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Over the next week, life’s pace increased tenfold. Construction on the Village finally reached a point, were three cottages had been finished. Not that the crew would’ve achieved it, had it not been for Emma riding their butts constantly.
Originally, she’d figured everyone would just move into the Lytle-White house, but when Jewel wrote the contract for eighty rooms per night, well who was she to argue with profit. The extra twenty rooms had pushed the total over a million dollars, and that wasn't including the cost of lunch and dinners. By the time she did the figuring a couple days later, the move was warranted.
The others had expected it all along it was only Emma, who was caught off guard. No amount of rearranging was going to keep her and the kids in just one of the older house. Even though there was an extra room or two at each site. Three bedrooms, in the same house were impossible, without moving up to the village, and she wasn't splitting up her little family.
So she did the next best thing she sacrificed the larger kitchen everyone else had received, and went on the search for the little comforts, Mike clung tightly to in Salt Lake. Extra beds weren't a problem, for that matter most of the bedroom furniture wasn't a problem. When it came to furnishing the rest of the cottage though, she was left to head for town.
Unfortunately, hiring additional people to assist in caring for the place got in the way of that too. As the great moving day arrived, she wasn't feeling too great. Not only had she not arranged for the additional pieces, which would allow her to call the cottage home. She hadn't been able to fill a roster of housekeeper's either. She simply had started recruiting too late. The National Parks had beaten her to the punch, pulling all available high school students the day school ended.
"Hindsight." she mumbled, as she prepared to again go across the names job services had sent her.
"Who's hinny?" Beth asked, placing a hot cup of coffee in front of her at the kitchen table.
"My hinny, someone should kick it."
"What now?" Beth plopped down in the chair across from her. "We were wondering what you'd been up to, cooped up in that office all week."
"Oh, Beth" she mumbled, "I should’ve had that ad in the paper weeks ago; there's no one left, who wants to make beds."
"What about us?"
"Don't you think feeding fifty people a night is enough to keep you busy during the day?" In that area she’d lucked out, obtaining three cooks had been easier than anything else had. In addition, all knew how to bake, saving her an additional salary.
"What about the kids?"
Emma hadn't considered them. Since Jake had allowed his two girls to come down with hers. That meant there were an extra eleven bodies running around, and even though the youngest one was only twelve, he would still be able to set up housekeeping carts and empty trash.
"Beth your brilliant." she exclaimed heading for the main dining room, where they were all mulling about.
She found negotiating a contract with them, nearly as difficult as with teamsters. The way the tours were stacked, meant Sunday would be their only day off. Therefore, she had to make concessions, like Saturday afternoon a free movie for all in town. In addition, as Jason pointed out, they could spend their money anyway they wanted. Kit explained that Jason wanted a computer. However, the decisive factor was when she told them “I'll start a college fund for each of you." Even Kit was willing to make beds then; although, she knew Jim needed his assistance more. That was another section, she’d over looked, and who was going to be helping Jim? She hesitated only briefly before deciding none of them were old enough to do it. Jim was going to have to find his own help, or at least older help.
Holding down a serious job was no new concept for her children. She wasn't too sure how Jake and Alex, was going to react to the news though. Jake's girls were the same age as Shelly and Crystal. Neither had ever worked and as far as she could tell, neither saw it as a requirement for life, having been raised by their Mother on welfare – before coming to stay with their father. Both felt, finding a man was the most important thing in life; they were going to be a challenge. Alex's boys were just too young to think about going to work in the real world. Mark, his oldest, was just fourteen, and Steve barely twelve. Jake wouldn't get much of a chance to speak, but Alex, might get mad.
She headed straight for him, hoping to break the news herself. Mark beat her to the punch, and Alex looked relieved to see her. After he left, Alex told her he’d been wondering what he was going to do to keep them out of trouble.
She tried to imagine the kind of summer it was going to be, as her and Alex drove up to the big red barn, where anything that didn't work was stored, along with all of his and Beth's furniture. She couldn't even picture it, how was eleven kids, four adults, and a hand full of people from town, going to handle approx. two hundred people per night, six nights a week; it was insanity.
