Saturday, October 17, 1868. Afternoon.
Phillips Harbour
caliban leads his master along the west side of the river, looking and sniffing around as he tries to find the exact spot where he'd last found the trail of the hart and the strange beast that attacked him the previous evening. After some time, he picks up the trail again, and the two of them follow it north and west, through farmers' fields and the thin, brushy stands of woods that separate them.
The chimp's nose isn't made for tracking, and Herbert has little in the way of woodland skills, so it's slow going. Several times they lose the track, but after some backtracking they're able to pick it up again.
The trail leads them into the old woods northwest of town, where stately oaks and walnuts shade the forest floor and the ground cover is sparse. A stillness hangs in the cold October air, shrouding the woods in silence. Even the crunch of Herbert's boots against fallen leaves seems muffled.
At length, they come to a site of some disturbance. The fallen leaves here have been churned around, and splatters of drying blood are scattered across them. Dented pieces of steel and chain are strewn about, part of a mechanism that's been so badly smashed it's not readily apparent what it it was. After a moment, however, Herbert spots a jagged-toothed, blood-stained piece that makes it clear the metal used to be a steel leg trap.
The chimp scratches behind an ear as he considers the scene. He peers up at the branches and down at the ground thoughtfully.
From one of the trees, a squirrel watches the two, an acorn between its paws.
Shaft looks about, brushing leaves aside to see if can be determined whether or not the hart or the wolf was caught in the trap.
After a bit of thought and study, the ape kneels to the ground. He draws something that looks like a fanged mouth, then a small four-legged creature with a stick-like tail and a longish muzzle with one foot planted in the mouth. Then he draws a larger four-legged creature, much, much larger, next to the mouth.
The trap looks too small to have been designed with something as large as a deer or wolf (or at least, not as large as their wolf) in mind. Which doesn't preclude one from being caught by it anyway. But Shaft doesn't personally find anything about the trap to indicate to him what was in it.
Herbert watches Caliban once he notices the ape start to draw, and guesses, "Another animal was caught in the trap, and the big wolf set it free by breaking it?"
"Ook!" A nod.
"Was it another wolf that was caught?" Herbert asks. The figure drawn in the trap has a long tail, after all.
Caliban shakes his head. He lengthens the legs of the smaller four-legged creature some, to emphasize its different proportions.
"It was a deer?" Herbert asks.
Caliban shakes his head again, scratching behind an ear as he considers how to get it across. He points to the larger figure and makes a small 'Awoo!' noise. Then for the smaller figure, he manufactures a credible bark and yip.
Herbert ahs. "Not a wolf, but a fox.. or possibly Trouble?" he asks next.
Nod, then headshake.
A couple of squirrels chase each other around the base of a tree, their feet rustling fallen leaves.
"Just a fox then," Shaft says, and finally notices the squirrels. "The wildlife here seems fairly bold. Can you.. er.. talk.. to these squirrels?"
The ape eyes the squirrels suspiciously, then essays a small "Ook?"
Caliban scratches behind an ear. "Ook ook?"
The lead squirrel darts up the trunk of the tree, its pursuer hard on its heels. Neither of them is paying any attention to Caliban. The one with an acorn in its paws is still watching them, though, while it turns the acorn over.
Caliban shrugs up at his master. He points at the squirrels, then circles his temple with a finger.
Herbert looks over the mangled trap once more, and begins to get an inkling of St. John's motives. "She's an Opener because she thinks it will be the end of humanity, perhaps - she's angry about how we treat animals," he mutters.
Caliban looks up at the other squirrel, the one with the acorn. "Eek?"
The squirrel in front runs out onto a narrow limb, which bends treacherously as the pursuer follows. While it sways, the pursuing squirrel leaps for its target. It makes contact, and for a moment there's frantic scrabbling on the branch. Then one of the squirrels is shaken loose, plummeting to the forest floor. The remainder clings to the wildly swaying branch.
The lone squirrel fluffs its tail at Caliban's query, stuffing the acorn in its mouth as it darts to the other side of the tree. From its new position, it watches them again.
"What... do squirrels normally fight like that?" Shaft wonders, looking to see the defeated squirrel was injured by the fall from the branch.
