�� "Go not!" I said. � She turned to me with a look of inquiry. "We must needs first espy towards our conveyance. � Look you well, ungaurded it be and defenseless withal. � Verily discern you can that such a matter must not long endure? � Pray leave us a moment this to mend!"

�� "Faith! � Had I thought not! � By means of all, do repair!" Kalana replied � � �

�� (For those of you less conversant in Shakespearean English I had told Kalana that we did not want to leave�Edgar open and she had told us to go ahead. � I know that some of you will find this dialogue tedious and some of you will find it dialectally elegant. � I can't help either cause. � I just have to tell it like it was! ) � Weslee and I went back to Edgar and being careful not to make a show of our true strength, we closed Edgar's door. � (By silent, mutual understanding we had instinctively agreed that we were not going to show Kalana our true strength since we might need a ace in the hole.) � Then we went back to join the ladies. � Perki was looking at Kalana still with perfect equinamity and Kalana was looking back with badly disguised admiration. � What was that a sign of? � I wondered. � But I wasn't going to pressure the girl and spook her. � Let her reveal whatever was the cause in her own time, I decided.

��After that we did follow Kalana into the forest, going away from the open vista. � The path was not well marked, but Kalana followed it like one well used to the practice. �However, because Kalana seemed intent on her leadership duty -- even if she was following the trail almost heedlessly -- she was not paying a lot of direct attention to us, for the moment. �� In fact she had ranged several yards ahead of us so she was not in earshot if we kept our voices low. �This was fortunate since Weslee and Perki indicated by expression that they had matters they wanted to discuss with me.

�� Weslee fired the opening salvo. � After looking all around furtively as if he was sure that the woods were completely full of spies hanging on his every word, he said in a hoarse whisper, "Doc! � "Do you think this is wise? � I mean, how do we know that we can trust this girl? � How do we know that she is not leading us into a trap? � Wouldn't we better off staying with Edgar and trying to fix him somehow? � Lord knows that I am not his fondest fan, but I still think we'd be better off staying with him." � Then he shuddered in exaggerated distaste while looking over his shoulder back towards Edgar as if he were afraid that Edgar had heard this unusual vote of confidence!

�� I was about to point out how ridiculous that course of action would be when Perki sided with him -- somewhat. �She gave Weslee a tolerant smile then turned to look at me with an expression of uncertain concern, "Perhaps, instead, it would be better to go off on our own and see if we can figure out the lay of the land by ourselves? � I mean, I know it would probably take longer, but wouldn't it be safer in the long run?"

�� What was up today? I wondered. � Neither Weslee nor Perki usually questioned my judgement. � Were they both more shook up than I had realized? �� Or had they sensed something I had not? � I addressed Weslee first. � Shook up or not, I was not going to let him off the hook as easily as Perki had -- even if he had sensed something I had not, his approach was still wrong. � And I was going to have a little fun setting him straight.

�� "Weslee, Weslee! � Would you as a callow youth, cower so? � It unseemly be directed. � Faith! � Attend! Has not the sages spoken thus? � The iron needs be stroked whilst still fresh from the flames of Prometheus it be! � Why the very gods --"

�� Weslee gave me a stunned look and then cut me off in mid elocution, "Doc! � Doc! � This is me you're talking to! � Weslee! � And I get your point -- I think! � If I've sorted out your overblown speech correctly. � OK! � You're right as usual. � We ain't gonna gain anything by hanging around Edgar. � In fact I don't even know why I gave him my misplaced vote of confidence. � Why, if he was any good we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place!" He glowered at me, challenging me to prove him wrong this time!

�� I chuckled a moment before I could adequately speak. "So. � You didn't actually sense anything about this girl that made you say what you did?"

�� He grudgingly admitted he hadn't. � It was as I thought. � It was just his laziness speaking again before his brain had been engaged. � That dealt with, I turned to Perki. � I was going to give Perki's seeming misgivings a little more weight. � Since Perki is an alien she has abilities that I don't understand and can't quite explain. � One of those abilities is sort of like ESP, sort of like Clairvoyance and sort of like empathy, yet it is not quite like any of those. � Another way to describe it is that it is sorta like being able to to "taste" the currents of time, to be able to sample the past and future. � I know that my description is a poor one, like I said. � But there is one thing I can describe about it for sure. � This undescribable ability of hers works ONLY in close proximity to the target person, which would explain why she wasn't alarmed until now -- IF she was. ( I also knew what she called it. � She called it Travate.)� "Perki? � Have you got a " time taste" of Kalana? � And if so, what have you travated?

