HOME | DD

Description
Chapter Four

Hendrix and Grass arrived downstairs and looked around.  There were so many people that they couldn’t see Feather anywhere.  Some girl dressed like Cleopatra attached herself to Grass, breathing heavily.  Hendrix thought he saw Feather with some guy with black dreadlocks, buy they had disappeared into a crowd of dancing people.  Hendrix’s heart sank.
-What is she doing with him?
-What man?  This music is too loud.  Dude, this girl won’t get off me.
Hendrix and Grass slowly forged ahead, closer to the center of the room.  People bumped into them, offered them things, and danced away laughing.  The whole atmosphere had turned a bit eerie.

Feather fought her way backwards and finally got out of the mass of moving people.  She looked around for Hendrix or Grass.  She couldn’t see well because of the weird lights and became somewhat hysterical.  She collapsed on the ground and sat with her back leaning against the wall, crying in frustration.  Then she remembered the pills the strange man had given her.  Nearly hopeless, she took one and swallowed it.
The room’s happenings slowed down, everything was flashing in slow motion.  Colours blended very easily and everything was a bit blurry.  The music took on visible shapes and colours that danced through the crowd.  Feather couldn’t concentrate on any one thought; one idea after another flitted through her mind.

Grass pointed towards the mass.
-Hey Hendrix, I think she’s in there somewhere.
They struggled and fought their way through.  The man with the black dreadlocks came closer and closer.  Finally they reached him.
-Hey man, have you seen my friend, Feather?  She’s got long hair and is wearing some summer dress and a feather in her hair.
-Oh sure man, I saw her.  I don’t know where she is now.  She’s sure a pretty wind spirit.
Grass and Hendrix left the crowd and spotted Feather sitting, hunched over against the wall.  She appeared to be crying, but had her hands clasped on her knees.  Hendrix went over to her, crouched down and took her hands.
-Feather?

Feather saw some dark shape in front of her and felt something holding her hands.  Were those her hands?  They seemed detached.  No, that wasn’t her body.  And was that…who was that?  Hendrix floated in her mind.  Oh, that was Hendrix, leaning over someone. Saying something…something.  She tried to concentrate.  Something that sounded like tether, no…it was Feather.  Wait, that was her name.  Hendrix was calling her.  So that must be her, there.  That must be her body.  She tried to reenter herself.
-Feather?
Grass was there now, holding Feather’s head and was wiping sweat off of her forehead.
-Feather.  Please?
Her eyes focused slowly on Hendrix.
-Hendrix?
She was crying now, confused and elated.  Hendrix helped her to her feet.  Lights swam drowsily but the figure in front of her was a little clearer, especially now that she understood.  She understood that the shadow in front of her was Hendrix, who was someone she trusted and loved was her friend.  But that was the only thing she could understand.  Feather felt sleepy, everything was too overwhelming.

-Grass, we’ve got to get her out of here.  I think she took something, look in the purse around her neck.
Grass opened it and found another pill.
-Yeah.  Some capsule.  Okay.  Can she walk?  Or should we carry her somehow?
-Uhhmm let’s see if she can walk.
Grass and Hendrix held up Feather between them.  They made their way outside, and sat on the grass.  Feather lay down and stared at the sky-somewhat blindly.  Hendrix lay down next to her.  Grass sat on Feather’s other side and watched her.  She started talking.
-The sky is on fire.  Look at that sun I wonder if something like that has a shadow.  How can something bright and burning have a shadow?  Purple shots and orange bursts and blue shadows.  Hey how the envelope me.  Little prickling.

How Feather was feeling

Blindness and too much light at the same time.  Creep creeping into my iris.  Hazy thoughts and memories flashing by, hello, bye.  I say hello…Lucy.  In the sky with diamonds, are the diamonds the stars?  Ow my head hurts, this is my hand right?  Hendrix.  Wow powerful feeling there, that was huge tingle mania shots.  Like glitter.  Riff off of All Along the Watchtower with Voodoo Chile slightly making it’s way to the foreground.  Boomboom.  Boofing is a funny word.  What does anything mean anyway.

After awhile, Feather started to calm down and turned on her side to face Hendrix.
-How are you feeling, Feather?
-mmm I’m feeling love.
Feather hugged Hendrix and yawned.  Grass suggested that it was better to sleep in the car tonight because the ground was still wet from the rain.  Feather was out of it and did not seem to comprehend what Grass was saying.  Hendrix half carried, half led her to the bus.  Grass had laid out some blankets on the futon.  Feather fell asleep instantly.

