed him a candy stick and Darcy got her the first aid kit and soon kid and everyone else were on the way to dig some more. Darcy went to get a book she had on Egypt after all left and she did a quick look while lightly cleaning.

Darcy's place would be closed tomorrow on Monday, and she would have some time to read. It was the day of the week she got things done and shopping, after her food vendor came by in the morning with her weekly delivery.

The women got out to see Lou and Felix taking a break and dumping another three filled wheelbarrows of sifted soil into the great pit before returning one to Maggie and Donna and the white one back on Lou's side. They had dug another three feet on one side and were only three feet apart with a Log showing on Lou's side and two more out on the other side along with many large pieces.

Maggie went back to their diggings with a smile after the long talk and what promised to be fun and enlightening night with Darcy later. It would be tough to leave tomorrow, but like their friends, they did have to be east soon and had stayed as long as they could.

All took a short break for lunch and soon were back out hard at work It had grown warm and as soon as all the other guests had left except for the far couple. it was as few clothes as possible with the last of any sunscreen going around to all smearing the dirt but helping to keep the sunburns half at bay. Lou was looking a little cooked by the end of the day as Molly made him stop around four.

They had finished clearing a channel and Marta and Molly were doing a pass to make sure the water would flow. Molly was cleaning with her spade when she heard a long scraping sound from the blade. In five minutes, her and Marta had exposed a five-foot-long section of a tremendous tree trunk buried in the soil that was at least three feet across.

It had to weigh tons!!

They took pictures of it with Molly next to it for scale. Lou just shrugged his exhausted shoulders when Maggie asked what he was going to do. "It weighs more than the tow truck. I have no idea how we could move it. I'm to beat to even think right now Maggie."

"I see. Stay under the shade for a while more and have another drink. We are done here for today. Thank you for telling us about all of this. It has been an awesome time here Lou." She hugged the filthy Lou as he gave her a knowing grin, having taken a good guess about the source of all the wide smiles on her, Donna, and Darcy all day.