The Disappearance of a Pied Piper

Little Nevermore Island

A half-hour later a dozen of the refugees returned to the Chief with handfuls of blackberries, pine nuts, sawgrass, and tree snails. "We could bring back a lot more if we had some buckets," Myrtle said.

"So true," Bud responded. "Lay the provisions you have found so far on the back of my car for equal distribution. Then, go check in the back part of the church building. I think there is a kitchen back there. I haven't investigated that area, yet. You may be able to find the containers you need. If you find some, please hand them out and return to the woods to bring back more provisions. We still have a lot of daylight ahead of us."

Myrtle and a few others headed into the church, and came back two minutes later shouting, "There is a whole pantry with nothing but pots, pans, and buckets."

"That's great, Myrtle," Bud said. "You are a great resource for our town. Onward and Upward. You're doing a great job."

"We found some wild apples, Chief," Pace said. "For starters, there's enough to fill these two large pots."

"That's great, Pace," Bud said. "Please, put them inside the front door of the auditorium, and bring a few more pots to gather up the provisions on the back of my car. Then, store them inside with the apples. We want to keep our food safe from the elements."

"The preacher must have been a survivalist," Lem smiled real big, "because he has a huge garden on the backside of the parsonage. Calvin and I found some potatoes, onions, garlic, lettuce, and watermelons."

"That's great!" Bud said. "Take your harvest to Pace inside the auditorium, and store them there with the rest of the provisions."

"Cynthia, please begin to make the sleeping assignments," Bud said. "Check out the parsonage, first. I want to give the best accomodations to our more senior citizens, like Ma & Pa Freshly. Besides, since their diner got washed away. I'm sure they will want to cook whatever we find to eat. Let's make sure they get the best night's sleep of all of us."

"I will, Bud," Cynthia said. "You're doing a great job. Thanks for your hard work. I love you so much."

"I love you so much more, Dear Lady," Bud said. They shared a big smile.

"George, find a way up into that bell tower," Bud said. "Having a workable bell on hand could be useful."

"On it, Chief," George responded.

Let's go through the survival list, Bud Ol' Boy, he thought. What am I missing? Food? In the process. Shelter? Assignments are being made. Communication? Bell Tower is being checked out. Water? What are we going to do for freshwater?

"Jerome, Rich, I need you to search the property for freshwater wells," Bud said. "Does the water still work in the church and in the parsonage? If it does, good. If not, we need fresh water to drink. I want both of you to work on that issue. Speaking of water, Stan is still out there in the water somewhere. Bring me a pair of binoculars from one of our cars. I want to search for Stan in the fire tower. Was he high enough to survive the huge wave, that inundated Fairly Same? If he is still alive, how are we going to reach him to bring him back to where we are? Look for a boat of some sort. Add that to your list of things to do. Understood?"

"Got it, Chief!" Jerome said.

Rich brought the binoculars to the Chief. "Thanks, Rich," he said. "Thanks for helping Jerome with the search for fresh water."

"No worries, Chief," Rich said.

Bud searched the water world in the direction of what used to be the town of Fairly Same. Right behind what used to be the high school, Bud caught sight of a waving man on top of the fire tower, which was all that was left above water. "Rich," Bud shouted, "Tell Jerome we need that boat in a short-short. Stan's alive on top of the fire tower.

"Will do, Chief," Rich said. "We're on it."

"Bud, there are three bedrooms in the parsonage," Cynthia had returned to report in. "Every bed has fresh bedding. There's a hide-a-bed in the couch in the living room with quilts piled up behind it. The quilts should make three or four more beds in that room itself because the floor is carpeted."

"Thank you so much," Cynthia. "That's great to know. By my count, the Parsonage should accommodate about half of our families. Seven, if I'm counting properly."

"That's about right," Cynthia said.

"Please, check out the church auditorium for sleeping arrangements for the other eight families or singles," Bud said. "Are there items we can use for covering up in the church? Are the benches comfortable enough for sleeping, or at least passable, if not comfortable?"

