Committed

COMMITTED by A.R. Kirby Episode 31 Arguments, a conspiracy, and dragon moles L iv gave one last look at the bulging, green cloth grocery sacks lined neatly in the cargo area of the Volvo, nodded her approval, and shut the hatch with a satisfying slam. Monica and Alice were already in the car, and Liv quickly joined the two young women. After a brief discussion over what to listen to on the way (Janis Joplin’s Pearl was a unanimous choice), Liv put the car into gear and they headed home. “Hey, thanks for coming shopping with me,” Liv said, her voice pleasant and her eyes smiling behind her Jackie O-style sunglasses. “That was fun.” Liv spoke the truth. She had enjoyed this brief shopping trip with the girls more than anything else she had experienced over the past few days. The routine of picking out groceries and the banter of the girls as they shopped took her away from any thought of powers, threats to the planet, or what she and Tal were to do. It was, to Liv, an unexpected and blessed relief. But all good things eventually come to an end, and Committed by A.R. Kirby Liv’s brief reprieve was about to be shattered. “No problem,” Monica said from the passenger seat. “I had a good time.” “I would have had a good time if it hadn’t been for Miss Arbiter of Style,” Alice quipped from the back seat. “Who died and made you fashion queen?” “All I said was that the earrings didn’t suit you,” Monica said, turning in her seat to face her stepsister. “What’s wrong with that?” “That’s not what you said.” “Oh no? Then what exactly did I say?” Liv stared at the road ahead, trying to decide whether to intervene in the girls’ bickering. She could feel that the situation might escalate and end in tears; on the other hand, Monica and Alice were two mostlymature young women. Liv decided to keep her mouth shut and let the two work it out for themselves. As she drove the familiar route home from Whole Foods, Liv was able -- for the most part -- to tune out the slowly-intensifying argument, but in shutting out Alice and Monica, Liv found herself oblivious to anything except the road ahead and her own thoughts. That’s when the trouble started. I wonder how many more trips like these we’ll have? Liv thought as she navigated. Will there be any more at all? Will there even be a Whole Foods? Will 2 Episode 31 there be Monica and Alice to help me shop? Liv gritted her teeth, her mind racing. Outside, clouds began to gather overhead -- somehow contained to an area within a half-mile radius of the moving Volvo -- and they darkened in unison with Liv’s thoughts. She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Alice’s flushed face as she argued with her older stepsister. How can I keep her safe? Liv thought. And from what? And not just Alice, but Monica, and Tal... and the WHOLE FREAKIN’ WORLD! Oh my god! How can we do this? I’m just a woman, and Tal’s just a man. We’re nothing special. NOTHING SPECIAL! This shouldn’t be for us to do, it’s not our job, it’s not ours, we didn’t do this. We didn’t do this, and we shouldn’t be expected to -- to -- to do anything! I don’t want it! I don’t! I can’t do it! Liv’s thoughts clanged around inside her head like a super-bouncy ball fired from a cannon into a small metal box, moving at the speed of sound and making a horrendous racket but accomplishing precious little else. The frenetic mental activity made her oblivious to both: a) her two passengers, who were now actively yelling at each other; and b) the weather, which had changed from threatening to downright ominous. I swear to God, I can’t do it, can’t do it, can’tdoitdo itdoitdoitdoitdoit.... “YOU ARE SUCH A STUPID LITTLE BITCH!” Monica screamed across the back of the seat at her younger step-sibling. The shout snapped Liv out of her nightmarish detachment and into a nearly senseless anger. 3 Committed by A.R. Kirby “SHUT UP! JUST STOP IT!” Liv yelled, as much at herself as at the girls. At that instant, a bolt of lightning struck the base of a massive oak next to the road, cleaving the tree in half lengthwise and sending several tons of raw lumber heading toward the roof of the passing Volvo. Liv swerved instinctively and narrowly missed an oncoming Buick as the tree crashed to the ground behind the car. She slammed on the brakes and the Volvo skidded to a halt on the side of the road. Liv sat, panting in the driver’s seat. Both Alice and Monica stared at her, wideeyed and afraid. “Are you two okay?” Liv glanced in turn at each young woman. They both nodded dumbly. As her breath began returning to normal, Liv was able to release her death grip on the steering wheel. Outside, thunder rumbled distantly, the rain slackened, and a ray of sunlight pierced the clouds. The storm appeared to be ending as quickly as it began. “Okay then,” Liv