Episode 17: Peyote Forward

“Campfires burning all night long! Boo-yah! Boo-yah!”

The gathering in the Comanche reservation led by Chief Hawk in Flight’s teepee were forced into a sing-along with Sadie Outlaw aka L’Amour, whether they understood her version of Camptown Races or not. Talk about a War Partay! At least the children in the room were enthralled by her.

Now that she was dressed again things seemed a tad more real for everyone involved. Dorieann Finn and the weak in the knee outlaw Ned Potter sat up close, still holding hands as if mates. While it appeared that way, they were merely comforting one another against the fear of being scalped as much as the chill in the night. The song itself while upbeat in Ned’s mind, it seemed like one of his father’s choir services as a child. Fond memories! The teepee’s popping fire kept things toasty but after a lengthy dinner of fish and berries things were getting especially boring until Sadie opted to entertain the troops. Outside the teepee others clustered to listen in and inadvertently began humming along.

Silenced fifteen minutes later Hawk in Flight lifted his hand to bring festivities to a halt. The children’s singing delightful to his heart, the Chief had simply had enough. Telling his wife Sitting Bottom and his mistress Chasing Wind to take the children away and have their parents put them to bed, left room for more warriors to enter for a nightly pow wow of sorts. Peace pipe time! Sexual favors earlier put to rest it was time to simply chat. Making room Ned sat on Dorie’s lap instead of the other way around lending to male laughter. Dorie just knew it should have been the other way around, but also understood just how boney Ned was and not likely comfortable. Lap hog! Nice piggy!

“Where do you arrive from Sadie L’Amour?”

“Born not far from here up in Next of Kin. Tiny lil’ town, ya sneeze and ride right around it.” In her side of modern day, the year 2022 it was bustling and renamed Kinship. Still small, but the population since 1876 here had exploded. “I left and joined the army over the big ole’ sea. Fought in places bigger than Texas here. Close enough anyway. Afghanistan, well, whatever it was called before that. Big ole’ desert like here but a lot more sand.” She had no idea what Afghanistan was called prior to independence in 1919. Only that it was owned by the British for a good long while. Before that who the hell knows besides Indiana Jones. Her thoughts on the matter!

“You are strong Sadie Outlaw. You speak with the spirits. Kachina sides with you.”

“Kachina are Pueblo and Hopi, aren’t they?” She squinted, confused by the reference. Although now that she did think about it she had heard Newton Tickle Bear mention them once. Evidently the spirits rubbed off on these guys. “I don’t really speak to them; they sort of just adopted me I’m thinkin’.” She observed the Comanche Shaman named Breath Like Fire because he was scarred as a child by flames when his mother accidently dropped him by a campfire such as the one keeping him warm. Originally his name was Lucky to be Alive until he was ten. With rotten teeth and bad habits, he was rechristened by the Chief, at the time Hawk in Flight’s father. The inside joke of it all was that his father had decreed that they were all lucky to be alive when around him. Sad but true when he became their medicine man.

Eying the old man, Sadie just knew that he was packing that peace piper with peyote. After a few times using it growing up around Boone Tickle Bear and his grandfather Newton she knew all too well the effects that stuff had. Puffing it first to get it fired up Breath Like Fire passed it to his Chieftain. Hawk in Flight claimed it and inhaled deeply before holding his breath and wincing over the taste. It was undecided if it was the drug, or the saliva of the shaman that made it bitter. An offer to his left Sadie took it and shook her head just knowing what was coming. Not to disrespect the gracious nature of her new friends she inhaled deeply and embraced the eventual outcome.

Closing her eyes, she maintained the smoke and enjoyed the moment of thinking about a fat blunt back home on her mother’s couch, or back in high school with the boys she inevitably slept with. Observing the pipe moving right along, it finally reached Ned Potter. This had to be amusing. Mumbling over how he loved smoking his pappy’s pipe back in the day he indulged and choked his fool head off. Handed back to Dorie, her neighbor refueled the pipe with fresh peyote and fired it back up for her. Like Ned she coughed and heard male laughter all around her.

The remaining circle of warriors had their turns at the drugstore and shortly afterward the teepee fell silent. Everyone as high as a kite and pondering their existence was an every night occurrence. The tribe always had different priorities, mainly trying to make contact with the spirit world and their ancestors within their fragile minds, the effects on the pale face trio wasn’t far off. Ned began reciting biblical verses as if he was his pappy. Dorieann went Gaelic in tongue and talking gibberish falling back she lay looking up at the pinnacle of bison hide leading to the ceiling. Seeing Stars might have been her Comanche name if she stayed much longer.

