//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: A Tale on Two Rivers // Story: Tidalverse: The Fearsome Foursome // by Alden MacManx //------------------------------// Friday, January 29th, twenty-sixteen. It was clear and cold in Saint Louis, a cold front having gone through in the overnight hours clearing out moisture, and dropping temperatures a good twenty degrees. At the food bank, Frick, Fred and Fran gathered, along with Suzanne and Mary Sue, who insisted on coming along. “Are we ready to do this?” Frick asked. “Let’s do it,” Suzanne agreed. “Yes, let’s,” Mary Sue said. Ever since Fred pulled her aside for a quick talk the week before, she had become less morose and more thoughtful, then, three days previous, she woke in the morning, more than willing to talk, but would not talk about Before, which was usual for her. Instead of shying away from any questions, she instead would say, ‘That was then, this is now. Now is more important than then.’ She wasn’t wrong about it, either. They made their way through the thin snow cover (only an inch or so, but Frack was sure more would be coming in the next day or two, and by sure, he referred to the Christmas Day storms) along the path Chopin had told them the kitten took. At the Interstate, they found a hole in the fence, but one sized more for a being Fran’s size than just a kitten. On the other side of the Interstate, they found another hole in the chain link fence. “I get the feeling there has to be more than one over here,” Frick said as he held open the second hole to allow the others to get through it. “This hole is much too big for what Chopin described as coming through.” “It is,” Fran agreed. “Something tells me we had best hurry along. Room 112, she said.” “This way. I can feel something,” Mary Sue said, looking at the building. “Two of them, similar, one ill, one worried, two hungry, two cold.” She sprinted for the door, her reddish-pink mane and tail trailing in her wake. The rest followed her. At the door to room 112, they faced a problem: With the power off, the door would not open from the outside. Frick went to work, trying to ‘pick the lock’. “Watch the doors on both sides, they may try a connecting door,” he warned. “One’s definitely sick, Frick. I can feel it from here,” Mary Sue said. Fred nodded in agreement. “Should be just another few… there!” Frick grunted, only to mash himself against the door when it stopped swinging open, held by the security lock. Fred, Mary Sue and Suzanne piling into him didn’t help. Once they got off him, Frick unlocked the door with his telekinesis. “Once more, from the top…” he said shakily. The away team piled into the room, to find themselves staring down the barrel of a shotgun held by a ginger-colored Abyssinian lying in one of the two beds. “Ya know, ya coulda knocked,” the Abyssinian said. “Who is ya, the Welcome Wagon?” Fred was the first to speak. “You can say that. Suzanne, the zebra and Mary Sue, the yellow and pink pony, live here in Saint Louis. Frick Larsen, Fran Vasquez, and myself are just passing through. You, sir, are ill. I’m a healer. May we help you?” The Abyssinian put the shotgun down, visibly shaking. “Yeah. Cut myself on something a couple weeks ago. Musta got infected. Rosa, you can come out now. They won’t hurt you.” he panted. From the far side of his bed appeared a little black and white kitten Abyssinian, dressed in towels held together by shoelaces. “I hoped you would come by today. Daddy’s getting sicker, and I don’t know what to do!” she said in a partial wail. Fred went to the male while Mary Sue went to the kitten. “Would you like a pony back ride, Rosa?” she asked after nudging the kitten’s cheek, which gave her a feel for her health, which, while being hungry and cold, was not bad for someone her age. Rosa scrambled up onto the bed, then to Mary Sue’s back, slipping under the blanket that she wore against the cold. “You’re warm!”  “That I am. Let Sexton Fred work on your father, okay? Hopefully, he’ll be up and around in no time!” Mary Sue said encouragingly. “Okay,” Rosa said with a yawn, the warmth of Mary Sue’s body lulling the kitten to sleep. Meanwhile, Fred had nosed the male, to get a read on what was wrong. “I’m Fred Halvorsen, from Columbus, Nebraska. What’s your name and where are you from?” he asked. “Mark Voltefiore, from Ronkonkoma, New York. Over there’s my daughter, Rosa. We was comin’ east, headin’ for New York, and pulled in here to overnight. We go out for some McDonald’s, come back, and I no more than parked when the flash happened and we was both cats!” he explained as Fred checked the extent of his injuries. “Where were you coming from, Mark?” Fred asked. “Saint George, Utah. School let out this last week, and Rosa and I immediately left to head home to see the wife. She’s