NOTES: Thank you all, again, for the wonderful reviews! I love your ideas, thought I'm afraid I'm not quite going to any of the places you're thinking. Remember, this is not the same timeline as that of the regular show, so I've taken liberties with the course of events. The timing is as close as I could manage, given the lack of dates on the show. Thank you, PurpleYin, for betaing this.

DISCLAIMER: Stargate: Atlantis and all things associated with it belong to other people, though Tamura and Gupta are mine.

SPOILERS: Before I Sleep

RATING: T

MARKHAM'S JOURNAL

November 3, 2004

We took another trip to the mountains to escape the heat wave we're having. This time, I finally got to take part in our day of rest surprise item. Dr. Corrigan and I built a pontoon. We bundled bamboo into two bunches and connected them with a frame on top. It's not beautiful, but it works. We also made some oars. The most difficult part was attaching it to the ship and keeping the shield activated throughout the flight so it wouldn't get torn apart, but it worked.

Our plan is to use the pontoon for harvesting wild rice later, but for today, it was the cruise ship SGS Atlantis along the shore of Lake Frigid Blue. For some reason, it really made me crave beer.

Dr. Corrigan had wanted to try the fishing net, which has been sitting around unused for a couple of months. I told him no, because once you get the smell of fish in a vehicle it's all but impossible to get it out. Besides, it's our day of rest.

November 4, 2004

Dr. Simpson is goat herding for me this week, so I went to the beach with Dr.s Corrigan and Kavanaugh and tried fishing with the net. The results weren't spectacular, but we're getting the hang of it. It'll keep us fed and keep the smokehouse busy for a while.

I got a haircut.

November 7, 2004

Somehow Ms. Snooty, one of our lady goats, managed to break her leg. We couldn't save her, so we're down to one milk-producing animal. It's too late in the season to catch another goat that's nursing a kid. We'll have to wait to see if there's a second breeding season or hope captivity will make them feel safe enough so maybe the billy goat will become interested in the female kid when she's old enough. Miss Gupta and Dr. Tamura are happy with the diversity of our diet, so neither of them is too worried about the loss of Miss Snooty. We just have to be extra careful with Mabel.

It was kind of sad to eat her after all this time.

November 10, 2004

It's been four months.

We went to the beach, flew the kite, played some frisbee, put fresh flowers at our shrine, talked about dead friends.

This week's surprise came courtesy of Dr. Tamura and Miss Gupta. Using the plant we use for rope, they've made everyone a set of flip flops in hopes wearing them will help beat the summer heat. Dr. Tamura keeps trying to find something we can make cloth out of, but so far we've come up with nothing, not even animals with fur that can be made into wool. Dr.s Simpson and Kavanaugh say we have at least another month of summer; I'll just have to hope my lighter weight clothes last that long. That only three of us had extra clothes with us may finally become a problem. At least we should have plenty of leather for when the weather gets colder.

They also came up with a goo that should help keep the bugs from biting our feet when we wear the flip flops. It doesn't smell half bad, but it's sticky and makes the dust cling to your feet. Still, it's nice to have another footwear option.

Thanks to the goats, Dr. Simpson discovered what I'm calling carrots. I'd missed carrots, but we have to be careful about eating them, because we have to let enough of them reach the seeding stage so we can harvest the seeds for next year.

November 12, 2004

The idea of doing our exploring on rainy days seems less than clever in hindsight. We had the storm to end all storms this week, and we nearly lost the ship because we went into it without realizing what we were up against. Dr.s Corrigan and Simpson were with me. We didn't get too far into the new quadrant before the winds grew so strong we had to land. We radioed back to the others to warn them, but we got no response. Dr. Simpson figured between the storm and the cave, the radio was all but worthless. She got me to think the right way so a schematic appeared on the windshield showing us the storm. It was massive, covering the whole continent. The winds were so strong, it nearly rolled the ship, but Dr. Simpson got me to make it heavier somehow. It was a close call.

