While slinking like a miniature-much-desired-man through the meeting place called conference room toward Burnt Man’s science chamber, he was greeted by Mother, who had just sent Eddie on his way, and Eddie was afraid. Eddie had originally been a seller of bad medicine called crack in the Town of Burnt Men called Baltimore. Eddie had helped Three-Rivers and Lady Doe-Eye escape from the evil Masters of Further Sunset and their Sunset friends called police. He had joined with the other Servants of Burnt Man in riding thunder to distant worlds, and had returned in the Moon of Cherries with Dawn Star, of Winter Past, daughter of the Neanderthal tribes. Eddie was thin and not a warrior, but, as a Sunset medicine-man called hip-hop artist, could talk much called trash—talk he dared not make with Mother, who he feared. Eddie hurried away with eyes downcast and hands in his pockets.
Mother was as tall as a man, as subtle as a girl, and frightfully intelligent. Her skin was the color of the sun and her hair the color of deepest night. She and her wife Sharita were both married to his friend Bluebird called Jay, who was often possessed by the flesh-demon DeathSong. Mother had been made by the evil masters of Further Sunset called 24th Century by the ever-counting people of Sunset. She was designed to master men and women by seduction, and could know the thoughts of anyone except for others who were made like her and, Three-Rivers!
This was one power he had retained. Mother could not penetrate his mind, perhaps because he lacked the desires of men and women, which Mother played upon. Mother’s name was Tina, and she had adopted all of the children of Mother Earth, Winter Past and Dawn Time that had been brought forward to Sunset by way of Burnt Man’s command of thunder.
“Sweet-morning-of-joy to you Mother.”
“Good morning Three-Rivers. My, you look so handsome in your blue tuxedo.”
Trick her, but make her sad first—called breakdown.
“Thank you, Mother for permitting me not to do my chores in this tuxedo. I am shaken but not stirred today and would like to be apprenticed to Burnt Man as his science servant. Since my Mother Earth medicine has been taken away by Healer’s soul-poison I would like to acquire science—Sunset medicine if you will. I love y…”
“Three-Rivers, you know that you are our lead translator. It is important that you master Greek and Latin first. Besides, these will help you in science.”
A sly one you are Mother.
It was true that Healer’s poison had made it even easier for him to learn languages, which had always been easy. He now spoke six Longhouse languages, five of the Tree-eaters, one other people language, Spanish, English, Small English, uneducated shit, rap, Gomero, dawn-speak, Neander-song, and his two most recent acquisitions: so-specific Greek in four dialects and hopelessly nuanced Latin, both of the languages of dead-White-medicine-men. He had, however, lost the ability to speak in animal and bird languages, so he lashed out at Mother in koine Greek, “So Mother, your husband has still not returned, is Eddie being blamed for this?”
Mother answered in English, “I do miss Jay, and it is troubling that he has not come back to base since returning from the Ice Age.”
Oh, he can inflict sex upon any number of willing warrior-needing women. But who could match your endless nagging Mother? Why would he not return to your litany of rules and prodding suggestions?
“He forged on in Ionian Greek, “I suppose Mother, that he has no pressing desire for companionship since stealing the pole-dancing Burnt Woman as Eddie described—she sounded fertile indeed.”
Mother flashed him a hurt look.
Be nice Mother. Remember, I am the child that your evil creators denied you.
Mother retorted in Modern Greek—or Greek for sissies without the stressed letters—“Your koine is better than your Ionian. How is your Latin I wonder? In any case, Jay is no longer with that woman. He discarded her somewhere. We know this because a trace of him egressing by way of the First Branch Capacitator has just been noted by Mister Shuei’s Trunk Capacitator. He was in Detroit until yesterday evening, and egressed alone—we can tell by the specific gravity of the event signature.”
My, Mother reveals her secrets when she is missing her husband. Develop the trick in Spanish.
“Dear Mother, I miss Bluebird too, and I hope he leaves DeathSong in the past. They will surely send him back to us after he has killed all the warriors and lain with the maidens and widows.”
She began to cry.
Homerun as they say on Sunset! Hug her like a good son. Then switch to Latin and show off.
“Why Mother, you are the most beautiful woman on three worlds—excepting only your daughter Doe-Eye. Your husband yearns for your touch I am sure. He spoke of you often and with much sentiment during our year together in the wilds of Mother Earth.”
Liar, liar, breechcloth on fire!
Mother continued in the 24th Century Iroquoian-English pastiche that was her language of intimacy and comfort, “That is kind of you Three-Rivers. At least having you close is a comfort. You will be staying at base for now on to interview the people he and the others bring forward. I am so pleased with your language development. I was engineered to be a language specialist and you far exceed my abilities. I could not ask for a brighter son. And, yes, you may assist Doctor Robinson with his work! Just do not tire him too much with your questions. Promise me this Three-Rivers, because I have to go to Detroit and investigate the circumstances around Jay’s egress. There was a witness.”
How convenient. Seem to submit to her counterattack—like I’m staying cooped up in this den!—and let her leave. Continue in polished Doric—however much polishing a rotten branch may endure, “Oh Mother, hopefully you will bring the person home for me to meet. You know how I like strangers—they are all so very different!”
Mother has a dark light in her eyes. She is going out to the Ohio Country like a hunter. I pity the stranger-friend called witness.
Mother concluded their conversation in Latin, “Perhaps I will my Little Love. Now go on to Doctor Robinson and I will have Tannika reassign your chores.”
Goodbye pointless-deserving-to-be-deficit-of-my-attention-tasks-called-chores!
She then caressed the top of his head with her long sleek golden hand and walked toward the elevator in the direction he had come. Mother’s walk was a thing that men always paused to witness. But Three-Rivers was only a man where medicine was concerned, not in the flesh where men so often faltered at the sight of such women. Three-Rivers did love his adopted Mother, she had slain the evil straw-haired giant who had pursued them into the many-tiered cave of the thunderbeasts called garage and had since adored her adopted children.
There was something unsettling about Mother though. She had some of the characteristics of Old Mother Moon, Receiver of the Dead. She always managed to get her way, except with her husband, who was the only person she related to on an irrational level. Most of all, there was the look of her impenetrable yet penetrating black-on-pearl eyes. Also, who like Three-Rivers, who had been there in the echoing cave of the thunderbeasts on the night Lady Doe-Eye’s Sunset warrior died defending them beneath the hard moccasins of the straw-haired giant, could forget the sight of Mother’s long elegant hand flashing out like the sword of a Spanish don and plunging to the wrist through the thick neck of the giant?
Mother, he thought, also had much in common with the thunderbeasts and the other slaves of man called machines. Perhaps she was possessed by Old Mother Moon, or was an incarnation of that grim aspect of The Beginner? More importantly, how would he ever get behind the curtain of any of these secrets without regaining his medicine?
Yes, stay away Bluebird, you would not be able to resist her charms and would betray yourself. I will look in on lady Sharita and your twins for you, and give them your hugs and blessings. Now, it is off to science we go, like a miniature-bearded-Whiteman-with-funny-hat-and-six-foolish-brothers…
