Chapter 3: The Call Back to the Valley

The alarm sounded in the valley; the first fissures in the dam that held back the tide of modern civilization appeared. It was shortly after Jason and his family celebrated Jenny’s and Becky’s sweet sixteen birthdays. It had been Carlita’s turn to go up to the valley to see if they needed anything. What she found was Anna, crying in her cave. When she could finally calm Anna down, she exclaimed.

“I’m losing control of the tribe, even my own mother has voted against me.”

“What do you mean, what’s happened?”

“Two of the girls have been sneaking into the fertility cave.”

“Let me guess, one was Angry Sky?”

“Yes; and the other was my own daughter.”

“Okay, Anna, it’s bad, but not the end of the world.”

“It gets worse; one by one they’ve brought all the other girls in there. Now they’re demanding that we hold their ceremony; and council has agreed, even Starry has voted against me.”

“Well, after all, they are grown women now.”

“They’re not even twenty yet. This is too soon. We should let them be children for a few more years. Besides, I do not know if the tribe can survive here with another generation of children. We have only lost one from our generation. There are twelve of us, thirteen of our children, and my mother and her child. That’s twenty-seven of us, and only one of them is past the age of having children.”

“I see what you mean, the valley could never support that many. What are we going to do?”

“The council has already decided. They want me to bring Jason back to the valley.”

“What if he refuses to come back? He’s already indicated that he could never be with our girls in that way.”

“The choice will not be his to make. The council has spoken, if necessary, they will send a war party down to the valley to get him. I know he will not run away. I have been foretold of his destiny.”

They sat in silence for several minutes, each contemplating the repercussions of her last statement. Finally, it was Anna who broke the silence.

“How is he? Is he healthy enough to survive this; after all, there are now twenty-seven of us?”

“He’s slowed down a little, but we’ve been able to keep him healthy and interested. The fire still burns hot in his hearth, especially for you. It will be hard to let him go, but I know it’s truly what he has longed for all these years.”

“I miss him so much. That is what made this all the harder. Even as I was arguing against having the ceremony now, inside I longed to be with him again.”

“So, how will we do this?”

“I’ll give you seven days. A week from tonight I will come for him. That should be enough time for you to say your good byes. I know it will be hardest for the girls to understand why their father is leaving them.”

“Our daughters already know all about this. Jason told them that this day would be coming soon. He wanted them to know beforehand so that they would understand why he was leaving and that he loved them and would return as soon as he could. He will be returning to us, right?”

“Of course, the old ways are dead and buried forever. He will return to you; he’s still got more to do down there.”

“Everything is in progress; but how do you know all this?”

“My High Priestess told me. I don’t know how she knew, but I was told that I would be the last one, that the tribe would leave here forever during my lifetime.”

“Don’t worry, everything will be ready soon.”

Both women stood, appraising one another. They were both forty-two years of age; both were physically strong, powerful women. Both were very pleasing to the eye; but upon closer examination, one could tell that Anna had led the harder life. There were age lines at the corners of her eyes; her skin was darker and less supple. Her breasts, though still firm, had begun to sag slightly, the effects of gravity, nursing a baby, and always being unsupported. They hugged one another, as only sisters could, no other words needed to be spoken. Now, Anna had new doubts in her mind, would Jason still find her desirable after being in the arms of both of her sisters?”

It took Carlita less than an hour to get back home. She found Maria down in the gym and after a quick shower; they joined Jason in his office and closed the door.

“Jason, there’s a real problem up in the valley...”

She proceeded to explain all that she had been told.

Maria was the first to speak. “She’s known about this all along and yet she has not said a word about it to any of us for all this time. The poor dear, it must have been eating her up inside; knowing that it was going to all end under her watch and not knowing if we were doing what we had to do at our end.”

Jason slowly nodded his head as a tear slowly dripped down his cheek.

“I knew this day would be coming sooner rather than later, but I’m still not sure I’m ready for it. I love you both more than I ever thought I could ever love anyone other than Anna. Now I am going to have to leave all of you, to do something I really do not want to do. Nevertheless, I know it has to be done and it has to be me who does it. I just wish everything was already in place and ready for them. They tell me that everything will be done and ready to be occupied in less than a year. You will have to take over for me until I return.”

“Do we tell the girls tonight?”

“No, let them get a good night’s sleep tonight, tomorrow will be soon enough.”

However, the atmosphere at the dinner table that night was anything but jovial; and the girls being as smart as they were, knew there was something wrong. Therefore, after dinner, before the table was cleared, Jenny spoke up.

“So, are you going to tell us what’s wrong or do we have to guess?”

“We didn’t want to tell you until tomorrow, but I guess we couldn’t hide it from you. I have to go back to the valley. I don’t know when I will be able to come back; but I will come back as soon as I can. Just remember that I will always love you; listen to your mothers, and do your best at school.”

“I guess this is the reason why we had our little talk last year. When do you have to leave?”

“At the end of the week; your Aunt Anna is coming to get me.”

“That’s good, we’ll all have time to prepare for your leaving, and we’ll finally get to meet Anna. Will Summer Rain be with her?”

“I doubt it. I do not believe any of the young women will be allowed to leave the valley. The less they are exposed to our modern life style the better for everyone concerned.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait a little longer before we get to meet our sister.”

“It will probably be sooner than you think.”

For the next six nights, Maria and Carlita alternated sleeping with Jason. The girls, when they were not at school, spent as much of their time as they could with their father, allowing him to help them with their homework and watching television together as a family.

On the seventh evening, they sat together in the living room waiting for the sun to set. About eight o’clock the front doorbell rang and the girls jumped up and ran to the door.

When they opened the door, a sight that they weren’t really expecting greeted them. A tall woman, dressed in jeans and a long sleeved cotton shirt and wearing hiking boots stood before them; her long red hair hung down past her shoulders and she greeted them by name.

“Hello, you must be Jenny & Becky, although I’m sorry, I don’t know who is who. I am your Aunt Anna. Can I come in?”

“Of course, they’re in the living room, follow me,” said Becky, as Jenny stayed behind to close the door. Just before she shut the door, she spotted several figures looming in the darkness in front of the house.

As she entered the living room, Anna greeted her sisters with a hug and a kiss. “Thank you for the clothes; they fit really well. You can take them back the next time you come to the valley.”