Beth, not as quick on her feet as her
slimmer brother, is soon over-taken
by..... "Timmy! Why are you running
away? That's just Dad, and we have to
let him know you are ok!" Beth says.
Timmy stops to let Beth catch up to him.
As Beth nears him he says, "Beth,
there's no time for reunions, please
keep running with me. We'll get the
supplies from Jason's house. His dad's
bomb shelter is loaded with everything
we'll need."
With the distant cries from their dad in
the background, Beth and Timmy run
towards Jason's house, which is about
3/4ths of a mile away.
Beth cannot get over the change in her
brother's personality. With the finding
of that blue stone, this mild, shy
teenager had turned into a "take charge"
man, with the wisdom and leadership
qualities of a man twice his age.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My God. this is the craziest thing I
have ever heard, but I insist on coming
with you," Jason said, after Timmy and
Beth had tried their best to explain the
situation. They were now headed to the
bomb shelter for the supplies.
They packed everything; hunting knives,
flashlights, food, flares, and even a
tent. Beth pretended not to notice that
Jason had slipped a couple of condoms
into his pocket, and was smiling to
herself thinking of the possibilities,
until she saw Timmy pick up a
shotgun.
"A shotgun!?" asks Beth.
"Yes," said Timmy. "I can feel the stone
inside me pulling me harder and harder,
and the direction we must head is to the
north."
"Oh No," says Jason."We cant go north,
you want to get us killed?"
"What?! What!? What's North that could
get us killed?!" asked Beth, who was
almost in hysterics.
Jason and Timmy knew what was north of
the deep woods from their area and were
hesitant to tell Beth. But they gave
each other a glance, and in their eyes,
each could see they knew it would be
best to tell her.
"C'mon," Timmy says. "We'll tell you on
the way. We've only got about 3 more
hours till we lose the daylight."
They grabbed their knapsacks and headed
for the deep north
woods.....
They grabbed their knapsacks and headed
for the woods. Beth was scared to death
but didn't want to tell Timmy and Jason
this for fear they would make her go
back home.
As they were walking through the woods,
Jason let Timmy take the lead, and he
walked behind Beth. Watching the way she
walked, he desperately wanted for them
to hurry and stop for the night.
"Are you all going to tell me what is
past the woods to the north?" Beth asked
as they were walking. She figured they
might as well not stop to talk since
they didn't have much daylight left. But
for some reason she thought she already
knew the answer, just didn't want to
believe it. Timmy stopped, turned and
looked at Jason, who motioned him to
keep going. They walked in silence for a
few minutes, which seemed like hours to
Beth. So finally she says, "Ok, the only
thing I have ever heard about above the
north woods is the old Indian Mound. But
I don't understand why we are going
there, it isn't there anymore because
they tore it down to build the new road
that went through there." Timmy
whipped around and grabbed Beth's
shoulders, "That's exactly the point
Beth. They tore it down and that has
upset the spirits." Jason then cut in,
"Wait a minute....that Indian Mound,
isn't that where Princess Aracoma and
Chief Logan were supposed to be buried?
Those Mounds were never supposed to be
touched, they are very sacred. Timmy, do
you think that this is what this is all
about? Maybe you are the chosen one to
go check on this?"
Timmy knew that they were heading to the
Indian Mound. But that is all he told
them. He didn't give them any reason
they were going there. He let them talk
amongst themselves and he just kept
walking, thinking back on the vision he
had while in the cave. That night
they set up their tents. They were only
a few hours away from the Indian Mounds
but couldn't go any further since it was
so dark. Beth was getting nervous and
excited at the thoughts of what could
happen during the night out there
secluded in the woods like that.
They made a fire, had something to eat,
and Timmy went off to bed. Beth and
Jason sat by the fire and talked of what
was happening with Timmy. "He seems,
well, just so different," Beth says.
"Well Beth," Jason says as he puts his
arms around Beth, "It's just a good
thing he came and got us before he left.
If he had left without coming to us
first.....". Beth cut him off, not
wanting him to finish his sentence.
"Jason, I am really scared for my
brother. None of this makes sense to
me." Jason was thinking to himself
that he knew exactly what she meant. He
was more scared than he let on. She was
wondering what he was thinking, because
his arms had tightened around her. She
looked up at him, looked in his eyes,
"Jason I have wanted to say this for a
long time now.
I........".
About that time, they heard Timmy
scream. Beth jumped up. Jason was
already half way to Timmy's tent when
Timmy came running out. "We have to go
now!! Get your things together. There's
no time!!!!!" Beth couldn't believe
what she was seeing. The blue stone in
Timmy's chest was glowing and he was
soaked with sweat. She just stood there
staring and finally Jason came over to
her, "Beth, honey, everything is going
to be ok. Just go get your stuff
together and we will just keep going
with Timmy."
