# 67: Weldon Farm -Three Dragons

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back at the Melton’s

“Ahem” an unknown voice spoke up. “That’s very touching, perhaps I can be of some assistance.”

They looked around. There shouldn’t be anyone here except for the three of them.

“Oh Daddy LOOK!” Lucy said

Sherry and Weldon were so tired that they must have been hallucinating because they saw the trio of Dragons too. The biggest was about the size of a turkey. They were perched on the porch rail and speaking to them in three channels.

“Well? Could ya’ll use a little help?” the three dragons asked.

Sherry and Weldon just stared. Then they looked at each other and started laughing somewhat hysterically. Lucy looked at her parents with a rather put-out expression on her face then turned to the Dragons, shrugged her nine year old shoulders and spoke.

“It’s a grown up thing I guess” she said sadly. “Of course we could use some help. We’d LOVE some help. Can you help us?”

“I certainly can” the dragons chuckled. “I know how grown-ups are. My mommy does the strangest things sometimes. OH Hi! My name is Cody. What’s yours?”

“I’m Lucy. “ the little girl said. “If you’re going to help maybe you ought to get to it? I’m about out of hot chocolate and the something crashed into our barn last night and it might crash into our house and if might even hit g’g’g’granpa’s boat that we’re on and if it does we’re all going to drown and stuff, I think.”

She sipped her hot chocolate thru a straw and looked at the little dragon. She raised an eyebrow.

“I’m on it.” Cody told her. “Look there!”

The three dragons speaking as one with the voice of a little boy waved dramatically toward the end of the levee.

Lucy looked. Weldon and Sherry looked. Nothing happened. Lucy looked at the little dragon and raised and eyebrow.

“It takes a minute” the dragons said, speaking in three part harmony. “They had to shore up the bottom part of your levee first. It was getting weak.”

“Ahh. Now we’re cooking. THERE!” the three dragons waved again.

Nothing happened

“Ah come ON Joshua. This is embarrassing” the little boy’s voice wailed in three part surround sound.

Laughter was faintly heard from somewhere and then a squad of alligators climbed out of the water, moving side by side in formation.

“What the HELL!” Weldon said “Where’s my shotgun?”

“Wait! Wait! It’s not what you think” the dragons chorused. “those aren’t really ‘gators.”

“I’m going to get you for this Joshua” they heard it say in an undertone, “ just see if I don’t. When you’re not expecting it. Zap! Dead Meat. “

“Ahem!” they chorused to the small family that was staring at them open mouthed. “One of my co-workers has a low sense of humor, very low. Never mind that. Just watch. They’re not Gators at all, more like salamanders.”

The small family watched in growing disgust. Lucy turned to the Dragons and said “Ewwwwww. That’s GROSS!”

“Heh!” The dragons said “Ain’t it just. It get’s the job done though. They scoop up mud from the deep bottom with their mouths, swallow it, internally mix in a stabilizer then crawl along the top of your levee and strategically deposit tubular ....”

“Pooop! “ Lucy said “Enough with the big words. They’re pooping!”

“Well, I suppose that might be one way to put it. ” the little dragons agreed. “They’re scooper-poopers. It’s not organic material though, it’s more like cement. It doesn’t even smell. They’ll have your levee re-enforced and made higher right away. They work real good don’t they.”

The little dragon looked at the small family. The small family looked back at it.

“Ewwwwwwwww!

The Dragons and the three humans were dripping wet. The constant heavy mist had turned to light rain.

“Don’t you get tired of the constant rain?” The dragons asked. “We did, back on the Banana Slug. The ArchMage fixed it. Would you like for me to fix it?”

Weldon said. “I heard those words. I know what they mean individually. However I have no clue as to what you meant in the combination in which you just used them”

The Dragons fell silent. Their jaws might have gaped open a little. They turned in desperation to Lucy.