Noticing Jim's truck parked out front she refigured. Five adults, as if he was going to be able to make that much of a difference. Besides, he was going to busy taking care of the ranch section. That was what they’d decided, the day after the summer fair. She would see to the resort portion and he would take care of the ranch.
Load after load was pulled, separated, and trucked on to the Village that day, where several more hands there would shuffle the boxes, etc. into the appropriate cottage. With each dwindling load, more and more of the ancient building became exposed; she’d never really taken a good look at the size of the place.
Two decrepit old tractors filled most of the front. However, the roofline indicated there was a good hundred feet she couldn't see. So after shoving the last large box into the front seat of Alex's Bronco; the place she was going to ride in and battling that she would be fine until someone, returned for her. She used the time to wonder through the unwanted things.
A treasure hunter at heart, she’d been looking for an excuse to look around. Behind the tractor's, there were three old buggies. Two with the fringe, still attached and the third, was what some may call a buckboard, or at least she thought that was its purpose. It looked like a long wooden box, with wheels attached and a seat that sat higher than the rest; inside its bed, laid the winter skids for all three buggies.
She may not have been able to envision the summer, but winter was looking up. Hayrides and caroling expeditions had suddenly loomed into her vision. She was so caught up with her winter wonderland. She tripped over an old rope, landing on an old trunk. Brushing the dirt from her knees, she retrieved the coarsely woven length from the floor and proceeded to wined it up. As she reached to place it on a hook near the back door, the voices she’d been hearing for quite some time grow even louder. She could hardly believe Alex would have had time to drive up to the Village, and get back so soon; let alone unload the overstuffed jeep. Snagging the hook at last, she turned to find who was there, but the voices had grown quiet.
Pushing the back door open she discovered she was as alone as ever. No one had returned, so who had she heard? Looking back into the dustily lit building she wondered if she really was alone. Perhaps someone had come looking for Jim, and was told he was here. Just because she couldn't see a car from where she stood, didn't mean someone hadn't parked next to the opposite doors, at the other end of the building. Just to make sure she stepped back into the building and called "Hello.” No response was forth coming, although again she could hear the two voices. So again she shouted "Hello" but still nothing it seemed they were to occupied with each other to acknowledge her.
She dreaded the thought of walking back in there, but if job services had sent them … well Jim needed the help. Slowly she retraced her steps, listening to the voices grow louder with anger. Stopping mid-way in the massive structure, she looked about. Still she couldn't see anyone. Suddenly she decided walking back in there hadn't been the best thing to do. It was obvious, that if she called out now, they would know she’d overheard their disagreement. Since she still wasn't sure what they were fighting about, they may not have wanted her to know. It was the same distance to either door, but out-front was where Alex, was going to expect her to meet him.
As if struck by lightning, it dawned on her who was fighting. It must to be Alex and Jim. Even though, they hadn't seemed up set earlier, Alex still hadn't explained why he had shut Jim up that morning in the kitchen.
"Damn, that stupid legend" she barked as she, marched towards the voices. With each step the voices grew louder and louder. They were out front. She thought as she pushed past the tractor, and into the clearing that had been created by removing the furniture. Her blood was boiling, as she envisioned stepping into the opening and demanding, they put a stop to the foolishness. Swinging the door with all her might, she screeched, "Stop this bull shit." but there was no one there, no car, nobody.
Where had they gone? Blankly she starred up the silent road. Whirling around, she looked back into the massive barn. Light filtered from the far door, but not a soul was in sight. How could she have walked right past them, and not seen them? The answer, made her choke. Stumbling towards the corral, she laid against the wooden rail and gasp for air – Ghosts.
Again the angry voices filled the silent morning air, they were moving towards her. Oh why had she swore, she had outraged them. They’d been willing to let her walk through their barn, and not shown themselves, so why had she cursed. Dropping to her knees, she pleaded with God. "Please, I know better – don't let me see them – Please"
She didn't know how she would regret those words, the voices grew louder and louder. Until they consumed her entire head, but she never saw a thing. Angry, loud, male voices riveted her brain, holding her suspended in place, with the mighty tongue-lashing taking place.
