Tiny story

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hiwall. Hope you don't mind (if you do let me know and I'll deleted this post) I added a Chapter 3 to your tiny story.


“We need water.”


“I know.”

“We are too far out in the desert.”

“We didn’t have much of a choice. The Diego Tribe is stronger and better armed and they are migrating northeast too. We had to change course or we would have ran smack into them. How are we doing on food?”

“Fortunately we didn’t have to move until after the crops were harvested. Food isn’t a problem, water is. If those Bandits from the south hadn’t started coming our way…don’t they know everything up here has been picked clean already?”

“Evidently not or they just don’t care. So much senseless destruction. Rear guard?”

“They say we have stretched our lead to at least seven days. If the Bandits stay on their last known course they should run into Diego Tribe. With a little luck they will kill each other off.”

“Advance scouts?”

“Nothing. Jeremy did report a strange tree that had him puzzled. I told him to ignore it.”

Doctor Mathason removed his cap to scratch the top of his bald head. Six-three years old and leading a bunch of pre-teens through a desert. “Why?” he asked himself. “You know why.” He reminded himself. He couldn’t leave the children. He had married when he had finished his residency. He wanted a large family and so did Akeiya, at least that is what she had said. Their first “big blow” came when he confronted her about the birth control he had found hidden. They had been trying to get pregnant for the last two years at least that is what he was lead to believe. Now she said she didn’t want to ruin her figure and children would interfere with her social life. She loved being a Doctor’s wife, the recognition and her perceived status.

The “final blow” was when payroll checks to his employees bounced. He had worked his way through school, grants and scholarships because of his high grades and low income mother, unlike many of his classmates; he had very little debt when he had started his Practice. With more hard work and long hours within a few years he had a Practice that most other Doctors would have been jealous of. His Lawyer had recommended the Practice be incorporated for liability reasons. Doc was the President and Akeiya was the Treasurer. He saw the patients and she paid the bills. When his receptionist had told him her paycheck ‘bounced’ he had told her it was a bank error and he would take care of it. Normally Akeiya would but he knew she was spending the day with her friends and wouldn’t want to be disturbed so during a last minute patient cancelation he had walked to the bank branch. The “insufficient funds’ wasn’t a bank error. His business account had a total of six dollars and twenty-three cents. He checked his personal account, it had a just over a hundred dollars. Both accounts should have closer to a million dollars between the two. “What happen?” he had asked. Bank Manager walked him through the printouts and scanned canceled checks that were all endorsed by his wife. Her life style had spent him dry. The divorce, selling of his Practice to comply with Judge’s ruling to divide assets, moving to a different state to assume the position of Head Doctor (the only Doctor) of a privately run home for ‘wayward’ preteens. He finally had the large family he had always wanted. When the world went sour and the staff didn’t show, he couldn’t leave them. And two years later he was standing scratching his head as he wondered what should they do now.

“Did Jeremy describe what he saw?”

“Tall skinny triangle with a giant sunflower on top.”

“Is he still in camp?”

“Schedule shows he’s off for twenty-four hours before he’s back on scout duty. I’d guess he’s in the food tent, he’s sweet on Suzy and that’s where she is working. You want me to go get him?”

“No. I should eat something anyway. I’ll go find him.” Sweet on Suzy? One of the two long term problems on his list. Almost half of the Tribe had hit puberty and pregnancies were sure to follow. The other problem was his bloody stools and pain in his midsection. Stomach or intestinal cancer was his diagnosis. Children haven’t notice his weight loss yet.

__________

“Jeremy that is a windmill!”


“What’s a windmill?”

“Late 1800s to the early 1900s they used them to pump water out of the ground.”

“Why didn’t they just turn on a faucet?”

“Jeremy we need to work more on your education.”

“Ahh come on Doc. You know I like being outside more.”

“Perhaps if Suzy was your Tutor you would mind so much?” thought Doc. “See any movement?”

“No. Should we move in closer?”

“Let’s do.”

_________


“He’s old like you Doc, is he still alive?”


“Yes, barely. Appears to be weak from lack of nourishment. Throw some dried chicken in water and make a broth will you Jeremy?”

“Sure. Looks like this is his diary. Hey! He’s got power and a stove that works too! And I’d bet we can get water from that windmill too.”



The End?
 
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