Month: September 2004

I finally found a new journal to write in. I found it at the plaza. I paid a hefty price. But I desperately needed something to write my thoughts down in. You would think that a person living inside a school building would have access to paper. Not in this school. Except for the stash the journal club keeps under lock and key, the only paper in this school is the student records. This paper of course is already written on and serves no useful purpose to me.

Not a lot to tell about Bear Country except that things have been quiet for weeks. I am a little bored. Actually, really bored. Everyone is off doing their own thing. I was hoping maybe I could get someone to play a game of cards. Spades perhaps. It is a fun game, but no one was interested. I even asked the library trio Marty, Gretchen and Cecelia. Day in and day out they sit in the media center and read. Surely, they could use a diversion. They weren’t interested. Marty said they were doing research. This sounded somewhat interesting so I asked if I could help. They all three looked at me and in unison said “No”. Before I knew what was happening, they pushed me out of the media center. And they locked the door. Those three are a wealth of information. A little odd and secretive and they are rarely seen alone but they can be very helpful at times. I am only a little hurt that they didn’t want to play with me. Oh well, their loss.

The agriculture club is trying their best to supply us with a variety of fruits and vegetables but an unfortunate accident with a bug infestation has damaged much of their crops. In an effort to keep us from starving to death the agriculture club has asked for volunteers. They need people to help with the crops that are left. I will be spending much of my time next week helping in the fields. Oh joy!! It’s not that I mind helping out. I just hate manual labor. Better to help now than to starve later.

Madie

There’s trouble in bear country.
Scat came running down the admin hall before sun up this morning yelling at the top of his lungs.
“Get up, Get up. They took our fuel. They took our fuel. “
I jumped off the couch and tackled him in the hallway.
“Ok, Ok, Ok, we get the point.” I yelled back.
By this time everyone residing in the admin hall was awake and standing in the hallway. Sleepy eyes everywhere and no one was in a very joyful mood.
Scat tried to squirm out of my hold.
“Tony, …Tony’s hurt. They beat him up.”

Tony is our engineer. He lives in the basement. He has been my friend(sort of) since before the world turned upside down. We didn’t run in the same circles but we had several classes together. He always asked my opinions on homework assignments. I used to wish he would ask me out on a date. Unfortunately, he was dating a cheerleader. He isn’t very socialable these days but he is very good at fixing and maintaining what ever we break.
I ordered Scat to stay put in the admin hallway and grabbed some muscle. When I say muscle I am referring to Matt and Jonas. We headed toward the basement.

The basement was a mess and Tony was slumped against the far wall holding his stomach, bleeding from his head, and his left eye was swollen shut. Tony made an attempt to open his good eye as soon as he heard us coming. He adjusted the way he was leaning against the wall and let out a cry of pain.
“I tried to reason with them.” Tony spit out a mouth full of blood.
“They took all of our fuel. Oh Geez! I hurt.”
Tony said it was Central. I honestly was not surprised. They have been giving us trouble for ages.
The Central Bobcats were from the East end of Lafayette Blvd we lived on the west. We were rivals in football, basketball and volleyball. Our bands competed against each other in competitions before the world was turned upside down. The big difference between central and us is that we are not a bunch of thieves and bullies. The leader of the Central bobcats is a former high school wrestling champ. He is mean and leads by fear and regularly has his goons beat up people for fun. The kids call him the hulk after the comic book character. He doesn’t barter for what he needs. He has his goons take what he wants.
Matt and I leaned over to help Tony onto his cot. I told Tony he shouldn’t have tried to stop central from taking what they wanted. Just then, Scat ran up behind me holding a first aid kit.
Scat is such a tiny little guy. I yelled at him for leaving the admin hallway. He gets into more trouble.
Scat glared back at me. “Tony didn’t try to stop them. They beat him up afterwards.”
I looked at Tony and he just nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Matt and Jonas both blew a gasket and started ranting a raving about getting even. Love these guys but they get hot under the collar fast and don’t always think things thru..
We have some big guys in Bear Country but we are not a match for the goons at Central.

