Part 5: May 22 - The Colony Agricultural College

Prefer to listen? Check out the audio version below:

Carl pushed the cart loaded with this morning’s batch of milk into the refrigerator to cool down for use later. He had to recruit some trainees to help with the milking and other chores. He knew that he would have more work than he could handle by himself just to keep the basic systems working that they would need for survival. He shut the refrigerator door and walked out to get in line with the children to collect a bowl of cereal, then made his way around the tables of subdued children to sit with the adults.

“Good morning, folks, what’s the schedule for today?” Carl asked.

Frank smiled. “Well, due to Sam’s generosity, we have MORE animals to clean up after.”

“We need to wash laundry, Carl. Will the solar panels supply enough power to run the washers and dryers?” Helen asked.

Carl noted that she was having a lucid moment this morning. “I think the children will have to learn to hang clothes on a clothesline. The solar backup will supply enough power to run the washing machines, but the dryers just take too much energy. You might be able to run one or two dryers for the babies’ clothes. I can string some ropes up between trees for the time being. You better add putting up clotheslines to my list of things to do,” Carl said between bites. “I guess we will need another supply list too. Frank, put clotheslines and clothespins at the top of the new list.”

“Aye aye, Sarge,” Frank quipped over his coffee.

Carl smiled. “Frank and I will collect more supplies when we go back to the store. I want to put as much food in the freezer as possible.” He glanced around and watched as Nancy went from table to table talking to the children. She constantly worried about their emotional well-being, and all he could think about was how to keep the systems on this campus running to maintain as normal a life as possible.

He watched Helen stand up and take her bowl to the trash can. That was another thing that would need to change. No more disposable bowls. They could use up what they had, but once those were gone it would be reusable tableware, and someone would have to wash dishes. 

He had to get Nancy to face the reality that the children had to be conditioned to a whole new way of life. The farm would need to be expanded and become the main source of food. They could probably make it through this winter with the foods left in the surrounding stores if he could get them into a freezer, but after that, they would need to become self-sufficient.

Sam finished her coffee. “Carl, I’m going to take Jack and go into South Bend to scout things out, search for more children.”

“Do you think it’s safe to go alone?” Carl asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Sam replied. “I go back and forth to my cabin, and I’m fine on my own for weeks up there. So why worry about going into South Bend for an afternoon?”

“Sammie, whenever you were doing research, you had a working communication system. If anything happened now, how would you get help?” Carl stated. “I’ll saddle up Rusty and come with you.”

She frowned at the man. “And get some cars running, and milk the cows, and clean up the store, and keep the freezers running, and put up clotheslines, and whatever else needs to be done. Carl, I’m a third wheel around here. This is something I can do,” Sam stated.

Tim had been standing nearby and listening quietly. “I could go with Sam,” he offered.

Carl turned to look at the boy. “Sam needs someone who can handle a horse,” Carl told him. “Thanks anyway.”

Tim stepped closer to Carl and Sam. “I can ride. My dad and I would ride up to Candle Ridge deer hunting every year. I can handle a horse and a rifle,” Tim stated.

Sam looked at Carl and shrugged. “Why not?” she said. “If we need fresh meat, we just found our gamekeeper.”

Carl frowned. “Alright, I’ll agree—on a trial basis only. We’ll set up a schedule, and you two will stick to it! Agreed?” he said sternly.

“Yes, mother,” Sam jested, hugging her friend. “You’re starting to sound like that teacher you’ve been hanging around with.”

Carl just shook his finger at the young woman. “I want a plan,” he said to her back as she walked away with Tim.

The breakfast crowd was finishing up and starting to file out of the food court. Nancy and Frank had followed the lead group outside, while Helen and their two new adult members remained inside to direct the children to clean up breakfast before they left. When everyone had left the food court, the group proceeded to the dorm building where the pets were housed.

In the pet dorm, Carl, Sam, and Tim automatically stepped in to help with the cleanup of the pets. As Carl was showing the children the easiest way of cleaning up the smelly piles and yellow puddles, he heard the team leader, Joe, say, “You’re assigned to clean up today. You had grooming yesterday. Give that puppy to one of the kids assigned to grooming and start cleaning up.”

“I’m not touching that stuff,” the petulant child stated.

