20781 heading to lunch

Yuma looked at the other two and saw them looking at her a bit slacked jawed, Joe was shaking his head. He was the first to speak. “How often do you get that close to them? It seemed to know you. Does your father? I mean well. Talking with dragons.” And you were doing so telepathically, for all you don’t know it. You so need to join us. I just hope you will and not run from your gifts. I could just get the edge of that and I have been learning. I so want to watch you discover the joy I have, to see you bloom.

Yuma shrugged. “Father knows I talk to them, there is nothing wrong with it, with talking to any animal. The scientists have made three classes of dragons and are trying to get them renamed as they say they are truly different animals for all we have mistakenly gave them the same name. The first group they say are the true dragons, those that show intelligence there are ten types they would place in this group for all only four of them have been tested. The reds are one, they tend to come out at around a seventh grade level on intelligence tests. However it is unsure how that would really relate, but still they are able to understand and respond. They do not share our language but it is believed they can learn it, just not produce the sounds we do. Still they are equal to us, and should be treated the same as another human. It is slow going but as the evidence gets out there more are agreeing with it. The second type they refer to as drakes, they make of the majority of what we call dragons. They are the wild ones, basically the same as the rest of the wild animals, some types are predators and some are pray. There are a few in this group that are a danger to humans and the first group of dragons, but most are like bears or lions and won’t purposely hunt us. The last set are your farm animals that resemble dragons but lack the ability to fly and truly don’t seem to have enough intelligence to ever survive without being tended. They are still debating on a name for them. It is believed the dragons also raise them for food, though more evidence is needed.”

Joe laughed. “So that is why your Father got called to the school last week. I was wondering what had him there. No wonder Ruth is so upset you are in Earth science with her. She wouldn’t explain, just said that she wished that you had of stayed to your disgusting biology. I still don’t know just why she is taking the course dealing with the magical related beings and not the standard one anyway. All she does is complain about having to look at it. Yet she is good at it so it could just be for appearances. Still it is silly, why complain about it if you want to take it and why take it if you don’t want to?”

Yuma shrugged, it was easy for her to see. “Not all are thrilled to have a daughter who likes science, who wants to be something other than a housewife. There is a lot of presser on girls in Hill families to leave the places in those classes for the boys, to pick jobs that can be done in spare time if you must have something. See that it is more of a hobby, invest your time in home and children. A few of the tracts go so far as to suggest it is God’s will that we stay home and let the men work. They also are hinting that it is wrong for a man to want to stay home, that he is failing in his duty. It is silly, and I don’t like it, but nothing is being done yet to stop it.” Joe looked at here, hearing a bit of the stress she was hiding. “So come on, let’s go see what Rizea has for lunch. I have extra trade goods, so don’t sir, when you find the items you have to have its covered. They don’t use cash, but trade for goods they can’t make, and I forgot to warn you.”

Joe said. “Sounds good, they are bound to have something, even this early in the migration. I don’t see why some have to be so caught up in those trends. How do such things get started? If that takes hold it is going to make it even worse in the working class neighborhoods.”

Mike looked at them, knowing he was missing something. He looked at them a bit oddly as they lead him past a rope, with a tattered red flag on it. “Sounds like they need a bit more history they seem to not know how hard women fought for the right to have the jobs and education they are finding so objectionable. Hopefully the trend will die before it does too much damage. There have been some such in England, but they never gain much ground. It harms everyone to limit people from following their passions.” He looked around and noticed there were warning signs up, saying that they were nearing the migration route. “Just where is it that we are going for lunch?”

Joe said. “It is a trading stand. Don’t worry we are not near the route, the signs are there because the land here is rough and not something they want random hikes out in as there are hidden ravens and a lot of ways to end up needing rescue. Saying you are nearing the route turned more around then this area is out of bounds, or do not enter. It is closer to the route, but not close enough to be asking for trouble.”

Mike said. “It seems odd to have a trading stand off the trail, they must miss out on sales this way.”

Joe nodded. “They wee offered a spot at the look out, but felt it would be unsafe for the children. Outsiders are funny that way, they are more comfortable with the wilds. And you have no idea what I mean do you?”

 Mike shook his head. “I fear I don’t. So there is a separate group here? “

Joe said. “Yes and no. they follow the same laws, but shun the trappings of society. They do without electricity and all elections. They live close to the migration routes there are no roads to their towns, their communities are not found on most maps. They pay no taxes and get no federal aid. They are isolationists, having only limited contact with any of the towns. Mostly just their trades will deal with us, and only a few of us will go to the stands they set up as they are always in out of the way places, off the trails or roads.”

Yuma said. “They don’t vote as they do not find it right, but they obey the laws that are made, as much as they can. Not all are applicable to them do to how they live. However they value education and all their children set the exams at sixteen and eighteen. They also ask each of them to spend a year in town, even should they not wish to attend one of our colleges. They want them to know what the world has, to try it and see if they want it. Most return to the towns, but some stay. Those that stay receive news regularly and are welcomed whenever they visit, there is nothing seen as wrong in choosing to live in our towns. It is accepted that not all want a life without the gadgets we have.” Joe looked at her, and she surged. “Only briefly, but yes I thought about it. I like the idea, but I know I could never do it. There is too much I can’t leave behind. I would never truly be happy out there, cut off. I just like the idea of it, but I need to be a part of the large world. I don’t want to be in a lab, but I do want to be able to keep up with the discoveries.”

Joe laughed. “You know I think the idea that you might go to an Outside community might just alarm Tulip more than the thought of you going to Oxford.”

Yuma shrugged. “We will see, as I intend to ask about being sent as one of the carriers. It would just be a few weeks each year, but yes it likely will upset her and Mother. Even if I do go to Oxford I can keep the place, as it can be done over my visits home.” Joe shook his head a bit, but was smiling.  “Someone goes every few months to take the news and discoveries out to them and bring in any they have, as well as any mail and samples they want tested. However once a year a Family member is to make the trip to see to the laws and hear any cases they wish to have a ruling on, that is the post I am asking for. I am not too sure about having to sit in judgment, but I have passed the tests, and will be going with another person the first few trips. Still where I am going for a medical degree and not into law it is a bit of stretch, so we will see.”

Mike shook his head, wonder just what they would make of her at Oxford, she was a wonder, and all the more because she didn’t see it. “We don’t have as much land as you do so the community in England can’t get off the maps, but they do mange to see the roads go around their towns. Most those have gone over to the continent, where there is more space. It is so hard to believe that there were once people living in the wild places. We only know a fourth at most of the animals and plants that have taken over Europe, it is just too sparsely populated now. They have about a fourth of the people this containt does. It is scary to think of how much was destroyed.”

Joe nodded. “We closed down, so don’t know just how bad it was after the first die off, but that took a fourth of the worlds population, we figured that every one lost another third at least. Then hear the riots killed even more, we barely have a third of what we did, much of the country is forest and changes remain unmapped, save for satellites. Though more is getting done, and new towns are starting again.”

Mike said. “Over all you came out on top because you were smart and got out of the war. There has been no contact from anyone in china at all, very little with any Asian country, Africa did better, they lost about a third of their total population, Europe is down three fourth, this one we think is about half, but we don’t have your full numbers so it might be a bit more. South America is unknown as a number of places do not have the structure needed to get a count, but we think it is half as well. Mexico is working on getting that confirmed.  There is a whole lot of unknowns out there. There are all sorts of things that were not seen before the war and the shift.”