The Last Handful of Clover - Book 2: Gifts Both Light and Dark

2.23 Here We Persist

June 13, 4:53 am

As the stars began to wink out over the Wasatch, Richard felt like his mind was so full of new information, and so emotionally battered by the things he had seen, that he needed to rest and just sit silently. At least for a while.

"I haven't felt this tired since I came back," Richard said. "I just want to clear my head for a few minutes. Can we sit somewhere?"

"You aren't physically tired," Billy said. "Fatigue is just an illusion that we sometimes hold on to from our old lives. You can let that go."

"Fine. I'm not physically tired. But if I try to think about this stuff anymore, I think my nerves will snap."

"We don't have much further to go. There is only one thing left I need to show you."

"And then what?"

Billy didn't answer. He just walked on, and Richard obediently followed.

I'll do what he says, Richard thought. At least for now.

He could see the ridge of the mountains towering above him now, as the sky broke from black to gray, but the roads were still mostly devoid of cars. They walked down 21st East through the last of the predawn hours, and Richard followed as Billy led them across the Bonneville Golf Course and towards the foothills. Soon the sky had brightened and turned a soft shade of robin's egg blue, waiting for the sun to spill over the crest of the Wasatch. And with the cool morning air and the coming of dawn, Richard felt like he had taken a tonic that cleared his mind of the horrors, and the wonders, that Billy had showed him overnight.

Eventually their walk took them up Emigration Canyon Road, passing Hogle Zoo on their right. Just past the zoo's parking lot, Billy took a sudden left onto a dirt path with a sign labeled "Bonneville Shore Trail." Less than fifty yards off the main road Billy stepped off the trail and found a spot of scrub oak and broken rocks, where he stopped, looking out over the valley.

It was a beautiful spot, Richard had to admit, with an excellent view of the city below, and the hillside above. The sun was still not up, but golden light had now kissed the Oquirrh mountains across the valley. The city itself remained in shadow, the streetlights blinking out and lights coming on in houses, apartments, and office buildings as the city came to life. It would still be at least two hours until the sun had climbed high enough in the sky to reach them, at the base of the mountains.

Billy and Richard sat at the foot of a scrub oak, and they watched in silence as the city slowly came to life.

"Why here?" Richard finally asked, breaking the silence. "You could have found a more comfortable spot for us to sit."

"But isn't the view from here wonderful?" Billy asked. "Imagine what it was like more than a century ago. The foothills here were still unsettled and Salt Lake City was only a collection of ramshackle buildings and tents down below. You could look from here all the way across to the Oquirrh Mountains, and the air was crystal clear."

"No more inversions, huh?" Richard smirked. "That would be a relief."

He eased back on his elbows, and perhaps it was because his mind was so full and tired that he actually found the hard ground comfortable. He tipped back his head. Above them the sky was full of wispy clouds, looking as fine as dragonfly wings. The morning mist still hung in the air, and the sound of the sparse traffic in the distance faded away. As he stared into the sky, Richard thought he could actually hear the sounds of the animals in the nearby zoo. Like so many others in this valley, they were just starting their day as well.

They too have their jobs to do, he mused. They too are stuck in a fucking cage.

It could have been a half hour or even an hour later before he spoke again. Without even looking, he could sense Billy to his left, sitting cross-legged in the dirt like a Hindu holy man.