�� There was nothing there!

�� Well, that was not strictly true. �We were in a mountain glade -- that was obvious by the amount of horizon we could through the open end of the glade. � So there was a glade there. The tall objects which I had not been able to clearly see as we were coming down were trees surrounding three sides of the glade, so there WERE trees there. � Those trees were skyscraper high and looked like a cross between bamboo and fern. � There was also something mossy that looked a bit like grass. � Here and there were dotted flower like plants. � And in among the trees we could hear the sounds made by animals moving around. � But there were no buildings of any sort, no people, no roads, no vehicles, nothing as far as the horizon stretched. � In short, no sign of habitation by anything sentinent and, consequently, no sign of anything that could explain the source of the illusion field or any sign of who it was that had seen us and slowed our descent somewhat. �What was going on? � Well, it was obvious that this was a great big world and that we were in only one small corner of it so it was equally obvious what we needed to do. � We needed to search. � I wondered if we should split up, but then decided against it. � It was true that each of us could take VERY good care of ourselves, so it was not that. � Instead it was a matter of timing and communication. � Should one of us find something, there was no telling how far apart we might be and it might be crucial that the information be shared quickly. � Also, with no hand held communication devices to use -- it had never come up before and it was by no means certain that something like that would work anyway in the current situation -- it could be awkward, at best.

�� It was then just a question of which direction to head off in. �

�� Weslee stood a moment with his left paw/hand shading his eyes against the sun and peered into the horizon. "Great!" he muttered. "We would have to come down in the middle of nowhere! � Now how are we supposed to get anywhere to find anything out when we can't even use Edgar?" � He saw the way that I was looking at him and quickly amended. � "Not that Edgar was all that much help anyway!"

�� Perki and I shared an amused glance. � Weslee was nothing if not consistent. � But then we sobered. "Weslee, I know you're smarter than that. � The answer's obvious. � At least I'm pretty sure it is. � Whoever saw us coming down had to be in this general vicinity. � Perhaps whoever it was is still around somewhere. � I mean, we haven't been here long, we didn't see any sort of vehicle leaving and that probably means that whoever it was is possibly still around somewhere. � It might be just a matter of finding them."

�� "That's a whole lot of qualifiers, Doc! � And if we don't find whoever it was -- then what?" He waved a big hairy hand in the general direction of the horizon. "There's a whole lot of empty space out there!"

�� I sighed in long suffering patience. � Sometimes Weslee wouldn't even walk across the street for free honey. � "Weslee, Weslee, what AM I going to do with you? � There's trees surrounding us on three sides! � What might be hidden behind them?"

�� Weslee is not stupid, but sometimes his laziness gets the better of him. "OH." Was all he said, giving me a disingenious grin. � Then he got a pouty look on his face as if I had actually hurt his feelings by by pointing out the flaw in his reasoning. � (And maybe I actually had! � It was hard to tell with Weslee if his pride was wounded or if he was just being aloof and pretending not to be.)

�� "Doc's right," Perki chimed in, "We'll search around here and then we'll decide which direction to go after that, based on what we find or don't find." � Weslee nodded sullenly.

�� Suiting actions to Perki's words we started off.

�� Weslee, who was hanging back a bit because he was still pouting a bit (or at least using that as an excuse for being his usual lazy self) saw her first. � That event was heralded by the terrified shriek of an unfamiliar voice and Weslee's yelp! � Perki and I immediately wheeled around to see what was going on.

�� A girl was standing there. � She seemed caught between indignation and fear. � I had never seen such a nonplussed look on Weslee's face! � I didn't know what to say or do so I just stood there and studied her.

�� She was about five foot, six inches tall and had an elfin looking face. � That face said she was somewhere in her late teens. � She was dressed from neck to shoe top in a dark blue, frilly dress that had mutton chop sleeves that reached down to her wrists and which featured a very voluminous semi-pleated skirt. ��That dress did not completely conceal the fact that she had a slim, trim figure. On her head was a black trimmed white sunbonnet that partially shaded her face and which was secured under her chin by a big black bow. � Out of that sunbonnet and spilling down her shoulders was a wealth of blue black curls. � Attired as she was she looked like she had stepped out of the early nineteenth century. � For a moment I wondered where her parasol was. � The two obvious possiblities occurred to me immediately. � Had we landed on a world that was puritannical, fundamental in the extreme or was she simply dressed in costume for some reason? � I was soon to find it was no costume!