The losing squirrel rolls to its feet and stares upwards at the other one. The one still in the tree turns about on the branch to look back at its companion.
Caliban ook eeks again at the squirrel higher up in the tree.
Herbert lets Caliban try to sort things out with the rodents, and tries to find the giant wolf's trail leading away from the clearing once more.
The lone squirrel is still watching Caliban, cheek puffed out by the nut. Its tail twitches nervously from side to side. Suddenly, it darts forward along the branch at a dead run. As it reaches the end, it jumps to another tree and continues forward, racing away from the chimp and man, heading north.
Caliban narrows his eyes, then jumps to pursue it, swinging up into the branches!
The second branch Caliban reaches for cracks under his weight, and the chimp has to scramble for footing for a moment. During that time, the squirrel he's pursuing jumps to the ground after its third transfer to a tree, lengthening its lead upon him.
Still game, the chimp tries to catch up. "Ook! Eoook!"
Meanwhile, Herbert can't find any signs of the big wolf. The ground here is pretty hard and leaves few tracks. While there are a couple of scuff that might be pawprints in the immediate vicinity of the trap, there's no way for the man to tell which way it left.
The squirrel's tail flashes again as it flees, and suddenly squirrels all over are running around in a mad panic.
With so many squirrels running now, and Caliban struggling to catch up, it's hard to keep the specific squirrel he's after in view.
Determinedly the chimpanzee continues swinging through the trees, trying to keep that one squirrel in sight.
The chimp keeps his eyes on his target, though, weaving his way between trees and after the squirrel. The smaller animal has a fast sprint, but Caliban expects it to tire fast. It races up a tree and chitters something out as it dives into a nook in the tree. From the far side of the tree, a squirrel emerges, racing off as well.
Hesitating a moment, Caliban decides to stop and address the tree. "Ook! Owook?"
Neither the tree, nor anything in the tree, answers him.
Caliban returns to his master, looking worried. "Ook," he says, pulling on Mr. Shaft's sleeve, then makes a come-along gesture as he sets back down the trail.
Pausing his own fruitless search, Herbert nods and follows Caliban.
Caliban points at the general scurrying wave of rodentia, then makes the talking gesture with one hand as they walk briskly. He makes the four-legged creature sign on his other hand.
"The squirrels mentioned seeing the wolf?" Herbert asks.
Caliban shakes his head. He points from himself to his master, then mimes a hug. Then he gestures to the squirrels, and again, the four-legged creature sign.
"Friends," Herbert guesses. "The squirrels are friends of the hart?"
A nod, then a headshake. Making the four-legged sign, Caliban howls briefly.
"Friends of the big wolf?" Herbert guesses again.
Nod!
Shaft frowns. "And we still don't know what the wolf's relationship with St. John is," he comments. "We may need to ask for help. Let's stop by the Stevenson place and see if Miss Pau is available."
As the two walk briskly to the southeast, back the way they came, the eerie silence descends upon the forest once again. Apart from Shaft's voice, there's almost no sound.
The ape looks spooked. He nods once to his master.
It's late afternoon as the two near the farm where Mrs. Stevenson and Miss Pau reside. While they're walking down the road, a snatch of birdsong greets them.
"Ook!" comes the response as the ape looks up for the source.
"Is that Lei?" Shaft asks, pausing to listen. After the eerie silence, it's refreshing to hear a bird.
The ape nods up to his master distractedly.
It does sound like a nightengale, now that Shaft's listening for it. The strange silence of the forest has been replaced by normal sounds of crickets chirping, buzzing insects, the distant rush of the river, and the sounds of the lumber mill.
The little bird hops into view, perched on a fence post, and sings again for them.
Caliban ooks up at the bird, looking distinctly cheered up.
Herbert heads for the bird. "Good afternoon, Lei. Is Miss Pau nearby, by any chance?" he asks the bird, and only afterwards wonders if it would understand English.
The bird chirps again, fluttering her wings.
The human turns to Caliban, to see if he understands the bird's reply.
The ape nods up at his master, then makes a 'come on!' gesture as he heads down the road for the house.