Cupping her hands over her ears didn't help. As the fight proceeded, she tried to escape only to be tugged to the ground. Something had a hold of the back of her blouse. She’d pinched her eyes shut, fearful of witnessing the event, hoping she could turn them away, but as she sat helpless against the rough wood pole, she realized she was bond to hear their words. Against her will, she listened. They weren't reprehending her, for her slip of the tongue. They didn't even seem to know she was there. They were fighting over a girl. One insisted she should be with him. The other a bit more calm, simply replied she would be with him. She didn't understand the details – she didn't care to either. All she wanted was to have them leave her alone.
"You can't be with her all the time, some day Lizzy will be with me, and you won't be able to stop me from getting the stone."
Instantly, she recognized her Grandmothers name. The words had been to similar, to what Wes had said to Jim, for her to listen any longer, she had to get out of there. Standing up took all her might, only to again have something tug at her back. There was no stopping her now, she wasn't about to hear another word. Throwing herself forward, she felt the cloth pull from her back. She was free – still she wasn't about to open her eyes, God only knew what she might see. Blindly she shot for the barn door, it was only a few feet away, there she would open her eyes, and run for the house.
Two masculine arms stopped her in her tracks. The scream that split the silence, echoed from the mountain tops, as she beat against the chest of – of – Ghost's don't have chests. However, she could still hear the voices – again, she raised her fist.
"Emma… Emma what is it?" Jim's frantic voice broke the captive tones.
"Listen, listen." she responded breathless. Looking up into his blank eyes, He couldn't hear them, but for her the tones grow louder again "Stop them," she screeched at the top of her lunges. "Stop them, make them leave me alone."
He yanked her head to his chest, and pressed his hands over her free ear. His heart was beating to match hers. Sweat mingled with his magical cologne filled her nostrils, but the voices continued. Pushing herself free, Emma started to run. Again his mighty arms stopped her, pushing her into the open door of the truck, he popped the clutch and was flying before she even knew where she was. Crouched into as small of a ball as physically possible, she cupped her ears.
"Tell me the legend – tell me WHY me, I'm losing my mind, I'm hearing things." Talking seemed to stop the penetration. So she keeps rambling on “God, WHY me?" She bounced up and down with every chuckhole in the dirt road, when he hit the smooth pavement he moved even faster. Emma was losing her voice from shouting, all the time refusing to open her eyes. "Tell me the legends, Jim please tell me." He slammed the brakes, causing the truck to fishtail and slid sideways. Popping the clutch and clicking the key even before it had come to a stop. A second later she was pulled from the truck and carried towards the door of his house, his mother meet them there. "Tell her." He demanded. "She has to know."
She’d heard him, but the voices weren't gone. "Stop them. Tell me how to stop them." She pleaded as well. A second voice rang in response. It wasn't as clear. Jim had carried her into the living room. "Help her, she's hearing things. Help her." His voice was filled with fear. "Please help her." She wondered if his mother could actually do something. Maybe she knew magic.
"Please God, Please." She bagged.
A sharp jab at her naked arm was the only response. Swiftly she became aware of Todd's presents, and the needle “No—” was her final word.
"You over dosed her."
“I didn't have time to, I only gave her about a fourth of a does, and she shouldn't have reacted this way."
She could hear them but she couldn't answer, it was as if something was holding her mouth closed. No, her brain wasn't sending the right message that was it, she'd just have to think about it harder, and she’d have to fight herself awake.
"If you didn't give her too much, why is she like this?" Jim demanded frustration filling his voice.
Fight, Emma fight – let them know you’re here.
"I don't know why she's acting this way?" Todd responded taking her hand and letting it drop again; as he struggled to defending himself. Again he retrieved her hand, checking her pulse. Lift your hand, she thought. Lift it now – now. Suddenly she felt it strike his clean-shaven face. "Emma, can you hear me?" he pleaded.
"Oh, please, God please." Jim echoed his sentiment.
Talk Emma, talk. Tell them you can hear them. "Yes –”
Jim dropped limp, next to her side. "Thank God." spilled from his trembling lips pressed to her cheek. "Can you still hear them?" he whispered. She’d been working so hard at speaking. She’d totally forgotten about the voices, they were gone. She whispered a silent prayer of thanks, and shook her head No.