"I'll check, Sweetheart," Cynthia said. "How are you doing? You have so much on your mind?"

"I'm okay," he said, "but thanks for asking. There is a lot to think about, but the preacher left us a lot to work with. So, we should be good."

Just then, Jerome and Rich ran up to the Chief from different directions. "We have freshwater wells," they said in unison.

"One for the church," said Jerome.

"And one for the parsonage," said Rich. "On top of that, the preacher really must have had survivalist training because there are half a dozen rain barrels on metal stands at the back of the parsonage with spigots at the bottom to pour from properly."

"I found the same at the back of the church," Jerome said. "Only, he had a full dozen to serve the church people. We never came, while he was on Earth. He really cared about us, didn't he?"

"I'm starting to see that quite clearly, Jerome," Bud said. "We never really saw the preacher for the man, he was (or is,) while he was amongst us. Shame on me. I was blinded by my preconceived notions of religion. At least, he's helping us now, and my respect for the man is off the chart."

"Mine, too, Chief," Jerome said.

"I second that nomination," Rich smiled.

"Alright. That's enough mushy stuff," the Chief barked. "Found a boat, yet. We've got a man hanging onto life out in the water, and we need to bring him home."

"I haven't found one, yet, Chief," Jerome said.

"Me, neither," said Rich.

"But I did see what looks to be a tool shed down the path behind the parsonage," Jerome said. "It's still about five feet above the water line."

"Let's go check it out," Rich shouted at a trot. "Last one there's a rotten egg."

"Oh, no you don't," Jerome called after him. "My wheels have overdrive." He took off at a full run.

The foragers had found some bees, bringing back a potful of honey in the honeycomb. Beyond that, they found some earthworms. "It may take a little getting used, but they will provide an excellent source of protein," Myrtle said. "I would even be willing to bake them into some cookies to mask the flavor, providing we can find some flour."

"That's a great idea, Myrtle," Bud said. "Why don't you look for some in the kitchens of the church and parsonage?"

"I'd love to, Bud," she said. "I'm on my way."

Lem said, "I'll bet, if I'm allowed to use some of those earthworms, I could catch us some fish for supper. That is provided I can rig up something to fish with."

"Lem, you have my permission to use some earthworms for that purpose," Bud said. "Tell Myrtle I authorized it, and I have all the confidence in the world, that you can rig up something to fish with. If my eyes aren't tricking me, I see some bamboo at the back of the property. Take one to make a cane pole, and look in the shed, where Jerome and Rich are right now. I am willing to bet the preacher left some fishing line, sinkers, hooks, and floats or bobbers. He seemed to have thought of everything, while he was here."

"Great idea, Chief," Lem said. "I'll head there, right now."

Bud caught sight of Cynthia, headed his way. "What did you find, my Dear?"

"That preacher really did think of everything," she said. "He must have been planning on the elderly coming to his services because there are two stacks of quilts and serapes 20 each on the back corners of the auditorium's side wings. Everybody, who stays in the church should be able to lie on one and cover up with another with the choice of lying on a bench or lying on the floor, since the auditorium is carpeted, too."

"Thank you, Cynthia," Bud said. "You are such a help to me. Would you mind taking a slow walk through the church and the parsonage? I have a hunch, that there are nooks and crannies, cubby holes, shelves, and maybe even hidden rooms or hidden shelving units, that are filled with treasures the preacher left for us to find. I would be much obliged if you are able to start finding a few of these treasures."

"A treasure hunt," she said. "I like it."

"Look for Myrtle," he said, "She's already looking for flour. That's a good way to start. Maybe you can take her with you for the slow walk-through."

"Sound great," Cynthia said. "I'll look for her."

At that moment, Jerome and Rich raced back to the Chief, "We found a boat, Chief," Jerome said, "an outboard motor, and some gas. It's a little heavy, but six guys should be able to lift it into the water. I didn't see any holes in the hull. We should have Stan back by nightfall."

"Grab all the helpers you need, and make it happen," Bud said. "I'm proud of you men."

They all shared a smile and the two headed out.

