Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 12:30:54 +1200 From: arthur carkeek Subject: the last shaman chapter 12 THE LAST SHAMAN CHAPTER 12 BY ARTHUR CONTACT AUTHOR: Artcart65@gmail.com AUTHORS NOTE: PLEASE HELP TO SUPPORT THE NIFTY ARCHIVES WITH YOUR DONTAIONS SO WE CAN KEEP THIS RESOURCE FREE FOR ALL. STORY CHARACTERS SO FAR: A short synopsis of the lead characters and where they come from in the story so far, this has been requested by some readers to clarify the characters before they become too confusing to follow. RAVENHAWK: A mixed blood Native American approximately 15 years old, said to have an old spirit in a young body, was raised by three Uncles and his Grandfather who was a Lead Medicine Elder for the Lakota Sioux. Has lost all family and tribal relatives in a worldwide Virus attack but is now trying to reform some form of new tribe or family from those who survived the attack. Father is deceased and was of the Lakota Sioux, Mother deceased and was of the Chiricahua Apache, one time enemies of the Lakota, Ravenhawk was not well accepted by the Lakota Sioux because of blood ties. Has a good knowledge of the old ways as well as being very well educated online in the white man's school system, Ravenhawk is very much a free spirit but also recognises the importance of the ones he calls Earth Mother, Sky Father and the Guardians of the waters, forrests and animals, has an instinctive understanding of nature as well as many of the old arts of survival. Ravenhawk is marked as a Two Spirits, a boy or man who has a preference for other boys or men, usually seen as a gift from Wakan Tanka, the One Who Created All by most Native American tribes although some have seen it now as a curse because of white religious invasions of their beliefs and now ridicule those boys who have been shown to have Two Spirits. Has a clear understanding of right and wrong as well as the need to protect his family whomever they may be, can perform most of the basic ceremonies of a Medicine Man according to the rules of the Sioux Nation but will also change when needed to some of the Apache ways, he is now head of a new clan called the Green Stone Clan but retains his place within his old Raven Clan. Has found a young partner and has adopted a son. ANTONIO: Antonio is also of mixed blood, Father was Puerto Rican, Mother was European both deceased after the virus attack, is a 15-16 year old Gay teen and was found by Ravenhawk in the wilds when almost on his last gasp. Has an emotional and physical attachment to Ravenhawk and sees his place as Ravenhawk's home maker and is called Berdach, a boy who is both male and female but has a stronger female tendency, is fiercely protective of family and devoted to Ravenhawk, also the second Father of the adopted boy found by Ravenhawk. LITTLE BEAR: A young boy of approximately 5 years old with a European heritage and was found by Ravenhawk in an almost feral state when trying to confront a young Cougar, is totally fearless and received his name from Ravenhawk for having the heart of a Grizzly Bear, Appears to be somehow blessed by the old Spirits and has a hidden knowledge only seen by Ravenhawk, his past family is unknown and the young boy does not remember them, possibly from the trauma of the Virus attack. He is devoted to his two new Fathers who rescued him but retains a tough fighting spirit far exceeding his small size and youth, will have the reputation that will lead to him being seen as a legendary figure in the future. ROBERT BEARCLAW: A heterosexual teen of approximately 17 years old, is of Native American descent and is of the Arapaho nation, has a younger brother who has been silent, perhaps also from the trauma of the virus attack, was learning the sacred drum from his father but is not fully trained. Was brought up on the edge of a city and does not understand many of the old ways except what pertains to his drumming, he and his small brother have joined Ravenhawk's small family and he is now becoming more certain that he wants to become the new clans drummer, he also has a deep interest in lapidary, the art of collecting and working with semi precious stones. Robert is also trying to relearn the old ways and has been impressed by what he has seen so far of the power of the old spirits, he is very protective of his young brother, the addition of a new girl on the scene is now taking a little of his time, he feels a connection with her. PETER BEARCLAW: Younger brother of Robert, approximately 11 years old, has become very protective of Little Bear and as yet does not understand his emotional feelings for the smaller boy. He refused to speak to anyone, even his own brother but then opened up to Ravenhawk, may yet become an important part of the new Green Stone Clan, as yet shows little concern for his Arapaho heritage but will sacrifice himself for Little Bear if needed, is very playful with Little Bear and retains his boyish and adventurous spirit. DEAN: A 16 year old gay teen of white descent and younger brother of Margret, is in a relationship with another boy, he was raised in a midsized town and has practical knowledge of vehicles, father was the owner of a car sales dealership, he has a passion for design work and is devoted to his boyfriend Karl. He is beginning to show some talent for organisation and is very inventive, is now becoming enthralled by Ravenhawk's beliefs of the old ways and wants to make their new home comfortable and secure. Dean is not afraid to defend his friends or family but also wants a safe place