a stockbroker in Manhattan, I’m an accountant in the same firm. We’re still married, but we agreed the promotion here could not be turned down, so Rosa and I came out here last August before school started. She likes it out in Utah, in the heat and dry, but she missed New York and her mother, so off we went,” Mark explained as Fred did an examination. “Well, Mister Voltefiore, I have good news and bad news for you. Good news is I can fix whatever is ailing you. Bad news is you’re going to be flatbacked for a while,” Fred explained. “Flatbacked? What foah?” Mark asked. “The infection you have is pretty well set. I can rid you of it, but it will take a lot of energy out of you. I can do the healing now, then bring you back to the food bank, where they have their home at. You’ll be asleep for about a day while you knit, and you’re going to wake up hungry,” Fred explained. “We have no problems with you joining us, Mister Voltefiore,” Suzanne told the Abyssinian. “Why did you hide from us for so long?” “We heard gunfire. That’s a good reason to hide. Need I say anything more?” Mark asked. “We’ll have a longer talk later. So, ready to get some rest and wake up in a warm bed?” Suzanne asked. “Yeah, go ahead. When Rosa wakes up, tell her what she will need to do, but say this to her, okay? Tell her Abercrombie says it’s all right to follow you. It’s our safe word,” Mark explained, lying back on the bed. Suzanne nodded. “I can understand that. Tell her Abercrombie said so. Is there anything you want us to bring along from here?” “Naah. Whatever’s here, we can come back and get later. Can’t charge her tablet and my laptop, anyhow,” Mark sighed. “But we can, Mark,” Frick put in, his senses coming back after the door squish. “Not only charge it, but we can link you to what’s left of the Internet.” “Really? Okay, bring ‘em along,” Mark said before turning his attention to Fred. “Hit me, please. I’m feeling achier than ever.” “Talk to you later, Mister Voltefiore,” Fred said before touching the Abyssinian’s hand. A white glow came out and surrounded Mark before being absorbed into his body. Mark winced, but soon relaxed into a deep sleep. “Okay, everyone. Let’s pack them up for a trip home. Fran, find the electronics and bring them, along with the shotgun. Frick, pick him up and put him on Fred’s back, well-wrapped against the cold. I’ll tell Virgil to prepare for company,” Suzanne ordered, unslinging her radio. “Will do, boss lady!” Frick said, scooping Mark up with his glow and putting him on Fred’s broad back, draping two blankets over the cat and then tying him down with a robe sash. “All set? Let’s go!” Suzanne called, leading the way out. She let everyone go out before she left, putting duct tape over the door latch so it would not lock shut, she hoped. If not, it would take Frick to get back in. A half-hour later, Mark was put in a warm bed with an electric heating pad and left to rest and recover. Rosa woke from her nap, and was filled in on who’s who and what’s what, using the pass phrase ‘Abercrombie said so’ to get her trust. Mary Sue, along with Sadie, were designated ‘kitten watchers’, and were told to take a radio and go across the street to the storage place to outfit Rosa with better clothing. What Sadie could not finesse open, Mary Sue could kick open. It worked. By lunchtime, the kitten had proper clothes again, warm ones, with shoes and boots that somewhat fit. At lunch, down at the Deliverance, Rosa got to meet every dog and pony in the colony. At first, she was delighted, then tired rapidly, so Fran brought her aboard the boat and allowed Rosa to nap in her cabin. Once the kitten was bedded down, the real business began. “Greg, you’ve decided on which boat you’re going to use, right?” Frick asked over coffee. Greg nodded his massive head. “Yes, the largest one, the La Petit. It’s going to be a little small for the five of us, but we can manage. Isaac and I will get some barrels and pump out the diesel tanks this afternoon, and tomorrow, Frack and Aaron can check the motor and generator while we get the fuel purified. You and Fran check over the electronics with Katherine. With any luck, once we get her into the water and get fully provisioned, we should be a week or two behind you. At least, that’s how I see it.” “Then, that’s the one we’ll finish fitting out. Before we leave, we’ll see about putting her in the water and getting her here for final fitting out. Hopefully by then, you’ll be as qualified to be the captain of your ship as I am with mine,” Frick said in dry tones. “Are you qualified to be the Captain, Frick?” Greg asked. “Seems to me like Fred’s the one who gets everyone organized.” “That’s why he’s First Mate. You should train Anna for that on your ship. She runs the ship, leaving you free to make