'The Millionlands' . . .part 3

"I know others have taken. . .and hurt you . . . I have watched you. . you have always been kind to all." "You have also been a good mother to Oon. . . especially after Olander was killed.
"But since I saw you . . . from the first. . I knew you were who I could be with . . . and now. . . we are, though I never thought it could be . . ."

"We will make it Olon. . and find Oon.. . and when we find Garan. .it'll be his end.
"Thank you Thinly . . . Olon's voice drops away as I pull her closer to me . . .
I feel her softly breathing into my neck. . .as she falls quietly asleep.

I slip into the rhythm of her breathing, as I look at the new stars slip past the edgeline of the reed, I don't know how much time passed before I fell asleep.

I roll over onto my back and stare straight up and through the reed to the morning sky.
The sky is filling quickly with these really dark, boiling clouds,
They are pushing in from all directions , and finally only tiny patches of blue peek through here and there . . only to disappear. .until they are all gone.

"They're so dark. . . I've never seen the sky so black, it's barely brighter than the night."
" Is it because of the Yellowing?". . .Olon asks this as she cranes her back and forth, trying to get a better look at the clouds through the reed canopy.
" I don't know". . . "it may be part of the cycle of the Yellowing. .just like the edgeland water."
"But this worries me more than the Yellowed water."
"The waters looked murky and sluggish . . . this sky looks violent and unpredictable.
For along time Olon and I sit there letting the sparse rain fall on us, as we watch the clouds build in the sky.

As we talk again of the strangeness of the clouds . . . it begins to rain harder . . . it has become steady . . . the drops slowly getting larger . . .
"I'm not so sure of this Olon . . . this is really starting to come down." . . . "I think we need to be thinking of finding a high spot amongst the reed . . . or at least covering ourselves with the reed . . to keep it from beating down on us so hard."
Olon sees the concern in my face , though it's getting harder to see one another in the ever increasing rain that now comes down like a solid sheet of water.

The reed is being washed . . . from the top of the reed on down . . . it is shedding the coating of yellowing . . . that flows down to the floor of the reed stands to become a thick yellow ooze.
"WE need to get going" . . . I yell over to her . . .the sound of the falling sheets of rain and the snapping of the reed . . . make it almost impossible to hear one another.
I grab her arm and try to help her to her feet.
Olon and I are slipping and falling in the slimy yellow muck, that soon rises to just above our knees.

All the yellowing is being washed off and away, flowing like a sludge of a river trying to find a path to the waterways that separate the reed stands.
We are getting caught up in its flow, and we struggle to find solid footing to help us from being swept along.
We find a rooting from an old reed stand that seems to be holding out, the yellow mud flood is flowing around it . . . I yell to Olon to hook her feet into the openings between the thick roots.
We try to pull pieces of reed over us . . . to get some protection from the rain. . which is coming down so hard now . .it stings our skin as it hits.

I look out as far as I can and see that the waters from beyond the edgeland . .are rising quickly and are spilling over the banks of the reed stands.

The clump of rooting is beginning to give way under the flow and pressure of the water.
" Keep your footing Olon . . . hold onto me . . dont try to move". . . I am screaming this at her as a clump of twisted reed slides into her and knocks her off her feet, into the flowing yellow tide.

Olon tries to stand and slips off and into the waters edge, she disappears below the churning yellow surface.
I grab a hold of a stand of reed, bent in the direction of the flood, and with my other arm . . . frantically search the murky water where Olon disappeared.
All the while I am screaming . .OLON !!! OLON !!! . . . my arm moving in slow motion in the thick ooze.
I let loose of the reed and flow further down with it . . flailing both arms . . . hoping to make contact with something solid . . that might be Olon. . .
I plunge my head beneath the yellow sludge . . . it burns my eyes painfully . . and nothing can be seen in the thick yellow goo.

At one point, I think I feel something . . . something solid. . maybe her torso . . .or arm. . but in a moment it's gone.
I come back up to breathe . . panic and desperation are causing me to sob while trying to still scream to her.
The yellow sludge that filled my eyes, burns, as I try with one hand to wipe it clear . . . while I continue to poke and search with the other in the rushing torrent.
It is useles to try to wipe out the muck . . . and my eyes only begin to clear as tears from panic and fright begin to flow.