Chapter Five

Hendrix woke first the next morning and looked around, woods surrounded them.  The trees bowed and swushed in the breeze.  The house was quiet, some people slept on the porch.  Hendrix rolled over, opened the side door quietly and walked away.
When Grass woke up, he noticed that Hendrix was missing and Feather was still asleep.  Her long hair was messed up and all over the place.  She seemed to be sleeping somewhat deeply.  Grass came to the conclusion that he would wait for a while for Hendrix to come back or until Feather woke up until he started look for Hendrix.
The woods were like a sphere of stillness under the clear summer sky.  The fresh scent of trees and nature permeated the atmosphere.  People were still sleeping on the porch, and there were some cups on the grass.
Feather came out of dreams slowly and felt cold immediately.  Hendrix was gone!  She turned over abruptly and calmed down when she was Grass.  Grass smiled and helped her up.
-How are you doing?
-I’m all right.
Feather hugged Grass.
-Thanks for caring Grass.
-No problem Feather.  Uhm I don’t know where Hendrix is.
-How long has he been gone?
-He was gone when I woke up.  I don’t think he’d go back inside; he’s probably looking for a bathroom.
-Oh all right.  I’ll make breakfast.
Feather took out some toast and put some orange marmalade on the slices.  Thoughts of Hendrix raced through her mind.  The first night in the rain, and then the second…So it had been 3 days.  Feeling this way about someone had only taken 3 days.  Feather sighed and poured the milk over the chocolate powder in the cups.

Hendrix walked deep into the campground’s woods.  He needed to think.  He never had really felt this way about anyone and he was a bit scared about what this could mean.  He needed to get away, get away from these strange feelings.  Who was Feather Moonunit?

Feather hummed to herself and Grass came back inside.
-Feather, Hendrix isn’t coming back.
-What!?
-I mean, I don’t see him any..
-I don’t care.  Grass, I’ll wait here all day for him.  He might be lost or maybe something bad happened.  Maybe we should look for him.
-I don’t know Feather.  I don’t think he’s in any kind of trouble.  Let’s wait though.
Feather ate her breakfast and cleaned the dishes.  Grass took out some small bongos from his backpack and jammed. The house’s people had come back to their unwanted reality.  They trudged back to their camps or talked in small groups.  Venus emerged and walked up to Feather’s bus.
-Hey.  Look, House and me found another ride, so we’re going to hang with them.  Don’t worry about us.  Hey, where’s Hendrix?
-We don’t know.  If you see him, will you tell him we love and… just make sure he’s happy, okay?
-Sure Feather, sure…Okay.  Well, gotta fly!
The hours ticked by.  Grass cleared his throat.
-Feather?
-yeah?
-Look.  I don’t think he’s coming.
-I don’t want to leave, Grass, I don’t want to leave.  What if he comes five or ten minutes after we leave?  I can’t leave him like this.  No.
-Feather, this is ridiculous.  You know what I think?  I think that he’s just walking around, thinking.
-Grass…
-You need to let him do things in his own time.  Come on.
-Well yeah it’s not like I’m not letting him do his own thing.  I just don’t want to leave him.  He’s still got all of his stuff in here…
-You’ll never leave him.  You know, you’ll always be with him, if not physically, then in his mind.  Right now he probably just needs to think about things.  I know he cares about you a lot.  I know it’s not, like, another girl or anything, he digs you.  Wow that sounded cheesy.
-Well it made me feel a little bit better.