Herbert follows along, glad that Lei wasn't trying to warn them off.
Caliban's stomach rumbles a little, barely audible as they walk.
The bird bobs her little head in a nod to them, then takes wing, flying ahead to the house. By the time they arrive, Miss Pau is waiting for them at the farmhouse door. She wipes her hands on her apron, smiling. "Hello, hello, well are you?" She bends down to draw level with Caliban, looking at the bandages around his neck with concern. "Are you?"
The chimpanzee gives Miss Pau a smile, then winces a bit as it's obvious what she's looking at. He nods at her, looking stoic.
"As well as can be, under the circumstances," Herbert says, doffing his hat. "Caliban had an encounter with an unusually large wolf the other night while guarding some of our equipment."
She winces, putting a hand on Caliban's shoulder. "I am sorry to hear. Come, come in. Doctor has seen him?" She moves to one side of the door to let them pass, half-herding Caliban inside protectively.
The ape looks quite relieved to be indoors. He takes a seat on the floor and makes little chirping noises at the bird.
Herbert nods, "The town physician stitched up the worst of it. The wolf picked Caliban up by the neck and carried him some distance, taking care not to injure him too much." He adds some emphasis to the last part.
Miss Pau brings them into the kitchen, where she's been chopping fresh vegetables. Lei perches on the back of one chair, chirping out an answer to the chimp's inquiry.
Miss Pau winces again. "The doctor is a good man," she says, losing most of her exxaggerated accent now that they're inside alone. "He is very kind. This wolf ... not so good, it seems. Where did it come from?"
The Chinese woman picks up her chopping knife again, tilting her head as Caliban speaks. "This wolf has friends among the local animals? Which ones?"
"We aren't certain," Shaft admits. "It appeared down near the river mouth, subdued Caliban, and then destroyed my equipment. It then headed into the woods to the northwest.. ah, the squirrels seem to be on its side, at least. The Hart appeared to be following it as well."
The ape pantomimes being a small crouching creature, then fluffs his hand behind him as if to indicate a brushy tail. He picks up an imaginary nut in his hand and chatters his teeth, as if nibbling at it.
"Squirrels?" Miss Pau stares at Caliban. "Squirrels?"
Caliban straightens up from his playful act, nodding up at his boss and at Miss Pau.
"Ook," he says."
"And the hart." Miss Pau shakes her head. "The white stag?"
"Ook, ook."
"Yes, although we don't know if it is associated with the wolf or just observing it," Shaft adds. "I'm assuming the wolf is either a companion of St. John's, or the woman herself transformed."
"This makes no sense. Why would squirrels befriend a wolf? If the wolf is with Miss St. John, it would explain the hart ... and its reluctance to harm Caliban. But Miss St. John cannot have two Companions. Can she?" Pau chops at a pile of carrots, looking worried.
"Or ... transformed?" She turns to look at Shaft, seeming puzzled by that suggestion.
"It was certainly too large to be a natural wolf," Herbert notes. "Very large. Caliban is not lightweight, and this creature left prints the size of dinner plates. As for the squirrels.. I am beginning to suspect that St. John's reason for being an Opener is to remove humanity's dominance over the animal kingdom."
The ape gets up to help Miss Pau with the veggies. "Ook?" he says, washing his hands first.
Pau strains the water out of a pot full of chopped and boiled potatoes, her forehead wrinkled as she considers this notion. "That would make some sense, perhaps. She is known to hate mankind." At Caliban's ook, she clears the carrots from the board and onto a plate, then passes him the knife and cutting board. "Yes, thank you. Would you chop these onions for me?" She offers a couple of small white onions
"We lost the trail in a clearing in the woods where the wolf had freed a fox that was caught in a trap," Shaft adds. "The iron trap and chain were quite mangled."
The ape sets to work briskly.
Thinking of what else might be important, Herbert also notes that the wolf was a she-wolf.
"That would suit her, too. I worry for the trappers of this town." Miss Pau puts a big frying pan onto the stove, and splashes a little oil into the bottom. "But transforming into a wolf? Is it possible?"
"When I saw her, I thought she might be of native descent," Herbert says. "And the Indians do have stories of werewolves."
