A Comet Visits Earth

Winter

December was dark and cold. It snowed every week until they were buried in it. They shoveled out pathways and doorways to keep everything open. Another old female died the first week of December. Doug had set up a heater on the floor in the middle of the barn. However, it only kept the temperature around 45 degrees at night. This was going to be a long winter. The herd was huddled together in each of their groupings.

The men riding the border began bringing home some game. It seemed that without people around the valley the wildlife was making a comeback. They were mostly bringing in some rabbits. However, they saw prints in the snow that told them there were more types of wildlife around the valley.

The female dog had five puppies. Lawanda made sure they were well cared for and the mother had plenty of food. Liz gave the puppies their distemper shots when they were old enough. By spring, those puppies would have a dog pack around the ranch.

As Christmas approached, Rick was concerned about the outlooks of each person in the community. Wally had found Christmas decorations in the attic and Rick had them decorate the ranch house. It was in the middle of December when Susan came running to Rick.

"Liz says I'm pregnant." She was breathless with excitement. "She says the end of September." Rick hugged her and they sat down in the great hall and talked about their future child.

They now had six women pregnant. Juan would have to make more bassinettes and cribs. That gave them something to do in the dark, cold days of December. By Christmas, they had four bassinettes and six cribs ready.

Lilly was the furthest along. She was still five months away and only now beginning to show. Joe would rub her tummy in bed and talk to the baby. He held her through the cold nights. They would make love, but not as often as before. She was more tired, and Joe wanted her to reserve her strength for the baby. She couldn't convince him that it would be okay to fool around.

Willie watched the other women get pregnant with mixed emotions. She had never wanted children, and she still didn't. However, she was wondering what Bobby was thinking. They weren't like the other couples. They were only together for convenience. They had never talked about love, or anything like a commitment. She decided she had to talk to Bobby about this. She got her chance later that night as they were preparing for bed.

There were many nights they just held onto each other and went to sleep without sex. They weren't losing their ardor, but the cold, dark days were weighing heavily on them. She decided to talk to Bobby about it.

"Bobby, I want to talk to you about something on my mind."

Bobby sat up and looked her in the eyes. "Okay, shoot."

Willie didn't know how to start. She finally said. "I have been wondering what you thought about all the pregnancies we have now. I was thinking about our relationship, and what it means to each of us."

Bobby looked down at his hands. "I've been thinking about that, too. We had a "marriage" of convenience, and I am not sure how you really feel about me. I don't think I want any children. Not that I think there is anything wrong with children. It is just something that I have never seriously considered. What about you?"

"I have also never considered children, and I don't think that has changed. I am more concerned about the two of us. Where do we stand with each other?"

Bobby was silent for a few minutes. "I have used the word "love" so freely and nonchalantly for so long, I had never thought about it in the permanent sense." He looked up at Willie and took her hand. "However, we are in a forever situation, and I have been considering our relationship in that light. I have come to realize that not only are you a beautiful woman, but you are also smart, kind, and gentle. I have been more content and happier with you than I ever have before. I am coming to realize that my life is better with you than it has ever been before. I don't want to upset our arrangement, but I am coming to realize that I do love you. I am content to spend the rest of my

life with you and try to make you happy. I had never thought of that before. You are the first woman that I think of your feelings first. I catch myself during the day wondering if you are okay, and if you are thinking of me. Since this is new to me, I am not sure what it means."

Willie was shocked. She had never considered that he would go in THAT direction. She assumed he was still nonchalant about her. This changed everything she was thinking.

Willie looked into his eyes. She smiled. "I have felt like that for a while. I was afraid to say anything for the same reasons you were. I do love you. I do want us to stay together. Whether that means children or not is something we can discuss later. Now, I want you to know that every time you enter my body, I feel complete and fulfilled. I was afraid to say anything. Now, thank you for what you said. I will love you for the rest of my life. If there is anything I can do to make you happier, I will be glad to do it."

Bobby reached out to her and took her in his arms. They made gentle love that night. He knew his life would never be the same. It is one thing to be with a woman. It was quite another thing to be totally committed to her with your body and soul.

Mary was happy for Susan, but a part of her was jealous that she got pregnant the first time and Mary had not. Rick could sense her thoughts and wanted to reassure her.

That night, as Susan was getting ready for bed, Rick sat on the bed beside Mary and took her hand. "My love, it is only the first try. I promise to get you pregnant. And remember, I get to keep trying until I succeed"

Mary hugged Rick and held on for a few minutes. Susan came out as they were breaking up and smiled at them. "You will be next, my dear. I know it."

