By Ubrood
Disclaimer: If you are easily offended by blatant sexual stories, are under 18, don’t read this. If it is illegal in your state to possess this literature, then don’t possess.
(Author’s note: the program seems not to recognize contraction marks when I import the story, so I have expanded the contractions until I can discover how to do this.)
Day 1
You know the stories about traveling back in time where the guy somehow has everything he needs? I had always fantasized that if that ever happened to me I would be prepared. Instead, I am here, wherever here is, with a .22 pistol and a small box of ammo, a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with 3 rounds of birdshot lost in the woods around some of the biggest trees I have ever seen. I have also got some dried fruit and two candy bars, along with a compass, signaling mirror, signal flare, 50 feet of parachute cord, a book of matches and a space blanket in a daypack, plus whatever I have in my pockets.
My name is Alex and I fell through while I was bird hunting and ended up here. We had decided to have a family reunion during the quail season up at Lake Tahoe so everyone could do his or her own thing. Some went to Tahoe and others went fishing. Several others and I decided to go bird hunting on the ranch where we were staying. I was walking in line with my family and friends when suddenly I stumbled on something. I felt that I was falling but I remember my feet never moved. I looked down to see what I tripped on and saw evergreen needles instead of the thigh-high grass that I expected to see. When I looked up I was here. I have had the obligatory survival training for being lost in the woods, but somehow I don’t think that staying in place and waiting for help is the correct response in this case. Towns are most likely to be on a river so I will follow the streams to the west.
I am your average young Californian nerd: 23 years old, 5’ 10”, weighing around 180 lbs, unattached and mostly unemployed. I have a B.S. in Electronic Commerce, a 5-year-old car and about $15,000 in student loans. I grew up in farm country so I am not in terrible physical condition.
This place looks like what I had always heard that northern California was like before logging started on the redwoods; fairly open forest with trees so tall that you couldn’t see the tops, along with the occasional clearing full of snowberries and brush. I’ve been walking for the last 4 hours and have seen no signs that anyone has ever been here. No trash, clear-cuts, roads or power lines. The air is clear and there’s no trace of the omnipresent smog that I am familiar with. The only thing I’ve heard has been myself moving through the forest.
After I had my bout of panic and got over the shock of suddenly being here, I tried to find some of the people I had been with. Nada, zilch, nothing. I checked my cell phone and no signal. This close to Lake Tahoe I should have 5 bars. Now the only question is where or when I am.
It will be dark before long so I’m going to try to find a deadfall and burrow in for the night. Hopefully this is a dream and I will wake up in bed at home.
Day 2
God! I am still here, so I guess I have to accept that this is real. Besides, I cannot believe that a dream could leave me feeling so stiff and sore as well as hungry.
After taking care of my business, I realized that I only had a few sheets of toilet paper left. What would I do after I used the last sheet? Suddenly it hit me that I was lost in ways that I would never have imagined. Would I find anyone before I ran out of something essential?
I guess I had better eat something before long. I don’t know if I should try and shoot some of the game I’ve seen around here or not. I’ve never seen so much game in my life! I’ve even seen elk, antelope and big horn sheep (were they in California before the Gold Rush?). I’m going to try and shoot one of the birds I see because I don’t think a .22 would take down any of the animals that I’ve seen.
I got two and started a fire to roast them. I had a hard time starting the fire since I don’t have any paper to start it with. I finally started some twigs and got them burning but only after using 5 matches. I remembered afterwards that the survival-training instructor said that I could find dry rotted wood in old logs to start fires easily. I have to find some before I try another fire. After I’m out of matches I don’t know what I will do. A fire bow maybe?
I guess the pundits were right. Hunger does make the best sauce. The birds were delicious, even if a bit underdone in the middle. Time to continue west. Eventually I will either find a road or reach the sea.
Day 3
I found a river today! I was surprised how open the ground around the river is until I saw the signs of a forest fire. The only river I remember in the area is the American River. It looks a lot bigger and deeper than I remember. I wonder if there are fish in it?
I managed to bend one of the key rings into a large hook and baited it with a piece of cloth and a few grubs that I found. I managed to pull some of the strings out of the parachute cord and tied them to a long stick I cut with my pocketknife. I hope this works!
I managed to catch a large perch. I want to save my matches so it’s sushi tonight for dinner. At least I found enough small limbs to make a bed to lie on tonight. Hopefully I won’t be as stiff tomorrow. Luckily it’s been dry. I wonder what time of year it is and what the weather is going to be like in the near future?
Day 4
I saw my first sign of human life today! Someone has been on the river besides me. I found the remains of a fire ring and ashes not too far from where I slept last night. I was beginning to believe that I was the only person alive. I feel like I have to pace myself so I do not have an accident in my eagerness to find someone. I was so afraid that I was alone wherever here is.
