C H A P T E R    F O U R
 
 

        The chill woke him. The fires were out. But the sunlight
gushing through the windows on each side of the stone hearth
and chimney on the other side of the room warmed their bed.
        His one open eye - barely - saw her beautiful face right
next to his and her golden hair glowing in the sunrays. He got
the thought she looked like a young Daryl Hannah, but...even
more. And he pulled the heavy wool blanket up onto her, then
onto him.
        'God, she really is here' his eye told his brain, which told
his mind, whom was yelling that to his soul. Then his neurons
kicked in on their present situation and concluded that not
many hours had passed. So there was no need for a lot of
hurry. He snuggled into her and headed back to sleep.
        She woke, but didn't open her eyes. She let out a quiet
"mmmmm" and got a hand to his peter. That started waking
him up a little more and tractor-beamed his mouth and a hand
to her luscious, voluptuous, scrumptious mammaries. Well,
we DO know how this goes by now. They started eating each
other for breakfast - in bed - and all their nerves were soon
back in business.
        Almost an hour later, as he moved himself back up the
feathers to lay next to her, she took a deep breath in fast, as if
startled, and said, "God...I remember last night now, Kit...."
        "Well, that's good, Miss Alzheimer," a little concerned
that she maybe hadn't.
        "No, gosh...the Chief! Remember?!....They were here!
...In the room with us!..."
        "Where did you go?"
        "Quit that!" she ordered, with a punch on his leg. "Don't
tease about this."
        "Honeeee...you obviously had a dream...about the Chief,
huh? Cool."
        "They were here....You know it wasn't a dream!"
        "Jess....Calm down, precious. You had a dream. Tell me
what you remember before you forget."
        She was a little perturbed, thinking he was playing a
psych game or something on her, but told him, "all right...he
was in here...with a woman...an 'Indian' woman - you know, a
Native too - a real beautiful one...and they stood over by the
fire, like they were warming themselves...and the Chief was
telling us...we were in bed here, and you woke up too...I think
...he told us that his soul love, I think he put it, is back with him
now...and her name's Golden something...Golden Swan...yeah!
...and his is Lion Eagle...or Eagle Lion...I'm not sure...and they
were happy that we're back together...and working on the plan
together...and they said they'll help us and want us to stay with
it and then...uh...the Chief's horse...was in here too and...he
told us his name is...Heart...and then...."
        "The horse told you his name?..."
        "Shush, yes...and the Chief and Swan put their hands at
their hearts, and waved their arms out...like you told me about
...and they all...disappeared!..."
        He looked at her a good while and finally said, "wow...
that sure was a dream."
        "You saw them too!"
        "Uh, nooo....How could I see your dream?"
        "Wh...it wasn't a dream. I saw them...and heard them!
And you were awake! Are you testing me?...or something?!"
        "No, darlin'. Why would I test you, sweetheart? You
apparently had a very real dream. That happens....It's like they
actually visit you...or do...in your subconscious, or whatever...."
        She sat up and faced him, "NO! I'm telling you, it was
REAL....R-E-A-L," she spelled, "for real....And you're tellin'
me you slept through it?!"
        "You're not kidding, are you?"
        "Well hel-lo, mister listen, that's what I've been trying to
tell you! Why couldn't I see them? You did....Or said you
did."
        "Wow....But why didn't I see them?"
        "YOU WERE ASLEEP! GAWHD!" almost exasperated.
        "So were you! You said it was a dream," still a little
confused, though more refusing to believe it. "You said they
disappeared, Jess...."
        "You're sayin' it was a dream, Kit! Jeezuz. I was awake!
....at least I think so...."
        "O." Then he got the chills up and down his body, the
tears to his eyes and the goosebumps. And he was almost mad
that he hadn't been included, but then happy that the Chief had
come back, at least, and happier about the message. "Wow,
precious...that's really great!"
        "Yeah!" relieved that he finally got it. "So...you know we
forgot to check back with Sundance last night?"
        "O shit, yeah. I've got to remember things better. That's
why I have Pute, I thought," and rolled over to check the
screen, which had "call Sundance" in a little box at top, along
with scrolling all kinds of mumbo jumbo from government
computers and "him". Kit hit a key and P waved from his
corner and asked if they had gotten back from lalaland yet,
yanking Kit's chain a little. Kit typed the standard "byte me",
then "good mornin", then asked for the update on the NSA
follow.
        "Landed at Ghost Ranch/no track from there" was still
the report. Then P went on: "NRO surveil with morn light
showed no Mooney there/the guy in DC is waiting for an agent
from Albuquerque to drive to Ghost to check it out."
        "Hoo hoo!" Jess whooped, then turned on the radio on
the nightstand and there was that song: "Right here/Right now/
Watching the world wake up from history (There is no other
place I want to be)."
        "Yeah! So far so good, darlin'. But they're definitely
serious."
        "Well, we're seriouser-est, huh, Quixote?" and kissed
him serious pecks all over his face and ran her hand through
his curly beard. "So, let's check in with Sundance!"
        "D' you wanta do that?"
        "You bet!" She punched the keys and there was the
message (as of 9A that morn - Sundance time): "still no
response from the WH or any country. But we're messaging
twice a day. Navajo leaders have agreed to meet with Joni and
Julio. And we've thought about stars or others for Council and
Judge, but want to hear WPO choices...." Then the message
asked for details on the agreement with the Navajos.
        Kit asked Jess to tell them that the Navajos should be in
charge of everything at the concert and that the Execs should
negotiate with them what percent of the gate the Nation wants
for management fees, after costs. Suggest starting at seven per
cent, he told her and she typed in, with full consideration that
the proceeds after management fees would all go to
