Chapter 13

The next few days were spent keeping Harry alive and getting rid of the toxins in his system. For a full day, Harry suffered from hallucinations claiming on several occasions that he was surrounded by rattlesnakes or other dangerous animals. Susan spent a lot of time by her husband, reacting in fear each time he made a claim about a snake thinking it was true. It wore her down spiritually and emotionally. She wanted to ease his pain but there was nothing she could do.

Ed and Kim took turns hunting rocks, more than a little displeased by having their first expedition ruined in this fashion. They had not planned on spending all of their time at the Butte. In fact, they had planned to spend only a single day there. The Butte would produce some interesting samples from the perspective of the information that it gave about the formation of the Butte, but nothing spectacular or interesting for the average person. The Chief would be very disappointed.

Although he didn’t say anything, Ed was concerned about the water supply. He had packed more than enough water, but Harry had brought very little. He was stuck rationing water to all of the horses and the last day they would probably run out. He also needed to save some to wash Harry down once he quit throwing up. That alone would have consumed any extra water that he had brought.

While Susan had come and begged several times for Ed to relent and find Harry something to drink, Ed was steadfast in his refusal. Kim wavered several times, afraid more that Harry was going to die than the fact that he was in pain. Ed reassurances helped her accept the situation, but didn’t satisfy the root of her fear.

After the third day, Ed cut Harry loose. Harry cursed Ed for five minutes and attempted to take a swing at him. After throwing up just about everything they had fed him, he was weak as a baby. Ed just stepped back as Harry fell over.

Naked, covered with shit and vomit, Harry looked as miserable as he felt. The first order of business was to clean him up. Ed and Susan gave him as good of a field bath as they could. Once he was clean, Ed sent Susan off to bring over some fresh clothes for her husband. Ed bent down and asked, “Harry, do you think you are a good person?”

Still angry about being tied up for three days, Harry barked, “Yes.”

The words rang sour. Harry knew there were times when he wasn’t a good person. Fishing the medallion out from under his shirt, Ed commanded, “Touch it.”

Refusing, Harry said, “I’m going to sue you for everything you own.”

Ed commanded a second time, “Touch it.”

Hesitantly, Harry touched the medallion and immediately burst out into a scream. His body thrashed about as though he were being beaten. The terror and pain in his scream was sufficient to bring Kim, Susan, and Tiger running over to him in fear that Harry was about to die. In agony, Harry tried, but couldn’t remove his finger from the medallion. Every harm that he had committed while drunk was being replayed back with him as the victim. After thirty minutes, he slumped to the ground exhausted and unconscious.

In the sudden silence that followed, Kim asked, “What happened?”

After looking at Kim and then at Susan, Ed answered, “He just experienced all of the harm that he’s caused people while he was drunk. Each beating he gave you, he will experience as you experienced it. Each time that he pushed, hit, or verbally injured someone, he will experience it. There is more left for him to experience, but he will have to recover before he can take another dose.”

Four more sessions followed over the course of that day. Between each session, Harry took an hour to recover. The final session was only fifteen minutes, but it included the final day of insults and threats. By nightfall, Harry fell asleep after eating and had his first night of deep restful sleep. Ed watched over him for most of the night. In the morning, Kim came to him and asked, “What is going to happen now?”

Shrugging, Ed answered, “We will see how Harry is doing today. If he is good, I’m going to send him out for water.”

A very different Harry came to Ed in the morning. He had lost close to twenty pounds as a result of his ordeal. His words were not slurred when he spoke and he could actually stand upright without swaying. The biggest change was one of attitude. Looking at Ed, he said, “I’m sorry to have ruined your trip.”

Indifferent to the apology, Ed asked, “Will our sacrifices go to waste?”

Remembering the effect of touching the medallion, a shiver ran through his body. There was no way that he was going to risk going through that again. He answered, “No, they won’t.”

There was a conviction to the words that Ed could hear. He knew that his truth sense could not foresee future behavior other than the current intent to act. He might mean that he would never take another drink, but he could be pushed off the wagon within a week. Satisfied that his intent to stay straight was strong, Ed said, “We are running low on water. Do you know where we can refill our water containers?”

