Jimbo was piddling around on his chalkboard. He was trying to fab up some wagons for the Treasure Fair. "Why couldn't they just call it what it is? The Mt. Goshen swap meet. Geeze the fancy bastards and their formal educations." Jimbo snarked to Petunia.
"They expect me to make something functional and pretty enough not to get us laughed at."
The biggest hold up was the fact that he was out of tires. He had enough angle iron laying around to make a frame. He had enough 2x12s to make the slats for a bed. He had plenty of solid stock to make axles. It was time to liberated some materials.
Jimbo rolled down the garage door to his shop. He slapped a cardboard sign on the door that said:
Gone fishing will be back soon.
He walked out to his bike checked his jobox for all the tools he was going to need.
He cranked it and headed down the Red Dirt Road towards the gate.
Elder Bi had gotten his compost from Freedom town early this morning before the sun was up. He had started to plant some seeds in the manure filled pots. He was relaxed enjoying the pleasant weather and the. quiet of the wind.
Scholar White Tides was performing double ledger entries by hand in a little green cloth bound notebook. He had to get into his private stash of painkillers. He was in a lot of pain from the beating he took last night. He hoped that his arithmetic was performed correctly.
Both of the men stopped what they were doing when they heard the rumbling diesel engine in the distance.
"Jimbo! White Tides hide your liquor and get out here quick." Elder yelled towards the house.
"I heard it too Elder. I am on my way."
The bike stopped in front of the house and the Elder and Scholar waited under the eaves of the porch for Jimbo to dismount his bike.
"Morning fellas. I'm headed out on a fishing trip today. I need to fish up some tires and rims." Jimbo told them with brown dribbling down his chin into his beard.
"Where are you going fishing?" asked the Elder calmly.
"I figured I'd go into Deadhorse. I haven't tried my luck there. Bound to be alot of wrecks left there after that silver mine petered out. With any luck I might score us a dump truck."
"How are you getting anything back here?"
"That's problematic. I need one of you guys to come with me. So who's up for a road trip?"
* Freedom Town
The bbq was cooking and Joe was still naked. He was the only one naked contrary to Young Three's prediction.
Soup Bone saw his unease and gathered his Brothers around him in a huddle.The Brother with the doll left the circle swearing.Soup bone walked away with a smile.Then the others dispersed.
Soup Bone filled up the cut oil drum that served as a bucket up from the well.
He placed it near the fire pit and roasting meat.
The baby carrying brother returned with a big clay jug which he placed on the dirt near the water drum. He waved Joe over.
"My name is Hare Lip."He said pointing at the scar on his upper lip."This is Baby she is my wife."
"Okay Hare Lip my name is Grubworm."
"We know Soup Bone told us all about you."
"This recruit knows nothing about his senior brothers."
"Wow that girl has a hard on for you if she's making you do the whole First Sergeant and recruit bit."
"Why is she doing that anyway Hare Lip?
"Beats me kid in case you haven't noticed everybody here is crazy except me. Now I have just enough time to retire back to my foxhole for a private moment with my wife while this meat cooks. You need to guard that jug of rotgut. Soup Bone has his eyes on it."
One of the other brothers came carrying out a small folding table and another came with plates and cups.
Young Three walked over to Joe carrying the pigs skin.
"Recruit wrap this around you like a towel furry side out or in your choice both are equally disgusting. Here's a piece of string to help tie it up. There you go just knot up the corners and perfect."
Soup Bone came back to where Joe was standing he had a woman's handbag in his left hand.
"It's all there Three the noodles the black pepper and the soap.I will give you the purse for free."
"Pleasure doing business with you. After we grab a bite I need to get this smelly boy home. We are going to take a bath today."
Joe thought of the icy water this morning and started to run. Young Three grabbed the edge of the pig skin and stopped him in his tracks.
"You didn't think I gave you that for your dignity did you?"
After a small slice of pork shoulder and a mug of grog Young Three and Joe were once again walking down the Red Dirt Road.
"First Sergeant this recruit was promised a reward if he completed his mission."
"I had completely forgotten Grubworm I am sorry. I could show you some old ruins or maybe let you peep on some nuns bathing."
"What kind of ruins?" the thought of wrinkly nuns had little appeal to Joe.
"Ruins from the same sect that built that green stone wall that separates the inner sect from the outer sect. The whole of our sect was once merely occupied by a single cultivator."
"What was the sect's name?"
"It was the Porcelain God's Descendant Sect."
Joe had been pulled in by Young Three's jokes enough to just laugh this one off.
"Several experts have tried to determine who was here before we were but nobody has had any luck."
Silence followed and they had continued walking. Before too long they reached the pond by the tent. Young Three pointed at a boulder sized rock. "Sit on that Grubworm I'll fetch the bucket and scrub brush."
Joe hadn't felt any pain during the walk but after he sat down he felt his body cramp. He tried to straighten out his legs to ease it. The Soul Cleansing Sutra came unbidden from his lips. The more he repeated it the more his pain seemed to fade. This time he felt warmth moving through his body. He knew that as soon as he stopped chanting the pain would return.
*By the tent
Young Three had put her mattress out on the limb and scoured the plates quickly with sand. She opened up the purse to stowed away everything except the soap. She tossed around the dirty clothes until she found her prize. A round wooden handled scrub rush with white nylon bristles. As an after thought she picked up Joe's robe and a pair of flip flops that she had forgotten about from under the table. She sniffed a towel she had let dry in the sun. Ehh clean enough I suppose she thought. She grabbed a bucket that was twin to the one in freedom town.
Joe's concentration was broken by a splash of cool water.
"Get that smelly pig skin off tiger. Mama is going to clean you everywhere."