decisions.” “Okay, I get it now. Anna handles boat worries, I handle out-of-boat worries. Is that the way to look at it?” Gregory asked. “Pretty much. To put it in Trek terms, she’s the Riker to your Picard. Let her handle boat issues, you worry about where the boat goes. That will be one load off your mind. As needed, tell her WHAT you want, let HER decide HOW to get it done. She’s a tough lady. Use that to your advantage,” Frick counseled. “You know, I have an inkling about what you are talking about, Frick,” Greg said, putting an arm over Frick’s back. “Sounds like running a happy family. Men rule, women decide.” “Yeah, well, don’t inkle on the Deliverance, please. Anna won’t like it if Frieda skins you alive for getting her boat dirty,” Frick replied drily. After a pause, the two males got a laugh out of it. For the next week, the three groups all pitched in to make their lives better, and for the departures of the Deliverance and the La Petit, getting the smaller boat checked over, put in the water, fuelled, and brought across the river for final fitting out. The electronics were brought up to snuff, the Tereshkovs all learned how to use said boat electronics, and the Voltefiores fitted in to the Saint Louis team. Being bipedal in a quadrupedal world that used to be a bipedal world had some advantages. Mark, after a day-long nap and damn near a whole haunch of venison, rare but hot, found himself recovered from the infection, with little trace of a scar under his yellow-orange fur. Rosa was not only happy to have her daddy feeling better, she was finding all sorts of things to DO, instead of having to hide in the hotel with coloring books. All too soon, Deliverance was set to sail, tanks topped off, fully provisioned, all matters set. The day before, a big party was held at the LaFarge rock pier. SOME booze was broken out, but really not that much. Where in Saint Charles the Tereshkovs found a supply of drinkable Manischewitz wine, they never said, but chilled in the cold river for an hour before opening, was eminently drinkable. Frick sat at the saloon table on the Deliverance with Suzanne and Gregory while the party went on outside. “You said there’s a group down by the Gateway Arch, right?” Frick asked Suzanne. “Correct. We’ve met twice, but that’s about it. Their leader is an earth pony named Exeter. We’ve never met, both meetings were with a unicorn mare who goes by the name of Swifthoof. We would like you to let them know we will welcome them here, because the more hooves, the merrier. Get enough ponies here and we may move to one of the local hotels for better living conditions,” Suzanne said with a smile.  “We’ll leave them a radio so you and they can talk to coordinate. If they have the fixings, we can set up a fuel purifier, find a generator, and get it so they can keep the radio charged. Whatever else, we’ll worry about later,” Frick said. “One set to your frequency, because we have enough of those, and if all goes well, they’ll bring it back.” “Such is the hope. We accomplished a lot when we had plenty of hooves and paws here. Now, we’re going to be losing half of us. Scaling down won’t be easy!” Suzanne laughed. Gregory spoke up, lifting his wine mug for a sip. “We won’t be leaving for at least a week, Suzanne. Maybe two. We want to make sure you have all you need, and we want the Deliverance to get a good head start, to let us know what’s ahead. We’re in no hurry.” “That’s good to hear, Greg. There’s lots we can get done before you take off,” Suzanne said after some of her wine. “We’re happy to help, Suzanne. I’m just sad we got off on the wrong foot, but we've made up for it, in spades, right?” “Spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds, dog!” Frick said with a laugh, which the other two joined in before getting back to planning talks. Outside, Mark and Rosa sat at a low table with Fred, Fran, Chopin, Katherine, Mary Sue and Sadie, enjoying tacos Fran had made. Carnivores got venison in theirs. “Do you have to go so soon, Chop-in?” Rosa pouted. “I'm gonna miss you!”  Chopin, nestled between Rosa’s ears, gently skritched the kitten’s head with her forehooves. “I’ll miss you too, honorary member of the Rose clan. But I have a job to do, to see what’s out and about, and I can’t do that sitting here, can I?” she squeaked quietly. “No, but…” Rosa started to say before her father cut in. “Rosa, up here, you got me, Sadie, Mary Sue, and all the rest of us to teach you, right?” Mark told her. “Plus, Chop-in can call you on the radio and the computer, right?” “Yeah! Can you do that, Chop-in?” Rosa said eagerly. “With my help, of course she can! Can’t say just when, but we can always arrange a meeting by email, right?” Fran asked with a smile, after a mouthful of taco, which she had to admit was pretty good, now