Written with the assistance of:

Veronica, Frankie, Michelle, Shamir, Jesse, Brenda, Maria, Jonathan, Infiniti, Marcus F., Jessica, Vernesia, Jazmin, Luis, Marcus K., Mark, Anthony, Tyree, Timothy, Denise, Minerva, Cristal, Erica, Brandon, Peter, Tysha, Nohely, Brittney, Kory, Christopher and Tracy.

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Table of Contents

List of Characters

Map of Pondera and Vicinity

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 Introduction

Chapter One - The Kilda Street Zoo

Chapter Two - Summer Storm

Chapter Three - Saving Rason

Chapter Four - The Little Heifer

Chapter Five - The Drawing

Chapter Six - Toby's Illness

Chapter Seven - The Ambulance

(Table of Contents under construction - Note: There are 18 chapters)

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This section contains the entire text on one extended page.

Introduction

Vagas is a native of Pondera. She was born there and has spent her entire life in the little town. It is a sleepy gathering of several thousand people near the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in central California. The residents are very different than in most California towns. They rarely hurry anywhere. They seem to have all the time in the world.

Most of the businesses depend on tourists and travelers passing through. There are always new faces, which will probably not be seen again in the stores and restaurants. Oddly dressed outsiders wander up and down the main street stretching their legs after driving all day. The two motels at the north and south ends of town always fill up as the sun begins to set each evening. Weekends and especially holidays are very busy times in Pondera.

The Pondera town zoo has always been part of Vagas life too, at least as far back as she can remember. She and Midori have spent many wonderful days there watching the various animals.   

It isn’t a big zoo – like in a city. The entrance is on Kilda Street. There is a tall brown adobe type of wall across the front with evenly spaced windows on both sides of the opening where the ticket booth stands. There’s a sign on the front of the booth with the hours of operation and $2.00 general admission in big letters on it. Children under the age of twelve get in for $1.00. Kids under the age of six get in free. 

The ticket booth is one of those that has a thick pane of glass with a round hole in it to talk through and a square cut-out near the bottom for collecting payment and dispensing tickets. In that booth is usually an elderly lady named Mary who has worked there selling tickets for as long as Vagas can remember. Old Mary, that’s what they call her, is kind and polite. She always remembers their names. She usually fudges and lets the kids get in for free until they are almost ten years old. She seems to like children.  

Vagas’ mother, Tamarra, usually brought Vagas and Midori to the zoo several times during the week when the weather was good. Their father,Toby, would take them on Saturday or Sunday if there was time. It wasn’t that the animals were so strange or exotic. It was that they were close enough to really watch and there were quite a few that were allowed to wander the zoo grounds. At times it seemed like one big petting zoo. The two children came to know them by the names the keepers had given them. It was a safe place. It was special.

Vagas remembers also that Rason used to come to the zoo. He was brought there by his mother Zealda. It angered Vagas when she saw Rason taunting the animals in cruel or uncaring ways. Zealda saw what he did but would act as if it was all right or would just look the other way. Of course, Vagas knew it was not all right and she felt it was unfair that Rason’s mother didn’t teach him to respect and to enjoy the animals.

Even though Vagas, Midori, and Rason lived fairly close to each other, they never became friends. There were just too many differences between them. Midori was the kindest person you would ever meet and Rason took advantage of him whenever they were together. Vagas was afraid that Rason would do something to get Midori into trouble.

The well that provided water for the zoo still had a small amount of water that could be pumped out each day. It was becoming progressively sandier and might soon dry up. The recent spell of very hot weather was causing concern.

It was no surprise to Vagas that Rason, encouraged by Zealda, would do nothing to help provide water for the thirsty zoo animals. There was a deep pond on Zealda’s property that was fed by a small stream all year. It was one of the few water sources in the area that could always be counted on. Zealda and Rason had a few animals on their land but there was plenty of water to spare. Rason refused to let the zoo take any of the water.

Chapter One

The Kilda Street Zoo

Vagas stopped by the zoo early Monday morning to see how things were going. She saw Mary in her usual place in the ticket booth. She waved as she approached and yelled a cheerful, “Good morning!”

Mary responded with, “ Good morning back to you”, and smiled.

That smile was like a tonic for Vagas. It warmed her heart and lifted her spirits. She was really glad she had chosen to drop by this morning. Her visit had barely started and she was off to a great start.

Mary told Vagas that the truck had come earlier that morning to remove the penguins and seals. It was almost noon. Their exhibit had been closed in order to conserve water and save on the cooling costs. Refrigerating the penguin exhibit was very expensive, she said.

 Vagas understood the need for removing the animals but it saddened her. It was such a pleasure to watch the little penguins in their tuxedo-like coats diving into the frigid water, making tight turns, and playfully shooting to the surface and onto the floor of their pen.

Vagas knew she would miss them but also understood the necessity of it. Besides, the penguins and seals would be much better off and safer in a nearby zoo that had plenty of water. That was the most important thing – that the animals be safe.

Vagas waved to Mary in a goodbye gesture. She smiled and turned to enter the zoo. In spite of the dry spell, the trees were still green and full. They provided plenty of shade to the open patio just inside the zoo entrance. To the right was a large very tall cage for birds from South America. A similar cage stood to the left and was filled with North American birds of prey.  

With the two bird cages near, the entrance was usually a pretty noisy place. It let a person know right away that they were in a zoo. The South American birds were a colorful bunch. The North American birds of prey were large, impressive creatures like eagles and hawks. At the moment things were fairly quiet because of the heat and the fact that they were still digesting their big morning feeding.

Vagas noticed right away that one of the Flamingos in the small pond in front of the Eastern cage, the one on the right, had a foot caught in the tubing that ran along the bottom of the pool. The water level in the pool was pretty low, and the sprinklers that usually sprayed continuously, were off. The bird was beginning to squawk loudly.

Vagas bounded down the sidewalk and around the cage. She knew that the zoo keeper, Mr. Coleman, would likely be in his office having lunch. As she approached the door to the zookeeper’s office, she heard the hum of the little air conditioner under the window. Mr. Coleman had a habit of turning it off when he was out of the office. He was always very careful to conserve electricity. She knocked on the door.

Only a moment later, Mr. Coleman’s face appeared as he opened the door. “Vagas!” he said. “What a wonderful surprise to see you.”                                                                                                        

 “Mr. Coleman. Mr. Coleman.”, she blurted out breathlessly. “There’s a flamingo with its foot caught in the pond’s tubing!”                                                                                                           

 “Not again,” he said. “The same thing happened twice yesterday. It’s because the water level is too low and the sprinklers aren’t keeping them away from the areas where the pipes come out from the bottom of the pool.

Mr. Coleman bolted out the door past Vagas and quickly disappeared around the hedge blocking her view of the bird cage. She very soon heard squawking and the splashing of water.

By the time Vagas was able to follow Mr. Coleman, the bird was free and making even more noise than before. Mr. Coleman was standing there with a satisfied looking grin on his face. Vagas heaved a sigh of relief. It appeared the flamingo was uninjured and only flustered by the experience of having its foot trapped.                                                                                                         

 “I’m so happy I found you in your office. That bird acted like it was really in trouble. I was afraid you wouldn’t be there and I had no idea what to do.”, Vagas said.                   

 “I’m glad you found me too”, he said. One of the birds that got stuck yesterday had to go to the veterinarian with a broken wing. I’m so glad you saw what was happening and found me in my office. This has turned out to be a very good morning.

 “I’d better go”, said Vagas. My brother, Midori, said he’d meet me in the snack shop at 1:00 P.M. and in all the excitement I forgot about the time. It’s almost 1:00 P.M. now. She headed off west across the zoo grounds toward the snack shop located along the west side of the enclosure.

The snack shop had large glass windows and Vagas spotted Midori without difficulty. He was sitting in a booth near the entrance. His distinctive hair and large physical size made him easy to spot. He was pretty impressive to look at. She was amused to think that his obvious physical strength and size were almost completely opposite to his gentleness and kind personality.

“Hey, big ‘M’”, she said as she entered the snack shop door. “good to see you.”

“Yo sis”, he said, “what’s happening?” He was rapidly consuming a large plate of sausage, eggs, and pancakes. It was the daily special. Midori was making short work of it.

Vagas walked over to his booth, picked up a napkin from the table, and wiped a spot of egg yolk from his chin. She was used to mothering him but knew he was getting way too big for her to continue babying him. It would be tough. They were very close and had grown up that way.

Chapter Two

The Summer Storm  

After talking to Midori, Vagas felt much better. He was full of good ideas for helping with the water situation at the zoo. Most of them seemed practical enough to actually work. Even though Midori was younger she really trusted his judgment. He was someone she could always depend on.

She headed toward the rear exit at the north end of the zoo. There was a one way pass through gate that let visitors exit onto El Dorado Boulevard. The name was really misleading because the “boulevard” wasn’t any wider or fancier than any other street in Pondera.

Exiting the gate, Vagas started to go east toward Howard Horn Municipal Park but changed her mind and reversed her course. She went west instead toward the New Vista Youth Center. The center had a small computer center where Vagas could go on line and check out some of the ideas that Midori had suggested to her.

 Vagas walked along the peaceful street in a leisurely manner until she began to hear the faint rumblings of thunder in the distance. It was then that she looked up at the sky and noted that the clouds were darkening and appeared much thicker than when she had entered the zoo. She saw a distant flash of lightning and counted the seconds until the sound of the thunder arrived. It was about five seconds from the flash to the deep rumble. That meant it was about five miles away.

She walked a bit farther down El Dorado Boulevard and a much brighter flash caught her attention. Again she counted and this time it was only three seconds. The storm was coming fast. She felt the first drops of heavy rain on her arms and could see a growing number of little dark gray dots accumulating on the sidewalk. It looked like the storm was going to hit before she could make it to the youth center.

She remembered that Rason’s mother, Zealda, had a sister who lived nearby. Even though Vagas wasn’t on the best terms with Rason or Zealda, she had always had a good relationship with

Claressa. This seemed like a good time to see if she was home.

 Vagas hurried a short distance further, went left around the corner at Bruce Court. The rain was starting to really come down. She ran through the little gate and up the steps onto the porch just in time. She was just about to knock when the door opened.

 “Vagas Montevideo! What a surprise it is too see you. You had better come right in and dry off. This is no time to be out in the weather.”

 “Miss Claressa. I’m so glad you were home. I didn’t think the weather would turn violent like this so suddenly.”

Vagas followed Claressa into her little living room and sat down on one of the fluffy, soft sofas. Claressa excused herself and went off into the kitchen to make some hot tea. Hot tea would be nice on such a quickly dark and stormy afternoon.

Vagas heard a noise and looked out the window onto the street. The man who lived across the street had just pulled up and was trying to get out of his car. The wind was so forceful that it pushed him back into the car. He slipped and sat down in the deepening puddle of water. The water was backing up at the corner where Bruce Court and El Dorado Boulevard met. Cars were already having trouble crossing there due to the large amount of water already collecting there. One lady was steering while her husband and son pushed the car from behind in order to get it out of the traffic lane.

 Claressa’s radio had been playing softly when Vagas entered the living room. It now cut off suddenly without warning. It came back on and went off again about three times with the lights flickering in unison. Then the radio and the lights all went off.

The poor man across the street had struggled to his feet and was fishing around in the water for the things that had fallen out of his shirt pocket. He was completely soaked. The water dripped off of him in steady little streams. He eventually gave up, leaned into the wind, and made his way up his sidewalk to his front door with considerable difficulty.

The wind was whipping the trees so violently that occasional cracking and tearing sounds could be heard indicating that either a branch or a whole tree had been knocked down. Leaves were flying through the air and soon so many were stuck to the wet front window that it was difficult to even see out. It must have looked like some kind of unusual artwork from the outside - like a  green mosaic of pasted leaves.

 The windows began to rattle and then hail started pelting them. Vagas had to admit she felt a little uneasy. If the weather got any worse there might be real damage to Pondera. It was still possible that a tree might fall against a house, a power line, or broken branches break windows.

The hail noise rose to a brief crescendo and then gradually subsided to just a light shower with a gust of wind every now and then. Vagas and Claressa took their tea out onto the porch but had to brush the leaves off the cushions on the porch swing before they could sit down.

The street was a mess. Vagas could just imagine what the other streets in Pondera, including her own, might look like.

Chapter Three

Saving Rason

 Just then the phone rang. Vagas was surprised it was working. Probably just someone calling to check on Claressa and make sure everything was alright.  

Claressa answered the phone. She spoke in a concerned manner and there was a worried look on her face. She said a few more words and then slowly put down the receiver. She looked at Vagas. 

 “That was Zealda. She said their place took an awful beating from the storm. Part of the house is damaged and Rason hasn’t come back from the south meadow. He went there to check on their new cow. She’s afraid something may have happened to him. 

 “You still have that old tan Volkswagen don’t you?” Vagas asked. 

    “Well, yes I do.” said Claressa. 

 “Does it run?” asked Vagas looking hopeful. 

  “Yes. I just had it tuned up two weeks ago at Casca lake VW. Why?” Claressa was looking at Vagas with a quizzical look on her face.

 “I was thinking that I could call Midori and we could all run out to Zealda’s place and look for Rason.” stated Vagas looking serious and intent. 

  “Why, that’s a great idea.” said Claressa, almost shouting. “I’ll  get my jacket while you call Midori and then we’ll head out for Zealda’s” 

                             --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

  Midori was at home watching television when Vagas called. He was ready and waiting when Claressa and Vagas pulled up in the VW five minutes later. It turned out that the VW was a good choice of auto when it came to making it through streets strewn with leaves, litter, and downed trees. The little “bug” could get around just about anything. It could go through spaces too small for larger, more modern cars.

  There was one problem, though. Midori was too big to sit in the back seat. There just wasn’t enough room for his legs. Vagas had to get out and move to the back seat in order to let Midori have the front passenger seat where there was more leg room. As soon as Midori had his seat adjusted and seat belt on, they were off.

 They had to work their way around several downed trees and power lines on their way out to Zealda’s. Claressa was becoming more and more concerned as they went. She dreaded what they might find when they got there. The damage along the way was pretty extensive. 

  Vagas hadn’t been to Zealda’s place for a couple of years, but she knew something wasn’t right as soon as they rounded the big turn and the house came into view. There was an unusual outline. A tree seemed to be growing right in the middle of the roof. It looked like the old elm tree on the south side of the house had broken in two and come crashing onto the roof. 

 They all were thinking the same thing. Was Zealda all right? Just then she came shuffling around the corner of the house. Her steps were short and sort of off balance because she insisted on wearing very out of fashion platform shoes. The ground was soft and still wet.  

 Claressa slid to a stop as soon as she saw Zealda. She threw the gears into neutral and yanked on the parking break. Jumping out of the driver’s door she yelled, “Zealda. Zealda. Are you OK?” 

 Zealda moved her head vigorously up and down to indicate a “yes.” 

 “Yes. Yes. I’m fine.” She stated. “But I don’t know what has happened to Rason. He went down the south path to check on our new cow.  We put her into the pasture south of the pond and just past the little foot bridge over the creek yesterday. He was afraid she’d be spooked by the weather and maybe hurt herself. He left over an hour ago and hasn’t returned. I’m awfully worried.”  

 Midori heard what she said and jogged off down the path without a word.

       “Midori!” yelled Vagas. “You wait for me.” 

       It did no good. Midori was already almost over the little hill south of the house. Vagas ran after him but his long, muscular legs gave him a tremendous advantage. Vagas was quite an athlete herself, but few people could keep up with Midori when he wanted to make time. 

      As Vagas came over the little hill, she could see Midori going around the south rim of the pond. It seemed very full - probably from the storm water runoff. She continued in pursuit of her brother. Rason was nowhere in sight. Midori disappeared through a little gap in the trees south of the pond. Vagas remembered that the little footbridge over the creek was just beyond that gap. 

      Vagas was startled by what she saw as she emerged on the other side of the gap in the trees. A large tree was down over the creek. She could see Midori’s back near the waterline. He was struggling with something.                    

     “Vagas! Vagas!” he shouted. “Get down here and give me a hand!” 

      Vagas jumped into the water next to him and saw Rason for the first time. He had been trapped by the big tree and was fighting to keep his head above the water. He looked very frightened. There was real terror in his eyes. 

        Midori was grunting and pulling at the limbs of the tree. Vagas would grab the limbs he selected too. Together they worked to free Rason. Rason appeared to be exhausted from struggling to free himself. It was lucky for him that Midori and Vagas found him when they did. 

       Rason’s head came up a little higher in the water. Then, he managed to reach up a hand and hold on to Midori’s arm. Vagas pulled on a big limb that was holding Rason. Midori gave a big tug. Rason came out of the water and the two of them fell back into the creek thrashing and sputtering. Vagas grabbed them both and helped them up. 

       Rason was worn out and weak. His clothing was muddy and he was soaking wet. His hair was wild looking. He just laid there on the edge of the little footbridge breathing heavily. There couldn’t be any doubt in their minds that he had just been saved from drowning.  

       After a few minutes, Rason pushed himself up on his elbows. “Thanks.” He said quietly. 

      “Just glad we made it in time”, said Midori. 

     “We got here just in time”, added Vagas. “I hate to think what we would have found if  we hadn’t arrived when we did.” 