Looking around, Harry answered, “Yes, there’s a seep about two miles from here.”

Pleased to learn that they would be able to solve their water problem, Ed said, “Good. Why don’t you go refill a couple of water containers and bring them back here?”

Nodding his willingness, Harry asked, “Anything else?”

Watching Kim working at the campsite, Ed had an idea. He smiled and said, “Yes, when you get back move your campsite about a mile away. You and your wife have some issues to work out before you return home.”

When Harry considered all that Ed had done over the past few days, he realized that he was dealing with a power like that of the medicine men in his tribe. There was an other-world-ness about Ed that allowed him to live above the daily events. Despite living above it, he was closely tied to it. He squatted down next to Ed and asked, “Who are you?”

“I’m Ed Biggers,” he replied.

That wasn’t what Harry had wanted to know. He recognized power when he saw it and Ed possessed it. He said, “Maybe I should have asked, what are you.”

“I’m a man. If you want to know more, you might talk to a medicine man,” said Ed in answer to the implied question. He knew the medicine man could put an answer into words that Harry would be able to understand.

Accepting that he would have to be satisfied with that, Harry stood and went about the business of getting some water. Ed watched him take care of his horse. This time, he actually took care of it. It was a good sign as it indicated that some of the meanness had been removed.

Susan came over to where Ed watched Harry. She stood next to him for a minute as though waiting to be recognized. Standing to face her, Ed asked, “What can I do for you?”

“You can tell me what you did to him yesterday,” said Susan. She had watched Harry touch the medallion and writhe in pain on the ground. When he had come out of it, he was much gentler than she had ever seen. It was amazing, he had even talked to her and listened for a change without shouting. The only time that had happened had been when they were first dating.

Tiger came over to Ed and sat down at his feet. Looking down at the cat, Ed said, “I held a mirror to his soul for him to see what he had become.”

“Why was he screaming?” asked Susan.

Pulling out his medallion, Ed asked, “Would you like to see your soul and the harm that you’ve caused others?”

Starting to reach out to touch it, she realized that this mirror didn’t reflect light. It reflected the spirit that one broadcast to the world. Was she that good that she could take her reflection with any less horror than Harry? As a shudder ran through her, she pulled her hand back. Realizing that she was afraid to know the truth, she answered, “I don’t think so.”

Smiling at her honesty, Ed nodded and said, “Harry may appear a little weaker now, but he is actually much stronger of spirit. Tonight, you will camp with him away from us. It’s time for you both to work out some details about your relationship.”

Concerned for what that might mean, she asked, “Do you have any advice?”

“Be honest. Nothing is gained by hiding the truth.”

Turning, Ed walked over to where Kim was cleaning the camp site. As he approached, he said, “Well, I got us one night alone.”

Smiling up at him, she asked, “Are you going to stay awake this time?”

In light of the fact that he had been staying up most of the nights and all of the days, Ed knew that was one promise that he couldn’t make.

With real sadness in his voice, Ed answered, “I doubt it.”

Shaking her head as she realized that he probably wouldn’t be able to stay awake, she replied, “I didn’t think so.”

Looking over at Susan to see what she was doing, Ed asked, “You want to go get some rocks?”

Kim replied, “Together this time?”

“Yes, I think that our Chaperone might want to stay here,” answered Ed with a smile. He was relieved to see that she smiled back. They both knew that they would have to make the offer. It was with some surprise that she expressed a desire to go with them.

Together, the three of the rode out to the Butte followed by Tiger. With increasing frequency, the cat disappeared to hunt. He was having to settle for birds and mice rather than rabbits as he had spent too long in this area. Reluctantly, Ed was considering giving the cat the canned ham that he was saving for dinner tonight. As if reading his mind, Kim said, “Maybe you can give him half of the ham tonight.”

“Oh, we have plenty to eat. I still have enough beans for all of us. There’s plenty of bacon, but it isn’t good for the cat. We’ve got canned vegetables, fruits, and soup left. I’ve even got noodles and some spaghetti sauce,” said Ed, fully aware that he had been looking forward to the ham. However, he wouldn’t stand by and watch while Tiger went hungry, while he ate food that the cat could eat knowing that he had alternatives.

