The Tiger and the Moth

Chapter 24

Chapter 24: The Force Beneath Them

As they drove, Delilah and Emily continued to look for the animals. They came across many others, sheep and lambs. But no cows yet. The day was winding down, and it was starting to get dark again. They were also getting hungry.

"We should stop off somewhere, and get you fed then I'll drop you both off," he said.

"Sounds great," Delilah said. They pulled into a small restaurant that was on the side of the road.

It had a steady stream of people in the restaurant. It smelled like steak and potatoes.

"My name is Bob by the way," Kat's father said.

"Thanks Bob," Delilah said. He ordered steak and potatoes but mashed instead of a baked potato. They ate and listened to people talk around them. When they left the restaurant, they headed back to the car, when they saw the cattle.

"Bingo," he said. Delilah and Emily watched as Bob got the cattle to follow his truck back to the farmhouse where they all slept soundly that night.

***

They woke up the next morning in the farmhouse. Emily woke up before Delilah. She wandered around the house when she noticed a note on the table from Kat's parents. Help yourselves to food. Out working then we'll drive to Biloxi. Emily looked around the living room. She noticed a painting that looked cartoonish, but was clearly older and more sophisticated. Underneath was the poem "The Tyger" by William Blake. It looked old, like an original. She had read about him in class when she was back in school. The tables around the living room were rustic but the farmer's wife put little vases of flowers on each of them. Emily stretched and looked around their living room. She didn't have any new clothes to get dressed in, but she wanted to find a shower. She walked into the kitchen and saw a pot for coffee. She started brewing it. She came back to the living room and Delilah was waking up.

"Here," Emily said, handing Delilah a mug.

"Hmmm coffee and condensed milk," Delilah said, drinking it while sitting up.

"Where'd you get this?"

"Farmers are on a day trip. I think they left it for us," Emily said. "When they get back, they'll take us to Biloxi."

The girls waited around for a couple of hours. Bob returned with his wife.

"Let's go to Biloxi," he said. They got into his truck.

"How are your cattle?" Delilah asked.

"Good. Will be better," he said. "Some didn't make it." He drove and they looked out the windows.

"Wow it's really changed," Emily said. "Since we were even walking this way yesterday, things look different." They made it to Biloxi, but the streets were vacant. Some cars lined the streets but there were few people on the streets. When they came up ahead to the main square, they saw why.

"Is that..." Emily said.

"Flooding. The whole town is flooded," Delilah said. Bob slowed down his truck. They took a look outside. There were a couple feet of water. When Delilah opened her door, it went to her knees. Larry and Michael were no where to be found.

"Call Michael," Delilah said. She handed the phone to Emily. Emily dialed the number, but there was no answer.

"It rang then when to the voice message," Emily told Delilah.

"I can wait here for someone," Bob said, his truck still running and blowing clouds from the tail pipe.

"No it's okay. I know someone who could pick us up. Thank you so much for your help," Emily said.

"If you see Kat, tell her I want a visit from her," he said. Emily got out and slammed the door shut. Bob drove away without looking back at them.

"So who is picking us up?" Delilah said.

"I know this guy who could get us," Emily said. Emily remembered she didn't have his phone number.

"I found this last night," Delilah said. She handed the bus schedule to Emily.

"1993. Yeah this old," Emily said.

"This bus stop probably doesn't exit anymore," Delilah said.

"Maybe the bus will take us to New Orleans?" Emily asked.

"Maybe yeah, we can try." Delilah said. "According to the schedule, the bus should arrive in a few minutes," Delilah said. Only one car passed them on the road, carrying many suitcases on top of the roof of the car. The girls waved anyway. The car honked at them but continued to drive. A few minutes later, a blue Megabus turned the corner. Delilah squeezed Emily's arm.

"Quick, wave your arms," Delilah said. Delilah and Emily waved to the bus that was going an abnormally high speed for the neighborhood, in the rain. The bus came to a stop and the blue doors opened. The bus driver gave a big smile.

"Get right in before we leave ya'll!" her voice booming. She had very blonde hair that it almost looked white. She was in her 60s and had seen the sun most every day of her life and was filled with wrinkles and sun spots. Emily and Delilah hopped on the bus. They were the only ones on the bus.

"I almost missed you both there. You girls didn't wave hard enough," she said, shutting the doors. "I'm joking." She took off quickly, and Emily and Delilah fell back with the bus. The bus continued at a high school in a direction that was unknown to Emily and Delilah.

"I'm Ann," the bus driver said. "Where you girls headed?" Ann asked, even though she knew the place where she was headed.

"New Orleans," Emily said.