THE TEACHINGS OF DOÑA DARIA

by Galen Hardesty

Part Eight

~*~

Helen was still in the clearing, still tied to the tree, but Jake was gone. As Daria approached, she could see that Helen was struggling to free herself.

"Oh, please don't let the girls find me like this," Daria heard her say.

Daria lifted the panties off Helen's head. "He hasn't been answering mine today either," she said in a sympathetic tone.

Helen looked at Daria with something like horror in her eyes. Then, with a visible effort, she collected herself somewhat. "Untie me, Daria. Or shoot me. Whatever."

"Look me in the eye."

Helen brought her face as close to Daria's as she could, glaring. "Daria, this is a very bad time to mess with me," she said in a dangerously calm, frayed-around-the-edges voice.

Daria refrained from remarking the obvious- that while Helen was naked, lost in the middle of the forest, and tied to a tree, was an excellent time to mess with her. "Looks okay," she said. She moved to the other side of the tree and began working on the knot. "Do you remember what happened? You guys ate those berries Dad picked and then flipped out? I just needed to check your pupils to see if you're over the effects."

"Starting down the trail with Quinn this morning is the last thing I remember clearly, including how I wound up in this... condition. What do you mean, flipped out?"

"You started saying strange things and running through the woods."

"Strange things?"

"About tribes and tides and spirit animals and... Captain Cutlass and his men."

Helen froze. Daria surmised she'd either recovered a memory or put two and two together.

"Oh, no. Were we... were you...?

"Traumatized into involuntary lifelong celibacy? Probably. No child should ever... Ah, here we go." Daria pulled at a loop and the knot came undone.

Helen did not wait for Daria to untie the rope from her other wrist, but immediately put on her panties, then grabbed her hiking shorts from a nearby bush and put them on too. A few minutes of searching, and she was fully dressed once more, although still a bit wild looking with all the twigs twisted into her hair, not to mention funky-smelling. "Didn't the berries affect you?" she asked.

"No. I'd never seen berries like that before, so I didn't eat any," Daria replied. "Do you have any idea where Dad is?"

"I couldn't see which way he went. He yelled something like "I'll get you this time, old man! I know where you are!" and ran off," Helen replied, coiling the rope and putting it in her pocket.

"I know where he's going, then. Down that closed trail with the bridge washed out. Come on, we have to go this way to get to the main trail."

"Let's go," Helen said grimly, picking up Jake's hiking shorts as she passed them.

They set off through the forest, Daria navigating from trail sign to trail sign, Helen following Daria with no idea where they were. Daria seemed deep in thought, and Helen didn't feel like chatting. As they neared the campsite, Daria spoke up.

"I have a suggestion. If we gang up on him and tie him up way down there by the bridge, that'll leave us an awful long way to have to carry him somehow. It's almost three miles from there to where the car is parked, and it's uphill most of the way. It'd be a lot easier if you drove the car down here, at least to the campsite."

They stepped into the little clearing where they'd set up camp, seemingly so long ago. Helen considered this. "It sounds tempting. But these are just hiking trails, and they're clearly marked, 'No vehicles allowed.'

Daria sighed as she gazed down the trail. "Yeah, but you can tell that the Forest Service occasionally brings a pickup in here to maintain the campsites. They're going to have to bring big trucks in soon to rebuild that bridge. How much damage can you possibly do?"

Helen considered the logistics of the situation again. "On the other hand, what's the use of having an SUV if you can't go off road with it when you need to?"

Daria smiled. "Good. I'll keep Dad away from the bridge and try to lure him back this way. You follow the trail that way, and it'll lead you straight to the car. Watch for Quinn, and blow your horn every so often. Last I saw of her was over in that direction, about half a mile." Daria waved in a southwesterly direction. "She might be recovering from the berries now, too."

"You've seen her? What condition was she in?"

"Physically, she's in fine shape. She thinks she's a fairy, but she seems to sort of recognize me."

"What do you mean, she seems to sort of recognize you?"

"She acts like she knows me, but she thinks I'm an evil wizard trying to catch little blue people, or something. That's probably why she wouldn't let me get near her. But she had the common sense to keep her socks and boots."

"Oh, that Jake and his damned berries! Wait, what do you mean, she kept her socks and boots? What didn't she keep?"

"Well... everything else."

"Oh, no! My baby! How could you leave her like that?"

Daria looked sad. "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't want to, but she's flighty. I found her twice, but she wouldn't let me get close enough either time to make a grab for her, and if I chased her, there's no telling how far away she'd end up. I decided it was best not to chase her."

Helen's expression softened. "It's okay, Daria. You were on your own, and you had to make the best decisions you could in very difficult circumstances. And you were probably right."

Daria smiled. "Try not to worry, Mom. I haven't seen her enjoy herself this much since that ballet recital when she was the head swan and I fell into the orchestra pit. I'm going this way. If you come past here with the car, about a quarter mile down, the trail forks, and one fork is blocked off with a sign saying the bridge is out. That's probably as far as you should take the car."

Helen seemed to reach a decision. "No, Daria, I'll go after your father. I wouldn't want you to meet up with him if he still thinks he's Captain Cutlass. You go find Quinn."

Daria looked down at the ground, dejected. "I failed. Twice."

Helen smiled and laid a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Daria, you found her twice. I couldn't have done that. I have no idea where or how to even begin. You can do it. I know you can."

Daria looked up at her mother and smiled a little. Her shoulders straightened fractionally. "Okay, Mom. I'll do it. We'll be back to help you with Dad." Daria turned and strode off southward down the trail.

Helen's smile widened. "I know you will, sweetie."

~*~