Hendrix came upon a circle of painted school buses.  He could hear singing and drums.  He walked between two buses and saw fabric; well it was moving masses of colourful, printed fabric.  Women and little children danced to the rhythm of men playing drums.  Some people were lying down in the center of the twirling madness.  He sat down on a log and watched.  Another man, who was probably 20 years old and wearing brown jeans and a green turtleneck, sat next to Hendrix.  He had curly brown hair and a short beard.  Hendrix propped his elbow on his knee and his head on his hand.  He stared at the scene.  The guy on his left watched as well.
-Hey man, see the chick with the yellow Indian orange printed scarf?  I’m in love with her.  See the way she moves?  Her name is Opal.  That’s her daughter, there, with the curly blond hair.  Yeah, in the green.  See?  Aren’t they beautiful?  Nobody knows who the father is and she won’t tell.  Who are you?  I’m Rad.
-My name’s Hendrix Oak.
-Oh…that’s a cool name.  You like Hendrix I guess.
-He’s amazing, plus I met this girl and it was like May this be Love.  You know-the song where it starts off with “waterfall…”
-So where’s the girl?
-She’s at the campsite.
-Well…tell me about her.
-Okay.  She has long wavy hair and crazy clothes and blue eyes and peace earrings and a beautiful smile.  She is amazing.  She’s cool and likes good music.
-What’s her name?
-Feather Moonunit…that’s who she is!
-She sounds really tight. How come she’s not with you?
-I needed some time to think so I left.
-Brother, she is probably worrying her ass off.
-Oh.  Well uhh I didn’t think about that!  I mean, like, I’ve never felt this way about someone…
-You know, I dig where you’re coming from.  May the moon slowly turn tides on this rotating ball of chaos.  You know, I think this whole “universe” is inside one room and the giant just uses mirrors to make it look like it goes on forever.  And scientists think they’ve got the whole thing figured out.  Of course they don’t.  He’s just letting us play down here, what’s serious?  There is no purpose; so stop thinking so hard and just go with the flow.  You know, when one of us has this huge problem, your aura and ideas grow really really large, of course its invisible and intangible to us mere homo sapiens, but to this giant-he sees this large aura and ideas and helps – what do you think?  You know, to clear things up because with all those colours it would all just get muddy.
-She’ll be torn.  Come with me man, I’ve got a car.
Rad’s car was a beat-up station wagon with random objects: bolts, magazine covers, socks, pens of every colour, and other small items, strewn across the seats, as if dumped from heaven.  He turned on the ignition and some heavier rock group blasted from the speakers.  Hendrix told him where to find the house.

Chapter Six

Grass took Feather’s left hand in his right, while his left drove.  Feather was crying softly to herself, looking out of the window at the receding forests and beginnings of the paved freeway.  Grass was silent.
-Feather, we waited so long.  He’ll be fine.

Rad screeched to a halt in front of the house.
-Where’s their car?
-AH!  I don’t know!
-Wait man, uhh calm down.  There’s something there.
-Where?  Oh, that paper, maybe she left a note.
Hendrix got out of the station wagon and picked up the paper.

What the note said

Hendrix it’s Feather Moonunit.  Grass thought you need some time alone or something.  Uh well anyway, he decided to leave but I didn’t really want to, especially if you’re reading this.  But we’re still going to Bethel so I hopehopi to see you there!  If you need your own time, that’s fine.  Yeah I miss you and dig you,

Hendrix folded it back up and got in the car again.  He just sat there for a minute, and then turned to Rad.
-Let’s go!
-All right man!
They got on the freeway and almost immediately spotted a hitchhiker.  Rad pulled over and yelled out to him.
-Where are you going?
-Oregon.
-We’re driving to Bethel, wanna come?
The guy nodded and opened the car door for the backseat.  He got in and took off his pack.  He had messy hair and a loose-fitting t-shirt and jeans on, with converse.
-I’m Shane.
-I’m Rad and this here is my close buddy Hendrix.  He gave a loud laugh and turned up the music.  Shane lay across the backseat and closed his eyes.  Hendrix read and reread Feather’s note.  He leaned his head back and lost track of time.

Feather climbed back to sit on the futon.  She picked Hendrix’s backpack up and held it up to her face.
-I really hope we see him again now, because I did not even think of this.  He’ll probably want his stuff.  Agh.  Grass!  This was a horrible idea!  I can’t believe we didn’t wait longer.
-What do you want me to do?
-Well, do you think it’s a good idea to turn around?
-No.  Didn’t you leave a note saying you were going to Bethel?
-Oh shit…I did.
-Well, we’re almost there anyway.
They were driving past country, large never-ending fields and lazy cows chewing.  Grass pushed a Cream cassette in, and “Sunshine of your Love” howled from the speakers.  Feather rolled down all of the windows and leaned out of the passenger seat window.

-SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE!
Grass laughed and tried to pull Feather back in.  She was letting the wind mess her hair all over the place.  A tractor rumbled past and Grass gave the old man a peace sign, which the man returned with a smile. Grass bobbed his head with the music.