    “Well, you did make it in time and I’m more grateful than you’ll ever know”, said Rason. 

Chapter Four

The Little Heifer

   They rested for about fifteen minutes and then Midori and Vagas helped Rason to his feet. They all three started north up the footpath. Suddenly Rason exclaimed “Oh, my gosh! I forgot all about the little cow! We’ve got to look for her.” 

Midori patted him on the back. “Don’t worry. I’ll go check on her and Vagas can go back to the house with you.” 

 Rason just nodded his head and smiled weakly. Vagas took a little more of his weight than before and they again slowly headed for the house.        

Midori had turned and was again walking south down the path. He knew where the pasture was. He’d spent quite a bit of time on this little place when he was younger. At one time his mother had been friends with Zealda. The kids hadn’t gotten along well, but the two women had – at least in those days. 

There was part of an old railroad track near the pasture. Midori crossed over it and around some thick bushes. “Whoa!” he shouted almost running head on into the little heifer that Rason was so concerned about. She jumped back in fright at the sight of him too. 

 Midori was so startled he fell back into a large bush. He just sat there for a moment with a silly grin on his face. Today had been that kind of day. 

The little cow had recovered from her fright too. She was still small with bumps where her horns would emerge. She had a gentle face with big, shiny, round, deep brown eyes. She was a Guernsey. She had mostly brown hair with an off-white belly and legs.

 Midori had done some reading about Guernseys. They are a special breed developed on a tiny island off the coast of England. They were first brought into the United States in about 1840. This was twenty years before the American Civil War (also called The War Between the States.)                    

The Guernsey cow is adaptable to warmer climates and is also an excellent grazer. Because of their grazing abilities, gentler disposition, calving ease and ability to efficiently produce milk with less feed than other breeds, they are ideal milk cows. 

  Well, this little Guernsey had been in the pasture all day and was eager to go up to the barn by the house to be fed and milked. She slowly and cautiously approached Midori. She extended her nose and let out a “moo.” 

 Midori was surprised at her boldness in approaching him. He was a stranger to her. But, maybe every human on this place seemed like a stranger because she’d only been here for few days. He figured she was hungry and needed milking, so he rolled over and got up on his hands and knees. He stood up.  

  The little cow looked apprehensive and took a couple of steps backward. 

 “Whoa now little one”, he said in a soft low voice.  

  She stopped and stood still. 

 Midori slowly approached her with his right hand out. He made little clicking noises with his mouth.

 The cow allowed him to place his hand near her nose. She smelled his hand for several seconds and then licked it with her long wet, sand paper rough, tongue. He patted her head and shoulders. 

  They were going to get along just fine.  

   In the meantime, Rason was being helped up the south path to the house by Vagas. He was doing a little better and leaned on her less as they came near to the house. 

   “It looks as bad as I thought it did”, he said. 

   “I’m afraid it’s going to be quite a job getting things back in order”, said Vagas. 

  Claressa saw them and began to wave her right hand vigorously. She shouted, “Zealda! They’re coming!” She was bouncing up and down. 

Zealda appeared around the corner of the house. “Oh my goodness!” She exclaimed. “They look a mess.” 

Rason left Vagas and moved quickly up the path now. He stopped to give Claressa a hug and then hugged his mother, Zealda. The women both seemed very relieved to have him there. 

Zealda looked at the three of them and felt a little uncomfortable with the things she had been thinking about them before the storm had thrown them all together again. What if she was wrong about Rason and Zealda? Maybe she hadn’t given them enough of an opportunity to act differently.  

Oh, well. There was time now to straighten things out. Thank heaven they were all uninjured and together. 

 “Moo. Moo.” bellowed the little Guernsey as she and Midori walked across the south pasture and around the pond. They could see the barn and the cow’s step quickened. She completely ignored the other humans, went up to the gate, and waited for someone to let her in. 

Zealda saw the little cow waiting at the gate. “Alright Hana”, she said. “I’m coming.” Zealda told Claressa she’d be back in a few minutes and headed toward the gate. She raised the wire loop that secured the gate and let Hana, the little Guernsey cow, into the small corral that was attached to the barn.  

Hana moved up to the wooden door on the barn and began to rub up against it. Zealda pushed her head down and forced her to back away from the door. With loud creaking sounds Zealda slowly opened the door and went in. She opened a wooden cover over a window like opening next to the door. 

With the inside lightened enough to see what she was doing, she again opened the creaky door and let Hana in. The little heifer went right to the milking stall, stuck her head into the hay trough in front of it and began to munch on the oats and hay Zealda was putting there to keep the cow busy while she milked her. 

Chapter Five

 The Drawing

Claressa looked at Rason and said, “Nephew. You’re a mess. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to go back into the house and it looks like your room was destroyed by the tree.” 

“I can go down to the pond and clean up”, said Rason. 

“No. No. No.”, said Claressa. “You’re coming with me. I had Zealda pack you a bag and it’s already in the VW.” 

“Are you sure?” Rason asked. 

“I won’t have it any other way. Now you just hop in that little bug and we’ll go get you cleaned up.” 

 “Vagas”, said Claressa. “You run to the barn and tell Zealda to get things put away here and I’ll come back in a couple of hours to get her too.” 

 Vagas ran off to the gate and went through it. She walked up to the open wooden door of the barn and told Zealda Claressa’s instructions. She then galloped back to the driveway  near the VW. 

“I’ll ride back with the two of you, if that’s all right Claressa.”, Vagas said.  

“That’ll be just fine young lady. There’s plenty of room for one more. Do you think Midori will come now or wait until I return?” asked Claressa.

“I think he’ll want to stay here with Zealda just to make sure she’s OK”, said Vagas. “Midori!” She shouted. “Are you going to stay here with Zealda and wait for Claressa to come back?”

"Yea. I'm down with that", he said. "I'll help her get things ready. She says her brother is coming in tomorrow with a couple of his friends. In two or three days they should have everything back together and be ready fro Zealda to move back in. 

With that, Vagas slid into the back seat of the VW. She had to sit sideways in order to get her long legs into the confined space of the back seat. She hunted for her seat belt. Finally found it and got it latched.  

Claressa and Rason got in. Claressa fired up the little bug and raced its motor a couple of times. One more time it roared and smoothly began moving up the drive and over the little hill toward the highway. Soon they were out of site but could still be faintly heard as Claressa worked the clutch and shifted gears. 

On the way into town Rason put his head back on the headrest of his seat and seemed to take a nap. It had been a pretty exhausting day for him. In fact, he was probably lucky to be alive. If Midori hadn’t jumped into the creek when he did, Rason might very well have drowned. 

Rason rested and kind of daydreamed on the way in. He went over recent events in his mind and came to the conclusion that his thinking and his behavior might have been wrong. Maybe he had allowed little things that happened to him to grow out of proportion in his mind. Perhaps he had just been wrong about everything. Midori and Vagas had come to his aid without hesitation and had almost certainly saved his life.  

Vagas put her hand on his left shoulder. He looked left to see her smiling at him. She said, “Are you OK? You’ve had quite a day.” 

He returned the smile and just nodded his head to indicate a “yes.” 

 “I know you can stay with your aunt Claressa but we have an extra room too. You’re welcome to stay with us, if you want to”, Vagas told him. 

  “Are you serious?” he said. “I really wasn’t looking forward to staying with Aunt Claressa. She’s nice and everything, but I always feel kind of out of place there.” 

Claressa turned to her head to her right to look at him. She gave him the kind of look an aunt gives an ungrateful nephew. “I’m sorry you feel out of place at my house”, she said. “I always go out of my way to try and make you feel at home. I suppose you just feel more comfortable around people your own age.” 

“Oh, Aunt Claressa. I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings" Said Rason."You’re the best aunt any kid could ever want, but… Yes. I do actually feel more comfortable around people my own age."  

“We’d be happy to have you. We could see a couple of movies or something.” said Vagas. 

“Actually, the thing that interests me the most is drawing”, explained Rason. “I’ve been working on this new picture and am just about done with it.” 

 “That’s amazing”, blurted Vagas. “Drawing is my favorite thing too. I can spend enormous amounts of time working on individual drawings. Do you have anything with you?” 

“Right there in that folder tucked into the side of my bag.” 

 “Can I look at it?” Vagas asked. 

“Sure”, said Rason. “Go for it.” 

Vagas carefully extracted the black leather folder from the pocket on the side of Rason’s bag. She gently opened it and looked up at Rason. 

“This is great!” She exclaimed. “This is really tight.       

Rason had a surprised look on his face. Then, the surprised look turned into a broad smile. He’d had no idea Vagas was interested in art. 

Vagas continued looking at his drawing of a robot. 

 Picture by Nohely

“This is a great drawing!” She said. “Can you show me how to do one like it?”

“Sure.” Said Rason.

 “Slow down Claressa. We’re almost at the house.” Said Vagas.

  “I know where you live.” Said Claressa with an annoyed tone in her voice. “I’m not going to pass it.”

 Claressa began downshifting the bug’s motor and gradually came to a stop in front of a small, but very neat wood frame house on the west side of Pondera. 

Chapter Six

Toby's Illness

        Vagas and the Montevideo family lived on Mimran Street just off of Frauhiger Avenue. The street was surprisingly quiet even though Frauhiger was one of the main streets in town.

         Tamarra came out to greet them. Vagas and Rason climbed out from behind the folding passenger seat on the right side of the little car. Rason picked up his bag, with his leather folder tucked securely into the side pocket, and walked across the sidewalk. Vagas was already giving her mother a big hug.

         Rason stayed far enough from Tamarra that he didn’t think she would be tempted to try and give him a hug too.

         “Hi Mrs. Montevideo”, he said. “I hope my staying won’t be a problem for you.”

         “Oh my. No.” She said. The only thing is that we try to keep the noise down so Vagas’ dad can rest. Toby’s not feeling well after his last treatment with chemotherapy.”

         “Chemotherapy?” Rason questioned.

         “Oh dear. Didn’t you know? He got sick last month and the doctor says he has lung cancer. I guess it’s all those years he smoked.” Tamarra explained.

         “Lung cancer?” Rason blurted. “Why that’s terrible. Is he going to be OK?”

         “Well. We don’t really know.” Interrupted Vagas. “The doctor said the chemotherapy might work but he wouldn’t promise anything.”

         “Toby’s been going for the treatments everyday this week and he is just worn out and sick.” Said Tamarra. “Those chemicals they give you may be necessary but they sure aren’t any fun. I think Toby’s in there throwing up right now. I’d better go and check on him. Excuse me for a minute.” Tamarra said as she turned and walked quickly up the walk after waving to Claressa and Zealda.

         Rason didn’t know much about this cancer stuff. He knew it was bad and that people could die from it. Toby was such a great guy. It didn’t seem fair that he’d get it.

         Vagas saw that Rason was frowning and deep in thought. She too was confused and concerned by what was happening to her father. She’d been spending a considerable amount of time on the internet reading about it, but a lot of the terms they used and the things they talked about were strange and foreign to her. It seemed like she was spending more time looking up words in the dictionary than she was reading about her father’s illness.

         Toby was beginning to lose weight and he looked pale. He had always been an active and outdoors type of man, but the last few weeks he hadn’t gotten out much. It wasn’t like him to lay around and take naps, but that was what he’d been doing. He just didn’t have much energy. Since the chemotherapy treatments started, he’d been nauseated frequently and just didn’t feel like doing much of anything. He was fighting for his life and he knew it.     

         Tamarra was worried about paying the bills. With Toby not working, they didn’t have much income. She worked as a helper at the zoo three days a week. That didn’t bring in much. They had a small savings account but that wasn’t going to last long. Thank goodness Toby had health insurance through the company he worked for. Otherwise, she didn’t know what they’d do.

         Tamarra was, of course, terribly concerned about Toby. He’d never really been sick in his life before. They had both talked about how dangerous smoking was but never thought it would affect them personally.

          Toby wasn’t handling the forced idleness very well. He certainly didn’t like being nauseated and exhausted all the time. His arms were bruised and sore from the laboratory tests and the intravenous medications he was getting at the hospital and in the doctor’s office. It was a tough time for both of them. They knew that Vagas and Midori must be worried too. The kids just didn’t talk about it much – at least not with Tamarra and Toby.

          One of Toby’s favorite foods had always been a chile relleno and enchilada with rice and beans. Now he couldn’t stand to even look at food. Sometimes even water made him queasy. The chemotherapy was also starting to make his hair fall out. At this rate he’d soon be bald. He also thought – maybe he was just imagining it – that his vision was getting worse. Things seemed a little fuzzier than normal. He’d probably have to see about getting his eyes checked. He wore glasses for reading but things in the distance just weren’t clear anymore.

          There was a loud noise as the front screen door slapped shut with a thwack! It was Midori. Vagas and Tamarra gave him frowns for making the loud noise. He lowered his head and looked apologetic. It was hard to remember to be quiet.

        As always, Midori was hungry. He headed straight for the refrigerator. It was hard to believe he could eat so much and not get fat. Of course, he was always active and busy with school and sports. He opened the refrigerator door and began removing things and placing them on the kitchen table. First there was a loaf of bread. Then there was a package of bologna and then a half eaten package of cheese. He added mayonnaise and mustard. He took lettuce and a tomato out of the vegetable bin. It was quite a collection!

        Midori began assembling his masterpiece. He slathered mayonnaise onto two pieces of bread. He poured on a large amount of mustard. Then, he sliced the tomato into four thick slices and arranged them carefully on the bed of mustard and mayonnaise. He pulled several layers of lettuce off of the head and then began piling on the cheese and meat. It was incredible and appeared too big to actually eat!

        Midori wrapped his rather large athletic hands around the monstrous sandwich - and then stopped. He needed milk. His hands were coated with the mustard and mayonnaise when he placed the sandwich on a plate. He went to the sink and quickly washed. Then he swung open a cabinet and retrieved a large glass. He swiftly moved to the icebox and took out the two thirds full gallon jug of milk. He poured it so quickly that it almost sloshed out of the glass. He put the jug back and closed the door with his foot. Time to eat!

         But wait. He'd forgotten the salt and pepper - and the onions. He took care of that mistake with the ease of an expert. One minute later there was a slice of onion on the monster and it had been liberally salted and peppered.

        He picked the monster sandwich up in his big paws like a grizzly bear about to eat a salmon. Toby walked in. Poor thing - he looked so pale and exhausted. He took one look at Midori preparing to inhale the huge sandwich and put his hand over his mouth. It was just too much for him. His nausea took over and he hurried out of the room and down the hall to the toilet. The door slammed and then there was retching and splashing. No mistaking that sound.

        Midori sat down. The sandwich was right there in his hands dripping mustard and mayonnaise onto the plate. He just looked at it. Suddenly his enormous appetite was all gone. He made quite a picture. He sat there for several minutes trying to figure out what he should do. Finally, Toby came out of the bathroom looking even paler than before. He got to the kitchen door and saw Midori sitting there pondering his monstrosity. Turning quickly, he headed back for the restroom.

        That did it. There was no way Midori was going to be able to eat that sandwich now. He was even beginning to feel a little queasy himself. He put the sandwich down and abandoned the whole project. He just wiped his hands on his pants and went out the screen door to the porch and sat down on the top step.

        Rason came around the corner from the front of the house. "Yo", he said. He saw Midori sitting on the top step of the porch looking kind of gray and lost. "W'as up?", he said to Midori.

        "Man. You hungry?", Midori asked.

        "Always", replied Rason. "Why do you ask?"

        " I just made a sandwich and then changed my mind about eating. It's yours if you want it."

        Rason's eyes twinkled slightly and he turned and opened the squeaky screen door. There on a plate was a dream sandwich and a glass of milk. It doesn't get better than that, he thought. He picked up the plate and the glass of milk and went out onto the porch to sit near Midori. There was a small bench-like table on the porch with a couple of old wooded chairs. He sat down and began devouring the masterpiece. It was a noisy, sloppy procedure. He smiled as he feasted.

        Midori thought this was just more than a person ought to have to tolerate. Rason was chomping on the sandwich like a crocodile eating a big snake. Whoa! There was a picture. Midori was trying hard not to lose the lunch he hadn't eaten.

        Rason didn't have a clue. He was enjoying that sandwich like he hadn't eaten in a week. It just didn't get any better than that!

Rason wolfed down the enormous sandwich in a matter of minutes and then belched loudly. Midori, startled by the loud and unexpected sound, jumped slightly, turned to look at Rason, and then slowly rolled his eyes. Rason didn’t have an inkling that he had done something that might be considered rude or low class. He finished the glass of milk with a gulp.

            “Man. That was deee-licious”, he said with obvious appreciation in his voice. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his now swollen abdomen.

            He reminded Midori of an anaconda that had swallowed a large pig. He thought the biggest and most obvious difference was that an anaconda wouldn’t eat again for a week or two. Rason already looked like he was thinking about dessert.

Chapter Seven

 The Ambulance

            Vagas leaned out of the screen door. “I am not cleaning up that mess in the kitchen!”, She exlaimed loudly to both the young men. “…And thanks for warning Toby that you were making stuff to eat. He was just trying to get his afternoon dose of Phenergan (a drug that can be taken orally to reduce nausea.) Now it looks like Mom is going to have to take him to Dr. Keyes to get a shot before the office closes.” Vagas looked moderately annoyed and it was obvious she blamed the boys for the unscheduled doctor’s visit and the disruption in their afternoon schedule of activities.

