The people surrounding Kalana saw us and came to a stop, looking like they had not actually believed her story, like they had not actually expected to see anyone here especially someone like Perki! (They all seemed more focused on her than Weslee and me -- as why wouldn't they be, given the cultural bias?) In fact they looked from Kalana to us and back again to her with astonished triple takes. It would have been amusing had it not been so potentially precarious.

   Finally the group, with Kalana now leading the way and wearing a vindicated look, approached us and came to a stop. At that point one of the men stepped forward, taking the limelight back away from Kalana.

   I stood and studied them all as I waited for the man who'd stepped forward to speak. I was going to force him to make the first move so I could take my cue from him. The woman looked like she could be Kalana's mother. She had a similar facial structure. However, unlike Kalana, she was dressed all in black in a simple frock that lacked the adornments of Kalana's frock. The other man was wearing an electric blue crushed velvet coat and knickers to match. On his head was a Sir Walter Raleigh type hat which had one brim turned up and which was adorned with a large orange feather. His face was made up with powder and rouge. At his throat was a froth of lace. On his feet were square toed, high heeled blue patent leather shoes each of which were sporting a big, square shiny gold buckle. At his side he carried a small sword. The way he was dressed I couldn't decide if he was Kalana's father or an older brother -- he too resembled her. (But I thought it odd that he would be dresssed in such a dandified fashion in a culture that was obviously purtitanical. Perhaps he would be a weak link that we could exploit? In other words was he an outcast too, like Kalana or maybe just a casual rebel?) The third man, the closest to me, was older and had iron gray hair, with a thinning patch in the back.   He had an ample stomach, testament to being well fed.   He was dressed in a red robe trimmed in black. Around his neck was a big gold chain with thick links, dangling from that chain was a gold celtic cross -- the kind with a circle joining the arms and upright column. He was obviously a priest. I hoped he had not come to condemn us, but rather had come as the official representative of their town to offer us aid. Well, we'd soon see.

   The priest finally tore his eyes away from Perki long enough to more closely notice Weslee and me. He looked at Weslee like he was wondering if Weslee was going to bite him, saw that Weslee was grinning at him a very friendly fashion, then turned to me and spoke. "In truth you do exist! Be it truth or lie then that Kalana did to us report? Are you in truth circus folk, seperated from your brethren and stranded here anon by nature's perfidy to languish had not Kalana led you forth to our fair environs?"

   This was going well -- so far! They seemed to accept the possibility that we could be who I'd said we were. Now if we could keep from doing anything to arouse any suspicion -- and Weslee AND Kalana would both keep their mouths shut, we might very well be OK. I gave the priest my most ingratiating smile. "Unhappily, the truth it be! Think you it fit, in your christian hearths, aid and succor to apply to wayward ones such as we until betimes, mayhap, we discovered be and from our dire staits do be relieved?"

   "One position and one only do we beseech. Think you yon fair maiden will satisfy?" The priest replied. And by way of demonstration he reached back and took from the woman something she'd been holding unobtrusively behind her back. He held it forth. It was a black robe. Perki shrugged and accepting the robe, put it on. I knew she wouldn't have any problem with it. She did not absolutely insist on going naked if it was going to be a problem. That seemed to settle the mind of the priest and the woman although the dandy looked a bit disappointed. (I wondered, though, what was going to happen if they asked us to perform a bit of our show and Perki took of her clothes then. Was that somehow going to be OK at that point? Would women and children be exluded? Or would it be a case of us NOT being asked to perform a show -- would we instead be hauled before some religious tribunal and "requested" to justify her "condition"? Well, I told myself, we'll see what we see! In any case I knew we had gotten out of tighter scrapes than something like that and would probably get out of that one too if it materialized. It sure made life interesting, anyway!)

   That settled I performed introductions of our party and looked inquiringly at Kalana, not wanting to shut her out completely by ignoring her as if the priest was the only one who mattered now. Kalana obliged. She identified the woman as her mother, Tibbi Peachtree, the dandy as Roliti Peachtree, her oldest brother (her father was dead) and the priest as Father Logis. They each nodded at us in turn then Kalana motioned that we should follow them back into town. We did.

