Chapter 9: August 18th, 1969

It was the last day of Woodstock. The days of music and harmony were pleasant for both Stephen and Opet. Everything was there. The need to relax and not worry about the dangers of the outside environment was gone. Woodstock’s magic was constant and ongoing. However, as each day passed, the magic was slowly seeping away. The field was littered with trash as the crowds had dispersed. The little food left combined with all-out exhaustion had warranted its toll on the population. The fact that the performance had reached Monday had forced many to return back home, school, or work. People that wanted to escape the traffic early were simply blocked as they were stuck trying to get out. It was either leave much earlier or stay and enjoy what was left of the show. By the time the last performers got up, the population had decreased down to 50,000 of the original 400,000 to 500,000 that participated.

But it was the last performer that probably set the tone for the closing of Woodstock. The great Jimi Hendrix was performing for the dwindled crowds. Starting at nine o clock in the morning of Monday, the bands’ performances were delayed continuously due to the harassment of weather and technical issues as each one would get up to perform their music. Dressed in his white shirt, blue pants, red bandana, and boots, the man would echo the closing of one of the most renowned festivals to ever occur in North America. With over 30 bands that had performed, the man with a dark complexion and white Fender Stratocaster guitar would be the most rememberable one. The man’s energy was a powerful one as he continued to do his entire performance with the small band that accompanied him.

For Stephen and Opet, they held hands as they continued to listen to Jimi Hendrix’s music. Being one of the many, they enjoyed the music for the entirety of every performer in the past. In many ways, the lesser population only made things more wholesome for the gathering that was left. Many continued to dance and listen to the music even if they were tired.

Stephen looked over to Opet as she would sometimes close her eyes and does a slow dance in her place. Mesmerized by the vocals, he noticed that her human form seemed to lack grace without her tail. For her, she seemed to be in her element of enjoying the festivities. She didn’t want to leave until the last performance had been completed. Hendrix was currently finishing up his song “Voodoo Child” as they listened near the back of the crowd.

“I never want to see it end,” Opet said to Stephen.

“Me too,” Stephen replied. “I never want to see it end either.”

“Jefferson Airplane ... The Who ... The Band ... Janis Joplin ... I hope they keep coming.”

“Hendrix must be tired as we are,” Stephen remarked. “I have never seen him perform in the morning.”

“It is too bad to see so many leave without them hearing his music. Even Tiffany and Brendan have already left.”

“Same here ... same here,” Stephen said as he frowned. “At least, we get to hear it.”

“I hope Theo finds what she was looking for here,” Opet said. “I really do.”

“She was with that woman more and more. Maybe that is a good sign.”

“We will see...”

With the smaller crowd, it was much easier to see the stage now than ever. Stephen could see as Jimi Hendrix poured his heart and soul into the performance. He would regularly close his eyes as he became mesmerized by his own music.

“It is like pure magic,” Opet remarked. “He would beat Baron Samedi in his performances.”

Even Stephen was doing his best despite how tired his legs had become. Staying awake all night was taking its toll. He would not leave until the last song was played. Even Jimi Hendrix was slowing down a little bit as he spoke about the bands that supported him and thanking the audience for participating.

“It is such a religious experience for me,” Opet told Stephen. “These last couple of days ... pure magical.”

“Me too. Especially with having you a part of it.”

The tone suddenly changed. Jimi Hendrix suddenly stopped playing his song and then started to play a new melody. It took everyone by surprise and even had Stephen almost express a level of shock. He began to play the Star-Spangled Banner to the crowd. It was unlike anything he had ever heard before. At first, he wondered if he was dreaming. It was a call to him as if the draft card he burned was trying to reach out to him. The burned embers were like a phoenix that rose out of the ashes. Opet had stopped dancing as she heard it. She understood the meaning of the song, but it was here that she understood the concept of national identity.

The national anthem had the audience held in place. A few had their hands to their hearts as they felt the emotion of the strings being plucked. Hendrix had captured the audience then and there as he suddenly began to screech the guitar. With a natural grace, the performance was done in a way that started to mimic the sounds of people that were screaming for their lives. Almost perfectly recreating the sounds of airplanes dropping bombs and the war machine was all over Vietnam, it was as if the National Anthem had become a political statement. Hendrix was saying nothing at all and merely letting the guitar become the voice to the crowd.

