Confrontation (The Seamus Chronicles Book 4) by K. D. McAdams Page B
Authors: K. D. McAdams
Ads: Link
the common sense to not eat something if you don’t know what it is.
I’ve learned an important but frightening lesson. The natives can enter and leave our camp at will, and unnoticed. This time they left a platter of what may be fruit; next time, it could be a bomb or some other type of weapon.
While I wait to find out if Liam’s insatiable appetite will result in long-term harm, I need to get the second reactor to the central cabin. Then I need to get both reactors operational. If we have to bug out, I want to make sure we can take them with us and they can provide the radiation shielding we need.
Surprisingly Liam has been quiet through the entire ordeal. The rest of the village is still asleep. Hopefully I will be able to offer options for them as soon as they awake.
Chapter 15
Sometimes I think my dad misses lecturing us. When he arrived at the central cabin, Liam was back and still chewing a mound of carrots. I couldn’t stop smiling because it looked like my brother was a heifer out in the field working its cud around. Dad was not amused, we need to be accountable for what we eat and he thought we were messing around.
The lecture started calmly but eventually built to a full-on tirade. Dad hit all the classics: common sense, responsibility and communication. On top of that he added being a role model, which was new for us.
Of course he’s right, and I have experienced enough of his lectures to know that he’s not looking for an answer or an explanation. He wants his point to sink in and talking back does not show that it has.
When Dad finally calms down and starts puttering around the central cabin, Liam knows it’s time for his personality to take over.
“Remember the candy we had in Mexico?” he asks.
“Not particularly,” I reply.
“Yeah, it was like hair or something. Brown stuff you squeezed out a guy’s head and then licked,” Liam continues.
“That sounds so disgusting I might puke from your description,” I say, but I’m curious about where he might be going with this tangent.
“Well, that’s what this new fruit reminds me of. Hair candy.” He giggles a little.
“Why are you talking about Pelon Pelo Rico ?” Grace says, surprising us both.
“What’s that?” Liam asks.
“We had it in Mexico. It’s candy. It’s basically called ‘sweet hair’ because of the packaging. I liked the mango, but you loved the tamarind one,” she explains.
“So translating from Liam to English, you think the fruit from this alien planet tastes like tamarind candy?” I say, trying to finish off another of my brother’s puzzling thoughts.
“Yeah. Except it is a little sweeter and about a thousand times spicier,” he says, completing his comparison.
“We found alien fruit?” Grace asks.
“Native fruit, and we didn’t find it.” My fear begins to rise again as I think about the natives having open access to our village.
“Then how did you get it?” she asks.
“I think the creatures left it,” Liam says, obviously without thinking.
“They came back?” Grace asks. She shrinks almost completely into herself.
“We didn’t see who or what left them.” I glare at my idiot brother. “There was a platter of things left on the trail just before the central cabin. Liam picked it up and tried to eat one of the things.” I provide more of the details.
“Actually, I tried one of each,” Liam corrects me, clearing up one of his earlier lies.
My sister, the former optimist, slumps down onto a bench. “So they can come and go undetected and they can kill us with ease. I guess we’re all just waiting around to die.”
I don’t think she is correct. The natives of this planet are not aggressive. In fact, I think the fruit was a peace offering of sorts. Having looked into the eyes of one of the creatures, I feel like I have a better read on them than anyone.
The fruit that was left does not seem to be poisonous. Liam is okay, aside from a bad taste in his mouth. In fact,
I’ve learned an important but frightening lesson. The natives can enter and leave our camp at will, and unnoticed. This time they left a platter of what may be fruit; next time, it could be a bomb or some other type of weapon.
While I wait to find out if Liam’s insatiable appetite will result in long-term harm, I need to get the second reactor to the central cabin. Then I need to get both reactors operational. If we have to bug out, I want to make sure we can take them with us and they can provide the radiation shielding we need.
Surprisingly Liam has been quiet through the entire ordeal. The rest of the village is still asleep. Hopefully I will be able to offer options for them as soon as they awake.
Chapter 15
Sometimes I think my dad misses lecturing us. When he arrived at the central cabin, Liam was back and still chewing a mound of carrots. I couldn’t stop smiling because it looked like my brother was a heifer out in the field working its cud around. Dad was not amused, we need to be accountable for what we eat and he thought we were messing around.
The lecture started calmly but eventually built to a full-on tirade. Dad hit all the classics: common sense, responsibility and communication. On top of that he added being a role model, which was new for us.
Of course he’s right, and I have experienced enough of his lectures to know that he’s not looking for an answer or an explanation. He wants his point to sink in and talking back does not show that it has.
When Dad finally calms down and starts puttering around the central cabin, Liam knows it’s time for his personality to take over.
“Remember the candy we had in Mexico?” he asks.
“Not particularly,” I reply.
“Yeah, it was like hair or something. Brown stuff you squeezed out a guy’s head and then licked,” Liam continues.
“That sounds so disgusting I might puke from your description,” I say, but I’m curious about where he might be going with this tangent.
“Well, that’s what this new fruit reminds me of. Hair candy.” He giggles a little.
“Why are you talking about Pelon Pelo Rico ?” Grace says, surprising us both.
“What’s that?” Liam asks.
“We had it in Mexico. It’s candy. It’s basically called ‘sweet hair’ because of the packaging. I liked the mango, but you loved the tamarind one,” she explains.
“So translating from Liam to English, you think the fruit from this alien planet tastes like tamarind candy?” I say, trying to finish off another of my brother’s puzzling thoughts.
“Yeah. Except it is a little sweeter and about a thousand times spicier,” he says, completing his comparison.
“We found alien fruit?” Grace asks.
“Native fruit, and we didn’t find it.” My fear begins to rise again as I think about the natives having open access to our village.
“Then how did you get it?” she asks.
“I think the creatures left it,” Liam says, obviously without thinking.
“They came back?” Grace asks. She shrinks almost completely into herself.
“We didn’t see who or what left them.” I glare at my idiot brother. “There was a platter of things left on the trail just before the central cabin. Liam picked it up and tried to eat one of the things.” I provide more of the details.
“Actually, I tried one of each,” Liam corrects me, clearing up one of his earlier lies.
My sister, the former optimist, slumps down onto a bench. “So they can come and go undetected and they can kill us with ease. I guess we’re all just waiting around to die.”
I don’t think she is correct. The natives of this planet are not aggressive. In fact, I think the fruit was a peace offering of sorts. Having looked into the eyes of one of the creatures, I feel like I have a better read on them than anyone.
The fruit that was left does not seem to be poisonous. Liam is okay, aside from a bad taste in his mouth. In fact,
Similar Books
