Chapter 8: Later On That Day

“When does the concert start?” Oniya asked Stephen.

At least twenty minutes had passed since their lovemaking. They both stood naked as Stephen was knee-deep in the water. He looked up to see the sun’s location and could tell it must have been sometime around noon.

“Pretty soon,” he remarked.

“Then let’s get dressed,” she replied.

Both of them turned to look at the shore. They waddled through the water until they got out.

“Ah ... that felt so nice,” Oniya commented. “It just felt so...”

“Free...” Stephen said as he stepped on the mud. He turned his head towards the clothes and stopped as he put his hands to his hips. He had a questioning look that even made Oniya look at him.

“What is it?” she asked him.

“Your clothes ... they are missing.”

“What?” She walked up to him as she looked down at the pile of clothes. She immediately began to look around the area.

“Did we have a peeping tom grab them when we are not looking?” he asked as he looked into the forest. “Nah ... that wouldn’t make sense. We were not that far from it. When we had sex, you had a clear view of it. Did you see anything?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well ... it looks like somebody might have taken it. We might have to go around and start asking people if we can get clothes for you ... unless you want to be the naked pregnant woman in the crowds of Woodstock.”

She looked around the area some more. She didn’t seem too worried as she continued to walk around the muddy shore of the spot. She spotted a large tree that was closest to them.

“I will look around,” she said.

The water was still dripping off their bodies as Stephen remained in place, looking at his clothes. A part of him was in debate if the wind somehow carried it off, but there was little of it. He looked around the area while he could see Oniya walk around the tree. He turned his attention and could tell that there was little disturbance in the ground where the clothes were initially located. It was unlikely that anybody came up and stole it.

“I found it!” Oniya yelled out as she came out from behind the tree. “It got moved.”

“Moved?” Stephen asked.

In her hands were her clothes. It was almost entirely behind the tree, and he knew that he couldn’t have seen it from there. He smiled as he looked at the naked pregnant woman that was carrying her clothes again.

“Groovy,” he said. “Come on, let’s get dressed.”

He proceeded to dry himself off, but it was a difficult one. The drizzle was still coming and going. Even his clothes still had a hard time drying off. Having it under the tree as Oniya did only did so much. As he proceeded to put on his clothes, he began to have some questions popped into his mind. This Oniya seemed a little strange with the events that were going on. Perhaps it was just the fact that she was Egyptian, but to Stephen, the little things here and there seemed to be added onto his thoughts about her.

Regardless of his thoughts about her, he still felt very comfortable with her when it came to his interests. His ideas still ran with what he said about her and her baby. A part of him felt very attached to her, but he knew that it was someone else’s child. Even if the man was supposedly dead, a part of him knew that she would be delivering soon. Not only would he have a romantic interest, but he would also become a parent at the same time. His fears went towards his past as he knocked the sand from his wet feet. He then put on his underwear and boots.

“Ohhh ... Ahhh...” Oniya said. She cringed hard as Stephen turned his head to look at her. She was busy looking down at the ground as she had her hands to her distended belly. She closed her eyes as her teeth momentarily clenched.

He looked below her crotch to see if her water had broke. There were no signs of it. The pain appeared to be brief, but she seemed as if she was weak in strength.

“Are you alright?” he asked her.

She opened up her eyes as she looked at him. She relaxed her composure as she focused on him. “I am alright. I am fine.”

Stephen relaxed a little bit. As much as he loved nature, the idea that she could end up going into labor and giving birth was something that he wasn’t ready to face. As each second went by, he could tell that she was okay as she got her clothes back on.

In the distance, they could hear a slight amount of audio coming from the fields of Woodstock. The concert was getting close to resuming...

The two were fully dressed and heading back to the concert. The gathering population of crowds was evident. The echoing sounds of music were beginning to start up. Both Oniya and Stephen were holding hands while walking. There seemed to be a glow in both their faces.

“Today is becoming one of the best days ever,” she said. “It is better than yesterday, and that was a great day too.”