to grow up. KARL: Karl is the 16 year old boyfriend of Dean, is very devoted to Dean but as yet his true self has not come out for the others to see, is fearless in defence of Dean and his older sister, is mechanically minded and loves construction, he has had some experience with farming as a part time job, as yet he is still an unknown as far as other interests or abilities goes. MARGRET: An 18 year old girl, sister to Dean, has seemed to be happy in the home and is teaching Little Bear and Peter there basic lessons, has worked well with Antonio and has shown a spirit of the old type of pioneer woman of American history. Is enamoured with Robert Bearclaw and has little problem with making a second home with him. She tries to understand Ravenhawk's beliefs and shows respect for his position in the new clan, as yet has not shown her full potential or influence. LIAM KELLY SENIOR: A man in his early 60's Liam Senior is with his grandson Liam Junior, Liam Senior is a worldly wise ex Marine and Special Forces serviceman now retired but has a wealth of experience in survival and armed resistance, he is a newcomer to the small burgeoning family but has a very soft spot for his grandson whom he suspects of being gay. Now as an older man he has mellowed with age and is content to watch over his last surviving relative, appears to be very capable in many things. Originally raised as an Irish Catholic, he now sees the uselessness of religion in this new world but is prepared to watch and learn about the youngsters new found belief, as yet he is not convinced but is open minded enough to wait and see, his main aim is for his grandson. A very capable man with weapons and tactics of defence and attack, also now well schooled in practical engineering and is creative when dealing with manual construction. He is almost the older version of his grandson, slightly greying once red hair, slim, fit build and large hands, does not suffer fools very well. LIAM KELLY JUNIOR: Liam Junior is a young 17 year old teen, a little small for his age and shows all the traits of a Kelly, flaming red/orange hair, freckles all over his pale skinned body, a slim boy with a hidden emotional and physical strength. Raised with an almost fanatically religious Mother, he quickly became disillusioned with the church much like his Grandfather of whom he dotes on every word or action, he is always obedient and respectful of any elders and being the youngest of a very large family, soon learned to hold his own when required. Being from such a religious family he learned very early to hide his true self from the eyes of others and is very much in the closet although he is well aware that he is gay but keeps it well hidden, believing that no one else knows his secret, especially his Grandfather. His only dream is to find the one boy that will make his life complete but does not know how to go about it as he must keep his secret well hidden, he has been taken with the way the other teens are able to show their feelings but remains worried about the results if he broke out and revealed himself to his Grandfather. He hopes that they are allowed to stay with this new rag tag family of misfits but is worried about his Grandfathers desire to see him be something else, only time will tell and he has the patience of a saint when it comes to waiting. Two weeks had passed by and Liam Senior was looking at their latest new construction, it was another cabin from a design by Dean but the construction had been an improvement on the first one, this cabin was to be given to Dean and Karl, much like the first one it was a combined living room bedroom with a small stone fireplace at the centre for warmth in winter. Liam Senior had shown them how to best cut the logs and then trim them into planks for the floor and frames, the outer trimmings had been used as the outer walls, by leaving the thick bark on it should protect the main wood for a few years, the joints had been filled with a combination of chopped hay from their store and fine silt mud from the nearby stream banks. The roof was made from thin slats made from spruce with an underlining of plastic sheeting to protect from any unforeseen leaks, the furniture was also made from the split trunks and the two boys had a small seat for visitors in front of the fire place. Antonio had spent every spare minute doing his bead work, Ravenhawk told him some of the traditional patterns but left most of it up to his own design, the resulting bead work turned out very well, it incorporated the circle of life, the cross of the four positions and even a small symbol for the Raven Clan, overall the two long panels that were to be sewn onto the arms and front panel of Little Bears spirit shirt looked very well done and quite colourful. Little Bear had spent some time with Robert in his workshop selecting more stones for necklaces, Robert now had all of the stones drilled and sat back to watch Little Bear assemble the final necklaces, as each was finished, Little Bear would wrap it in a piece of red cloth given to him by Ravenhawk, and tie it with white string, each had the small paper name tag slipped under the string. Ravenhawk was sitting on the stoop trying to think of what really needed doing next, they had another cabin to build for the two Kelly's and they would soon have to start looking for more fuel, as an afterthought Ravenhawk went in search of Liam Senior, if anyone would know what was needed it would be the more experienced older man. Ravenhawk found both Kelly's measuring out the