Shaking her head, she said, “You’re a good guy, Ed. So what am I going to do tonight while you’re sleeping?”

“I can sleep naked tonight, so that you can take advantage of my unconscious body,” joked Ed.

“Deal,” replied Kim with a smile. While the night might be lost, there was always morning.

“I’m kidding,” said Ed wondering what he had just done.

“Can’t go back on it now,” said Kim as ideas started running through her mind. She added, “You said you’d sleep naked, so you have to sleep naked.”

The two of them worked side by side through the day collecting rocks. In terms of interesting samples, it wasn’t that good of a day. However, they did find a large cache of quartz crystals that would help the Tribe and she could sell in her store to the ‘new age’ crystal folks. She held up one of the crystals and said, “I can sell a hundred of these for twenty bucks each. If I put a nice mount on it, I can get fifty each. How many of these do we have?”

Ed looked over the pile and said, “Maybe forty or fifty after we give the tribe their share. You can have the rest. They will help you pay for this week.”

Surprised at his generosity, Kim asked, “Don’t you want some of them?”

Laughing, Ed said, “I don’t make my living doing this. This is my vacation and I’m here to collect. What am I supposed to do with twenty-five quartz crystals?”

“Well if you insist,” said Kim. She knelt down and started to pack up the samples. There were a lot of good samples here.

Ed asked, “Do you want to search the area for more?”

Shaking her head, Kim replied, “No. We should probably get back to camp and fix dinner. I imagine Harry is back by now.”

Kim asked, “Aren’t you afraid that he’ll head home to get something to drink?”

Amazed that she could even ask that question, Ed answered, “No. He’ll get water and go back to camp. Odds are, he’ll set up a separate camp before we get back. You and he are going to spend a night under the stars with each other. It’s up to you to decide what happens next.”

She asked, “And what will you do?”

“I’ll get to sleep early,” replied Ed. Even as he answered, he wondered if he would manage to stay awake until dinner.

With a lecherous grin, Kim added, “While keeping a certain promise made earlier.”

Surprised at the expression on her face, Ed stared at Kim. This was the first time he had ever seen a woman make a lecherous grin. He hadn’t even known that women were capable of such a look. With a shrug of his shoulders, he said, “What the lady wants, she’ll get.”

Giggling, Kim walked along beside him as they headed to the horses. Both were carrying several stacks of sample boxes loaded with the quartz crystals. It didn’t take long to stow them in the packs. Returning to the site where they had been digging, they collected their tools and packed them away as well.

Reaching camp, they were surprised to find Harry preparing dinner. Susan immediately joined him as they put together dinner. Tiger finally showed up to camp about half an hour later. Ed went to his pack and pulled out the canned ham. Opening it, he set it on a plate for the cat to eat. Tiger bounded over and immediately consumed the ham. Once the ham was finished, the cat rubbed his head against Ed’s leg.

After taking care of the horses, Kim and Ed used the baby wipes to wash their hands and faces. There were trips to the toilet and other activities that were normal around camp. Finding someone else doing the cooking, Ed was at a loss for anything to do. The lack of activity had an unexpected consequence for Ed. He was having a very hard time staying awake.

Almost asleep, he was jolted awake when Kim whispered in his ear, “You can’t sleep yet. You’re still dressed.”

He sat up and cleared his head. Looking around, he realized that Kim was behind him. He turned to reply when she handed him a cup of coffee. He accepted the coffee and drank half of it in two swallows. The caffeine had the desired effect and he slowly regained enough energy to stay awake until dinner.

Dinner was a simple affair and Ed ate without savoring it. He was impressed with the Indian Flat Bread. They drank the last of the water that Ed had carried out. As a change of pace, he and Kim added Tang to their water. After the first sip, Ed said, “Smart idea bringing Tang.”

Kim said, “I always take some with me when I’m in the field. It’s a necessity as far as I’m concerned. After too many days of drinking just water, I need some flavor.”

Curious, Ed asked, “What about iced tea mix?”

Nose wrinkling, she said, “Tepid iced tea? Give me a break.”

Caught off guard by her answer, Ed broke out laughing. Still chuckling, he said, “A lady after my own heart.”