that they learned how to season squirrels properly. “That would be good, Rosa! We can talk over the picture-thing, like we did with the people across the ocean,” Chopin squealed. “Would be nice to teleconference again, but ta who?” Mark mused. Fred asked Mary, “Sure you can handle the healing chores?” “Pretty much. Apito has shown me a lot. She does not expect me to do a lot of converting to her cause, but she is glad I’m here to teach,” Mary Sue answered. “Not all her values will go over well here, but I am the only one here with Taino heritage. I’ll do the job for her.” “What’s a Tie-eeno?” Rosa asked. “Your ancestors are Italian, right, Rosa?” Mary Sue asked. After the kitten nodded, she went on. “My ancestors came from Cuba, and were of the Taino people. Apito was one of their goddesses way back when. The gods and goddesses of past times came back when magic arrived and we all were changed into ponies, dogs, cats and such. Apito decided I would do good for her by being her agent here, and I accepted. Now, among other things, I can heal others like Mister Fred can do. I can do more than him, but I have not found out what.” “Wow…” Rosa said, wide-eyed. Up above, the griffons and pegasi were having a version of badminton going on, Zach and Freida against Carol and Lena, with Frack being the referee. One team over water, one team over land, and a team scores a point if the birdie hits the ground (or water) on the opponent's side. The game ran until they ran out of birdies, with the pegasi winning by two points. Griffons may have more strength, but pegasi have better agility. After the game, the five landed for fish burgers and tacos, with not-quite-stale chips and lots of cold drinks. Not a lot of beer, though, but that night, Frack had to co-opt his brother for a road trip to the Quick Fuel to refill his Vanilla Coke stash, ten twelve-packs worth. One went into the saloon fridge, the other nine under his bunk. “Can’t live without the stuff, can you, bro?” Frick noted as the last of the twelve-packs was stowed. “Nope! Only thing better is the Cokes in the glass bottles, and I have not seen any yet. Intact, that is,” Frack replied. “If only I can find some Jolt…” Frick mused. “You do, I’m NOT going to get you down off your caffeine high! Last time you had Jolt, You stayed awake for two days, big bro!” Frack snapped. “Well, that was a six-pack in an hour…” Frick mumbled in reply. Sunday, February 7th, twenty-sixteen, the Deliverance cast off from LaFarge dock, heading downstream. The Tereshkovs waved from the La Petit as they cast off and cruised by, the crew waving back. Down the Missouri River they cruised, in no particular hurry. Fran had first watch, so she took her time to observe the scenery in the cool morning light.  One thing that got to her as she piloted the boat were all the twists and turns the river took. According to the maps, from where they were to the Gateway Arch, via I-70, which was on the order of fifteen miles, give or take. By river, easily three times as far. When the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers merged, the difference in the clarity of the water was obvious for miles downstream before the waters mixed to the point where Fran could not tell the difference. The Missouri river water lived up to its name of The Big Muddy, while the Mississippi’s water looked… well, cleaner to her. It wasn’t until the boat was down by the Chain of Rocks bridges before the color change became imperceptible. By then, Fran had to watch for rocks in the river. Fortunately, what few that were there were easy to avoid. After that, she watched Saint Louis come into view on her right side. The Gateway Arch came into view, and fortunately, there was a small pier just to the south of the Arch, with a riverboat tied up to it. A stern paddlewheel riverboat. A little cruising showed a second one tied up beyond the first. Freida looked from one of the saloon windows. “Showy boats, they are,” she commented. “Showy, yes, but a little big for our purposes. Fueling that has got to be a pain. I think we can tie up over here, at the end of this part of the dock. Ready to handle lines?” Fran asked. “Extend port side reels. I’ll be ready when they are out, then I’ll put the fenders in place before tying up. Call Frick and have him get the flare gun,” Freida said as she shut off the stove. Lunch was about ready, anyhow. “Will do.” Freida got the boat tied to the dock as Fran got Frick up. It was not like the three fellows had hangovers, but they were up late planning, plotting and discussing. Frick stumbled up the steps with a bad case of bedmane. He opened the small arms locker and broke out the flare gun, going out to the dock to fire it off. Suzanne had told him that the suggested means of contacting the city group was to