said, smoothing her hair and straightening her sunglasses. She put the car into drive and pulled onto the road once again. “Enough of this fighting. Let’s go home.” ---Tal was dozing fitfully on the chaise in the back yard, his sunglasses askew and a small rivulet of drool drying at the corner of his mouth. His nap was marked by numerous tosses and turns, mainly because his dreams 4 Episode 31 were filled with thousands identical versions of Toby, each one screeching insults at him. Just as one of the cats in his dream finished a particularly nasty comment about his mother, the sound of three of the Volvo’s doors slamming awoke Tal with a start. He paused for a moment and groggily put an hand to his scalp, scratched his head, and wondered where he was. He looked around the yard, and quickly realized that his wife and daughters had returned from their shopping trip. He glanced at the ground around the chaise and saw his empty beer bottle laying on its side to his left. He looked to the right, saw the box, and did a double-take. “Shit,” he muttered, getting up from the chaise hastily. He grabbed the bottle in one hand, scooped up the box with the other, and started inside. With a little luck, I’ll get this back into the drawer before Liv and the girls get back here, he thought as he raced across the deck and into the back door. Liv won’t care, but I don’t want the girls... Tal never saw Liv as she exited the kitchen, and his thoughts -- not to mention his progress -- stopped short as he collided with his wife just inside the back door. The two of them fell into a tangled heap, with Tal’s beer bottle clattering into the kitchen and his box bouncing into the bedroom where it stopped just at the edge of the bed, unopened. “Oh my God,” Tal said, pulling himself up to a sitting position on the floor and moving one of Liv’s legs 5 Committed by A.R. Kirby off of his own. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Liv sat up slowly, rubbing the back of her head. She wasn’t okay, she knew, not in any way, shape or form. She looked at Tal’s face, wondering what to say, her eyes red-rimmed and her lower lip trembling. When she saw the concern, care, and love for her reflected in Tal’s gaze, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. “Oh., Tal...” she cried, tears streaming down her face as she threw her arms around her husband’s neck. She crushed her face into his chest, the fabric of Tal’s shirt doing little to muffle her sobs. Tal sat still for a moment, wondering what to do, and decided actions were better than questions at this point. He pulled Liv tightly to him, letting her cry. Alice and Monica, momentarily putting aside their feud to investigate the wails coming from the hallway, stuck their heads outside the entrance to the kitchen. When Tal noticed them, he shooed them away one-handed. Once the young women went about their business, Tal returned his attention to his grieving wife. “So what’s this all about, huh?” he asked gently, putting a hand under Liv’s chin and raising her face to see his. “What happened?” “Oh, Tal, it was horrible,” Liv said, sniffling. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, and took a deep breath. “I’m so scared. We were having such a good time, and then the girls started fighting. I tried to ignore it, and when I did... well, when I did, I started thinking 6 Episode 31 about, about... about everything... I just don’t know. But I ended up yelling at the girls, and I’m pretty sure I almost killed us with a lightning bolt. I can’t do this, baby. I think I’m losing my mind.” Tal looked closely at his wife’s face: Her eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks were tear-stained, and her hair was a mess. Her fearful expression added insult to injury. You know, if this wasn’t happening to me, too, I just might think she was crazy, Tal thought. “You’re not crazy,” he said softly, smoothing away a strand of hair from Liv’s forehead. “Crazy stuff is happening and we’re caught in the middle of it somehow. I don’t know what to do either, but we’ll figure it out. We will. I promise.” “Really?” Liv sniffled again. floor.” “Really,” Tal assured her. “Now let’s get off this Tal stood, extended a hand to his wife to help her up from her sitting position, and led Liv to the bedroom where he motioned for her to sit on the bed. She took her place quietly. “Why don’t you take a little nap,” Tal said. “It’s been one hell of a couple of days. Get a little sleep, I’ll work with the girls on getting dinner ready, and then we’ll all have a nice evening on the deck.” “That sounds great,” Liv said, settling back onto 7 Committed by A.R. Kirby the pillows. “All this emotion has gotten me worn out.” Tal leaned down and kissed Liv on the nose. “It’s going to be okay,” Tal said, his