On the way to the shed, the two support officers started calling out to the men they saw to help them. "Bubba John, come with us," Jerome said. "We need to move a boat."

"Sure thing," he said and the two became three.

"Lem, we need your help," Rich said.

"I'm with you," Lem said and the three became four.

"Calvin, you got a minute?" Jerome asked.

"Sure," he responded, "I'm on my way." The four became five.

"Liam," Rich called, "got something to move."

"Sure thing," he said, and the five became six.

Finally, at the shed, eight men lugged the heavy, old-timey skiff to the edge of the water, and launched it. "Thanks for your help, Gentlemen," Jerome said. "Please, keep doing what you can to get the community ready for our first night in our new home. We've got to rescue Stan before nightfall, and we're running tight on time. See you soon. We hope."

"We've got your backs, Sirs," the six spoke in chorus. "Safe travels."

Jerome sat in the bow as Rich navigated the outboard motor. "We're on the opposite side of the island from where we need to be," Rich said, "but we've got to navigate further away from the island before we can make the turn. There's a submerged forest under here, and I don't want to damage the blades with any of the limbs."

"I can see that's for sure," Jerome said. "Treetops are sticking out of the water for quite a distance back here. Are you doing okay following the path on the backside of the property?"

"Yeah, but whoever cleared the path, didn't leave width for more than a good-sized car," Rich said. "I don't have much wiggle room."

"The road seems to decline enough about a half mile further down the road, that we should be able to turn left, heading toward Stan."

"I see it," Rich said. "The treetops are starting to dip below the water, but they're still to close to the surface. I've got to get this right the first time. There's no room for error. Jerome, help me navigate the trees when I turn."

"Will do," Jerome said. "We're cutting it closer than I like. My best guess is that we've got about 90 minutes of light left. We won't have time to come back this way. We'll have to aim for the main road, coming to the island through the clearing."

"That's my preference, anyway," Rich said. "What'd ya think?"

"I think we're far enough away from the treetops," Jerome said. "Besides, we don't have enough time to go further away from the island. Make a wide curve left, and we'll keep our fingers crossed."

Rich narrowly missed about half a dozen trees, and as a result, he turned slightly back to the right to give himself more space before he turned left once again in a wide arch, circumnavigating the island, and surveying the damage on the way. "I think we should be to Stan in about a half-hour," Rich said. "I hope we develop cat eyes on the way back."

They had effectively motored out past the tree line, but Rich had to keep a wide arch, until he neared the main part of town, seeing the fire tower with Stan on the top. "We should be to the clearing for Fairly Same, right...about...now," Rich said. "The ocean waves are not too choppy. So, I'll start turning further to the left with my eyes on Stan. Keep a sharp lookout for trees, Jerome. We'll be alongside Stan shortly."

"Got you, "Jerome said. "Sun's still in the sky for now, but woe be us when it hits the horizon line. Don't spare the speed for me. I'm good."

In minutes, Rich brought the skiff next to the tower. Stan reached for Jerome's hand and hopped into the bottom of the boat. "Hang on, Gentlemen," Rich said. "This is a race against time. Glad you're okay, Stan. Would love to hear about your adventures, but we'd better focus on getting back to the island, right now."

"No worries," Stan said, "I've been hanging on for dear life all afternoon. I got this. Pedal to the metal."

With very little talk Jerome and Stan pointed out trees as the three men made their way down the main road to what was now the Little Island of Nevermore. Since the main road was much wider than the path they had been on earlier, it was much easier to keep the skiff "between the ditches," so to speak. Squinting more and more, they stayed away from the trees, and when the skiff touched land on the shore of the little island, Jerome's flashlight was all the light they had to find their way to the church building.

With great effort, the three officers pulled the skiff about 30 feet up onto a grassy knoll and headed back to the community for what they hoped would be some supper.

"This has been a day," Stan said. "I wonder what tomorrow holds."

"Can't think about that, right now," Jerome said. "I need a little rest."

"Amen to that," Rich smiled, but no one saw him being witty.