Shane started talking to Hendrix about his past job as a carpet salesman.
-So I was like sitting outside with mountains of carpets like surrounding me and every once in an orange moon some family would ask me something-or-other.  And their kids would climb the hills.  Or I’d fall asleep and wake up at midnight when my feet got cold.  There were all types of carpets man.  Like, awesome designs.  Then there were the traditional ones.  Once, this chick with long legs and really long brown hair, man she was like, checking out this carpet, but I know, man, I know she was really checking me out.  She cam over and asked me some inconsequential stuff, all the while, you know, smiling and fluttering her eyelashes and bending down so her hair feel down.  And then she said, “I’ll be here tomorrow.”  And that day my boss fired me.  On some crazy account that I was sleeping in the warm sun surrounded by mountains of carpets.  So I never saw that chick again.
-So what’s in Oregon?
-Friends, man.  They’ve started a commune-type thing and I need a place to got hat won’t cost me nothing.  Why are you guys going to Bethel?
-Well, originally I was going to go to a Woodstock reunion concert with this girl Feather, but I lost her and now Rad is going with me.
Rad nodded vigorously and stuck one of his arms out the window and waved at passing trucks.
-Yeah man.  We’re finding Feather.
-Feather…so is she like, your sister?
-No man, I said she’s my friend.
Rad put both hands back on the steering wheel and took out the music.
-Yeah Shane.  Feather’s like this groovy chick that’s crazy magic, right Hendrix?
-Yeah…
-Oh, I can dig that.  How long have you known her?
-Like, 3 days.
-Have you made her?
Rad’s eyes became all wide and intense.  He turned to Hendrix.
-Dude, did you make her?
Hendrix laughed: no man, I didn’t.
-Are you going to?
-What does it matter to you if I do?
-Ohhh… No, man don’t take it that way.  It’s cool.  I want to see her.

Feather couldn’t stop laughing.  She swayed in her seat and rocked back and forth.
-Grass!  I can’t stop!
-Hey guess what Feather!
-WHAT??
-WE’RE HEREE!
-We are???
She looked up.
-There’s a spot.
Grass pulled in an available makeshift parking space.  He looked at Feather.
-What do we do now?  We have two days.
-Explore!
Feather jumped in the back and put some food - “in case we get lost” – and other necessities in her backpack.
-What should we do about Hendrix’s stuff?
-I think it’d be safer/easier to leave it in your bus.
-All right.

Description
Chapter Four

Hendrix and Grass arrived downstairs and looked around.  There were so many people that they couldn’t see Feather anywhere.  Some girl dressed like Cleopatra attached herself to Grass, breathing heavily.  Hendrix thought he saw Feather with some guy with black dreadlocks, buy they had disappeared into a crowd of dancing people.  Hendrix’s heart sank.
-What is she doing with him?
-What man?  This music is too loud.  Dude, this girl won’t get off me.
Hendrix and Grass slowly forged ahead, closer to the center of the room.  People bumped into them, offered them things, and danced away laughing.  The whole atmosphere had turned a bit eerie.

Feather fought her way backwards and finally got out of the mass of moving people.  She looked around for Hendrix or Grass.  She couldn’t see well because of the weird lights and became somewhat hysterical.  She collapsed on the ground and sat with her back leaning against the wall, crying in frustration.  Then she remembered the pills the strange man had given her.  Nearly hopeless, she took one and swallowed it.
The room’s happenings slowed down, everything was flashing in slow motion.  Colours blended very easily and everything was a bit blurry.  The music took on visible shapes and colours that danced through the crowd.  Feather couldn’t concentrate on any one thought; one idea after another flitted through her mind.

Grass pointed towards the mass.
-Hey Hendrix, I think she’s in there somewhere.
They struggled and fought their way through.  The man with the black dreadlocks came closer and closer.  Finally they reached him.
-Hey man, have you seen my friend, Feather?  She’s got long hair and is wearing some summer dress and a feather in her hair.
-Oh sure man, I saw her.  I don’t know where she is now.  She’s sure a pretty wind spirit.
Grass and Hendrix left the crowd and spotted Feather sitting, hunched over against the wall.  She appeared to be crying, but had her hands clasped on her knees.  Hendrix went over to her, crouched down and took her hands.
-Feather?