 Midori and Rason exchanged looks and then Midori rose and gave the over-stuffed Rason a hand up and out of his chair. They wormed their way past Vagas at the door and endured her continued glare. They both had enough sense  to know they shouldn’t make any comments. Soon they were bustling around cleaning up and putting things in their proper places. They clearly heard Tamarra start up the old Chevy truck in the driveway.

Vagas had re-entered the house and now came into the kitchen holding Toby’s arm and giving him support. Toby looked pale and his skin was diaphoretic (wet and cool). He looked like it was a struggle just to stay on his feet.

 “Hey Dad. I’m really sorry I made you sicker.” Midori spoke to Toby with real sincerity in his voice.

Toby smiled a weak smile and nodded his head in understanding. He was aware of  how easy it was for Midori to overlook courtesies when there was food involved. “I’ll be OK”, he reassured Midori. “ shot of  anti-emetic (drugs used to stop vomiting) and I’ll be back on track again. “It’s not really your fault. I know you were really hungry.”

Somehow Midori didn’t feel like it wasn’t his fault. He owed his Dad everything and his Dad had never let him down, either. It was only since Toby had been sick that he hadn’t attended every game Midori played in at Alvilar Middle School. Midori always knew he could look up in the bleachers and see his Dad’s face there.

Suddenly, as Midori was moving to help Vagas support Toby, Toby sort of slumped and Vagas couldn't support all of his weight by herself. Midori didn't have a grip, so Vagas just eased Toby to the kitchen floor. He was awake, but he looked way too pale. Midori just froze. He had no idea what to do. Rason danced a little nervous dance and was wringing his hands desperately. Only Vagas had the presence of mind to go to the phone and dial the Sheriff's office.

In Pondera there was no 911 service. They had two county deputy sheriffs on duty day and night. The fire department was made up of volunteers from the community and the only ambulance in town was stationed at the house of one of the volunteer EMTs (town residents trained as emergency medical technicians.) The second member of the ambulance crew would meet the ambulance at its destination. All of the fire and ambulance volunteers carried pagers so they could be reached where ever they happened to be.

Vagas dialed the number on the sticker on the wall phone in the kitchen. It rang twice before someone at the other end said "Pondera Sheriff's Substation. Is this an emergency?"

Vagas tried to keep her voice as calm as possible, "Yes. My father has collapsed in our kitchen. He's conscious, but too weak to get up and we're afraid to move him. He's being treated for cancer."

The female voice at the substation asked, "What is your address and the nearest cross street?"

Vagas told her the address was 419 Mimran Street and the nearest cross street was Frauhiger Avenue.

The lady on the phone informed her the emergency services team was being paged and would be there in a few minutes. Vagas relaxed a little. She saw that Midori was kneeling by his father and holding his hand. Rason was still dancing around nervously. Vagas said, "Rason. Go to the back bedroom and get a couple of pillows and a blanket for Dad."

Rason didn't speak. He looked at Vagas for a second as if trying to comprehend what she had said to him. Then, he kind of shook himself as if to regain control and headed down the hallway.

Vagas had retrieved a small towel from a drawer in the kitchen and was patting Toby's moist forehead. There was nothing to do but wait for the sound of the ambulance of fire truck. Toby seemed to be breathing OK. He was almost too weak to speak.

It was only five or six minutes until the wail of the ambulance could be heard approaching. Then, there was a second siren as well. As the emergency vehicles turned off of Frauhiger Avenue onto Mimran Street, they shut off their sirens. The husky sound of the big motor announced their arrival in front of the house.

Rason had gone out on the porch to wave at them so they wouldn't miss the address. The heavy doors of the ambulance closed solidly and then there was the soft clunking of heavy boots on the porch. The screen door squeaked a little and they were there. All of them felt very relieved.

The small hospital in Pondera was located across town next to Howard Horn Municipal Park. Dr. Keyes had his office next to the hospital and near the Kilda Street Zoo. It would take about five minutes to get there from Mimran street.

The EMTs checked Toby’s vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure, and respirations.) Kory was the team leader and was also manager of the town pharmacy. Practically everyone in town knew him and trusted him. His father had opened the pharmacy back in the 1960's when there was hardly enough business to keep it going. Kory told Tamarra and the teenagers that Toby's blood pressure was pretty low and that had probably caused him to almost pass out. It might have been because he was vomiting and unable to replace the fluids he was losing. They would get him to the hospital right away.

A few seconds later they had Toby loaded up and were on their way out the screen door.

Tamarra and Vagas got in the truck and went to the hospital. They knew they weren't supposed to follow the ambulance. That can cause problems for the ambulance. Besides, it takes time for the ambulance people, Kory and his partner Tony, to get a patient out of the ambulance and checked in to the emergency room. Sometimes the emergency room at Valencia Community Hospital was full and incoming patients had to wait to get a bed there. At any rate, there was no reason to hurry. It was going to be a long evening.

Midori and Rason ended up back on the steps of the porch. Midori didn't feel comfortable around the hospital and it was pretty obvious that Rason wasn't much good at these things.

Chapter Eight

Deputy Burton and the Spiders

Midori looked over at Rason and said, "Hey. Let's run over to the zoo and check on the flamingos. Mr. Coleman asked me to stop by tonight and check on them for him."

"But it's after five P.M.", replied Rason with a surprised look. "Won't they be closed?"

"Yeah, but Mr. Coleman gave me a key to the outside door to his office", Midori answered. "I've taken care of things for him before."

"Well, sure", said Rason. "I don't mind, and it will give us something to do. Might be fun too."

"Come on", said Midori enthusiastically. "We can take the bikes."

"The bikes?", questioned Rason.

 "Vagas and I have BMX bikes. We can take them and be there in no time", said Midori matter of factly.

The boys went through the house and out the door into the garage. The bikes were there leaning against the wall. Midori took two helmets off of a hook on the wall.

"Nah. I don't need one of those", said Rason frowning.

"Not an option", said Midori. Mom may seem easy going but if she catches us out riding these bikes without a helmet, the bikes will disappear. I can guarantee that. She doesn't mess around and she sure means something when she says it. You can count on her doing what she says she'll do and she said no one rides these bikes without a helmet. "So, put it on or you'll have to run along side me."

"Oh, all right", responded Rason with obvious unhappiness. "I believe what you say about your mom and I sure don't want to get on her bad side. Give me the helmet."

They had to wiggle the bikes out through the little side door to the garage. It took a minute but they were careful not to scratch up the wood and trim on the door. Midori was learning to appreciate how hard his parents had to work to provide the things they all enjoyed. He could imagine the frown his dad would get on his face if he tore something up. It just meant more work for someone who had already worked hard that day. Midori made sure there would be no scratches.

Rason saw how carefully Midori worked the bike out through the door and did the same. He remembered the old expression, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." He figured if Midori was going to be careful, then so would he. It was kind of a new thing for him - this respect and carefulness stuff. He thought, "whatever."

When they got outside into the dimming evening light Rason noticed how nice the BMX bike he was pushing actually was. "Man, Midori. This bike is tight!" He said.

"It should be", said Midori. Vagas and I worked and saved for a whole year to buy them and even then Mom and Dad had to kick in a little extra at Christmas so we could get them."

Rason slipped the helmet onto his head and adjusted the straps for a tight but comfortable fit. "I read about this kid in a town down south called Lancaster. His name is Bubba Harris. I read about him in the newspaper a couple of weeks ago."

"Yeah. Wasn't he in the X Games last year?" Questioned Midori.

"Sure. That's the one and another guy named Brian Schmith who also does mountain bike racing", added Rason emphatically. "The article said that Harris kid started racing when he was seven years old and now he's eighteen."

"Eighteen?" Wondered Midori. "Didn't he break a wrist or something?"

"Right. Right. But the funny thing is that Harris wants to go to art school and study computer animation. Does that make any sense?" Said Rason shaking his head.

"In a way it does" said Midori. "I'm beginning to understand that you have to have some kind of training or skill in order to make a living - an income - when you get older."

"Older" retorted Rason. "Who cares about older?"

"Well, I've been spending some time talking to my Dad lately. I always thought he had it pretty easy working at the glass place replacing windows and stuff. But, he tells me different", explained Midori.

"Different like what?" Answered Rason with a defiant tone in his voice.

"Well, he told me the other day that the thing he loved the most was building racing cars. The only problem was that he couldn't make a steady income doing it, so he had to work for the glass company instead. He's been there almost twenty years now. Since he got sick, he seems to spend a lot of time thinking about the things he wishes he's had time to do", said Midori.

"Well, why didn't he just find a way to go ahead and work on race cars anyway!" Rason almost shouted.

They were turning left at the corner of Howard Horn Municipal Park now. The small Valencia Community Hospital where Toby had been taken was on their right. They didn't see an ambulance parked in the emergency entrance. They made the turn onto El Dorado Boulevard and headed toward the north side of the Kilda Street Zoo.

When they reached the corner of the zoo, they made a left down Bellanger Lane. It was small and just wide enough for two cars to pass if no cars were parked at the curb. The boys rode down the white centerline because there were no cars in sight. At the middle of the block they went over the curb and stopped next to an outer door in the wall of of the building that surrounded The Kilda Street Zoo. There wasn't any sign or anything to tell what the door was for. Midori knew this was the outside entrance to Mr. Coleman's office. Mr. Coleman rode a bicycle to work everyday come rain or shine.

"This is it." Shouted Midori as he turned and looked over his left shoulder at Rason.

"Huh?" Said Rason looking puzzled.

"This is it." Repeated Midori raising his voice a notch.

"It? Oh Yeah. It." Said Rason. "It's the helmet. It's hard to hear very well."

Midori dismounted his bike and leaned it up against the wall. He fumbled in his right front pocket for a second and Rason could hear a metallic clinking noise like metal on metal. Out came Midori's hand with a fairly large looking yellow metal key on a small chain with a well worn rabbit's foot attached to it. He felt for the lock as much as looked because the light was beginning to fade. Rason even clicked on the headlight of the bike he was riding to help out.

There was a click and a creaking sound as the lock opened and then the door. Midori reached in and flipped on the light switch to the left of the door. The outside light came on too.

"Oops", said Midori. "I hit both switches." He quickly switched off the outside light but it was too late. A patrol car headed east on Kilda Street had just passed Bellanger Lane and must have noticed the light and the boys at the door. The Deputy stooped with a squeal. The motor on the patrol car revved up as he put the car into reverse and then roared up to the curb next to Rason. Midori was about half way through the door.

A bright light came on and Rason looked like he was about to try and make a run for it.

"Hey! You two!" Came a loud deep voice. "Stand right there. Don't move."

Midori and Rason froze. Midori his head slightly to the left to see who was doing the talking but the bright light blinded him even when he squinted and tried to see better.

"Montevideo? Is that you?" Questioned the authoritative voice.

"Randy? I mean deputy Burton? Is that you?" Asked Midori.

Rason looked really puzzled. He didn't have any idea what was going on.

"Midori. What are you and you friend up this time?" Inquired Deputy Burton. He knew Midori was close to Mr. Coleman and often assisted him at the zoo. He figured Rason must be the York boy who lived on the little place just outside of town. The Deputy had seen him walking or skateboarding up and down the roads around town several times.

"Whew!" Blew Midori. "I thought we were goners there for a minute. Sure glad it was you Randy."

"Who else would it be at this time of night?" Replied Deputy Burton. "You know I always take Fridays."

"Yeah. That's right. I just kind of lost it when I heard that motor and the light hit me. Looked like Rason was going to tear out of here too!" Midori laughed.

"Well now, that wouldn't be so funny", stated Deputy Burton. "It isn't smart to run from a police officer under any circumstances. You never know what he's going to think. He may have just received a call about a robbery with a suspect who sort of fits your description. He might think your the bad guy who just shot someone. It could get ugly real quick. It's always best to stay put and follow the instructions of the officer to the letter - no matter what."

"You hear that Rason?" Asked Midori.

"Yes. I hear it. I was thinking of taking off, but I won't even consider it next time. I can understand how an officer might get the wrong idea real easy if a person takes off. I guess they just assume that the person must have done something wrong if they run or don't follow instructions. But I sure was scared there for a moment." stated Rason, taking a deep breath as if coming up from a dive into the deep end of a pool.

"OK guys. There's a radio call. It sounds like there's something going on over at Jonathan's Grocery. Probably just kids getting into some kind of mischief. I better go. You two stay out of trouble - hear?" Deputy Burton held his night stick up out of the way as he easily slid back into his cruiser and pulled down on the gear shift. He lifted the radio mike to his chin and responded, "One alpha three. ten-four. Ten-eight. ETA three." A few seconds later he was turning right onto El Dorado and was gone.

"What was all the jiberish on the radio?", asked Rason. "Do you know what that stuff means?"

"Yeah. Some", said Midori. "One alpha three means the deputy is alone working the west side of town in car number three. Ten four means OK and ten-eight means he can take the call - I think. ETA is estimated time of arrival or how long it will take him to get there."

"Where'd you learn that code stuff?" asked Rason in amazement.

"I saw it on a web site one night when I was just surfin' around lookin' at different things", explained Midori patiently. "I think I printed out a copy. We'll look for it when we get home if you think you'd like to see it."

"Tight!" whispered Rason.

"Why are you whispering?" Asked Midori.

Rason pointed with the beam of the flashlight at a large gray parrot in a cage next to Mr. Coleman's desk. It had begun to fidget and twitter due to the presence of the two young men.

"Good idea", whispered Midori.

"Boy. That was pretty wild, Midori." said Rason. "That deputy's the guy that stopped me and JB out on the highway one night. My friend JB goes to Zavala Middle School over in Monette. I don't think the deputy remembered me. Somebody reported us for using the handrails at Nichol's Public Library to practice tricks with our skateboards. We were on our way back out to my Mom's place.  He just warned us and let us go. He was actually pretty nice about the whole thing."

"Come on in Rason", said Midori. "Just lean the bike up against the file cabinet and grab a couple of flashlights out of the charger on top of the cabinet. We'll need them inside because only the night lights are on."

Rason picked the two newest looking flashlights and walked over to follow Midori out through the inside door. Midori reached back with his left hand and Rason passed him one of the lights just like a baton pass in a relay race. Midori wasted no time and headed straight for the flamingo pond. He pointed the flashlight at the water's edge and it was easy to see the mark where the water level had dropped.

"He was right." Stated Midori. "Mr. Coleman was right."

"Right about what?" Asked Rason.

"The water level. It's low just like he said it might be. If it gets too low the stupid birds get their long legs caught in the pipes that feed the fountain in the middle of the pond. Then they get scared and flap around until they break a wing or a leg and have to be destroyed." Midori told Rason.

"Destroyed?" Asked Rason wrinkling his eyebrows into a serious frown. "You mean put down - like killed?"

"Killed. Yeah", nodded Midori. "Mr. Coleman likes to say euthanized. He explained that in Greek 'eu' means nice and 'thanos' means death. So it means you give them a painless death 'cause they usually can't be fixed if they break a leg."

"Oh. Sort of like with horses. Right?"

Midori nodded his head in the affirmative. "Well. Let's get the big hose out and get this thing filled up."

         Rason gave Midori a blank look. He had no idea where 'the big hose' might be.

          Midori chuckled. "I'm sorry. How could you know where the big hose is? Come on and follow me."

          Using their flashlights, the two of them found their way around the bird enclosure south and east of the Flaming Pond. Behind the enclosure was a wooden shed that came up to Midori's waist in height. It was about eight feet long and was painted in a camouflage pattern to help it look less obvious to zoo visitors.

          "It's in here", said Midori. "Watch out for black widows. This old box has several big ones. Mr. Coleman says not to kill them but they make me feel creepy. They can come after you if they have an egg sac in their nest."

            "You go right ahead and get the hose out", said Rason shakily. "I don't want anything to do with black widow spiders. My mother go bitten on the foot by one up at Veliz' landing last year and was really sick for a whole day. She had terrible stomach and back cramps. You couldn't see any mark on her foot except a little red dot. She said it burned quite a bit."

           "I usually use these gloves", said Midori as he grabbed a pair of gloves someone had dropped onto the top of the box."Whoa. Do you see the spider in this glove?"

          Rason looked intently as Midori shined his flashlight beam into the left hand glove. Sure enough, there was a shiny black oval bodied spider with a red hourglass shape on its abdomen. "What are you gonna do?", he asked.

          I'll just leave a note for Mr. Coleman. I'm not messing with spiders out here in the dark. I'll get a hoe and use the handle to drag the hose out where we can see what we're grabbing."

          The boys found a rake instead of a hoe and it let them pull the hose out of the box. When they were sure it was clear of any spiders, they hooked it to the hydrant near the Flaming pond and proceeded to raise the level of the water in the pond to the proper level. A few minutes later, they disconnected the hose and stored it carefully back in the wooden shed.

Chapter Nine

 Jonathans' Market

          They went back through Mr. Coleman's office and replaced the lights in the charger on the file cabinet. Midori was very precise about getting everything in its proper place. He took his time locking the outside door and checked it several times just to make sure it was locked securely.

          "You feel like riding over to Jonathan's Market for a drink?" Midori asked Rason. "It's on me."

          "Sounds like a plan", responded Rason.