The storm lasted hours. We were all worried about the others, though Dr. Corrigan assured us the cave was in the lee of the prevailing winds, so he figured they were safe. Once the storm passed, we reestablished radio contact and they told us everyone was fine. When we got back, we barely recognized the place. Trees were down everywhere and the stream was flooded. Our water filters and little dam were trashed. The smokehouse, goat pen, turkey coup and walls of the latrine and showers were gone as though they'd never been. Fortunately, the others had gathered the animals inside before the worst of it hit. The logs of the chevron marker were also gone, along with some of the cliff face. Somehow the stone parts and potato patch remained.

We lost so much so quickly and there was nothing we could do. It was almost like Atlantis all over again except that we all made it through safely. Not only that, but a positive and completely unexpected event occurred. When we got back, Dr. Simpson gave Dr. Kavanaugh a big hug and started crying on his shoulder. She's been like a rock though every crisis we've dealt with, so it was pretty strange to see her break down like that. Everyone was surprised, perhaps Dr.s Simpson and Kavanaugh most of all. Then I remembered how he's the only living link to her previous life and it kind of made sense.

November 17, 2004

We've used the fallen trees to rebuilt everything we'd lost, except the pontoon. It's a shame we can't use any of the fish that have washed up on shore. If we could, we'd be set for weeks. Between the smell and the sea birds along the beach, we decided to stay up on the memorial outlook for our day of rest.

November 19, 2004

We had our first major experience with the wildlife today. Dr. Kavanaugh was adding more fish to the smokehouse when he was attacked by some sort of predator. He says it was like a big cat. It really did a number on his arm, but he was lucky the board he was carrying the fish on kept the thing from getting at his stomach. It could have been a lot worse. I was surprised to discover Dr. Kavanaugh can swear like a sailor, but once the pain killers took effect, he settled down. I helped Miss Gupta stitch up his wounds. He's doing okay, but Miss Gupta insists he rest for a while so she can monitor him for infection and reactions. That's one less pair of hands to do work around here, but I guess there's no help for it.

November 20, 2004

Dr. Simpson thought she saw the predator near the goat pen, but I couldn't find anything by the time I got to her with the life signs detector. The others are a bit spooked. I've ordered the animals stored in the cave; we can't afford to lose more goats. I've also insisted everyone has to stay around camp and armed Miss Gupta with the P-90 while I carry my 9mm. Dr. Corrigan has wisely suggested we set a trap.

November 21, 2004

It rained today. According to the ship, it was a normal storm, but I thought it was more important to kill our predator than to scout another quadrant of our continent. Dr. Corrigan was disappointed, but I wasn't about to send Miss Gupta out to do this alone while I'm off somewhere in the ship. It took the bait and I killed it. It's at least 50 pounds. Dr. Corrigan is going to teach Dr. Kavanaugh how to skin a cat, preserve the hide and make sinew from the guts.

It was kind of odd being alone for so long. It got me thinking about some things and going back over everything that's happened. I really can't think of anything any of us might have done differently, at least not anything that might have made a real difference. Maybe I should have wondered why Dr. Tamura seemed to want to go alone to the beach that day or wondered if the stress of surviving was the only reason she seemed so intent. Maybe I should talk to the rest about issues other than just our survival. We might be here for years or forever. Should we be thinking like that? Dr. Tamura sure seems to be. Should all our planning be that long-term? Dr.s Simpson and Kavanaugh say they aren't sure how long it might take for the government to figure out a way to make intergalactic travel possible with ships, but they believe it's only a matter of time. I have to believe they will come for us if they have the means.

November 24, 2004

Dr.s Corrigan, Simpson, Kavanaugh and I decided to celebrate Thanksgiving. Dr. Tamura and Miss Gupta didn't mind. The four of us worked all morning preparing our meal. We had roast turkey, mashed potatoes and honey glazed carrots with a fruit side dish you could almost think was cranberries if you tried. Maybe it's because it's been a while since I've had any, but Dr. Simpson made some of the best gravy I've ever tasted. We even had unleavened bread and butter and cobbler. Despite being marooned in another galaxy, we have a lot to be thankful for. It was weird celebrating a fall holiday in summer weather, but it was a really good day. I haven't been this full since the party before leaving the SGC.