“I still thought it was weird that your clothes disappeared,” Stephen said. “I swore I kept it next to mine.”

“It is alright. I found them behind the big tree by the water.”

“Yeah, but you said that no one was there to move it, though. We weren’t that far from the edge of the water. You had a clear sight of everything behind me.”

She shrugged her head. “Well ... at least I found them. Don’t worry, Stephen. I don’t blame you for any of that. It happens. I won’t be walking around this concert all naked. Everyone would look at me as the Egyptian mommy.”

“Heh ... that would be interesting.”

They kept their walk as Oniya leaned her head to his body. “This is so ... perfect.”

“I am enjoying it too.”

“The music that I hear. What band is that?”

“I think that is Quill,” Stephen replied. “Honestly, I never listened to many of their songs.”

The crowd was already jacked up to listening to the performance. It was the fresh start of the new day, and the previous day had ridden the excitement. The two were along with a slew of individuals that walked in together. It would be a short journey back to their seats. The Quill band had four songs that they were going to perform for the day, and they were the start of Saturday’s performances. Their first song was “They Live the Life.”

One thing is for sure,” Stephen said. “The weather isn’t letting up. Still drizzling. The sun is trying to stop, though.”

“We will be fine,” she replied.

Everyone was up and enjoying the music. It was a difference between day and night. The energy was intense, and the period of resting had come to an end. The first song was slow and easy, but once the band started playing “That’s How I Eat,” was when the crowds were dancing and clapping their hands. Both Oniya and Stephen were hurrying back to Tiffany and Brendan. Oniya was doing her best to look at the group. It was seemingly tricky. Hundreds of thousands of people were present. Her mother and the others had seemingly vanished to be a part of so many people. At the same time, Oniya simply wanted to sit down and enjoy the music.

“You know...” Stephen remarked. “I can’t but help how your mom looks so young.”

“Ah ... you would be surprised how often that I hear that,” she said.

“Did she have you at a young age?”

“ ... Yes.”

Stephen heard that response with some skepticism in his heart. She had said it with hesitation that he took notice of it. He was still partially focused on the music being played, but he did know one thing was for sure. Oniya might have been lying to him. Somewhere and somehow, she was lying about something. For him, it was only a hunch. What was so significant about lying about the woman that was supposed to be her mother or not? Why go through the effort of having disappearing clothes? Even the names of the friends she had were odd.

At least four hours had passed. Both Oniya and Stephen were close together with the blanket wrapped around them. Tiffany and Brendan were both doing the same. Stephen kept his strength up while occasionally eating some of the bread given to them and drinking some water. Having to use the bathroom was a severe issue as always. The porta potties had turned into a nightmare of any sanitation cleaner. It was outright disgusting anytime he had to use it.

Among one thing that Stephen was getting used to seeing was that weed was getting passed around. Brendan had lit up one and started to smoke it before he passed it to Tiffany. Woodstock was known for pot smoking. It provided relief for many and even helped keep people calm. Like anything, it wasn’t the only thing that was out there in the massive crowd. LSD was in the hands of a few. Regardless of the stories, Stephen felt that illicit drug use was overblown by the media when it came to the hippies. It was both true and untrue at the same time. What was worse was the conspiracies that seemed to be passed around in regards to the drug LSD. He naturally stayed away from it. If it was one thing that he observed, LSD was a powerful substance. It produced a high that caused people to see hallucinations. That was one thing that he didn’t want to have. He still recalled seeing a man who took it and walked around like he was going after spirits. Security eventually escorted the person out before the police arrested him.

As for the pot-smoking, as funny as it sounded, the police never bothered with it. A lot of people were high, and it would have been overboard for them to arrest everybody. Tiffany, in kind, would pass it to Stephen in which he smoked it a little bit. He had looked at Oniya and her pregnant belly. For some reason, he only took a small whiff of it before handing it back to Tiffany. He coughed lightly. He never even bothered to give it to Oniya. She seemed indifferent to the events, but she wasn’t interested in it. Stephen felt inclined to understand.

