Part 3

  The day ended in disappointment for the searchers. The boy was nowhere to be found.

  Will returned home to find his wife waiting anxiously with her friend Lexa.

  They embraced. Holly’s sobbing renewed at the sight of her husband walking through the door alone, knowing that it meant her son was still missing.

  “I’ll get some tea,” Lexa offered as she went into the kitchen.

  Will and Holly sat on the couch. He held his wife’s hands in his own. “We are still looking. We’re going to find him.”

  Holly sniffed. “I know, I know.”

  “We have another group coming off shift from the mines. They’ll be here to help soon. We’re going to look through the night if we have to.”

  *****

  Burke and Samno waited outside the shack. All was quiet. Samno paced a tight circle nervously. “You know the Boss is kinda strange.”

  Burke nodded in agreement. “I’d keep that kind of talk to yourself.”

  The sun had gone down and the darkness had taken over. The only light came from a tiny control panel near the door of the shack.

  The silence felt strange. Samno had been out at Tunnel B many times over the last several months and there had always been insects buzzing or night birds calling. Now there was nothing. An involuntary shiver travelled the length of Samno’s spine. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” he muttered.

  Burke perked up, “What?”

  Samno stopped his pacing, “Nothing.” He rummaged through a pant pocket and fished out a cigarillo that he shoved between his lips. He started to look for his lighter but the shack's door opened abruptly.

  The Colonel stepped out into the night. He cleared his throat. “Get the boy in my speeder.”

  The two moved to obey but the Colonel stopped Burke as he passed. “I’m going to have a talk with the foreman. You two take the speeder and get the boy back to town. His parents are looking for him. Tell them you found him wandering down the road to the mine.”

  “But what if he says. . .”

  The Colonel cut him off, “The boy won’t contradict your story. He’s so tired he’ll probably sleep until tomorrow morning anyway.”

  Burke appeared confused at that statement but Samno exited the shack carrying the sleeping boy in his arms.

  Burke got into the speeder behind the controls. He motioned to the passenger seat, “Let’s move Samno.”

  Samno got himself and the boy into the speeder. Burke guided the vehicle down the path away from the tunnel.

  The Colonel watched only until the speeder vanished into the trees, then he headed into the Tunnel to find the foreman.

  *****

  Burke maneuvered the speeder around the huge Boulder and into the main road back toward town.

  Samno felt the acceleration as he was pressed back into his seat. “If we hurry and get this boy back home we can hit the saloon for some drinks.”

  Burke chuckled with a sideways glance at his companion. He nudged the accelerator a little harder and the speeder seemed to leap forward. “Wooo!” He called into the night air.

  They approached the next minor curve at a high rate of speed but Burke was unconcerned; he'd made that one without difficulty in the past. This time however there was a mountain sheep crossing the road. It had been out of view until the speeder was already committed to the curve and too late to apply the brake.

  The speeder collided spectacularly with the sheep. The back of the speeder flipped forward and the vehicle was instantly inverted. It slammed down hard onto the ground before flipping over twice more, finally coming to rest in a mangled heap on the side of the road.

  Samno opened his eyes but the tunnel vision and red-tinged blurriness prevented him from being able to ascertain his exact situation. The pain in his legs was intense. He reached up and tried to wipe the blood from his forehead. There was something heavy weighing him down. It took a moment to remember he’d had the boy on his lap during the crash.

  The boy was awake and tried to roll over but he was stopped by a mangled piece of metal that was once part of the speeder's front clip. It was that same piece that had smashed into Burke, killing him instantly.

  By an immense piece of luck the boy was uninjured except for a couple of minor cuts. He continued to grope around and appeared confused but unhurt. He struggled to get free of the mangled speeder but without success. The more he struggled the more he pushed against Samno, aggravating his injuries causing him to cry out in pain. Finally, with supreme effort, Samno lifted the boy by his shoulders and pushed him out of the wreck.

  Charles rolled out of the speeder and onto the earthen road. He rose to his knees and turned back to the speeder.

  Samno reached out to the boy and tried to speak but his strength had failed. The darkness was closing in. His breathing was ragged. The grasping arm fell. Samno was dead.