They all got into bed and held each other until they went to sleep.

Christmas dawned with a blizzard. The power went out in the early morning hours, and Doug and Jesus fought the winds and snow to get to the generator shed. The batteries of the solar panels were almost empty. They would have to depend on the generator until the sun returned. The tank on the generator

was also almost dry. They grabbed a couple of empty cans and headed to the pump. The winds were howling, and they fought their way to the pump. They got the two cans filled and fought their way back to the shed. After filling the tank, they attempted to restart the generator. It would not start. Doug had been afraid of that and had brought a propane torch with them. The lines were probably frozen. He ran the torch over the lines until they warmed up and tried the generator again. It didn't want to start, but at least it had fuel. After several attempts, it finally fired up and the lights came on. They took the cans with them to fill them up. After filling them up, they took them to the house to keep them warm.

When it was a little lighter, the men headed toward the barn. They had to check the herd, cattle, and horses. The cattle and horses were fine, and they fed and watered them. They were huddled together and waiting out the storm.

The herd was a different matter. There were two more of the older one's dead. One female and one male. Doug called Rick on the walkie talkie and asked him to come to the barn.

When he and Ray arrived, Doug showed them the bodies. "They are not going to survive this winter."

Rick nodded. He had been afraid of this. He told Ray. "I want you to go down into the basement of the house and prepare it for the herd. At least until the weather breaks. Once you have it ready, I will get help leading them down into the basement. It is warmer there than this."

Ray and Doug agreed and headed toward the basement. Rick went with them as far as the living room. He called a meeting of everyone.

"We have two more dead old ones. They are not going to survive this storm if we don't do something. I have asked Doug and Ray to prepare the basement for the herd. It will be tight, but they will be warm enough to survive this storm. After the storm, we can address other measures." A couple of the ladies that weren't pregnant went down and began helping them to make it more comfortable for the herd. There were nearly eighty left. They could bring the heater in the barn to help.

Ray and Doug set up water troughs. There was no way to separate the bulls from the young females. They could not be sure the bulls would not leave their partners for new challenges. They decided to tie the bulls up and rope off each group.

When they were ready, the men bundled up and headed to the barn. They tied several together into a chain, and each took a chain and headed to the house. The naked herd would freeze if they didn't hurry.

The herd did not want to leave the barn. It took several of them to get one chain out the door. Once they were outside, it was easier to make them move quickly. The ladies had the doors ready, and they came into the living room. They stopped when they were there. It was warm and nice, and they wanted to look around. It took all the men's strength to get them to the door of the basement. They finally were able to pull them into the basement and tie them to a post. It took ten more trips to get all of them into the basement. When they were finally in the safety of the house, the men collapsed on the couches. They weren't done, but at least, no more of them would die tonight.

The winds howled outside, and everyone decided that was enough for that night. They went to bed.

The next morning dawned with the winds having died down. It was still snowing, and the temperature was still in the teens. Ray went to feed and water the cattle and horses while Rick and the others tried to figure out how to feed the herd in the basement.

Doug and Jesus went to the barn to get the herd's feed. They brought a couple of bags of the feed Latisha had made up. When they got downstairs, they found the herd sitting on the floor and huddled together in their groups. The ladies began holding a bowl of feed in front of each one of them. They would give each a bowl of feed. That took most of the morning with eighty mouths to feed. Once each had been fed, they roped off three large areas and separated the older from the younger, and the younger males from the younger females. They had to tie the bulls up against the wall as they were more aggressive than the others. They put a trough of water within the reach of each group.

That would have to be good enough for now. The snow finally stopped falling in the afternoon. The sun came out clear and cold. The men went out to begin the process of clearing the pathways to each building. That took the rest of the day. Doug refilled the gas tank and cleaned the solar panel off. He checked the connections and made sure the panels were recharging the batteries. There was not enough sun left to completely charge the batteries. They may have to get by one more night on the generator.

Everyone gathered in the living room to discuss their situation.

Rick started. "At least no more of the herd will die during this storm. With New Years Day coming in a couple of days, we still have a long winter in front of us. I think we will have to keep them in the basement until the temperature gets at least in the forties. That might be a month or longer. It is going to smell down there. We will have to clean it up regularly and try to find a better way to feed and water them. Any other observations?"

Dr. Liz spoke up. "I think the pregnant women should stay away from the herd. I don't want to take any chances."

It was agreed and everyone went to dinner and to bed.