face almost touching hers. “I promise. I’m not going to let anything happen to you or those girls. It will be okay.” Liv smiled. He really means it, she thought. “I love you, Tal Hooper,” she said. “I love you too. Now get some rest.” Liv closed her eyes and in a few minutes she was fast asleep. She slept soundly and dreamlessly for almost two hours. When she finally stirred, the late afternoon sun was casting a golden glow through the windows into the bedroom. She got up, ran a hand through her hair, and started towards the bathroom to wash her face to get ready for dinner. She paused when she heard an odd sound coming faintly from the deck -- a slow squeak followed by a clink. Squeeeaaaak. Pause. Clink. Squeeeaaaak. Pause. Clink. Squeeeaaaak... Intrigued, she looked out the back window to see Tal standing by the door/table on the deck, a stack of dishes and silverware carefully placed at the head of the table. Tal ignored the awaiting place settings, choosing rather to cautiously lift the door of mail slot in the middle of the table with a long piece of branch. He raised the slot cover (squeeeaaaak), held it open for a moment (pause), and then let it slam shut again (clink). Liv stifled a giggle and went to the back door. 8 Episode 31 “What are you doing?” she hissed under her breath. Tal looked up with a sheepish grin as the door to the slot clinked shut yet again. “Just making sure we don’t get sent to the moon or Timbuktu or who knows where during dinner,” he whispered back. “Come on. Everything’s almost ready.” ---After dinner -- a veritable vegan feast featuring faux crab cakes made from zucchini, boiled red potatoes and roasted corn on the cob -- Tal neatly folded his napkin and placed it in the center of his completely empty plate, leaned back in his chair, took a long pull his beer, and sighed contentedly. “That was great,” he said, and let out a low belch. “Tal,” chided Liv, while Monica made a face of mock disgust and Alice chimed in with a surprisingly loud and extended burp of her own. The whole table giggled. “Okay,” Tal said, sitting up and looking into the faces of his family. “I have a proposal. It’s been a rough couple of weeks for everyone, and I think we all need a break. Let’s have family fun day tomorrow. Whaddya say?” Monica and Alice looked at each other questioningly, then came to a silent agreement between 9 Committed by A.R. Kirby them that it might not be such a bad idea. Liv smiled, and took a sip of chardonnay. “What do you think we should do?” she asked. “We haven’t done go-carts in forever,” Alice said hopefully. Go-cart racing was one of her favorite activities, and every trip the family took to the beach required a trip to the track. Liv and Monica would no longer race with her because Alice was a demon on the track, regularly putting family members into the fence with her aggressive style of driving. Tal, on the other hand, would still compete with her although he almost invariably wound up losing badly to the teenager. “Uh, no,” Monica answered quickly. “I think I’ve got a Black & White in my room. Let me run get it.” She excused herself from the table, and returned almost immediately with the local entertainment tabloid in her hand. “Let’s see,” she said, taking her place back at the table and rifling through the pages of the magazine. “Here it is. Eric McGinty is playing at Vulcan Park tomorrow afternoon. Can we go?” Eric, a former student and current friend of Tal’s, made some of Birmingham’s most under-appreciated music. The two men got to know each other when Eric took an Alabama history class from Tal and showed an interest in his professor’s work with pre-Columbian cultures in central Alabama. On a whim, one night Tal went to a local bar to hear Eric play, and found his music 10 Episode 31 outstanding. A friendship grew over the years, and the two men and their families still kept in touch, but not as much as either would like. But the main reason Monica brought up the subject is that she harbored a small, secret crush on her father’s friend. Eric was to her like Leif Garret was to a generation of teens in the Seventies. “I haven’t seen him in ages,” Tal said. “It might be fun.” Nods all around the table greeted Tal’s statement. “So it’s settled then,” Tal said as he leaned back in his chair again. “Vulcan it is.” He paused for a moment, then offhandedly posed a question to his family. “Do any of you know why Vulcan is where it is?” “Well, sure,” Alice said quickly. “You’re an Alabama history professor. We’re you’re family. We know all about it. It’s a symbol of the steel industry.” “Yes, yes, that’s right. But why did they put it on top of Red Mountain?” part.” “I dunno,” Alice said quietly. “I didn’t learn that “Well, this is one of Old Laz’s favorite stories about Birmingham,” Tal