Timmy looked at them both, "I will
explain when we start moving." So they
gather their stuff up, and head on
through the woods. Timmy starts
telling them about what had happened in
his sleep. "It seems the
spirits......
Timmy starts telling them about what
happened in his sleep. "It seems the
spirits....."
"Go on Tim-bo, tell us!" begged Beth.
Jason looked past Timmy at Beth, their
eyes locked, and Jason said, "Tim, tell
us, c'mon."
Timmy took a breath. "Okay, I saw the
altar in my dream and I was laying on
it, with all those men standing around
me. I heard tribal drumming in the woods
to the left, and the blue stone kept on
toning." Timmy tripped over a large rock
at this point but caught his balance,
even with the backpack.
As the ground crunched beneath their
feet, Timmy went on."I was looking up at
the men, and each of their faces was
reflecting a soft blue glow from the
stone. Their eyes also had the
reflection of a small blue light.
Scattered about the grounds were small
bonfires, just crackling and smoking and
trying to lick the stars. The men kept
staring at the blue stone in my chest. I
could tell they wanted it. The drums
were beating faster as the men began to
chant, and I started to feel afraid. I
didn't want them to pull the stone out,
I thought it would kill me if they did
and I woke up!"
Timmy looked first at Beth, then at
Jason. He stopped walking and said, "You
guys don't know, you just don't know how
it feels...."
"How what feels? Tell us," said Beth, as
she put her hand on Timmy's shoulder.
Jason placed his right hand on Timmy's
shoulder and his left on Beth's, which
made Beth shiver with excitement. "Tim,
I know you're scared," said Jason. "I am
too."
"No Jason, I'm not scared, not anymore.
It's really weird, but this stone is
like a friend and I don't want to give
it up, but I have to or they'll take it
from me anyway."
"C'mon," said Beth. "Let's keep walking
and get this over with. Jason? Let me
talk to Timmy for a sec., please?"
Jason smiled, nodding, and began walking
a few paces ahead of them, while Timmy
and Beth intentionally lagged behind.
Beth looked at Tim and told him she'd
help him do whatever he needed to do and
stick by him no matter what.
By the look in Beth's eyes, Timmy knew
she meant it and gave her a hug. He
thought this was the first time since
Billy died that Beth had shown any
interest in anything at all. As the
volume of Timmy's blue stone increased,
he finally understood that this
beautiful glowing stone that had found
him, was also helping Beth to work
through her sadness.
While Tim was lost in thought, Beth was
too. She was staring ahead at Jason as
they walked, her eyes on the condom
packages outlined in the back pocket of
his 501's. She now knows that he wants
her, and she wants him, too. She and
Billy only did it a few times before he
died, but she had stayed to herself
since he died, and now missed being
touched. If and when this mess is all
over, and they can really be alone, Beth
wants to feel Jason next to her. Jason
wants her, and Timmy's alive, so maybe
life does go on after all.
"Hey you two!" shouted Jason, startling
them back to reality, as both were lost
in their own worlds. "We're almost at
Route 6; you two okay?"
"Sure" and "Yeah fine!" were shouted
simultaneously at Jason, as they
quickened their speed and caught up with
him.
Now the three had quickened their steps,
noticing neither the weight of their
backpacks nor the weight of their
concerns for tonight. "Okay," said
Jason. "Route 6 is up ahead and once we
cross it we'll be on the only piece of
Indian Mound land that is still
left."
Timmy put his right hand up to his
chest, cupped his hand over the stone,
and saw the blue glow highlighting his
palm. There was heat as well as the
familiar gentle tone emanating from the
blue stone, reminding Timmy not to
worry.
They stopped in their tracks and their
breath quickened as they stared at Route
6 and the land beyond. Jason turned to
Beth and her brother. "Okay, here it
is," Jason whispered. "Now let's stick
together, okay guys?"
They looked at each other and nodded,
and slowly started across the road.
Halfway across they heard a faint, yet
familiar drumming sound, like the
drumming at the Native American Pow-wows
that convened just outside of town each
year.
They reached the forest edge, and
finally stepped onto the remaining 7
acres of what was once the Indian Mounds
burial grounds. The faint drumming could
still be heard. Suddenly.....
.....a loss of breath and has to stop
running.
"......are impatient to
see the stone. And I had a really weird
dream," Timmy's voice slowed to a halt
as he looked at his sister, Beth.