I feel myself being swept into the depth of the water of the edgeland . . . I reach out and grasp at a stand of reed . . that remains stubbornly anchored to the edgeland.

I tilt my head back, and the pelting rain washes away the rest of the yellow mud from my eyes and face.
I hook an arm . . .and both legs into the tangled root ball of the reed . . . exhausted . . . the flow of the water is pinning me to the reed.

In the roar of the water from above . . and the water flowing around me . . I yell with anger. . . disgust... and a sadness . .I have never known.

I have lost Olon.

I let my head sag into the reed . . . the rushing water is so strong, that it is putting cuts into my arms where I am holding onto the reed.
I pull a length of reed around me. . .and pull it back through itself several times, to keep me there when my arms give out. I can hardly catch a breath from the exhaustion and sobbing over the loss of Olon.
I give up trying to secure the reed . . .and prop my head against the root ball of reed.

After a while . . I slip from consciousness.

I move my arms, and use my hands to scoop away the yellow muck around my chest.
My arms are still weary from fighting the current and flailing in the ooze, searching for Olon.
I scrape awhile and rest . . .and keep at it til I have dug down to about my waist.
I rock back and forth . . trying to work air space around my legs . . .I pull and tug and at the point of exhaustion and quitting . . . I finally free my legs from the suction of the mud.

I pull myself out of the hole and roll over on my back.
After a few minutes . . . I get shakily to my feet and make my way to the waters edge at the edgeland of the reed.

I look out and strain my eyes hoping to see something . . . anything . . .of Olon.
I let my head fall back, til it is cradled in my shoulders . . . I draw in as much breath as my lungs will possibly hold . . .and with everything I have left I scream. . . OLON! . . . .

The deadness of the sound as it echoes through the Millionlands . .goes on and then falls silent.
I stand there alone . . I stand as long as I can . . and finally drop to my knees, and then fall forward into the mud again.

What do I do now?
When Olon was here, it was clearer for me.
I kneel again and splash the cool water up onto my arms and chest to wash away the yellow crust.

For a time . . . all I can do . . . is just sit and think of Olon.
I keep remembering her saying . . . "find Oon . . . Thinley find Oon, no matter what happens to me."

I look out across the Millionlands, and raise my hand to the object in my coverlet.
I pull it out and wipe it off.
I stare into the image of myself . . . for a long time.
I close my hand over the object . . . should I look for Olon? . . .I'm sure she did not survive . . I dont know if I could take finding what would be left of her.
Or should I just try to find Oon?
I'm wondering if anyone else survived the Yellowing and flood.

I still can't decide whether to search for Olon or Oon . . . but decide I will just search . .and hope to find one or both.
I decide to cross the waters at the edgeland.
I slip off the edge of the reed land, into the water and wait for a moment.
I remember the nips of the mystery things from a while back . . and want to be sure I can get out . . . if they return.

After waiting for awhile . .I figure whatever they were . . .they are gone now and I begin to move further from the edgeland.

The waters of the Millionlands are higher now . . in some spots as I move across . . . I have to bounce up from the soft bottom, to keep from sinking over my head.
I see the edgeland from across the way, and continue to make my way towards it.
Half way crossing . . . I bounce from a deeper spot and then in moving forward . . I sink . . . first over head . . . then deeper still.
I fall still further and begin to panic.
The waters of the crossings NEVER go deeper than the tallest of the Ussa.
My lungs begin to ache for breath . . . and finally my feet touch something firm . . . and strange!
I squat on the bottom and spring back to the surface of the water.
As I break the surface, I take in a deep breath . . . I stay awhile . . . bobbing up and down, catching my breath.

What was down there? . . . it was definitely not like the rest of the bottom.
I take a really deep breath, and decide to try and reach the odd place below.
As I descend . .I open my eyes.
The murky water is almost clear enough now to see through.
I make out faint shapes of reed. . . growing up from the bottom . . the only difference from the reed on land, is that this reed is flatter and softer.
I am nearly to the bottom again.
I try not to think about the pressure in my lungs to breathe.

As I push myself down, I see an amazing sight . . . there among the water reeds and a few finleys, swimming to get out of the way . . . I see a flat platform, then I see these hard straight flat things poking up from the bottom of the flat platform.
Some of the straight platforms have many openings in them.
My lungs are now ready to explode . . I exhale and return to the surface world.

