Little by little, small groups of my followers-no, my friends-left the camp. As each family or individual left, they would stop by to thank me and wish us well. My smile muscles got a heavy workout.
The fall season was a mild one, much to everyone's relief. In fact, your typical cloudy, rainy Oregon put on its best behavior and blessed us with warm, sunny days. Sela recovered quickly and began her new role as the world's best mom. Of course, neither of us got much rest for a couple of weeks. We looked like rejects from a zombie movie because of the lack of sleep. Jack's hunting skills kept us fed and we were much indebted to him and Vonnie for taking such good care of us.
About three weeks later, it was time for us to go. Jack and his family decided to go with us. We packed up everything and started a trek toward the coast. It wasn't long before we found two small farms near each other. That winter was a bit tough, but we survived.
The following spring was a special one. As Sela and I took a walk, we were in awe of how everything was so fresh and vibrant. It felt like the world was…brand new.
"What now?" Sela asked as she repositioned the carrier holding Junior.
"We sow, we reap, and we live a good life," I said, letting fresh dirt sift through my fingers.
The decades passed and our world slowly rebuilt itself. One day several people came to our farm and asked if I'd be president. Oh, hell no, I thought. I respectfully declined and told them my leadership days were over. They thanked me. As our communications and media returned, we were informed of our government being restored. The person leading our new country did a fine job getting us back to our Founding Fathers' principles.
It felt so good to trust people again. Virtues such as kindness and patience were restored along with common courtesies. And above all, respect. I had to smile one day when Sela and I went into a nearby store. I held the door open for a young lady and she said, "Thank you." Those two simple words made everything we had fought for worth it.
Heckel Junior grew to be a charming young man. His two sisters also were perfect kids, taking so much after their mother. We were very proud parents.
I was in my mid-seventies when it started again. By it, I mean, the appearance of evil. At first, I just couldn't believe it. I even had to take my glasses off and rub my eyes. I must have been noticeably troubled because Sela came out the front door, walked across the porch and sat next to me. She put her hand on my knee. "What is it, Heckel?"
I shook my head slowly and tried to tell her it was nothing. She kissed me on the cheek and went back into the house to finish baking chocolate chip cookies, my favorite.
Picking up a pair of binoculars from a small, wicker table, I focused the lens. Gradually, his appearance sharpened.
There standing on a small hill at the edge of my cornfield was a young boy. I squinted, trying to see him better. First, I noticed a faint tinge of blue fill his eyes. As he waved, his hand revealed a small blue orb.
When I jumped up from the settee to get a better look, he was gone.