Riverworld, Day 71, Morning

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Matoaka looked around wondering what had happened and mumbled, "It is
true that you cannot die on this world."  She saw the 'natives'
staring at her and felt definitely naked.  Slowly in a non-threatening
manner she reached for the towels near her and wrapped them around her
best she can.  Finally, she put her hands to her face and realized
that even there she was naked.  She grabbed her grail and tied it
securely to her wrist and just sat there for a moment lost in her
thoughts before noticing that Shaw, Benjamin, and a fourth individual
were with her.

Shaw sat upright suddenly and jerked to one side for a brief moment,
as if struggling with a unseen opponent.  "What..I.." Shaw dug his
fingers into the ground and started cursing to himself, first in
English, then in a number of different languages finishing with a few
recently learned words in Celtic.  After pausing a moment to regain
his composure, Shaw said, "My apologies, I'm not quite use to dying
just yet."

On awakening and seeing Matoaka and Shaw, Benjamin sighed heavily
before speaking.  "I suppose I argued too strongly.  Men are hard to
know as Melons."  He frowned and looked around at his surroundings
carefully, hoping to find something he recognized, yet despairing of
such a hope.

Shaw, meanwhile, conversed with the man named Luria, in Arabic, while
the villages smiled without comprehension.

"Hello," Shaw said in Arabic. "I'm Tom Shaw, early 20th century,
Christian calendar, from Britain.  This is Mr. Benjamin Franklin, 18th
century, an American, and this is Matoaka, also from America, although
I'm not sure from when."

"I was born in Jerusalem, 1534 C.E.," Luria said, "but grew up in
Egypt and lived mostly in Galilee. A pleasure to meet you."

Matoaka looked curiously at Luria when he spoke a language she had
never heard before along with Shaw.  She took Benjamin aside while
Shaw and Luria were thus engaged.

"Ford is a mad man," Matoaka said. "English people are mad.  I will
never understand English people.  They are never content, they always
want more."  She looked away from Benjamin with guilt written all over
her face.  "But of course, you are English, too... " She trailed off,
"but you are different."  She looked at him again,

Benjamin laughed.  "Dear Lady, I once had quite an Argument on the
Floor of the Continental Congress on this very Subject.  For even
when I was a Subject of the English Crown, I did never subject myself
to being called an Englishman.  I was born in Boston, raised in
Philadelphia, and while I did live a time in England, you may trust me
that I recover'd my Wits fully on return to the New World!"

"There is only one answer as to why he slaughtered us, the ore,"
Benjamin continued. "He wants the iron for himself.  It is probably
just a matter of time before he attacks the village.  However, we have
no idea where we are and how far we are."

Matoaka paused. "How long have you been with Charles and the others?
Long enough to risk your neck for them a second time?  Maybe next time
we will not be lucky enough to awake together."

"Long enough, surely, to know they would risk for me; that they have
risked for me," Benjamin replied firmly.

Finally, she locked her eyes onto his.  "What do you expect from this
world, Benjamin?  What are you looking for?"

"Why, nothing more than Opportunity... the Opportunity to provide to
this World what I can, to help midwife a new Civilization.  Perhaps
the Opportunity to do right what was done wrongly in the last Life.
There was much done wrong then... you know as well as any."

Benjamin raised his voice to include Shaw as well.  "Is there aught
that either of you recognize?  Know you how we might find our way back
to Ferrum?  I fear that we will never find it... and that it is vital
that we must find it soon.  Why would Ford kill us, rather than
sending us back empty-handed, save that he wishes those at Ferrum not
to know of the Outcome of our Negotiations?  Perhaps he means to
attack, and only we could warn Charles and the others.  Whatever he
means, it can be no good."

Although she was clearly apprehensive at what those bronze-colored
people might do to them, Matoaka stood up proudly and shouted several
times.  "I am Matoaka of the Powhatan people.  We mean you no
harm. Does anyone wish to speak to us?"

Whenever she changed to Iroquois, Matoaka's face lit up with hope.
She looked around searching for someone willing to introduce
him/herself.  Matoaka was also keeping her eyes peeled for people of
her own kind as well as any undesirable people from her past.

Again, the locals smiled but shook their heads, unable to respond.

As Matoaka looked around hoping for someone to come forth, she
suddenly froze and stared at the river.  She turned her head right and
left a couple of time in total surprise.  "It was dark, but...
Benjamin!  Shaw!  By the Great Spirit, I have been here before!"

Her thoughts had obviously darkened by the look on her face.  She
paused, taking her time, looked right and left again to confirm her
thoughts, and finally grinned evilly.  "Yes. I can remember now."

She paused once more and looked at Benjamin, "I think your request is
granted. We will be able to get back to the village, but we must find
a boat. The trip on foot may be a trifle dangerous," she added
sarcastically. "When I escaped my last captors, I canoed down the
river; that is how I stumbled upon you.  Anyway, I passed this
village, it is about 10 grailstones maybe 12 north of the village.
Unfortunately, it also means that we are only about 2 grailstones
north of Ford's village."

Shaw looked to the south saying, "That close, eh? I guess that there
are some advantages to being a piece in a game after all."

Matoaka turned sharply towards Shaw, but said nothing.

Shaw continued, "Even if we can't find a boat we could head up into
the hills and move through the forest, hopefully avoiding anyone on the
way. He wrapped a towel around his waist and grabbed his grail.