  Charles watched the arm fall. He turned slow circles taking in the scene, the dark forest, the dirt road, the burning speeder, the dead men within and even the stars above. No thoughts penetrated the fogginess of his mind. Instinct took over and Charles ran into the night.

  *****

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  The next morning Carlo woke with the sun but he’d not been the first to rise. Lucy was already gone. She’d told Carlo the night before that she and Anga had planned to go into town early to help the others look for the still missing Charles before she started work at the mercantile.

  Carlo had work to do himself. He tended Lucy’s garden, watered the peppers and corn, and then went to the paddock to get the fathier which he saddled and led to the square.

  Carlo then went to the shed and knocked on the door. After a moment the door slid to the side and VP16 stepped out.

  “You ready,” Carlo asked.

  “Certainly. But I’m still unclear as to how I can help with an activity like hunting.” The droid intoned.

  “I’m not expecting you to hunt.” Carlo conceded. “But it would be nice to have some help bringing the meat back. If you’re there I can get twice as much and we may have some extra we can trade in town. Plus it’ll be good to have an extra set of eyes to look for the missing boy since you know what he looks like.”

  “I see you have thought this through.” The droid noted. “It will be slow. I doubt I can keep pace with the fathier.”

  Carlo smiled. “No worries there. The beast can carry two.”

  *****

  At the same time that morning the wreckage of the speeder and its deceased occupants were found. The sun was creeping over the treetops when a speeder carrying the Sheriff and Doc Mason arrived.

  A couple of miners were standing by the road waiting for them. They had been with the personnel transport that was taking the day shift to the mine. Once they’d seen the wreck these two had been tasked to wait for the Sheriff and the transport had continued on to the mine to drop off the rest and pick up the night shift.

  Sheriff Ghor conversed quietly with the two waiting men while Doc Mason took a look at the dead men inside the mangled speeder. He was quick to realize that the driver had died instantly in the crash.

  When Ghor approached, said as much to her.

  She nodded. “What about the other?”

  “Probably the same. Driving too fast. Hit the animal. Nothing they could have done.”

  Ghor listened while she surveyed the scene herself. There was something strange about the other man. The passengers right hand was outstretched as if reaching for something or maybe towards someone.

  The Sheriff knelt by the passenger side of the speeder. Looking inside she suddenly realized the truth. She pointed inside. “Looks like there was a third passenger. Was probably riding in this guy's lap.”

  Doc Mason frowned. “Must have been someone smaller. A woman?”

  Ghor’s eyes widened. “Or a child!”

  “The missing boy?”

  Ghor nodded. She pulled a comlink out of her pocket. “Kiro! Respond!”

  The deputy answered over the tiny speaker. “Yes ma’am?”

  “We need a search team up here now!” She said, excited.

  “Search team? Everyone is out looking for Charles.”

  “Kiro, he was here. I think the boy was in the speeder when it crashed.” Ghor explained.

  “We’ll be right there.”

  *****

  Once mounted they made their way up toward the cliffs where Carlo had previously had good success hunting the mountain sheep.

  The sun was starting to creep over the trees when Carlo dragged his first kill back to where he’d left the fathier and VP16. Soon the animal was dressed and placed on the travois.

  Carlo nodded with satisfaction. “One more like that and we’ll be in good shape to head back.”

  “Excellent. I have some chores left to do at home,” VP16 replied.

  “It is early though.” Carlo sat. “Maybe we should have some meditation practice.”

  “Very well. Perhaps you should concentrate on another inanimate object?” VP16 suggested.

  Carlo chuckled. “Good plan.”

  “Close your eyes and clear your mind,” VP16 coached.

  “Not easy with you jabbering.”

  “Forgive me, Master. I was only trying to help.” The droid said, annoyed.

  “You’re still jabbering.”

  Carlo did clear his mind, focusing on his breathing. He could feel the Force connection and reached out with his mind. His hunting knife quivered seemingly of its own volition and then rose off the ground. Carlo knew it was rising and then floating in front of him. He didn’t need to see it, so he kept his eyes closed. He raised his hand and made a slow circle in the air with his hand. As he did, the knife rotated at the same speed.

  “Excellent.” The droid said again.

