Song of Angels - Chapter 17
Written for Steemit: A love story occurs during a time anomaly. A woman from today somehow steps into an anomaly and meets a cowboy asleep on his ranch, in his bed, in the 1850's. ©Jeff Kubitz 2016 - All Rights Reserved.
Song of Angels - Chapter 17
Mindy Woczlewski courtesy of Nastya Muratokova
"Mindy, I was thinking on it." Cyrus spoke softly like lovers do.
"Yes," she responded, held in his arms, head on his chest. Cyrus really was nothing but solid muscles.
"You thought you would be taken back from here to 2012 but what if I am taken to 2012 with you?"
"Mmmm,” She made a contented sound as he stroked her bare back while she rubbed his chest with her right hand. She was not really paying attention at all and at the moment did not care about anything other than she was with Cyrus, here in their little house. For one thing, it was cold outside the bed and Cyrus was very warm. He kept her very warm inside and out.
"I could go back to 2012 with you, Mindy, instead of us being separated.
"Oh, I don't know if you would like it Cyrus. For one thing, it is very, very noisy compared to here. In Chicago, there are a great many people, what are the most people you have ever been around at one time?"
"Oh, I don't know, the wagon train had at least a hundred people, maybe more, maybe a hundred and fifty. The Paiute tribe has over a thousand. Yes, when the Paiutes stop by that is by far the most people I have ever been around."
"Hmm, Chicago has probably 6 million people or so in it."
"What? How? How can you fit so many people in one spot?"
"It is spread out over a very large area but the buildings are all tall, the biggest is the Sears Tower but someone bought it and the name is changed. I forgot what it is called now."
"And how big is that?"
"It must be almost a couple of thousand feet tall. It is really big."
"That is as big as a mountain. How could that be possible?"
"It is made out of steel and concrete and it is possible."
"Like I said Cyrus, the change for you would be very, very different. Maybe if you end up in 2012 and we just stay here?"
"Here is fine."
"There is a big cement plant out there somewhere but I did not see much else around this area. People may live nearby but I did not see any houses at all. Wherever they come from to work the plant, it is not in this direction. Or at least it wasn't when everything changed all of a sudden."
"What happened exactly?"
"I was driving down a gravel road that was wide enough for trucks travelling both ways from the plant and all of a sudden, the road was I don't know a wagon path maybe. I really did not notice much of a plant change but I was not looking for anything like that. Oh yes, there were a lot more trees on the eastern mountains but I thought that I had just imagined that."
"Did you see any buffalo, deer, elk, or antelope?"
"I did not notice any but then I never really looked for any, are there a lot of them around here?"
"Oh yes, there are great numbers, not like say Nebraska, or Colorado but yes, there are huge herds out there. The Paiutes, one of the reasons they leave us alone is because, they do not like the taste of cattle very much."
"They don't?"
"No not really, not at all. Their favorite meat is elk, deer, and antelope, of course Buffalo. They do eat anything they catch, raccoon, badger, bear, beaver, rabbits. Do you like ducks and geese, Mindy?"
"I don't think I have had any of those, not even ducks and geese."
"There are huge flocks that fly south in the winter and north in the spring."
"Yes, it will be noisy when they go by and they like to land in the pond too!"
"In 2012, I doubt there will be as many and you will have to have a hunting license for every animal."
"What?"
"Hunting licenses for each animal are required just about everywhere in 2012."
"The Paiutes must not like that."
"I doubt there are very many Paiutes either."
"Oh what happened to them?"
"War. They moved to the cities like everywhere else."
"So no people live out here at all?"
"Not that I saw, no. But they must come from somewhere to work at the cement plant."
"Mindy. We need to get that Jeep over here to the house."
"Yes, we do. I suppose."
"What do you mean you suppose?"
"What if it is 2012 Cyrus? What if you can't go in there or once we go in we can't come back?"
"It can't be 2012 here." Cyrus said.
"Why can't it be 2012 here?"
"This house would be older that a hundred, no, about a hundred and eighty years or so. Who would have maintained or I don't think it could last that long and that roof up there was built by me. We are still in 1856 here in the house no matter what time it is out on the road."
"Oh yes, I did not think of that. The ceiling does look the same doesn't it." Mindy said after she looked up at the ceiling. It was dark in the room but there was still enough light to tell that nothing changed. "That makes me feel better Cyrus. Should we go eat?"
"Hungry. Yes. Let's eat. Then afterwards, I will see if the road can take the wagon driven over it and if it can we will take the wagon out to the Jeep instead of riding double on Cutter."
"That is a good idea."
"They still have cattle in 2012?"
"Oh yes," Mindy answered, "I believe I saw a small herd of Angus when I turned off the highway."
"Angus?"
"A breed of meat cattle, they are black or red, umm...roan, I think it is their color."
"I have never heard of those."
"They come from Texas; maybe they have not created the breed yet."
"They create breeds of cattle in 2012?"
"They create breeds of everything. You would have what is called Future Shock Cyrus if we end up in 2012 instead of 1856."
"Future Shock," Cyrus asked?
"Yes, it is something that used to happen and I think it still does when people come to the modern world from less developed countries."
"That much has changed?"
"I am enjoying it here Cyrus, let's get dressed and eat." Mindy said.
"Right," So they climbed out of bed and Mindy put her bare feet on the floor,
"We need rugs on this floor, Cyrus, especially here by the bed."
"Yes, dear, you want to heat up dinner, I head down to the barn and grab some pelt and hides."
"Good."
They dressed themselves. Before she put her socks on, Mindy brushed off her feet. There was always a little dirt. Nothing could be done about that. "What is this floor made of?"
"It is clay that has been smoothed and dried hard."
"Could we put tiles down on it?"
