All the Dust that Falls

Chapter 90: Live, Laugh, Love

Once I was being carried, traveling outside was significantly more pleasant. I spent my time categorizing plants and learning about their life cycles from my scanner database. Felix did start to lag behind, but it wasn't long until we saw light peeking through a break in the dense foliage up ahead. This gave him the burst of energy he needed to keep up with the group as they broke into a huge cleaning.

We emerged into a large, open field set below a clear blue sky. There were plants growing everywhere here too. However, unlike in the forest, there was structure to this growth! Nearly perfect straight rows of wheat swayed in the breeze, and I saw in the distance other fields with other plants arrayed in straight lines. Each field was a pleasing geometric shape that had clearly been intentionally chosen and well maintained.

I found the humongous nature of the plant life in each section satisfying as well. Clearly, this place was well-kept. If plant cultivation had the potential to become this, then perhaps the dirt that was required to sustain them was tolerable. Still, I could admire it from a distance without having to soil my wheels or undercarriage.

Further ahead was a small collection of buildings, likely the homestead that we were looking for. It didn’t take long before Tony was running as fast as he could, his crutch helping him along. A girl around Felix's age squirmed out of the house’s window and ran to meet him, almost knocking Tony off his unsteady feet when they collided. Tony regained his balance and spun the little girl around in a circle, her feet flinging wide, before setting her down and kissing her head.

They held a muttered conversation before he turned to us and gave us a thumbs-up. The girl then proceeded to drag him off toward the house. Beatrice turned back to Felix and me with a smile. "Come on, let's go greet the hosts."

She broke into a jog that had Felix sprinting behind her to keep up with. The ride consequently was much more bouncy, but I was mainly impressed at the boy's energy after having walked all day. I could forgive a bit of bouncing at such a display of resilience. Also, I was pretty eager to be set down on solid flooring again, and our pace was just hastening that.

As we neared the house, a woman with gray in her hair appeared on the porch. Turning her head, she yelled back into the house. A moment later, a man around her age appeared next to her.

They both waved, and when Tony got to the porch, the woman gathered him up in a huge hug before the man broke in and claimed a hug as well. These people seem quite nice.

----

Bee reached the house right as Mary released Tony. She didn't have a chance to say a thing before she, too, was swept up in a hug so tight that she had trouble breathing.

"Thank you for seeing my son home safe." She heard whispered in her ear. Mary kissed her cheek before giving her another squeeze and finally releasing her. To her side was Trent, who grasped her hand and pumped it up and down. They were all ushered inside and ushered into chairs as Mary bustled into the kitchen. "We were just finishing making lunch. The kids are about to do their chores."

Felix placed Void on the ground, and the small black disk started exploring. For the moment, no one else seemed to notice its passage. The little girl waved shyly to Felix before climbing into Tony's lap. As Bee took her seat, a bowl of stew was set in front of her. It was a brownish gravy-like broth with a lump of meat in the middle of a few potatoes and carrots. The smell made her mouth water. Sure, Tony was a better cook than her, but neither of them really understood how to use seasoning very well.

Digging in, she listened as Trent sent the girl to go find her siblings and tell them to come to say hi. As she ran off, he turned to his guests as Mary fetched the rest of the bowls. "They’re all off on their way to get some work done. It's been a bit of a rush without Tony helping out. I guess I didn't realize how much he actually did around here."

Trent said that with a smile and proud look at his eldest boy. "It is really good to see you, Bee. When we saw that pillar of light and the flashing a couple weeks ago, I wanted to go check on you all but… Well, we can’t leave the farm so easily."

"We all made it through," Bee said. She glanced over at Tony, as she wasn’t sure how much he wanted to say. Or rather, how much his family would believe. Apparently, Tony agreed with her assessment and kept his mouth shut. Mary placed a few more bowls of stew before the group before taking her seat.

"Bee, I have to thank you again. Trent hasn't had this much energy for… Well, at least a decade. He’s been so much better since he started using your salves. Thank you."

Trent nodded. "I feel like a springbuck again. I can't thank you enough. Now that it's better, I realized how bad it had gotten."

Bee would have bet that he had realized the extent of his problems, but hadn't been willing to admit it. Trent was a proud man, which made his willingness to thank her for her help even more touching. Before Bee could bring up why they were here, Mary turned to Felix. "Hello, young man. I don't believe we have met. I'm Mary, and this is my husband, Trent. What is your name?"

Felix wilted slightly under the attention, but Mary's warm smile encouraged him to answer. "I'm Felix, ma'am."

Bee broke in to save Felix. She was sure he’d be interrogated if she didn’t step in, just like Bee had been when she first came. "Felix's story is actually the reason we came today."

Mary nodded somberly, but before she could respond, Tony cut in. "Not as a ward. We have bad news, and it’s very serious."

The mood immediately sobered at Tony's tone. Trent put his fork down and leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table with an intense look on his face. "What is happening, son?"

