Enter the Deers!: Part 2
Resolve
The House was the Deers’ sanctuary, their remove from the world outside, and it and its grounds held a power that even they didn’t yet fully understand. Their flight back to it through the portal had been taking a risk: if their pursuers had ended up there as well, their one safe haven, then where else would there have been for them to go? And if others realized where the House was, what then? Waiting in fear? Besiegement?
Sara tossed her e-reader aside. She was propped up in bed waiting for Kehte, but she couldn’t get these thoughts out of her head. She took a breath. But they were safe–they were. It had been three days since their last foray, when Kehte had been hurt–
He came in, and flopped onto the bed.
“Are they asleep?” Sara said.
“Yeah, just now,” Kehte said.
“How do they seem?” said Sara.
“Ok, I guess. Ione still isn’t mentioning anything of what she saw.”
“It was so harrowing,” said Sara. “I can’t see her just ignoring it like that.”       “Well, we can try talking to her about it again tomorrow,” Kehte said. “She is just a toddler after all. I mean, not just a toddler, but… You know what I mean.”
“Yeah,” said Sara. She played with her fingers.
“And how are you doing, honey?” Kehte said. He slid up into a sitting position and started rubbing Sara’s back.
      “Okay,” said Sara, still twining her fingers.
      “You’re not,” said Kehte. “Please, just tell me.”
      “Kehte, who WERE they?” Sara almost shouted. “They came after us! What did we do to get attacked? For you to get hurt? We didn’t do anything!”
      “I know, I know,” Kehte said. “I have no idea. You know as much as I do. And I didn’t really see them, either. It’s like one minute we were looking up at those big, sparkly plants, with nobody around, and the next I was shoving you and the girls through a portal with things whizzing by all around us.”
      “But wasn’t it one of them that hurt you?” Sara said. “One of the people?”
      “Yeah, I think so,” Kehte said. “It happened just before I jumped through the portal too. I’m not sure if it was a weapon, or what. I’m thinking maybe it was? Vivian was able to heal it ok, and I’m still here, so I wasn’t poisoned, or–”
      Sara grabbed her husband. “Stop, please,” she said, tears starting. “That’s enough. I can’t stop thinking about it. And the girls! We were stupid to take them.”
      “It’s my fault,” Kehte said. “I thought it would be ok.”
      Sara grabbed for some Kleenex. “Well no more. We’ve had our fun, we’ve had our confirmation. We know there’s more out there. But now we stop.”       “I guess,” Kehte said, brushing his fingers through Sara’s hair. He trailed off.
      “Kehte, I mean it,” Sara said. “It’s one thing to visit the moon, or talk with bugs, or whatever. But for Christ’s sake, you almost had your leg cut off!”
      “Yeah…” Kehte said. “Although, I’m not sure how to get rid of the transporter. Or even if we can. I mean, technically it was given to use by–”
      “Just try,” Sara said. “Please. Bury it, throw it in the river. Something.”
      “Ok,” Kehte said. “Tomorrow I’ll get rid of it.”
-
Across the house, Ione sat alone on her bed, hugging her knees. She could hear Vivian sleeping in her crib, her breath ezzing in and out. She stared ahead. In her own toddler way, she was turning her recent experiences over in her head, with that strange mix of insight from unfettered observation and non-understanding from lack of experience that is the purview of all toddlers. And her mind was reaching out to grasp at something. Something she knew was important, but that she could only hazily imagine.
She looked over at Vivian. Vivian was important, she knew. She thought of Vivian laughing when Ione would run by, or make faces at her, and smiled. She liked Vivian. Vivian was important.
Ione looked at her bedroom door. Mummy and Mama were important. She thought of their presence–looming, protective. She thought of their hugs, and their anger, and their gentle caresses, and their affection toward each other when Ione would get jealous. She felt something solidify within her. Mummy and Mama were important.
But now Ione was confused. So what was it? Other things were important too. The potty. Washing your hands. Saying please. Holding hands while somewhere strange. Somehow those things seemed different, but why?
She slid down out of her bed and walked over to the toy shelf. Her brown rabbit, Gwaˀyęˀah, stared at her in the dimness. She took him and climbed back up into bed. Grabbing Gwaˀyęˀah’s arms, she held him up to face her. Was Gwaˀyęˀah important? She hugged him. The fur was soft and smelled like a thousand things. Maybe. She liked to play with Gwaˀyęˀah because Vivian couldn’t run around yet. But although it was fun, he didn’t really do anything. Not like Vivian. Or Mummy. Or Mama.
Ione’s arms dropped, and her gaze focused once more into the middle distance. And who were those people? And why had there been yelling? And hurt? And red? And flashing lights? And… and…
And she would figure it all out tomorrow. Ione’s eyes drooped closed, and she laid over onto her side in sleep.