The crowd was saying little as they let the music flow through them. As Stephen listened to it, he began to turn around and visualize the music he was hearing. His fear was gone of the Vietnam War. He knew of his choices and could see it all then and there. Villagers were running for their lives as the aircraft would fly overhead. The napalm would scorch the land. The bullets would fly, and the desire to kill the other was there. All in the name of patriotism and the desire to end Communism. Was it worth it? He looked at the field that was behind the crowd and could see nothing but debris. The destruction of war had warranted its ugly head. The trash was nothing more than what he saw. He saw death in the millions that had volunteered or were forced to fight for a cause that many did not want. It was sickening in his heart. The decision was made for him, and he would not be a part of it. He would choose to go to nature and rejoin it. Let the natural causes of life slowly eat away at him as any other person would desire. No bullet would touch him, and he was happy about it. As Hendrix had reached halfway through the performance, he said goodbye to his mother and father that had disowned him.

For Opet, her reaction was different as she listened to the anthem. She turned around and could see the destruction of the land itself. It was like a massive stain that had riddled the field. She did not think of the war of Vietnam as much as Stephen was, but of nature. Hundreds of thousands of people in the course of three days had turned the land to muck and garbage. It was appalling, to say the least. Entire patches of waste had piled up. Some areas had so much plastic that sleeping beds were being made from it. Leftover sleeping bags and trash bags littered large portions of it. Harmful levels of unsanitary levels had reached their peak. You were lucky to step on the grass, as, most likely, you were walking on dirt, mud, or trash. Even Opet made sure that the blanket that she and Stephen had used was given to a family that seemed to need it more than she ever did. The waste facilities were beyond recognition. To go there risked whatever diseases that the next thousand people may have had. As Jimi Hendrix finished up the Star-Spangled Banner, a tear fell from her eyes and to her distended belly below. For her, the ending of Woodstock seemed to give her a quiet chill up her spine. She did her best as she knew that the real world was coming back to fruition.

The audience clapped and cheered after the finishing of the song. Opet regathered herself as she made a small grin, turned around, and began clapping. Stephen replied in a similar fashion as he chased away the thoughts, turned around, and began to clap. Like an emotion that ran away, Opet and Stephen put away their thoughts as they continued to enjoy the music.

It was not long before the music was finished. Stephen and Opet had attended the entire festival. The crowds began to disperse slowly as the final 50,000 were all heading out. Some were eager to leave, but others had wished it never ended. The fact was there was nothing left for the festival to give out. Woodstock had ended as Jimi Hendrix finished with an encore of “Hey Joe,” one of the few times he would ever give an encore performance.

Stephen and Opet looked at each other and gave the nod together. Everyone was leaving. Even the tent that had the Peaceful Five slowly evaporated into thin air as the crowds of people were leaving. The concert was over as they decided to head out of the busted fence way instead of the main exit. It was seemingly quiet at first. Opet’s feet were stepping on more and more trash. She kept her composure as she held tightly onto Stephen’s hand.

“What a mess,” Stephen commented. “I am glad we didn’t leave anything to contribute to this.”

“I wouldn’t have allowed you to. Gods ... Stephen, this was a wonderful time. So much music. I wish it never ended.”

“I know ... I just ... I am just so tired.”

“Are you sure about this?” she asked him.

“About what?”

“That you are ready? You are ready to take this next step with me?”

Stephen took a deep breath as their walking took them closer to the fence. Moving around was so much easier now. With fewer and fewer people, it was much quicker to move around. Even with the garbage in the way, it was much easier to maneuver around than thousands of people.

“I have nothing left, Opet,” Stephen remarked. “There is nothing for me except my lame car that is breaking down. I have no desire to see my family ever again. For as much as I know, they would prefer me to be dead.”

“That isn’t true,” she said, shaking her head. “I think that for now, you feel that way, but I would like to meet them eventually. Maybe not right now, but in years’ time, yes. I think by then they would be happy to see you again. Love is the way.”

“Love is the solution,” he agreed. “Maybe you are right. As for now, you offer the best choice for me. A place where people will never bother us. A place where nature will be with us. I just wish I saw what it was that you have when it comes to resources. From what you told me, your powers are limited.”

“You will soon,” she said. “We just need to find a place where we can leave with nobody to see us. Past the chain link fence is the place where the field is at. There is a patch of trees we can go to. I will be fair to say that everyone is leaving, though.”

Stephen could tell that there were very few people leaving from their direction. Most were heading out through the main entrance and exit, but traveling to get back to their cars would be long. Thankfully, by then, much of the traffic would start to dissipate.

“Your mother already left?” he asked her.

“Yes. As have the others. My mother had some babysitting to do for another today. It is something that may happen with us as well. As duties of a goddess such as myself, I have to help out the times when our own go on missions.”

“That is right. I remember you mentioning about it. The mythics were trying to find some pieces of a crystal. They have to go to warzones.”

