Running Dry (29 page)

After a few hours, we notice the air seems to change a bit.  There's a new, unfamiliar smell.  It's sort of pungent, yet holds a dampness that is different than that of the rain from earlier.

              "Do you smell that?" I ask him, taking in another nostril full.

              "Yeah.  What is it?"

              "I'm not sure."

              We start to see some strange white birds flying overhead.  Then we begin hearing some noises, faint at first, but it's funny how quiet it had been on the open road, compared to the city, and one doesn't forget what the sounds of civilization are like.  I start to feel light as air.  We're walking toward something, I'm sure of it.  I start to pick up my pace, even though my body feels weak.  Soon several dark outlines start coming into focus. 

And then I see something I've waited a lifetime for--trees.  Real ones.  Growing up right alongside of the road.  I stop and touch one.  I wrap my arms around it.  It's thin and tall and smells like nothing I've ever smelled before. 

"It's amazing," I say to the others, standing beside me. 

"I think those are houses," Frankie says, looking way off to the side of the road. 

"We're close now," Regina says.  "Let's keep going." 

As we near the end of the road, it starts to break up and the brown sand that had been covering our path starts to turn to white and that's when we see it.  It's not a pot of gold.  It's bigger and better than any coins.  A blue vastness spilling out like we've reached the end of the world.  It's just like the dream I had.

              "He was right," I say almost under my breath.

              "Whoa!" Zane exclaims.

              We start running toward it, all four of us.  Once we are close, we collapse into this soft, white substance.   None of us knows what to do, so we just stare out.  Water as far as the eye can see.  I want to cry I'm so excited.  We made it.  We're going to be okay.  I turn to Zane to tell him so, but I see his face and he's no longer smiling.  His shoulders are tight and his face is tense.  He is looking at something approaching.  There are people making their way toward us, coming from the cluster of houses not too far away.  I'd failed to notice them because all I could see was the water.  Now I saw them.  Two men and a woman.  We all stand again. 

              "Hi," the taller of the two men calls as they approach.

              I step forward.  Zane grabs my forearm, but I don't stop.  "A man named LeRoy sent us.  Do you know him?  Is he here?" I blurt out before Zane pulls me back behind him.

              They look at each other.  The woman says, "LeRoy.  I don't think so."  She smiles with her hand extended toward Zane.  "I'm Mara."

              Zane just stares at her.  I push past him again.  "I'm Bekka," I say, taking her hand.  "This is Zane, Regina and Frankie."

              "Red and John," she says of the men standing behind her.  They nod.

              "Where are you from?" Mara asks, inspecting me from head to foot.

              "A city several days away." 

              Mara stares at me like I've just fallen from the sky.  "I'm sorry, it's just...we don't see many new faces around here."

              "What is this place?  Is all of this water just here, for the taking?" Frankie asks.

              "What do you mean?" Red says.

"We don't have water like this where we came from," I say.

"You realize it's not suitable for consumption, right?" Mara says.

"What?" Zane says.

"The water."  She turns and points out toward the blue abyss.

Zane laughs.  "All of this water, but we can't drink it?  That's a joke, right?"

"No, it's salt water.  Taste it," the man with red hair says.

Zane cups his hand and sips some.  He spits it out.  His face is bleak and he gives me a

look which I know means I told you so. 

"Then, how do you live?" I ask.

Red smiles, like he just pulled a funny prank.  "We've found a way to desalinate it."

"Huh?" Zane says.

"We have a small solar distillation set up.  A process that separates out the salt from the

water, allowing us to drink it," John says.  "You want to see it?"

"What do we have to do?" Zane questions.

"Do?" Mara says.

"To live here?" I interject.  "We'd like to stay."

"You don't have to do anything.  You are more than welcome to stay," Red answers

with a smile.  "We have plenty of food from the sea and lots of homes here available for you to stay in.  Welcome to Oceanside."

Part 3

Zane

Mara volunteers to host us.  The other two, Red and John, say they have work to get back to and head off in opposite directions.  We follow Mara through the sand toward the row of homes, which makes me uncomfortable and nervous.  We don't know anything about these people.  I whisper my sentiments to Bekka as we walk at the back of the train we've formed.  Bekka reminds me we have no choice but to trust them.  We need food and water. 

The homes lining the beach remind me of the ones which sit abandoned in the upper flats of Sacto.  They are nothing like the tall apartment buildings I'm used to living in.  They all look clean and bright, inviting even.  As we head toward a pale yellow one, I notice a few other people on the beach and some walking around outside other houses nearby. 

"How many days have you been traveling?" Mara questions, sounding casual, but I can't help but suspect she already knows all about Sacto. 

"I lost count after ten," Frankie says.

"Wow!  You must be exhausted."

"We are," Bekka says and just hearing the word makes it really sink in, deep into my bones.  I am so very tired, even more so than hungry or thirsty at this point.  I just want to sleep for a week, but I also want to make sure this place is safe for us before we all get too comfortable.  I don't want to be vulnerable ever again.  I want to be more like my father and take charge of my own destiny. 

We reach the house and enter through a side door.  We're standing in a kitchen.  It's much larger than any I've been in before, making it feel airy and open, or maybe it's because the row of windows are open, allowing an unfamiliar breeze to come in and cool the space.  The walls are painted blue, a shade very similar to the water just outside. 

"This is where you live?" Bekka asks her.  "It's so nice!"

"Have a seat," Mara says cheerfully, pulling out brightly painted wooden chairs sitting neatly around a table.  "Let me get you something to eat and drink."