send up a flare and wait for them, because they did not know where they would be or what they would be doing at any given time. Just as Frick was ready to fire, a strong voice was heard. “Don’t bother. We heard you coming downriver. Not like there are any other boats or cars about,” it said, startling Frick enough that he almost dropped the gun. Frick saw an imposing blue and black earth pony stallion with a bright yellow mane walking down the riverboat’s gangplank. “Nice to see someone new. Are you from the North side group?” he asked. “No, but we just came from there. Suzanne says hello, by the way, and has an offer for you and yours. I’m Frick Larsen, from Oconee, Nebraska. Care to come aboard Deliverance for some lunch and coffee?” Frick asked. “I’m Exeter, leader of the local herd. Welcome to Saint Louis. Yes, I will be happy to join you and yours for lunch. How many are you?” Exeter asked as he approached. “Six, all told. I’m told you have six yourself,” Frick said as he made way for Exeter to get aboard. Exeter sighed. “We did. Down to four now. Two died in a creature attack two months ago. Needless to say, we avoid the Zoo at all costs, and getting to the Gardens is a chore. We’re thinking of finding a new place to stay, but where is there to go that’s safe?” he asked. Frick smiled. “Exeter, do we have a deal for you…” he said as he went to lead the big earth pony inside, to meet the crew, have lunch, and talk. “Before we go aboard, Frick, mind if I get the rest of the herd? Sundays are our day of rest and reflection, and we should share the bounty you are offering with them,” Exeter advised. “Go ahead, Exeter. It’ll be cramped, and we’ll have to make more lunch, but we can cover it. Go get your compatriots while I get the crew informed. Deal?” Frick asked. “Deal,” Exeter agreed before trotting back aboard the sternwheeler. He came back a few minutes later with three other ponies, a coal-black earth pony female with mane and tail the color of smoke with flaming-red hooves and fetlocks, a female white unicorn with a platinum mane and fetlocks, and a small male unicorn with a red and black spotted coat, a yellow-blonde mane and horn, and steel-gray hooves and tail, who stayed close to the other unicorn. Exeter introduced them as Bitumen, Swifthoof and Sparky.  Over a lunch that dragged on past dinner, the two groups swapped their ‘origin stories’, then told of their lives since coming back. Exeter worked at Busch Stadium as assistant Chief of Maintenance, Bitumen was a college student at Washington University studying music, Swifthoof was a stay-at-home mother to Sparky who loved track and field, and after becoming a pony found she could run at a good clip for a long time. Sparky is nine and is already learning a lot about using his horn to power things, like his computer. “Life here is not very much fun,” Exeter started. “Past few months, a lot of unusual critters have started appearing here in Saint Louis. Most green patches around the center of town have become home to animals that just don’t seem to like horses like us. Swifthoof is the only one of us who can outrun them, so we have to stay in this area, and the pickings are dropping down.” “You know of the ponies up on the Missouri, in Earth City, right?” Frick asked. “I’ve met them twice. Suzanne is a bit strong-willed,” Swifthoof said. “Well, Suzanne has told me that they would welcome you all to join them up there, where they have plenty of food, few monsters, and the addition of the four of you will bring their population to fourteen. They know how to clean fuel, make power, and are in communication with a pony group in Europe, the WSU, that we are trying to reach,” Frick explained. The four downtown ponies looked at each other in some sort of shock before Exeter was able to speak. “They WANT us to join them there?” he said incredulously. Frick and Freida nodded vigorously. Fran was up in the pilothouse with Fred, while Frack stood by the back door, unable to keep his hooves still. “That they do. Suzanne did say that many hooves make light work, and when the Tereshkovs leave, they could use more hooves. Are you all interested?” Frick asked. A glance went around the four downtown ponies several times before settling on Exeter. “How soon can we leave?” he asked for the group. Fred spoke from his position in the pilothouse. “How about the first thing tomorrow morning? That will give us time to give them a call and let them know who’s coming, so they can make ready places to stay for the four of you. It’s going to take until mid-afternoon to get there, since we’ll be bucking the current the whole way, but by tomorrow night you’ll be in a better place.” “Plus it will give you time to pack anything you want to bring with you tonight,” Frack added. “We won’t be going anywhere