“Yeah. We try to help out in other ways if we don’t directly do that. I had even breastfed Theo’s niece when she was born.”

“I suppose that makes sense. You are doing what you are good at ... being a mother and raising children.”

“Heh,” she chuckled a little bit. “Not yet, but soon.”

“How much sooner?”

“You will find out.”

They exited through the hole in the fence as they were walking through the grass. Their goal was to reach the trees. It wouldn’t take long as they held their hands together.

“I love you, Stephen,” she said.

“And I love you as well. May we find a bright future together as we raise a family together.”

“You turned around so quickly when it came to becoming a father. I suppose it is true when it comes to resources.”

“I admit, from what you mentioned, it is much easier for you gods to have families than us lowly mortals. Sometimes the way it appears, I really wonder if we are going to make it or not. There are so many of us now. I almost feel like the idea of becoming a father is a sin on the world.”

Opet shook her head. “I don’t know about that. Having the resources for everyone is the real issue for you mortals. Greed is a powerful thing, and overcoming it is a difficult challenge. It may be your destruction, but it might be the thing that saves you. As for me, don’t worry about having a large family with me. As far as I feel, that was what I was trying to do so long ago. I just ... wanted to settle down and raise my baby or babies in peace. From there, they can benefit and help the Coalition or the Movement and help ensure the mythics survival. If another Cataclysm arrives, we will be ready.”

“Another?” Stephen gave a questioning look. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“There might be another one of those things you were telling me about?”

“Yes. It may be more powerful than this one or weaker. We have no idea. It can come at any time, and if that is the case, then we might not have the resources to fight it off.”

“That wouldn’t be gnarly,” he commented.

“I don’t want to think about it either. I think it is best to let nature take its course. Let time be that answer.”

“Yes, I agree. I don’t want to think about it either. We enjoy our time together, and we live in harmony with nature.”

They reached the grove of trees. As they began to step into it, the brush was getting thicker and thicker.

“Just a little bit further,” she said. “I want us away from the visual sight of the people. They can’t see what I am going to do.”

“Alright.”

They continued walking deeper and deeper into the density of trees. Opet came to a stop as she looked around. Stephen couldn’t see anybody but themselves in the area.

“Good,” she said. “We can leave now. Hold onto my hand tightly. I am going to teleport us to our new home.”

“Teleport?”

She closed her eyes as she held her hand out. A ball of energy was starting to appear as she appeared to be channeling magic from her hands.

“Wow,” he remarked. “Actual magic.”

“I name our new destination. The home of refuge.” The ball of light got bigger and bigger till it completely encompassed her hand. She then held it up and said one other word. “Teleport.”

Suddenly Stephen could feel a flash of light hit him. The intensity wasn’t that strong, but it was an unusual feeling for him. There was a brief flash in the air as the two of them completely disappeared from Woodstock. He had no idea where he was going.

It was quick and painless. The magic of teleportation was practically instant. Stephen opened his eyes as he felt like his body was jolted. The location was different. The light was different. He looked around as he could see that he was still standing next to Opet with his hand holding hers.

“Wha?” he remarked. “What?”

“We are here,” she said.

Stephen looked around at his surroundings. The location was utterly new. He could see mountains in the distance, and the temperatures were slightly warmer. It was nothing but forest all around him. Not a single person except Opet was within sight. It was a clear morning as the sun radiated the landscape. It must have been around 9 am from where he was.

“What is this?” he asked her.

“We are located in the Stanislaus National Forest near a place called Cherry Lake,” she said. “Somewhere in the edge of a state called Nevada.”

“California? Almost the other side of the United States. Farout!”

He let go of his hand as he looked at the scenery. The environment was beautiful, to say the least. All around him was green and trees everywhere. It was a paradise consisting of White Fir, Sugar Pine, Jeffery Pine, and Lodgepole Pine trees. The temperatures were right around seventy degrees. He looked to one side to see California’s mountains, including the Black Hawk Mountain, the outer edge of Cherry Valley, and Bell Mountain.

“We are miles from human civilization,” she told him. “No one will bother us here. It will be the perfect place to call home.”

He looked around and could only hear the sounds of chirping birds and wildlife all around him. The scent of the forest was strong here. It was even more substantial than the lake by Woodstock. He turned around and began to head toward an area of brush that was in the way.

“No one to bother us...” Stephen remarked as he breathed a sigh of relief. He went and gripped the peace pendant that was around his neck. “For the first time, I feel like I have nothing to hold me back. I have you and nothing else to worry about.”