Sadie knew she couldn’t get drunk easily but getting stoned was a whole other beast. Standing up out of nowhere like a zombie she left the teepee and walked out into the darkness. Warriors standing guard watched her stumble out to look up at one of the few trees near the reservation. In that tree was nothing special to their eyes, but to Sadie it had a snowy white owl peering down at her. In her mind she spoke what her lips couldn’t recite, but she heard every word she processed. “Are ya one of them Kachina?”

“I am! You are not from this place and time.”

“Nope! I stepped back a bit. How is it I can see you and the Three Amigos, but the other folks around can’t?”

“You have been chosen Sadie Outlaw. Our line has watched over you since your arrival. You are not the Sky People; you are something else. Your home on the butte resembles theirs but you look different.”

“Far future! Are you sayin’ aliens? Are Sky People aliens?”

“They look nothing like you. Alien in that aspect.”

“I know! I’m hot as hades!” Ego made her laugh, “Hey, Tilly Ford? Are you seein’ this?”

“Talking to a tree?” In the far future her mental link with one of the most powerful telepaths alive gave her insight. “Yes! I was napping until you started talking again. Why are you conversing with limbs?”

“Like the eagles, I’m chattin’ up with a big ole’ owl. Hey, Snowball? How long does it take to reach a tootsie roll center anyway?”

“I will forgive your otherworldly disrespect. You are on a vision quest without following traditions of the native peoples. Why are you not in a circle?”

“Hang on I’ll fix that.” Sadie rolled her black leggings down and squatted in thin grass, mostly sand. In her crouch she sidestepped like a turtle and peed in a circular trail all around her before shaking droplets and standing up. “Better?”

“It will suffice!” The owl replied.

“Is suffice even a word in the 1800’s?”

“I speak as you may understand.”

“Gotcha!”

“Your body is covered in art. The eagle, the serpents I understand. The timepiece and the hands upon your chest are evading me.”

“Oh! These are my birds.” Sadie Lynn used her physical fuck you finger’s to touch those tattooed on her breasts. “Birds of a feather flock together.” A chuckle felt right, “You’re a bird how’s come you couldn’t figger that out?” She laughed inside, yet her exterior was stoic. Warriors watching her had no clue as to why she peed around herself but did like the fact that she left her leggings rolled down. That sweet ass even in the darkness was well worth guarding. The moon was certainly a sight tonight. Full at that!

“And the timepiece?”

“Ever seen a watch? I figger you jus’ look up at the sun and the moon to figger out what time it is. That or one of them fancy lay in the sand shadow clocks.”

“You search for something that should not be found.”

“Meanin’ what? My grampa Jessup?” Tilly Ford in the future found Sadie talking to herself intriguing. She controlled her heartbeat as she lay in her bed to prevent the scientists monitoring her at all times from being alerted. One stray blip might inform them of her outreaching psi-talents. Matilda tried very hard not to rally anyone. Difficult to do when paralyzed and unable to feel much of anything her heart was all she had.

“Why do you seek this man?”

“Dunno, really! Like my uncle Brandon I was sent back here to tail Jessup and find out where he vanished to. Seems like an awful big waste of taxpayers’ money but I reckon somethin’ about Jessup was important enough to send a whole bunch of folks back here lookin’ for his whereabouts. I’m related, so I’m thinkin’ Wyndham Explorations needs me to be invested. Other folks don’t understand any kin connection like me, and Brandon do. Thing is, from what I hear the males go bonkers back here in time while us hooter girls ... HOOT! HOOT!”, She playfully shook her tits, mocking the owl, “ ... handle things better. Sane an all! Again, I am talkin’ to a tree.” She fidgeted a bit. “So, the birds here are spirits lookin’ out for me?”

“The eagles you mention are from your time. They have somehow mingled with the spirits of my time and have agreed to work together. You are most fortunate!”

“My time? Who be they?”

“Newton Tickle Bear sacrificed his life to watch over you.”

“Say what? Newt took his own life? Awww, maaan! Why? He didn’t know those Wyndham fucks were gonna hijack my train.”

“He knew more than you might suspect. As do his allies Edmond and Randolph. They did what had to be done. Such odd names!”

“What’s your name Snowball?”

“Snowball.”

“Seriously?”

“Of course not! Yet, my name is very old and hard to pronounce. You would never get it right.”

“Try me!”

“Kohrezkhitlzalan!”

“Is that Senior or Junior?” She laughed within her rigid body.

“The first!”

“Yeah, Snowball it is. Sounds good in a hot ass desert. Somethin’ to look forward to.” As if sending herself elsewhere the imagery about her shifted. “Uhhh? Where’d you go Snowball?” Shadows at first, then twinkling lights. “Tilly? Are you seein’ things I’m seein’ this time?”