“He said ‘Huh?’” Lucy said. “But yes, we would very much like for it to quit raining. I feel like a Duck. I think I’m going to grow web feet.”

‘Ok then” The three dragons chorused. Two threw a glittering sphere each into the middle of the diked area. The other dragon threw one onto the deck of the yacht. When the spheres hit they exploded like smoke grenades. The whole inside of the dikes and the boat began to fill with smoke.

When the smoke reached higher than head level the rain stopped falling on them. It seemed that the smoke deflected the rain yet didn’t interfere otherwise at all. It had dissipated to the point that it wasn’t visible and didn’t interfere with their breathing.

“There you go” The Dragons said looking at the smoke overhead. “That’ll help keep you dry. Don’t worry about the barge that smashed your old barn getting away and doing more damage. It’s been tied off. It won’t go anywhere now. That’s what took the Scooper-Poopers so long. I thought it was Josh messing with me but it wasn’t. They were busy.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Put these on.” the dragons, speaking as one, asked politely.

Each dragon was suddenly wearing large diamond pendants, BIG diamonds. Each dragon removed the pendant and handed it to one of the humans.

“Put these on.” the dragons repeated. They gave one to Weldon, one to Sherrie and one to Lucy. “They’ll sting a bit. Ignore that part. Everything will be explained.”

They all donned the necklaces and winced a bit when stung but it wasn’t really that bad. Stings and insect bites were nothing new to farm folks. This was no worse.

Gradually, everything changed, as if an “other” gossamer, ethereal, reality was becoming visible. Behind the dragons a young boy, somewhat transparent, seemed to be floating in the air. He was grinning. Behind the boy, in the background there were a number of other people. An exasperated shout “What the HELL Carl?” was heard in the background.

They were an odd lot to be sure and appeared to be very busy. The young boy waved and caught the attention of one of the adults, who drifted over to talk to them. He appeared to have no legs.

“Hello” the white bearded Patriarchal figure floated closer. “I’’m happy to see that we managed to get to you in time. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Shelby Winslow and I’m the ArchMage of the SmokeShip, ‘Banana Slug.”

“We’ve been trying to assist as many of your friends as we can.” He said. “Sadly, I’m afraid that some have perished before we got here.”

“Who was it?” Weldon dreaded the answer. Kyle Booth back up the hill aways thought that he was high enough to be out of the Flood. Weldon had tried to convince him other wise but Weldon was a Nigger. Nigger’s didn’t know nothing as far as old man Booth was concerned. Kyle had changed his mind toward the end. Weldon had helped as much as he’d dared then tried to make it back to his own place. The Booths had refused to leave and come with him. Old man Kyle said it was their place and they weren’t leaving it for anything.

Weldon hadn’t made it back home. The water had got him. Soon he was driving through eight foot of water. The farm tractor that he was driving did just fine. It was his OLD diesel, the one he’d inherited from his Grandpa. It would run completely submerged under water as long as the exhaust and air intake were kept clear, and they were. He’d installed extensions. The problem had been that Weldon couldn’t breath. He WAS wearing a swim mask and a snorkel but the snorkel wasn’t long enough. He’d had to abandon the tractor and swim for it. Sherry and Lucy had been come to meet him in their Jon boat and were laughing their asses off. When he climbed into the boat he thought it was pretty funny too. They’d laughed for a long time.

Lost the tractor.

Laugh or cry.

“It’s a farmstead up the hill a ways. “ Shelby described the place. “They all drowned.”

Yup. The Booths.

Weldon guessed the Nigger had been right after all. Somehow he wasn’t too happy about it. The Booths were racist Crackers, or at least they pretended to be, but they were good folk after a fashion. Old man Booth had pulled Weldon’s fat out of the fire a time or two when Weldon was a young buck, then called him a Nigger to his face.

It had stung. Then he'd called the old man a Cracker. The old man had laughed, slapped him on the shoulder and they'd drank moonshine together out of mason jars. He'd miss that sorry old bastard and his no good rotten family.