“Not bad...” Stephen struggled to say while holding back his coughing.

It had been several hours since Quill had performed. Stephen and Oniya had a chance to listen to other bands and performers such as Country Joe McDonald, Santana, and John Sebastian. Sebastian was finishing up his last song, “Younger Generation,” before he said his goodbyes to the audience. Fortunately for the audience and the bands, the sun had finally started to come out by the time Sebastian finished up his song. This was good news because some of the bands and staff were already worried about being electrocuted due to the wet stage. Even Sebastian himself had to use his acoustic guitar and play solo. The constant drizzling was a nonstop barrage on everybody and everything. Seeing the sun made everybody happy. Even Stephen felt a sigh of relief as the sun finally came out.

“Ah ... finally, the rains have slowed down,” Stephen said to Oniya.

“I know. At this rate, we are going to be washed out to the lake,” she replied.

“Been enjoying everything so far?”

“I admit that Santana has been my favorite,” Oniya commented. “The instrumentals from Santana were really good. I did enjoy Sebastion’s singing voice, though.”

“I admit it was hard to hear Sebastion. It wasn’t his fault with the rain, but I feel like his voice finally scared away the clouds. At least things will finally stay dry, though.”

“Do you think that the weather is going to get better?” Tiffany asked.

“Hmmm ... I don’t know,” Stephen remarked as he looked at the clouds. “Not sure.”

As Sebastian finished up his performance, Oniya and Stephen looked at each other.

“Stephen,” Oniya asked him. “Mind if we walk around for a little bit?”

“Sure. I think the Keef Hartley Band is going to play next but, I admit I didn’t think that Sebastian was going to perform. I wouldn’t mind getting a chance to stretch my legs a little bit.”

“Hey, you two,” Tiffany told them. “I don’t know about you guys, but I think this a perfect opportunity for me and Brendan to go to the lake and have some fun.”

“Ah yeah, man,” Brendan added as he held the weed in his hand. “I can’t say no to that.”

“How long are you guys going to be about?”

“Like an hour,” Oniya replied. “I want to get my legs moving again. I feel so exhausted.”

“Aww ... I know what you mean,” Tiffany laughed at her. There were some signs that she was stoned as she pointed her finger at her. “I want to go to the lake now while the sun is shining free. I need you guys to stay here and watch our stuff.”

“We can do that. Once we get back, you two go have fun like we did. That lake is magic.”

“Mmmm. Aye men to that,” Brendan added.

“Alright,” Stephen said as he stood up. He offered his hand to Oniya as she managed to stand up. “Let’s move around.”

He stretched out his hand to her as they began to leave the two behind. There was a pause in the music as the bands were switching over. The sun’s rays were like mana from heaven. Stephen could even remark that a few individuals were holding up their hands as if god was stretching out to them. Of course, he also had other thoughts about what was happening.

“The more I think about it, the more I think you are right. I think Santana just outperformed those other bands.”

“I know!” Oniya replied with enthusiasm. “They had so much energy. After this, I want to have their albums.”

“God,” Stephen said as they stepped over a few individuals that were somewhat relaxed on the grass. “I think Santana must have had some magic powering him. I never seen the audience dance around so much. Even you were dancing around to it.”

“It was just too good. Mmm...”

“You know, for somebody that is pregnant, you never seem to slow down. I am amazed. You had that much energy and was just dancing and dancing to it.”

“It was the second song that did it for me,” she said with a smile. “I need to know the names of those songs.”

“Well ... make sure not to overexert yourself,” Stephen said. “I don’t want you to pass out on me ... like a few people are doing.”

“Don’t worry. I got the energy to keep going.”

They continued walking for a full minute. The crowds of nonstop people were like walking through a forest of individuals. Their walking was directing them towards the rear edge of the field. This area consisted of tents, makeshift buildings, and trailers. The two continued their walk as Stephen noted that Oniya was still walking around barefoot like she didn’t care. Of course, some were already doing that, but the ground was getting reduced to mud. Even the rear portion of Woodstock was mostly just crushed up dirt and water. People had even placed tents in areas where they sat to help further protect them from the rain. While some efforts were put in place to keep people off the lighting towers, a few people had taken the privilege to climb them to get a good view and hearing of the bands. Of course, the risk was that you would land on top of people or land face-first into the mud below if you fell.