Benjamin was visibly relieved.  "I think that by the time we make a
boat, we would be there.  Either the local provide us with a boat or a
ride, or we should walk...  If my guess is that Ford will not wait
until Charles and the others figure out what happened to get his
filthy paws on the ore.  Besides, what if they go see Ford?  We might
just as well wait until the next grail fires up; they will be here in
no time.  I was thinking of just tossing a Log into the River, and
hanging onto it... surely that'd be faster than walking."

Shaw looked around for a moment, then back at Benjamin with a smile,
"Do you have an axe? If not lets get going. It shouldn't take more
than a few hours if we move carefully."

"Is there any way we might make our own Boat?"   We have the River's Current
on our side, so we don't need much.  Just something to let us ride the
Flow."

Matoaka looked at the locals again, her fear now replaced by
confidence, "Please, does anyone understand me?" 

None of the villagers responded, but Luria spoke again with Shaw, who
suddenly laughed. "I believe Luria's hit upon it. He said, if I make
him out right, that the grails nourish in more ways than one. I think
he means that they float!"

			      *  *  *  *

Cixi sought out Ehrich.  She asked discreetly, "Might I have some of
your reeds?  The outside you wish not have."

Upon receiving some of reed shells, Cixi moves toward the beach.  Cixi
began to select several of them based on size and condition.  She
chose only those smooth with unbroken edges, light in color like that
closer to the base of the plant.  Each piece is but a hand's length
and a finger width wide.  Cixi selects 9 such pieces.  Carefully, she
smoothed the selected reeds even further against the rougher sands of
the beach.  For the rest of the reeds, she stowed the smaller, more
fibrous, pieces away in the towel and let the rest return to the
waters.

With the smooth reeds, Cixi clasped them in her hand and rubs them
gently back and forth until they make a low clicking noise.  Cixi
squatted close to the ground, closed her eyes and then let go of the
sticks.  She tilted her head as her brow furrowed.

Upon reading the reeds, Cixi showed much concern.  Her face grew
long. A moment passed and one brow raised as if in contemplation or
questioning.  She said to herself, "Bu how.  Yi ding shi tamen bu
dewei.  Bu how."

She collected her new instruments and headed off as if hoping to find
someone.  At the edge of the beach, before entering the area with the
huts, she pauses for a moment to say aloud, "But who will believe?
Who would care of what needs to be said?"

She took in a deep breath, held her head up high and ventured off to
seek Toyoda. She found him looking over some carefully carved wooden
gears, and he looked at her inquiringly.
 
			      *  *  *  *

Louis sat by the Riverbank again, speaking to Jeanne. He forced a
smile as he said, "May I ask you a question? Why is it that everyone
takes their 'new life' here on the River for granted?  I do not
understand this.  We are all figures in history from our pasts or
futures.  You are Jeanne d'Arc, who died in...I can't seem to
remember...some 350 years before I did, which was 1794.  How is it
that we come to be here, now?  If this is God's work, why a
Grailstone?  Why do we hunger at all?  Why a semblance of life as it
was on Earth?"

Louis grew silent, then suddenly spoke again. "Perhaps time is nothing
to God.  I have no notion of an answer."  Then just as abruptly, he
stopped again, only to quickly announce: "I...I--I am blathering,
forgive me.  I am a man of Reason.  I would be happy to continue your
lessons, but I cannot participate in your worship.  I apologize if
this distresses you."  Disgusted with himself, he made a hasty retreat
for the solitude of the trees. Jeanne, with a pained expression,
retreated to her chapel.

			      *  *  *  *

Robbie emerged from his hut with his grail, some towels rolled up like
scrolls, a little container of paint and a "paintbrush". He squinted
at the sun as if he hadn't seen it for a long while. His kilt had been
painstakingly painted plaid. He hummed as he made his way to the
grailstone, almost swaggering in his new finery.

			      *  *  *  *

The River's chill was bracing, but the current did move rapidly. As
Benjamin, Shaw, Matoaka, and Luria floated downRiver past New Detroit,
they kept pushed the buoyant grails down as far as they could, trying
hard to keep themselves invisible. They could see that the Detroiters
were massing, exercising on the riverbank.

Once they were safely past, Matoaka whispered to Shaw, "What did you
mean by us being pieces of a game?"

"Have you heard of Shaka yet," Shaw asked, "and how he somehow always
managed to be resurrected in just the right spot? Or how a slaver we
were questioning said 'They would not allow it' just before he died?"
Shaw paused for a moment. "And then there are the dreams."

The expression on Matoaka's face changed from scorn to disbelief.
"When you had your vision that night and mentioned manes, someone
explained to me the relation between Shaka and, what's the name of that
animal. Ah yes, a lion, as a possible explanation and how he is the
one that led you to the ore; however, I do not know about his
resurrections, the slaves traders, nor the dreams."

She studied him for a few seconds and addressing both Benjamin and
Shaw, "Are you suggesting that someone who is not the Great Spirit is
playing with us?  Do you care to explain, especially about this
mysterious _they_?"

The answer would have to wait, however, as New Ferrum quickly
approached.

			      *  *  *  *

Freud called out and pointed to the River. The others came to him, and
they saw Benjamin, Shaw, Matoaka, and another man, short and
dark-haired, using their grails to drift downRiver toward the village.
As the lazari pulled the four from the River, Charles frowned. "What
happened to the canoe?"