Feather saw some dark shape in front of her and felt something holding her hands.  Were those her hands?  They seemed detached.  No, that wasn’t her body.  And was that…who was that?  Hendrix floated in her mind.  Oh, that was Hendrix, leaning over someone. Saying something…something.  She tried to concentrate.  Something that sounded like tether, no…it was Feather.  Wait, that was her name.  Hendrix was calling her.  So that must be her, there.  That must be her body.  She tried to reenter herself.
-Feather?
Grass was there now, holding Feather’s head and was wiping sweat off of her forehead.
-Feather.  Please?
Her eyes focused slowly on Hendrix.
-Hendrix?
She was crying now, confused and elated.  Hendrix helped her to her feet.  Lights swam drowsily but the figure in front of her was a little clearer, especially now that she understood.  She understood that the shadow in front of her was Hendrix, who was someone she trusted and loved was her friend.  But that was the only thing she could understand.  Feather felt sleepy, everything was too overwhelming.

-Grass, we’ve got to get her out of here.  I think she took something, look in the purse around her neck.
Grass opened it and found another pill.
-Yeah.  Some capsule.  Okay.  Can she walk?  Or should we carry her somehow?
-Uhhmm let’s see if she can walk.
Grass and Hendrix held up Feather between them.  They made their way outside, and sat on the grass.  Feather lay down and stared at the sky-somewhat blindly.  Hendrix lay down next to her.  Grass sat on Feather’s other side and watched her.  She started talking.
-The sky is on fire.  Look at that sun I wonder if something like that has a shadow.  How can something bright and burning have a shadow?  Purple shots and orange bursts and blue shadows.  Hey how the envelope me.  Little prickling.

How Feather was feeling

Blindness and too much light at the same time.  Creep creeping into my iris.  Hazy thoughts and memories flashing by, hello, bye.  I say hello…Lucy.  In the sky with diamonds, are the diamonds the stars?  Ow my head hurts, this is my hand right?  Hendrix.  Wow powerful feeling there, that was huge tingle mania shots.  Like glitter.  Riff off of All Along the Watchtower with Voodoo Chile slightly making it’s way to the foreground.  Boomboom.  Boofing is a funny word.  What does anything mean anyway.

After awhile, Feather started to calm down and turned on her side to face Hendrix.
-How are you feeling, Feather?
-mmm I’m feeling love.
Feather hugged Hendrix and yawned.  Grass suggested that it was better to sleep in the car tonight because the ground was still wet from the rain.  Feather was out of it and did not seem to comprehend what Grass was saying.  Hendrix half carried, half led her to the bus.  Grass had laid out some blankets on the futon.  Feather fell asleep instantly.

Chapter Five

Hendrix woke first the next morning and looked around, woods surrounded them.  The trees bowed and swushed in the breeze.  The house was quiet, some people slept on the porch.  Hendrix rolled over, opened the side door quietly and walked away.
When Grass woke up, he noticed that Hendrix was missing and Feather was still asleep.  Her long hair was messed up and all over the place.  She seemed to be sleeping somewhat deeply.  Grass came to the conclusion that he would wait for a while for Hendrix to come back or until Feather woke up until he started look for Hendrix.
The woods were like a sphere of stillness under the clear summer sky.  The fresh scent of trees and nature permeated the atmosphere.  People were still sleeping on the porch, and there were some cups on the grass.
Feather came out of dreams slowly and felt cold immediately.  Hendrix was gone!  She turned over abruptly and calmed down when she was Grass.  Grass smiled and helped her up.
-How are you doing?
-I’m all right.
Feather hugged Grass.
-Thanks for caring Grass.
-No problem Feather.  Uhm I don’t know where Hendrix is.
-How long has he been gone?
-He was gone when I woke up.  I don’t think he’d go back inside; he’s probably looking for a bathroom.
-Oh all right.  I’ll make breakfast.
Feather took out some toast and put some orange marmalade on the slices.  Thoughts of Hendrix raced through her mind.  The first night in the rain, and then the second…So it had been 3 days.  Feeling this way about someone had only taken 3 days.  Feather sighed and poured the milk over the chocolate powder in the cups.

Hendrix walked deep into the campground’s woods.  He needed to think.  He never had really felt this way about anyone and he was a bit scared about what this could mean.  He needed to get away, get away from these strange feelings.  Who was Feather Moonunit?