“You have been looking at my feet,” Oniya remarked. “You enjoy my feet?”

“No. I just have been concerned with you walking barefoot through all this. I don’t know about you, but the sanitation is just going to get worse. I think some of these people are going to end up with cut feet. My biggest fears are going to the bathroom.”

“Is that why you waited to go in the lake instead of here?”

“Well ... it was a pretty big lake.”

She chuckled a little bit. “It is alright. Nothing can hurt me.”

“It isn’t you I am afraid of. Just remember that you are carrying for another.”

Oniya once again quietly smiled a little bit. “I think you would make a good father.”

“Heh ... I hate to say this, but as much as I feel for you, I am afraid you would leave me as soon as my secret is out.”

Oniya nodded her head. “Not that I see.”

The walking carried them beyond the makeshift tents. The medical facilities were overtaxed. It was even indicated that a few individuals were overdosing. The thrill of the music was sometimes a little too intense for the few.

Regardless, they carried on as they went towards the fence. It was here that Stephen noticed another apparent issue at Woodstock. There were so many people coming that nothing could be done to stop it. The fencing had holes in it, literally. People were tearing it all down and simply walking in to attend the concert without paying. So many people showed up that police and security couldn’t enforce the rules anymore. Most simply just gave up and let the crowds and hordes of people walk in.

“Hmmm...” Oniya remarked. “I would like to go past here and into the fields past this.”

“We can do that. I can’t feel bad for entering and leaving this way since we already paid for our tickets,” Stephen replied.

The two found a sizeable hole of a cut chain link fence on it. They had already remarked in seeing a few individuals walking into the concert through this area. Stephen could see a man and woman that were completely naked and resting on the fence admiring the scenery.

“You know,” Stephen said to Oniya. “I don’t think we were the first ones to have sex in that lake.”

“That was what I was saying,” she replied. “It is just a nice place.”

“I wonder why you want to go beyond here.”

“I want to explore a little bit. The people are so free and enjoying nature.”

“Well, it is nice,” he agreed. “I guess I can’t blame you.”

The area past the fencing consisted of small rows of people. Occasional tents and vehicles dotted the landscape past the concert field. In order to keep some distance from the mass hordes of bodies of people, it was natural that the people were sleeping past the main concert area.

“Hmmm...” Stephen thought. “I guess tonight I wouldn’t mind getting a chance to sleep out here, instead of in there like we did last night.”

“I wouldn’t mind that,” she replied.

There was a rather moderate-sized tent that seemed to catch the eye of Oniya as they were walking. Stephen was looking around as they kept their hands locked together. He could feel a tug as Oniya decided to alter their course a little bit in the direction of the tent.

“You are interested in this tent?” Stephen asked.

“Yes. I think I found them,” she said as she smiled.

“Found who?”

“Some good friends of mine. I think I found them.”

Among the few tents was one that was yellow. It was enough that at least twenty people could fit in it. He could recall hearing a few instruments that seemed to come from it. The musical melody consisted of a guitar, flute, and drum that were being played, but it was not loud. It was almost a quiet, soothing tone. As the two approached it, Stephen could see two logos that he spotted on the front entrance of it. One of the symbols had a five-pointed star on it that was wrapped around in a circle. The other icon had a branch with green diamond leaves that sprouted from it.

“It is them alright,” Oniya said. “My friends are in here.”

To Stephen, it was easy to follow her in. She let go of his hand as she put her hand up to the flaps of the entrance. The moment that she lifted it, she headed in. Stephen followed suit as he lifted up the flap and walked in. At first, he thought he was going into some outside facility for staff, but it was apparent that he was wrong.