          They headed north up Bellanger Lane to Frauhiger Avenue and turned right and headed east to main Street. From there they turned left and went north. Jonathan's was on the south side of Aguayo State Highway and on the west side of Main. It was always clean and well lighted. Practically everyone in Pondera shopped there and knew Jonathan.

          When they got to the market, Midori told Rason to wait outside with the bikes for just a minute. Midori went inside and returned a moment later. “It’s OK”, he said. “Jonathan’s here and he said we can bring the bikes inside and lean them against the wall by the magazine rack.”

          "They must be about ready to close", said Rason.

          "'About a half hour", stated Midori. "Just the same, we had better hurry."

          They went through the bread section and passed the dairy goods. The carbonated drinks were near the back of the store. They each picked out a preferred drink. Midori quickly selected the brand and flavor he wanted. Rason had trouble making up his mind.

          "C'mon Rason", encouraged Midori. They're all pretty much the same."

          "I know they are", answered Rason. "But I always have trouble making up my mind. Then, when I finally make a choice, I usually not satisfied with it."

          "I guess I was just never that particular when it comes to food or drink", said Midori. "I can enjoy almost anything."

          "OK", stated Rason with conviction in his voice."I'll take 'Big Red'."

          The boys started walking back to the front of the store to pay for their drinks. They kept looking around trying to see Jonathan but he must have gone back to his office to get ready to close the store for the night.

          Sharonda was the checker and she was waiting for them as they approached. She smiled and said,"Didyou fellows find everything you were looking for tonight?"

          Midori was embarrassed by her direct look and beautiful smile. Rason didn't seem to notice either of them.

          "Yes" spoke Midori after a moments hesitation. "We found exactly what we wanted. How are you tonight?"

          "Oh I'm just wonderful," said Sharonda. "You two are out pretty late tonight, aren't you?"

          "We were over at the zoo doing some things for Mr. Coleman", said Midori. "We just thought we'd ridew over and get a drink before we headed back to the house."

          "The store's going to close in about ten minutes", she said. "I don't have far to go but I'll have to walk down to Frauhiger and Main by myself unless you two would be nice enough to wait for me and give me some company. Sometimes it gets a little scary walking alone at this time of night", explained Sharonda.

          "Sure" replied Midori. "We can wait for you. We'll be just outside the front entrance by the shopping carts. Will that be OK?"

          "Great!" Exclaimed Sharonda a little too happily.

          Rason rolled his eyes. "Oh boy", he thought. "This is way too goofy." Now he was stuck escorting a girl home. What would people think if they saw him?

Chapter 10

Emergency Room

          Vagas and Tamarra waited almost an hour in the emergency room waiting area before Tamarra was allowed to go back and see Toby. Vagas tried to go in but a nurse near the door informed her that only one visitor was permitted at a time because there was so little room and so many things going on. Vagas wasn't pleased, but she understood. It was pretty obvious that the place was packed.

            Toby was already looking better when Tamarra approached the side of his small narrow emergency bed. His color was better and he seemed to have a little more energy.

        There was an 'IV' or intravenous line going into his right forearm. She could see where the small catheter (tube) was taped in place. She had watched several times while Toby had them put in and always marveled that they could put such a small straw-like device into a vein. It allowed them to give him fluids and medicines without having to stick him with more needles.

        She waited and watched as nurses and other visitors went in and around Toby's small curtained off area. Finally, she got tired of waiting and stopped a nurse.

          "Are you a nurse?" Tamara asked.

          "No. I'm a Technician. The young woman responded politely, but as if was in a hurry to get somewhere. "May I help you?"

          "Has the Doctor been in to examine my husband yet?" Tamara inquired. She was trying to hide her impatience but wasn't doing too good a job.

          "He spoke to your husband for just a moment when the ambulance arrived, but they called a 'Code Blue' in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The doctor and and one of the nurses had to run down there because a patient had stopped breathing. The Doctor ordered some medications and tests on his way out the door. He should be back any time."

          Tamara wasn't really pleased to hear the Doctor had had to leave, but understood everyone's first priority was to try and save lives. Toby was sick enough but he certainly wasn't in danger of dying tonight. She asked the Technician if her daughter could trade places with her.

          "How old is your daughter?" Asked the Tech.

          "She's thirteen", said Tamarra.

          "OK. Age twelve is the cut-off", the Tech informed Tamarra. "Twelve and under are not allowed."

          "That seems a little silly", argued Tamarra.

          "There a lot of good reasons" explained the Technician sounding official now. "People in the Emergency Room carry many kinds of dangerous bacteria and viruses that can be deadly for children. Children carry bacteria and viruses that can be fatal for a person who has certain illnesses or has had chemotherapy. In addition, things can get ugly in an Emergency Room. People walk in with terrible injuries and wounds. Kids don't need to see that. It's not that we don't like kids. We do."

          "Thanks for the explanation", said Tamara. "I just wasn't thinking and it's been a very long day. "I'm sorry if I was unpleasant."

          "Not at all", said the Technician, smiling. "In the Emergency Room everyone is under a lot of pressure. The patients are sick or injured. The family members are worried, tired, and afraid. The staff is usually short-handed and trying to keep things under some kind of control. It's a tough place for us all. Now go and get your daughter and I'll show her where your husband is."

          Tamarra went to the waiting room and let Vagas know that she could go in and see her father for a few minutes. Vagas was familiar with the emergency room and entered the double swinging doors to the inner office where the admitting clerk sat. The clerk asked her who she was going to see and then buzzed her through the security door to the right of the clerk's desk.

          Vagas counted the curtained stalls until she came to number three on her left. She peeked around the curtain and saw her father there. He had an oxygen cannula (tubing) in his nose and an IV line in his left arm, but he looked much better and he even managed a weak smile as she approached the side of his bed and took his hand in hers.

 Chapter 11

Sharonda

          Midori and Rason had waited a few minutes outside Jonathan's Market as they finished their sodas. It wasn't long before Sharonda came out he side door for employees to enter and exit the business. She smiled when she saw the boys waiting for her. They didn't know it, but she didn't like having to walk home alone at night when the store closed. The store was only a short distance from Aguayo State Highway to the north and There was a lot of traffic on that road.

          Midori saw Sharonda and waved weakly. It made him a little uncomfortable escorting a grown lady home but somehow he felt like it was the right thing to do. How could he have said no to her request?

          Rason just seemed downright nervous.

         "Lighten up, Rason", said Midori in a whisper as Sharonda Approached.

          "Dude", said Rason. ""This is too freaky!"

          "Shhhh!" Warned Midori. "Just deal with it."

          "OK. OK.", apologized Rason. "It just seems a little strange to be doing this. OK?"

          "Midori", exclaimed Sharonda. "You two are my heroes. I'm so glad you waited for me. Richard will be surprised to see me show up with two handsome young men escorting me."

          Sharonda's husband, Richard, didn't like her having to walk home alone when she worked the evening shift, but he had to stay with the new baby and their older child, Micah. He always waited at the end of the walk near the street. That way he could watch her most of the way home.

          Tonight he was surprised to see her walking with what appeared to be two men - although one was pretty short. He wasn't really alarmed because she seemed to be comfortable with them and they looked like they were talking and they were pushing bicycles. Never the less, he kept a close eye on them.

          Sharonda guessed that the boys were a little uncomfortable in her company. She made small talk to lighten the mood and to try to reduce their uneasiness.

          In a matter of three or four minutes they could clearly see Richard standing out on the curb in front of Sharonda's little prefabricated house. A prefab was kind of like a mobile home or trailer except that it was designed to be a house. It was small but neat and clean on the outside. It looked much like a small regular house.

          "Richard", said Sharonda. "These nice young men volunteered to escort me home tonight. Isn't that nice?" Asked Sharonda.

          "Midori?" Asked Richard. "Is that really you?" Richard stepped toward Midori and extended his right hand.

          Midori wasn't used to being treated like a man and he hesitated for a moment before extending his right hand. Richard had a powerful grip. "Hey", he said. "Yeah. It's me. What was I going to do? Say no?"

          "Well I sure appreciate it", said Richard thankfully. "I always worry about her walking home at night. Who is your friend?"

          "I'm sorry" apologized Midori. "This is Rason York. He's staying with us for a couple of days until they get his house repaired from the storm damage."

          "Nice to meet you, Rason", said Richard. "I'm grateful for you walking my Sharonda home tonight."

          Rason shook hands with Richard. It felt pretty good to be thanked for protecting someones' wife. All he's done was to tag along with Midori. "Oh. It was my pleasure", he said. "Nice to meet you too."

          Sharonda had walked up the walk and was ascending the two steps to the front door. "Why don't you two come in for a minute. I'll make you a sandwich or something."

          Richard looked at them with a look of, "Why not?"

          "Midori knew Sharonda must be tired after working all day. He also knew that Richard worked the night shift at Henderson Industrial Park as a guard. It was obvious to Midori that they were just being courteous. " No. We had better be getting back to the house", he said. "It's sure nice of you to offer, though."

          As an afterthought Sharonda offered, "Tell Vagas I could use a baby sitter for Channie (the baby) a couple of times a week."

          "I'll pass it on", nodded Midori."I'm sure she'd be happy to get the work."

          "OK", thanked Richard. "I do appreciate the favor. I'd better get ready for work. I'll be seeing you around."

          "You bet", said Midori. "We'll look for you."

         With that the two boys reached for their helmets and put them on. They mounted the BMX bicycles they'd been pushing and shoved off peddling furiously. In a moment they were just wobbly shadows headed south down Main Street.

Chapter Twelve

Micah

         Micah was Sharonda's eight year old son. He was very sleepy and was lying on the couch when he heard his father talking to someone in front of the house that night. Soon, he was sound asleep. He was unaware that his father, Richard,  picked him up and carried him to his room.

          The next morning, Micah was awakened by Sharonda. What a wonderful way to wake up. His mother kissed his cheek and said, "Hey little one. Let's get up and get started."

          Micah opened his sleepy eyes and saw his mother looking at him. He saw her bright smile. He smelled her warmth. He felt safe and secure. She represented all that was safe and secure.

         "Momma?" He asked.

         "Get up, son", she said. "Hurry and get ready for school."

         Micah felt the softness of his pillows. There was such a nice peaceful feeling all over his body. He did not want to get up. He felt like he could close his eyes and return to sleep for another hour.

         "Get up, son", she said.

         Micah knew he had to get up. He pushed himself up on his left elbow and raised his head.. Oh, it was tough.

        "Come on Junior. You have to get up", implored his mother.

        Finally, Micah twisted and moved his feet over the side of his bed. He knew his mom was serious when she called him Junior. He was named after his grandfather. He placed his feet on the cold tile floor. He stood up knowing that this was the hardest part. He walked slowly, sort of stumbling, to the kitchen table where he knew his mother would have some sort of breakfast ready for him.

         There were pancakes, butter, and syrup on his plate. "Heaven", he thought.

         Two minutes later there was an empty plate in front of him and he was stumbling down the hall to the shower. He was himself quickly. At first the water was too cold. Then, it was too hot. He had it just about right when his Sharonda called him.

          Micah toweled himself off and quickly brushed his teeth. He was always careful to brush well. He had been to the dentist several times and always had perfect check-ups. There was no doubt in his mind that careful brushing meant avoiding painful trips to the dentist. The dentist's helper had shown him how to floss his teeth too and he always tried to do this right after dinner each evening. If he waited until bedtime, he'd fall asleep and not do it. If he tried to do it in the morning, there was never enough time.

          Micah dressed quickly. He put on his favorite pair of shoes. They were a birthday present and he was proud of them. They made a big difference when he played basketball at recess. He was very good at basketball. In fact, he was really pretty good at all the sports he'd tried. He looked forward to reaching middle school where they had more sports with coaches and teams. One of the girls down the street played several sports at the Middle School and was always talking about it. He couldn't wait.

          When he was dressed, Micah hurried to make his bed and make sure everything looked tidy. "Tidy" was a word his mother really seemed to like. It meant everything in its place. Well, everything was tidy so he went back down the hall to the kitchen. He hugged Sharonda and leaned over the crib to kiss the baby. Then he grabbed his lunch sack off the kitchen counter and stuffed it into his backpack which was waiting on the service porch next to the washing machine.

          Micah was briefly blinded by the bright morning sunlight as he went out the door onto the step. He had to be careful not to trip and fall. He got his bearings back as he went down the walk toward the street. He looked left down Main Street. The school bus was loading at the stop at the north side of Gordon High. His stop, which was at the intersection just south of Valencia Community Hospital was next. He could make it on time if he hurried. He hurried. His backpack swung noisily from side to side as he jogged toward the stop. He got there only a moment befor the yellow school bus did.

          The bus driver was a bit unusual. He was a large gray haired man who looked very much like a grandfather. Micah had learned that the driver used to be a doctor. He had retired and actually drove the school bus to keep busy. They called him Dr. Belton and the doctor always carried a yo-yo in a leather pouch on the right side of his belt. The doctor loved to demonstrate tricks for the kids. Micah's mom said Dr. Belton used to put on shows for the sick kids at VCH (Valencia Community Hospital).

          There were several other kids already lined up and waiting for the bus when Micah sprinted up and took his place at the end of the line. The bus pulled up carefully and stopped. The double doors opened and there was Dr. Belton's frindly face and smile welcoming the kids. It was a nice way to start the day.

Chapter Thirteen

Mr. Coleman

          Mr. Coleman was a very punctual man. He was careful to always be on time. He arrived outside the eastern side of the Kilda Street Zoo at exactly 6:55 AM every morning. He took good care of his bicycle. It was always in perfect condition. He had a car, but preferred to ride the bike just to save on gas and to stay in shape. He was average in height and wore glasses. He was handsome and athletic. He loved sports and coached a basketball team at the New Vista Youth Center in the evenings.

          Mr. Coleman is a zoologist. A zoologist is a person who studies animals. The Greek root word "zoo" means animals . The ending, or suffix, "logist" comes from the ancient Greek word "Logos" which means to study, know, or understand something. So a zoologist is a person who studies and understands animals.

          Even when he was young Mr. Coleman knew he wanted to be around animals. He loved them. He found them interesting. He never tired of learning about them. He grew up in San Francisco where they had a great zoo and also a great university. He spent many happy days just walking around the zoo there observing the animals and also the people who worked there. It seemed like the perfect way to make a living.

          Mr. Coleman asked the people at the zoo what he would have to do to get a job working there. They were very helpful and seemed happy to hear that a young person was so interested in what they did. They introduced him to the zoologist who ran the zoo and that lady, a Mrs. Perez, introduced him to the staff members who supervised the various areas of the Berkeley Zoo. Each person was a specialist in the particular kinds of animals in their section of the zoo.

        Soon Mr. Coleman was working as a volunteer. He didn't get paid but getting to be around the animals and zoo staff was more than enough reward. He was so happy there.

          He learned from them that, in order to actually "be" a zookeeper, he would have to get a college degree and study zoology. He stopped playing around in school and began to read everything he could find about animals and what made them "tick". It didn't matter to him that people thought he was some kind of "geek". He knew what he wanted and he knew going to college was the way to get it.

          Being zookeeper at the Kilda Street Zoo was a dream come true for Mr. Coleman. He was happy. He got paid for doing what he did. It just doesn't get any better than that. He was always on time. Before he left the office on Friday afternoon he had prepared his coffee maker and set the timer for 6:45AM Monday morning.

          Today was no different than any other. Mr. Coleman arrived around 6:55 AM and entered his office through the same side door that Midori and Rason had used the night before. The gray parrot in the cage next to his desk began making an awful racket in anticipation of being feed. Mr. Coleman placed his bicycle against the file cabinet and removed his backpack which took the place of a brief case. It held his lunch, a ham and cheese sandwich with an apple and a bag of chips, as well as his PDA (personal digital assistant) and the coaching clothes and shoes he would change into at the New Vista Youth Center after work.

          He placed the backpack on his desk and unzipped it. Then he removed the sack lunch and placed it into a small dark brown wood grain colored refrigerator in the corner of his office. While he had the door open he removed a bag of special treats for the parrot. The parrot stopped making noise and turned his head right and left eyeing Mr. Coleman carefully. Mr. Coleman placed a few tasty dried fruit tidbits into the palm of his hand, opened the clip that held the cage door shut, and offered the goodies to the bird.

          The gray parrot was and old friend who had been with Mr. Coleman for more than five years. He knew the routine well and jumped down onto the perch nearest the cage door. He eagerly snatched up the precious treats from Mr. Coleman's hand. He made soft little sounds that almost sounded like the purring of a kitten. Mr. Coleman always enjoyed this part of his day. He was very close to the bird.

           After the goodies were all gone Mr. Coleman went about the chore of replacing the paper in the bottom of the cage. It was soiled from the weekend. He kept a stack of old newspapers on top of the refrigerator. He changed the water and filled the feeder with commercial parrot mix. By 7:15 AM the bird was taken care of and Mr. Coleman sat down at his desk and pour himself a fresh cup of steaming coffee. He pulled the morning paper out of his backpack and opened it to look at the headline.

           Every morning Mr. Coleman read his paper between 7:15 and 7:30 AM. After glancing at the headlines he found the local section and went through it quickly. There wasn't much news in Pondera. There was one interesting article about the girls volleyball team at Gordon High. They had won a close game with a team from a much bigger school down in the valley near Fresno called Oakdale. He knew a couple of the girls on the team. They were strong competitors and excellent athletes. One of the advantages of living in a small town was that the high school was fairly small and a good athlete could participate in several sports.

