Quotes from Trails: First Generation

​

Alex:  "It's funny how much everyone tries to avoid hurting others. They hurt them more by doing so."

A tear glistened in her eyes. Amber shook her head. "She has the knowledge. Karen won't travel, and defiantly not without Jerry. She wants to be 'normal.' I know it's her choice."

Amber sighed. For some reason, she didn’t want to work. Before, fieldwork had been exciting, to study things from long ago, and think of how they had affected the present, and potentially the future. Now, she was in the middle of events as they happened, and it wasn't fun. It was scary.

"Or worse," Amber's mom said. "They could be strong enough to rupture the Rio Grande fault more, pushing New Mexico further one way, or the other."

"Oh sure," Alex turned to her. "Reading, seeing pictures, and even video isn't the same as being there. The noxious, deadly odors of the various gasses are missing. Dried lava beds, some rough as a sponge, others smooth and slippery under your feet. Pictures don't let you see and appreciate the depth, and beauty of what's left of the volcano. The local's tales of their homes being swallowed by lava are all second hand. I couldn't ask the locals questions that mom or dad didn't ask for me. Maybe they would have told me something that my parents missed, or didn't think to ask."

Alex's Dad: "I can't. This is the chance of a lifetime. I'll leave a record. Maybe your grandchildren will find it buried in the ash."

Dr. Evan nodded. "People become scared and dangerous when the ground moves, and the power goes out. A stick, or almost anything, could become a weapon for, or against us. We may need protection soon, if things don't improve. The communities are beginning to take notice of the quakes." He started the vehicle.

General Nord faced him. "Young man, don't argue with me. I have lived my life. If I die in this event, I die. You are a young adult, with many years ahead of you, if you survive. The future will need young men like you and Corbo. Bright, intelligent, and those who know where the secrets are. You may have to find them. I am sending you to the Colorado team. Satellite communications will allow you to continue your work with Dr. Rebecca."

"Not to mention the loss of livestock and crops. Can you imagine going back to candles and fireplaces? Most people don't have the patience, or the skills to use them to heat, cook, or read by. If they even have one." Dr. Rebecca said.

"Shame is a terrible game," Dr. Rebecca said. "It makes people do strange things. Shame, fear, and politics all do."

"Not now it wouldn't," Tom said. "Generations ago, natives built their homes out of renewable resources. Those trees, grasses, and other materials wouldn't destroy the environment if knocked down in a hurricane or tsunami. Homes could quickly and easily be replaced by the community. If all those concrete buildings were knocked down, the mess has nowhere to go. The metal and concrete would rip out far more vegetation, and kill more people than waves alone."

Windy:  "Aren't we all mixed up on trails we don't wish to be on. Go on."

Windy: "I wouldn't exist. My ancestors belong to many tribes that would never have met. Some were at war with one another, before being forced to live on the same reservation."

Windy turned from the fence, and peered through the darkness toward the forming volcanoes. "We want our lands back to try to heal them, or live with them the way they are now. Take your young friend, and go somewhere safe. Far away from here, if you want to live. It isn't safe when the Earth vomits, twists, and turns, as she lays down new skin."