Madie

I take back the “I’m bored” thing. We held a meeting tonight to discuss what could be done about our missing fuel. The consensus was nothing. Asking for the fuel back wasn’t an option, taking the fuel back wasn’t an option, although two people who shall remain nameless thought we should storm central and take it back. Can you say Matt and Jonas. This was voted down because of the possibility of casualties, on our side. We decided to install a security detail during the night hours. Everyone over the age of 12 would be required to keep watch at two hour intervals. Our resources are few and we don’t need to be loosing anything else. We have strength in numbers and we can protect ourselves when necessary.
At the meeting we also discussed the up and coming festival. Like last year we plan to have a feast, music and games. The Journal club will be putting up fliers to announce the event to the community. Everyone is invited, except for central of course. With luck they won’t grace us with their presence at this year’s event.

Madie

I Dreamt about being home again last night. I swear I could almost feel and smell the clean sheets. It felt like a weekend. One of those mornings when you had a great night’s sleep. A familiar smell wakes you. My mom was in the kitchen making her famous biscuits. I miss those biscuits. I miss the strawberry jam. I don’t know what woke me from my dream, but it was a letdown when I realized it wasn’t real.

Madie

Went to the market plaza today to see if I could find a pair of new shoes(old shoes). The ones I have are coming apart at the seams. I couldn’t find any I could fit my feet into. I guess I will wear these a little longer. While I was shopping I over heard some people discussing the central Bobcats. They are causing trouble all over town. I am not usually afraid of anything but the Hulk seriously worries me. He is so evil. People say he is that way because his father was always beating on him, especially if he lost a tournament. I don’t know if this is true or if it is just a rumor kids spread around to explain his meanness. I do know that he never seems to have remorse about his actions. He actually enjoys hurting people.

Madie

We moved Tony from the basement up to the admin hallway. He is not doing well. His eye seems to be better but his stomach is extremely bloated and painful to the touch. He isn’t holding any food done but we are insisting that he drink water. I honestly don’t know if this is doing any good or if it is doing harm but I heard once that you shouldn’t let people get dehydrated. Marty, Gretchen and Cecilia have headed out to the main library to do some research on Tony’s condition. With any luck they will come back with some answers on what we should do to help him. In the mean time the kids are taking turns sitting with Tony and trying to keep him comfortable.

Madie

Tony is getting worse and Scat is missing. I couldn’t find him anywhere this morning. He didn’t show for breakfast. His bike is also missing. He is too little to be out in the city alone. If he is caught by the Central Bobcats it could be disastrous. Lisa took over sitting with Tony after Scat. She said he was obviously upset and mentioned something about finding medicine to help. If I thought medicine was available I would have been the first person to go and find some. Unfortunately, finding medicine for even the common cold is just not possible. The pharmacies were emptied out long ago. You can occasionally come across something to barter but there is no guarantee that what you are bartering for is actually in the bottle. The only time medicine appears on the market is when some desperate soul is trying to save a dying loved one. People have been known to sell their soul for medicine and it turn out to be nothing at all. Some awful concoction someone has put together. Matt and Jonas volunteered to go and look for Scat. I would have gone but I have things that need my attention here.

Madie

It has been a long day. Matt and Jonas have still not returned with Scat. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Scat is doing fine and that he didn’t get caught by the Central Bobcats. Tony was his best friend, is his best friend. Speaking of Tony, he is still recovering. We are still taking turns looking after him. He is not taking in a lot of fluids but his color is improving slightly. We held elections today for Sherrif. Sherrif Pete will take over as the man in charge of security. He has started looking for people to fill the deputy sherrif positions. I need to put a Thankyou in the Bear News for everyone that helped out in the middle of the night.

Now for some good news. Casey finally delivered her baby. Her labor lasted for days. She was in labor, then she wasn’t, she was in labor then she wasn’t. I felt bad for her because she was in constant pain. Everything turned out fine in the end. Mom and baby are doing well. As soon as Casey is up to it we are going to have a naming ceremony. The ceremony usually occurs about two weeks after the babies birth which will put it around the end of the month.

Madie

I forgot to take my journal with me yesterday. I went for a walk ,a long walk. Went by my old home and someone was living there. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. It has a very homey feel. I wanted to run up to the people living there and say “get out this is my home.” I didn’t, I just stood there. I stood there for a long time until my stomach said It was time to eat. I said goodbye to my home and went looking for food.
Update, Tony is getting better. He is still sore and bruised but he isn’t dead. This is a good thing because without him Bear country just wouldn’t be the same. As for Scatt, he is still missing. I am beginning to think we will never see him again. It has been days and he is so little.