A shrug from the ape as he dices the onions small. "Ook, ook," he suggests, putting down the knife and making motions around his shoulders as if to suggest putting on a cloak, then pulling the hood over his head.
"Yes, Cal, sometimes the legends do involve putting on the skin of a wolf to facilitate the transformation," Herbert says.
"Did you?" She turns to Shaft, startled. "I thought her a European, from what I have heard. "St. John" is no Indian name. But I have not seen her myself." She nods to Caliban. "These are strange times. I imagine these is nothing we should place beyond the realm of possibility." She starts stirring some of the vegetables from the plate into the frying pan, where they sizzle on contact.
"What will you do now?" she asks, pushing the frying vegetables around in the pan.
Caliban offers up the onions to Miss Pau, having made deft work of them.
"Thank you, Caliban." She sets them to one side at first, letting the carrots cook a little while beofre adding them.
Caliban cleans the knife fastidiously and looks expectant for more work.
"The equipment that was destroyed was part of my process for calculating the location of the Event," Herbert admits. "I will have to depend on the accuracy of local maps now as a result, and the error-correction will certainly suffer for it."
"Would you get me the salt from the pantry, please, Caliban?" Pau asks, as she opens one of the spice jars beside her. She nods to Herbert, and hesitates for a moment before saying, "Do you know where all the Players live yet?"
The ape goes to look for the salt.
"No," Shaft admits, turning his hatbrim in his hands. "St. John especially, and there are others whose status is unresolved. I had hoped to narrow down the possibilities based on the most likely Event locations, but without an aerial survey that seems unlikely now, unless my.. uh.. local source was very knowledgeable about the buildings and history of the town."
"Local source?" Pau looks curious. "I do not know where Miss St. John lives myself. I was not even sure she had come until recently. She has kept a low profile so far ... but I fear your adventure last night indicates that is changing now."
"I hope you will take extra precautions when you go out to.. perform your own tasks," Shaft says. "The authorities have been alerted to the presence of a large animal in the area."
"You told the authorities?" For some reason, Miss Pau looks as worried by this news as she was by the previous descriptions of the giant wolf.
After a bit, the ape returns with a small box of salt. He offers this up to Miss Pau.
"I had little choice, as the wreckage of my equipment was in plain sight, as well as the footprints," Shaft says, with a sigh. "The doctor certainly noticed the nature of Caliban's wounds as well."
The woman thanks him as she accepts the box, and adds a little salt to her dish, along with the potatoes and onions. She sighs as Shaft speaks, tilting her head to one side. "I do not know what else you could have done, in such a case. But these are Game matters; no good will come from the involvement of those who do not Play. This is not going as it should."
"Ook, ook," the ape says looking serious.
"I know," Shaft says, running his hand through his hair. "I seem to be unable to maintain a low profile, even from the local ghosts."
Lei hops from her perch to a closer one, chirping. Miss Pau shakes her head. "No, Lei."
Pau smiles. "I thought when I came, 'among all these white people, I have no chance of blending in.' But you and your furry friend made me seem quite normal by comparison. You have ghosts now, Mr. Shaft?"
She directs a look to Caliban. "Do not think that she would hesitate to kill the sheriff, either," she says, seriously. "She cares nothing for the lives of men."
Caliban looks worried.
"Well, your friend Yotee seems to have one as a mistress," Herbert notes. "The ghost in question is of a young girl, who calls the canine 'Trouble'. She was quite upset with me when I temporarily captured her."
"You captured a Player? A ghost is Playing?" Miss Pau's almond eyes go round.
"Ook, eek ook," the ape says, waving his hands as if to indicate a misunderstanding was made.
"Well, I do not think she was a Player," Shaft says. "If Yotee is the companion of a Player, then the association with the ghost is.. incidental."
Whatever Caliban said, it made Pau smile. "He has a good heart, I think, but the girl has named him well when she calls him Trouble. Why were you catching this ghost, Mr. Shaft?" Pau adds the rest of the chopped vegetables to her stirfry, along with a few more pinches of spice and pepper, and a bit more salt.