“Turn around!” Warriors saw Sadie twist in step to face them. Hot twat, but her eyes were looking right through them.

“Holy crap! I’m seeing you Tilly Ford. Yer in that bed with all those wires.”

“And I see you directly in front of me. How is this possible?”

“Got me, but I think I’m buyin’ me some of that peyote so we can pow wow like this more often. I’m feelin’ like maybe my spirit left my body in the reservation and jumped back home. I am in Kansas again, Auntie Em!”

“This is extraordinary! I ... shoot! My heartrate is signaling the science staff.” Walking in was Doctor Anson Carlsbad and another, a bitchy looking blonde female wearing a white business suit, long hair pinned up, with thick rimmed glasses over some beautiful blue eyes.

“What are you seeing Matilda?” Anson palmed Tilly’s shoulder with a concerned look. Paralyzed in over 90% of her body she had only the use of her eyes and hoarse replies.

“A dream!” She mumbled yet stared at Sadie’s vision floating before her. Seeing Sadie nude rather than in her leggings, not even her tattoos were present. This vision was as if her virgin skin. Following Tilly’s gaze, the blonde looked about trying to determine what her eyes might be affixed on.

“She sees more than she lets on. I can sense it.”

“Are your psi talents picking up anything Chasm?” Silence only, the woman stepped about the room. “Teresa?”

“Who is Teresa Chasm, Tilly Ford?” Sadie needed info. Tilly refrained from thought trying to mask her fellow psi from picking up on things. In Tilly’s favor, Chasm as she was codenamed required a ten-foot distance to read another person’s thoughts. Teresa Delancy heard only Anson’s questions both verbal and mental.

“A dream.” Tilly mumbled again, thinking to herself, “Why can’t Teresa ever take my word on things?” Reacting to her question Chasm turned to face Tilly with narrowed eyes.

“Because you are close to your subject Matilda. It is my job to keep you in check. I know you are hiding something from me.” They spoke telepathically. “A ghost perhaps?”

“You caught me. I was dreaming of Brandon.”

“The whack job Colonel?”

“You know very well why he lost his sanity Teresa. Do not degrade a good man.”

“Good man? That’s not how I heard it. Coldblooded killer the General said. A survivalist was why he was chosen to time jump. You nurtured him while he was back in 1876 until he lost his mind and had to be shut down and retrieved.”

“Which is why I was selected to go back and do the job for him. Until my accident.”

“I am sorry for your misfortune Matilda. You are correct I am out of line.” Her apology made Tilly lose her psi-blocker for a brief instant. Emotional dilemma and bad timing alerted the woman to Sadie’s presence.

“Why am I hearing Blondie’s thoughts?”

“That was not your voice.” Chasm turned pale and peered around. “Who was that?”

“What is it Chasm?” Carlsbad seemed concerned.

“Please Teresa, do not tell Anson.”

“Who?”

“Sadie Outlaw!” Sadie waved her ethereal hand right in front of the blonde’s face. Unable to see Sadie she could hear a very distant whisper. “I think I’m dream walkin’! Linked to Tilly through them nanite things. I think my spirit followed her home. My body is still in 1876 though.”

“Extraordinary!” Teresa spoke only in thought. “Matilda, this breaks protocol. We must tell Dr. Carlsbad.” She relaxed and faced the good doctor and had a change of heart. “It was a dream. Matilda just shared that she saw her grandmother visiting her. Nothing is amiss.”

“I see!”

“No ya don’t!” Sadie sighed, “Thanks, Lily Librarian.”

“Do not make me regret this betrayal.” Teresa smiled, for once giggling over her reference as a librarian. “I’ll stay with Matilda a bit longer until she calms down.”

“Well, then!” Carlsbad again lightly patted Matilda on the shoulder. “I have experiments to continue. The General wants those alien parts that were recovered in Montana sorted out.” Thoughts only, Anson gnashed his teeth. “So much for Top Secret clearance! I’ll ask you both to keep that to yourselves. If the General knows you will both be isolated. I’ve grown quite fond of you both ladies.”

“Agreed!” Teresa told him telepathically. Sadie hearing him through Tilly’s perception confused her. Once he left the PsioDome as it was called Teresa spoke up telepathically. “Anson isn’t all bad. He’s protective, but he also knows procedure. So, Miss Outlaw? How is it that you are here and there both?”

“Good question! Did he jus’ say aliens?”

“He did! I don’t know any more than that I’m afraid. Generally, I’m not allowed to be close enough to anyone without guidance. I have to be within a ten-foot radius of someone to get a reading.”

“Vision Quest circle!” Sadie recalled the owl.

“What does peeing have to do with an owl?”