Chapter 7b
They went on and on about tribal politics, who was going to be there, and who I should pay attention to. I didn't listen. Instead I ran through the street layout of Page, where I thought were the strong points, and how I would assault them. Of course I didn't have any assault troops and I wasn't up to shoot and scoot but it was better then listening to them. To bad I hadn't seen enough of the town to know it as well as I might need to.
"You're not listening Gardener" Kat told me. I ignored the undertone of scold. Funny how I never heard that until after I slept with them.
I told the both of them, "I was leading troops when you were dreaming about what it be like to get laid. I have sized up more minor functionaries, and shot them when needed, then there probably is people in your Chapter. I don't do politics nor do I tolerate them being run on me. I'll listen as long as they keep it short otherwise I am going to sleep. Hopefully after eating something that has sugar in it. That shut them up.
We pulled into the parking lot of the Navajo Mountain Chapter house. It wasn't very big and it looked like three pointy roof small wood houses that had been made into one big house. I figured they must have gotten a deal on small pointy roof module houses once upon a time.
The lot was the usual interesting mix of vehicles. Horses and horse drawn carts. Bicycles that were all tucked up next to the buildings walls so they wouldn't get run over. A couple of motorcycles and two ancient SUV's that probably ran on bio fuel. I had noticed that battery cars weren't big out here except as carriages for the horses to pull. Mercedes Benz Smart cars were the preferred model in most places but I doubt if many were ever used out here before. This was truck land once and their skeletons or what was left after being stripped were everywhere. The bicycles were tucked up against the wall so they wouldn't get run over.
2 thoughts -
ReplyDeleteTribal warfare is usually most concerned with "honor." There isn't an attempt to wipe out the neighboring tribe because the cost of that attempt would be too high. Instead, you roll in, kill a few adversaries, and deem that you have taken adequate revenge. No sense in risking the survival of the whole tribe because a couple of warriors got killed in a bar fight.
Thought the second. What is the deal with Gardener's leg? It's either dying from necrosis or it's not. If it's suffering from tissue death than it smells, it's turning black and it's likely to be unusable.
Nerve damage, in the form of numbness, usually happens when certain nerves are severed and applies only to superficial (touch) sensation of the skin. Meaning that after a penetrating wound, a few areas of your skin don't 'feel' normal. The spinal nerves serve areas known as 'dermatomes.' (I punctured a nerve above my elbow one time and it took 8 months before I could feel light touches to portions of my skin below the elbow.) So wtf is going on with his leg? If he's losing it, then his toes are going to be dying a smelly vomit-inducing death. Followed rapidly by blood poisening- full blown sepsis.
Arthritis is one thing. Bust up a limb multiple times and it hurts like hell. But I've never heard of arthritis resulting in a candidate for amputation. Just plain old misery.
Other than that, great story! Gardener's a lovable killer, if there is such a thing.
Anon,
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yeah, I don't know enough about about possible medical conditions to describe his leg.
A reader told me awhile back when the dog bit his leg that no way he could have not have had nerve damage. I looked it up and he was right so I added it to the story.
Right now I am using it as a plot device.Yeah, it's a hole in the story that I am going to need to fix with something more plausible. Any suggestions?
Tribal warfare isn't about killing everyone I agree. Maybe assimilating them, but counting coup, at least among some plains tribes, by just touching them was considered a greater feat then killing your opponent.
The Navajo were not know as warriors but they did raid others. Probably because they were never under any threat from an expansionist tribe other then white settlers.
Maybe his leg problem is more psychological than physical?
ReplyDeleteHmmm... I've always loved physiology, but I had to drop out of college in my junior year.
ReplyDeleteBased on my limited knowledge, I assumed G had Avascular Necrosis. If you like, check out this link and see if you think it fits...
http://www.healthcentral.com/encyclopedia/408/43.html?ic=506048
Hope this helps! LOVING the story, as usual.
K
Although, this may fit better:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nervedamagesymptoms.net/trapped_nerve_in_leg/trapped_nerve_in_leg.html
K
i really like where the unknown is going but whata happening with gardner fall and series continuity? thanks for the storiess i have hard coppies of all of them
ReplyDeleteThanks for the medical links.
ReplyDeleteContinuity? This is Gardener 20 plus years later.
I have a cold and I am going to go to bed instead of writing today
ReplyDeleteInstead of psychological, maybe his leg isn't healing properly because he is cursed...
ReplyDeleteA broken bone that was not set wooferly and so healed badly might do it, and Iam have known many bones, all wonderful, some better than others.
ReplyDeleteAnon,
ReplyDeleteA good bone is never hard to meat...