Weak in Body, Strong in Mind and Spirit
Chapter 28: Wings At Vrooman’s

“This roof doesn’t leak at all,” said Pamela. “Amazing.”

“Nope, not a drop,” agreed Kimberly.

“Let’s set up the inside camp stove over by this wall,” said Pamela.

“OK,” Kimberly replied.

“Is everything alright?” asked Puyallup who bent over and stuck his head in the portal.

“Yes, fine,” said Kimberly. “But we need to do something about the horses.”

“The Beasts?” asked Puyallup. “Do they need anything?”

“Yes. We need a corral for them perhaps with a run in shed.”

“Your words confound me,” said Puyallup.

“Well, a corral is a pen in which we put horses so they don’t run off. A run in shed is like this long house but can be open on the sides. They just need to get out of the sun and rain sometimes,” she answered.

Kimberly sketched this corral and shed thing in the dirt of the floor of the long house. Puyallup explained to me what was needed, and we soon provided what Kimberly asked for.

“Wow! That was fast!” said Kimberly with a grin. “This corral made out of saplings is wonderful, and the run in shed perfect!”

Puyallup smiled and clapped me on the back. I don’t know what he was happy about. We simply did as asked.

Pamela and Kimberly removed their beasts from where they were tied and placed them inside the sapling corral. They then removed vessels from the long house.

“Madu, Puyallup, can I ask you a favor?” asked Kimberly.

“Certainly,” said Puyallup. “Anything for you.”

“Would you fill these buckets with lake water?” she answered.

“Here, let me,” said Ouragan. The massive warrior was approaching from the trail to Fisher Lake.

“Ouragan!” said everyone at the same time.

Bishr’s jaw dropped open. He looked stunned.

“How tall is he?” Bishr finally stammered. “Holy crap!”

“Around ten feet, and probably about a thousand pounds,” said Pamela.

“I hope he’s a friendly Bigfoot,” said Bishr.

“All Forest People are, just don’t make one angry. They’re slow to anger, but ferocious when mad. They also prefer to be called Forest People, People of the Forest, or the Keepers of the Forest, not Bigfoot or Sasquatch,” said Pamela.

“Sure they’re gonna keep the forest. Who’s going to take it from them?” Bishr said in a very low voice.

“Ask them for anything and they’ll give it to you,” said Pamela. “They have no concept of owning property.”

“That’s wild,” said Bishr.

“Native Americans thought much the same way,” said Pamela. “It is why they were thrilled about getting a handful of trinkets for the land that became Manhattan.”

“That’s crazy,” said Bishr.

“Not to the First People,” said Pamela.

Ouragan approached and studied everyone carefully. Bishr was understandably nervous, but not Caesar. He tottered over to Ouragan and looked up at him and laughed, grabbing a hold of a fistful of leg hair.

“What is this little creature?” asked the giant warrior.

“That’s my grandson, Caesar,” said a smiling Pamela.

“Well, what is he doing?”

“He wants you to pick him up,” Pamela replied.

“Why?” asked Ouragan.

“He likes you,” she answered.

Ouragan stooped down and looked at Caesar, who responded by sticking his wee fingers in Ouragan’s mouth.

“He doesn’t fear me!” said Ouragan. “He shall grow up to be a brave and mighty warrior, and I will teach him how!”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” said Megan. “I hope he’s a lover, not a fighter.”

“Or maybe both,” said Ouragan. “The two are not mutually exclusive.”

“Dude, he can hardly walk...” said Bishr.

Ouragan stood and looked at Bishr.

“Why is this one black?” he asked, pointing at Bishr.

“Little People come in different colors,” said Pamela.

“Why? What is the significance?” he asked.

“It has none, and just the way it is.”

Ouragan walked to Bishr, picked him up to eye level, and turned him around to inspect him, and then held him upside down by his ankles.

“Well, he appears normal,” said Ouragan, which sent Megan into fits of laughter.

“Dude, put me down! This is extremely rude!” yelled Bishr. Ouragan did as requested.

“That was completely uncalled for!” said Bishr, which made Ouragan scowl.

“Enough Bishr,” said Pamela. “Remember who you’re talking to.”

“Right,” said Bishr. “Dude, I’m sorry.”

Bishr held out his right hand. Ouragan looked at Bishr and then at Puyallup, Okie, and me. We stuck our tongues out.

“Just do it,” whispered Puyallup. “It is a greeting and sign of friendship.”

Ouragan stuck his tongue out at Bishr, who then responded in kind.

“I need to call my mom to let her know we arrived safely,” said Pamela. “Kimberly, let’s go to Vrooman’s for wings.”

“OK,” said Kimberly. “You won’t get an argument from me.”

“We will take you to your conveyance,” said Puyallup.

“Yes, of course,” I added.

We picked up Pamela and Kimberly, each on a shoulder.

“Can we come?” asked Megan.

I picked up Megan and Puyallup Bishr. Caesar walked unsteadily to Ouragan with his arms raised. Ouragan picked him up and laughed.