“What kind of voices were you hearing? What did they tell you to do?" Todd was asking the questions. It occurred to her that he wasn't asking them, with the same tone as Jim. He thought she’d lost her mind, maybe she had.
"They didn't tell me to do anything," she fought to answer, attempting to open her eyes at the same time, but everything was fuzzy. "They were fighting."
"Fighting?" Todd was confused.
"What’d you expect her to say?" Jim jumped to her defense.
"Schizophrenic's usually think the voices were telling them how to take over the world."
"Skit...so... what" Emma tried to repeat what it was he’d said. "You think I'm losing my mind” she may not have been able to see, but she could sit up. "Don't you?"
"Hold on Emma," Jim's voice almost had a ring of laugher about it, as he firmly gripped her arms. "You can't even see who you’re attacking."
The scream that ripped from her lips, took them both by surprise. He’d grabbed the spot of her injection. Quickly, Todd pushed her back to the bed. The sheet that had covered her chest, slipped below her breasts, and she realized she was naked. It was replaced almost as fast.
"Good God. Todd you bruised her." Jim pulled the sheet back again.
"Jim," Todd laid the sheet down again, "Give her some privacy! I couldn't have bruised her." He had to rethink that, after looking at the large red spot on her upper arm. "I couldn't have done this."
"Who else do you think hit her?" Jim shot back.
"Stop this. I told you I bruise easy."
"A bleeder" Todd snapped.
"No. The blood veins run close to the top of the skin." she repeated what every Doctor who’d ever examined her, had said "I over heat really easy too."
"That's why she over reacted to the medicine." Todd exclaimed pulling at her arm.
"Don't." she pulled away again, the picture less fuzzy "Leave me alone. Why in the heck did you medicate me anyway? Weren't you taught not to just shot up strangers?"
"She's right." Jim hopped on the bandwagon.
"Damn it old man, don't be telling me what I should be doing." a minute later they watched as the door slammed shut at his heels and then looked into each other’s faces.
"He has a tendency to over react." Jim said with raised eyebrows. "What were they fighting about?"
She didn't even want to think about it and there he stood, wanting her to tell him about it. "Tell me the legend." she demanded right back.
"Who ripped your blouse off?"
"Ripped my blouse?" she’d forgotten about the hand holding her down, until just then. Fear ravaged her body, propelling her into his arms, where she felt safe. "I don't know, I couldn't see them, I didn't want to see them." He held her firmly pressed to his chest, where she could hear his heart beating. She pulled the sheet around her as she continued. "I'm not losing my mind, am I?"
"Of course not" he tipped her back to look at her face. "Do you know how long it took me to see that entire scene from the window? Years, Emma Years." His face was intense, forcing his brow up to a peek each time he said years.
"Is it the legend?" she continued, looking for an answer, as he drew her back to his chest. "Is that what's haunting me?" His head only shook back and forth "Tell me the story," she pleaded, looking up into his eyes, "Please."
"Stories don't ripe clothing."
"And neither do ghosts." Todd added from the door.
"Like you'd know" Jim shot back.
"Ok, you've got me." The younger form, of him stepped to the edge of the bed. "I don't know, but you apparently do. Who ripped her blouse? And who was fighting over her?"
"Not me, It was Grandma." she had to correct his misinterpretation of what she’d said. "They were fighting over Lizzy – No they were fighting about who was going to get the stone – That was what they were fighting about – the STONE." They looked from her to each other, then back again "The Stone?” Todd repeated the last word slow and deliberately.
"I'll have Mom bring you a blouse." Jim responded bouncing up from the bed. His absence left her feeling chilled. A minute later, he’d dragged Todd, dumbfounded from the room.
When Jesse entered the room a few minutes later, she claimed not to know what was being asked. If she’d been so ill informed, why had Jim brought her there to hear the story? The sweet old woman had to know something, but it became clear, she wasn't going to hear it from Jesse’s lips or at least not until Jim gave permission for her to hear it.
As she followed Jesse into the large kitchen, she discovered Jim and Todd where both gone, but to where? Jesse again played dumb. The more she moved about, the faster the injection wore off. The black coffee Jesse feed her, aided as well, it also added to her anxiety. By the time Jim kicked open the back door, she nearly attacked him. "Where have you been? How dare you leave me stranded?" The grin that exploded across his face, told a story all its own. Todd, who had entered right behind was grinning as well. "It's not funny." she was chomping at the bit.
