"Wow! You two are a couple already. I knew it. I told myself, Targent, you might as well give up on pretty miss Anna Marie, the moment I saw you, Tommy. But that don't mean we can't be friends, you and me, heck all the more reason, we're sweet on the same girl. Don't worry though, I know you two are goin' steady, so I won't get in the way." Targent spewed at Anna Marie and Tommy who released each others hands as Targent spoke.
"We, ah, well I, uh, We aren't a couple," Tommy answered hesitantly, eying Anna Marie to gauge her reaction as he said it. She smiled at him in a way that let him know that she understood everything about the way he was feeling. He had no doubt that she could see inside his heart, right down to his soul. "I think we can all be friends, Targent," Tommy added "as a matter of fact, friend, I could use your help right now. What do I do next, have you seen Vinny, any idea what happened to Mojahdii and just who is he, some kind of teacher or leader, is this a cult, a commune, a co-op, rehab or just a nice place to hang out and look at mountains?"
With this, Anna Marie gently took the shoulder of each man and turned them away from her in the direction of the river. "I think she's telling both of us we need a bath! Targent laughed and patted Tommy on the shoulder. He turned to look over his shoulder to see Anna Marie bounding away gracefully, her long hair blowing n the breeze as she waved happily at the new friends.
A few steps from the river, Targent stopped and began to take off his clothes. Blue thought he was joking around until he began striding freely and confidently to the water's edge. The river was not very wide and Targent was now standing directly across from two women who were washing a large bowl and a pitcher, both of which appeared to be handmade from clay. They were brightly colored yet slightly rough looking and the women cradled them carefully as they cleaned them. "Those are very beautiful," Targent remarked.
The women looked up from their work and said "Thank you, Targent" without the slightest surprise or shock at his nakedness.
"Did you make those today?" he asked as he stepped into the water.
"Yesterday," they said in unison. The older one asked, "who's your friend?"
"That's Tommy," Targent replied.
"Well of course it is," the older one continued, "he's the only new guy here. Hey Tommy," she called out, "why don't you take off your clothes and have a little swim, maybe we can help you find the crystal!"
Blue could tell that this was going to be an interesting visit to the Shadowlands. Still, the water looked inviting and it seemed like people in the Shadowlands had no trouble at all with nudity. Blue carefully placed his bundle on a nearby rock, took of his clothes and walked into the water. The women watched him walk the entire way into the water. He felt as though they were paying a little closer attention to him than they had to Targent. They whispered to one another, giggling slightly, then ran from the water's edge.
"What do you have for soap?" Blue asked half-jokingly.
To his surprise, Targent disappeared under the water for what seemed like minutes. When he popped back up again, he was holding a stone, about the size of a baseball. he tossed it to Tommy. "Go ahead,"he urged, pantomiming the action of lathering up his armpit, then he laughed and splashed like a little boy.
Blue tried using the stone like soap. To his great surprise, it lathered as well as any soap he had ever used.
Missed it by one minute. Damn kitchen clock! have to remember to look at the screen!
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