           Next, Mr. Coleman read through the sports section. He particularly enjoyed articles on fishing and hiking. He loved to fish and if he could combine hiking and fishing - well that was perfect.

           At 7:30 AM on the dot Mr. Coleman folded his paper and placed the unread sections in the top right drawer of his desk. The rest of the paper landed on top of the stack accumulating on top of his little fridge. He walked to his desk. Gulped down the small amount of remaining coffee in his cup and headed toward the door to the zoo. He opened the door quickly and stepped out into his element - the Kilda Street Zoo.

Chapter Fourteen

Deputy Burton

           After his little encounter with the Montevideo and York boys, Deputy Burton had responded to a call in the vicinity (area) of Jonathan's Market at Main Street and Highway 62. Pondera was a small town and there was seldom any real trouble. Nevertheless, Randy Burton had been a law enforcement officer for almost twelve years and he knew that even the most routine call could become deadly if the officer was careless or unprepared.

           Deputy Burton was assigned to Pondera from the county office. He and seven other officers were responsible for the area that ran from Casca Lake to Monette. He and Deputy Chora would work together from 5:00 PM until 5:00 AM for three days and then have four days off. The next week they would work four days with three days off. It wasn't a bad schedule and Chora was an experienced deputy who could always be counted on if things got rough.

           Burton and Chora would take turns covering either the east or west side of town. The west side included Casca Lake, which was the Lake itself and Veliz Landing as well as the AM-PM and a few small businesses at the town Casca Lake sitting on highway 62. The east side of town included the small community of Monette and Perez Reservoir.

           Whenever they got a call that sounded the slightest bit risky, they would both respond. This time Officer Jaime Chora was already on the scene waiting for Randy. Jaime must have taken the highway. Randy had to negotiate the surface streets in Pondera. They got out of their patrol cars together. It was their practice to have the primary officer be the leader. The primary was the one in who's area the call occurred. The Secondary officer was considered the back-up and always carried a twelve gauge Remington 870 shotgun - just in case.

          Working in a small town was much different than in a city or urban setting. Out here in Pondera there was only Burton and Chora. That was it. If they got in over their heads it was just too bad. The nearest help was over thirty minutes away. They had to be self-sufficient and take care of each other. Not every officer could work under these conditions.

          This time it was a fairly routine call. A passerby had seen a body lying in the street near the main Street on ramp to Aguayo State Highway 62. They called 911. Randy pulled up cautiously not knowing what to expect. Almost immediately he recognized the form to be that of Bruce Martin. Martin was the town drunk. Randy pointed his spotlight at Martin, and then got out of the patrol car and approached the obviously undead body. Martin was a mess as usual.

          "Bruce", Randy spoke deliberately. "Bruce", he repeated.

          "Yeah? What cha want?", replied the very intoxicated vagrant.

          "Are you alright?" Randy asked.

          "I'm OK", Bruce answered. "Why you botherin' me?"

          "C'mon Bruce" Randy said as he tried to help the man to his feet. Martin smelled terrible and Randy wished he'd remebered to put on his disposable latex gloves before handling Martin.

          Bruce Martin was a local who had grown up in near by Monette. Always a trouble maker, he left school early and got a job at a gas station. He got along pretty well for a while. Married young. Had a couple of kids. Then the gas station was converted to self-service and Bruce no longer had a job. Without an education he found it difficult to find work. He thought about going into the Army or another military service, but they required a high school diploma - and he didn't have one.

          Bruce's wife, Randy couldn't remember her name now, had tried to support the family and Bruce for a time, but she hadn't finished high school either and about the only job open to her was working as a waitress at Frankie's Grill in Casca Lake. The work was hard and the hours were long. Bruce began to drink and it wasn't long before his wife took the kids and returned to live with her parents in Fresno. She went back to school and ended up getting a job working as a correctional officer at Corcoran State Prison in central California.

          Bruce Martin eventually lost his home and moved from place to place. Now he slept where ever he happened to be and tonight he had settled down on the shoulder of the highway on ramp.

          Deputy Burton wanted to help, but the shelter wouldn't take a person who was under the influence of drugs or alcohol and there wasn't anywhere else to take Bruce except the Emergency Room at VCH. Randy lifted Bruce like a sack of potatoes and shoved him into the back seat of the patrol car. He managed to get a seat belt on Bruce who was leaning toward the center of the back seat. Randy re-entered the car and headed for VCH. He knew they'd be thrilled to get a stinking intoxicated mess like Bruce. Oh well, what else could he do?

Chapter Fifteen

Zealda

        Claressa welcomed Zealda into her home and helped her sister move her things into one of the back bedrooms. Claressa's home was small but comfortable. She was actually glad to have her sister, Zealda, there. After everything was moved in from the VW, they sat down in the kitchen and Claressa boiled some water and they had a cup of tea.

         "It was really a stroke of luck that those two kids came along", Claressa said. "I'm afraid Rason might have drowned if they hadn't been there to rescue him."

          "No doubt about it", responded Zealda. "I would have lost my son if it weren't for those two. I don't know how to repay them."

          "I don't think they even realize what they did", replied Claressa thoughtfully. "That's the kind of kids they are. They help people naturally without a second thought. Tamarra and Toby have done a great job with those two. I wish Rason was more like them."

           "Maybe his spending some time with them will have a good effect on him", said Zealda with a serious look on her face. "He is so good at times and then he goes off and gets into some kind of trouble that makes no sense. I really worry about him."

           "Well, let's just hope a little of their character rubs off on him while he's staying with them", said Claressa seriously. "For now, let's get to bed and get some rest. It's been a long hard day. We'll talk about all this again tomorrow."

           Zealda nodded her head in agreement. She was really tired and it had definitely been a stressful day. She was glad she had a warm bed to sleep in tonight. Tomorrow would be another very busy day. She would have to go back out to her place to help her brother, Anthony, and his friends get the tree off of her house and then get the house repaired as quickly as possible. The worst thing that could happen would be another storm or rainy weather. The contents of her house were already damaged and more rain might just destroy most of them.

           Zealda went to her room and pulled back the cover on  the bed. Everything was fresh and clean. She loved the smell of clean sheets and crisp linen. She went down the hall to the bathroom and carefully brushed her teeth. She washed her face and returned to the room.

           She crawled into that nice bed and felt completely relaxed. She lay there with her head cushioned by the soft pillow and thought about the events of the day. It had been quite a day. The storm was just one of those things a person has no control over. The house can be repaired. Thankfully, Rason was saved. Tomorrow the rebuilding process would begin. Zealda had spent most of her life rebuilding.

           Zealda couldn't remember her real parents very well. She was told that she and her little brother were placed in foster homes when she was six and he was two. Her real parents visited at times in the beginning but for some reason stopped. Fortunately, she and her brother were kept together and were eventually adopted by a family in Acton, California, and had grown up there. Their adoptive parents were firm but very warm and caring. She supposed she and her brother were lucky to have been adopted by such a nice family.

           Zealda had done well in school. She loved to draw and Rason must have inherited this trait from her. She found she was really good at mathematics too. She began taking math courses at the local community college while she was still in high school and later studied business administration at the State University in Northridge, California. Her college degree opened many doors and she eventually went to work for the Collings Electrical Company in Fresno.

           She was happy there and made many friends. One of them was a young man named Chuck who was a few years older than her. He came from a small community in the Sierra foothills called Pondera. They dated for almost two years before he asked her to marry him. She said yes, but only after giving it a lot of thought. Marriage is such a powerful relationship. A person should never enter into it lightly. The consequences of failure can be devastating for everyone involved.

           Zealda had made a good decision. She considered Chuck honestly and examined his good points as well as his flaws. She hoped that he was being just as cautious about her. Her own personal experiences in foster homes and going through adoption made her think twice before taking such an enormous step. She believed it would work so she finally consented.

           They had a simple ceremony with a few friends as witnesses. Nothing fancy. A Justice of the Peace married them and they didn't even take time off from work. No honeymoon for them. They found a reasonable apartment and proceeded to move their possessions in. In a matter of days they were settled in and living there lives as if they had never been single at all.

           Zealda and Chuck were very frugal and saved every penny they could. It was Chuck's dream to buy a small place in or near Pondera and eventually live there. Whenever they got time off together they would head for Pondera where they could stay with his family while they looked for available land. They became very familiar with the entire area.

           Two years after their marriage Rason was born. He was small at birth but healthy. They were a very happy couple and lived an almost ideal life. It was like a dream for Zealda. She now had a stable marriage with a good man who loved her very much. With the birth of Rason they became a family.

           Then the unthinkable happened. Chuck was returning from a business trip to San Francisco in a company van when the driver of the van feel asleep at the wheel. They went off the side of the road and the van flipped several times. Zealda was astonished to learn that Chuck was not wearing his seat belt. He was ejected from the van. Now Zealda was alone. The man she loved was gone and she had a baby to raise and care for.

           The Company insurance policy wouldn't provide any assistance for Zealda because Chuck was not wearing a seatbelt and they said he would have survived the accident if he had been. No one else was seriously hurt in the crash. The other occupants of the van were wearing their lap and shoulder restraints.          

           Fortunately Chuck had a life insurance policy. Zealda was devastated by his death but she had to be practical and figure out how she was going to be able to raise little Rason. The money from the policy permitted her to buy a small piece of property just southwest of Pondera along Fernandez Road. She moved there with the baby and opened a little business office in Pondera. They weren’t far from Rason’s grandparents. Her mother and father-in-law were retired and were always happy to watch the baby. They spoiled him, but they loved him very much.

            That was thirteen years ago and Rason was now growing up to be a handsome, if annoying, young man. Today that young man's life had been saved by Midori and Vagas. Zealda reminded herself to thank them at the first opportunity. She drifted off to a deep and peaceful night’s sleep.

            Chapter Sixteen

     Vagas

      Vagas and Tamarra stayed with Toby in the Emergency Room, taking turns at his bedside, until the nurses moved him to a room. Dr. Williams, his doctor for several years, wanted to keep him for at least one night to make sure he was doing better. The Emergency Room doctor had talked with Dr. Williams. Vagas and her mother were there until almost 11:00 PM to make sure Toby was settled into his room and the staff had all the information they needed. Then the two of them left to get something to eat and get home to bed. They were exhausted themselves.

           They went out the front doors of Valencia Community Hospital and found their Chevy truck in the parking lot under a bright light. The sun had been up when they arrived and now, of course, it was quit dark. The air was fresh and just a little chilly. Tamarra retrieved her sweater from behind the passenger seat and put it on. Vagas put on her seat and shoulder belt as did her mother. No one with any sense would ride without one.

           As Tamarra turned the key in the ignition of the truck she looked to her right and asked Vagas, "There's not much choice of places to get something to eat this time of night in Pondera. Where do you want to go?"

           "Mom. I'm just tired and hungry. I really don't care. How late does Luis' Burgers stay open?" Answered Vagas.

           "I think the one in Casca Lake stays open until midnight", responded Tamarra. "They stay open a little longer because of their location on Aguayo State Highway. The ones in Pondera and Monette close about now. It's not too far over there. Is that where you'd like to go?"

           "They do make just about the best fast food in town", said Vagas. "Sure. Let's run over there."

           So, Tamarra made a right turn out of the hospital parking lot onto Main Street. She drove North to the highway stoplight and made a left heading West toward Casca Lake. It was only a couple of miles away and it took them less than five minutes.

           The lights at Luis' Burgers were all on and there were a number of people of different ages sitting in the booths inside the very neat and clean establishment. There was a sign next to the door wiith a capital letter "A" on it. The County Health Inspectors always give Luis' place an "A" rating. It was rare to find it empty of customers because everyone regarded the food there as exceptionally good.

           Vagas looked at Tamarra who was concentrating on her driving and asked, "Do you want to go through the drive- through or would you prefer to go inside Mom?"

          "I don't know", said Tamarra as she negotiated her way into the parking area. "How hungry are you?"

          "Oh, I just want a BLT (bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich), a small order of zucchini and a a milk", explained Vagas.

          "Well I would really like a chicken enchilada with rice and beans. Why don't we go through the drive-through and eat at home. We've got plenty of milk in the refrigerator. No need spending money on something we already have" said Tamarra.

          "Sounds fine to me", said Vagas. "Let's go."

          Tamarra backed up and then headed for the drive-through. They placed their orders and listened to the radio while they waited at the pick-up window. The smells of the different foods being prepared inside were wonderful. Perhaps the fact that they were both very hungry made it more so. In a few minutes they received their dinners and were on their way back to the house on Mimran Street.

          The lights were off when they pulled up and into the little driveway. Tamarra parked the truck alongside the little house and they went up the steps to the porch. Vagas bumped noisily into one of the chairs that had been left sitting out a little too far from the wall. It was difficult for Tamarra to find the house key in the darkness of the porch. She stepped to the edge of the porch and leaned over the railing slightly to let the moonlight hit the keys. She found the one she wanted and went back and unlocked the door. It opened with a squeak and admitted them to the kitchen.

         As soon as the light went on Tamarra said, "Those boys! Look at the dishes they left out. It isn't like your brother to be so careless. Look. There's already a trail of ants."

         While Tamarra removed and rinsed the dishes from the table, Vagas got the window cleaner and took care of the ants. She had discovered that window cleaner killed them just as fast, or even faster than poison, and was, of course, much safer.

         "Do you want a medium or large size glass of milk?" Asked Tamarra of Vagas.

         "Mom. Sit down and I'll get the milk and silverware", ordered Vagas.

         "OK", said Tamarra. "I am tired and this enchilada really smells great. Would you like some of it. They make them so large at Luis'."

         "No thanks. My BLT and zucchini will be plenty for me", answered Vagas.

         They sat there in the quiet kitchen eating their very late dinners and talked about the details of their day. It had been a very busy and stressful day for both of them. Tamarra was, as she predicted, unable to finish more than half of her enchilada. Vagas left no sign that food had ever existed on her plate. She was full but not stuffed. She liked it that way. No guilt. She saw that her mother was finished.

          "Want me to clean up?" Vagas asked. "Why don't you go on to bed and I'll put things away and wash up."

          "That's an offer I'm not about to refuse", Tamara responded with an amused but weary tone in her voice. She got up from the table and kissed Vagas on the forehead. Then she slowly walked down the hallway to her bedroom. Vagas saw the light come on and heard the door close softly.

          Vagas got a storage container from under the sink and placed the remains of Tamarra's enchilada in it. There wasn't much chance it would last past noon tomorrow with the two teenage boys in the house. She placed the container onto a bottom shelf in the refrigerator and then  gathered up the dishes and utensils (spoons and forks) on the table and placed them in the kitchen sink. Tamarra kept a plastic basin there to wash the dishes in. It prevented damage to the sink and helped conserve water. Vagas put on the yellow rubber gloves she and her mother used for washing dishes. They helped keep their hands from getting red and dried out from the detergents in the dishwashing liquid they used.

          It only took a few minutes to wash and rinse the few items they had used for their meal. Vagas was really feeling drowsy now and knew it was well past time for her to go to bed. She double checked the lock on the kitchen door to the porch and made sure the outside light was on. Then, Vagas quietly walked to the front door of the house and confirmed that it was also locked and had the light on. Tamarra or Midori would have done the same thing if either of them had been the last person to go to bed.

          Vagas extended her hands into the darkness as she slowly and stealthily made her way down the hallway to bathroom she and her brother shared. She washed up and brushed her teeth and hair before going to her own bedroom to prepare for bed. She would sleep very soundly tonight.

       Chapter Seventeen

     The Climbing Wall

     From a sound sleep Midori sensed that a bright light had come on. He had been dreaming but now the dream changed and he found himself standing in the middle of the highway with an eighteen wheeler coming right at him blinding him with its bright lights. Just as the huge truck's horn began to hammer at his ears - He woke with a start and broke out into a sweat. He had forgotten to pull the window blind down and the bright morning sun rising over Mount Partida to the East of Pondera had directed its brilliant rays of light right into his eyes. Somehow this had become part of his dream. What a scary way to wake up!

          Midori opened his sleepy eyes and tried to rub away the burning sensation he felt. Probably just dry from sleeping he thought. He looked over at the twin bed against the adjacent wall (the wall next to the one his bed was on) and saw that Rason was not bothered  in the slightest by the bright sunlight. Rason continued to breathe slowly and deeply. His eyes appeared to be moving rapidly beneath his closed eyelids. His mouth was open just a bit and his tongue showed between his teeth. There was dried saliva at the lower corner of his mouth. Midori rubbed his eyes again and pushed himself up on his right elbow. His feet were pointed toward the only door to his room. His head was pointed North.

          Midori slid his feet out from under the covers and placed the gingerly on the floor at first. He threw back the covers and stood. Then he crept out of the room and down the hall to grab a quick shower and clean up.

          Rason hear the door squeak slightly as Midori tried to sneak out. He didn't really wake up at first but he did sense that the room was brightly lit. He wished Midori had pulled the blinds down before he left the room. Rason knew that if he got up to pull them down he would then be too awake to go back to sleep. He had little choice. He opened his eyes and squinted hard to block out as much light as possible. As soon as Midori returned he would scamper to the bathroom. That last glass of water he'd had before going to bed was, well - anyway he needed to scamper and hoped Midori wouldn't be too long.