"You know me and a dare." He answered pouring himself a cup of coffee, looking a cocky eye in her direction. His glare disarmed her. Remembering dare was the wrong word to use, and she sunk back into the chair and rephrased her question. "Ok, what have you boys been up to?" she asked sarcastically
"Well I'll be" spilled from Todd's mouth "You've tamed the tiger" He responded with a laugh. He’d considered her a Tiger, What had she done to him to deserve that name?
The confusion she felt, must have been apparent on her face, for Jim laughed and said, "I tried to tell him you could hold your own, sorry if he got the wrong idea. But I had to do something to stop him from locking you up."
"Me!" she immediately went back to full claws.
"Woe. Hold it Girl. We just went out to find the ghost's, you need to thank us, not chew off our heads."
"What did you find?" she shot off the chair.
"Relax," he responded with a firm hand on her shoulder. As he pulled the remains of her blouse, from his pocket and waved it about in front of his face. "A large nail had a hold of you."
"A nail," she exclaimed, feeling rather stupid. "No! It couldn't have felt like a hand." It hadn't felt like a hand, she thought, actually she hadn't felt anything at all. Something had just held and kept her down. Closing her eyes and dropping her head into her hands, she realized it could’ve been a nail. She might have snagged her blouse, and when she went to move, it pulled her back. Gently Jim stroked the back of her neck, "It was a nail. Your blouse was still attached to it."
"But that doesn't explain the voices" Todd remarked, taking a seat at the table. She didn't even need to be looking in to his face to know what he was thinking.
"I'm not crazy." she straightened up immediately to defend herself.
"Hold on Girl" Jim laid his hand on hers “He's not saying you are." he’d jumped to stop her attack, pulling his chair closer to her, he demanded, "Mom, tell her the story."
"She knows it." Jesse answered going back to the sink, "Just ask, she knows it." Emma couldn't figure out why, his sweet Mother had turned on her, how was she supposed to know the story?
"Fine Mom," Jim responded sarcastically "What do you believe in Emma?"
"What?" was he really asking her to define it?
"What do you believe in, you know God, etc?" He looked serious.
"Do you really want Todd to lock me up?" she looked straight at him. Even with his arm around her shoulder, he couldn't protect her from the strange looks people would give her, if they heard this conversion repeated. Mike would go straight through the roof, she thought if he knew she was spreading her strange beliefs.
Jim's eyes danced, as he chuckled. "He isn't going to lock you up, I was just kidding."
Shaking her head, she whispered, "Ok, you asked for it. I guess I kind of believe along the lines you were telling Alex, the other day."
"That's why the lack of reaction." Jim stated, moving his arm to the back of the chair instead of on her shoulders.
"Hell, Jim you can’t tell me you believe in the bible." she turned to look only at him, ignoring the others. "Man was in his infancy when they wrote it, those guys would call us God's." She paused, waiting for the normal reaction. Surprise crept into his face. He didn't call her a non-believer – he didn't say anything. "And I think – I know you well enough to know that you don't believe we evolved from moss."
"Ameba" Todd interrupted
"It doesn't matter what I believe in, what do you believe?" Jim responded to her directly.
"Something between the two." she quickly responded.
"See I told you she knew" Jesse insisted, joining them at the table. Turning her attention to Emma, she asked, "So do you believe the story?"
"I don't know the story. All I know is what everyone would call my own active imagination." Quickly she scanned Todd’s face along with the others. "Man could not have been made from the dirt of this planet. If evolution was correct, why did it take so long for it to occur? Did we have to wait till the dinosaur’s died off to get enough bacteria, to grow?" the three of them sat there speechless. "What do I believe? I believe both the stories, God didn't have to start with dirt, life had already began when he come upon it. He added the magic – intelligence or perhaps humanity."
Jesse interrupted “How?”
"Why do I care?" the words made Jesse face flash with anger. "He did, that's all that matters."
"It does matter. You have to understand where you came from." When Jesse fought back, Emma felt right at home, everyone she’d ever spoken to about her beliefs fought that point.
