Ninovan (Hypernaturals 10)

Frustration

The new hotel is nicer than the old one, in that our room is bigger, and the foldout bed for Vera and Angel is nicer. It is near a brewpub, with what looks like a good taproom, so we are sold. It has a tub and a shower, and the tub is smaller and the shower bigger than before. There is a big jacuzzi by the pool, but that does not work for us. Humans don't like naked people in public jacuzzi's unless you are in the right place, and in this part of the South, it would not go over well. All nudity has to be kept behind closed doors. New Orleans? Sure. Up here, not considered to be copacetic.

We took the day as a travel day, since towing the RV means we drove at a reasonable speed. We'd go to the local library in the morning and start digging in again, but today is a play day. We drank good beer, and we laughed a lot, and hands wandered under the table and out of sight.

On her fifth beer, Jessica sighed. "I wish I wore a dress. It's not as fun on the outside of jeans."

Jessica in a dress so that there are no impedances to her physical self is a mental image I did not need in public.

Morgan, ever observant of my face, came up with an idea. "I am not a dress person, but there is a discount clothing store for women near the library. How about you and I get one dress each, and then find a nice public place, and put him between us?"

Morgan has a kink. She enjoys pushing the envelope of public sex.

Everyone packed for this trip like we are going hiking. All practical clothes. At the end of that morning's trip, not just two but four dresses were purchased because Angel and Vera are joining in the fun.

Morgan insisted on a pair of stupid pants for me whose principal claim to fame is about ten pockets. Morgan bought them, and I was not sure why.

That evening, after the library, she modified them with scissors and thread. Most of the pockets are now worthless as pockets and useful only for reaching all of me from under the table. She left two pockets intact, for wallet and phone, but not any that are in her or Jessica's way. Morgan is very goal-oriented.

I suddenly like these pants and regret ever thinking they are stupid. Breezy.

The next day, after flaunting public moral codes to the maximum, we went to the historical society, our newly dubbed 'evening clothes' drying in a line along the door to the shower.

At the historical society, we found the symbol. It was in a black-and-white picture, taken in the 1940s. A group of people, standing still for the shot, and one of them wearing a necklace with the symbol.

We took closeups of every part of the picture, and once we were back at the hotel, loaded them onto Morgan's computer, and ran it through photo processing software to enlarge the tiniest details. The background is what we are the most interested in. We want to know where this had been taken.

There was a partial sign in the picture that said 'Gold...'.

Morgan decided that meant the little Louisiana city of "Goldonna', and that fit because Goldonna is inside the Kisatchie National Forest.

Angel is excited. She hopes this means we are getting close.

There is a lot of detail in the book Angel does not remember, even now when she read about things she did and it is documented with pictures. Some of the material made memories come back, but other memories seem lost. All Angel could say about it is "I was unhappy then. All I remember is wanting to run away. Be by myself."

That evening before dinner, Angel was comparing two pictures, then spluttered, and set them down. "All I can see is that this picture, from when I was eight, has trees! So does the one with the symbol! The same kind of trees, I am pretty sure but other than that who knows?"