Chapter 22

Mina Sutherland ... Doctor Mina Sutherland ... came back from town ten feet tall and walking with her feet off the ground. Mina knew how to glide, but this was more than that. Mina was going to handfast to Calvin P. Potter ... but he might take her name. Calvin Percival Sutherland sounded better than C.P. Potter.

Cal was, by way of a million past ancestors, related to one Helen Potter ... she of Peter Rabbit fame and the artist of a multitude of illustrations for the scientific community of her day ... through her grandfather, Ed.

Laurel wasn't in a lot better shape ... having been down this road before, she was a little more grounded, but not much. Megan knew as soon as she saw her mom.

"It's about time ... you been sniffing around each other like cats in heat for three years..." Pyewacket gave her a look that resounded with, 'I was NOT in heat ... I was ambushed.' She yowled.

She yowled again ... she doubled up on herself and started cleaning all around her butt ... another Yowl ... Mina's phone rang.

"Sutherland."

"Yes DD?"

"Pyewacket is having kittens?"

"How do you know?"

"She told you?"

"DD? How could she tell you ... you're in Chicago." Mina looked at Pyewacket ... she was having kittens.

"Oh Shit ... DD ... I need to get off the phone ... Pyewacket is having kittens."

Click

"Quick ... somebody grab her kitten box and a clean towel. Bill ... get her box!! Pyewacket Davis ... you picked one hell of a time to have kittens!"

The phone rang again.

"Sutherland."

"Quit laughing DD."

Click

One more time with feeling... Ring A big heavy sigh.

"Yes DD."

"Six? She's going to have six?"

"DD? Shut up."

Click

And she did ... have six kittens. It was very easy to tell who was the Daddy. They all had Egyptian Mau coloring, bronze with spots that corresponded with spots on the skin, brilliant green eyes and tall expressive ears. Pyewacket was a non standard color Mau, but her kittens bred true to the breed. As they grew, they were very fast, vocal and mousers. They could 'Quilt' their fur ... a checkerboard of directions. Looked really cool.

The Royal Mau in the forest, daddy, sighed, moved to The Wanzor, she picked him up and ruffled his fur, "You do good work," and pressed the button on her watch ... his job was done. He had continued the Royal breed.

Pyewacket knew when he left ... She was heartbroken. It wasn't that she need more kittens ... she needed him. He fit purrfectly.

"Mina? Did you notice the tent?" asked Megan ... she was babying the kittens.

"Tent? What tent? ... Holy shit! That's not a tent ... that's a castle." She considered for a quick second. "Piper's?"

"Yup."

"Big tent."

Cynthia Piper was justly proud, "Pete is known for throwing great gatherings. I remember one ... it rained all three days ... not a drizzle ... downpour. The whole gathering was moved into that tent ... even the tipi's had room."

"Pete?" asked Mina.

Peter," confessed Cindy.

"Oh, shit ... Peter Piper? What better name for a farmer who grows peppers ... does he pickle them too?" Mina was in awe.

"That's Pete ... by the peck." Cindy cringed.

"I am NOT going to say it."

"Thank you ... I hear it all the time." Big sigh of relief.

In the back lot behind the house, just on the far side of the garden spot, but more northish than the archaeologist's camp there was a veritable tent city going up.

"I thought we weren't having campers until Thursday?" Mina asked Cindy.

"Some people want to sanctify the site ... and the traders row usually come early." Cindy replied,

"Trader's Row?"

"People from all across the south are canceling gatherings and sending everyone here, you have no idea just how important this gathering is to the community, do you?"

"Ah ... no."

"This may be the oldest site, magic wise, in the world. The grass ... that never grows, never needs mowing? It's unique ... not another patch in the world. Nothing sown here can force it out. Science has tried, Christians have tried. It just grows.

"The iron arbor and fence? It's likeness is carved in canyon walls in Montana, California, Mexico, and Brazil ... some of those carvings have been associated with artifacts dated to Forty six thousand B.C.E.

"There are carvings of the entire site in dry caves in Israel, Iran, and Tibet ... the carvings in those caves have SQUARE edges ... not made with stone chisels.

"In India, there's an iron pillar that has the exact same content as the arbor. It's eleven thousand years old. It predates the bronze age by six thousand years. It doesn't rust.

"Science refuses to admit the Circle exists ... oh yeah, the four corner stones? ... not from this world and impervious to all attempts to destroy them. They can't be lifted, abraded or X-rayed.