3 – The Woman (OLD)

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The likeness of Michael Kramer is used in this project through AI-generated technology. Please note that Michael Kramer did not record any audio for this content, and his voice is not being used for any monetary gain. The rights to Michael Kramer’s voice and likeness do not belong to Redmatter Creations. Furthermore, the voice and likeness of Michael Kramer will not be used in the final product.

The interval between when the sun first illuminates a specific point and when it moves beyond it is referred to as a calendar passing.

From the Journal of Azura Seren. -Turseno section, 28th rotation

“Oberon, Help!” I sprint over to the hanging body and he follows quickly behind. I draw my knife and we work like clockwork. He offers his hands for me to step on as if reading my mind.

He raises me up and I get a better look at the woman before I begin sawing at the rope. She is a young-ish black-haired woman, in her thirties. Her torn clothes reveal a lot more skin than what is acceptable. Her face stained with tears.

My knife cuts through the rope and the body falls a couple of feet before landing on the soft soil underneath. I hop down from Oberon’s hands and check her physical condition. It looks like her neck isn’t broken. How long has she been here? This had to have happened in the time frame we were exploring our houses. I remove the rope from around her neck and check her pulse with my fingers. She’s alive.

Her breathing becomes raggedy, but she doesn’t respond to any stimuli. That scar on her neck will likely be there for the rest of her life. What possessed her to do this? I wish Hadrian were here. He’d know what to do. They should be here any moment right?

“Oberon, follow the path back and find Hadrian. Bring him here.” I command. He hesitates, “Now! I’ll stay with her until you get back.”

Oberon sprints in the direction we came and his cat stays with me. Beef Iron Mutilator rubs against my arm as I tend this broken woman.

***

I hear footsteps and see Oberon with Hadrian running toward us. Beef Iron lays on the woman’s chest.

“What happened?” Hadrian asks frantically. He breathes heavily while I tell him.

“We just found her like this. We’d been exploring the town and found her hanging here.” I say, panicked.

“Step aside,” Hadrian says. He pushes the cat off and rests a hand on the woman’s neck. “In the name of the Light, restore this woman.”

Light seems to reflect slightly where Hadrian touches her, and her eyes snap right open. She looks around and takes in everything that she sees. She struggles to take a breath and puts a small hand up to her throat. She remains silent.

“Caelius, why don’t you watch over her while she recovers?” Hadrian asks. “Oberon, thank you for swiftly retrieving me. The rest of the Brightest should only be a couple of minutes away. We will convene under this tree.” He walks off back to his caravan.

The woman is very light in my arms. I’m used to carrying two-hundred-pound deer for miles. I carry her to my house and lay her on my parent’s bed. She is still in shock from her near-death experience.

“It’s okay,” I say, trying to comfort her. “We’ll take care of you.” She makes eye contact with me but she doesn’t respond. “My name is Caelius, and my friends name is Oberon. The one who healed you is Hadrian. He is the leader of our small group.” I’m not sure what else I could say. The last thing I want is for her to run off and try killing herself again.

But also, she isn’t my responsibility. If she wants to run away, I can’t stop her. It is, however, my responsibility to make sure she gets the help and resources that she needs if she decides to stick around with us. I decide to check up on her again in a few hours after the rest of the Brightest arrive. I wonder if Hadrian is going to keep it a secret for now or if he is going to make some kind of announcement.

I leave the woman lying in the bed hoping that she doesn’t enter the basement with the deer carcasses. Chattering from outside fills my ears and I exit my house to see everyone else arrive. Oberon is already with his wife and child.

People disperse into buildings and structures on the street. Many others admire the massive Willow tree in the center of the town. This is how it’s supposed to be—a community.

“This willow was here last time I visited,” Hadrian says next to me. “I forgot how large it was.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it.” I say in awe, leaning up against the railing on my porch, admiring the distinct flora with drooping leaves..

“Crazy how our planet can come up with the most beautiful of things.” He says, “Do you remember the luminous forest? I think you were about nine or ten passings old.”

“How could I forget? That place is creepy as hell.”

“Ah, you get used to it. At least I have,” Hadrian says. “Hey, show me around your new house?”

“Oh, yeah sure! That woman is in my parent’s room so we’ll need to be quiet.” 

Hadrian follows me inside and he takes it all in, examining the kitchen and living room. “Are you liking your new home so far?” he asks, sitting on the couch, testing its comfort. “Oh, its a bit… Bumpy.”

“I think this place definitely needs a new coat of paint, but so far, I’m pretty happy with it.” I say. Hadrian sticks his hands down into some of the holes in the couch, feeling around.

When he gets up, I show him my kitchen, bathroom, and lastly my bedroom. “You could use some curtains there.” He says, pointing at the window. “I’m sure Tremain or one of the seamstress ladies have some extra cloth you could lay over that window. Should make it easier to sleep.” I’ll keep that in mind.

