All The Dark Places

44. Epilogue

The greenhouse left a thin sheen of moisture on her skin as she tended to a long box planter of medicinal herbs. Rosalind learned from Tess, who held 'garden clinics' every Tuesday morning and taught a team of young people how to work properly in the greenhouse and in the garden and root cellar. Classes were set up for each day of the week in different skill sets; camp cooking, food preservation, self-defense, wood gathering and preservation, first aid, medicinal herbs, hunting and trapping. People were learning and coping, even the ones who resisted early after The Crush. Those who were marched out of the village when Winston Abrams attacked returned, at least most of them did. Some stayed in Athelgate; some moved on to other places, and some did not survive. Thornwood thrived, holding on with a steady grip. It's residents banded together and in the darkness that came from those final days of Winston's attack; they made a collective choice to work toward something brighter. Rosalind was determined to not allow that to happen again. It should never have gone that far. It was, however, impossible to deny that such people existed in the world, existed in all parts of it, and that likely Winston Abrams and his militia would not likely be the last of those who saw what Thornwood had and wanted it for themselves. Rosalind wiped the soil from her hands and looked down at the Patek Phillipe watch that once belonged to Martin but had been a gift to her from Thessaly and Martin. The time was almost noon. Time for the elections.

A week after the attack, it was agreed that Thornwood needed to elect an official leader. Anyone could run for office. Candidates made their speeches in the village park, and it was silently understood that everyone wanted to avoid the castle courtyard because the memory of what had taken place there was too fresh a wound. Before, Rosalind hesitated to be thought of as a potential leader, before she knew who or what might rise instead. She chose to embrace the idea, the responsibility that came with such a station, and respect the honor people did to her by nominating her. Song Han ran on a platform that made sense and was solid, but her husband's controversial pardon for his crimes of assault damaged her campaign, and she seemed to understand and accept that fate. Still, her ideas were sound, and she was capable. Bruce Perry ran on a platform of relocating half of Thornwood's population to Athelgate. Cyrus Spencer ran on a solid platform but was a known drunk and leach and no one cared to have him in office. Diane Tillydaff ran for office but became nervous during her speeches and rambled on for far too long. No one was exactly sure what her platform was, and they politely clapped but dismissed her as a candidate. Tobias Bracks ran on a platform of a rather militaristic focus and in light of recent events and Toby's unlikable personality traits, the crowd booed him off the stage. Several other villagers ran for office but made little impact. Rosalind took the stage and waited a long moment to give the crowd time to think, and to absorb the severity of this decision.

"We all know how devastating this last month has been for everyone here. Many of you lost loved ones, were hurt and lost supplies that will take much time to restore. Despite this, we continue to survive, to even thrive due to the hard work of everyone here. We are resilient and capable, and there is so much more we can accomplish. This year will be difficult. Likely, it will be the most difficult of our lives, but we can rise, above all, that happened and make sure we are prepared in case the threat arises again. My plan is to prepare Thornwood with the skills needed to continue to thrive and to be prepared for anything. We have crops to plant, gardens to tend. We have children that need schooling. We have adults that need time to breathe. I offer schooling for young and old, the ability to learn how to survive and how to thrive through this new world.

As you can see, I have been organizing many of the things that have gotten us through the Summer. The greenhouse, the archery range and training, the patrol, animal paddocks and traps, the family garden plots in Osterley Field. I organized the first trade route with six successful trade stops. I have organized the Friends In Need program for the elderly and inform so that none of our citizens go hungry. For the Winter, I plan to organize the building of underground refrigeration units to keep meat cold longer when the snow comes. I plan to organize more trade caravans and routes. I will arrange groups of citizens to learn craftsmanship and to create useful goods for trade that will allow us to flourish by next Spring. Most of all, I plan to create a team of people noted for their skills to form department leaders. I propose that Thessaly Yearling be officially the Minister Of Agriculture. I propose that Dr. Elkins be the Chief Of Medicine and that he and a team of medics set up an official clinic with a roster for regular check-ups for every resident. I propose that we have a purpose for each person and that everyone is valued. I propose an elder care program and a physical fitness training program that will better equip each resident to cope with the work we must do to survive. I would like to work with Diane Tillydaff to create a comfortable and even pleasant workshop for anyone over sixty, where people can gather and work on handicrafts like canning food, fishing lures and bandages, useful things, cementing them as indispensable members of our society. Most of all, I offer the philosophy that we together can create a haven for ourselves and our loved ones. We can build a new kind of society, perhaps even a better one."

She proposed a scouting and recruiting mission that would go out and find new members of their group with specialized fields. A veterinarian, more hunters, and secretly, she hoped to recruit more people with special abilities. She laid down a time frame for each project, explained the steps involved with each. She proposed a library to be set up in one of the abandoned houses and a crew of scribes who would gather information about useful skills from residents and write it down so it could be shared and permanent. Laying all this out in a well-contracted plan, she ended the speech with another lengthy pause and then a small nod of her head that sufficed as almost a bow.

The crowd clapped, though there were some grumbles from those who felt that an outsider should not be nominated, but she had been nominated fifty-seven times where the second highest number of nominations was Diane Tillydaff at twenty-four nominations. Diane largely gained the confidence of the older people in the village, who worried that they would be left behind or undervalued in this new society. It was a lot to do, the list of things that had to be done, but she was determined now to see progress. People lined up to cast their votes as the candidates sat in fold out chairs in the park with their names written on construction paper in marker that Hannah put together. It reminded Rosalind of mock elections in social studies classes in high school. The gravity of it was a strange and heady mix of severe and this-can't-be-real. The votes were cast, and five random lottery selected residents counted the votes and recounted to make sure the count was accurate. It was Hannah who stood up and held the final result in her hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our newly elected leader is... Rosalind Pyrne!"

The crowd clapped, and many cheered and shouted. Rosalind took the the stage again and simply said,

"Thank you very much for your vote and your trust. I promise you I will keep it close to my heart and never forget what it really important here; all of you. Thank you again."

The village celebrated that afternoon with the roasting of a pig, bought in trade for salted venison from Toby's stock. Villagers savored roasted pork and later a savory broth made from the ham hock. Ramona and Deka setup outdoor games for villagers to enjoy and for the first time in the three months since The Crush; everyone was smiling. Everyone was safe for now, and that could not have made Rosalind happier.