From: li@Data-IO.COM (Phyllis Rostykus)
Subject: The Forest for the Trees: Part 2
Summary: Next section in Li's Recovery(?)
Keywords: Li Model66 Cascades
Organization: Data I/O Corporation
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 21:10:31 GMT


        The morning was a crisp, cold winter Seattle morning, steam
breathed from the exhaust of the touring train, and from everyone's mouths
and noses.  The rosey cheeked, brightly bundled children, the laughing
mothers and fathers, and the pastel clothed train attendents.

        A little Asian girl was running through the crowds, looking for her
mother, it seemed.  A furrow down the middle of her forehead as she trotted
on her little legs through the crowd by the loading train.  Her eyes
widened when she came upon a group with a mountain of equipment.  There
were six burly men, all wearing sunglasses against the clear winter
sunshine, and they were loading their equipement on the train.  Crates of
food and clothing, several thickly canvassed tents, coils upon coils of
colorful ropes, boxes that sang and clashed of metal, and bags that showed
leather harness.  Fascinated by the color and the completely new things,
she crept closer.

        "Hey." said one of the big men, and he took what seemed to be a
threatening step towards her.

        She gasped and ran away, with laughter following her as she
disappeared into the crowd.

        There were other things to catch the eye as well, she found as she
quickly continued down the line of passangers.  A group of business men in
drab greys, blacks, and browns, looking like huddled quail amid all the
color.  They carried an unusual amount of onboard luggage, not only their
briefcases and suitcases, but they lugged one trunk between them as well.  

        There was a skiing crowd there, too, neon colors and beautiful
bodies, with bundles of skies like bundles of firewood going into the belly
of the train.  Handsome and lithe they laughted and waved to those that
they were leaving behind like icons from a beer commercial.

        A woman in neon yellow, flare bright greens, wrap around shades the
color of her sunset pink hair stopped in front of the girl.  The woman
seemed to look down at her, and in a kind voice said, "Are you lost?  Do
you know where your parents are?"

        The little girl looked up at the woman mutely, with wide eyes.

        A man in sea green caught the woman's arm, "Come on, Paula, we don't
have the time for lost puppies.  It's *time* to get on the train."

        The girl watched as the man dragged Paula away, looking even more
lost than the girl felt.

        "NORIKO!!" a boy's voice rang through the air.

	"HASAKI!!" the girl yelled back, and the little girl began running
back the way that she came.  A few of the adults waiting to get in the
train smiled in relief for her and themselves, they didn't have to save
her; and then smiled genuine smiles to watch the reunion. 

	Noriko ran straight for her tall brother's arms.  The teenaged
Hasaki hefted her small frame high in the air in greeting, laughing.  She
squeeled and kicked her legs, and then hugged him close when he hugged her.
As he set her back down on the ground, she said, "San-nin."

	Hasaki looked serious for a moment, and then smiled and nodded.
"Domo arigatou gozaimasu, imoto-san." he said.  Holding her small hand in
his long one, the two of them walked into their compartment on the Cascade
Express.

-----------

        Liralen Li was lost.

        She was not only lost, she was hungry, sweaty and tired.  So she
sat down under a maple tree and tried to figure out what might be the next
thing to do.  Wolf hadn't been particularly helpful.

	"You'll know when it's time." he'd said, eyes glowing green.

	Li had sighed, "Time for what?"

	He had shrugged, "Remember the story about Hare and Bobcat?"

	"Which one?  I think you've told me a dozen with those two."

	"The one where Bobcat followes a rustling in the bushes for five
days with Hare tossing a little shit in front of him the entire way."  The
green eyes had crinkled with laughter and Wolf had waited for Li.

	She sighed, tempted to not say anything, 'cause she always got
these stupid guessing games wrong, "You mean I should wait until I see my
prey before I go after it?"

	He'd nodded.

	"How the *hell* do I find something that's in my brain by wandering
around out there?"  Li's arm swept all of the Cascades.

	He'd only smiled and said, "You'll know."

	Li growled under her breath.  Then she realized that she was
hearing water, running water, off to her left.  She levered herself back up
and moved quietly in that direction.

	The undergrowth grew denser as she got closer to the sound.  One
hard push and she was through, she tripped on a root and landed with a
splash in the water.  "Shit!!" 

	The word rocketted around the quiet of the stream side; and Li felt
the warmth creeping into her cheeks at the embarrassment of both the noise
and the fall.  She wasn't used to the forest anymore.  She wasn't a part of
it all, anymore.  She sighed and got up from her sprawl on the wet, mossy
rocks, and sloshed her way back to the bank.  

	There was a chittering laugh, and Li looked up to see a chipmunk,
head down on the side of a tree trunk scolding her.  She smiled at the
little creature, and opened her mouth to scold back.

	A hiss and a puff, and her eyes showed her the slow motion framing
of the squirrel's head coming apart under the internal pressure of its
brains boiling.  The world slowed to molassas in January and Li took off
through the insane stillness for the cover of the blackberry bramble.

	As the blades popped out of her hands and sliced her way into the
thicket, an image from her childhood flashed into place.  Hotei with the
mirrors covering his eyes telling her about leaving his spoor in the middle
of a bramble because he had the 'equipement' to do it.

---------------------------
Copyright 1992 by Phyllis Rostykus

O.K.  I got sidetracked this last weekend by Li and her little tale,
instead of writing the Crystal section.  So what, big deal.  :)  This
section has been a direct result of the Model66 storyline; but there are
going to be references to the _Plum_ story line that Li was in two
Christmases ago.  Yow... 

Much thanks to Hubert Bartells for help with the Japanese.