Global Warming Fun 4: They Taste Like Chicken

Global Warming Fun 4:

They Taste Like Chicken

By

Gary J. Davies

Published by Gary J. Davies at Smashwords

Global Warming Fun 4: They Taste Like Chicken

Copyright 2015 Gary J. Davies

Smashwords Edition License Notes

Thank you for downloading this e-book. This book is the copyrighted property of the author and may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed for any commercial or non-commercial use without permission from the author. Quotes used in reviews are the only exception. No alteration of content is allowed. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy.

This e-book is a work of fiction created by the author and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are a production of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. Thank you for downloading this e-book!

Contents

Forward

Chapter 1: The July Chief

Chapter 2: The Spirit Quest Begins

Chapter 3: Jerry Arrives

Chapter 4: Red Claw

Chapter 5: Jerry's Conference

Chapter 6: Deadly Trail

Chapter 7: Immortality?

Chapter 8: Ann

Chapter 9: Fly Fishing

Chapter 10: Pact

Chapter 11: Okwaho

Chapter 12: Night Owl

Chapter 13: Maggots

Chapter 14: Tsiks Attack

Chapter 15: The Fly Mystery

Chapter 16: Idyllic Campout

Chapter 17: Homecoming

Chapter 18: The Offer

About Other Publications by This Author

Forward

This novella is the forth in a planned series of approximately ten short stories and/or novellas that when complete will also (hopefully) at some future date be merged to comprise one seamless epic novel. Only complete works are permitted to be published through Smashwords. Therefore each release in this series must stand alone and exhibit a sense of completeness, yet also address a broader series plotline such that together the releases form an epic story that takes place over many centuries.

The novella Global Warming Fun 4: They Taste Like Chicken can be read independently as a stand-alone story, but for a better sense of the over-all plot and more insight into some of the characters, before reading this story its prequels should be read. In the 'Forward' section of the first release of the series the over-all concept for the Global Warming Fun series is more extensively discussed, providing greater insight into the behind the scenes sausage-making of this series for anyone interested in such mundane things.

The general plan is for each story in the series to provide a glimpse of both typical and critical events amid an increasingly unstable world in which natural, technological and mythical forces are being unleashed due to climate change and other human induced problems. In the first stories at least, the emphasis has been strongly science/science fiction Vs fantasy, except perhaps for the telepathic abilities of some characters, which is not really explained in science terms.

In the first story Ed Rumsfeld and his wife Mary were introduced, along with emerging aspects of the global warming/climate change dilemma including the amazing intelligent ants called jants, their creator Jerry Green (a rogue itinerant gene-splicer) and the Government agents that pursued him.

In the second story Ed and his wife Mary moved to a Native American reservation where the ancient Stone-Coats/Ice Giants of Mohawk tribal legend were found to be creatures of history instead of being mere myths, and animated by silicone and carbon-based 'smart rock' that use known science properties rather than through supernatural means. Though disaster was averted the creatures became allies of the jants in their long-term plan to replace mankind. Also, as New England is to become yet colder as a result of climate change, the Reservation faces an uncertain future.

The third story of the series takes place two decades later in New York City and features the jants, and introduces medical ticks and a new human character named George.

This fourth story returns to the Mohawk Reservation of Giants' Rest Mountain introduced in the second story, another decade and a half after the third story, approximately thirty five years after the Reservation and Tribe were introduced in the second story. Huge changes have occurred, including a thirty-foot thick ice sheet.

Currently ten releases are sketched out for this series. How/if the Earth and humanity will survive the trauma of global warming and other problems is at this time not known by the author. (What makes reading fun also makes writing fun!) We shall need to discover how things turn out together. In recent times it seems that actual events (cold winters in the North East USA, draught in California and parts of Africa, influencing subsequent rebellion in Syria and migration from Bangladesh, etc.) predicted by climate change modeling are perhaps beginning to happen faster than I can write about them. That sort of thing has happened to me before, as I am an inherently slow writer.

In addition to cheerfully and patiently waiting for unknown ages to see how this series unfolds and finally ends, you may wish in the meantime to read an already completed full-length novel. (What a novel idea!) See the 'About Other Publications by This Author' section at the end of this e-book for a brief description of other works completed by this author to be found at Smashwords and affiliated sites (i.e. wherever you obtained this current e-book).