until you’re ready to come along. So says the Chief Engineer,” he added, brushing a wing against his chest proudly. “Seeing as the main engines have been shut down for over half an hour already, is it not time for the Chief Engineer to check fluid and oil temps and levels? So says the First Officer,” Fred said in a low, rumbling voice that damn near had the force of God behind it. Frack let out an eep of surprise. “Good idea, Fred! That’s why I’m standing here!” he squeaked, one wing reaching behind him, fumbling for the door latch, getting it unhooked and slipping outside with alacrity, going for the cover to the engines. A small laugh echoed around the saloon. “Is he always like that?” Bitumen asked. “Ever since he was little. He is my kid brother,” Frick admitted. Before the downtown team headed to bed, the two teams did get a lot accomplished. A long chat with Suzanne, letting her know that the offer had been accepted and what to expect from each of the ponies, a shorter chat with the WSU, with a promise to call Sandra before the end of her shift in the morning for interviews, Fran and Sparky bringing the computers over for better charging and updating, Freida and Bitumen swapping recipes, the two groups getting along. Monday morning, however, was not as calming. Frack, who had the helm for the first watch, was feeling uneasy from the moment he woke up. He explained that his weather sense was playing up, that he was feeling a storm coming, but could not see it. The skies all around were clear, with only a few clouds. Still, his weather sense said there was a storm to the south, approaching and receding at the same time. Irksome, but he could not be looking over his shoulder all the time, since he was heading northbound, not southbound. Frick, Fred, Exeter and Swifthoof were gathered at the saloon table, Bitumen observing from the galley, Frieda was out on the aft deck, fishing, while Sparky and Fran were below, in her quarters, online with the WSU. At the saloon table, the ponies talked about conditions at Earth City in more detail than before, joined by Suzanne on the radio. Their conversation was occasionally interrupted by static, like lightning was striking somewhere nearby, but no storm was visible. It was about an hour after the Deliverance had started from the dock when Frack came alert. “Bro! Take the wheel! Now!” he shouted as he bailed out and took wing, heading south. Frick quickly got to the wheelhouse and took control. Fred and Exeter headed aft, joining Freida there, watching Frack flying south along the river, his gold-colored tail reflecting sunlight. “Just what the hell is he doing?” Freida asked. “Couldn’t tell you, Maw. He just up and took off from the wheel. Not like him to do that. How’s the fishing?” Fred asked in return. Wordlessly, Freida tapped the catch bucket with a claw, which was half-full of fish. “Pretty good, I would say,” Exeter commented. Meanwhile, Frack was flying toward what was bothering him- a flock of silvery birds, about the size of a buzzard. Looked a lot like them, too. As he neared, Frack could feel that those birds could do what he could do- change weather. He could see sparks fly between birds if they were close enough to each other. “Oh, ho! You birds hunt in flocks, eh? Well, follow me! I know where you can hunt and feast!” he called out to them, turning on his own weather control ability. Frack led them past the Deliverance to the east shore of the river, a place listed on maps as Gabaret Island. Spotting some deer there, he led the flock to the herd. Immediately, he could feel a storm rising, electric potentials climbing. He peeled off from the flock as a fog started condensing between the flock members. Together, the flock chose a target and started circling. Within a minute, a bolt of lightning jumped from the flock to the deer, who dropped to the ground. The whole flock landed and started pecking at the deer. Quickly, Frack headed back to the boat. When he landed, Frick called out to him, “What you been doing, bro?” “Found a flock of storm birds. They’ve been messing with my weather sense since I woke up. Led them to a herd of deer I found. Together, a flock can bring down a deer with a guided lightning bolt,” Frack explained. “I’ll take the wheel back.” “I’ve never heard of a storm bird. Have you?” Frick asked. “Nope. Had to call them something, and thunderbirds don’t live here, unless you count cousin Curtis’ Ford Thunderbirds. They look and act like buzzards, only they are active hunters. Not good to have around electronics, right?” Frack told his big brother as he took the wheel. “No, it’s not. I better check the lightning systems aboard. How vulnerable are we to a lightning strike?” Frick wondered as he left the pilothouse.  “You’ll find out, bro. How many times has the K-Zen towers been hit?” “Too many times, bro. I’ll be in my cabin.” Not quite lunchtime, Freida decided to make one more cast before heading in and fixing lunch. The Deliverance had entered the confluence area between the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, muddy west, clear east. She tossed out the line and watched it splash into the muddy waters. Quickly, she got a bite. She went to reel in the fish, and it didn’t fight, it was like she had hooked a snag. She went to cut the line when it slackened on her. She reeled it in, thinking the hook had come free. What she saw coming out of the muddy depths startled her. What came up was the fin of a fish, a very big fish. The dorsal fin of a catfish that is not quite the size of the Deliverance. Thinking fast, she cut the line with a claw. Slowly, the fish settled back down, the fin submerging. Fred and Exeter came out on the aft deck. “Was that what I thought it was, Maw?” Fred asked. “If you thought you saw a catfish back about the size of the boat, you’re thinking what I thought,” Freida said as she put the fishing rod back into the locker, next to the rifles, shotgun, and the three other rods. “That’s what I thought it was, Maw. Wonder how long that’s been there.” “It picked a good spot, by the river junctions. Lots of possible food coming downstream,” Freida observed, picking up the bucket containing her catch of the day. “I’ll be upstairs for a bit, cleaning and prepping these. Fill the two big pots with water, put them on the stove, and set the burners on medium. By the time I’m done, they should be close to boiling.” “Right, Maw,” Fred said, slipping past Exeter to go back inside. “How long have you two been married?” Exeter asked. “September first marked our forty-third anniversary. Didn’t get to celebrate it yet, Came back December eighteenth,” Fred said as he pulled the two pots from the cupboard prior to filling them. “The four of us have known each other since we could toddle.” “So that’s how the four of you work together so well,” Exeter said. “Long experience.” “That’s right. Long experience, knowledge of each other, and the patience to tolerate each other’s foibles,” Fred replied as he filled the pots. “May I find someone like that,” Exeter sighed. “Who knows? You probably can. Just let yourself be open to the possibility and have the patience to let the relationship develop,” Fred advised as he set the pots of water on the stove and turned on the two burners. That evening, at LaFarge pier, everyone gathered there (at tables the local crew brought down) to a dinner that Freida and Fran prepared for everyone, so everyone could meet and mingle. The new immigrants (Exeter, Bitumen, Swifthoof and Sparky) had the chance to meet their new neighbors and got a rundown on their living conditions, which would be temporary until some decisions were made later. The Tereshkovs were interested in conditions downstream, because they would be leaving when they had enough provisions stored up. The reports of the storm birds and the giant catfish got everyone’s attention, as well as the reports of the creatures living south of them, closer to the center of town. “So that’s why I haven’t seen you since November. Roads became too dangerous,” Suzanne said to Swifthoof. “Right. I probably could have avoided them, but I didn’t want to take any chances after we lost Edward and Rachel. Bad enough Sparky lost his father. Losing his mother would have broken him,” Swifthoof said quietly, glancing at where Sparky and Rosa were listening intently to Fred telling a story. “By being here, you can have a radio to take with you while scouting, so you can keep in touch with us,” Virgil pointed out. “That, and electricity, food stocks, plans for the future, and most of all, a future we all can look forward to, working together to make our lives better. I mean, who knew cleaning up gasoline is as doable as it is?” Swifthoof observed.  “For sure, we didn’t!” Suzanne said with a laugh. “Nor did we,” Isaac Tereshkov said. “We lived for months without that knowledge. We could have lived a bit better. Of course, then, we didn’t have contact with each other. We lived on the other side of the river, and we had reasons to be worried about each other.” “Well, I’m just glad it was all for naught, Isaac,” Virgil said. “Turns out it was Mark and Rosa being real sneaky. I’m damn glad we found them, as well as getting along with you and yours. Sure y’all don’t want to stay here?” Isaac shook his head. “No, we want to see about joining the WSU group. Havana is a possibility, depending on if we can learn Spanish well enough. We should, it's just that none of us have tried. English, Hebrew, Russian, those we know. Spanish, not yet.” “I’m sure you could figure it out, if you want to, Isaac,” Swifthoof