THE TEACHINGS OF DOÑA DARIA

by Galen Hardesty

Part Twelve

~*~

"Okay, Mom, you stop here, where you can still see the trail. When you hear Dad yell "Go," turn left and walk south, keeping the trail in sight all the time. Come on, Dad." Daria pointed south, then she and her father continued on into the woods.

"Come on, Kiddo, let's hurry," said Jake as he lengthened his stride through the forest.

"I can't, Dad. My legs are short, and I've been going all day. I'm really tired."

"Oh, I heard that! That's what I used to try to tell the Old Man when he'd drag us off into the woods for 'Field Exercises!' Fat lot of good it did me! "Keep up, boy!" he'd say. Fall behind and they'll find your bones next Spring, if you're lucky!'" The more Jake ranted, the faster he walked. "Damn him! I was just a little kid! I didn't have long hairy legs like..."

"Well, you've got 'em now, and I don't! Have a heart, Dad!" Daria wailed.

Jake stopped dead and turned around. He had a stricken look on his face. "Aww, gee, Kiddo, I'm sorry! I was doing just what my rotten Old Man used to do! Damn you, Old Man! Look what you've done to me!" he shook his fist at the sky again.

Daria wondered why Jake thought Mad Dog was up there. She put a hand on his arm. "It's okay, Dad. You stopped, he didn't. You're better than he was." The genuinely happy smile she got in return made her wish everything else in life were that easy.

"Okay, this is far enough. I can just see Mom from here. Remember, Mom is staying in sight of the trail. You stay in sight of Mom, and I stay in sight of you. Move closer to her if you need to. Just wave to me so I can close in too."

"Okay, Kiddo. I got it."

"I'm gonna go on farther now. When I holler 'Go,' you relay it to Mom, and then walk south." Daria pointed with her arm directly toward where she knew Quinn waited, then headed off further into the forest.

Daria didn't try to get to the maximum distance she could see her Dad from, just far enough to look good. Her job was to make sure Jake found Quinn, and that neither of her parents wandered past her, deeper into the forest. Then, Stout Fellows all round, and haul freight for home. It couldn't be soon enough for her. She looked to her Dad, made a 'forward ho!' gesture, and shouted "Go!"

Jake took off, then remembered to yell "go" to Helen. Daria noticed that, if she was looking at just the right moment, she could catch an occasional glimpse of Helen. She yelled, "Slow down, Dad! Keep a straight line!" Quinn couldn't possibly fail to hear them coming, she thought.

Daria trudged along, turning her head back and forth, trying to keep track of both her parents, and at the same time avoid tripping, running into something, or otherwise hurting herself. Walking was twice as tiring this way, because she couldn't spare the attention to watch her footing like she normally would, and often had to recover from slips and trips. The spring had gone from her step long ago, and her tired legs sent frequent jolts up her spine to her tired brain. She would probably give her whole Montana cabin fund to be in her bed at home right now.

She entered an area where the large trees had been logged off and saplings left to grow up and replace them. Quinn should be on the other side of this area, and she should start making some sort of noise when Jake got a little closer. Visibility and hearing were better here than in thick woods, but Daria was finding walking somewhat more difficult because of all the brush, grass, and weeds that grew here where large trees didn't block out the sun. Daria wondered what Quinn would do to attract Jake's attention without seeming like that's what she was trying to do.

Suddenly, up ahead, several birds burst upward from some brush, followed by an ""Eee!" and some muffled expletives in a voice that sounded very much like Quinn's. Very good, thought Daria, kick up a covey of quail. That'll work nicely. Daria smirked. She'll probably even try to claim she did it deliberately.

"Quinn!" Jake shouted. "Hang on, kitten! Daddy's coming!" Jake broke into a run, tripped and fell, got up, and settled for a jog.

Damn, thought Daria. There went any hope of keeping a straight line. Daria broke into a jog herself to try to keep Jake in sight.

Damn, thought Daria. There went any hope of keeping a straight line. Oh, well. The game was afoot. Daria broke into a jog herself to try to keep Jake in sight. Something suddenly burst out of a bush into her path. Hairy, beady eyes, lots of teeth... a possum. It scurried off in Jake's general direction.

"Gaah! Git, you varmint!" she shouted after it, her heart pounding. She tried to pick up her pace again.

Ahead and to her right, Jake yelled, "Gah dammit!" and waved his arms. A fresh fear gripped Daria. Jake's heart didn't need any close encounters of the possum kind, especially right now. He stood still for a few seconds, apparently catching his breath, then continued on, more slowly. Daria closed up on him, and tried to catch sight of Helen.

It didn't take long. Daria turned at the sound of a shriek and saw Helen's upper torso bobbing up and down, her arms in the air. She heard "Oohhh! something Beast! something something." Daria grinned. Either that possum was a very bad decision maker, or very unlucky, or it had a strange sense of humor.

Daria was expecting Quinn to start calling to Dad, to guide him in, now that he'd heard her and called out to her. She didn't intend to do any hollering herself. She wanted Jake to feel like he'd done it himself, as much as possible. She slogged on quietly, keeping Jake in sight, but giving him as much room as she could.

Quinn didn't wait long. Daria heard her full-throated cry, "Eeeek! A giant rat!" and saw her suddenly appear several feet up the trunk of a tree not far ahead. Jake shouldn't have any trouble finding her now, nor Helen either. Daria collapsed against a fairly sturdy sapling and tried to muffle the laughter she couldn't choke back.

A minute or so later, having returned to almost-normal breathing, Daria looked up and listened. The celebration was already underway, it sounded like. She'd best go and add her huzzahs to the roar of the crowd. Damn, she thought, I'd give a lot for a good clear photo of Quinn up that tree, just at the time she shrieked 'giant rat!'. She'd give even more for a video, especially with sound. Oh, well. Life sucks, and then you die. Muffling a few last chuckles with her sleeve, she staggered through the wild wood toward her family.