Miles To Go

Chapter Sixteen

(A few days later, in the evening, during The Festival of Love)

"So you majored in culinary arts? What was your minor?" asked Leoric, popping one of Lizzy's macaroons in his mouth.

"Horticulture," Lizzy said. "I wanted to have my own show on Food Network and be the next Martha Stewart."

Some people chuckled.

"Don't laugh, guys. It's not funny," she said, smiling. Everyone was in a celebratory mood at the Festival, well, except for some, like Yeltsin and Roxanne, still mourning the loss of their sister. The Festival of Love was an old Oompa Loompa tradition where young Loompa's choose their life partners.

Miles put an arm around her. "Isn't it amazing the unexpected journeys life can take you on?" he said. She gazed into his soft, sensitive green eyes, and was glad. The War had taken away her family, one by one, but she was slowly building a new one. When she thought she had lost Calvin, back in the cave, she felt the heartbreak was too much for her. But Miles was there to give her strength. I guess we need more than just food, water, and shelter to survive, she thought. We need other people, too.

"Hey, I just thought of something," said Gerald. "What about the astronauts up in the ISS? Do they know what's going on down here? Maybe it'll be like that movie, Planet of the Apes. Remember?"

Lizzy looked around while Gerald jabbered with May and Leoric. Calvin was hanging out with his new best friend, Jaymz. Wesley did everything he could to save the boy's arm, but the bone was badly fractured. He even used a generator to power an x-ray machine to look at all the boys injuries. Raloe had been sorry for causing the loss of limb, and vowed to help Jaymz whenever he needed to tie his shoes, etc. Jaymz liked the idea of Raloe being his personal slave and did sort of forgive him. He actually seemed proud of his stump, which ended just a few inches below the elbow. He seemed most pleased when Sadessa made a fuss over it, giving him advice on what to do and what not to do as a person coping with only one hand. Where is Sadessa now? Lizzy thought. She's missing all the fun. She's probably with Wonka somewhere. Wonka doesn't seem like the partying type anyways. As she watched, Lizzy observed Grace walk up to Calvin and say something. He smiled and offered to get her a drink, as the table was too high for her to reach. I hope nobody spiked the punch when I wasn't looking.

"I invited Peter Bigfoot," said Miles. "And that other guy too."

"That was nice of you. But you know, if they both come, they'll probably just start fighting again. Calvin told me they're like, mortal enemies or something," she said.

"Really? Huh..."

"Yeah. Hey, you never told me he...goes around in the nude all the time," she said, slightly annoyed.

"I didn't? Must've left that out somehow. Good thing his beard is so long though, right?"

"Ha ha, yeah," she said. She noticed that Sadessa and Wonka had finally joined in the merriment. The gang's all here, she thought. But tomorrow it will be splitting up again. She sighed. "I wish you weren't leaving tomorrow."

"I know," he said sadly. She felt him plant a sweet kiss on her check. She grinned sheepishly, bursting with pleasure at the unexpected caress of his lips. "But don't worry, I'll be coming back soon."

THE END