assured the diamond dog. “Being multilingual already gives you a leg up.” “Before it gets too dark, I suggest we end the party and head back to the food bank. We have a sleeping area laid out for you, and first thing in the morning, we’ll get a barrel of diesel down here so they can top off their tanks,” Virgil suggested. Suzanne nodded in agreement. “Yes, we should leave before it gets dark. Plus, you’ll have a batch of reading to do, learning about what it means to be a unicorn or an earth pony. It does make good reading, and the books are set so they are durable.” “Meaning, I was the one to take the pages from the printer, slip them in page protectors, and put them in binders. That took a day to do them all,” Virgil said wryly. “I’m a courier, not a secretary!” “Virgil, now, we’re all generalists. I sold advertising space for KMOX. Now, I’m leading a colony. If that’s not a career change, I don’t know what is!” Suzanne declared, to the laughter of the others at the table. The Deliverance crew stayed at Earth City all the next day, topping off fuel, tweaking and peaking gear, bagging and smoking two more deer (with the help of the Tereshkovs) keeping one for them, suitably cut, wrapped and stowed up on the fly bridge. They also took the precaution of screening in the fly bridge with what seemed like an acre of plastic screening, with window flaps cut into each side (sealable with velcro) for when they decided to use the fly bridge for more than storage, along with a door flap for the ladder. That evening, the Deliverance crew and the Tereshkovs sat down for dinner, with a map of the middle Mississippi valley between them. “What I’m planning is about three days to get down to Cape Girardeau, find a place to refuel, then another three or four days to get to Memphis. That’s the next major city south of here. After that, the river gets real twisty, so you could sail fifty miles downstream, but only move maybe ten miles south. With any luck, we’ll reach New Orleans in about four weeks,” Frick said, using his magic to move a pencil along the map. “What will you do in New Orleans? Is there short cut to Gulf of Mexico?” Anna asked. “Looks to me there is, south of the city. There’s a canal that goes from the river to this here Lake Borgne, and from there to the Gulf. Looks to me it saves a good fifty miles off the trip, instead of going all the way down to the delta and out,” Frick said, circling the appropriate spot on the paper map. “I hope we can find more detailed maps closer to New Orleans.” “We should,” Gregory agreed. “I just hope by then, we all will have enough practice on the boat to dare some short blue-water sails along the coast before the big leap to Havana.” “Let’s just hope the GPS systems are still working when we get that far. South of Naples, there’s a whole lot of nothing before you reach the Keys, then even less before reaching Cuba,” Fred observed, looking at the map himself. Frick asked, “Have you set a definite departure date yet, Gregory?” Gregory shook his massive head. “No, not yet. It’s more like when we get the nerve to set out, we will.” “We’ve taken some trips up and down river, each of us driving, and each of us checking the motor after. We getting better at reading instruments, and one thing for sure is we not go full power unless Greg or I say so!” Anna said in her slightly fractured English. “Smart idea, Anna. One thing I’m certain of is that if it breaks, you’re going downstream with no power and less control. You may want to look into finding or making a set of oars to get to shore,” Frick observed. The two dogs looked at each other. “Not a bad idea,” Anna said. “Boys are strong. Can row boat to shore, da?” “Da, lovely one. I look into making oars for boat. Strap them on rails?” Gregory questioned, thinking out loud. “Da! Tomorrow, I go Saint Charles. Think I know where oars can be. Need to measure,” Anna declared. “Okay, now that THAT is settled, Fred and I should get to bed. Early start tomorrow,” Frick said, getting up.  Everyone else got up as well. Frick used his magic to fold up the map. “We see you in morning! I make you blintzes!” Anna exclaimed. “Last chance for a long time!” Frick and Fred looked at each other. Anna is a wonderful lady, but her blintzes left something to be desired. “How about a selection of matzoh balls?” Fred suggested. “Matzoh balls? Okay! I do in morning, make nice batch! Add fish to some!” Anna said with a smile on her face. “I’m sure all will enjoy that, Anna. Thank you so very much. Good night to you,” Frick said before heading aboard, Fred trailing behind. Once the saloon door was shut, both ponies sighed. “May the Lord save us from Jewish mothers…” Fred sighed as he filled the teapot. “Amen, Fred.” “Want some tea?” Fred asked. “Chamomile/lavender. Make it a double.”