          A couple of minutes later the door squeaked slightly again and Midori appeared through the opening. His hair was combed into sort of a peak that Rason found amusing. He smiled.

          "What?" Asked Midori. "What's so funny?"

          "Nothin'", answered Rason trying to hide his expression. He got up quickly and slid past the puzzled Midori. Rason was in a hurry.

          Twenty minutes later Rason came padding down the hall in his stocking feet to find Midori eating a bowl of cornflakes and what appeared to be part of an enchilada.

          "Help yourself", Midori ordered as Rason walked to the fridge, opened the door wide and inspected the contents. It looked to him like cornflakes were the main option. He walked to the sink and opened the cabinet to the right above the sink. He removed a large cereal bowl and then took a fork out of a drawer below the counter to the left of the sink. The kitchen window faced South and the view included the side of a large fifth wheel trailer that belonged to the neighbors next door. Very scenic.

          Midori finished the remnants of the Mexican food leftovers as Rason plopped down in the chair next to him at the medium sized round kitchen table. Soon the room was filled with the sound of cornflakes being chomped and spoons clanking against the side of their cereal bowls.

          Nearing the bottom of a large box of cornflakes and more than a half gallon of milk, the two teenagers finally pushed themselves back from the table. Midori got up first and collected the bowls and spoons. He carried them to the sink and began to wash them. Rason got up and rolled up the inner bag of the cornflakes box. He carefully closed the lid of the nearly empty box and returned it to its place in the cupboard. He then closed the spout on the milk carton and placed it back in the refrigerator.

          "You know, it's Saturday", said Midori. "The activity center at Kulow Raceway opens at 9:00 AM. Want to head over there and do some stuff?"

          "What kind of stuff can you do over there and how come I've never heard about any activity center?" Questioned Rason.

          "It's pretty new. Opened a couple of months ago. Right now it isn't too crowded but in a couple of months word will get around and it'll be a lot busier", answered Midori. They have pool tables, video games, a a real nice skateboarding area, a snack bar, and a climbing wall you just won't believe."

          "A climbing wall? What's that?" Inquired Rason looking a little doubtful.

         "You mean you don't know what a climbing wall is?" Said Midori in amazement with his eyebrows arched

         Rason didn't say anything. He gave Midori a look that expressed his meaning as if to say, "If I knew what a climbing wall is, would I be asking?

         Midori put his face in his hands and pulled his clasped hands down over his face in disbelief, "OK. I'll explain what a climbing wall is. You see a lot of people like to climb mountains and cliffs and things like that but can't afford to travel to places where cliffs can be found. Besides, it's pretty dangerous. So for fun, practice, and safety they've designed these walls that simulate real climbing except that there are safety ropes and helmets and things to make it a lot less dangerous.

         "Oh. I get it", laughed Rason. "You say they have one of these walls at Kulow Raceway?"

         "Yeah. That's what I said", said Midori looking at Rason as if he thought he didn't really have a clue."They have a big wall and you pay by the hour. They provide helmets and spotters."

          "What's a spotter?" Puzzled Rason.

          "A spotter is a guy, usually a guy, who hangs on to your safety rope in case you slip or fall. Let me tell you that wall is high enough that you could rally get hurt if you fell even half way down."

          "OK. It's after 8:30 already. It'll take us about 45 minutes to get there on the bikes so we better get started", said Rason agreeing to go.

          Midori said, "after 8:30? No. If we hurry, we can catch the 8:45 bus in front of Nichol's Library and actually be there when the center opens. The bus goes all the way down Frauhiger to Main Street and then out Rinehart Boulevard to Raceway Road. From there it's only a few hundred yards to the center." 

          "Let's go", said Rason enthusiastically. Then he hesitated and asked,"How much is all this going to cost?"

          "Don't worry", reassured Midori. "The bus is fifty cents each way. I've got a season pass at the activity center which includes a guest and it's only a couple of dollars for a hotdog and a drink at the concession stand."

          "OK", said Rason relieved. "I've got enough for that."

          Out they went through the kitchen door onto the porch and down the steps to the sidewalk. They headed North and cut across a couple of empty lots and down back alleyways to save time getting to the Library. They made it just in time. The bus was approaching the stop as they came around the corner of Nichol's Public Library. They ran the last few steps as the bus screeched to a stop in front of a little kiosk set up for people waiting to catch the buses that stopped there every hour.

          Midori and Rason climbed the three steps up into the bus a deposited their change in the receptacle. The driver watched them to make sure they deposited the correct amount. hen, they made their way down the aisle to seats just back of the rear door. That way they'd be ready to make a quick exit when they arrived at the bust stop next to Raceway Road.

         Suddenly, just as the bus was beginning to move forward it stopped. The driver opened the door and in climbed Vagas. She waved at the boys as she searched in her left pants pocket for the correct change.

         Midori and Rason exchanged surprised looks.

         Vagas was coming down the aisle toward them. "Heard you two talking. In fact, the neighbors probably heard you two you were so loud", she said. "Anyway, I decided to tag along and ran after you. You two were really moving. I almost missed the bus!"

         The two boys were sitting next to each other just past the rear doors. Vagas took a seat next to them and right across from the door. She sat a little sideways in her seat so she could look at Midori and Rason without having to turn her head as the bus rumbled its way East on Frauhiger Street toward its intersection with Main Street.

         The noise of the bus made it hard to keep a conversation going without yelling and sounding foolish when the bus noises grew fainter as the bus slowed for intersections. Their bodies swayed left or right as the bus made its turns. Soon their minds were each thinking their own thought as the bus rumbled on.

         Midori was already planning his activities at the climbing wall. He could visualize them entering the recreation center and going up to the concession stand and buying time on the climbing wall. He knew the procedure for roping up and getting the safety equipment on. Then he saw himself making the first moves up the wall. It was all there in his mind before it ever happened.

         Rason was kind of nervous about the whole thing. He had never been to the Activity Center before. He had no idea what the procedures were and it worried him. He didn't want to look stupid or make a fool out of himself. He wasn't sure agreeing to do this was a good idea.

         Vagas was glad to be going along with Midori and Rason. She dreaded sitting around the house. Tamarra would want her to accompany her to the hospital to visit Vagas' Dad for the morning visiting hours and Vagas dreaded that whole hospital thing. She felt guilty for not wanting to return to the hospital but, she also wanted to have a little fun. She would see her Dad that evening and that would  certainly be enough. What would she say that she hadn't said many times before. Each time Toby went to the hospital it was pretty much the same routine over and over. She really hated that he had become ill.

         The bus pulled up to the stop at the entrance to Raceway Road. There was the usual screech of brakes as it came to a stop. The three of them stood up a little too soon and were thrown forward when the bus stopped completely. Regaining their balance they each grabbed the pole by the rear exit and swung themselves down onto the steps. With quick foot movements they negotiated the three steps and jumped out onto the curb.

         They quickly moved away from the bus. Funny how one always felt like waving goodbye, but the bus was pulling away and it seemed the driver wasn't interested in the any more. They began the walk up Raceway Road to Kulow Raceway and the Activity Center.

         After walking about five minute they could see the entrance to the raceway and to its right , the Activity Center. They began moving over to the right and approached the Activity Center entrance. The metal grated gate was open and a sign hung on the fence to the left saying "Welcome - We're open".

         The three of them entered the gate and went up to the counter to their right. There was a window there where a young lady named Argenta was sitting on a stool waiting for the first visitors to arrive.

         "Good morning", Argenta said very cheerfully. "Nice to see you today."

         "Same to you", replied Midori. "I have a season pass and am allowed a visitor."

         "May I see your pass", inquired Argenta.

         "Absolutely", said Midori as a he produced his wallet from his left rear pocket and pulled out a card indicating he had a season pass.

         Argenta stamped the backs of Midori and Rason's hands to show that they had been admitted. Vagas stood there looking after them with a "What about me?" look on here face. The admission price without a pass was $10.00 for unlimited use of the facility for the day. Vagas reached into her right front pocket and pulled out a crumpled up five dollar bill.

         Rason had been following Midori toward the equipment room of the Center when he happened to look back and notice Vagas and her obvious dilemma (problem). He quickly turned around and went back. He reached for his left rear pocket and pulled out a well used black leather wallet. From the wallet he drew out a five dollar bill. He handed the bill to Argenta with a wink and said, "Come on Vagas. You're going to miss out on all the fun."

          Vagas handed her five dollar bill to Argenta and extended her right hand to be stamped. Argenta complied.

          Rason and Vagas jogged toward the equipment room to catch up to Midori, who had no idea of Vagas' difficulties with getting into the park.

          "Where have you two been?" Midori asked as he strapped on a seat harness. He already had a scratched up helmet on his head which looked very much like a bicycle helmet. There was a set of boxes along one wall with each box labeled small, medium, or large depending on the size of knee pads they contained. Along the other wall was a similar arrangement of boxes full of elbow pads. Some were almost new and others looked like they'd been through a war.

          Vagas fished around in the bin that contained a variety of seat harnesses in different colors and sizes. She'd been here before and had been through all this, but she was still a little unsure of how exactly the harness went on. Rason, of course, had no idea whatsoever.

          Just as Vagas was beginning to get frustrated trying to get into the seat harness, Jessica came through the door at the back of the room. Jessica was one of the spotters and also helped supervise the daily operation of the Center.

          "You've just about got it right", Jessica advised Vagas, "But not quite."

          "I'm sure glad to see you", replied Vagas. She knew Jessica was a kind and patient person because Jessica had been her spotter on a previous visit. "I could use some help."

          "I don't think I know your friend", said Jessica looking at Rason. "You two are here with Midori, aren't you?"

          "I'm sorry", said Vagas. "This is Rason York. His mother is Zealda York. She owns the real estate agency on Main Street."

          "I know who your mother is", stated Jessica. "Nice lady. It's nice to meet you."

          Rason looked a little sheepish standing there with his seat harness around his ankles in a tangled mess. He had know idea how the harness should fit. "Nice to meet you too", he said. "Maybe you could show me how this thing goes."

          Jessica pulled a harness out of the bin and demonstrated how it went on. She figured this would be less embarrassing than trying to help Rason actually put his on. With the demonstration, Rason and Vagas soon had things figured out and snugly in place.

          The seat harness was an easy way to attach a rope to a climber without having the rope get in the way. The spotter would hold one end of the rope and stop the fall of a climber if the climber slipped or missed a hand hold. It helped insure that wall climbing was a safe way to exercise and have fun.

           Vagas and Rason selected knee pads, elbow pads and helmets before exiting the equipment room and heading out to the climbing wall where Midori was already half way to the top. In the background they could hear the vroom vroom of engines as amateur racers prepared to practice driving for the weekend races.

          On her last time up the wall Vagas remembered that she could look over into the raceway itself and see the cars whizzing around the turns. The cars were very odd looking. They were nothing like the race cars she had seen on television. These cars had their motors in the back and had unusual shapes. The track wasn’t oval and smooth, either. There were jumps and tight little turns. When the cars were on the track there were clouds of dust and at times it was hard to see the competitors.

           It all looked pretty exciting but also more than just a little dangerous. Vagas thought to herself that it might be fun to come out to the track on a Saturday evening when they had the races. Lots of the people in town attended the races and several of the local racers were sponsored by Pondera businesses.

           Midori reached the top and hooted loudly while he waved both hands. He knocked himself off balance and nearly tumbled over the edge. He stood back up with a silly look on his face.

           Rason was getting help from Jessica in getting his rope attached. He didn't seem too excited about going up the forty foot wall. Vagas waited patiently and Midori had unhooked himself and started down the stairs the lead climbers down the rear of the structure. Rason moved up to the base of the wall and took a weak grip. He tried to boost himself up but came loose and fell back on his bottom in a cloud of dust and dirt.

           "Vagas", he said from his sitting position. "You go ahead. I want to watch a little more before I try this for real."

           "Sure thing", said Vagas as Jessica unhooked Rason and changed the rope to Vagas' harness. "See you at the top."

           Vagas scrambled up the wall like a monkey. She hardly stopped to look for new grips. In less than a minute she was sitting on top looking down at Rason.

           "OK. Your turn", Vagas shouted to Rason. "I'll wait here for you." With that Vagas threw down another rope which had been coiled at the top. Climbers weren't allowed to release their rope until they'd left the top of the wall and were standing on the platform at the head of the stairs. If they remained on top, they had to kept their rope attached.

           "Alright. I'll give it another try", yelled Rason, still not completely certain he should be attempting this climbing thing. This time he did much better. He found that he had to have his feet in place before trying to find a new handhold. He slipped a couple of times and was very thankful he was protected by the safety line. Several minutes later he had climbed to within a few feet of the top. It seemed  that he could almost reach out and touch Vagas' outstretched hand - but not quite.

           "Come on", encouraged Vagas. "You can do it!"

           Rason hoped Vagas couldn't see how tired he was from effort to scale the wall. His fingers were trembling and his legs weren't too steady either. He had good position with his feet but the next handhold was just out of his reach and he could see the only way to get to it was to jump. He jumped.

           "Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Rason as he fell backward off the wall. Jessica didn't stop his fall right away because that would make him smack back into the wall. She let him fall about ten feet and then gradually slowed his descent. He swung back against the wall with a slight bump but didn't try to get a new hold for a few seconds. Finally, Rason regained his composure and found a new grip. He started up again.

           Rason had never experienced anything like that fall before. One second he was trying for the new grip and the next he was tumbling backward like an out of control skydiver. Jessica sure knew what she was doing with that rope. Without it he would have really been hurt. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to attempt what he was doing on a real cliff on a real mountain.

           This time up Rason took a slightly different path and made it too the top out of breath but exhilarated (excited and happy). Vagas slapped him on the back playfully.

           "That was quite a tumble you took!" She said. "A lot of first timers would have given up. You did much better the second time up."

           "That's a lot more work than I realized", Rason said breathlessly. "You climbed that wall like you do it all the time."

           "I do", laughed Vagas. "We've been here two or three times a week since the Activity Center opened. Midori has a season pa     ss that I helped him pay for and that gets me in as his guest. That's why I forgot about bringing enough money today. I usually don't have to pay."

            Midori had been watching from the ground while Rason made his dramatic fall and recovery. Rason and Vagas sat at the top and discussed his climb, meanwhile Midori had roped up again and was soon climbing over the top railing again.

           “Are you two going to sit here and chat all morning?” Midori asked. “We’ve got time to make three or four more climbs before the concession stand starts serving hotdogs.”

           “I think I’m going to sit in the shade over there by the equipment room and watch you two showoff” said Rason. He meant it too. He was more tired than he expected himself to be and still a little shaky.

           “OK”, laughed Midori. “I guess I forgot how tired I got the first few times I tried climbing this wall. You did really well. It took me seven attempts before I finally made it to the top the first time.”

           “I’m not going to tell you how many times I tried before finally getting it right”, smiled Vagas. “You’re going to be stiff and sore tomorrow from using muscles you’re not accustomed to using. You’d better take a long hot shower tonight before going to bed.”

           With that, Vagas and Rason got up and climbed carefully down to the platform where they removed their ropes and tossed the back over the face of the wall to Jessica who was waiting below at the foot of the structure.

           They clomped down the wooden staircase that doubled back on itself a couple of times. At the bottom, Vagas excused herself to go to the restroom and Rason headed for row of lawn chairs arranged in a row in front of the equipment building. Midori went right back to the wall.

           Rason didn’t know it but Midori was having Jessica time each of his ascents (climbs) up the wall. He loved to arrive on a busy day when there were several climbers doing their best to get to the top. He would rope up and quickly ascend past them all with what appeared to be little effort. The looks he got were priceless.

           If there was no one else on the wall, Jessica would let him imitate rappelling down the front of the wall. He would stand on top with his back to to the wall and jump backwards as Jessica cautiously lowered him. He was getting really good at it and could now leap down the wall with only three or four bounces.

           Midori had finally climbed enough to satisfy himself. As he reached the ground with an unusually long bounce, he made a fairly large dust cloud. By the time the dust had cleared, he was unhooked from his rope and already walking toward the equipment building where Rason was sitting in a lawn chair drawing on a piece of borrowed paper with a stubby little pencil.

           "Hey Rason", called Midori. ""Whatcha doin'?"

           Rason looked up a little startled to see the dusty, sweaty Midori approaching with little rivers of muddy sweat running off of his face. "Man", he said to Midori. "You're a mess!"

           "Guess I am, at that", replied Midori as he wiped his face with a dirty hand. The mud and sweat combined to make him look like a special operations soldier ready to go into the jungle. He had reached Rason's side and peered over Rason's shoulder to get a look at what was on the paper.

          "That drawing is tight", exclaimed Midori. "How do you do stuff like that?"

          "I don't really know", responded Rason as he continued working on his drawing of a dragon. "I just kind of get ideas and then I start working on them and they just kind of develop right in front of me on the paper."

          "I am so impressed by your ability to draw", enthused Midori. "Do you take art classes in school, or anything?" Midori asked.

