The direction of the Nommos, divination in a teacup

     Charles had gone for a walk.  He had spent his life with his grandfather traveling, as far as that experience went.  Never to a big city.  They mostly stuck to the various encampments out in the desert areas, and up into the foothills of the big mountain ranges running north to south.

     He had been to the coastal areas of the Pacific ocean, but Grandfather had always avoided the Bay Area.  Never really explainng why.

    
     He walked along the street in the Chinatown area, fully aware he was an object of curiosity.
Not Asian, but had a braid.  Wearing glasses, dressed in warmer clothes than most of the city folk who spent a lot of their time indoors for various reasons. or in their protected courtyards.

     Up ahead he saw a small overgrown area, what he assumed was once a park.  He had been to several "parks" in their journeys.  Now occupied by inhabitants often native peoples, though that was a odd term after all of this time.  Unless people made an effort to recall history from long ago, it was lost and peoples everywhere were just too busy trying to sustain theirselves to really care.  At this point history was mostly word of mouth, piece meal.

       To his surprise , a tall slim girl who looked a bit out of anything he would term ordinary came out of the bushes as he stepped.

        "This is a private retreat"  she looked through her strands of hair, some dyed very brillant colors, and gave him a cold stare.

          Charles looked at her, thinking she was maybe all of 17 years , maybe a touch more, and thought her attitude somewhat humorous.

          But he kept a straight face.  "I'm sorry,  I am a new arrival here, and didn't see that it was private property.  I haven't see a park in a while, not for a few years."  As he turned to go back the other way, she stepped out next to him.

            "Really you have been to other parks,  you know where they are??"

            He got a closer look at her, acually could see she was sort of pretty in a disheveled manner.

           Smiling,  he nodded." Yes, I travel with my grandfather to Indian lands, often they are the old parks, and other times no one lives there, but we all travel through to the big gatherings, so I have even seen the Grand Canyon."

             "Why are you here?  Is there a gathering, really the Grand Canyon?"

               Charles shook his head, " No,  I am the guest right now of the Changs, down the hill, there is a restaurant."  He turned and pointed.

                "Oh, Leslie Chang is a chum, we have known each other for most of our lives.  His family doesn't like me much though.  I am not up to their standards I guess."  At this she took out a cigarette and light a match.  "Leslie and I get away for a smoke, and well just get away to see our friends"
"Oh,  hello my name is Zing , Zing Lu."  she held out her hand and winked at Charles.

              Charles had never met such a forward, oddly attired girl.  She had bracelets on both wrists, long patched denim jeans, a sleeveless blouse, and a bright sash around her waist.  Topped off by hair that was multi-colored on bright red, which wasn't her natural color either.

             "  Nice to meet you Zing Lu,  well at least I now know one other person outside of the Chang family."  He smiled at her.

               " I suppose I should get back down the hill,  I think the others who came with me will be getting up and around by now."  At this he turned and Zing simply began to walk by his side.

                " How far did you come from?" Zing asked.  He told her, and as they walked, he told her of his family, his grandfather, and the life long friendship between he and Jack Chang.

                  At this, Zing was off on a really excited  stream of conversation.  She asked about the famous Jack Chang, said Leslie was absolutely determined to learn to be a magician, and was really curious about Jack's family.  When she heard about the two ladies in the party she was almost over the moon in euphoria.

                 "Can you introduce me?"  "All the girls here are just not too into being away from their
folks and pretty much treat me like I am just a real wierdo.  I am not really, just haven't met anyone othr than Leslie who treats me like I am worthy of respect, not put me down, ya know?"

                 Charles looked at Zing,and saw this lonely young girl, who was  just not meant to be
alone, and adrift by herself in Chinatown. 

                 "Zing, if you don't  mind me askng, where is your family?"  Zing caught a breath, then
quietly " They are all with the ancestors.  Except my older brother, he is a fisherman, and out on the boat with the rest of his crew often more than he is home.  We live in a boarding house, up on the next block past the park."  Then she added"  I hate being alone there, there are a lot of real creeps who live there, so I spend my days at the park."

               Leslie nodded, " Come then, you can meet Rosemma, and her grandmother, they are a interesting mix, not all Chinese, part Irish, and I think part Latino, but 100%  wanderers.  They come from a village that is made up of folks who travel and camp out all summer, catching food, drying mushrooms,  tanning furs, and trading with others like them.  They go back to their base camp at the foot of the sacred mountain far north of here, and there the people are like no one I have ever met. And I have met my share of different people over the years."

               Zing's eyes got big, and Charles gestured, "Here we are, come on, you will fit right in."

               She took a deep breathe, and walked in front of Charles and stepped in the front door.

              They walked straight through to the back door. Outside was Rosemma sitting and hugging Chomper.  Zing hung back behind Charles at the sight of the huge canine.

              Rose looked up, and smiled.  Charles spoke"Rosemma, this is Zing.  Zing this is Rosemma, and Chomper, he doesn't bite, just is rowdy." At this he faltered, Rosemma spoke up, "Hello Zing, it is nice to meet you,  want some tea?"  She motioned to another chair, and a teapot and cups on the table.  "Leslie will be back, he had to wash the breakfast dishes we used" 

            At this Leslie the younger, popped through followed by Jack Chang, and his brother, Leslie the elder.  The elder frowned upon seeing Zing, and Rosemma and the dogs.  Jack laughed heartily and put his hand on his brother's shoulder.  "Don't worry a bit, we are all just going to sit here quietly, and have some tea and gentle conversation."

           Leslie the elder turned and went back into the kitchen, after warning Leslie the younger to not take too long at his tea.  Rosemma smiled, since they already had theirs earlier.