On top of the water . . . as I gasp for breath, I wonder what this place is?
The big flat platform . . .with its verticle platforms, some with many regular shaped openings . . . Who made these?. . .

I try and decide if I'm going to go on . . or down again.
After I catch my breath . . I decide to try and see more of this strange place.
I fill my lungs with as much air as they will hold.
I flip end over end and head back down towards the bottom.
As I land on the platform . . . I slip off the side and see a strange form. .it is a big squarish shape. .twice as long as I am tall.
It also has the regular square openings and partially sticks out of the muddy bottom.
Next to it, I see an object . .the same shape as the disc Garan holds . . . but bigger!
I make my way towards it. .and with some effort, pull it from the bottom.
I shake it with difficulty, to free some of the yellowish muck from it.
It is round like the disc. .but it has depth.
I am running out of breath, and return to the surface.

On the surface I gasp for air, coughing hard. . but holding on harder still to the strange object from the bottom.
After catching my breath . .I raise the strange disc shape out of the water . . . as I lift it . .I notice it holds alot of the water inside the disc.
I tip it to its edge and the water pours out.
Who, in this world could have made this????
As I turn it end over end . . . I see strange markings on the bottom.

I stuff the shining object back into my coverlet, and clutch the disc object tightly as I move off toward the other edgeland.
I bob up and down and try to move off and away from the deep area.
By bobbing and using my arms to push away, I finally try to see if I have made it across the deep area. . . and let myself sink below the surface.
Finally after droppping only about two head heights . . I hit bottom . . and push my way back to the surface.
I am nearly three quarters way across the the water passage. .and am eager to reach the new reed stand.

Now my feet easily touch the bottom and I walk slow and clumsily to the edge of the new reed stand.
As I reach the next edgeland, I pull myself up to where I can drop the disc.
I roll over on my back to look at the sky and catch my breath.

After awhile, I straighten up and set the disc aside.
I lean over to the edge of the water and watch for awhile.

Daydreaming pause and tapping my finger into the dirt at the waters edge . . . completely take my attention. .until something moves!

This shape I recognize. . . it is a small finley. . . moving slightly in the yellow murk.
I am very hungry . . . and watch as it settles and gently side shifts itself under some of the yellow muck of the bottom.
I carefully place my hands . .above where I saw the finley's shadow shift. .

In a quick jerk . .I catch the small finley . .and pull it up onto the reedland's edge.
I hold it for awhile . . remembering the last one that I caught.
Everything seemed so good then. . .I was so proud to show the prize to Olon.

It jerks, and brings me back to the moment. .and I raise it up to take a close look. . .
Even though I am hungry . . . the more I look at the finley . . .the more I think of Olon. . . and finally . . .I throw the small prize back. . .into the water.

I settle back onto my back again. . and watch the sky through the top of the reed.
I pull the strange new disc closer to me, and run my hand around the edge of it.
I dont know how long I continue do this . . until after awhile . . . I fall asleep.

I spit out the stringy reed that remains, and notice that my stomach feels much better.
As I stuff the disc back into my coverlet . . . I think again of Olon . . . and hope that whatever happened . . . that she did not suffer.

I get back to my feet and push through a break in the reed . . . on my way again . . . in search anyone . . anything . . that will let me know that the yellowing hasnt left me alone . . . til I die. . .

The reed in this area seems particularly sharp. . .and it cuts into my face and arms.
This makes pushing through a more careful and SLOWER task than I would like . . .
I have now been travelling for awhile, and stop to wipe the sweat from my face and arms.
I rub my eyes for awhile . . they are slightly burning . . . from yellowing dust or something.
As I push my hands up out of my eyes and use them to squeeze away the thick beads of sweat that run down off my forehead.
I look over to one side and a little in front of me . . and I see a break in the reed.
This is not a natural break . . . it has all been trampled in the same direction . . . and here and there . . .it has been snapped off . .at about waist high!

It doesnt look like the clan had passed through though . . . it's not that trampled.
It looks as though only a few had passed through here . . . but it does seem fairly recent. . .. the reed at the break points. . has not even begun to look yellowed or dried out.
It means . .whoever passed through here . .is not far away.