  Carlo deepened his concentration and reached out again while maintaining the knife's spin, he held out his other hand, palm up and raised it. VP16 lifted off the ground as he did.

  “This is certainly not dignified,” the droid opined.

  Carlo was not listening, suddenly his vision opened even though his eyes were closed. His mind swam and then he was running through the woods. He could feel the branches scraping his face, lightning flashed overhead and he felt the falling rain on his face. He could also feel the pounding of his heart and the burning in his lungs from the exertion. At that same instance he could feel his own heart calmly beating. It was as if he were in two places, or was two people at once. It was a surreal experience.

  Then his foot hit a large root and he came crashing down.

  And so did Carlo’s concentration. VP16’s feet hit the ground. Carlo’s hand shot out and grabbed the knife hilt before it fell.

  VP16 broke the silence. “That was abrupt.”

  “It was strange.” He went on to describe what he’d felt and seen.

  “Ah, yes. A Force vision.”

  “A what?”

  “The Jedi of old were able to see people and places far beyond their location through the Force.” VP16 explained.

  Carlo stood up and slid the knife into its sheath at his belt.

  A cloud crossed the sun and cast a deep shadow. Far off there was the faint roll of thunder.

  *****

  Elsewhere on the mountain, Deputy Kiro and Will arrived at the speeder wreck with a personal carrier full of volunteers who were eager to continue the search for the missing boy. They exited the boxy vehicle and Ghor waved them over. She showed them the inside of the speeder and seeing the possibilities excited Will.

  He and Kiro divided the volunteers between them. Kiro plucked the toothpick from his mouth and directed his group to one side of the road while Will took the second group to the opposite side. The volunteers spread out calling Charles’s name and looking for clues as to where the boy might have passed.

  ******

  Carlo stepped out of the forest into a clearing. VP16 followed, leading the fathier behind him dragging the travois.

  Carlo looked up at the gathering clouds. The earthy scent heralding the imminent storm wafted in on the breeze.

  “Rain’s coming.” He said to no one in particular.

  VP16 answered anyway. “Perhaps we should seek shelter. Monsoon rains often result in flooding in this area.”

  While that was rare in his part of the world, Carlo had heard of such things, people and animals swept away before torrents of water. He’d never seen water in that quantity having spent most of his days in and around the desert.

  Carlo took a step back and patted the fathier on the neck. “You know of any place nearby?”

  “No. I’ve never been in the forest before. Isn’t it only logical to stay out of the rain?” VP16 responded. “You’ve been up here before. Do you know of any possible shelter?” The droid managed to sound quite smug.

  Carlo ignored the implicit condescension. “No. I don’t. Looks like we’ll probably get wet.”

  Carlo started across the clearing with the droid and the fathier following closely. He suddenly stopped short. “Have we been here before? This place looks familiar.”

  VP16 took a deliberate look around. “My sensors do not detect anything we have seen previously.” He looked back at Carlo. “Perhaps you passed this way during one of your other excursions?”

  Carlo shook his head. “No, I don't think so. It just feels familiar.”

  “It feels familiar? Perhaps from your vision?”

  “Maybe.”

  A sudden instinct gripped the young hunter. “VP16, follow me. Bring the beast.”

  Without waiting for the inevitable protest and derogatory reply, Carlo plunged forward into the forest. On the far side of the clearing the trees closed in on all sides and soon Carlo was beset by the scraping of branches and contending with ever decreasing field of vision.

  VP16 leading the fathier fell further and further behind him.

  The sky darkened from the gathering clouds and tiny drops of rain began to fall. It was barely enough to notice and Carlo shrugged it off. There was something ahead. He had to be somewhere. He needed to be there though he could not have articulated the reason. It was as if his actions were beyond his control but at the same time he felt as if he was in complete accord with them.

  As he burst from the tree line into a clearing, shrouded with tree branches far overhead, Carlo came upon the reason. At the far edge of the glade a bear was standing with its back to him, hovering over its prey, a huge paw in the air as if preparing to deliver a final strike. Even in the failing light Carlo could see the rough, coarse scruff rising on its shoulders, a glint of light lit the tips of the upheld razor sharp claw.