Inside the tent was a simplistic layout. It consisted of five seats that wrapped around the entrance like some half-circle. It was seemingly more significant on the inside than outside but only by so much. Each seat was arranged differently. One hub had a series of scented candles on the one to his farthest right. It was an elevated sitting platform that had a single Buddhist statue beside the candles. There was a Buddhist monk that was sitting cross-legged. His orange and red robes highlighted that he was bald and had a slightly bronze complexion.

The person that was sitting next to him was a woman with a black and dark purple hijab. It covered up most of her body, with the exception of her face. She had a table and chair that she sat comfortably on. There was a flute that she was playing. It was simple in design, but she was playing at a low volume, almost as if she was trying to produce a meditative tone to it. On the table was an etching of the crescent moon. Her face seemed to be a person that descended from the Middle East and looked seemingly beautiful.

On Stephen’s far left was a woman that was dressed and looked like a person straight from Africa. She had the darkest of skin complexions. She wore an orange cap that covered her braided hair that flowed downward. She wore a shawl that covered most portions of her body. Her eyes were closed as she seemed to be chanting to herself while playing the drum. She sat in a hay covered seat with incense burning next to her. Her drum was highly decorated with a series of green flowers and orange lines on it. Stephen was amazed by the colorful decorations of her skin. It was hard to tell the beauty on her face because she had an extensive series of painted white lines and dots all over her. Everything from her arms and feet was covered in these painted white lines.

Adjacent to her was a man that was playing a small lute, adding to the melody of the flute and drum playing. Dressed perfectly like a priest, the man wore gray robes that covered most of his body. He also sat in a chair by a table, much like the woman with the flute. There was a crucifix that was sitting by his own makeshift table. The man was remarked with a small black beard, short hair, and a slight bronze complexion. Much like the others, he kept plucking the strings relatively slow as he looked upon Oniya with a smile on his face.

The center of the five was a man dressed in white and yellow robes. He looked like a man that came straight from India. Much like the Buddhist monk, this man sat cross-legged on an elevated platform. A series of flowers and roses decorated all around his legs and feet. The man had a bronze complexion, but he had a clean-shaven face and longer black hair, unlike the priest. There were a series of decorated reefs that were wrapped around his body and clothes. He had a couple of simple earrings that dangled from his ears and some etched u-shaped letter that was on the top center of his forehead. He was quite handsome by his appearance and friendly-looking, from what Stephen could tell. He was either a guru or a man of Hinduism by his appearance or religion.

Besides the five were a couple of other hippies that were sitting and listening to the five play. Here, Stephen could see the five and wonder about something that Hathy and Oniya’s mother had said earlier to Oniya. The big five ... were these the five that they were talking about? Stephen didn’t care too much, but it did make him wonder a little bit. In reality, to him, it seemed impressive, but it was nothing too extensive. He was, however, impressed with the concept that he saw. Even if his knowledge of other religions was limited, he could tell that these were people of dedicated faiths that were all together in one tent. They were transfixed together in harmony, and all aspects seemed like a peaceful and exciting idea.

There was a wind chime that echoed in the tent. Stephen looked around him and spotted a set of wind chimes near the place’s entrance. The wind or breeze may have caused it to rattle slightly, but it was enough that the Buddhist monk lifted his hand to the two.

“Ah...” the monk said to them. “It appears that we have a friend that has arrived.”

“Indeed,” the man from India said. His voice was calm and soothing to hear. “Oniya, you have come to our humble gathering and with a companion.”

The music was peaceful as the gathering of individuals was listening to it. A few were mediating to the harmony as the one in the center seemed to be directing the ceremony.

“I think it is time that we take a break,” the man in the center said, directing everyone. The music began to calm down a little bit as the flute and lute playing stopped. The drum beating even slowed down drastically even more. “I believe it is around the time to go and eat. We will reconvene in about an hour with our mediation practices.”

The people in the center all seemed to agree as one by one, they stood up and started to leave the tent.

“I absolutely found this wonderful,” a random woman told him. “I hope this is done more often.”

“As would I,” the priest said. “If god willing, we will do this for tomorrow as we did yesterday.”