I will need to be extra quiet and careful . . . the one who passed through. . could be an Usrr or even Garan.
I move over towards the break in the reed. . .and croutch down, to listen, before moving on.

After awhile . . I move on . .I didnt hear anything and want to look for further signs that someone or something is ahead in the stand of reed.

As I move ahead cautiously. . .I come to a larger area, where the reed has been trampled down.
THIS looks more like a sign that the clan has been here.
I walk the perimeter of the trampled area, and see tell tale signs that the Ussa have been here.

There are small clumps of partially chewed reed . . spit about the perimeter line.
I cant tell from how long ago, . . . I bend down and snatch up a clump of the chewed reed and squeeze it. . . it is still alittle wet!

It couldnt have been too long ago since they had passed.

As I walk the perimeter again. . I find where they had passed through.
someone or something . . had to have met them here.

Maybe Garan has had another of his 'secret meetings'.
I walk low to the ground . . . I hear what I think is a soft low moan. . and I stop dead still, straining my eyes and ears . .trying to see where the sound is coming from.

I hear it again . . and move as cautiously as I can towards it.

Approaching . . . I pull the shining object from my coverlet and get ready to use it . . I hear the moan fade into troubled breathing. . and then back to a moan.

I carefully push back the reed . . . and see someone that completely shocks me and leaves me speechless ! ! !

There . . . covered with reed . . . I see the badly battered body and bloody face of Zold.

I bend down and cradle his head under my hands.
He winces with pain, and I let his head settle back onto the reed.
"Zold . . .it's me Thinly. . . who did this to you ?. . . . I ask this already with an answer in my mind.
One of his eyes is swollen horribly shut, the other slowly begins to open . . as he coughs terribly.
"Thinly" . . . I cant believe it. . Garan said you and Olon had been taken by the Usrr."
I take the ragged strip from coverlet that I had used to protect my mouth and nose during the Yellowing, and wipe some of the blood from Zold's face. . as he tries to speak again.
Before he can say anything, I ask him. . . " Who did this to you Zold?"

Zold pauses and squeezes my arm with his bloody hand, and then says. . " If your alive. . . .
then you know who did it to me. We both know the same deceiver.
It was Garan!!! I knew it. I am shouting, spitting through my teeth with anger, as Zold pulls at my arm to silence me.
"Yes . . . if I hadn't opened an eye as I heard his footfall . . . I probably would've woke up to see Usrr ready to make me a dinner."
I pull Zold's face closer and tell him. . ." Olon and I saw Garan TALKING . .to an Usrr!
"He said that if the One . .Needed another. . . He would set you out!"
As I tell Zold this . .I can see the question in his eyes . . he is about to ask. .
"Where is Olon?" . . . Zold coughs out the question and looks back intently during my silence.
"She was lost in the deluge . . . after the Yellowing . . . I tell him this with my head down, avoiding his response . . .hoping that he will just be silent if he has not seen her, and not ask other questions.
He pauses a long time before saying. . " I am sorry for you Thinly" . . ."I know that you felt strong for her."
Zold senses my clumsiness with this moment and he blurts out "I cant believe I've lived through 2 yellowings. . many of the Ussa didn't make it."
I turn and look at Zold and ask. . . "What about Oon?. . .Is she alive. .is she ok?"
He grips my hand with surprising strength. .and says. ." she IS alive!. . "
"Garan keeps her VERY close to him. . ." Zold begins to cough horribly as these words leave his lips and he wipes spittal and blood from his mouth and lowers his head.
After a while he says. . " I dont know how long I've been here. . .so I cant tell you how she is now for sure. . But he (Garan) seemed to have a very strong interest in the child. .even though he KNOWS the child would kill him, given half a chance."
As Zold tells me this . .I settle him more comfortably into the reed, and tell him. .
'Rest now Zold. . . I wil go back alittle way and bring some water to clean and soothe your wounds."
" Just lay here and dont make any noise while I am away, I'll be right back."
I rub his arm to reassure him that I will be back, and then turn and make my way back through the reed towards the edgeland from where I had come earlier.

As I make my way back through the reed. I hear Zold whisper . . ." Hurry Thinly . . . . there are some other things about Garan and the child . . you should know. I dont know how long I can last . . . so HURRY!"
Zold ends with a continuos cough and I head out into the reed path of stomped down reed with greater speed.