“You have a nice place here, Caelius. I’ll admit, I’m jealous.” Hadrian sticks his hands in the pockets of his clean gold-trimmed robe.

“Are you going to find a house for yourself?”

“Ah, no probably not. I prefer to stay in my wagon.” He says. “You know, I’m just used to it.” He looks tired. Not the kind of tired where you didn’t get enough sleep. He displays the kind of tired of a man who has lived too long. He had to be around 60 passings old at this point. At first it seemed uncharacteristic for this man to want to rest in a small little suburb, but in this moment, I understand completely.

“Caelius.” He starts, “About your parents…” He doesn’t meet my eyes. Instead he looks to the side at something. He wants to say something. His mouth stutters and after a moment, he finally says, “They were good people. I’m sorry they aren’t here with us now.”

I give him a slight smile. I’ve gotten over their disappearance. I’ve accepted that they are likely dead some where. I just wish I had the chance to say goodbye. “It’s okay, Father. It’s not your fault.”

“No, it is my fault.” He admits. “They were under my protection and I let them run off. For that, I apologize.” 

If Hadrian was a touchy person, I would probably give him a hug. He even wears black leather gloves to avoid skin to skin contact. Instead, I give him a slight nod. He steps outside into the sunlight and meets up with other caravan members. I follow along, finding a place next to Oberon and his wife, Dolora.

The cooks waste no time getting dinner prepared. They started a campfire as soon as they arrived and have cooked up the meat for today. One by one, the children pass out the food to each of the adults. Brena brings food to her dad and mom first. Most children start with their parents. She brought me my serving next.

“Thank you, Brena.” I say, smiling. She runs off to pass more food to other people. Oberon, Dolora and I sit together on a curb in front of the willow tree. Once Brena is finished passing out food, she joins us with her own plate.

“Hey did you ever get that girl’s name?” Oberon whispers to me. I don’t think he wants his wife to hear him talk about another girl. “You know, the one we found?”

“I barely talked to her,” I reply in between bites of food. “Who knows if she even plans on sticking around.”

“If you did, maybe you can get yourself a girlfriend eh?” He nudges me in the side with his elbow. I can’t help but blush slightly. The woman isn’t my type. I personally don’t find her attractive and the last thing I want to do, is to take advantage of someone who may be in a vulnerable state.

“Nah, I don’t think so,” I say trying to dismiss his suggestion.

“Dude, why not?” He sounds shocked, “You’re gonna miss this opportunity to lay with a woman.” He speaks a bit quieter, “Especially one as hot as her?” 

“What are you guys talking about?” Dolora asks from next to Oberon. He snaps upright, looking very guilty.

“Oh, haha, nothin. Just hunting stuff.” He lies. She shakes her head and turns her attention back toward her daughter. “Think about it buddy.” He whispers even quieter.

I don’t want to think about it. I think I’d rather wait for the right person to come along. The last thing I want to do is to get stuck in a relationship that I am not happy in. Despite how tempting it may be.

Oberon and Dolora aren’t perfect for each other but they make it work somehow. Could I do the same? I think with our living conditions, I can’t be too picky about who I decide to wed.

I can’t deny I’ve been feeling the effects of loneliness lately. Having some companionship would be really nice. Unfortunately, my ideal woman wouldn’t be in The Brightest. Which is heartbreaking because I have no intentions of leaving.

I decide that if I am going to ask this new woman out on a date, I’d want her to be fully recovered and lucid. I realize I’ve been fantasizing and I still don’t even know her name. She hasn’t said a single word to me and I am thinking of our future together. Damn it, Oberon, for putting these thoughts into my head.

I take another bite of venison and hear an unfamiliar noise. “Mraw?” The suddenness startles me and I nearly choke on my food.

“Beefy!” Oberon screeches, “Come here pumpkin!” The cat, Beef Iron Mutilator, hops over to Oberon and jumps up onto his lap. “Aww, baby kitty!” Oberon starts to pet him, followed by smelling his head, followed by kissing his head, which is then followed up by him trying to fit the poor animals head in his mouth. The cat pushes back and Oberon squeezes him tightly against his face.

I notice the jealousy in Dolora’s gaze. She sighs slightly and pushes herself off of the curb, her plate empty. Oberon doesn’t even notice her leaving while he continues to love on the cat. Brena begins to pet the cat too. Despite all of Oberon’s strangeness toward the cat, it does not leave. It almost seems to enjoy the attention, which is reinforced by Oberon giving him little pieces of his steak.

Dolora sits with a group of other women who seem to become excited when she arrives. I understand how hard it is to deal with Oberon sometimes, so I’m glad that she has a group of other girls she can confide with.