Madie

It rained all night long. I love the rain. I seem to sleep well when it rains. It is going to be a busy day. I promised Casey I would watch the baby a little while so that she can take care of herself. She is the cutest baby. I hope Casey gets to enjoy her for a long time. I am not so sure I would want to take on the responsibility of having a baby. There are so many things to worry about. Babies don’t seem to do as well as they used to. No medicine. there is limited things you can do when they get ill. No one talks about the things that can go wrong. I wonder if Casey worries about the baby getting ill. I would worry.
I saw Tony up walking around a little while ago. He was heading toward the showers. It’s a good thing because he was starting to smell really bad. If he had been severely ill for much longer it was going to be a challenge to get people to sit with him.

Madie

The Journal Club has finished with the flyers for the up and coming festival. Evan, and J.T. have done a wonderful job again. It amazes me how creative they can be. They will be distributing the flyers around town today. The festival is the one time of the year when everyone gets together and has a good time. We forget about our sorrows and pain and enjoy outselves. I am a little worried about the Central Bobcats. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they don’t cause any trouble. Sherriff Pete is working on obtaining people for security of the festivities. It is going to be a challenge for him. He is asking for help from around the community.
I heard Lisa practicing her guitar this morning and singing. She has such a beautiful voice. She usually tries to sing happy songs but sometimes you can hear a little sadness in her voice. She keeps the sad songs to herself. No one bothers her when she goes to the roof to sing and play. I am not sure if she knows that we can still hear her up there. It’s her place of solitude, so we leave her alone.

Madie

I feel so bad. No one told Tony that Scat was missing. I was updating the bulletin board in the admin hallway when Tony asked me where Scat was. I just stood there and stared at him. I finally told him that I was sorry. Scat had been missing for days. I tried to explain to Tony why we think Scat left. That he left to find medicine and that Jonas and Matt went looking for him. Tony was so angry that he yeld at me for being irresponsible. He said I should have been more reliable and that it’s my fault if Scat is dead. I don’t blame him for yelling at me. We should have told Tony that Scat was missing sooner. Scat was not my primary responsibility. He just appeared on our door step one day, dirty and hungry. Tony became is big buddy. Tony is the one who took care of him. This is going to sound stupid but I honestly didn’t realize that I should have been taking care of Scats needs while Tony was ill. I just assumed that everyone took care of everyone. I have a tremendous amount of responsibility around here. I try to make sure that life around Bear Country runs smoothly. Most of the time it does.

Madie

I woke up early this morning. I didn’t sleep very well last night. I kept thinking about what Tony said to me yesterday. By the way he is now avoiding me. I tried to talk to him this morning but he wasn’t interested in anything I had to say. To get my mind off things I went to the plaza to see if I could find another pair of shoes. No shoes, but I did run in to a kid with a very well trained dog. They were doing some amazing tricks and entertaining the crowd. The dog listened so well. And then a couple of central goons showed up. They enjoy causing trouble and as usual they did. They started tossing trash at the dog and pushing around his owner. I wanted to see the dog eat one of them. They would have deserved it. Unfortunately, the dog was well trained and didn’t attack but he did display an impressive display of I am going to eat your heart out if you don’t leave my owner alone. With help from the crowd the central goons crawled away in disgrace. I can feel trouble in the air. The Central Bobcats continue to make life difficult. I heard that the hulk is recruiting goons. I need to organize a meeting with the town leaders to see if we can do something about Central. Unfortunately, people are getting more and more afraid. People like to look the other way when it doesn’t involve them. I have a feeling this is going to involve the whole town soon.

Madie

Tony is still avoiding me. He won’t look at me. He won’t talk to me. He won’t enter a room that I am in. I wish I knew what to say. I have tried to apologize. I have never seen him this angry with anyone before. I don’t know what to do. This cold shoulder he is giving me is breaking my heart. I keep hoping that Scat will walk thru the front door.

Madie

Central continues to cause trouble. I went to the Plaza today with Matt and Jonas. The streets are crazy. People are missing. No proof but the word is that the Central Bobcats are behind the disappearances. I knew central was recruiting older males, large males of substantial build but the missing are young boys. Apparently, four young boys have disappeared in four days. Took Matt and Jonas and collected a few community leaders and went over to the central campus. We were hoping that the Hulk(as we enduringly call him) might be able to help us out. Let us know where the boys are. HIs goons wouldn’t let us thru the front door. Apparently, the Hulk is busy with Central Bobcat business and can’t be disturbed. We tried to force our way in but the goons guarding the entrance had leathal weapons we weren’t prepared to deal with at that moment in time. We left a message. This whole thing with Central is getting on my nerves.