�� Perki tossed her long, luxurious red hair as she shook her head indecisively, "I don't know, Doc. � I am getting all kinds of mixed messages about her." � She saw the look on my face and held up a forestalling hand as she continued, "That is not necessarily bad. � I just mean that I taste something about her that is hidden in her past and I don't know what it is, but it is nothing threatening -- that much I can taste. � I mean there is something going on here under the surface, but I don't think we have reason to distrust her. � I also believe that the only way we are going to find out what is going on is if we DO follow her. � But I would sugggest that we don't reveal our true selves until we have a better grasp of what is going on. � That's not my travate speaking, that's just common sense." � She gave me a grave smile. � "Have I answered you at all?"

�� "I flounderd around mentally for a moment and finally decided how I wanted to ask the question, "What do you mean, something in her past?"

�� "The best I can tell you is that it's some kind of event that caused her sadness. � But it's only peripherally connected to us. � More directly concerning us I travate sincerety and a genuine desire to know more. � Perhaps that will be enough to keep her on our side?" Perki answered, looking pensive.

�� Weslee chimed back in, "See! � Doc! � I told you we should have stayed with Edgar after all! � I mean, I don't like the way Perki is talking about sides here!" Then he put his big furry hands over his mouth as if he would stifle the comment he'd already made in Edgar's favor!

�� "That's not exactly what --" Perki began, getting perilously close to being less that equinaminous with Weslee.

�� Weslee seemed startled by this change in Perki's demeanor since she had never came this close to acting mad at him. � He began to sputter, interrupting her.

�� I cut them both off. "Well, we'll just play it by ear with the option of running like hell! � I am intrigued by Perki's take on this and I want to see where it leads. � After all, she obviously saw us come down and there was SOME reason why she stuck around. � I prefer to believe -- with what Perki said -- that the reason was positive. � Weslee, you have the option of going back and staying with Edgar or coming with Perki and me." � I thought that Weslee would quit at that, but I was wrong. � I was glad that he didn't. � Sometimes Weslee proves that he IS a genius after all. � (We weren't really arguing in the sense that we were fighting for control. � Weslee and Perki recognize me as the leader. � But they each have their own unique way of providing me with input and Weslee likes to pretend that he's wrangling with me.) �

�� "Doc, Perki, how could both of you have missed it?" Weslee said, shaking his head.

�� I gave him a blank stare. � I looked at Perki. � She shrugged too. � I turned back to Weslee. � "What did we miss?"

�� Weslee relished his moment in the sun, making us wait for a moment or two longer while we contined to follow Kalana. � Finally he saw he better speak or risk life or limb or both. � "Well, I got to thinking about what Perki said about there being sadness in her past and I asked myself what Kalana was doing out here all by herself, way out in the middle of nowhere. ��Since she's obviously not lost that at the very least makes her -- possibly -- some kind of loner and that might make her an outcast and if she is then she's the last person we should pick for an ally." � He gave us a grin then that was part triumph and part grim satisfaction.

�� It was either a leap of logic or intuition speaking, but in either case there was a good possibility that Weslee was correct. � After all, people who had been hurt often sought out a place to be alone and to lick their wounds. � Had she been here on a lover's tryst or with some group communing with nature then we would have grounds to dismiss Weslee's "theory". � But she had definitely been alone way out in the middle of nowhere and the fact that she had not made any allusions to be being an outsider did not refute Weslee. � Perhaps she thought that finding us and bringing us to her village or town or whatever would somehow increase her stock. � And in fact it might. � She could be seen as a hero for rescuing us or she could be seen as someone blessed by being the one to be contacted by our "special" selves. � Of course we had to hope that we could sell our story of being "shipwrecked" circus performers until we knew the lay of the land better. � So in effect Weslee's theory refocused the focus. � We just had to proceed with our eyes even more wide open, take nothing -- or anyone --for granted and deny until the right moment any charge that we WERE other than what we claimed to be. We didn't want to be considered special in a negative way. � I told Weslee my thoughts, stressing that he probably HAD thought of something that very well MIGHT be crucial.

�� His face fell for a moment until he realized that I was in fact validating his idea and was praising him for thinking of it. � Of course it wasn't like we would have changed our story, but this way we were even more focused and even more aware of the potential danger we might face relying solely on Kalana to vouch for our bona fides. � If we had to we would have to abandon any relationship with her at any sign that it would be prudent. � We didn't want to be tainted by any relationship with her if it was going to come down to that.

�� "In the meantime we have no choice, we need to follow Kalana -- at least until we see what the lay of the land is -- as a guide if NOT an ally." � Perki summed it up all over again, but this time with a look in her eyes that said she was proud of Weslee for contributing something crucial, even if we did have to temper it a bit. � We went on, with Weslee appointing himself as our guard of honor and taking the lead position. � I had to chuckle when I saw that the back of his T shirt read, "Help! � I've fallen from Grace and I can't get up!" � Unlike when I first wondered where he kept getting the T shirts I now knew that he'd been replicating them in Edgar. � But I still had to admire the whimsy involved. � ( BUT! When had he had the time to replicate this one? � Perhaps in all the confusion? � I doubted that since I'd had him in sight for most of the time! � Still Weslee IS a slippery character when he wants to be! � Or perhaps a more pertinent question would be -- HOW had he known that the message would be appropos? � I don't even want to go there! � The answer might be too scary!)