said. “When the statue was brought back to Alabama after the World’s Fair...” in. “The 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis,” Alice piped “Yes, Alice, thank you. The 1904 fair. When the statue came back, there was a lot of discussion about 11 Committed by A.R. Kirby where the statue should be placed. Some people wanted it to stay at Fair Park, others thought that Linn Park in the center of downtown would be the best place to put it. Debate over Vulcan’s fate raged throughout the town. “Finally, a decision was made. The city announced that, with the help of the Work Projects Administration, a new park would be built on Red Mountain, overlooking Southside. There was, of course, a great deal of consternation over this...” Monica looked at Tal. “Did you really just say ‘consternation’?” “Yes, I did. It’s a fine word.” “Whatever, country man. Your Walker County roots are showing. Go on.” Tal took a deep breath before continuing. Liv giggled and had another sip of wine. “Anyway, the whole town was up in arms over the decision. Some people hated the location, the people in the southern suburbs didn’t want Vulcan’s butt hanging over their heads, and nobody -- but nobody -- wanted the federal government telling Birmingham what to do. “Nonetheless, the people’s voice went unheard, and Vulcan Park was built where it is today.” Tal took another long swig of his beer, then leaned forward into the table. “Now the question here is this: Why were the 12 Episode 31 wishes of the people completely ignored?” “Well, what was it?” Liv asked with a comic wariness. “Dragon moles.” “What?” Alice and Monica asked in unison. “What the heck is a dragon mole?” Liv asked. “Well, here’s how Old Laz told it,” Tal said, leaning back once more. “The site where Vulcan Park is today was once the location of the Halloran #13 mine. Now, the Halloran Mining Company was the most productive -- and the most financially successful -- of all of the early iron ore mining companies in Birmingham. Oscar Halloran was a mining genius from Wales, and he located the main iron ore seams running through Jones Valley before anyone else. He came up with all kinds of inventive mining techniques, and he staffed his company with experienced miners from all over the world. He treated -- and paid -- his workers well, and soon all of Red Mountain was honeycombed with Halloran’s mines.” Tal paused and took a sip of his beer, and looked at the faces of his family. They were engrossed. He smiled and resumed his story. “Do you remember seeing the first ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie?” he asked. “The part about Moria and the balrog, where the dwarves delved too deeply and set loose a monster?” 13 Committed by A.R. Kirby Monica looked a bit puzzled, but both Liv and Alice nodded. “It seems that something similar happened deep within Red Mountain. Stories began coming from the miners of strange creatures they would sometimes find in the deepest parts of the mine -- weird, molelike creatures, creatures covered with a leathery skin, subterranean monsters that ate iron ore and breathed fire. “Of course, a good story is a good story, and this one spread all over the mining camps and company towns. Nobody really believed it; it was the kind of thing mothers would tell their kids about to get them to behave -- ‘you go to sleep now or the dragon moles will get you!’ -- it was basically an old wives’ tale. But something was going on at the Halloran #13 mine, something that scared a lot of miners. “Nothing was every officially said about it, but just after Vulcan came back from St. Louis, Oscar Halloran closed his Red Mountain operations and went into seclusion. No one really knows what happened to him. “Old Laz said it turned out that there really was such a thing as a dragon mole, and the government -- or some other organization directing the government, Laz could never prove anything -- decided that these creatures created a clear and present danger to the country. The mines had to be shut down, and these creatures had to either be contained or destroyed. Something had to be done. And that something turned out to be Vulcan.” 14 Episode 31 “So what did they do?” asked Monica. “You know the pedestal Vulcan stands on? It’s not really a pedestal,” Tal said. “It’s just the top of a gigantic stone and concrete plug the WPA put in the mountain to keep the dragon moles in the ground. Laz swears it goes down into the earth for miles. “And that, ladies,” Tal said, reaching for the last swallow of his beer, “is how Vulcan came to be placed on Red Mountain.” “You don’t really believe that, do you?” Liv looked at Tal with a puzzled expression. “Oh, of course not,” Tal replied. “It’s just one of Old Laz’s stories. Dragon moles... please.” To be continued 15