Madie

Held a meeting with the community leaders of the larger tribes that are allies with Bear Country. I love community meetings. No, actually I don’t but sometimes they are a necessity. I am not a very good diplomat. I have trouble hiding my emotions. I always turn a bright shade of red when I get flustered. What I hate the most is that these meetings always end up loud and noisy. Getting everyone to agree is always a challenge but I think we have a workable plan. All the tribe leaders have agreed that getting someone inside the Bobcat campus is a necessity. Bear Country will have to get someone inside but first we have to find out what kind of security the Hulk has in place so that we can get information out once we are inside.

I went to see Tony after the meeting. He is still angry with me. At first, he pretending to be working on something and ignored that I was even standing in the same room. I said I was sorry and that if I could bring back Scat I would. I said I needed his friendship. He thru a wrench across the room(It barely missed my head) and said I wasn’t a very good friend. A friend is someone you can count on. Someone you can depend on. I said “I was dependable.” He said I wasn’t. He said I should have kept a closer eye on Scat. Perhaps he was right. I should have kept a closer eye on the little guy. But honestly, I can’t be everywhere at once. I have a great deal of responsibility. I would have done my best to look after Scat if Tony had died. We all would have looked after him. It’s what we do in Bear Country. We look after each other. No one could have prevented Scat from leaving if he wanted to leave. No one is under lock and key.
Tony went back to what ever it was he was working on and I left the room. I said I really was sorry.

Madie

Tony stopped by my room in the admin hallway. He said he wanted to help. I guess this is his way of saying he is sorry for being mad at me.
It’s been a long night. Me, Tony, Matt, and Jonas (under the cover of darkness) went to the Bobcat campus. There was a lot of activity even at the hour that we were sneaking around. The guards seem to all be visible. No need to hide. The size of these guys would keep most people away. Of course, we don’t know exactly what is going on inside. We snuck around the entire campus. No one seemed to be quarding the east end back side of the building. The door was even unlocked. We went inside. The classrooms in this hallway were all locked and empty. At least the rooms we peaked into were empty. Things seemed a little too easy. Feeling uncomfortable with the ease that we entered we decided to quietly leave. Ok, we can get in. Which means we should be able to get information out. The next step is to actually get someone into the Bobcat tribe.

Madie

There are days and then there are days. Matt and Jonas fought at the plaza today. It was awful. I am not sure who was injured the most. They both had bloody lips, cuts and bruises. A couple of venders are going to have to rebuild after Matt and Jonas crashed thru their kiosks. It didn’t take long for a crowd to develop. People began to cheer for one or the other. It always annoys me that people encourage fights. You would think that the proper thing to do would be to stop the fight but not in this town. Anyway, as the fight grew in intensity a couple of the hulk’s goons from the central campus arrived. They just stood back and watched. I am not surprised. The fight ended as Matt pinned Jonas to the pavement. Some words were exchanged that I would rather not repeat. Then Matt released Jonas and stood up. Jonas struggled to his feet. He yelled at his brother that they were no longer brothers. I wanted to cry. After the show, the crowd dispersed as quickly as it formed except for the Central goons. They were interested in Matt. I wasn’t close enough to know exactly what was said between the three, but Matt left with the enemy.

Jonas limped back to Bear country. He didn’t say a lot when he got back. I cleaned up his wounds and made him something to eat. He didn’t eat much. I am not sure if it was because of his physical injuries or because of the mental anguish, I am sure he feels. The whole thing was just incredibly sad. I find it hard to think about one without the other. Matt and Jonas have always done everything together.

Madie

I have such a headache. Probably stress. The preparation for the naming ceremony is going well. Casey is getting so excited and the baby seems to be thriving. Casey is also doing well. Plans for the festival also continues. We have had several responses from several of the local tribes who wish to participate. It is mostly the same tribes that come year after year. I can’t wait, we need some diversion, some fun. I need to write in full sentences but at the moment my brain just isn’t working that way. What else can I tell you? Oh I know, Jonas is climbing the walls. We still have not herd from Matt since he defected over to the Central Bobcats. I hope he is safe and not taking any unecessary chances.

Madie