          "I did", said Rason with a sad expression coming to his face. "But, not anymore. I kept getting into trouble and had to leave the regular school and go to a half-day program. That wasn't any fun at all and there were no art classes. All they had were basic subjects and most of the kids were so annoying I just finally asked my Mom if I could do independent study at home, and that's what I do now. I miss being around the other kids. You know. It gets kind of lonely sitting out at the place on Fernandes Road all day every day.

          "You don't seem like a trouble maker to me", said Midori. "What did you do to get into so much trouble?"

          "Lots of things that were just dumb", Replied Rason. "I thought I was being funny. Somebody would get mad and there would be a fight or something. I just sort of got a bad reputation and then every time I did anything there was a teacher giving me demerits or writing me up for everything. I thought they were picking on me then, but now I can see that I really did it to myself. They warned me and had meetings with my Mom. I just didn't listen."

          "Are you going to try to go back?" inquired Midori.

          "Next year, I am", Rason said with determination. "I'm going back and I'm going to stay out of trouble and away from kids who get into trouble. That's part of the problem. You start getting into trouble and then the only friends you have are people like you who are getting busted all the time. That just makes things get worse real fast."

          "I know guys like that", stated Midori. "Always in trouble for doing things that they know are wrong. What gets me, is that they try to act like they didn't know it was wrong or that it was someone else's fault. You can't tell them anything. They act like they're tough and don't care. That's why I stay away from them. People who don't care are not the kind of friends anyone needs."

          "Yeah. I know", answered Rason. "I realize now that everything that happened to me, I did to myself. I knew what I should be doing and just refused to do it. Now I'm paying for it big time. I should be in ninth grade at Gordon High, but I've fallen so far behind the other kids that I'll probably have to repeat eighth grade again just to catch up in Math and English. At least I can take Art as an  elective, That'll be something I can enjoy again."

          "If there's anything I can do to help you, just let me know", said Midori. "I'm good at Math and am getting an "A" in Honors English. I have to study a lot and there's always plenty of homework, but it's really pretty interesting and there are some other athletic types like me in the class too. It's surprising how many good athletes are also good students and how many of the trouble maker types just hang out and never get involved in anything positive."

          Vagas, Argenta, and Jessica came around the corner of the building talking intently about something.

          "Midori", Vagas shouted.

          "I'm right here", responded Midori. "There's no need to yell. What is it?"

          Vagas hurried up and stood beside him. "Jessica is leaving for college in two weeks", she whispered loudly.

          "OK", Midori said with a "so what?" look on his face.

          "Her job", said Vagas, now almost shouting again. "Her job will be available and I might be able to take her place part time in the evenings and on at least one day of the weekend. You might be able to work part time too!"

          Midori's eyes widened as the idea sunk in that a really good part time job might be open to him. Evenings would be hard to do because of his athletics and homework, but weekends would be great. He wanted to start saving up to buy a car and a job at the Activity Center would be perfect. 

Chapter Eighteen

Zealda's Place

       Zealda had trouble sleeping that night. Claressa's little house was cozy and very nice , but it was strange and unfamiliar to Zealda. If she could have slept things would have been very different. If she could have slept she would never have noticed the strange sounds and activities of Claressa's neighbors.

          They'd gone to bed around 10:00 PM and Zealda was tired and ready to go to sleep. Then, the noises began. She heard something that sounded like fingernails scratching across the screen to her window. The sound would begin with a light scratchy sound and then get scratchier and almost panicky. She'd never heard anything like it before. She thought about waking Claressa but was afraid Claressa would accuse her of imagining things.

          Zealda knew she was not imagining things. Every few minutes the sound would return. She tried to ignore it at first. Then she put her pillow over her head to block out the sound. It didn't work. If anything the sound became more and more intense. She was afraid. What could possibly be making these horrible irritating sounds outside her window.

         Just as she was about to go and wake up Claressa, a new sound was added to the annoying scratchy scraping on her window. She could hear people laughing and shouting. She could hear people scuffing their feet and plodding around outside her window. She crept over to the window and peaked out. There was nothing there!

         Then Zealda spotted what looked like a light flashing against the side of Claressa's house. She turned to go to the front window to look out and see what it was and almost ran head first into Claressa.

         "Whoa. That was close", exclaimed Claressa. "What in the world are you doing up at this time of night running around the house?"

         "I started to wake you up, but I was afraid you'd think I was imagining things" explained Zealda. "There were noises and someone was moving around out there. Now there's a flashing light."

         "There's a flashing light because I called the Sheriff's station and told them about the noises", stated Claressa.

         They pulled back the front window curtain slightly and could clearly see Deputy Burton loading someone into the back seat of his car. The person was wearing handcuffs.

         As soon as Deputy Burton had placed the individual into the back seat of his Sheriff's patrol car and lock the door, he turned and came back up the walk to Claressa's front door. He tapped gently and the porch light came on at almost the same instant.

         "Mrs. Alvarez?", Deputy Burton spoke quietly but loud enough to be heard through the door. 

         The door creaked open a few inches until the safety chain pulled taught (tight). Claressa put her nose up to the crack. "Yes", said Claressa. "Randy? Is that you?" She asked.

         Randy and Claressa knew each other very well. She was always volunteering at the station. She often worked the radios and helped citizens fill out various forms at the information desk.

         "It's me, Claressa", Deputy Burton answered. "It was Bruce Martin. I've got him in custody now. Everything's alright."

         "What on Earth was he doing in my yard at this time of night?" Inquired Claressa.

        "I picked him up earlier and took him to the Emergency Room, but I guess he walked out and somehow ended up here under your window. I'm gonna let Jaime (Chora) take him down to Fresno and lock him up. Getting into trouble twice in one night is more than enough for Mr. Martin."

         "Thanks for coming so quickly when I called", said Claressa gratefully. "You be careful. I'll probably see you tomorrow evening when you come back on duty. I'm scheduled to volunteer at the desk from 5:00 PM until 10:00 PM."

         "Well, OK", Randy replied as he turned and headed back to the car. Over his right shoulder he said, "I'll see you tomorrow night."

          Claressa turned out the light when she saw that Deputy Burton had returned to his patrol car and was pulling away from the curb. She turned and promptly bumped into Zealda in the dark.

          “Oops!” said Claressa as she extended her hands in front of her face in an attempt to find where Zealda was located.

          “Ouch!” said Zealda as Claressa poked her in her right eye. “Watch out!”

          “I’m sorry”, apologized Claressa as she poked Zealda in the nose with her index finger.

          “I think we better turn a light on before one of us, like me, gets blinded or something”, said Zealda.

          Claressa took a step back and felt along the wall by the front door. She located the light switch and flipped it on. Both of them blinked and put up a hand to protect their eyes from the too bright light.

          “Boy, that’s a light”, said Zealda.

          “I know it’s too bright”, said Claressa. “I keep telling myself that I have to put a smaller bulb in. You go ahead and got to your room. If you turn your light on and leave the door open a crack, I’ll be able to turn this bright one off and still find my way down the hall. I need to get a little night light to put into an outlet in the hall.”

           Zealda did as Claressa suggested and went to her room. She turned on the light by the bed and left the door open a crack. A few seconds later she heard Claressa close her door. They both finally settled down to sleep.

           The next morning both sisters were awakened by the ringing of Claressa's phone. A very sleepy Claressa emerged from her room and padded down the hall barefooted. Pondera's elevation made it fairly cool in the mornings. The polished wood floor was cold.

           The tiled kitchen floor was even cooler and she moved quickly to reach the protection of the throw rug on the floor in front of the sink. she stretched to take the wall phone hand set from its cradle.

           "Hello", she said thickly. Her mouth was still dry from sleeping. She tended to breathe through her mouth and often woke up parched and dry. "Hello", she repeated.

           "Good morning", responded a voice that was entirely too cheerful and awake. It was Rusty, Zealda's brother-in-law. He was Chuck's younger brother and had really been a Godsend for Zealda. Ever since Chuck's death, Rusty had been there to help her whenever she needed something. She always wished there was a way he could spend more time with Rason, but Rusty was a busy fellow and was doing very well working as a supervisor at Henderson Industrial Park. Mr. Henderson put a lot of trust in his judgment and had promoted him several times.

           "Rusty York", Claressa practically shouted into the receiver. "What in the world are you doing calling here at 6:30 in the morning?"

           "Are you kidding?" Rusty asked. "We've been here at Zealda's place for more than half and hour and the damage isn't nearly as bad as it first appeared to be. Is Zealda there?"

           "Well, she's here alright. You want me to get her?" Asked Claressa.

           "Of course I want you to get her", said Rusty. "Wake her up. Get her on the phone. I've got good news for her."

           "OK", Said Claressa. Zealda was already standing next to her. "It just isn't normal to be so cheerful and energetic at this time of the morning." She handed the phone to Zealda. They both tried to fit onto the small throw rug like two seagulls perched on the only piece of dry rock for miles.

           "Rusty?" Zealda inquired. "What's so important that you've got to annoy my sister at 6:30 AM?"

           "Hey little sis" Rusty said enthusiastically. "I think we'll have your place ready to go by this evening."

           "You're kidding", questioned Zealda. "That just isn't possible. Is it?"

           "Oh yes it is", Rusty corrected her. "The tree did less damage than we thought. Besides, I brought a couple of extra guys with me and I think we can have the mess cleared up and the roof repaired by supper time."

           "Well I just don't believe it", She said incredulously. "It looked like the whole roof was caved in."

           "Nah. It just looked bad from the ground. We brought a cherry picker in from Henderson's. The old man said it'd be OK. We got up there and started cutting away branches and it doesn't look half bad. We should have the tree disposed of by lunch and then we'll all get up there and knock the roof back together. It won't take more than a couple of hours unless we run into something unforeseen."

           "God bless you all", thanked Zealda. "I just can't tell you how happy I am to hear everything's going to be OK. I'll have Claressa bring me out about 10:00. We'll fry up some chicken and biscuits for you boys."

           "Hey. That's a deal!" Exclaimed Rusty. "We'll look for you around 10:00."

           Zealda hung up the phone and turned to Claressa. "I am just so thankful that those boys are going to be able to get my house put back together. Can you believe that it's only going to require one day?"

           Claressa, still sleepy, shook her head. "No. It's hard to believe you could be so lucky. Now, we had better get cleaned up and get started on that chicken and biscuits you promised. I'll bet those young men can really put the food away."

Chapter Nineteen

Important Choices

          Vagas, Midori, and Rason spent their morning climbing the wall at the Kulow Raceway Activity Center. They were the first ones there and had the first hour pretty much to themselves. Eventually other young people of various ages began to arrive and engage in the different activities available at the center.

          As soon as the concession stand opened, Midori was standing at the counter waiting for Bernard, the concession stand manager and operator, to take his order.

         "Give me just a minute Midori", Bernard said as he fussed with the grill at the back of the food preparation area. "This burner just doesn't want to light the way it should. I spilled some grease on it yesterday and it must have plugged up some of the gas jets." Bernard continued to work intently then, "There it is", he stated happily. "Now it's working. What can I get for you?"

         Midori didn't want to let on that there was a cash problem. He knew the three of them had just enough money altogether to buy the hotdog and drink combination for each of them and still have just enough money to pay for bus fare home.

         "Three hot dog combos", Midori ordered confidently.

         Bernard smiled a knowing smile. He knew what it was like to have to pinch pennies. "Sure thing!" Bernard replied. "Coming right up."

         Bernard reached under the counter and brought up three styrofoam cups. He handed them to Midori and then went back to the hotdog warmer.

         Midori turned and shouted, "Hey you two. Food's ready."

         Rason heard Midori yell and looked in his direction. He saw that Midori already had the cups in his hands. Rason put down his drawing and laid the pencil on top of it to keep it from blowing away in the breeze. He saw Vagas leaving Argenta and Jessica to join Midori.

         Just as Vagas and Rason reached Midori, Bernard announced, "Come and get it!"

         The hotdogs really did look delicious. The buns were large and fresh. The sausages were actually polish sausages and were large and well seasoned. Everybody seemed to like them. They really were a bargain, especially when ordered with the drink combo.

         The three teenagers gathered in front of the condiments rack. There was mustard, ketchup, chopped onions, tomatoes, and sweet relish. Just about all a person could ask for. They piled on the different items until the hotdogs looked like salads on a bun. Vagas and Rason squirted ketchup and mustard right on the sausage before adding the rest. Midori piled everything high and then drenched the pile with ketchup first, and then mustard.

          The three of them walked over to a standing table near the west end of the concession area. The was an umbrella to block the suns rays and the side of the concession stand blocked most of the breeze. From this vantage point they could see Pondera stretched out to the West all the way to Lake Casca. It was a nice view. Kulow Raceway was higher than the town and about a third of the way to Monette. Monette was higher still and the highest point in the area was Mount Partida.

          The air was fresh and clean. The breeze was cool but not cold yet. The sun's rays were warm. The food was delicious. They were happy.

          Just then a boy who had been sitting on one of the picnic benches at the Eastern end of the concession patio walked over and leaned on a table near where Midori, Vagas, and Rason were standing.

         "Hey. Rason", he whispered loudly. "Isn't your name Rason?"

         The boy had long hair that didn't look like he'd washed it in a while. His clothes were clean enough but even though he was only fourteen or fifteen, he had a homemade tattoo that said something unreadable on his right forearm.

         Rason heard his name called and turned to see who was calling him. He looked for a few seconds before recognizing one of his former classmates at the continuation school. It was Germaine Martin, Bruce Martin's oldest son.

          "Hey Germaine", responded Rason. "How you doin' ?"

          "Oh, I'm OK", replied Germaine. "I see you got a couple of friends."

          "Yeah. Hey Midori. Vagas. This is Germaine", said Rason introducing the pair to Germaine.

          Midori and Vagas smiled but didn't say anything. Germaine's appearance made them a little uncomfortable.

          Germaine waved his right hand in a little salute to acknowledge the introduction. He then said, "Rason. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

          "Rason looked at Midori and Vagas and told them. "I'll be right back."

          The two boys walked about ten feet North toward the climbing wall and stopped. Midori and Vagas watched them, of course. They were curious what this chance meeting was all about. A moment later they heard Rason raise his voice.

          "Are you out of your mind!" Rason shouted as he turned and walked rapidly back to Midori and Vagas. He looked upset and even angry.

          Germaine was left standing by himself with a goofy look on his face. His shoulders slumped a little and he turned and walked East and went around the equipment building. He looked back a couple of times.

          "OK. I'm just dying to know what all that was about", said Midori looking at Rason intently.

          "Me too", chimed in Vagas. "What did he say to get you so upset?"

          "That jerk asked me if I wanted to by drugs", stated Rason angrily. "What an idiot! I mean I might have considered it last year when everything I was doing was dumb and self-destructive but not now. I'm trying to stay out of trouble, not find it."

          "Oh. I remember that guy", said Midori. "I've heard about him. He got expelled or something last year didn't he?"

          "That's the one", answered Rason. "I hadn't seen him since then. I had no idea he was going to offer me drugs just like that. If I'd known that's what he was up to I wouldn't have gone near him."

          "Yeah. That's a guy going nowhere", said Vagas jumping into the conversation. You know Deputies Burton and Chora watch out for that kind of stuff. You're smart to say you don't want to be seen with him. If they see you hanging out with him or even talking to him, they'll be watching you too. People who use and sell drugs a stupid and do things an intelligent person would never even consider doing."

          "You can bet he won't be on the streets very long" added Midori. "The jails are full of people like that. They get themselves into trouble and then blame everybody else for it. Next thing you know they've got all their friends in trouble too. Then, after they've got everyone close to them all messed up, they go to jail. No. He won't be out long."

          "What do you think I should do?" Questioned Rason. "I mean, should I just let it go, or should I tell someone?"

          "I'd talk to Deputy Burton", Said Midori. "He's a good guy and he's always helping people out. It's hard to believe that, after all his years of police work, he still really cares what happens to people like your, er, ex-friend Germaine. I'll bet Randy would try to work out some way to try and get Germaine straightened out rather than just bust him and put him in a cage."

          "Listen", said Vagas. If you don't want to tell the deputy, I'll do it and you don't have to be involved. I mean, I don't want that guy pushing drugs in my town. He's probably selling to little kids too. Guys like that don't care what happens to the people they make money off of. You know what they say about misery loving company."

          "No", stated Rason firmly. "I'm not going to let other people do the things I know I should do. I used to avoid taking responsibility, but not now. I made up my mind to change the way I act and think and I meant it. Germaine shouldn't be doing what he's doing. Letting him do it only hurts him and the others in town he takes advantage of. This is my town and I intend to be a part of the good things it stands for - not the bad."

          "OK", said Vagas nodding her head in approval. "This is our town and we have to be responsible for what goes on in it. The Sheriff's deputies can do everything by themselves. If we want it to be a safe place and a good place, then we have to do what is necessary to make that so. Looking the other way or not doing anything will eventually destroy everything good in Pondera."

Chapter Twenty

Deputy Burton Busts Germaine

            Vagas, Midori, and Rason caught the bus back to the stop in front of Nichol’s Public Library. They walked East on Frauhiger and right on Mimran Street to the house.

             As they climbed the stairs to the porch Vagas reached deep into her right front pocket and brought her key to the house. She opened the screen and inserted the key into the lock. The two boys followed her into the dimly lit room. It was late in the afternoon and the sunlight was decreasing.

             The two boys sat down at the table but Rason jumped up almost before he sat down and wslked over to the wall and picked up the phone.