I found cattle droppings and wagon ruts and followed them for the rest of the day. Toward the end of the day I found a single wagon off the trail with a yellow cloth tied to the top. (I recalled something about a yellow flag being used to show that something was wrong, but I couldn’t really remember what.) It made me nervous so I was cautious about going up to the wagon. As I came closer I noticed something strange about the items on the wagon. There was no sign of anything plastic or aluminum anywhere around. Either these guys were really into period costuming or like Dorothy after the cyclone; “I do not think we are in Kansas anymore, Toto.”
As I got closer I heard a moan and peeked in. There were two bodies lying on a mattress wrapped in blankets. It’s smelled like an outhouse. I suddenly remembered what the yellow signal was for! It was to show that there was infectious disease present. I was about to bolt when I saw one of the bodies move. I saw that it was a small girl. I could not leave someone that young by herself.
Cursing to myself I knew I was about to adopt another stray. I was always bringing home girls who had been hurt by some guy. They stayed for a while then found someone more “exciting”. No girl wanted an average guy any more. I just knew this was going to be more of the same.
I entered the wagon and checked out the people. The other was an older woman who appeared in really bad shape. I looked around and saw a blanket hanging on a chest. I grabbed it and placed it on the ground. I then pulled both of them from the wagon and checked them out. Both were running a high fever and had soiled themselves.
I looked in the wagon and found some cloth, which I wet in a nearby stream and used to wipe down both women. I knew I needed to get the fever down so I unwrapped the blankets and received my next surprise. Both were wearing what looked like woolen nightgowns. I dithered while trying to decide if I should remove them, when the girl moaned again. Again cursing to myself, I stripped both of them and placed them in the cool water. Using the cloth, I washed both women and had to revise my estimate of their age. The girl, while small in stature, definitely had curves, while the older one didn’t show any signs of wrinkles or sagging from a somewhat generous shape.
After cleaning both women, I checked their temperature again. It seemed to be lower, so I returned them to the blanket and let them dry in the air. While they dried, I went through the wagon and found some salt and sugar. One teaspoon of salt to six of sugar per quart for diarrhea I remembered from my mom’s treatment for us when we had it. I looked for food and only saw a little flour and some dried meat.
I found a small iron pot and used one of my few matches to start a fire nearby. I put in the meat with some salt and a small amount of flour to make a thin soup. Lifting the girl first, I tried to get her to drink some. She struggled weakly but managed to swallow some of it, though more spilt on her than went in. I raised the older one up and tried to get her to drink some with a bit more success.
After that I covered the women again with the blankets and tried to think of anything else I could do. I checked my cell and still no signal. “Shit, now what do I do?” I muttered to myself.
The women didn’t appear to be moving so I thought I should look through the wagon and see if there was anything to show where I ended up. Besides, I couldn’t stand the smell of it. I used a long stick to pull the soiled bedding from the wagon and took it to the stream. I put the blankets (What no sheets?) in the stream and put some rocks on top so they would not wash away. I returned to the wagon and looked back in. The smell was going away, so I looked for a broom to sweep out the wagon. The wagon looked like it had been ransacked, with clothes thrown everywhere. I found a handmade broom, with the straw tied to a branch. I got in the wagon and had to crouch to sweep. The wagon only had about 5 feet of clearance. I opened the chest and found some books, a few drawings of family members and more clothes. I also found a black powder revolver, loaded with six rounds. I checked but could not find a rifle anywhere. Nothing had dates in it so I still had no idea of when I was. At least the books were in English so I should be able to communicate with no problem.
I needed to get something to eat, not only for me but for the girls too. Hoping I would see some of the game I have seen over the last 4 days, I headed toward a nearby meadow. It was going to be dark soon and my best chance of shooting something big enough to do some good would soon be here. I climbed a small tree and waited. I saw some elk start to move through the meadow. I wasn’t sure if I should use the revolver from the wagon or the .22 pistol. The pistol had a larger bore but I had no idea what the muzzle velocity or range would be. The .22 was a lot smaller than I needed but I have hunted deer with a .22 in Oregon before. Deciding that I trusted the .22 more, I waited while the elk came closer.
I could tell the elk hadn’t been hunted before. They were cautious but seemed unconcerned about crossing the meadow. Finally a small one came within a range that I thought would give me a chance to hit it. I aimed for it’s head and fired. The herd started running, including the one I shot at. I aimed and fired again, hitting the same one. It staggered and fell. Jumping out of the tree I ran to the elk and cut its throat.
Looking at it I saw I had hit it twice, once above the eye but not penetrating the skull and once in the neck. Wishing that I had a better knife, I pulled out my pocketknife and managed to open the elk’s belly. Reaching up under the rib cage I managed to cut through the windpipe and pulled the lungs and intestines out. Grabbing its hind legs I managed to pull it toward the wagon. Pulling as hard as I could I finally managed to get it within sight of the wagon before I had to stop.
