1899- Journey to Mars

Eddie continued further into the ship, and saw Bixie beside the transmogrifier. Next to her was the bag she used to gather the jungle plants. She smiled at him and continued mixing her assorted plants and berries in a mortar bowl. The pestle she held looked wet on the big end as she ground the materials. “Hi, Bixie. What are you making?”

“Medicines and potions. I want dem ready if dey be needed.”

He sat by her and watched as she mixed more berries, a small black root, some crumbled yellow powder, and dozens of red, hair-like stigma from pale purple flowers. She murmured soft incantations as she worked the pestle end around and around the bottom of the small bowl. When she was satisfied, she used her fingers to clean out the mixture and place it in a tiny mason jar that looked capable of holding no more than one or two strawberries, if the fruits were intact. As she screwed the metal lid on it, Eddie said, “That’s not much for all the work you put in.”

“It is not how much, it is how little dat is important.”

“I’m not sure I follow you.”

“In two days, when dis potion cures up, a speck no bigger dan a grain of sand will work wonders wit yah.”

Eddie’s eyebrows rose. “Wow.”

Bixie said, “What ya doin’ down here in dis windowless room? I know you like tah put your eyes on dat red planet out dere.”

“If I stare, it never looks like we get any closer. If I go do something else for a while and then go back and look at it, I can see it is bigger.” He watched as Bixie prepared another mixture, this one of different plants and materials.

Bixie didn’t look up, but said, “Dat planet, it’s got good on it, and bad. An’ we got Fu Manchu’s orange-heads still comin’ fast behind us, too. So dese mixings I be doing, they will be needed. You remember where dey be put on that shelf over dere, so you can get dem when you see its necessary, okay, Eddie?”

He nodded, then said, “Where did you get the name Cottontree? That’s a different sort of name.”

?

??From me Parents. Dey were hidin’ among the giant boughs of the great Cottontree by the Hope River as bandits camped below dem. Me Mama, she was Obeah, and she was about to bring me inta da world, but knew dem bandits would end us all, so she called on all duppies dat lived in da great tree to run dem bad people away. Dey came, and all dem duppies, both good an’ bad, helped Mama bring me into da light. They all touched me as I came forward, and dat left the door open to da other side for me to see tings. Mama and Daddy changed our name to Cottontree, so the duppies would always know us.”

“What are duppies?”

“Spirits, fairies, sprites. Some are ghosts. Most are bad, but a few are good, good as angels, may even be angels. Duppy is a better name to us islanders dan usin’ the other names for dem, and it fits better in my head.”

“And because you were born in their tree, you have special powers?”

“I have sumptin’, but I don’t know if it be special. I was born wit it, so it is natural to me, normal.”

“Are your parents still living?”

“No, dey were killed years later, tryin’ ta keep me from bein’ kidnapped.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It is all right. Doze kidnappin’ pirates went to meet Day-vie Jones ten years ago, when dey sailing off the Ceylon coast and a great, smokin’ ship from de sky smacked de water and skipped many times before sinking. But before she sank, on her sixth skip, she hit on top de pirate vessel and flattened it like a toy. I knew it be comin’ and I went in de water before it happened. I watched my Mama and Daddy’s killers sink to de bottom, and de smokin’ ship continued skippin’ almost out of sight. It was a blessed day for Bixie Cottontree.” Bixie looked up the hallway. “Billy and John Carter are talkin’ about sumptin’ you need ta hear, and dat planet you love so much is lookin’ bigger. You should go see.”

Eddie rose and said, “I will. I like talking with you, Bixie.”

“And me wit you, Eddie. Now go and view dat red mystery where all your dreams are happening.”

After Edgar left, Bixie cocked her head as if listening to something. She smiled and said to herself, “Every soul is wakin’. We can eat soon, an’ dat’s good, because I be starvin’.”

[ 52 ]

Billy said, “We know they’re still coming, so we can’t let our guard down.”

Ian said, “We dinnae want to be prisoners again. That last donnybrook was almost the end of us.”

John said, “There’s something waiting ahead of us, too. We’ve all looked through your telescope and seen the odd lights on that red surface. Hopefully, your New Delhi friend will be where we can locate him quickly, and all of us can leave before we’re pinned between a rock and a hard place.”

Edgar joined them and sat quietly, listening to their conversation as he looked at Mars. Its size made him think of an orange across the room. He picked up Billy’s long, brass-tubed binocular-telescope, balanced it on the brass and black leather swivel stand, and held the viewing ends to his eyes. He adjusted the rotary crank on the side, and gears moved the focal distance until it was perfect. Edgar gazed through the lenses with the longing of a man looking at his lover far away.

Billy said, “We have a few days of resting before things get down to the wire. But even now, we have to have someone on guard day and night. I’m hoping Koothrapally will signal us soon so we can pinpoint his position.”