             “I want to make the call to Deputy Burton before I forget about it or talk myself out of making it”, said Rason. “Do you know the number?” He asked Midori.

             “Don’t have to”, answered Midori. “It’s written right there on the white board next to the phone. Look on the right.”

             “Oh, yeah”, said Rason. “Right here where it says SO?”, Rason asked.

             “Yeah. That’s it”, said Midori.

             “Rason looked at the message board carefully and punched the numbers into the phone keypad. He put the phone to his ear and listened while the dial tone disappeared and the ringing started.

           A few seconds and several rings later a female voice answered, “Pondera Sheriff’s substation. How may I help you?

           Rason stated, “I need to speak to Deputy Burton. Is he there?”

           “No sir. Deputy Burton is on patrol at the moment”, the female voice informed him. May I have him call you when he is available?”

           Rason hesitated for a moment and then answered, “OK. He can call me here. Just a second and I’ll get you the number.”

           Rason turned and looked at Midori who told him, “621-3279.”

           The voice repeated, "621-3279."

           "That's right", confirmed Rason.

           "Alright sir", the voice said. "I'll let him know."

          Rason thanked her and hung up the phone. Midori said he was going to take a shower but wouldn't take long so Rason could get one too. Rason said, "Hey, let me use the restroom before you get in there."

           Midori agreed but just as Rason started down the hall the phone rang. "I'll bet that's for you", said Midori.

           Rason turned quickly and went to the phone. "Hello", he answered.

           "This is Sheriff's Deputy Burton", said a deep smooth voice on the other end. " Is this Rason York?"

           "Yes. It is", responded Rason. "Something happened today that I wanted to talk to you about."

           "No need", replied Deputy Burton. "We've had two Narcotics Division undercover officers here in town for almost two weeks. They've been watching Germaine Martin the whole time and I heard about your little meeting today."

           "It wasn't my idea", explained Rason. "I just ran into the guy and he offered to sell me whatever I wanted."

           "I know that", said Deputy Burton. "If you'd taken him up on the offer you'd be in custody right now just like Germaine."

           "You mean that he's been arrested?" Asked Rason.

           "You bet", said Burton. "We were just waiting to see who was buying in Pondera and who his supplier was. As soon as he met with his supplier this afternoon, we arrested them both and sent them down to Fresno. You won't be seeing your friend for quite some time."

          "Germaine was just an acquaintance", explained Rason. "We were definitely not friends."

          "Sorry", apologized Deputy Burton. "My mistake. You're completely clean as far as I'm concerned. You passed the the test at the Activity Center today. If you ever need a recommendation or a reference, I'll give you a good one."

           "Well", said Rason. "That just might be something I could use. I'm going to try to get back into the regular middle school program in September. Do you think you could put in a good word for me?"

          "Consider it done", said Burton. "I'll even show up in uniform and give you a good reference. How'd that be?"

          "That's more than I could ever have asked for", said Rason gratefully. "I don't know how to repay you."

          "No need", said the Deputy. "Seeing you get straightened out and on the right track is all the reward I could ever ask for."

          Midori had been listening to the phone conversation. Vagas had entered the room and was also listening intently. When Rason hung up he looked sort of exhausted. He turned to his left to face Midori and was surprised to see Vagas there too.

          "This has been one of the strangest days of my life", Rason stated flatly. First the climbing wall. Then running into Germaine and his offer to sell me drugs. Now Deputy Burton tells me the whole thing was practically video taped. This was not a normal day!"

          "Video taped?" Asked Midori. "What do you mean video taped?"

         "Deputy Burton said that they've been watching Germaine for a couple of weeks. Every move he's made has been observed by two narcotics detectives from Fresno. He said everyone who bought drugs from Germaine is going to be arrested."

         "Well, I guess quite a few people who thought they were getting away with something are going to be getting visits from deputies in patrol cars", said Midori with amusement. "I hope it isn't anyone we know."

          "Why would it be anyone we know?" Asked Vagas. "We don't hang around with anyone who'd use drugs. We don't hang around with losers and it looks like any losers here in Pondera aren't going to be hanging around here at all for a while."

          "Well, I might know a few of them", admitted Rason sheepishly. I used to hang with quite a few people Germaine might have sold drugs to. This had definitely taught me a lesson. Not only did I not get into trouble, but I did the right thing twice by first refusing Germaine's offer and then calling the deputy, and I may even get a good letter of recommendation from Deputy Burton too."

          "A letter from Deputy Burton means a lot in a town the size of Pondera", Stated Vagas firmly. I'll bet that's all you'll need to get readmitted to Harper Middle School."

          "Actually, I was thinking about starting back at Zavala Middle School up in Monette", ventured Rason. My father's sister lives there and Aunt Tillie suggested it a while back when I stayed with her for a couple of days."

          "You mean Tillie Morris is your aunt?" Laughed Midori.

          "Yes. Tillie Morris is my Aunt Tillie", restated Rason sounding a little annoyed. "What about it?"

          "Well, good grief!" said Midori fairly shouting. "Sh'e practically famous! She studied in Africa with a lady named Jane Goodall. Goodall is alway on TV on the National Geographic Channel. Your aunt Tillie helped Goodall write her book on chimpanzees. I've been up there to visit her several times with Mr. Coleman. He thinks she's someone very special."

Jane Goodall Chimpanzees

          "I know people think she knows a lot about primates and Africa, but she's just a really nice person", explained Rason. She's special to me, but not because of what she's done. She's special to me because she's always been kind and honest with me. Whenever I was with her she wouldn't tolerate any bad behavior or talk. She's always been very strict with me but also very fair."

          "Well I just can't get over the idea that your related to Tillie Morris", cackled Midori with an incredulous look on his face.

          "I think it's great", said Vagas emphatically. "You going up to Monette and attending Zavala Middle School while living with someone as famous as Tillie Morris is just great!"

          "Tell me something", interjected Midori. "I've wondered for a long time what her real name is. Is it really Tillie?"

          "No. Of course her real name isn't Tillie", responded Rason sounding annoyed again. Her real name is Matilda Marie and her maiden name was York.

          They continued to talk and raid the refrigerator. Half an hour later they were still talking and the table was littered with half-eaten sandwiches, potato chips, a pickle jar,  Ketchup and mustard bottles, a plate of sliced onions, lettuce, and sliced tomatoes. There was a big slab of cheddar cheese which looked like a bear had been knawing on it and  an open container of cottage cheese.

          They ate and talked until time to go to bed when they sleepily tried to restore order to the table and kitchen before stumbling down the hall to their rooms.

Chapter Twenty-One

Beyond Burgers and Tacos

           Luis rarely got a day off from his restaurant business. He was successful far beyond his expectations. He had his wife Julianna to thank for that. She practically forced him to attend the Junior College down in Fresno and then at Fresno State University. It had been the most difficult time of his life. Working all day and then driving down to Fresno for classes and then returning late at night. That whole period in his life was just a blur.

           He still worked hard and usually seven days a week. The smartest thing he did was to pick outstanding people to manage his three restaurants. Having good, dependable people running each store took a lot of the strain off his shoulders. It gave him time to look for ways to improve service and to plan for the future. He had plans.

           The busiest location was at Casca Lake where there was a lot of traffic from Aguayo State Highway. It also picked up a considerable amount of extra business in warm weather from people using Veliz Landing Road to use the recreational facilities at Lake Casca.

           The store in Monette did pretty good business. It was a small town but there really wasn't much competition and Zavala middle School students were there every morning and evening. He placed before and after school specials on the menu just to get their trade. It worked.

           His unit in Pondera was located on Main Street just north of Rinehart Street and across from the hospital. Rinehart Street was the street that most people used to get to Kulow Raceway and it was just north of Howard Horn Municipal Park. The restaurant was always busy. It was four blocks from Gordon High School and most of the workers from Henderson Industrial Park used the Casca Lake store which was straight out Jones Road and even though it was a little further in distance, it took less time because there was little traffic and only two stop signs.

           His new plan involved building a larger place just north of Warren Manner Motel. It would have a drive up window but would also have a more typical restaurant environment inside and two large banquet rooms. This seemed to make sense because the Motel patrons would have a choice of fast food or table service. The kids from Gordon High could take advantage of the drive through and the teaching staff would have a convenient place for lunch, meetings, and banquets.

           Another reason the plan seemed logical was that most of the new homes in town were being built South of town in the vicinity of Luevanos Road and along Banda State Canal toward the community of Cebrero. The terrain was too rough north of Aguayo State Highway and mountainous east of Kulow Raceway. There was bound to be development along Fernandes Road but those future customers would probably go to Casca Lake.

           A new restaurant was an expensive risk and would mean much more work and planning for Luis for the next year. Still, Julianna liked the idea and she had always brought him good luck and success. It was something they could work on together and that pleased him enormously.

          Luis had an image in his mind of what the new restaurant would look like. It would have a spanish tile roof like on a mission or a hacienda. The wall would be tan and would look like adobe. There would be a front entrance way with arches. Finally, on the outside, there would be several large clay pots. In the back there would be two large banquet rooms but from the front the business would appear small and inviting.

         Luis had spent many hours thinking about a variety of different names for the new restaurant. His favorite wad been "Julianna's" from the start. The only problem was that the name would always be a little too long. Eventually he came to the conclusion that  "Casa Luis" would be a better choice. It wasn't what he wanted but it would have to do. There was some talk about him running for the office of Mayor of Pondera and having his name on the sign would have the effect of keeping his name in people's minds.

         The new restaurant would be completed around the first of November of the coming year. It would open just in time for the Thanksgiving rush and would then begin with bookings for Christmas Parties.

          Everything looked like it would work out just fine. Luis was a careful and precise planner. He went over every possible problem and its solution. Pondera was about to have the best restaurant ever. Luis was both anxious and excited.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Kulow Raceway

       Jonathan knew his friend, Luis, was preparing to expand his businesses by building a new restaurant across from Gordon High School and adjacent to the Warren Manner Motel. The Warren family had lived in Pondera for several generations. They made a good living from their motels. Jonathan was doing well too. He was trying to figure out whether an expansion similar to the one Luis was planning, would work.

          One thing Jonathan had done to expand his business and exposure recently was to sponsor a team at Kulow Raceway. He was also considering sponsorship of a couple of local skateboarders who were beginning to do well in competitions around the state. His wife, Esperanza, thought he was wasting money since his business activities were completely centered in Pondera. Esperanza couldn't see how someone wearing his name on their shirt at a competition in San Diego was going to increase the number of local people who shopped at his store.

         Jonathan couldn't really justify sponsoring the skateboarders, but he enjoyed watching them practice their tricks at the Activity Center. He also felt it was good for the community to have local heroes to look up to. If it was good for the community, he reasoned, it must be good for his business.

         One thing Jonathan had already pretty much made up his mind to do was to shorten the name of his market from Jonathan's to Jon's. It would be cheaper to operate lighted sign's with the shorter name, easier to print up stationary, and easier for people to remember. Besides, it sounded bigger. Maybe that was because it sounded like Von's - the big grocery chain.

         Part of his plan was to change the name and also do a makeover of the store to look much more like the Von's markets he sometimes visited when he was in Fresno. Local shoppers didn't have a lot of choices when it came to buying groceries, but he felt that was no reason to take them for granted.

         Recently, while Jonathan was at the activity center watching his "team" practice, Enofrio Kulow came over to say hello. Enofrio was a few years older than Jonathan, but a good friend and a person who's advice Jonathan trusted.

         "Jonathan!" Said Enofrio. "How are you my friend?"

         "Hey!" Responded Jonathan. "What a pleasant surprise to see you Enofrio. What brings you over here?"

         "I was making my weekly inspection of the facilities", said Jonathan's old friend. "Each week I spend one afternoon checking the track and bleachers and other parts of the raceway. Now that we have opened the Activity Center, I check that too. While I was looking things over, I saw you here watching your young athletes. They appear to be very talented although I know little about the sport."

         "Yes", replied Jonathan enthusiastically. "I think they are very good and they never seem to tire of practicing. I wonder where they get so much strength and energy."

         "It is remarkable, the way they can perform these maneuvers over and over again for hours without seeming to tire", remarked Enofrio. "You and I were once also so strong and hardworking. Now, we are older and must rest a little at times. No?" Enofrio inquired of Jonathan.

         "It is true", confirmed Jonathan. "Sometimes we must rest. The days seem longer to me and the nights are never long enough."

         Enofrio nodded his head in agreement. "I, myself, am beginning to think about taking a little time off. My son has just returned from his studies at Fresno State College and I am considering turning over part of the business to him."

         "Your little Emilio has already finished college?" Said Jonathan in surprise. "I thought he was only twenty or so."

         "Ah. The time flies. Doesn't it?" Stated Enofrio. "Yes he is only twenty. He started college at only seventeen and will be twenty-one next month. His mother and I are very proud of him."

         "Would you turn over your affairs to a twenty-one year old?" Asked Jonathan with a concerned tone in his voice.

         "He is very responsible", explained Enofrio. "He was an excellent student all through high school. He ran track so that he could get a scholarship. His grades were so good that they even came to our house to recruit him. I told him I could pay for his education but he insisted on doing it himself. He applied himself in college and was elected president of his class. Yes. He is young. But, he has proven himself worthy of my trust and admiration."

         "I didn't know all that. It is impressive that a person so young would be so responsible and hard working. There are not too many like that today", agreed Jonathan.

         "My wife, Cristal, always worked very hard to teach him the value of hard work and money. She is the one who is most responsible for teaching him the things one must learn in order to be successful. I was always working to build up the businesses we started. I would like to take the credit but that would be wrong. Emilio is an educated and honest young man because his mother taught him to be so."

         "Enofrio. You do not give yourself enough credit , my friend", chided Jonathan. Your son could always look to you as a role model. You began with nothing but your small savings from working many jobs and became one of the most successful men in out town. Everyone looks up to you."

         "Thank you, Jonathan, for those kind words", said Enofrio with real gratitude in his voice. "I respect your opinion and have always valued your advice. A person must surround themselves with friends such as you if they desire success. It is the quality of a person's friends that show that say the most about that person."

         "If you turn part of your business over to Emilio, what do you plan to do?" Queried Jonathan.

 "Cristal and I have always wanted to visit Costa Rica", said Enofrio. "All these years she has taught History at Gordon High School, and now we are going to fulfill one of our dreams."

         "That is good", confirmed Jonathan. "It is time you two had some time to relax and enjoy a long vacation."

         "Thank you, my friend", thanked Enofrio. "My lovely Cristal has worked so hard all these years and it is something I feel I must do for her. Of course, it is not so bad for me either."

         Jonathan laughed heartily at Enofrio's little joke. He valued Enofrio's friendship. They had worked together many times to bring improvements to the community. Both had served as Mayor of Pondera and each remained a member of the Pondera City Council and also served on the School Board. Pondera was their home and they had worked hard both separately and together to make it a good place to live.

         The two friend's did not discuss the fact that Cristal Kulow was going to run for Mayor of Pondera in the next election and Jonathan might well run against her. Jonathan knew that Cristal and Enofrio were thinking ahead to the day she, or he, might run for the State Assembly seat. Cristal and Enofrio had reached a point in their lives, now that the children were grown, where they felt they should do more than observe and complain about how the state was run. They planned to enter the process themselves.

         Jonathan knew that true friendship can withstand such problems and his friendship with Enofrio was genuine.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The History Lesson

         Cristal Kulow was an experienced and well respected member of the faculty at Gordon High School in Pondera. She had been teaching for almost thirty years and could retire whenever she chose to do so. But, she loved to teach history and could not imagine herself doing anything else.

         Cristal was married to Enofrio Kulow. Her husband had been the Mayor of Pondera and was a very successful businessman in the city. She had been a teacher at Gordon High School for twelve years after spending eight years at Zavala Middle school in Monette. History was her passion. She found everything about it fascinating and interesting. Her favorite period was early American history.

        Cristal loved to read about the early settlers in America and how they managed to survive and overcome enormous hardships. It was terrible the way the Native Americans were driven off their lands and their cultures destroyed. American history is complex and powerful.

         Cristal sponsored the History Club supervised the History Department section of the school web site. The History Club was a popular club on campus. Students frequently ran fundraisers to pay for field trips to places of historic interest in California.

          Their last field trip had been to Sacramento, the State Capitol. There was an old section of the town that looked very much like it did in pioneer times when gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill. That discovery started the California Gold Rush. It had been fun to associate what they read and studied in their classes with real places and settings.

          Cristal believed California was a great place to live because there was so much in the state that was of historical interest. The town of Monette had several old abandoned mining operations with buildings the miners had lived in and that students could tour and inspect. The site had been preserved an restored by a group Rason’s aunt Tillie had started. It was beginning to be quite a tourist attraction.

          The Gordon High School History Club had adopted the old mining area of Monette, called Antelope, as their main project. They usually met on Saturday mornings to clean up the area and work on different buildings that needed fixing. Mrs. Kulow, as the students called her, had purchased a large nine passenger van and usually provided the transportation. It was only ten minutes up Aguayo state Highway and the road was good.

          The History Club had another project in progress near Veliz Landing at Lake Casca. There was a small abandoned mining community just north and east of Veliz Landing which could be reached by following a dirt road north off of Veliz Landing Road.

(be continued)