I knew that I could not do anything more with just the pocket knife so I went back into the wagon and searched again to see if I could find anything that could help. I began moving things in the wagon and finally found a hand ax and a butcher knife underneath the seat behind some loose clothes. I knew I needed to hang the elk to drain the rest of the blood but could not figure out how I was going to do that. I was looking at the clothes wondering if they would work when I remembered my daypack. I pulled out the parachute cord and tied the elk’s hind legs together and threw the other end over a branch. Pulling as hard as I could I finally got the carcass up enough to bleed out the rest of the way.
I checked on the girls and didn’t see any change. I went to the stream and washed off the blood as best I could. I poured the soup into some cups and tried to get the girls to drink some more. I managed to get both of them to drink some of the water solution and a little bit of the soup. I cut a big chunk off the carcass and placed it on a stick over the fire. I waited until it looked somewhat cooked and cut some slices into a plate. A little salt, and heaven entered my mouth. Replacing the meat over the fire I sat against a wagon wheel.
I wanted to sleep, so bad. I knew that if I didn’t get the carcass put up out of reach it would probably be gone tomorrow. Picking up the ax and butcher knife, I cut off the head and feet of the elk, and then standing over the body, I chopped at the elk until I managed to divide the body into quarters. I took one quarter back to the wagon. The others I managed to hang from a high branch about 15 feet high.
I checked the girls again and seeing little change, I took the tin plate and the pot back to the stream to clean them. Since I hadn’t seen any soap, I used sand to clean the dishes. I couldn’t get everything out of the pot so I filled it with water and took it back to the fire to boil and loosen it up.
I raised the girls again and managed to get them to swallow more of the water and soup. I felt their foreheads and the fever seemed to be going down. Neither seemed to be aware of me though. I returned to the wagon and sat down again.
I put some more wood on the fire and sitting back against the wheel and covering myself with a blanket, fell into a broken sleep. I got up several times during the night to check on the girls and give them more water and food. They had soiled themselves, so I cleaned them as best as I could and wrapped them in a cleaner blanket.
For the next three days I stayed at the camp giving the girls as much water and soup as they would take and cleaning their soiled bodies and bedding. Every day they seemed to be more aware of their surroundings but neither was really awake longer than it took to drink. The fever seemed to be going down every day. They should be up soon I hope. I’m so tired; I don’t know how long I can keep this up. They are looking better though, especially the smaller one.
Day 8
I awoke to the sound of a scream! Jumping up I looked wildly around. I saw the younger girl holding the blanket to her chest shaking like a leaf. “What the hell!” I burst out. She gave me a wild look. “Do you speak English?” She didn’t reply. “Sprechen sie Deutsch? Parlez vous Francais?”
“Who are you and what have you done with my clothes?” I started toward her. “Stop. Don’t come any closer!” she screamed. I raised my hands and backed off. “I am Alex and I found you and the other girl in the wagon passed out with a fever. Your clothes are either in the stream washing out or in the wagon.” “My sister, is she all right?” “If you mean the other girl, she is on the other side of you”
She scurried backwards keeping an eye on me the entire time. Upon seeing the other girl she dropped down and began crying. “Do you mind if I check her temperature?” I asked. She looked at me distrustfully and seemed to be thinking. “Look, I have already seen everything you two have. I am too tired to have any carnal interest in either one of you right now.” She backed away as I approached. “I am going to be checking your sister’s temperature and trying to get some fluids in her for a while. Why not get dressed in the wagon? You are going to be weak for a while”
She remembered that she was naked, blushed and blurted, “You are no gentleman!” She ran to the wagon keeping an eye on me all the time. “There is a revolver in the chest, if it makes you feel safer.” I called. I checked her sister’s temperature again and saw a flash of white skin going into the wagon out of the corner of my eye. I felt my dick begin to harden. To be honest, between the stress of suddenly being here and finding the girls ill, I really had not had any interest in their bodies.
I went to the fire and got the pot to clean it to start cooking some more soup. I went to the stream, scooped out some more sand and put my hand into the pot to clean it. I saw something shining in the bottom. I reached in and pulled out a small golden nugget. This looks like the gold nuggets I saw at the Sutter Museum. “No way!” I thought to myself. I looked around and picked up a small rock and tried to break it. It just flattened out. “Damn! Now what do I do?” “Alex”, I heard, “Where are you?”