   When we got near the town proper there was a crowd wanting to meet us. But Father Logis shooed them away telling them that there was time for that later, that surely we would want to rest and be refreshed. We agreed. It had been a long day and we were hungry. Later we could explore the town and satisfy the people's curiosity -- and ours! Then Kalana made it plain that we were to stay at her house -- for the time being anyway. Since the Peachtree residence, Kalana showed us by pointing it out, was west of the downtown area and a about a quarter of a mile behind it, we turned towards that direction. Our group now consisted of Weslee, Perki, me, Roliti, Kalana and Tibbi. Father Logis had explained that he might want talk to us at greater length later and left us. We didn't insist on it being otherwise -- we were in no hurry to find out if he had anything up his sleeve! (Although, of course, I did wonder about his easy dismissal of us. Had he TRULY believed our story, thinking us harmless -- or was he biding his time, trying to lull us into a false sense of security, preparatory to springing some kind of trap?)

   On the way to the Peachtree residence Kalana and Roliti flanked us, while Tibbi hurried ahead, obviously wanting to prepare things. It also became obvious that Kalana and Roliti were going to vie for our attention -- and why. Roliti broke the silence first and when he spoke he unwittingly told me all we needed to know about him and Kalana. (I had begun to suspect what his words confirmed when I saw that he WAS the only man in town who was dressed in such a dandified fashion and the only one carrying a sword. But it went just a bit beyond that! Read sarcasm here!)

   "As you mayhap have gathered anon, Kalana and I orphans be. That is to say our Father beyond the veil has passed. He was a goodly man in all, yet the evil spirits saw fit him to take before his days were numbered out. Our mother, God cleave her to his bosom, be a woman of virtue good, nonetheless we are bereft all. Think you this be fair of God that he saw it seemly the demons to allow?" He didn't seem to be real sincere in his words when he spoke of God cleaving his mother to His bosom. In fact there was a definite sarcastic tone to his voice during the whole announcement.

   While I was still trying to take in this announcement that seemed to come from nowhere and wondering why he saw it fit to tell me, a perfect stranger, about it, Kalana jumped all over him. "Faith! It were not so! Father was a man sound in all his goodly ways! A fair God would not take him so -- nor allow it thus! Demons they were, but not the demons we know! Whence they came, I know not, but not from God they came! Mayhap there be heavenly realms we be not apprised of?" And she turned to me with a significant look in her eye.

   I pretended not to have a clue what she was referring to. When Kalana saw that I appeared to be confounded by her statement she quickly backtracked a bit, "Roliti Peachtree! Why must you our misfortune bandy about? Can not you leave such matters lie? Faith! These goodly people care not -- it not their matter be!"

   I was in a quandry. I didn't want to get sucked into this arguement until I knew more of what was going on, but at the same time I did want to know without appearing too overly curious. Luckily, Roliti solved that for me by coming right back at Kalana in what was obviously a long standing arguement.

   Maiden! Quiet yourself! These realms you speak of exist not! Father is gone, taken unfairly, and there the matter lies!" But I could see that the matter did not lie there with Roliti. He was obviously of the opinion that God did not IN FACT exist, despite all his talk of demons to the contrary (else why was his father taken away in death so unfairly?)and that explained why he was so defiant of the customs and mores! After all, what could it matter? (This was DEFINITELY something we were going to have to look into. It certainly seemed like it could very well have something to do with what was going on here!)

   The arguement died down then because we had arrived at the Peachtree house and Tibbi was standing in the doorway waving at us to hurry. We hustled along and soon were seated at a big meal of homemade delicacies.

   After the meal, while we all sat and relaxed, relishing full bellies (Perki, Weslee and I don't have to eat very often due to our gene teched digestive systems which extract every little bit of energy from food, leaving no waste, but it is still a joy to get to enjoy a well cooked home meal -- Edgar's replicated food leaves something to be desired) I tactfully brought up the subject of the death of the Master if the house. I figured it would kill two birds with one stone. It would keep the Peachtree's mind away from inquiring too deeply about us and my broaching the subject would give them a chance to air old grievances if they wanted too -- and I was sure that Roliti would if no one else did. I was not disappointed by him.

   (At this point in the narrative -- at least for what follows -- I am going to forsake the Shakespearean english. I am not doing this to condescend to anyone. Rather I am going to do it for a couple of good reasons. I want to expedite matters some and I don't want anyone missing the full import of a what Roliti told me. Therefore I will report his story in my own words.) Roliti's father was somewhat of a holy man. That is he could effect cures that were miraculous in nature, cures that the rudimentary medicine of this world could not match. He did this by laying on of hands. Also he had "visions" that could predict the future, not on a world wide basis, but rather on a personal basis. That is, he could predict the future if someone asked him, say, if they would get married or have a child or if someone would live or die -- that sort of thing. And he was also renowned throughout the town for his deep wisdom, compassion and understanding what was in a person's heart. According to Roliti, his father's fame had spread to the other nearby towns. (I took that with a grain of salt, since I knew for a fact that there were no other towns. The fact that the roads went nowhere proved that. But I didn't take issue with Roliti about that. I certainly didn't want to go there this early in the adventure.) This went on for many years, according to Roliti, all through his childhood and on into the years after Kalana was born and continued through most of her childhood. During this time there was no church nor any priest. That only came after the incident that ended his father's life. In fact his father was a patron saint of the church these days. And that was because of the way he'd died. In fact his death had been one of the motivating factors in the decision to build the church.