"We could make tiles out of it, or make tiles and set them on top, yes. I planned to do that but I never got around to it after Claire left."
"Oh."
Mindy and Cyrus were dressed. He never took his socks off, so his feet never got dirty. He did have another pair of socks, so he changed them every other day while they dried.
They walked into the parlor. Cyrus went over to the pegs and donned his pistol belt, coat, and then hat. "Give me a kiss, Mindy?"
"Yes, of course." She reached up to put her arms around his neck and they had a long, lingering kiss. They parted and Cyrus with his arms around her kissed her again. Mindy pulled away after a bit, "The rugs or skins please."
"Yes Ma'am." Cyrus said as he touched the brim of his hat while nodding his head at Mindy. She smiled in return,
"I am not used to that, but I like it, Cyrus."
"Yes, Ma'am." Cyrus did it again. Mindy giggled and Cyrus turned and went out the door. He closed it behind him. She noticed, before he stepped outside, he looked and listened first. He did not just step outside the door like there was nothing there. Wherever he went, Cyrus always made certain there was nothing hidden or waiting for him. She would ask him later if, anyone, besides the Paiute tribe was ever outside the door, or anything. Maybe he had some very bold stories. Maybe she should pay attention to his stories, then, she knew the road was now in a different time than the house.
She checked the stove. The ashes needed dumping in the garden. It needed wood. She put the wood in and then pulled the ash pan out with a rag. It was still hot but, she would have been burned without the rag. It wasn't a rag she realized. What she thought was a rag was an animal hide. Rabbit maybe?
She carried the pan out. They were in bed a long time, far longer than she thought. The sun was low on the horizon with an hour of sunlight left, maybe less. It was January, the short time of year and days did not last all that long. Cyrus did though and she liked that. She did not expect that. He really was in good, no excellent physical shape. She noticed that a few of his teeth, two of the lower incisors, she thought those were their names were missing on his lower jaw. Other than that, his teeth were all good. She knew he shaved when they first met but he had not shaved since they met, so stubble grew. She wondered how he might look with a beard. Good. His hair was a sandy blond. Shoulder length, she thought maybe he cut it with his knife. It was not even, so she suspected that is what he did. She smiled.
Mindy checked the coffee, plenty and still warm in the pot. There was enough for more than two cups. The chili was gone. The pan had to be cleaned, what was left was hard. She poured some water in to make the cleaning easier. The water would loosen the dried, well baked food.
She wondered what she could make besides chili. She opened the door so there would be more light in the parlor. The kitchen cupboards were large for such a small house. Cyrus must have other food stored in those cupboards. He did.
Mindy found beets, turnips, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, squash, onions. There were some other vegetables besides peppers that were dried. Mindy could make a very tasty stew and she got to work on cutting up the vegetables. Obviously, some of the dried things were spices and herbs, were tied in bunches with a leather strip.
She smelled them, "Oh, Thyme, Rosemary, Basil, and Anisette." Some others she did not recognize. She would ask Cyrus.
The vegetables all cleaned and cut, she heard the pan bubbling. She did not want it that hot but sometimes the stove heated things fast and sometimes it heated slow, depending on the pieces of wood. These pieces were burning very hot. Mindy did not know about the vent in the stove and Cyrus had not told her yet. She managed to knock it open when she emptied the ash pan. She did not close it and the fire roared.
Using animal skins she picked up the pan and carried it outside to a sand pile. She went back inside and picked up a metal spoon. She threw some sand in the pan and began to scrape. After a while, the pan cooled and she rubbed the sand around in the pot. She thought she had everything cleaned and dumped the sand out. There were still some places that were dirty. She picked up a pumice stone and rubbed the dirty areas. Everything was clean. She wiped the pan, cast iron, with the rabbit or animal skin. Dirt free she shook out the skin and put the spoon in. The pan was still a little warm and she carried it held by the skins into the house.
Cyrus came up around the corner of the house, carrying rolled up animal skins under each arm. There were three or four under each. "Got what you want Dear." he said and turned to enter the house.
"Good." Mindy followed him inside carrying her pot. Inside she said, "Thought a stew would be nice?"
"Yes, a stew sounds good." Cyrus answered. He asked, "Where do you want these?"
"On the floor,” Mindy answered giggling.
"Yes, I know that."
Mindy put some water in the pot she had set on the stove. "Just set them down for the moment until I am done here -"
"Mindy, do you know about the stove vent?"
"What?"
"Here," Cyrus dropped the skins and moved over to the stove closing the vent most of the way. "We could have a flue fire if you let it get that hot by leaving the vent open all the way." The fire began to subside.
"Oh, I did not know. I am sorry. I have never used a stove like this before."
"Oh, that’s okay dear. Now you know. I'll just step outside and make certain everything is all right." Cyrus walked to the door, looked out, before he stepped out. He pulled his pistol out in an instant, "I hear something off in the direction of the road but I have to check the roof."
Cyrus walked out far enough to see where the chimney pipe poked through the roof. He quickly stepped back inside the house and closed the door most of the way, looked out the crack "No fire but something is outside a ways off and I don't know what it is."
“How do you know?” Cyrus heard Mindy say.
“I can hear it. Never heard that before whatever it is.” Mindy now stood beside Cyrus.
“I don’t hear anything.” Mindy said.
“Shush. Listen.” Cyrus whispered. Mindy did as she was told because even though nothing dangerous or life threatening, well besides the flash flood, had happened. In 1856, she knew there could be things that happened.
“I do hear something.” Mindy whispered very quietly. “Open the door so I can listen to it outside.”
“It could kill us; we are not opening the door.” He whispered a command. They continued to whisper back and forth.
“Cyrus, I think I know what it might be.”
“Are you sure?”
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This getting to be a great novel hope you keep writing because I'm hooked on it