Feather hummed to herself and Grass came back inside.
-Feather, Hendrix isn’t coming back.
-What!?
-I mean, I don’t see him any..
-I don’t care.  Grass, I’ll wait here all day for him.  He might be lost or maybe something bad happened.  Maybe we should look for him.
-I don’t know Feather.  I don’t think he’s in any kind of trouble.  Let’s wait though.
Feather ate her breakfast and cleaned the dishes.  Grass took out some small bongos from his backpack and jammed. The house’s people had come back to their unwanted reality.  They trudged back to their camps or talked in small groups.  Venus emerged and walked up to Feather’s bus.
-Hey.  Look, House and me found another ride, so we’re going to hang with them.  Don’t worry about us.  Hey, where’s Hendrix?
-We don’t know.  If you see him, will you tell him we love and… just make sure he’s happy, okay?
-Sure Feather, sure…Okay.  Well, gotta fly!
The hours ticked by.  Grass cleared his throat.
-Feather?
-yeah?
-Look.  I don’t think he’s coming.
-I don’t want to leave, Grass, I don’t want to leave.  What if he comes five or ten minutes after we leave?  I can’t leave him like this.  No.
-Feather, this is ridiculous.  You know what I think?  I think that he’s just walking around, thinking.
-Grass…
-You need to let him do things in his own time.  Come on.
-Well yeah it’s not like I’m not letting him do his own thing.  I just don’t want to leave him.  He’s still got all of his stuff in here…
-You’ll never leave him.  You know, you’ll always be with him, if not physically, then in his mind.  Right now he probably just needs to think about things.  I know he cares about you a lot.  I know it’s not, like, another girl or anything, he digs you.  Wow that sounded cheesy.
-Well it made me feel a little bit better.

Hendrix came upon a circle of painted school buses.  He could hear singing and drums.  He walked between two buses and saw fabric; well it was moving masses of colourful, printed fabric.  Women and little children danced to the rhythm of men playing drums.  Some people were lying down in the center of the twirling madness.  He sat down on a log and watched.  Another man, who was probably 20 years old and wearing brown jeans and a green turtleneck, sat next to Hendrix.  He had curly brown hair and a short beard.  Hendrix propped his elbow on his knee and his head on his hand.  He stared at the scene.  The guy on his left watched as well.
-Hey man, see the chick with the yellow Indian orange printed scarf?  I’m in love with her.  See the way she moves?  Her name is Opal.  That’s her daughter, there, with the curly blond hair.  Yeah, in the green.  See?  Aren’t they beautiful?  Nobody knows who the father is and she won’t tell.  Who are you?  I’m Rad.
-My name’s Hendrix Oak.
-Oh…that’s a cool name.  You like Hendrix I guess.
-He’s amazing, plus I met this girl and it was like May this be Love.  You know-the song where it starts off with “waterfall…”
-So where’s the girl?
-She’s at the campsite.
-Well…tell me about her.
-Okay.  She has long wavy hair and crazy clothes and blue eyes and peace earrings and a beautiful smile.  She is amazing.  She’s cool and likes good music.
-What’s her name?
-Feather Moonunit…that’s who she is!
-She sounds really tight. How come she’s not with you?
-I needed some time to think so I left.
-Brother, she is probably worrying her ass off.
-Oh.  Well uhh I didn’t think about that!  I mean, like, I’ve never felt this way about someone…
-You know, I dig where you’re coming from.  May the moon slowly turn tides on this rotating ball of chaos.  You know, I think this whole “universe” is inside one room and the giant just uses mirrors to make it look like it goes on forever.  And scientists think they’ve got the whole thing figured out.  Of course they don’t.  He’s just letting us play down here, what’s serious?  There is no purpose; so stop thinking so hard and just go with the flow.  You know, when one of us has this huge problem, your aura and ideas grow really really large, of course its invisible and intangible to us mere homo sapiens, but to this giant-he sees this large aura and ideas and helps – what do you think?  You know, to clear things up because with all those colours it would all just get muddy.
-She’ll be torn.  Come with me man, I’ve got a car.
Rad’s car was a beat-up station wagon with random objects: bolts, magazine covers, socks, pens of every colour, and other small items, strewn across the seats, as if dumped from heaven.  He turned on the ignition and some heavier rock group blasted from the speakers.  Hendrix told him where to find the house.

Chapter Six

Grass took Feather’s left hand in his right, while his left drove.  Feather was crying softly to herself, looking out of the window at the receding forests and beginnings of the paved freeway.  Grass was silent.
-Feather, we waited so long.  He’ll be fine.

Rad screeched to a halt in front of the house.
-Where’s their car?
-AH!  I don’t know!
-Wait man, uhh calm down.  There’s something there.
-Where?  Oh, that paper, maybe she left a note.
Hendrix got out of the station wagon and picked up the paper.