   Roliti said he would remember the day his father died, in every little detail, and that those details would remain fresh in his mind until the day he died as if they had happened only five minutes before. He and Kalana had been the only direct witnesses. But there were enough clues left behind that no one doubted their word -- that plus the well known facts about their father's goodness. Of course it was only afterwards that Roliti had begun to rebel and that Kalana had become somewhat of an outcast because of their differing interpretations of the event, but at the time it happened they were so both overwhelemed that all they could do was report what they'd seen. In very glowing terms.

   In short, their father had been on his way to cure a child in the next village over, Kalana and Roliti had accompanied him and they had all been surprised by the sight of a fiery chariot descending out of the heavens. The fiery chariot had swooped down, taken their father and left them standing there in the road with gaping open mouths. They'd immediately ran home, telling their story to anyone and everyone in town. The whole town was electrified by the fact that God had seen fit to bless their town by taking one of it's sons to His bosom without that same said son having to pass through the veil of death. And they'd immediately begun plans to build a tabernacle to God and in honor of Lijta Peachtree. And it had all gone down hill from there -- or uphill, a acording to your view of things! For one thing the religion and it's dogmatized creed had sprung up virtually overnight. Most in the town saw that as a good thing. But not Kalana and Roliti. However, what could they do except rebel (in Roliti's case) and try to plead with the villagers (in Kalana's case) to listen to the truth? The whole thing was too well established by now and had a momentum of it's own that would not be denied! All this in five years!

   When Roliti finished his narrative I sat there and wondered what I could say that wouldn't tip my hand. I could think of nothing. I decided that all I could do was ask for some clarifying details from both of them -- as if I was only idly curious or wanted to sympathize, if for no other reason than thanks for their hospitality. I hated to have to take that position, but I knew I had to until I had a chance to confer with Perki and Weslee in private. At least with a few more details from them each we should be able to get a little more clearer picture of what was going on, possibly garner a few more clues that we could pick at during our upcoming brainstorm session.

   I decided to start with Kalana since -- if nothing else -- we had more of a history than I had with Roliti. And besides Kalana seemed the cooler head. If I started with Roliti I might not ever get to Kalana.

   With that in mind I turned first to Kalana. "What say you the truth be?"

   Tibbi pretended to be overly intent upon clearing the table -- as if she'd heard this story a thousand times already and didn't want to get involved anymore -- and Roliti rolled his eyes. But despite the disapproval, both tacit and mute and all the tension in the room, Kalana replied, "In truth it were not a fiery chariot. Nay, methinks, rather that it was a craft sky born and inhabited thus by beings such as we be! It had, in appearance, the look of nothing heavenly. Can this not be? For surely there be realms in the sky that go beyond this pale world?"

   "This is passing strange indeed, that you should perceive so! Mayhaps it was a mirage in all? Or mayhaps you did swoon upon the sight and dreamed so?" I replied as if I was simply an ignorant denizen of this planet. I had not wanted to lie to her outright and regret it later so I chose to just keep playing the part. And that way I was not lying to her directly -- it was just a lie of omission which I could explain away later as being in her own good -- if it came to that.

   Roliti weighed in without my even having to prompt him. Surprising us all with his sudden gentle manner, Roliti said, "Faith! Sorjourner, methinks you have said it well! For surely father did die -- else why has he returned not? Yet his death must needs be more than passing strange." He slapped himself on the forehead then. We all looked at him in surprise. "Why had I not thought on this anon? Kalana, the answer lies plain before us! This clear air tornado that brought these gentle folk to us must be one and the same perfidy that took father away. Oh cruel nature to be thus! -- saving one and damning another as if it were nothing more than a luckless lottery! And we in our overweening sorrow did mistake it!

   I thought this was case of Roliti wanting to make the facts fit the theory and I didn't want to disabuse of him of the idea. And if he didn't actually believe it he was giving a good performance. Kalana looked like she wanted to refute him, but didn't quite see how. It was written plain on her face that she didn't want to call us liars outright and risk alienating us so she kept quiet for the time being. But I could also see by the set look on her face that we hadn't heard the last of it.