SHELTER

     The General's Jeep roared onto the  farm's area, where Sawanni's men and my small family were hiding out. It drove in crazy zig-zags and finally ran into a bush and stood with one wheel resting on top of it. The General and his son sprung out of it and ran toward a large tree, screaming: "Roaches, run!!!"
    The soldiers who sat peacefully at a table in the yard or went about their errands, peered at the Jeep and the two men on a tree. The entire car was covered in seething mass of insects! They roiled on and around the vehicle, then, as if pulled by an invisible thread, began to move towards the tree with it's occupants. Some of them got excited by the raised in alarm voices and running men and went after another prey. 
     Amur, Dular and the rest of us, alerted by the yells and all the hubbub, ran out of the house. We saw the General and Aishi in the tree and a swarm of brown roaches moving at them. Amur was the first to reach the tree. He stepped into a path of the invading insects and was immediately covered by them from head to foot!
     And then the roaches lost a will to attack! It looked like some central thought which was guiding them stopped its urging, and they just melted away! Amur still wriggled madly on the ground. The General and Aishi climbed down and stood panting by his small figure. The General pulled my son to his feet, then watched him scamper away to the outside showers, spitting and making disgusted noises.
     "Those roaches were sent after me!" - Yokoyama hissed. "I don't understand, how did your son stop them? I thought, we were all lost, for sure!"
     He grabbed Dular by the shoulders and stared into his face. "I heard how you stopped the bear from killing us. Are you some kind of a mutant or a god?"
     A little put out by this aggressive inquiry, Dular freed himself and fled to see if his brother was alright. Yokoyama turned to myself and Sawanni:
     "I will need an explanation for these occurrences, as well as why you and your men are not where you are supposed to be! 
                                     I will hear it NOW!"


To Be Continued

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