next cabin space, as they cut the pine trees for building materials, they also cleared a little more land around the clearing, Ravenhawk walked up to the older Kelly. "Excuse me Grandfather; do you have time to talk about our supplies?" Liam Senior smiled at the use of the word Grandfather once again, as often as he tried to get the boys to use his name, they still insisted on the more formal term until he had just gotten used to it, it was after all the boy's term of respect. "Sure Ravenhawk, what would you like to discuss?" "I have been thinking things over, with the added cabins we are soon going to be out of fuel and we need some more cable for lighting the new ones, I was wondering how we should go about it?" "That's good thinking, yes I agree, we should do something about it before the winter sets in and we run out, do you know where the nearest town is, perhaps they have some fuel there and we will need a few more skidoos with the extra people around." "Karl would be the one to talk to, his fathers had a service station in the town only two days away or maybe closer if we use the road, last time it was still winter and we used the snow vehicles." "Why don't you go and find him and we can talk more, we're just about done here anyhow." Ravenhawk went in search of Karl, he found both the boys sitting out the back of the main cabin holding hands and looking off towards the trees, it was the only quiet place they could find with so much activity going on elsewhere. Ravenhawk explained to them what they needed, both boys quickly agreed to help however they could, the three of them made their way back to where the Kelly's were putting away their few tools, as they arrived Liam Senior saw the other two boys and turned and sat on a convenient old log. For more than an hour the boys sat and talked with the older man, after they had finally come to a decision they all felt satisfied that they could accomplish the new task within a few days. The plan was for Liam Senior to use his larger truck to take four of them to the town, Dean and Karl would go as they knew the town inside out, Liam Junior would go for no other reason than where his Grandfather went he went, the small shopping list for fuel had suddenly grown as they talked about things they might need. Liam senior had made them stop and think for themselves as to what they might need, not for just now but for the future, as he told them, they were a growing family and had to start to think in the long term. Ravenhawk had wanted to go with them but Liam Senior had advised that it would be better if he stayed at the cabin to lead the others in case of trouble, with Dean, Karl and his grandson fully armed they would be safe enough on the road, he also mentioned that just because the virus had taken so many people, it did not mean there were not others out there that were not always inclined to be peaceful. The new list now included a fuel truck, a larger generator, more reserves of storable food and a last check for weapons, as he said; if trouble came you could never have too many guns. The afternoon was spent unloading the rear of the big truck, it would be used to put any food stuffs, weapons and other things they might need including more suitable tools for their building plans, there was also a suggestion by Karl to look at farm implements for gardening, the list grew as they thought of other things to make life a little easier. Karl had said he was sure there was still a full fuel delivery truck parked at the rear of his Father's service station, it had arrived only the day before the virus hit and the driver had already been ill, the others could see the faintest of tears building in Karl's eyes as he thought of his families passing. The next morning the large truck was ready, Liam Senior checked that they were all well armed and gave them a quick lesson in what to do and where to go if they were ever attacked either in the town or on the road, Dean and Karl were to sit in the small sleeper compartment in the rear of the cab, Senior would drive and Junior would be shotgun. With everything ready, the four of them got in the truck, while the rest of the burgeoning clan looked on, Liam Senior started the truck and began the long trip back to Dean and Karl's old home town, as yet unknown by all was that this was only the first of what would become regular search trips for supplies. Those left at the cabin watched the large vehicle disappear down the old road, it would be days before they were expected and those staying behind felt better that Liam Senior was leading the expedition; with his experience the other three boys should be safe. That night Little Bear gave Ravenhawk the fifteen small red cloth packages with the necklaces in them, Ravenhawk looked at them then asked Little Bear. "You have fifteen, there are only ten of us, why is this so?" "They are coming Poppa Raven." A simple answer that needed no reply, Ravenhawk instinctively knew that Little Bear knew something the others did not, taking the small parcels, Ravenhawk set them down on the small shelf near the front door, he now had to start to make preparations for the four sweats the necklaces would need to go through and then the final prayers at the altar. Ravenhawk decided he would start the fasting for the first sweat lodge that night, he would ask the others if they wanted to join him but he was quite happy if he had to do this alone, there were important things to be done around the new home clearing. That evening they all sat around while Ravenhawk