The next couple of days until New Years were uneventful. The solar panels recharged the batteries, and they were able to turn the generator off. They managed to find a way to feed the herd a little more efficiently, and the days pasted quietly.

The new year started quietly enough. They didn't have another storm for two weeks. The temperature averaged in the twenties. Because no animals were outside, the dogs stayed close to the ranch. The men still rode the boundaries, looking for tracks of anything or anyone. They didn't expect to see anyone's tracks, but you can't take anything for granted.

Mary's time came around again. They tried, but to no avail. She was getting depressed. Nothing Rick or Susan said helped. Rick really hoped she would get pregnant in February.

Doug and Jesus went to the garage and started the trucks up to warm them up. It was getting harder to start them. They decided to start them more often. They didn't think they would need them, but they wanted them to work.

The winter passed slowly. February came and went. Mary and Rick worked hard to get her pregnant. It finally happened in the first week of March. The weather was warming up. It was in the fifties, and they had moved the herd back to the barn. The snow was melting, and everyone was in a good mood. They had survived the winter, and they were looking forward to getting out in the warm sunshine again.

Mary cried when Liz told her she was pregnant. She had been doubting if she ever would. Susan and Mary would sit on the bed and cry together.

Lilly was now only two months away from her due date. She is a small woman, and her tummy was huge. She didn't move around much. Liz was considering putting her on bed rest.

They now had seven women pregnant. As they grew closer, they grew larger. Three of them were not able to do any work now.

Wally had decided to make a special meal celebrating their first-year anniversary at the ranch. They had not heard a word from the Air Force since the original message. They didn't really think they would hear again.

They celebrated their first anniversary at the end of March. Rick got up at the dinner and spoke. "I want to congratulate each and every one of you. You have accomplished more than anyone could have expected. We still have problems we haven't thought about yet, but I am certain this group will handle it. Salute." He toasted the room, and everyone celebrated.

By the end of March, the snow was gone, and the temperature was in the fifties. It felt like summer after the winter they had endured. They had only lost four of the older members of the herd to death. Ray had decided to put the younger ones out in the pasture for a couple of days when the sun was shining. He wanted them to get a little exercise. Planting was coming, and they were not in shape to help.

Doug had told Rick the fuel tank was down to sixty gallons. It had one hundred gallons a year ago. At that rate, they would be without vehicles in another year and a half.

Rick and Doug considered their options. There would be no need for the trucks much. There was nowhere to go.

"Doug, can you wire the truck batteries into our solar panels?"

"Probably. We won't need the trucks anymore, anyway."

"Can we set them up in a reserve role, or would that run them flat quicker?"

"I can make a backup battery of batteries. Maybe I could add a couple to our regular batteries, as well."

"Good. Let's pull them out of the garage. We can use the room for other things now."

Doug and Jesus took a couple of guys and started working on the trucks. It took them a couple of weeks to get them all started. They pulled them out and parked them behind the barns. This gave them a lot of room in the garage to work with. They drained the trucks of gas and put it back in the tank. That gave them more than seventy gallons of fuel.

Doug and Jesus came to Rick with an idea. They wanted to take one of the pickup trucks and pull it back into the garage. They wanted to take the bed off and make another wagon. They had the metal working materials to build a frame under the bed and put the wheel components under it. They could put a tongue in front of it so the bulls could pull it. They also wanted to keep one of the truck engines in good condition. They could use it as a way to provide power on the ranch. A belt over the wheel hub could turn several things and make their lives easier. Doug had a vision for a wheat grinder.

Rick told them to use whomever they needed to work it out.

Willie had been thinking about children ever since she and Bobby had their talk.

She was warming to the idea of having a baby. She was afraid to broach the idea to Bobby. Their life together since the talk had been wonderful. The sex was great, and the time spent together was warm and affectionate. However, as the time was for the first of the babies to be born she realized she wanted to join in.

She finally decided to at least broach the idea to Bobby. One night after dinner, as they were getting ready for bed, Willie spoke up. "Bobby, can we talk about something?"

"Sure, but I have a good idea what you have in mind. It wouldn't have anything to do with a baby, would it?"

Willie looked surprised. She looked down, afraid to look him in the eyes.

Bobby took her chin in his hand and lifted her face until they were eye to eye. "I've been thinking about it too. If you would like to have a baby, I am for it. We must repopulate the world, after all, it is our civic duty to pop out as many kids as possible."

Willie laughed. "I don't think I would put it like that, but yes, I would really like to have a baby."

He took her by the hand and led her to the bed. "Then we had better get to work."