“You shall indeed be our mightiest warrior, little one! And I will see to it! You are fearless!”

Ouragan then picked up David, who seemed unsure of this.

“Giddy up!” shouted Kimberly, and everyone ran off at high speed, hopping over logs and rocks with ease. Chase Lake was passed in short order and the conveyances soon came into view.

“Everyone hop in!” said Kimberly as she entered her conveyance’s portal.

Puyallup and I jumped into the back of the conveyance and donned our moving blanket skins. Ouragan stepped inside and the back of the conveyance sagged to the ground.

“You guys are coming?” asked Kimberly.

“Apparently so... wait,” said Pamela. She was ejected from her portal and ran to the thing called RV. She quickly emerged.

“Here, put this bedspread around you,” she said as she handed the odd thing to Ouragan. He frowned. He then looked at Puyallup and me and reluctantly donned the skin.

Kimberly’s conveyance soon took everyone away, and in a short time pulled off the trail.

“Here we are!” said Kimberly happily as her portal opened.

“Why don’t you guys come in with us,” said Pamela.

“Inside the abode?” I asked.

“Yes. Why not?” she answered.

“Well...”

“Well nothing. Come on, follow me,” she commanded.

Knowing how powerful of a Wizard she is, we removed ourselves from the back of the conveyance.

“Hi,” said Angie, greeting Pamela at the door. “How many?”

“Five,” said Pamela. “Plus a baby, and three Forest People.”

“What?” asked Angie.

“You’ll see,” giggled Kimberly.

Pamela and David entered first, followed by Kimberly, Megan, and Bishr carrying Caesar. Puyallup and I squeezed in the portal, but Ouragan did so only with great, great difficulty.

Angie didn’t say a word as we followed Pamela. As we passed Little People sitting at what Pamela said was a ‘bar’, a Male looked angry.

“What is this shit?” He asked, looking at Bishr and Caesar with contempt. “I don’t think niggers...”

Ouragan grabbed the male by his head and threw him across the room nonchalantly as he passed.

All of the Little People sat on their sitting contraptions. Puyallup, Ouragan, and I sat on the abode’s floor. The one named Angie approached somewhat cautiously.

“Menus?” she asked.

“Nope,” said Pamela. “Give me a dozen wings medium and Kimberly’s mild. Make David’s hot. But bring a dozen orders each of mild to our big friends.”

“So... these are your Sasquatch friends that I saw on the news?” said Angie.

Everyone snickered as we Forest People looked confused, knowing we were being discussed but not understanding their words.

“Yes,” laughed Pamela. “Apparently.”

Ouragan, ever the Warrior, surveyed his whereabouts warily, evaluating his surroundings for threats.

“I need to call mom,” said Pamela, arising from her sitting thing and pulling a communication device from a skin she wore as she departed.

Soon the one referred to as Angie returned with food offerings. David, Kimberly, Bishr, and Megan began devouring this food.

“I love Vrooman’s wings!” said Kimberly.

“They’re really good!” said Megan.

Puyallup, Ouragan, and I must have made our displeasure apparent.

“What’s wrong?” asked Kimberly.

“What is this?” asked Puyallup.

“Buffalo wings,” she explained.

“Buffaloes don’t have wings, and if they did, they’d be much larger,” he said.

“They’re chicken wings and drum sticks,” Kimberly smiled.

“But something was done to them,” said Puyallup scowling and holding a piece of his food up.

“They’re cooked is all!” said Kimberly. “Try it.”

Puyallup, Ouragan and I looked at each other with blank stares. Finally, I did as Kimberly demonstrated and put what she called a wing in my mouth and swallowed it.

“Interesting,” I said.

Puyallup and Ouragan picked up handfuls of wings, placed them into their mouths and swallowed. The Little People were apparently impressed because they watched us in amazement with their mouths agape.

Pamela walked back to join us.

“That took awhile,” said Kimberly.

“Well, I called Mom and told her we got here safely. She was glad, but then said Scott Marlowe called from Winter Haven and that I needed to call him right away, so I did. Scott was researching in his usual Florida places and said he’s seen signs of battles between Sasquatches and Skunk Apes. The Skunk Apes are moving north.”

She then projected her words to Puyallup, Ouragan, and me.

“What are Skunk Apes, Pamela?” I asked.

“Well, from what Scott explained, Skunk Apes are a species closely related to you Forest People, but very mean and aggressive,” she said. “We need to tell Okie.”

Pamela arose without eating her wing food.

“Are you leaving?” asked Angie. “Would you like a box?”

“No, but thank you,” said Pamela rushing for the portal. We all arose. Ouragan hit his head on the ceiling making a hole before stooping over. We were passing by the place where we first entered.

“I can’t believe they serve niggers...” was all the one sitting muttered before Ouragan grabbed him by his little head and flung him across the room again.

“I don’t know what he was saying,” said Ouragan, “but I could sense his hate.”

Bishr smiled broadly and said “Dude, that was awesome. You’re the man. Fist bump.”