I finished washing out the pot and returned to the wagon, leaving the gold where it was. “Where’s the rest of the wagon train and our oxen?” she demanded. “Look.” I paused, “what is your name anyway?” “Elizabeth.” I resumed, “Liz, all I know is I found you and your sister here in your wagon by yourselves.” “Don’t call me Liz, its Elizabeth!” she automatically retorted. I’m sure she was in shock, because she suddenly burst into tears. I went to her and held her until she stopped. Sniffling she said, “Thank you.”
“Elizabeth, what’s your sister’s name?” “Claire.” She started crying again. “Can you tell me what you were sick with?” “Cholera is what the wagon master said.” I let my breath out in relief. I had been treating them the right way with the water and soup. I didn’t have to worry about it since I had gotten a shot in Mexico not long before due to a cholera epidemic there. “How long have you been sick? Do you remember?” “What day is today?” “I don’t even know year it is and you want to know the date?” I thought to myself. I replied, “I have no idea. I’ve been lost for the last eight days myself.” “The last day I remember clearly Sunday, April 25th, and I think that was about 4 days ago.” “I found you four days ago and I haven’t seen anyone since then.
“Right now, we need to try and get your sister well. I need some help in getting her to drink some water and soup. Could you get her to drink some?” I looked at her, “I think you need some as well. Drink as much of this water as you can and boil all the water before you drink it.” She gave me a strange look. “I have put in a teaspoon of salt and six teaspoons of sugar per quart for your diarrhea. It will not cure the cholera but it will keep your body from losing all your fluids. Boiling the water will help you from getting sick again.”
“Are you a doctor?” she asked. “No. I have had some training.” (I did not tell her that the training I had was mostly high school health and a short first aid course my father required me to go through before he let me drive.) “Did Claire get sick at the same time as you?” “No. She started getting sick a week before me” “Oh shit. Has she been asleep the whole time?” “No. She was awake until two days before I got sick. Just really weak.”
“Elizabeth, do you know where we are right now?” “The captain said we were about 2 or 3 days away from Fort Laramie. That was the day before I got sick.” “We won’t be able to go anywhere until your sister gets well. And if anyone knows you had cholera, we will not be welcome anywhere. So the first thing we need to do is get rid of that yellow cloth on the wagon. After that I need you to take care of your sister while I try to find out exactly where we are and if I can find anything to pull this wagon. Otherwise we need to leave it here.”
I checked Claire again and found that her fever had returned. “Elizabeth, I need you to help me take your sister to the stream and cool her off.” “But she does not have any clothes on!” She objected. “Elizabeth! Are you worried about your sister’s modesty when her life is in danger! Grab her legs and help me move her.”
Reluctantly she helped me move Claire from the blanket to the stream. “Elizabeth, could you get the bedding I put in yesterday out and hang it up, please. Your sister needs to have some clean bedding tonight.” I bathed Claire until she was clean and her temperature went down. “Elizabeth, I need your help again.” She ran over and grabbed her sister’s legs without argument this time.
Elizabeth looked in her wagon for the first time after getting dressed. “Everything is gone!” She began to cry. “Our mother’s dishes and our pans. Our chairs and good clothes, everything is gone!” I did not know what to say. How do you tell a young girl that she and her sister had been left to die on the side of the trail, all alone? I just held her until her crying stopped again. “I thought they were our friends!” she whispered. “I’m here and you will never be alone again.” I whispered back in her ear. “Everything will be alright.” “Just worry about your sister until she gets well. I will worry about everything else.”
“What am I doing? I do not even know these people!” Once again my mouth has gotten me involved in rescuing another stray. You would think I would have learned by now. “I will probably get them on their feet and they will leave like all the others. Damn!” Silently I cussed myself out again.
She sniffled on my shirt and suddenly hugged me. “Elizabeth, could you cut some meat off the elk and cook something for breakfast? I need to wash up some and check something out. Let me know if anything about your sister changes. I will be at the creek over there.”
I picked up a tin plate and returned to the stream. For the first time since I met the girls, (no Elizabeth and Claire were their names), I had a chance to catch up on my own situation. How did I get from California to Wyoming and just when in the past did I arrive? I knew that I was in what seemed like the past, hopefully in the same universe. Until I had more information I could not plan any further ahead than the immediate future.
Absently while I was thinking, I began panning for gold in the stream. I looked down and almost had a heart attack. There must have been four nickel sized nuggets in the pan and about half an ounce of gold dust mixed with the sand in the bottom! I stopped and wondered if gold had the same value here as it did at home? One way to find out would be to see what reaction I got from Elizabeth when she saw it.
I took the nuggets out of the pan, planning to show them to her when I returned. “Alex! Claire’s awake. Come quick!”
I ran back to the wagon where I saw Claire sitting up in the arms of Elizabeth. You have heard the stories about looks that could kill? I honestly thought I could feel them. In one of the coldest voices I have ever heard she said, “Who are you and where are my clothes?”