explained what he was going to do, the two younger boys immediately wanted to retain their place as the keepers of the fire, Robert also wanted to be there with him in the sweat lodge as he wanted his new drum to go through the four sweats so he could begin to use it for ceremonies, it was just now he began to miss the hours he had once spent in practice. This time Antonio decided to stay outside, both he and Margret had other things to do, Margret was teaching Antonio how to sew by hand, with his ability in beading, he was picking it up quickly, there was a need for curtains for the new cabins and they had asked Dean and Karl to watch for any good bolts of material for these, there was also the clothing repairs and lost buttons that needed attending to, Antonio was happy to learn from her. With Robert and Ravenhawk fasting for the sweat lodge ceremony, the others tucked into their food as only hunger and clean fresh air could make one feel as though they were starving every day, the smaller boys relished the hot food and tucked in with their usual gusto. After dinner the two smaller boys looked for their beds beside the fire place, they had become used to an early night as the spring days were getting longer and it would soon be full summer with long hot days for them to be out and about in, Ravenhawk also had to start thinking about hunting for fresh meat, both for now and for smoking and storage for the winter. The next morning the four older ones were alerted by the sound of high pitched squeals of Little Bear and the slightly deeper laughter of Peter as they played outside, there was something going on and they hoped that it was not another bear, the four ran to the door and looked out into the clearing, what they saw brought wide smiles to all their faces. On the edge of the clearing stood the large boned mare, beside her trying to stand with trembling long legs was a new foal, its general colour was that of its mother but on its rear flanks were the dappled colourings of Ravenhawk's Appaloosa, they had the first foal and the smaller boys looked to be happy with the new addition to their family of stock. As usual, Little Bear wanted to run up to the little foal and make friends, Ravenhawk called for him to stop and that the foal needed to make connection with its mother first, he told Little Bear that there would be plenty of time for introductions when the foal was a little older, Little Bear looked crestfallen but obeyed with reluctance. With the absence of Dean and Karl, Ravenhawk asked Robert to construct a small free standing shelf for him to put out front of the sweat lodge, it only had to be about the size of a long bench so that he could place each individual necklace on it with space enough for the drum when the ceremony began, Robert set about the task immediately, when finished it was a little rough but looked serviceable for its use. On the morning of the second day, Ravenhawk, Robert and the two boys went through the ceremony of opening the sacred circle, once the fire was lit and the stones placed for heating, Ravenhawk led Robert to the sweat lodge to prepare it for the upcoming event, after making sure it was clean they then went outside for Ravenhawk to say the prayer and wait for the stones of the ancestors to gain enough heat. Sitting outside the lodge at the Western position sat the altar that Robert had made, here were laid the necklaces and the large drum, it was placed so that each stone of the ancestors would pass by it and give them their blessings as they were taken to the sweat lodge. As they sat around the central fire, with Peter and Little Bear taking meticulous care of it, Ravenhawk called the prayer while Robert tapped out a soft under-beat with his wood block, the very air around the clearing seemed to be holding its breath as the time for the first sweat moved closer. When the time to enter the sweat lodge arrived, Ravenhawk and Robert performed the same ceremony as before to acknowledge the four positions and open the lodge. Ravenhawk now carried his Chanupa along with a different fan, this one was made with goose feathers, he also carried a wooden ladle to pour the water over the stones of the ancestors. Placed in front of the wooden bench now used as the altar was the cleaned skull of the buffalo he had taken last summer, it was decorated with black and red ribbons, one colour for each horn, beside that stood a tall prayer stick that divided into two small branches at the top, one was decorated with a single Raven feather bound with a red ribbon, on the second of the small branches a thin string with four green stones representing the four directions. Hanging beside the string of green stones was another, it contained a collection of many other colours that Robert had found and drilled for the ceremony to represent all of the people now living in the clearing, at first Robert had not been able to grasp the meaning of the Rainbow Society but, after a long slow explanation by Ravenhawk he began to see the importance of it. Ravenhawk and Robert entered the lodge, after opening the lodge with prayers when he was seated at the western Gate, he called for the first stones to be brought to the door, once done he started the song of Pipe Filling after he had placed herbs on the hot stones along with water from the ladle. Once the first ten hot stones were settled in place, Ravenhawk began a new song and added more herbs to the hot stones and, with care he added water with the wooden ladle before calling for more stones, when he had 26 