Agricultural Hazard

Zhea~ Year 7840

Sonya's idyllic country life isn't working, and her son, Randy's out of control. But, she doesn't realize that her husband, Will, is at the end. G. 20pp.

ASIN: B002IPHDZU File Size: 70 KB (Kindle Edition - July 22, 2009)

Agricultural Hazard - Novelette Kindle Edition

Excerpt. © Dannis Cole. All rights reserved.

I waved up my Pink Pass. Hadn’t programmed it for ‘way out here! The furthest north was where 985 and 85 came together almost to Atlanta. Well, Gwinnett County, anyway. That’s only 30 mins. I went straight down to the interchange.

Will cried.

“What’s the matter, honey?”

“Keep me, Sonya! Nae give me to slavers!”

I startled. “Is that what KhaZha wives do when they don’t want to be married?”

He cried loudly. “Yes! If a man can’t work, she sells him to the slave traders for a quarter-trade!”

“I won’t do that. I’m taking you to a healer. He’d better be nice, or I’ll find another one. Will, I love you!” I held his cold hand against my cheek.

“Do you love me, Sonya? I didn’t eat your pecans.”

Tears nearly made me run off the road. A truck honked at me. “Honey, you don’t have to eat any. You had that pecan in your hand when we—“

He startled and looked at both of his hands. Felt in his lap.

“Don’t, honey. It doesn’t matter—“

“I lost your gift! I deserve to—“

“Will, listen to me. Put your head back. Rest. You’re sweating.” And, his skin looked gray! Traffic built up. I waited too long. Gently, I stroked his damp hair. Zheien can’t sweat. They die. I relaxed a bit as he curled up and put his head on the armrest. “I love you. Nobody’s taking you away from us. We’re a family, and we’re staying together.”

Randy nearly drove me crazy with his pretend battles as we drove along. Will always got pale when he started with that. Tried to talk him into trading his violent games away, but he wouldn’t.

My husband fell asleep shivering. That worried me. I sweated with the heat blowing only on him. Randy did stop his games long enough to poke the button occasionally to heat Will’s seat.

Finally, we got to I-85 and I activated the Pink Pass. Autopilot took us soaring far above Atlanta. Now I turned my full attention to progging it for the Spaceport. Found it already packing the rest of our things. In the Pink Pass? How much is using this going to cost us? I worried.

The trip didn’t take 15 mins. Randy got quiet. I noticed him on the other side of the back seat by Will, nose pressed to the window. “Pretty, isn’t it? Atlanta’s so green.” Then it hit. We won’t be seeing it any more. The trees. The animals. The buildings. Where we’re going— I didn’t know anything about other planets— I shivered.

We headed down, and a portal sucked the three of us in. “Hey!”

The three of us shot into the red ship and people in white robes eased us onto the floor. A yellow Zheien took Will. “O, this one is very unwell! Lie here with him.” From his pocket came a round, flat pillow.

Will woke up. “Nae! Sonya, I beg—“

“It’s all right. Feel my arms around you? I won’t leave.”

“Ejae nes! My bae!!” Will’s father leapt over people and landed harshly on his knees. Gently touched Will’s head.

“Nae! Nae touch me!”

“You had injury! Let me heal this!” His twin-fingered hands, smooth and yellow, held Will’s head, but he struggled in the grip.

“Hey, he doesn’t want you to—“

“Young son, ne force healing!”

Will’s father looked up, and his eyes turned black from deep blue. “Ahstam, he is my bae! I will nae force my healing, but he has nae reason with him. He had false healing from many, as did I.” He cried. Pulled at his long, silver curls.

The bald healer hugged him, then sat him against trembling Will. “Comfort your bae, while I speak to him.” His orange skin and bald head— I shouldn’t stare— pale blue eyes had a very kind look. “What is your name, my son?”

“Will. Here is my wife, Sonya. My son, Randy.” His hand pressed my hand against his cheek.

“Where’s Randy?” I gave a panicked look across the ship, and he talked excitedly with a man in DS blue. Huge red ship, with a few people sitting or lying around on the bare floor. Mostly white robes.

“He is well. None let a child to leave. Will, I am Ahstam, a healer. May I touch you?”

“Wh-where do you w-want to touch me?” He whimpered! I never saw my husband cower for a moment, not even when that man threatened him with a crowbar over Randy’s fiddling with a tractor of his at the auction. Security stopped things before Will stood up for us. Why would a healer scare him so bad?

“I wish to touch your head. Take my hands. You may know me before I touch.”

Slowly, his eyes studied the man, as if he’d hit. One hand reached and clumsily took the pair of hands close to his eyes. Felt them. “You are Zheien.”

“I am from Zhea~.”

Will gasped, and put the hands on his forehead. “Help me! I had a bad healer at Grady. I think he hurt me.”

His father cried, and Will startled. “Why should you care? You didn’t want me to get married, ever, and when I tried to introduce Sonya, you argued with her!”

“I wish nae to argue now, dear bae. Apologies. You have happiness with your wife, and I am well with it.”

“Eae, Fa?” Gently, he took his father’s hand. “I shouldn’t say things when my head hurts.”