Chapter 7: Tackling an Idea

The journey back was uneventful, and we found the place was exactly as we had left it. We arrived back too at the right time as there was rain in the air and looked like a storm was on the way. I only hoped that it would keep away until Jane got Hild scrubbed up.

The first thing I did was light both the fires, the one in our boiler and the cooking fire, as I was beginning to feel a bit hungry. While I was doing this Jane got out the 'Compo Packs' (for my American readers MRE Meals Ready to Eat packs), we were having no fresh meat or vegetables today it seems. I sat Hild down on the steps of the van.

"Tell her to sit there and not move from there, or get in our way," I passed on to Jane.

I wasn't going to let Hild into the van until she was clean and the clothing she was wearing was destroyed.

It wasn't long before the water was warm enough to wash in.

"Jane take Hild and wash her thoroughly, her hair, her body and take her hide clothes and destroy them and give Hild one of your dresses to wear."

I went and filled up the four gallon Jerry can filled it with cold water in preparation of filling up the 44-gallon drum so Jane and I could have a bath as well. I then carried on preparing a meal for the three of us.

I had to go into the van and dig out another set of crockery for Hild. She has to get used to using it right away, as it would be unfair for us to eat on the crockery and her not to. I also took the Mother Earth figures out of my pocket and placed them on the dressing-table with the others. I then took the crockery to the sink, gave them a good wash, and put them with ours.

The women were really taking their time, but maybe Jane was having a harder time getting the dirt off than it had been with herself.

The kettle was boiling, so I made our tea and was just about to call them, when these two blond beauties walked into my life. What a difference a thorough wash made, she was just as beautiful as Jane and a pair of breasts, which were a bit bigger.

"Take Hild into the van and I will bring the food in." I saw that she had opened a couple of tins of Irish stew, which I knew was her favourite (and the one I disliked the most). I took the pan and the teapot and carried them into the van.

Right away I could see that Hild was still in shock by the sight of the vans interior. She was staring at the bed then the mirror on the dressing-table not believing either. I suppose if you have spent your entire life sleeping on the floor, a divan bed would look a bit strange, and seeing yourself in a mirror for the first time was equally a shock.

Jane played mother, served out the meal in soup plates, and handed Hild one of the gold spoons. Poor Hild couldn't believe that she was holding something so strange and wonderful. She also poured out a cup of tea, put the condensed milk in for her, and told her to try it. At least she must have warned her that it was hot. Hild took a sip and then nodded her head in acceptance.

We continued with our meal and when we had finished the stew, and I think that Jane was showing off a bit, got some tinned peaches and custard and opened one for each of us. There was no need to ask Hild if she liked it, one look at her face was enough.

"I'm going to wash. Please show Hild the latrines. Then get her to help you with the washing up," I explained to Jane before I left the van.

After that she could have a bath, and then I would fill up the hot water drum and stoke the fire ready for the next day.

Within half an hour we had all completed our baths etc and I started filling up the drum. It took five trips to the stream to fill the drum and then I stoked the fire so it would burn slowly all night. This had taken me nearly another forty-five minutes. The wind was getting up a bit, and the rain was beginning to fall gently.

When I entered the van Jane had the lights on, and the pair of them were sitting up in bed waiting for me both grinning from ear to ear. I secured the doors and quickly got out of my clothes, and tried to get in to my side of the bed but was pulled into the centre. Now I had two sets of lovely breasts pressing into my sides, so I put an arm round each of their shoulders and pulled them close.

This time I switched off the light. "Jane tell me about Hild," as I felt that she was still tense, and maybe by just talking she would lighten up. "Hild is twelve years younger than me." Jane didn't use the word year, she showed me by taking my palm and circling my palm twelve times. We weren't completely in the dark, there was a faint light coming in through the broken window into the cab. "She had only been married 20 days, her father had been killed and her mother taken on an earlier raid by the men from the west."

Hild turned her head into my shoulder and burst out sobbing like a young baby, and cried "Oh Chally" and carried on crying. So Jane had already started teaching her English. She started chattering away, and Jane translated what she was saying to me. Seemingly her ex-husband was very cruel to her. She was in fact happy when the raiders had killed her husband. If she did not rush and do as he bid he beat her. Since she was an orphan she had no choice but to go with her husband and do as he bid. There was no place for her to stay and in fact was even thinking of killing herself.

She had told all this to Jane as they were being taken back to their village, and she had asked Jane then about coming here. Women! Jane had known about this well before we got to the village. I thought if I had known that her husband had treated her like this I would have spoken to him or would I, but then justice had been done, and I had picked up a pair of real beauties.

"Tell her she is welcome here and is now one of the family."

Jane did this and Hild gave me a wet teary kiss. It may be usual in their time for men to have multiple wives, but I was finding it strange lying between two women. So for the time being I turned on my side and we cuddled into one another's backs like spoons in a drawer, with Jane at the front. The rain really started in vengeance and beat a tattoo on the roof of the van. Somehow rain has a soothing effect if you are inside safe from its fury. I soon dropped off to sleep, with two lovely bodies pressed into me and breathing so gently.

The next morning I quietly got out of bed, dressed and left the van. I have been trying to work out a theory the time warp hole only opened around about six in the morning, which is my usual rising time anyway. This time of the morning is one of the quietest times on the road that we had been travelling down. If the warp had opened at any other time, there would have been a lot more vehicles in the clearing.

When I got up I took the long pole, which I call my Calendar Stick. I cut a notch in it for every day I have been here. I cut the notch for the day we were away, and one for this morning. It appeared that I was now in my forty-second day here. The time has passed so swiftly, I just could not believe it.

I didn't know what I was looking for, but as I was lighting the fire, and going about the early morning chores, I kept a look out for any strange happenings. Anything that would show the time hole or whatever was active. I kept looking at my watch and it was now half-past six and nothing. I knew by this time traffic would be building up, and it was unlikely that anything would happen now.

The good thing about army issue watches, they were of the best quality, mine was a Rolex and I have had it now for four years. It had only lost thirty seconds in all that time, I had checked it just before we had left for embarkation, by the atomic clock on the internet, and made the appropriate adjustment.