"It was.. ah, part of my preparations," Shaft admits, then changes the subject by asking, "I've been under the impression that the white hart is opposed to St. John. Have I been mistaken?"
"Opposed? What gave you that idea? My understanding was that St. John's Companion is the white stag. Granted, by the nature of the Game it is difficult to be certain of these things. I could well be mistaken ... but I have had no cause to think them at odds," Pau says.
"Ook," the ape says, apparently musing as he watches the cooking.
The stirfry smells pretty good by now. Must be almost done. Pau tends to it as she listens to Caliban. "The bridge?"
Herbert rubs his chin at this news. "It appeared from the photo I had taken at the bridge that the stag was perhaps responsible for St. John's carriage going off the bridge. I shall have to reexamine that. If the hart is indeed her official companion though.. then the wolf must be St. John herself. And the hart has been spotted near the same area that the tracks led."
Caliban nods up at his master.
"I would be curious to see this picture, myself," Pau says. She lifts a bite from the dish she's cooking, blows on it, and tastes it. Then she checks on a pot at the back of the stove before removing the pot from the heat. "Would you please put this on the table, Caliban?" she asks, handing it to him.
The ape makes cheebling and ooking noises at Lei and Miss Pau, still looking pensive as he does as told.
Pau listens to Caliban carefully. "Ah, yes, I remember it now; of course. I wish I knew better what to make of all this. I am not surprised she has set herself against you, Mr. Shaft. St. John is known to abhor technology even more than she hates humans; you must be very careful of her, sir."
"I seem to be a magnet for such problems," Herbert says, glancing at Caliban's bandages again. "Still, if I distract her from moving on the other Closers, that is at least something positive. If the hart is not aligned with St. John though.. there may be another Player, or else the creature could be neutral, and have its own agenda regarding the woman."
Caliban looks doubtful.
"We need to try and contact it, if possible," Herbert says to Caliban.
A worried look. The ape points at himself and looks at his master, eyebrows raised as if to say, 'You mean me?'
Pau inhales with a sharp hiss. "You must be careful of that, too. Do not think the Stag harmless, even if he is likely more sane than the one we suppose to be his mistress."
"Well, not in your current state, Caliban," Herbert notes. "But we are not without allies, who may be able to approach the creature more safely."
Caliban ook eeks nervously.
Lei chirps nervously.
"No, he does not mean you, either, Lei."
The nightengale flutters her wings and exchanges a glance with Caliban.
"I was thinking more of Yotee's ghost friend, if she could be convinced," Herbert says. "If Yotee can interact with her, it seems likely that she can interact with others of her choosing."
Caliban ooks, in what sounds like a doubtful and protesting manner.
"You don't think Yotee could convince her?" Herbert asks, thinking back. "We've only seen her when she's angry, but she may not be quite so stubborn normally."
"I gather introducing yourselves to her by capturing the ghost did not endear her to you?" Pau says, smiling at Caliban. "But it is true that a ghost would be a good liason. She would have little to fear from the stag, and since she is not Playing he would be less likely to worry about her."
Caliban continues to look doubtful, putting out the table settings. "Ook, ook ook."
"She also has an impressive amount of power," Herbert notes. "I've warned her about the Event, in as much as I told her to avoid it."
Pau takes the frying pan from the stove and carries it to the table. "I fear dinner is ready. We should call Mrs. Stephenson and the hands in to dine soon. Did you wish to stay for dinner, sir, Caliban? And is there ought else we should discuss while we are still in private?"
Caliban's stomach grumbles a little. The ape smiles brightly up at Miss Pau.
The black-haired woman smiles back at Caliban. "You are a good friend," she says to him. "Mr. Shaft is fortunate to have your company."
Herbert glances at Caliban, and says, "Well, if Mrs. Stevenson would not mind. I do not wish to impose unannounced upon her hospitality, but it has been a long and trying day for us."
"I am sure she will not. She will probably be more offended that you were in here talking to me unchaperoned. Perhaps we should pretend you just arrived," Pau says, smiling.
The ape looks a little chagrined and then grins.
"Unchaperoned? But Caliban is here.. oh, yes," Shaft says, forgetting once more how others see Caliban. "Perhaps having just arrived would be best."