"Felix came to the castle yesterday. He was bringing news of a new undead outbreak just a little south of here towards Greg." Tany said. Trent looked at him with worry plain on his face. Bee suddenly remembered that Tony's older sister lived in Greg with her husband.

"Are you sure?" Trent asked. "What’s the news?"

"Yes, we are sure. Three zombies were right on his heels as he came to the castle. They were between levels 18 and 20." Bee said. Trent looked at Tony for confirmation, who nodded. "I can't confirm their levels, but there were three zombies."

There was a moment of silence as Mary and Trent were disgusted by the news. The serious moment was broken by the sound of many feet pounding across the porch. Bee reached for her pack, but before she could the door was flung open and a horde of kids ran in. All five of Tony’s younger siblings crowded around him and simultaneously peppered him with questions.

Tony smiled at his siblings, ruffling hair and listening to epic tales of the younger kids’ exploits in the fields. More than anything though, he seemed relieved that everyone was safe. Bee left him to it for the moment. While the interrogation was going on, Bee looked around for her master. Void was trundling across the floor, quietly cleaning up the mud the children had tracked in.

"What was the big light from the castle, bro?" Was the most common question. Tony looked at Bee for guidance, but she shrugged. She didn't know what to tell them, honestly, but didn't think they needed to hide anything. Tony launched into a dramatic retelling of the epic fight with the Lieutenant that had the older kids laughing along and the younger ones looking on with pinched looks of fear on their faces. Tony was a good storyteller, and they were all captivated by the “fable”.

Tony's story lasted them through lunch, at which point Trent sent them all back outside to finish their jobs. On the way out, Maranda waved at Bee. "Welcome back," she called as the kids all ran back outside, eager to finish their chores so they could come back and finish interrogating their brother about the outside world.

—

Cleaning up after many little humans reminded me of good times. This was my purpose. Taking care of a family. This house was a lot rougher than the one in my family and also significantly rougher than the castle. Still, I had no issues with maintaining it.

The floors were made of smooth wood. It was polished, but less from intentional care and more from what seemed to be repeated use and constant traffic. As the humans talked, I passively cleaned up crumbs and dust that had settled across it. I figured Bee would let me know if I was needed. In the meantime, I would enjoy this sense of nostalgia.

Once all the kids left, I started in on the kitchen. As I worked on cleaning up the grime, the boards leveled out. The cabinet and shelves hung a little straighter, and the knives sharpened themselves. It was gradual, but again definitely noticeable to my sensors. It was more satisfying than I could have imagined, to help like this. Cleaning more than just the floor of a true house. For the most part, I didn't really need to do much besides clean up the filth. This kitchen was actually rather well-kept. I didn't have to use my spray bottle or mop at all.

The humans were talking about important things, but I was only half listening. When they all turned to look at me, I started paying more attention.

"Okay, you need to explain this again. What is that?" Mary said while pointing at me. Beatrice looked over at Tony for support. He shrugged at her, and she sighed before opening her mouth.

"Look, I know it's hard to believe without proof, but-"

"Honestly, it took me a while to believe either. You'll probably find out soon enough. For now, just humor her and show Void a little bit of respect." Tony finished. Trent and Mary glanced at each other and shook their heads.

"I suppose that is the second point. Ideally we would wait another couple of days to harvest the wheat, or otherwise, we will need to dry it before milling…." Trent said, trailing off thoughtfully.

"But we can harvest now, though, can't we," Tony confirmed. Trent nodded. "I thought so."

"We are going to have to move fast. Bee and I will help, but we need to get it done in two days at most. Then we leave with whatever we have." Tony laid out. "It's just too much of a risk to wait longer. Besides, The castle won't be buying like usual, and it's too dangerous to head over to Greg right now. So anything past what we’ll use ourselves will go to waste."

"Even working all day, we would still leave half the harvest in the ground!" Trent exclaimed.

Tony just smiled at that. "I don't think we will. I'll bet you 5 coppers we finish the whole harvest before midday on the second day."

Trent looked at his son doubtfully before a grin spread across his face. "I'm going to lose some money, aren't I?" as he reached over to shake.

"As long as it stays in the family, I don't mind a little gambling," Mary whispered over to Beatrice in a way I was sure the men couldn't hear. Beatrice smiled at her. It was very interesting how humans could express so many emotions in a simple look. For example, even without the words, Mary’s look seemed to indicate that she and Bee were conspiring about this. But only in a joking and somewhat pleased way. It was fascinating.

Tony smacked the table and stood up. "Well, we better get going then. It's harvest time!"

Everyone stood up. Even Mary and Beatrice followed Tony and Trent outside. With a sharp whistle, Mary brought the kids running from all over. They gathered in front of the house, with only slight complaints about having just been let loose for chores, and Trent assigned teams to each field. Then with a cheer, they all ran to get to work.

I stayed on the porch for now, just watching. This all seemed quite exciting.