Laugh or cry.

“I’ve been helping another of your neighbors, Carlos Skirmish I believe the name is?“ Shelby asked.

“YES! He’s my best friend. He’s like a brother to me. Is he Ok?” Weldon asked almost franticly.

“Yes and no.” Shelby said “His dike was struck by a coal barge the same as you. Unlike you his geometry was unfavorable. His place has been destroyed. He and his Wife are seriously hurt.”

Shock on top of shock. No one had expected loose coal barges. It had been pure luck and chance geometry that his place had survived similar destruction.

“Cody here is a good lad. He’s very knowledgeable, he helped design the rescue system. I’ll leave you in his capable hands. I’m needed otherwise right now. If you should have any questions that Cody can’t answer please don’t be shy about telling him. I doubt that will happen but you never know. If you do he’ll contact me and I’ll return and see what I can do for you.” The old man smiled then faded out. The last thing they heard him say was something about Carl.

Lucy’s Mother and Dad weren’t saying much. Lucy, for once, was quite. Her eyes were as big as saucers and her mouth was hanging open. Weldon looked at the Dragon and asked.

“Can you tell me anything more about Carlos?” he asked.

“Hold one please” Cody said, then almost immediately replied. “This is strange. He said that there was a Government Patrol boat that cruised by. It didn’t hear him or see him so it went on past.” Cody said

“Huh. “Weldon replied “I didn’t see a patrol boat, but Carlos’s place is a few miles from here.”

“Ok folks, now I need to explain to you how the neuro-loops work. They’re the key to the operation of everything.” Cody said.

“What?” Melton exclaimed.

“What’s a neuro-loop?” Sherry sounded somewhat alarmed.

Lucy’s mouth snapped shut. She grinned. She had it pretty much figured out already. “Huh, yeah. Kinda like my phone, only in my head instead of using a handset.”

Quickly, with the skill borne of recent practice Cody explained SSmoke and the Neuro-loop controllers. Lucy lapped it up. Her parents were a little bit slower but not by much. In no time at all Lucy and her parents knew how to teleoperate an avatar and quite a bit about the SSmoke. Cody had just about wrapped it up when Shelby returned.

“I see he’s done well, as usual” Shelby praised Cody.” Two things. One is that we’re having a virtual meeting in a few days at breakfast. You’ll receive the exact time later via mind-text. You might want to tune in. I imagine Cody has explained the process to you.”

“Yes he has Mr.....er... Mr. ArchMage?” Sherry appeared to be a bit confused.

“HA!” Shelby laughed. In some ways he looked like Santa Clause when he did that “Don’t be concerned about the ArchMage bit. It started out as a joke. Oddly enough it stuck. I’m just plain old Shelby Winslow, a broken down Viet Nam Vet who found a home.”

“Thank you so much Mr. Winslow.” Sherry was relieved. She didn’t understand royalty. She’d heard about Viet Nam though, maybe. “I’m sure that if it wasn’t for you we’d be in deep trouble by now. We’ll certainly attend the meeting.”

“You’ll be very welcome” Shelby said “We’ll try to answer any questions you may have.”

“The second thing is that your neighbor could use your help right now. He’s rather laid up and having a hard time both mentally and physically. Karlee is in a healing coma. It will be sometime before she wakes up.” Shelby said.

“We’re on the way” Weldon said as he fired up the big diesel in his boat. “This boat is twice the size of his. We have plenty of room. They can move in with us.”

“Well that was certainly interesting” Weldon shook his head in amazement as they were easing slowly toward Carlos’s place. Weldon had GPS AND Radar but he was still not taking any more chances than he had to in zero visibility.

“It was that.” Sherry said

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The Next Episode
#68:Advice from the Matriarch…
The Previous Episode was
#66: Banana Slug -Blood Talon…
The First Episode was
# 1 : Prologue…
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Book One: SoulStone
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