I am indebted to numerous information sources, most found on the internet (including Wiki and Edge websites), for knowledge about the Mohawk, climate change, and other concepts used in this series.

As always I thank my wife and daughters for putting up with all this writing nonsense, Bill Gates for his useful spell-checker that makes even physics-trained engineers passable spellers, and my favorite author James P. Blaylock for his early inspiringly silly fabulist fantasy writings. I wish also to thank the makers of Paint, the freeware which supports my awkwardly challenging but enjoyable creation of what are (hopefully) nifty little e-book covers. My KISS philosophy with regard to covers is to as much as possible design them to be simple, legible, amusing, and attention getting even when they are only three or four centimeters high.

Happy reading!

****

Global Warming Fun 4:

They Taste Like Chicken

Chapter 1: The July Chief

Ed Rumsfeld relaxed in his most comfortable recliner, located in the center of the Tribe Council Chamber. He closed his eyes and let his mind wonder freely. It was early morning and past early summer on the Giants' Rest Mountain Mohawk Reservation, and his wife Mary and most of the rest of the Tribe were by now outside enjoying the sunshine and beginning their long work day, but Ed remained deep within the labyrinth of Tribal caves, enjoying a few blessed minutes of rare telepathic silence. In recent years this had become his favorite non-activity and time of day.

Even his exceptionally sensitive telepathic ability registered only the slow, deep, reassuringly calm 'feelings' of thousands of interconnected Stone-Coat Ice Giant units imbedded in the granite of Giants' Rest Mountain that surrounded him. He found it soothing, like gentle ocean waves rolling softly onto a sandy beach or gentle breezes rustling the trees of a forest. Other than that he could sense no thoughts: not even thoughts from the nosy telepathic ants called jants that inhabited some sections of the caves. To Ed this relative telepathic silence was heavenly!

Ready to tackle more problems, Ati:ron? asked John Running Bear. As usual, the Mohican that had three and a half decades earlier been adopted by the Mohawk Tribe managed to quietly come within ten feet of Ed without his presence being detected. The man's telepathic abilities were wonderfully weak, even after living most of his life among dozens of Tribe telepaths, and being married most of that timespan to Talking Owl, one of the most talented telepaths in Tribe history. Even after years of practice, Ed could only sometimes sense the man's moods, but never his distinct thoughts. It was one of the things that Ed most liked about Running Bear. Only a handful of truly exceptional Tribe telepaths that specialized in humans could read some of his thoughts, and the Mohican couldn't detect the thoughts of humans or other animals at all. The lucky man always experienced a blessed silence, which perhaps helped to explain his calm stoic nature.

The gray-haired Mohican liked to tease Ed by addressing him as Ati:ron, the Mohawk word for raccoon and his tribal name. However when he did that it always caused Ed to nostalgically recall old Mouse/Tsino:wen, Talking Owl's grandmother, who three and a half decades ago mischievously chose 'Raccoon' as his Mohawk name. Even though she died many years ago Ed and the rest of the Tribe still missed her tremendously. She wouldn't like some of the changes that were happening recently to her beloved Tribe, however. And of course thinking of Mouse always caused Ed to think wistfully of others that had died since he lived here with the Tribe, of Mary's Uncle Jack and his friend Doc, and of past Chiefs and other friends. The dying part of life definitely sucked big time.

Fudge! Ed exclaimed. You're reminding me that I'm Northern Chief this month, John! Whatever the problems are, can't they wait until next month? Next month was August, and John Running Bear himself would again take his turn as Chief.

Nope, replied Running Bear with a grin. One big issue is about my grandson Mark Dawn Owl anyway, so I would properly have to recuse myself, such that even next month you would still have to decide the issue.

You have an annoying habit of finding work for me to do, and you know how comfortably lazy I am! Ed complained. OK, so what about Mark? Is he in trouble? Does it involve the Stone-Coat allocated to him? Mark was one of Ed's favorite Running Bear grandchildren. Even at only thirteen years old he exhibited some of the calm stoic character traits that helped make his grandfather a great Tribe Chief, much of his father's science abilities, and a treasure trove of the telepathic abilities that helped make his grandmother Talking Owl a great Religious Chief and Owl Clan Leader and founder. Plus he was also obviously already far smarter than most adults, including the current Northern Chief-of-the-month.