"It's said over and over in the bible. Neither he nor his son was from this earth, they are from above– we are from below. Man has always known where they were from, I mean the Gods." she’d practiced telling what she’d found, but had never had the nerve to say it before. "Why else was the tower of Babel built? Why does man want to go into space so bad?" Jesse's face was a glow with delight, but Jim looked confused, and even if Jim had assured her that Todd wouldn't lock her up, the look on his face told another story. "Look, let me try it a different way, we all have two parents right? Well so did, the first parents – a Father in Heaven, or space – and a Mother of the earth. Mother earth, Mother Nature, she gave us our body. He gave us our intelligence and commanded we use it to subdue the beasts."
"Do you believe in God?" Todd asked.
"Didn't I just say so?" she’d grown impatient with his strange looks. "Of course I believe in God. I just think, when the second coming accurse –” she hesitated before going on “He'll arrive in a spaceship."
"A spaceship" Jim exclaimed. Pulling his hand across his mouth, she didn't need to see his smile to know he thought she’d lost it.
"Yes, if you want to read about abductions, The National Rags, have nothing over the Bible. Just look at how many people in there, were raised up with God and saw the future." she was addressing Jim directly know. “Or at least they thought it was the future. They didn't even have the language, to tell us what they saw. Some were told they couldn't tell." she looked to Jesse for conformation. Her eyes were gleaming like stars in the evening sky. "Who's to tell if they were looking at our future or God's past?" Her eyes stopped on Todd’s shocked face.
"I get it, we are what he was, right" Todd responded.
"Ok, I've told you what I believe, NOW tell me the story." She shifted her eyes back to Jesse.
The tension, which had filled Jim's body before they’d started again sweep up his thigh that was next to her. "You know Todd, we should leave,"
"No" she knew better than to demand he stay "Please, stay." she asked with all the persuasion she could, squeezing his hand helped. "Why does this scare you?"
"Scare me." he pulled his hand away "It doesn't scare me."
“It does me, so please stay." She pleaded reaching for his hand once more. She didn't need to search hard.
“Go ahead Mom, tell her."
Jesse looked as if she were seeing a miracle, stammering she started the same way Jim had the Saturday before. "Before time began, our makers dwelled on another planet, far away." she lifted her hand as if to point to heaven "When their planet's life came to an end, they were left to search for a home. Crossing from the dark to the light, earth appeared to be the best place around." she lowered them and scanned them about the room, her eyes were a glow with the truth she held. "The Entities had long before reached, immortality. They neither knew birth nor death." her voice dropped to a hushed whisper, sending chills up and down Emma's back, Jim held tightly to her hand that was trembling. “The Master, he who was in charge—was the only one who could recall life with a body. It was he, which made the decision to populate, the earth. Knowing full well that the entities would have to undergo massive changes, bodiless, they couldn't exist in our gravity."
"What one minute here." Todd insisted, "Are you telling me –” he looked to Emma, "that what Emma said really is the story?" He obviously hadn't heard it either.
"Partly," Jesse answered, "She's missing a few importing factors." she looked back to her. "But considering she's had to put this together by herself, without her Grandmother to tell her, she's done very well" Emma looked to Jim, had he known the story all along? Was it what, he was referring to when he’d insisted he couldn't tell her? "He couldn't tell you Emma." Jesse was speaking to her. "It's said that only your Father could tell, and I can only tell you so much."
"Like what?"
"I can tell you that, the master believed he’d accrued all of his knowledge from the time he held a body. And like a father – He wanted the others to have that knowledge." she grinned, with warm loving eyes. "You know – it’s one thing to see a sunrise and another to behold a sunrise." He’d obviously told her, of her interest in sunrises.
"So although the body that was chosen wasn't perfect, it was clearly a way to teach them what they were missing. While the Entities wouldn't actually die, the body most certainly would, and the Entities would experience a period of inactivity. They would also experience birth, as painful as it was, through it their lines and knowledge would progress."
"We couldn't have all come from one set of parents, either." Emma interrupted to press a point that had caused her great difficulty, in the past.
"We didn't." Jesse answered with a broad smile, "That comment says you rea