Carl turned to see that a boy had picked up a puppy and was attempting to leave the room.

Carl stepped in front of him before he could reach the door to go outside. “Hey, kiddo, where do you think you’re going?” Carl asked playfully.

“I’m going outside. It stinks in here, and I’m not picking that stuff up. You can’t make me,” the boy stated as he attempted to step around Carl.

Carl blocked his passage. “Really? Why are you the only one who does not have to clean up but can go play?” Carl asked in his gentlest voice. “It’s like this, kiddo—you want to play with any of the pets, then you take your turn to help keep the pets and the area clean and healthy. If the animals are not cleaned up, they—and you—could get sick,” he explained, trying to be encouraging.

“Yeah, that smell is making me sick, so I’m getting out of here,” the boy stated. “I’m not touching that stuff!” he repeated.

Some of the other children had stopped working and watched with interest to see what Carl would do. The group looked at the boy with obvious dislike and annoyance.

“Okay, you obnoxious little twit, let’s get some things straight right now,” Carl growled. “When I put down a rule, I mean it. You have two choices: put the puppy down and help clean, or you can leave.”

The boy turned a belligerent face up to Carl, chin raised in defiance, and spouted, “My dad’s a senator! I’ll get him to fire you. You can’t call me names or tell me what to do!”

Carl’s first response was to physically step on this little snit. He ground his teeth and firmly but gently took the puppy away. One of the boys Nancy had been watching at breakfast stepped over and offered, “I’ll take the puppy, sir.”

Carl handed the puppy to the boy. “Thank you, son. What’s your name?”

“Randy, sir.”

“Thank you, Randy,” Carl nodded, then turned back to the little twit.

He reached around, took hold of the boy firmly by the collar as if he were picking up a puppy by the scruff, and hop-stepped the yelling, struggling child out of the building.

“Let me go! I’ll tell my father!” the boy yelled indignantly. Carl did not stop or release his firm but careful grip on the boy’s collar. He marched the child up to Nancy, her eyes wide with horror.

Nancy heard the child shouting angrily and looked up in alarm. There was Carl, bringing Billy Allen toward her. “Carl, what are you doing?” Nancy exclaimed.

The scowl on the man’s face indicated that the spoiled child had pushed one more adult past the point of endurance. Carl stopped in front of a stunned Nancy. Scowling down at the child, Carl rumbled, “First, young man, your daddy cannot fire me because I don’t work here—I volunteered to help. You got that? Second, we all have to follow the rules, and you can start to get used to that idea right now. I’m not sure what Mrs. Jackson will do with you, but she can have you.”

Carl released the boy’s collar so quickly that Billy nearly fell to his knees in front of Nancy. Carl winked at her and marched away. Nancy watched his retreating back with wide-eyed astonishment. What was this—a good cop, bad cop routine? She looked at the boy standing in front of her, pouting and scowling at his feet.

“I want to go home!” he finally wailed. “I hate it here. Everyone’s picking on me.”

Nancy sighed and knelt down to eye level. This boy had been pampered, spoiled, and enabled by his parents. No one had prepared him for regular life, let alone this train wreck. Nancy put her arms around the boy, and he broke down sobbing. She let Billy cry himself out before she attempted to talk to him. When she felt he was ready, she guided him over to sit on one of the benches in the quad and gently explained how life was going to be from now on: no one was going home, at least not today.

Carl returned to the puppy room, and several of the children applauded him as he walked in. He looked questioningly at the group. “What?” he barked.

“That kid is always bossing people around, and the teachers are always careful not to tick off his daddy,” a little girl slurred the noun.

“Yeah,” another child added. “He always pulls that ‘My dad’s a senator’ stuff. No one will be his partner in class anymore because he’s such a pain to deal with.”

“Yeah, that was great to see him get told off. Thanks, Mr. Carl,” another boy said. “That was really great!”

Carl frowned. What will happen to a kid like that in this situation?

The rest of the cleanup went along smoothly. Carl nodded his approval to the team leaders as they encouraged and helped the younger children finish the job in a timely and efficient manner. It wasn’t long before all the children were able to join the others to groom and play with the pets.

Once the children and pets were settled, Carl, Frank, Sam, and Tim headed for the bus for another trip to town and to drop Sam and Tim off to explore South Bend.