In a short while, though it seemed as if forever. . I reach the end of the reed at the edgeland. I pull the disk from my coverlet, and turn it upside down, so that the raised edges are facing up towards the canopy of the reed.

I kneel at the waters edge and slip the disk under the water and raise it. I lift it over my head and pour the water on my head . . . it feels incredible. . I am amazed at how much water the disk holds as I push it under the water again.
I draw the disk from the water, and carefully get to my feet again.

I turn around slowly and locate the break in the reed.
I travel as quickly as I can without spilling water from the disk. I grow anxious hoping that my slow and careful pace doesnt result in finding poor Zold. . .dead.

When I start to get close to where I think I left Zold. . . . I wait and listen. . . I want to make sure no one has found him while I was away.

I move over to where he is piled in a heap against a broken stand of reed.
He isnt moving at all. . .

I set the disk down, being very careful not to spill the water that was so hard to carry.
I fish inside my coverlet and find the strip of cloth I had tied around my mouth during the Yellowing, and dip it into the water.

As I touch it to the forehead of the old man . . . he gives a low moan . . and starts to come around.
"You'll make it. . ." I tell him. "But you've got to try and stay awake".
I dip the cloth into the disk again, and notice the water go from clear to a dirty red-brown. I take the cloth and wipe away more of the dried blood from his face.
In a very weak voice he says. . " Thinly . . . I wanted to tell you more of the child and Garan. . . " The old man coughs so hard . . .his body rises and falls with each convulsing gasp and wretch. . .after a long pause . . he tries again to speak. . . " Only TWO know who killed Olon's husband Ulander, . . . I'm sorry. . . only Three know, but soon a fourth will know, because I will tell you now Thinly. .and then again only three will know cause I am dying.

Zold's voice is low as he says . . ."I was awake the night Ulander died. . or I should say MURDERED."
"Like you Thinly, I did not always hide my head when the Usrr would come."

"That night. . I saw Garan creep to the edge of the clan, to where he had cast out Ulander to be the backer for the clan.
As he walked. . . I noticed that something at his side had a glint of light as he crept along. . . I watched as he made his way behind Ulander.
Then I saw him raise his hand and the object high above his head. . it shone as it caught the light from the stars.
He brought his hand down fast and hard against the back of Ulanders head and Ulander dropped to the ground with a thud . . .lifeless.

He then made two sharp hisses. . .paused and then crept back along the edge of the reed.
As he stopped to wipe clean what he had struck Ulander with, the Usrr came. . . three or four of them. . Ulander must have come to. . he cried out in the most terrifying screams as the Usrr tore him to bits.

Hearing the screams . . all of the clan began to dig in. .and hide from their terror. . . ALL BUT THREE . . . Garan. . Me . . and the CHILD!

She recognized the voice of her father . .even with the horror of his screams . . and did what any child would do who loved their parent. . . she stood up. . .and in standing . . she saw Garan, wiping the blood from the murder object.
Seeing her . .Garan rushed at her. . threw her to the ground and began to strangle her. .
The child went limp,and Garan thinking her dead. . quickly crept away. . back to the rest of the clan. . . so he wouldnt be discovered . . when they again raised their heads.

As he passed close to me. . . I saw what he had used to murder Ulander. . . "IT WAS THE DISK"! In fear I couldnt move . . or breathe . . it is probably what saved me from being murdered that night as well . . .

As Olon sobbed . . . Oon stirred. . . many of the Ussa quickly huddled close. . . wanting to see this miracle, they all had thought the child to be dead. " Olon cradled the childs head, her tears dropping to Oons face. She begged the child to speak . . . and she cried as Oon tried to form words. . all that came from her throat though, was just airy gasps and choking sounds.

"The child did'nt die . . . but Garan had crushed the voice of the child when he choked her. The child never spoke again. . . .

Zold paused long . . . I could tell that his heart had been so heavy with what he had hid, that finally telling someone his awful secret . . . lifted a terrible weight from him.

"What else Zold?" . . .I ask. "Is there more?". . .

He raises his head and looks at me sidelong and says . . ." Olon had loved Ulander very much . . he had fathered Oon, but in her deep grief. . I think she found some small comfort that at least her child was alive."