�� The girl hadn't seemed to notice Perki and I, confronted as she was by Weslee. (I couldn't blame her for being frozen by him -- I remembered the first time I'D seen him and sympathized with her.) � But then she obviously DID notice Perki, at least, and let out another shriek! � � Being Tuatha and not seeing any need for clothing, claiming that clothes were an artificial conceit, Perki was, as usual, naked. � I liked Perki that way just fine, but it seemed the girl was offended or scandalized by Perki's nudity since she her eyes, pointed in Perki's direction, were as big as saucers and she was covering her mouth with one hand. � I looked at Perki. � She was, of course, making no attempt to cover herself -- in fact she was giving the girl a serene look. � I thought it best, though, if we were ever going to sort this out, that Perki not occupy center stage in this girl's mind -- nor Weslee, for that matter, at least for now. � I too usually, went naked -- around Perki and Weslee. � But I had opted to put some clothes on (feeling whimsical I'd donned a tuxedo and top hat) before we'd come down since I was still not completely equinaminous about being naked in the presence of people I didn't know.� Therefore, as the only "normal" looking person in the group, that task fell to me. � To that point I gestured for Weslee to come back and join Perki and I and then motioned for Perki to stand behind me. � All that accomplished, I stepped forward a bit and waited until the gir's eyes were firmly fixed on mine.

�� It seemed to work -- at least for the moment. � She DID take what seemed like a couple of deep, calming breaths. � I waited a moment longer still, willing her by the strength of the charisma in my eyes to remain calm. � She did.

�� "Hail, maiden! � Well met!" I said.

�� For some reason that set her off again! "In what manner have you come to invade my secluded bower of meditation? � Are you truly the daemons you appear, come to tempt me then away from my immortal soul?"

�� "What?!" I thought, taken aback. � I ruminated a moment on how best to proceed. � What COULD I say in the face of such an accusation? � Weslee didn't help anything by muttering, "She sure talks funny, huh, Doc?" I glared at him and motioned that he should be quiet. � He lapsed into sullen silence (luckily the girl stayed focused on me where I wanted her to, no thanks to Weslee!) while I tried desperately to think of a retort to her accusation. � Then I realized I didn't want to go there. � I was going to be disingenious with her, by attempting to side step the issue -- for now. � "I truly apologize! Perhaps if you would care to introduce yourself? � Then we can get on a more formal footing. � Myself, I rejoice in the appellation of Dr Seven." � And I bowed deeply from the waist, as courteously as I knew how. � Behind me I heard Weslee sniggering, obviously amused by my overly courteous manner. � I ignored him, willing the girl to STAY focused on me. �� (In her manner of dress she appeared, like I'd said, to be a native of the the Victorian Age, but her speech was Shakespearean. � I didn't know what was up with that, but with all my reading, I was better equipped to deal with that seeming dichotomy than Weslee was. � In any case I was the only one of our company who was the the closest to being a human like she was and as such I was best equipped to deal with this, language and all!)

�� She did stay focused on me. � She seemed flummoxed by my courteous manner for a moment as if a daemon would not bother with such courtly manners. � Then she gathered herself and spoke, "I am known as Kalanna Peachtree. � Whence came you then? � And for what purpose? � Did I truly see you come from the sky or have my poor senses deceived me?"

�� This still wasn't working! � Obviously she was the one who had seen us come down! � What could I say or do to distract her attention away from Edgar who was still somewhat visible from where we stood. � What could I do? � For that matter, I was still going to have to explain Perki and Weslee! � And HOW was I going to be disingenious about that? � � What to do, WHAT to do?! � The obvious came to me then! � I had not even begun to be disingenious enough! � I needed to take a completely different tack altogether! (In my defense, though, was the fact that I had not been able to foresee the certainty that we WOULD meet the one who'd seen us coming down! � SHOULD and WOULD are two different things. � For all I knew the person might be long gone! � Still, on the debit side was the fact that I might have thought it through a BIT better -- on the chance that we DID encounter the person responsible for slowing our fall! � This Hero business is trickier than it appears! � Try it sometime and you'll see what I mean!)

�� Someone, I think it was P.T. Barnum (and if it wasn't him, he'll do!) once said that if you were going to tell a lie then you should tell the biggest lie you could think of! � That's what I was going to do here! � It was the ONLY thing I could do for now! � Later when --IF! -- I had her confidence and sympathy and could see that the time was right I would then ease her into the truth.  �I thought of how I was dressed and what Perki and Weslee looked like and a plausible sounding idea popped into my head.   I looked at Kalana and said as solemnly and as woefully as I could, "Daemons? � You think we are Daemons, dear girl? � Why nothing could be further from the truth! � We are mere, poor circus folk who have met with a freakish accident! � You see our mode of conveyance over there -- ?" I gestured vaguely in the direction of Edgar. � She looked and nodded. � I went on, with a bit of a theatical shudder, "We were pounced upon by a clear air tornado, dastardly plucked from the rest of our group and set down here in this foreign land where we are strangers in a strange land and bereft of our good company! � I was about to inquire so if you have knowledge of any place of refuge where we might reside betimes until we can arrange the way -- somehow, happily! -- of contacting our fellow players who surely musts needs be despairing of our safety, thinking us truly dead!" Then I gave her a very earnest look while I tried to see if she was buying it! And I hoped then that the circus was not something frowned upon by her culture.