humanitarian missions in the war zones and areas of starvation
around the world. And the concert could keep on keeping on
after the first weekend, he continued, with all the money raised
either by gate or contributions managed by the Navajos, with
oversight by the Execs and the performers' council or whatever
they think. Then they put together their suggestions for Council
and Judge. Jess sent all that and they waited to see if Sunny
was there.
        "You know," Jess leaned over and held him, "one of these
days I might not be impressed by you...but I can't quite foresee
which day that might be."
        He hugged her right back deeply and responded, "well...
remember now, this was all inspired by you." And that garnered
a big wet sloppy, so that's what he got. But, actually, nothing
she does can be called sloppy.
        "Maybe the Chief will help us with the Navajos," she
murmurred, taking a kiss break.
        He got a flash through his skull of that Native who had
been sitting outside the office at the airport in Oljato, then
answered, "next time they come...um, maybe you can ask them
about it."
        "But it doesn't work like that."
        "Yeah, you're right. And I know that...wow!" shaking his
head at the remembrance. "Well, maybe we'll get better at it."
        Pute signalled message in. Sundance had acknowledged
and agreed with everything.
        "WOO!" Jessy let loose. The R guy was there!, she was
enjoying maxly. (You know, Kerouac and Thompson pretty
much loosened up prose for us so we could just kinda say how
it all shakes out. Right on, guys. And Godspeed, Hunter.)
Anyway, Jess asked, "can I?" (com back to Sunmeister), just
to be polite.
        Kit, duh, answered, "sure, highness," and took off for the
bathroom as she thought about what to say to her favorite star
(though she admits to being an awful big Brad Pitt fan).
        She was still chatting away with the ole horse whisperer
when Kit passed through, waving, for the kitchen and found a
canteloupe, cottage cheese, strawberries, nuts and seeds that
Maria evidently had snuck into the fridge that morning. So he
fixed them canteloupe halves stuffed with cottage cheese, nuts,
seeds and the strawberries (he was culinarily trained to
"stretch" in Paris, he had always joked at Jenny's) and brought
them back to bed with a couple of Frogs.
        Jess closed out with Sundance in a few more minutes and
they ate - the real food - (some of it off each other's flesh, of
course) and, after licking up, she remembered her pill and
announced that her period was starting and got Kit's heartful
sympathy as she showed him in the bathroom what that's like,
then they dressed and got ready to find everyone.
        Maria was in the other cabin and offered them some
"leftovers" from breakfast. They were still hungry, so that
worked. Kit said, "O, thanks for the melon and stuff, Ri. That
sure was nice."
        "What do you talking about?" Mar answered in her funny
sometimes Anglo.
        "O, I figured you left us that stuff in the fridge," Kit
answered.
        "Was not me. But I thought about it. Eee, Kit, you
should have thought to bought some things for your nest..."
Mari smiled at Jess.
        "Who did it? Essy?" Kit figuring it the answer.
        "We didn't have any cant-elope, Kit. I don't kino why
you ask me this..." and Kit was getting that twilight zone
feeling back. To the bone. The guys sure hadn't done it, he
figured correctly.
        "The Chief?!" Jess looked at him. And Kit was truly
baffled and scared, almost.
        "Que chief?" Ria asked.
        "Uh, well...Ri..." Kit stammered, "we've been...seeing
some Indians, I mean, Natives, I mean People, Mari..." and
looked at Jess, who was nodding, "...around here, like...
visions. Um...could you just keep this between you and Hul?"
        "Sure, Kit. We kino these things. We believe. You don't
have to tell me no more. It is for the see-ers." She smiled
knowingly, got up to give them each a kiss on their heads,
then sat back down. "So they left you some cant-elope?" And
Jess smiled back with a nod.
        They talked on a while longer, then the two decided to
join the others up at the mine, walked up the mountainside,
found everyone at the dig and reveled again at the Silver, then
almost entirely filling the end wall.
        "Well, hey, sleepyheads," Es greeted them with a smile.
Jess, then Kit, hugged Essy as they said hey to Jul and Juli
picking away and heying back.
        "You want to give it a golpear," Jul asked them both,
breathing hard and glistening with sweat.
        "What the heck is that?" Kit laughed.
        "A WHACK!" his partner came back.
        "Si, 'migo, let me golpear away!" Kit answered, picking
up a pick. Jess picked up another and they golpeared the
bejeez out of that vein. Jessy was loving it, then appreciated
the hard work the others had been doing as they all joked back
and forth. Jul, Juli and Es shoveled and boxed up the Silver
chunks and Gold nugs and, after about ten minutes, Jess had
to stop for a rest, not being used to the 1o,ooo-foot atmosphere.
She looked all around at the wall, though, and Es handed her
her pair of heavy work gloves. Jess put them on, then picked
up the pick again, took a hard swing at the top and a big chunk
of Silver fell to the ground as she jumped back and Kit jumped
to her side to make sure she was safe.
        "Whoa! Bella! Don't hurt yourself!" Julian advised.
        She looked at everyone and laughed, then turned and
took another swing and more Silver flew out, along with other
smart comments from the others. Then she took an even
harder swing and hit, then one more, and chunks of the metal
fell like an avalanche as she and Kit raced out of the way.
        Julian laughed, "AY CARUMBA! She's going to kill us!"
        "SANTA DIA!" Essy cried, seeing the new color in the
wall as the dust cleared some.
        "There's a big chunk of GOLD!" Juli shouted.
        "YEAH!" Kit yelled, picked up his pick and, swinging
hard away with Julio, loosened another huge piece of Silver
and more Gold was showing! Jess picked on the other side of
Juli and, in minutes, they were all screaming that they had a
VEIN! All of them were hugging and jumping up and down
and onto each other, then dancing around, yelling everything
they could think of!

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