Traveller by L.W. Samuelson (reading comprehension books .txt) 📖

me.”
“That’s a good thing, son. At least for a while. With that many officers after you, they must want you awful bad. If I was the police, I’d watch your friends; let them lead me to you. They ever find out you’re a real honest to God alien from outer space, there’s no telling what might happen.
Let’s give it a few months then I’ll take you to town and you can call one of your friends. Me and Virginia’s ‘bout at the end of our rope with our feet dangling anyway. With your help maybe we can regain our strength, take care of ourselves.”
“It doesn’t bother you that I’m an illegal alien?”
“I’ve hired more’n one in my lifetime. People are people, gotta eat, sides I knowed you was an alien before you told me. I saw it all in a dream.
“How ‘bout it? You want to keep some old people from dyin’?”
“Yes, it beats being behind bars.”
Chapter 53 - A Temporary Resolution

The Benwarian Blues Band members were detained for over a week until their backgrounds could be checked. It wasn’t until then that Lori had been able to contact her father who called Senator Church. Church had personally contact the INS and FBI to facilitate the release of Lori, Jesse, and Tim.
Obtaining Austin’s release had proved more difficult. He was charged with resisting arrest. Luckily, the political tide had turned as the country soured on the Vietnam War. The populace no longer saw protestors and people like Austin as traitors. Eventually the rest of the band members posted his bail and he was released. When his case came before a judge, it was thrown out. Austin hadn’t committed a crime and there was no reason to arrest him.
While in captivity all four had been mercilessly questioned about Traveller Orlovsky. Where did he come from? How did he get American citizenship? What was his connection to Porter Tellez? Telling the truth never crossed their minds. All any of them said is that they didn’t know he wasn’t a citizen, didn’t he pass the test? When asked where they thought he was now, they could truthfully say they didn’t know.
Lori gave it a month before she called Loreto to find out about Porter. It was determined that he had violated American naturalization laws. He was scheduled to be deported to South Africa in two weeks. Once there he was to be met at the airport and taken into custody by the South African Defense Force. Loreto would go back to South Africa with her husband. She and Sandiko were overseeing his many businesses.
In the two weeks since Traveller had arrived at the Berryman’s he had been kept extremely busy. The first order of business was to split fire wood and replenish the stockpiles winter had depleted. With his help Glen and Virginia kept the spring chill at bay.
Traveller fixed fence, cleaned house, and helped feed the cattle. Glen would drive the old Ford while the alien threw flakes of hay off the back end. On the third day of his stay, Glen had him catch the two horses that were easiest to ride. Traveller walked them to the barn where Glen instructed him on how to put a saddle on. Once the cinch was tight, Glen put bridles on the two horses. “This’n here’s called Ginger,” he said holding the reins for Traveller.
“Hello girl. How you doing, Ginger,” the alien said immediately attached to his beastly transportation.
The old rancher showed Traveller how to put one foot in the stirrup and throw the opposite leg over the saddle to mount. When Glen couldn’t quite get his leg over, Traveller gave him a boost. With Glen safely aboard, the alien mounted his horse.
“Pull the reins left like this to turn,” he instructed when they reached the end of the fence. They rode down the road a piece until coming to a steel panel gate.
“Pull back on the straps to stop,” Glen said. “Get off and hand me your reins so you can open the gate.”
The old cowboy explained how to ride a horse as they rode through the pasture. They spent the day checking the mother cows. Some had calves at their side, others were close to calving. Toward the end of the day, they came upon a cow trying to calve. The calf was coming breach, back legs first.
Glen roped the cow. He had Traveller slip another rope on the legs sticking out from the cows back end. Next, Traveller tied the rope to his saddle horn. He gently coaxed his Ginger away from the cow until the calf slid out.
Once the calf was clear, Glen yelled, “Get off and clear the after birth away from the calf’s head.”
When Traveller had the placenta pulled away, Glen said, “Stick a twig in its nose so it’ll sneeze.”
The alien did as instructed. The calf shook its head sputtering evacuating the mucous from its nasal passages. “Good job, son. Now you know how to pull a calf.”
“That was acroluminous!” Traveller exclaimed wiping the slime on the grass.

