OCCULTA

Written by: Chris Fennell, Anne Grimm, Megan Hasenwinkel, and Rachel Seow

Written for Vibs Petersen, FYS 27
December 11, 1997

CHAPTER 6

The woods always calmed Analise. She enjoyed looking at all the different plants, mentally naming them and listing their medicinal properties. Instead of walking the usual path, today she struck out in a different direction. She saw many plants that she recognized, but some she did not. Her mother would be interested. After about half a day of walking she crossed a stream. This was good because it was most likely the same stream that ran near her village. As long as she could find her way back here, she would be able to get home.

She had been walking for some time when she realized that something was wrong. At first it was just a slight trembling in the ground. She thought she was imagining it, but the tremors became too strong to ignore. It got so bad she had to clutch the trees next to her to stay upright.

Analise was frightened. She had never experienced anything like this. She was about ready to turn and run back to the village when she heard a huge crash and saw a large cloud erupt in the sky. Nothing like this had ever happened before. She didn't know what to do. What would her mother do in this situation? She decided that her mother would go and see what had happened, so she could explain to the village. Analise squared her shoulders and began walking in that direction.

It took the rest of the day before she began to see what was going on. Trees and plants were covered with ash. So something had caused a large fire, somewhere. The source seemed to be a large hill in the distance.

Analise was paying so much attention to the catastrophe around her that she didn't notice the man until she almost tripped over him. He was the strangest looking man she had ever seen. His form was the same, but she had never seen hair so light! And what strange clothes he was wearing! She could not see how they had been made. He was sprawled out on the ground, obviously unconscious. His arm was bent at a strange angle, and he was bleeding from the head. Her mother's training took over. Here lay a sick man. First she would fix him up. Then she could worry about his hair color.

Cautiously she checked his breathing. It was steady and strong, so he was at least alive. So just the arm and head needed attention. She scrounged around until she found two fairly sturdy branches. She used those and some strips of cloth from her skirt to fashion a splint. It wasn't beautiful, but now at least he could be moved. She sighed and started dragging him to the stream she had passed earlier.

When Analise finally got the man to the stream, she laid him down on the bank and gently held his head over the water. Using more pieces of her skirt and water from the stream, she started cleaning the wound. Suddenly his eyes snapped open.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

His eyes were startling. They were a golden yellow. Analise had never seen anything like it. He spoke with a strange accent, but he was still easy to understand. Analise tried to answer him as well as she could. "My name is Analise. You are about 200 lengths north of my village. Who are you and where are you from?"

"North of the village? What are you talking about? I thought the anomaly was to the south?"

"Anomaly? What kind of a word is that? If you're talking about that smoking hill, then my village is to the south. You must be from another village! I didn't know there were others! Anyway, what is your name?"

"My name is Simeon. I was sent to investigate an anom.....strange occurrence seen by the satellite. My craft had a malfunction and crashed, and that's how I ended up here. Fascinating, I had never heard of any settlements outside of the city."

"You use strange words. What is a satellite? Or a malfunction? And where did you get those clothes? I'll have to take you to the village and get you dressed properly. And I have never seen such strange eyes!"

"Apparently we have a lot of differences, but we can discuss that later. Right now I need to find the hoverlift."

Again, her mother's training took over. "We can worry about your hover-whatever later. Right now you need rest. Let's set up camp for tonight and tomorrow we can head for the village."

"I suppose the craft can wait a little while. Do you have proper medical facilities at your village?"

"I don't know what you mean by 'proper' medical facilities, but my mother will have you feeling better in no time! I could, too, if I had the proper herbs with me."

"Are you a doctor?"

"My mother is the healer. I am her apprentice, and we will be good enough for you."

"If you say so. How long will it take for us to get there?"

"It is half a day's walk. After a night's rest you should be able to make the journey. I don't think we have any other choice. Of course, that means you need to go to sleep sometime soon."

"I am kind of tired. Where do I sleep?"

"Wherever looks comfortable. I will talk to you in the morning."

Sim shrugged and settled himself on a patch of moss under a tree. Analise nodded, found herself a similar spot and closed her eyes.

Continue to Chapter 7