What the note said

Hendrix it’s Feather Moonunit.  Grass thought you need some time alone or something.  Uh well anyway, he decided to leave but I didn’t really want to, especially if you’re reading this.  But we’re still going to Bethel so I hopehopi to see you there!  If you need your own time, that’s fine.  Yeah I miss you and dig you,

Hendrix folded it back up and got in the car again.  He just sat there for a minute, and then turned to Rad.
-Let’s go!
-All right man!
They got on the freeway and almost immediately spotted a hitchhiker.  Rad pulled over and yelled out to him.
-Where are you going?
-Oregon.
-We’re driving to Bethel, wanna come?
The guy nodded and opened the car door for the backseat.  He got in and took off his pack.  He had messy hair and a loose-fitting t-shirt and jeans on, with converse.
-I’m Shane.
-I’m Rad and this here is my close buddy Hendrix.  He gave a loud laugh and turned up the music.  Shane lay across the backseat and closed his eyes.  Hendrix read and reread Feather’s note.  He leaned his head back and lost track of time.

Feather climbed back to sit on the futon.  She picked Hendrix’s backpack up and held it up to her face.
-I really hope we see him again now, because I did not even think of this.  He’ll probably want his stuff.  Agh.  Grass!  This was a horrible idea!  I can’t believe we didn’t wait longer.
-What do you want me to do?
-Well, do you think it’s a good idea to turn around?
-No.  Didn’t you leave a note saying you were going to Bethel?
-Oh shit…I did.
-Well, we’re almost there anyway.
They were driving past country, large never-ending fields and lazy cows chewing.  Grass pushed a Cream cassette in, and “Sunshine of your Love” howled from the speakers.  Feather rolled down all of the windows and leaned out of the passenger seat window.

-SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE!
Grass laughed and tried to pull Feather back in.  She was letting the wind mess her hair all over the place.  A tractor rumbled past and Grass gave the old man a peace sign, which the man returned with a smile. Grass bobbed his head with the music.

Shane started talking to Hendrix about his past job as a carpet salesman.
-So I was like sitting outside with mountains of carpets like surrounding me and every once in an orange moon some family would ask me something-or-other.  And their kids would climb the hills.  Or I’d fall asleep and wake up at midnight when my feet got cold.  There were all types of carpets man.  Like, awesome designs.  Then there were the traditional ones.  Once, this chick with long legs and really long brown hair, man she was like, checking out this carpet, but I know, man, I know she was really checking me out.  She cam over and asked me some inconsequential stuff, all the while, you know, smiling and fluttering her eyelashes and bending down so her hair feel down.  And then she said, “I’ll be here tomorrow.”  And that day my boss fired me.  On some crazy account that I was sleeping in the warm sun surrounded by mountains of carpets.  So I never saw that chick again.
-So what’s in Oregon?
-Friends, man.  They’ve started a commune-type thing and I need a place to got hat won’t cost me nothing.  Why are you guys going to Bethel?
-Well, originally I was going to go to a Woodstock reunion concert with this girl Feather, but I lost her and now Rad is going with me.
Rad nodded vigorously and stuck one of his arms out the window and waved at passing trucks.
-Yeah man.  We’re finding Feather.
-Feather…so is she like, your sister?
-No man, I said she’s my friend.
Rad put both hands back on the steering wheel and took out the music.
-Yeah Shane.  Feather’s like this groovy chick that’s crazy magic, right Hendrix?
-Yeah…
-Oh, I can dig that.  How long have you known her?
-Like, 3 days.
-Have you made her?
Rad’s eyes became all wide and intense.  He turned to Hendrix.
-Dude, did you make her?
Hendrix laughed: no man, I didn’t.
-Are you going to?
-What does it matter to you if I do?
-Ohhh… No, man don’t take it that way.  It’s cool.  I want to see her.

Feather couldn’t stop laughing.  She swayed in her seat and rocked back and forth.
-Grass!  I can’t stop!
-Hey guess what Feather!
-WHAT??
-WE’RE HEREE!
-We are???
She looked up.
-There’s a spot.
Grass pulled in an available makeshift parking space.  He looked at Feather.
-What do we do now?  We have two days.
-Explore!
Feather jumped in the back and put some food - “in case we get lost” – and other necessities in her backpack.
-What should we do about Hendrix’s stuff?
-I think it’d be safer/easier to leave it in your bus.
-All right.