stones at the centre the lodge soon warmed up, the ceremony of blessing the items then began. Before entering the lodge, Ravenhawk asked Robert what he would name the drum and whose spirit the drum would carry, Robert said the drum should carry his Father's name and spirit and so Ravenhawk made sure the drum was placed so it could be seen clearly as the hot stones passed by the altar and asked the spirit of Roberts Father, Daniel Bearclaw to inhabit the drum and protect it from harm and bad spirits. All four cycles of the sweat lasted more than two and a half hours, Robert was nearly at the end of his strength and feeling the effects of the hot lodge, the long process of the first sweat had taken a toll on Robert but he was determined not to fail this most important of tasks. Finally Ravenhawk began to close the lodge, the undoing of the circle and closing of the lodge took another ten minutes by which time Robert was nearly on his last legs. With the first of four sweats completed and all the prayers and songs said, Ravenhawk and Robert collected the items from the altar, after the fourth and final sweat, they would be cleansed and protected by the spirits and could be worn and used as they were made to be, Ravenhawk hoped he had done everything right, there was a lot at stake and he did not have his grandfather to help him if he missed something, now only time would tell. It was now time to relax and contemplate what they had done, with three more sweats to be carried out the two boys would need to rebuild their strength, the small group broke up as Ravenhawk and Robert went to eat and fill their long empty bellies while the two young ones only wanted to check out the now rambunctious new foal as it gambolled around the clearing but stayed close to its mother for protection. While the claw marks on Little Bear had healed nicely they were going to be very evident on his cheek for the rest of his life, for a little boy he seemed to be totally unaware of his looks but he still wanted to go find the bear and kick her butt, there was still a lot of laughter when he said it aloud. Four days had passed since the others had left on their search for supplies, as the day moved to late afternoon, Robert, Antonio and Ravenhawk heard the deep growling sound of multiple vehicles coming towards the clearing, as a precaution they all went to get their rifles and had the little ones go inside with Margret as they took up positions along the veranda and looked towards the end of the lane. The three boys watched as the large Freightliner of Liam Senior ground into the clearing towing a four axel trailer loaded high with building products, clean milled timber and four large pallets of what looked like cement, his truck must have also been well loaded as it sat heavy on its springs, behind him came what looked like a brand new four door Jeep with Karl at the wheel, it was towing a vehicle trailer with four, four wheeled bikes and two skidoos tied to it. The next vehicle in the small convoy was an old, red utility truck, in the front the boys could see two strange adults and the top of what could only have been a young girls head, sitting partially hidden in the back amongst a pile of household goods were two boys, one looked to be about 9 years old and the other somewhere around 17, all of them showed a Latino heritage, now the three boys were really intrigued. Next in line, was a large square looking heavy truck, at the wheel sat Liam Junior, on the side of the truck was the symbol of the Highway Department and, in the final place of the strange convoy was a large fuel tanker with Dean at the wheel, when he finally came to a halt in what space was left in the clearing, the whole place looked like a car yard for big rigs, As the last truck turned off its big motor and silence finally descended on the clearing, the three boys relaxed as they watched Liam Senior get down from the cab, a wide smile covered his face as he signalled for the others to follow, there was a crashing of closing doors and what could almost be heard as deep long sighs of relief. Ravenhawk was the first to speak as Liam Senior came up the steps, Ravenhawk noticed the newcomers were staying well back as the other three boys came forward. "Welcome home Grandfather, it looks like you had a good trip." "Thank you Ravenhawk, yes it was better than we thought it would be; now we have a few things that will help us to make this place more liveable." "Who are the strangers?" "Oh yes, our new guests." Ravenhawk looked over at the five new people, he was sure he heard the older man say something that sounded much like "Los Indios" but as he did not speak Spanish he did not know what he was saying, but from the looks on the faces they were not sure they should be here, it was Antonio that came to his rescue as he whispered in Ravenhawk's ear. "They're scared we are Indians or more correctly, Apache, from their dialect I would say they are Mexican, if my history is right then they are not the best of friends with the Apache." Ravenhawk nodded his understanding and turned back to Liam senior. "Where did you find them Grandfather?" "They drove into town just as we were getting ready to leave, Mr. Gomez is the older man, the rest are all that's left of his family, they were migrant workers, as I understand it, they were an extended family that worked all over picking fruit and vegetables when the virus struck, there was about thirty of them, all related but this is all that survived, you better come and meet them." Ravenhawk and the