Glen could see how well Traveller and Ginger had bonded. He kept the alien supplied with sugar cubes to keep her sweetened up a bit. After the first week Glenn saw the carrot that would get the alien to stay. “Son, if you was to stay here and work for six months, I’d throw in that horse as part of your wages.”
“Really? You’d do that?”
“She’s takin’ a likin’ to ya. So’s Vriginia. We’re up shit creek without a paddle if you leave.”
“Thank you Glenn. You’re a good man,” Traveller choked.
It wasn’t until ten days after that that things slacked off enough for Traveller to dwell upon the past. The last two weeks had consisted of getting up at dawn and working till dusk. This was a Sunday. There were no cows ready to calve, he had prepared the Sunday meals ahead of time, and everything was set for him to ride unencumbered into the forest. He loved riding his horse. She whinnied with glee whenever he approached.
He saddled Ginger just as the sun started to warm the air. He led the mare behind the house where he had spotted a trail leading up into the forest. He often wondered where the trail led. He often wondered where his trail would lead. On this particular Sunday he would try to answer the first question. He didn’t want to think about the second.
Traveller shrugged on the old sheepskin coat Glen had given him before gaining the saddle. The horse took off at a brisk pace spurred on by Traveller’s anticipation.
Ten minutes of upward battle slowed the horse to a steady pace. The trail moved continually to the right. The smell of fresh water molecules filled the alien’s nose. That was the smell of life according to the Benwarians. Soon the sound of rushing water followed. The trail turned upward along a ridge that followed a stream. When it came into view, a pair of bull elk looked up from the water’s edge from where they were drawing a drink. They held their heads high with pride as they turned away from Traveller and snorted off into the trees.
The horse had worked itself to a lather with the accompanying steam lifting into the air. Before the trail diverged from the stream, Traveller dismounted. He led the horse above a beaver dam and let it sip some water remembering what Glenn had said about letting it have too much. She whinnied and he gave her a sugar cube then scratched behind her ears. She nudged him affectionately.
He continued on. It took another forty-five minutes to get above the tree line. The trail zig-zagged back and forth on a shale slope, the first one he’d seen since he and Willy had raced Jesse and Tim to the spaceship. The memory triggered a thousand thoughts about his friends. By the universe I hope their safe and well. We sure had ourselves a time!
At the top of the shale, a rock formation jutted out of the mountain. Traveller walked Ginger to its base and then dismounted. He took the saddle off to let her cool not bothering to tie her. They had bonded, she would wait for him. After all, he still had a sugar cube.
Traveller moved around the base of the formation until he found a place where it could be climbed. It took over forty minutes to scale the rock. When he got to the top, the view took his breath away. The green valley stretched east and west into the distance. The navy blue ribbon that was the river wiggled its way across the distance. Between the baby blue horizon on the far side and the green-grassed meadow, pine trees pointed their shafts at the sky like bough-feathered arrows as they marched up the far mountains. The scenic wonder filled him with emotion. I’m well. I’m going to be okay.
His thoughts were so electric, so strong that they carried across the miles and across the turbulence of life to the bearer of the image that burned in his mind.

Lori had been worrying about Traveller all day. Finally, she tried reading to take her mind off of her precious alien. Her mind wandered as the words seemed to dance on the page. I’ll never meet anyone like him again. When we were together it was like touching the rain or bathing in the sun. I miss him so much. What will happen to him without his friends to protect him?
She had just disciplined herself to concentrate, to quit worrying about things she had no control over when she heard Traveller speak as clearly as if he was in the room with her.
“I’m well. I’m going to be okay.”
Lori closed her book and hugged herself imagining that her arms were his arms.

The End

Imprint

Publication Date: 02-17-2010

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Dedication:
To all those who have ever been bored.