My mom sits down with a heavy sigh.  I reluctantly do the same, not wanting to put my guard down, though it is amazing to sit in a real chair and feel like a human again.

Mara pours us drinks and puts some food on a plate and brings it over, nibbling on something herself.  "Help yourselves," she says.  The others dive in.  I sip my water slowly and inspect Mara, who stands near the open windows.  She is a youngish woman, probably just a few years older than Frankie.  I wonder how she ended up in a leadership position, being this age.  She wears loose clothing that matches her laid back attitude.  Her ash brown hair is tussled with sun-bleached streaks running through it.  She has a very relaxed vibe like she isn't phased by much.  I can't help but feel like it's put on, a trap to make us get too comfortable.

"How many people live here?" I ask.

"Maybe a hundred or so.  Some of us moved out here from a larger community down the coast to the south about an hour.  We built our distillation system based off their design."

"Why'd you leave?" I say trying to sound casual, but I can tell it comes off too direct based on the look Bekka gives me. 

"No real reason.  They were running out of housing there and some of us younger people thought we could do things better, or at least our own way."  Bekka looks as me and smiles.   Mara adds, "Why did you guys leave your city?"

"Similar story," Frankie says.  "We needed a change."

"Well, we actually have lots of open places here.  We can set you up with a house and some jobs if you want."

"We haven't decided that yet," I say quickly.  Bekka shoots me an even dirtier look than the last one.

Mara looks at us, squinting a little as if trying to read between the lines, then says, "Okay, well, there's no obligation or anything.  You can check it out for a while if you want."

"What kind of job assignments do you have?" I ask.

"Assignments?  We don't assign jobs.  We have a pretty chill system.  If you want a job that's cool...if not, that's fine too.  There isn't that much work, really.  The people here keep things super easy and simple and try to be pretty self-sufficient.  If you feel the desire to work, then just try a few jobs out until you find something you enjoy.  Some people prefer to just surf all day.  We get by."

"Surf?"

"Ride the waves."  Mara points out the window at something in the water.  I notice there are several dots way out where the waves begin to form.  I realize they are people, standing on something that kind of looks like my skateboard, but bigger.  They are flying through the water.

"Wow," Frankie says.

"What do you do?" I ask, turning back.  "Are you in charge?"

Mara laughs loudly.  "No.  I help out in the gardens.  We have some greenhouses a few blocks away where we grow stuff.  Some people fish, some work at the water treatment plant, we have a few repairmen and women, that kind of thing.  There's a market set up down the road for barter and trading goods and services.  Do you guys have any skills?"

"Skills?" Bekka asks.  "What kind of skills do you mean?"

"You know like sewing, carpentry, canning, painting that kind of thing."

"No," I say, thinking I've found the catch.  "Is that going to be a problem?"

"Nope."  Mara shrugs her shoulders.  "Though I think everyone has some kind of skills or passions, you just need to find it."

"What if we can't?" Bekka asks.

"Then you can surf all day," Mara says still laughing.  "Also, we post a chore chart up at the water station where people can do odd jobs if they so desire, but it's not required.  We just try to make sure everyone has what they need."  

"If you're not in charge, who is?  Red or John?"

"No.  We just happened to be the ones to spot you first.  Nobody's in charge here," she says as if she's bored of the line of questioning.

"Well then who controls and distributes the water?" I ask, sure I've hit on the snag.

"We have a pump set up outside the station.  You can just help yourself.  Clearly there's enough to go around."

I look at her sideways. "So what you are saying is that you have no real system, no rules, no job assignments to speak of, and no water allowances?  How is that possible?"  It seems too good to be true and from my experience, that means it is. 

Mara shrugs again.  "Like I said, it just works.  We try to enjoy life.  If that means finding our passions or just relaxing, it's all good.  Speaking of which, you guys look like you could stand to relax yourselves.  Why don't we find a place for you to do that now..."

Bekka

Mara takes us down the road about two blocks.  "This one is open," she says stopping in front of a sweet looking lime green house that resembles a cottage from children's stories, only this one is massive, three stories high, and it sits just off the white sandy beach.  "It might not be big enough for all of you.  I can find another one too, unless you all want to squeeze into this one."

              The four of us look around at each other wondering if we heard her correctly.  "We can share," I say quickly.  "Thank you so much!"

"Sure.  The place is furnished, runs on solar panels on the roof and the toilets are hooked up to our filtration system.  Help yourself to the water pump down the road and the market is just a few blocks that way.  Let me know if you need anything else.  You know where I live, don't hesitate to drop in anytime with questions."  Mara swings the front door of the house wide open and steps aside for us to go in.  "I'll see you later."

The house is just as lovely on the inside as it appeared from the outside.  It's colorful, like the inside of Mara's kitchen, and clean, so clean it feels almost fake.  The bright cool tones are something I'm not used to.  Everything is Sacto was dark and used.  This stuff has a feel of being almost new and happy, if things could have a mood. 

"Did we just walk into some kind of fairytale land?" Frankie asks. 

"That's exactly what I was thinking," I answer.

"It's giving me the creeps," Zane says.  I frown at him. 

"How can you be so pessimistic about this?" I say, spinning around in the lovely kitchen.

"Let's just get some rest," Regina says.  It's easy to agree to that.

We head up the stairs where we find three bedrooms.  Regina and Frankie agree to share the one that has two beds in it, even though I offer to bunk with Gina.  Zane grabs my hand after they close the door and he pulls me into the next bedroom.