other two followed Liam Senior to where the small group were watching them, the small girl was hidden behind the plump woman and the two boys were standing as though they were going to die protecting the last of the family, Mr. Gomez looked a little unsure as the small group approached them, Liam Senior took over the introductions. "Senor Gomez, this is Ravenhawk, he is the leader of this new family." "Senor Liam, you are not their leader, this Indio seems a little young to be leading?" "He is young but he has a good heart and he also started all this, I think of myself as an advisor but all decisions for the group are talked over and all decide." "Then he is not a danger to my family?" "No, I'm sure you will find he is a good young man." "Very well, I trust your word Senor Liam, Senor Ravenhawk; I am Manuel, this is all that is left of my family, this is my Sister Consuela, beside her is my Niece Maria, the youngest boy is my last Son Jesus and the older is my Nephew Philippe, we have been searching for a home for many months now, Senor Liam says you have a home for everyone here, we would like very much to join you." "Welcome Senor Gomez, if you wish to stay then you are welcome, this is my Berdach Antonio and our friend Robert, inside the cabin is our son Little Bear and Roberts brother Peter as well as Roberts girlfriend Margret, I don't quite know where we can put you just yet but we will find something for you, we can then build you a cabin if you wish." "Will we not have trouble from the immigration people if we stay?" "There is no Government anymore Senor Gomez, we can all start a new life here if we want." "Then we would like to stay with you, we are good farmers and Consuela is a very good cook, for now we have our tent, it is all we have had since the great sickness." Ravenhawk could feel a little chill in the air, not from the weather but it seemed to come from Philippe and Liam Junior, it was as though there was something not quite right between the two teens, he glanced at both boys and also noticed that they kept their distance, a quick glance at Liam Senior and he could see the older man had seen it as well as when he saw Ravenhawk look his way, he lifted his eyebrows in a gesture of not knowing what was going on. Ravenhawk then heard the plump woman Consuela speak to Manuel in Spanish, before he could answer her, Antonio spoke up in the same language to answer her, suddenly a wide smile swept across her face as she turned to him and began to chatter away to him, the next thing he saw was the retreating backs of both of them heading towards the house as they chatted like old friends. "What were they saying Senor Gomez?" Ravenhawk asked. "Ah, my sister was just being a woman; she does not speak English so was happy to learn your young friend was very fluent in Spanish although he has a different accent to ours but he is fluent none the less." "Yes, but what were they talking about?" "Oh yes, she was asking why men always stand around and talk when there is work to do, she wants to get to the kitchen and prepare the meal for us." "That would be very good, we have plenty to do here getting everything worked out, where would you like to put your tent?" "Wherever there is space that will not make trouble for you all Senor Ravenhawk?" "Then just pick a place that would make you happy, we will start on your cabin as soon as possible to give you some comfort." "Thank you, that would be nice to be in a house again, the last months have been a burden on the young ones." "Grandfather! Robert and I plan to go hunting tomorrow; perhaps Liam and Philippe would like to come?" Liam Senior looked at the two teens and then smiled secretly to Ravenhawk. "They should enjoy that, yes it would be a good idea, besides I will be busy organising all this tomorrow otherwise I would join you all, but if you could take the two older ones out to learn to hunt then it would be a good idea." Ravenhawk noticed the two older boys gave them both a strange look even though they were on separate sides of the group, there was something going on there Ravenhawk was sure of it but what it was that had got the two teens noses out of joint was beyond him, hopefully the hunt tomorrow would sort it all out. As Manuel, along with the two boys went to erect their tent, Ravenhawk could hear the rattle of pots and pans inside the house amid a lot of laughter, he turned to Liam Senior and waited to be told what needed to be done, the first thing was to park the vehicles where they would need to be for the best results in their use, after that they would start the unloading which looked as though it would take a few days. When he asked how they were going to unload four pallets of cement, Ravenhawk was told by Liam Senior it would be the same way that they did it when there were no cranes of fork hoists, they would do it all by hand one bag at a time, it would be the same for all the timber, but first they had to re-park all the vehicles in the places they would be best suited for what they were going to be used for. Ravenhawk then learned that the large square truck was a mobile generator, it would be able to supply enough power for at least ten houses and a couple of small workshops, the fuel truck would be parked close by to save having to carry fuel back and forth, slowly as the afternoon sun began to fade, the last vehicle had been parked in the right place and the first call from the cabin for dinner was heard, the rest of the work unloading could now wait until tomorrow. TBC. Artcart65@gmail.com