Miss Pau covers her mouth with one hand, trying not to laugh.
Lei hops up and down on the table, chirping.
Dinner includes Mrs. Stephenson and a handful of men that have been out helping her with the harvest -- all of them, the red-haired woman included, rather dirty and sweaty from a hard day's work. They wash up for the meal, which is stir-fried vegetables and white rice. Some of the hands look dubious about what they're eating, but Mrs. Stephenson appears to quite enjoy the change of pace and compliments Miss Pau several times on the cooking.
After the meal, Pau sees them off, with another admonition to be careful. "I shall send Lei by in the evening to check upon you, if you do not mind," she tells Mr. Shaft in an undertone. "If there is anything I may help you with, you may relay it through her."
It's well after dusk by the time Caliban and his master make it back to the houseboat. Everything looks secure at both the Babbage and the boathouse; no marauding wolves through here, at least.
In the boathouse, Herbert reconnects the Spirit Lamp and Trap to the Analytical Engine, but uses the partially drained battery with the fox-necroplasm to power the Lamp, instead of connecting it to the Engine's main battery. "Cal, are you up to doing a little test run?" Shaft asks. "I need to find out if using animal based necroplasm will only attract animal spirits."
The ape looks dubious. He pantomimes sleeping, two hands flat up against one cheek, and then points at the wound on the back of his neck.
Caliban visibly looks droopy to his master.
"I see," Herbert says, smiling. "You need to recover a bit more, and a few extra pillows tonight might help that along."
Caliban looks apologetic at his master. He points at the clock, then spins his finger around to 7 o' clock, then points toward the apparatus.
"Try it in the morning?" Herbert asks.
"Ook," the ape says, nodding.
Shaft awakes early the next morning, but Caliban -- unusual for him -- sleeps in. When Herbert goes to wake the chimp at seven o'clock, he finds his companion groggy and bleary-eyed.
Herbert checks the dressings on Caliban's neck to see if his wounds are healing or showing signs of infection.
There's a spot on one side that doesn't seem to be healing well: the skin is inflamed, swollen and hot to the touch.
Caliban looks pained as he wakes. He points at a spot on his neck.
"I think we'd better go visit the doctor again," Shaft says, and helps his companion up. "Do you want me to carry you?"
The ape shakes his head. He points to his wound, then straightens up and looks unctuous, and signs the cross.
"I could try and fetch him here instead," Shaft suggests, unsure if Caliban should try to walk the distance.
Caliban ooks, shaking his head as he sits up. He clasps his hands in prayer, then points at his neck.
"You want to see the priest instead?" Shaft asks, sounding a bit alarmed.
"Ook," says the ape, nodding once. He stands up straighter, trying to make his impression clearer, as he gets out an imaginary book and reads from it, then reaches up to his shoulder and pets something that, imaginarily, would be sitting upon it. Pointing at this thing, he makes a tiny 'squeak' noise.
"Father Hale, then," Herbert says, then furrows his brow. "You suspect this is the result of a curse?" he asks, a bit more somberly.
A nod. The ape gestures, making a four-legged creature, then points at his neck.
"Alright, shall I try to bring him here then?" Shaft asks with concern.
The ape stands, though he looks rather tired. He lays a hand to his forehead, then after a bit of thought.
Herbert feels Caliban's forehead to see if he's feverish.
Caliban points to the north, and mines talking with one hand. and then stands to the side of where he was, and cups a hand to his ear, and pretends to look scandalized.
The chimp does feel warm to the touch.
Caliban gestures around the boathouse next, then looks visibly relaxed.
"Someone overheard us in the woods?" Herbert asks.
Caliban shakes his head. He points at his master, then turns about and pretends to be Hale, and then mimes talking.
Caliban points to the north, then shakes his head. He points to the boathouse, then nods.
"You want me to bring him here, so nobody can eavesdrop," Herbert reasons.
"Ook!" The ape nods at his master.
Herbert smacks his own forehead. "Oh, of course, I need to attend the service today! I should run into Hale there. I should probably try to bring him to the Babbage to look at you though," he says, glancing around the boathouse at the various equipment. "He.. may not approve of some of the things we have here."