           She turned to Zing" You must be the friend Leslie was telling me about, your brother is a fisherman, he knows the docks and the people with boats?"

             Zing nodded, she was struck by the unaffected way Rosemma spoke and looked at her, not appearing to notice the different way Zing was dressed, or her hair. 

               Rosemma continued,  we have to find a boat to take us to the west, somewhere out there we will find the Nommos.  Zing had no idea what in the world she was talking about.

           Charles and Grandmother sighed almost together,  then poured tea.  It was going to be a long involved conversation.

            Leslie the younger downed his tea in a minute, but then as he sat his cup down, Jack Chang
caught him by the arm, and looked into Leslie's teacup.  He peered for a couple of minutes, then
peered over the cup at his nephew. 

           "Son, we need to have a conversation soon.  But get in the kitchen quick ,before your old man has a cow. I'll catch up with you a bit later, this evening, hey?"

              Young Leslie felt a shiver in his soul, like the fabric of reality had suffered a quake of some sort.



    

Jack, back home, the roots go deep

    Jack Chang opened his eyes, and for a minute he was back in time.  When he was a teenager, and dreaded having to go downstairs and face his father.

     His old man hated the fact Jack was not bound for the tradional role of oldest son taking over the family business.  The world may have changed radically the last hundred years, but not some traditions.

       Jack sighed, the old man had died when he and his little family moved to the desert, and he was wandering to scrap together enough money to get the supplies to get them to the winter.  Him and
Charlie. 

       Charlie was still snoring over in the other bed.  The kid Charles was up and out of the room.

       Jack supposed he should get up, and slowly rolled over to the edge.  The beds hadn't changed in all the years, older than he was.  Maybe new beds were hard to come by.  Or just his family still  being frugal, stretching what they had to take care of everyone in the large extended group.

        Well, didn't all of us.  I had to learn to stretch money, only a bottle of cheap whisky in the early days when no matter how hard I worked at my craft, I still couldn't pull a solid gold rabbit out of the hat.  Something to at least share with old rusty saw over there, and have a few laughs.

        He sat up, laughs now, may as well get up and go have some family time down stairs, with my pleasantly standoffish brother and his family. 

         Standing up and trying to not wake the other man was hard.  His joints all felt like they
 had rocks in them.  Not surprising after the long walk they had done. 

         And here he was hat in hand asking for help to find a boat.  Things were lacking a reality
and reason he was trying hard to find hope in.

      

Chinatown's finest

     Rosemma sat at the little table in the kitchen with her new friend sipping tea.  She yawned, and thought about how  much her life had turned upside down in the last week.

    Leslie was kind of shy, she decided.  But she felt comfortable with him.  She thought she ought to tell him that she was married.  Then decided against it.  Seemed something too personal to relate so soon.

      In the meantime, she looked out the back door to the courtyard and smiled at the dogs.

      Finally she looked back. "Do you do any magic at all Leslie?"  "My grandfather hardly does anymore"  thinking about the last time she could remember the fact.  Maybe one of her birthday parties when she was a little girl?

        Leslie smiled a little, "Only simple tricks, my Uncle doesn't approve too much, thinks it just causes trouble."  "When your great grandfather left, it caused a huge uproar.  He was supposed to take over the family business, all of it, and then he went off on the elders without a word, though he would send them money."  So my greatgrandfather, his younger brother had to take over, and he hadn't been properly trained, and there were hard feelings."  " Chinese are family first, and wives are from families you know, that tradition was renewed after the Invisable Death struck."

          " Jack came back with a foreign wife, and red haired to boot.You seem to have come by her
distinctive feature that I have heard talk of since I was a little kid."

            Rosemma blinked, "What was the talk?"

            Leslie cracked a grin, "I shouldn't say, and I admire your greatgrandfather very much for his
courage, and following his own heart."  "But, after he and your greatgrandmother left, they always called her that red haired demon, who had put a spell on Jack Chang"

          Rosemma thought to herself, oh no, please don't let greatgrandfather hear this.  She thought about it, then spoke"Leslie, can it be made so he never hears this?" "He loved her so much, she followed him to live in the desert, and her life was never easy, according to my grandmother. but my
greatgrandmother loved Jack Chang till the day she dies, and he was so broken up, my grandmother
thought he would follow soon after."

           The she wanted to make a point"Maybe everyone here thinks he has led a life of fame and glory, and he was the most amazing magician in his day, a real one too, no slight of hand, but he never had enough money to keep his family in comfortable living, they often didn't have enough for
anything like new shoes, they wore hand me downs, and had to work hard on their little homestead farm just to have food to eat.  Jack had to travel to bring home some extra cash."

       Leslie became blank.  "Wow, really, cause everyone in the family seems to think he was some
kind of rich famous traveler who never came home cause he got too snobby."

       At this Rosemma brindled, "I think it was more the way they treated my greatgrandmother, it hurt him, hurt her, and they just never came back."

       Leslie looked really sad, "Really sad all the way around, Rosemma, really sad.  Wish they all could have gotten over it, you know?  So much time missed and can't be made up again.  The
greatgreat grandparents are gone, some siblings are gone, he'll hear that today I'm sure. How really sad for all of us.  You and I, we could have been playmates growing up."

       Rosemma smiled, "But then my mother wouldn't have met my father, and most likely I wouldn't be here,  or even my grandmother, she may not have met my grandfather. Well, I never even met my
grandfather, so oh well, life is so complicated."  She said this with a fatal tone that Leslie changed
the subject.

      "Hey, hungry?,  Let's see what I can scrounge up here before everyone else gets up and puts me to work for real, I like cooking, but not pounds of it on a daily basis."