�� She had the grace to blush, which was a good sign that she had fallen for it, but she had, understandably, I could see, a question or two. "Circus folk, you are? � And what is this, um, clear air tornado that you bespoke of?"

�� I breathed an inward sigh of relief. � I HAD hit upon the one big lie that she could believe in. � And by the lack of a look of disapproval on her face the circus was permissible entertainment. � "Why certainly, fair maiden!" I gestured for Weslee and Perki to resume center stage with me. � "Weslee Turnipaw rejoices in the fact that while being truly a bear, he nonetheless is blessed with the unusual facility of speech. � Him our company discovered in the Land of FIE. � As mayhap you can well envision, he is one of our major attractions and it would have been a tragedy true had he perished in the freakish storm. � Then we must consider Perki. Hers is a person who was brought into this vale of tears with the ableness to illuminate herself liken unto a lightning bug! � Mayhap you see what manner of persecution she had to endure until such time as she was happily discovered by our troupe as we sojourned through the Land of Fumo! � As for the nature of this clear air tornado, I profess to knowing little! � All my poor brain can seemly comprehend is that it be very like an ordinary tornado -- except in the manner that it happens whence there is no visible cloud of storm!" I came to a halt then and gave her my most pitiful, hopeful look! � Weslee and Perki had the good sense to not say anything contradicatory. � I was especially grateful that Weslee had kept his mouth shut!

�� Kalana gave us all a very rueful smile. "What manner of dastard am I to accuse you thus in your hour of calamity? � However, might I be permitted one chance acquaintance with a niggling reluctance that I labor under?"

�� She was looking right at Perki when she asked that and I was pretty sure what she was going to ask and I was ready for her. � "By all means!" I gestured magnanimously.

�� "Must the beauteous red haired maiden at your side be divested, perforce, of her vestments? � It appears unseemly to my untutored eye!"

�� Like I said, I was ready for it. � "This condition that the beknighted maiden labors under is fell worrisome! � Nonetheless, there be nothing that can avail. � If she be vested her vestments fain become afire! � A veritable flame! � Would you have her suffer so?"

�� Kalana considered this bit of startling "information" with wide open eyes. � "Kind Sire, I see not how she shall mingle with the good folk of my village, they be offended, and righly so, I misdoubt me not, by the appearance of a body divested of God's good grace of clothing."

�� I knew my Bible and was conversant with the passage she allu ded to. � I was going to see if their version of it coincided with ours and how closely at that. "Yes, fair maiden, I pereceive that this would be unseemly were it under the fallen state, but were not the first man and woman clothed in light? � How different then the state Perki finds her self in? � Mayhap Go d has seen it fittingly that she be blessed in such manner?" � Then while I awaited her answer to this theological question I had posed to her, I marveled that there should be a planet out in the middle of galactic nowhere that was so closely following Earth's cultural evolution. � What were the odds? � And what part did the illusion field play in this? � Well, I told myself, I'm sure we'll find out someway, sometime since we're not going anywhere any time soon.

�� She seemed to consider this in all seriousness, not excluding it or disparging it out of hand -- at least the expression on her face was thoughtful without being condemmatory. � At length she spoke, "I know not whence these lands you speak fair on, but consider I that such lands do in truth exist. � Mayhap on those foreign shores God smiles more seemly, in truth I know not. � But of this I am assured; there be wonders in this dark domain that surrender to no explanation of surety. � Consider that I must. � In a making of the matter swift, I, perforce, must withhold to wit good judgement. � Withal, I will be of what poor assistance may I minister. � Care you to sorjourn anon?"

�� If I had never before heard beating around the bush, I had now. � And yet there was a wistful look about her that said she wanted to believe or at least not contradict me sharply. (this could have been borne of her sight of us coming down and her wanting to think us angels, rather than daemons, whether she knew if she dared to or not.) � But on balance what choice did we have? � With Edgar out of commission for the time being we hardly wanted to stay out here in the middle of nowhere. � And it wasn't like someone was going to come along and steal him, was it? � We had no choice but to accept her offer of hospitality. � Our only hope was that she was not an excellent actress and was, therefore, not leading us into some kind of trap. � Like the old saying goes, "Sometimes you just gotta trust somebody! � "Capture the moment if you will, fair maiden, leading us to yon succor! � Wherewithal do we go?" � And I smiled my gratitude and question at her.