“And again,” the Muslim woman added. “Allah would be proud of such events.”

One by one, the individuals left the tent until only Stephen, Oniya, and the five seemingly important people remained inside. Stephen could tell that the African woman was still quietly beating her drum while keeping her eyes closed. The other four had focused their attention on Oniya.

“What brings you in here, my child?” the Buddhist addressed her.

Stephen could hear the accents of the various individuals. They sounded like they came from all portions of the world. The priest had a European accent, while the Muslim woman had an accent from the Middle East. The Buddhist monk had an accent that sounded very much like from Pakistan, while the center person had an accent from India, obviously. Their English, however, was spot on though.

“I wanted to see how the Peaceful Five were doing,” Oniya replied to him. “I am glad that you were able to make it to Woodstock.”

“We would not miss it,” the monk replied.

“The energy here is tranquil,” the man in the center added. “To have people all convene in the manner of peace is something we have to participate.”

“The desire for peace is one that must be important,” the Muslim woman also added.

“That is what God desires,” the priest jumped in. “The movement is the correct path. Jesus would prefer this form of gathering instead of the desire to bring harm to one another.”

“Does he know?” the woman asked, looking at Stephen.

There was a brief silence in the room as the eyes went to Stephen. Their gentle smiles and content attitudes were calming.

“He does not,” Oniya said.

“Ah ... I see,” the man in the center said. “What is your name, young man?”

The question was odd. Stephen looked at him and could tell that they were the same age. Even the voice was that of a person that was vibrant and youthful. Perhaps it was just a misinterpretation of words. It didn’t matter, but he answered them.

“My name is Stephen,” he replied to them.

“And my name is Guru Jagannath,” the center man explained. “I am the lead representation of the five here. I am the knower and knowledge of all that is identified in the social concept of what you call Hinduism. The woman that is on my left is Muezza, a leading representation and knower of all that is Islam ... and if I may say, a better flute player than even I. Beside her is All, the knower of all that is Buddha. To my right is the man that we call Saint Chris. He is the knower of all that worships Christianity and Judaism. To his right is the leading supporter of the African tribal worship. Her name is Ori.”

The drum playing stopped momentarily. “The dragon of the river will make a long journey to Africa,” Ori explained in a West African accent. “There, he will find the young woman. The struggle for peace will be a difficult one.”

Stephen turned his head to see that the African woman’s eyes were still closed. It was an odd saying and almost in some poetic fashion. She was still in some form of trance and was not paying attention to the other four that were speaking. She slowly started to beat the drum again.

“It seems that our companion from Africa is full of words today, my child,” All said as he clasped his hands together. “You are welcome to our place.”

“Who are you?” Stephen asked them.

“We come from all parts of the world, Stephen,” the guru said. “Our goal is to help ensure that peace and nonviolence flourishes. We represent the cohabitation of many religions of Earth. Each one of us is a piece of the puzzle that is life. Through us, we hope that many people will lay down their weapons and eliminate their desires to hurt one another in hopes of harmony.”

“Farout,” Stephen remarked. “So you are like some multi-religious group.”

“Yes,” Saint Chris added. “We have all come to a mutual agreement that peace is the true path of life. As a Christian, I am following god’s path to ensuring that all of us come together.”

“It is always the way,” Muezza added. “Allah commands this. It is written that peace and order are to be obtained.”

“And through it, we see the common path,” All added.

“Everyone that is here is our friends and companions in life,” the guru said. “This is the role of the Peaceful Five.”

“How long have you guys been around?” Stephen asked.

“For as long as it has to be,” the priest answered.

“Since the dawn of time when humanity desired peace,” Muezza added.

“And you guys showed up when Woodstock started?” Stephen asked.

“We have been here for much time,” the guru explained. “We have been a part of many movements that desire peace. The movements done by Martin Luther King Jr, the movements of Gandhi, the movements of the Beheiren, and many others we all supported and encouraged. Our goal has been to encourage others to lay down their arms and come together.”