�� The trail, after a time, began to wend downward. �We had been on a very high hilltop and were obviously beginning to come down from it now, but at a gradual pace. At this point the trees began to thin out somewhat. � Off in the distance, through the thinning trees, we could see what was more than likely our destination.

�� Spread out in front of us in a large, shallow bowl like valley was a medium sized town. �There were two things about the town that I noticed. &nbnsp The first one was immediately apparent and the second one stopped me cold when I saw it. � The town looked like any town you would have seen somewhere in the 1800's. It had the usual dusty main street lined with stores who proudly boasted elaborate false fronts. � In front of the stores were board sidewalks and hitching posts. � At the center of town, in the town square was a big white, clapboard church with a bell tower and tall steeple adorned with a huge metal cross. � The church obviously dominated the town's affairs. � Going about their business were people on foot, horse back and in buggies. �. This traffic directed my eyes to the second thing. � There were only three roads coming into and going out of town. � But those roads went nowhere! � The roads just went so far and then abruptly stopped. � But that wasn't the weirdest part. � In fact there was two weird things about these dead end roads. � The first weird thing was that people were leaving town on those roads and just disappearing. � And when someone came into town they just appeared as if by magic, as if they had suddenly been created out of the thin air. � The second weird thing was that no one in town seemed to notice that people were appearing and disappearing. � It was as if from their perespective nothing unusual was happening at all!

�� I gave Perki and Weslee a significant look. � Since Kalana had stopped I wanted them to remain quiet until the coast was clear. � I had no doubt it would be. � She obviuosly going to go into town as she had said to prepare the way and we could talk then. � But I needn't have worried. � Weslee and Perki nodded silent understanding. � It was at that moment that Kalana spoke.

�� "Bide a while. � I must the way go to prepare. � Allay a concern or two I must. � Content you shall be here whilst I am absent betimes?"

�� Weslee was about to blow it I could tell. � He was about to act overly casual in his reply. � I could see it in his eyes. � I cut him off before he could get started. � I looked around the woods behind us as if I was afraid that something was stalking us. "Faith! � I know not! � You think it wise? � Perchance the prey we might become of some ravenin g beast! � Nightfall comes on ebony feet --"

�� Kalana cut me off with merry laughter. "Oh pooh! � You be as safe as a suckling babe in it's mother's arm carried. � I shall return anon!" And so saying she gave us a comradely wave and started off down the rest of the path towards the town. � We all waved back and as soon as she gotten a good distance away we faded back further into the cover of the trees.

�� Kalana's footfalls had hardly died down when Weslee blurted out, "Where did they get the horses? � I mean we haven't actually seen any wildlife, but this an alien world and --"

�� Perki interrupted with, "I think we've found the source of the illusion field -- or maybe it's the destination. � But in any case � -- "

�� I was too troubled to say anything for a moment, but then I found my voice, interrupting them both, "This is sorta like that old Twilight Zone story where --"

�� I was interupted in turn by Weslee, "Twilight Zone? � Doc! � What's the Twilight Zone and what has that got to do with this?"

�� In my shock at seeing what we'd seen, I had completely forgot that Weslee was from the Earth's future and as such he would have no familiarity with any of the TV shows that were so much a part of my place in history. � I looked at Perki. � As I suspected, since her kind had been on Earth for millennia and were still maintaining a presence there, Perki got my allusion immediately. � I turned to Weslee to explain. "That means that we know more now than we did, but it still raises even more questions. � We are still in the position of having to wait until Kalana comes back. � Only then will we have a chance to unravel this. � But you were even more right than I realized, Weslee. � We MUST NOT trust Kalana until we are absolutely, completely sure that it is one hundred percent sure that we can. It's possible that we might find that out when she returns with whoever she went to talk to. � But if she returns with someone antagonistic, then we sure won't get the time until after we see what we'll have to deal with. � In any case we probably won't have time to discuss this very much until after we see what happens next."

�� "You mean she'll bring a delegation of village elders back with her?" Weslee asked, giving me a look that said he thought it would be anathema to have to deal with even more humans who would possibly be afraid of him.

�� I couldn't blame him. � I remembered the first time I'd seen him, before I knew what a cream puff he could be. � And of course Kalana's reaction had certainly unnerved him. � But I simply said, with a big grin, "They're your public, Weslee! � Turn on your winning charm!"

�� "Thanks a lot, Doc!" Weslee grumbled.

�� Then we all just stood there and gave each other helpless looks. � Obviously we wanted to do something to prepare for the upcoming possible confrontation, but -- WHAT ?

�� Then the point became moot. � We could see Kalana coming back up the path towards the spot she'd left us in and like I'd figured she was not alone. � And as it turned out we didn't get a chance to do any brainstorming until much later.