Running Bear laughed. Wow! Maybe along with your telepathy you have become truly psychic! Yes there is indeed a Stone-Coat issue involving Mark! There is also the fly issue that needs resolution sometime soon. Since as of this morning you are acting Chief, you need to decide how to resolve both of these issues.

I'm acquainted with the fly issue and its urgency, but this is the first time I've heard about a Mark issue. How urgent is his issue?

A-S-A-P urgent, I'm afraid. A resolution is needed today, preferably this morning. You have an hour or two to work it out, tops.

Fudge!

Sorry! The fly issue also needs resolution soon.

Really? But my friend, even if it is not your month to be Tribe Chief, you are still officially the Stone-Coat ambassador and Chief Peace Maker! So any Stone-Coat issue involving Mark should be your problem. Plus you were supposed to be working on the fly issue by seeking out input from the Council of Elders including the Elder Council of Mothers. Of course it's admittedly difficult to work with them now that most of the Council resides off the Reservation hundreds of miles south of here, but we had agreed that we should still consider their insights to decide the fly issue.

Running Bear smiled. I will be happy to provide my advice and inputs from the Council to you, my Chief, but I'm not going to let you wiggle out of your obligation to then make the decisions. The Council input is only advisory anyway nowadays, unless they unanimously decide to countermand a decision of the Chief.

Which hasn't happened in decades. Alright, alright; for July the buck stops here with me. So what do the Elders say about the flies?

They report that since the first appearance of giant flies in Mexico more than a decade ago, the creatures have been spreading world-wide and adapting to various climates and victims. Their appearance on the Reservation here in the Adirondacks at some point was somewhat inevitable. Oh, and they also note that the flies often carry a variety of nasty pathogens and sometimes swarm in great numbers.

Swell, but all that and more we already learned via the internet and the telepathic jant network. What we needed from the Elders is their input on what they think that the official Tribe response to the flies should be. Should we treat them as pests to exterminate or as an endangered species to help protect? Perhaps we should even create a fly-based Tribe clan.

Running Bear shook his head. No fly clan is justified, I'm sure. The tsiks are essentially mindless and definitely not suitable companions to Tribe members. Besides, this Mohawk tribe already has six clans: the traditional bear, wolf, and turtle clans, plus the owl clan my wife started, plus the Stone-Coat clan I lead and the jant clan that you lead. Many of the Elders think that there are already far too many clans. Even though under outside pressures and knowledge the clan system is breaking down with the Mohawk as well as with the other Iroquois tribes, it remains a vital tradition that still helps maintain Tribe and Iroquois Nation cohesion. Increasingly that will be needed in these trying times. "

I think we should even do more chanting and beating of drums if it helps Tribe cohesion, said Ed. Of course I was only joking about having a fly clan. But you are right; we do need to do something about the flies very soon. They are evidently drawn to the warmth and life of our greenhouses and increasingly swarm to them.

More fly larvae were discovered in the soil of greenhouse number five last night, Running Bear reported.

And the maggots were quickly dispatched and consumed by jants, Ed noted. The jants informed me of the incident first thing this morning before I left the Jant Clan Longhouse. They also pointed out to me that the flies and their larvae are potential food sources for humans as well as jants. Some off-Reservation human groups have been eating them, especially in China and India, where the food situation is growing truly desperate. The jants eat the larvae world-wide, helping greatly to limit their numbers.

Running Bear shrugged. Better we eat them than they eat us. There are world-wide reports that the creatures attack and eat almost anything now, including most recently humans.

Ed hadn't heard that they were attacking humans. So in summary the good news is that further south the flies have pretty much wiped out some nasty invasive mutant species such as the oversized pythons; the bad news is that since they are running out of pythons they attack practically anything including humans. OK, my friend, I'll also consider and resolve the fly issue on my watch. It sounds like the biggest problem will be to figure out how the hell to rid ourselves of them. Shotgun armed warriors are only part of a temporary answer, I'm sure, though the warriors certainly seem to enjoy blasting the guts out of those buggers. But the big news the jants told me this morning is that Jerry Green plans to visit us for a while. He'll arrive here today no later than noon.

Running Bear whistled, an act that the stoic Mohican reserved for only the most momentous of events. That is big news! How is he getting here? Our old ailing Tribe helicopter won't be in shape to fly for another week or two. Do we need to hastily set up a snowmobile convoy to fetch him from the Albany airport?

"No, that