“I want to stay here with Libby too. Sheriff Ulate is bringing the weather samples I requested yesterday, and it will be easier for me to work them in a contained area. My plan is to get to the stream later this afternoon while the comparison is fresh. Is there anyone willing to stay and drive us?”
“I’ll stay, Diego. I want to look at some of the forestry samples I gathered. Sully will either you or Sepulveda join us?” Sully and Sepulveda agree that Sully will accompany the group to the woods and Sepulveda will stay. In exchange for staying in a warm room for a few hours, she must write up the reports and log all the budget expenses thus far. Plus, it’s her and Maddie’s turn to do the dishes. At her less than thrilled expression, Diego thinks she would rather have gone to the forest. As everyone gathers the dishes, pots, and chairs, Wendy collects warming charms and passes them out. Sheriff Ulate arrives during their cleaning up and Diego grabs the samples from her. Wendy’s group loads into the SUV, then Vito follows Sheriff Ulate out of the parking lot.
Diego and Libby head to their respective rooms while Maddie and Sepulveda wash the dishes. Diego looks through the digital pictures sent last night, the sky and treeline isn’t much different from what he experienced this morning. First up from the samples, he studies the bags of air. He knows the situation is serious, but he barely represses a chuckle thinking of some poor police officer running around collecting air in baggies. He doesn’t expect they train at the academy for that. Diego doesn’t hear any wispy voices of air, but he smells a faint scent of rot. The next bag of air collected closer to the water has a greater stench as do the remaining two bags. He takes a moment to clear out his nasal passageway. His headache has lessened, and Diego doesn’t want it roaring back triggered by this horrible smell.
Next, Diego pulls the ice from the portable freezer to analyze the samples collected. Water sleeps when frozen, but he manages to wake it up enough to tell him it was frozen from the bottom upwards, then it goes back to sleep. That’s interesting, normally, water at the surface begins to freeze, sinks, then rises as ice. Or, an ice sheath will form at the surface, but the water beneath remains in its liquid form. Diego isn’t sure if water freezing from the bottom is additional protective measures from the weather, or if something else froze the water.
Maddie wanted to look at the dirt samples collected along the stream yesterday along with her leaves and twigs. Just as well, dirt doesn’t interact with the weather as much as air and water and it’s unusual for him to get much information from it, unless it’s dirt from an earthquake or mudslide. Plants and trees grow in the soil and Maddie may have better luck understanding the ground samples. Of course, nothing can compare with a terra PsySapient, but they don’t have one on this excursion and must make do. This leaves Diego with just the water samples left. He unseals the first tube noting the water was collected abutting the ice. Stirring his pinky through the water, Diego closes his eyes to hear the tinkling voice water speaks with.
We sleep as ice many nights then we liquid then we talk to you.
The man found in the water at the center of the ice? Diego asks the water.
We feel a body in water many nights before we freeze. Man no drown in us.
Diego reads through the remaining labels of water and finds the water collected closest to where the body was discovered. He repeats his ritual and as he hopes, this water was awake for longer than the water next to the ice.
What caused you to become liquid again, do you remember?
Ga-hon-ga say time to wake up. Say help coming. Diego has several questions in response to the water’s reply.
Help for what?
Help with Evil Spirit.
Do you know what the Evil Spirit is?
Ask Ga-hon-ga. Tell you.
Who is Ga-hon-ga?
Jo-gä-oh. Diego will obviously have to move on as he isn’t getting anywhere.
Did Ga-hon-ga wake you up?
Yes. Make us water again.
Did Ga-hon-ga first turn you into ice?
Evil Spirit did. Ga-hon-ga said stay ice.
Do you know why the Evil Spirit turned you into ice? Or why Ga-hon-ga told you to remain ice?
Ask Ga-hon-ga. Diego gets the hint, he needs to speak to Ga-hon-ga, whoever it or they are.
Thank you for helping me. Do you want to join the water in the stream now or do you want to wait as ice? I’ll take the ice to the stream once the Evil Spirit is gone.
Sleep now. Diego pours the water back into the test tubes, making sure there is enough space for the water to expand when it freezes. Luckily, there is plenty of space left in the portable electric freezer. He’ll turn the freezer back in to sheriff once they’re finished. Now to see if Maddie and Libby are ready to head to the Tindeehanna Stream.
CHAPTER FIVE– Wendy
Once again, Wendy finds herself in the middle back seat, this time between Tewow on the passenger side and Tiko behind Vito. Tewow is slumped back in the seat with his eyes closed and Wendy can hear quiet conversation between Vito and Sully in the front. They have a ten-minute drive to the forest and Libby isn’t with them, so Wendy decides to put the time to good use.
“So Tiko, have you gotten the impression in the past few weeks that Gray is up