He turned around to see Opet as she lifted up her hands. A flash of light emitted from her body as it quickly faded away. He could see Opet’s proper form of the hippopotamus goddess. Standing in her white dress that failed to cover her protruding midriff, she swung her crocodile tail a little bit. In the bright forest, he could see more detail of her features. She stood on digitigrade legs and towered over him by about a couple of feet. She had the gray skin of a hippo and small round ears. Her large rounded snout highlighted the fact that her jaws were quite significant. Much like a hippo, she had two large teeth that could easily chomp down on someone if they are not careful. Her protruding belly showed her innocence as a mother.

“You have this power to teleport anywhere?” Stephen asked her.

“Yes. If you don’t want to be here, I am sure that we can find...”

“No. Opet, this is perfect for a place. You want to live here and raise a family?”

“Yes.”

Stephen smiled as he nodded his head. “Then we are free.”

“Yes,” she said. “Ah ... it feels so wonderful,” as she took a deep breath through her nostrils. “We are not far from it.”

She walked ahead of him as she pushed the brush aside.

“Far from what?” he asked her as he followed close behind.

“Yes, we are almost there.”

He kept up with her as he went and took her hand. The place was breathtaking in its scenery. For the first time, a part of Stephen wanted to crash down to the grass, just like Woodstock, but this time it was different. There was no one to stop him. He had all the privacy in the world.

“This place...” She said. “I would go to here a couple of times to relax, but it was missing a person. It was missing you.”

She took one hand and pulled the leaves and brush away to reveal a patch of grass and dirt. It was a singular grove of open space where the trees formed a natural barrier all around it.

“Perfect,” she said. “I came here once a year ago. I always had some hope that the man I dreamed of would be here with me. Now that you are here, I can finally become the mother I want to be.”

Stephen admired the location. “It is beautiful. I have never seen such a pretty place,” he paused as he went to scratch the back of his head. “There is only one problem, though. I am not much of a carpenter. I know almost little on building a house or place we can live in.”

“It is alright,” she told him. She went and clapped her hands together. “Remember what I said about having those resources? I help them, and they help me. The Coalition and the Movement, both contribute to one another in some way or another. We never leave anybody behind.”

Stephen wondered what she was going to do, but the answer seemed to come together as she kept her hands clasped together. It almost seemed as if she was making a prayer of some sort. A little bit of wind seemed to conjure around her.

“What are you doing?” he asked her.

“Calling on a friend,” she answered as she closed her eyes. Energy seemed to radiate from her hands as she said the following words:

“To the gods of the past, heed my call. I ask for your help as I have found a husband and mate. I need to have a home in a place of seclusion. I call upon one of the mythics of great power who specializes in the creation of buildings. I call upon one that is a master of such creative powers. I call upon a friend of the Egyptian line of deities. I call upon Ptah to render your aid.”

She ceased her power as she opened up her eyes. The light quickly faded from her hands as she unclasped them. She made a big smile as she turned to look at him.

“Ptah?” he asked her. “Who is he ... or she?”

“A good friend,” she answered. “He may show up sooner or later depending on if he is busy or not. You will see him once he shows up. He wouldn’t even need his human form either.”

Stephen still could not fathom the location. “I won’t ever have to worry about the police trying to come and arrest me. I am free.”

“We are both free, Stephen. We don’t have to worry about anything but ourselves. Not even confined to my human form anymore. How much I want to be in my original form now than ever. It is like shedding a piece of skin. I am free just as much as you are. Our children will grow up in harmony with nature.”

It was like a dream come true. The forest was little more than the promised land of beauty and harmony. He began to eye Opet’s body, remarking her features more and more. Before he could do more in looking, a flash of light erupted near their location. A swirl of smoke erupted as it quickly dissipated.

“He came pretty fast,” she said. “Normally, he wants to finish his mediations.”

“I would never leave behind a fellow friend of the gods,” a man with an Egyptian accent said through the disappearing smoke.

It was here that Stephen could see an oddly dressed man that walked up to them. He was almost completely covered in a large white shawl. He had a form of gold and blue armor that covered his shoulders and chest. On the top of his head was a blue cap that covered most of his hair. He had a long beard that poked below his chin that was neatly tied up. He carried a Djed-Ulas scepter in one hand as he walked. The most notable feature about him was that he was green-skinned.

“Ptah!” Opet called out to him. She almost hopped from her spot. “There you are.”

Ptah smiled at her. “You called me because you have found someone close to you?”

“Yes,” she said as she pointed to him. “Ptah, this is Stephen. Stephen, this is Ptah, the god of masonary, creation, and wisdom.”

Ptah came to a stop as he stabbed his scepter to the ground. He clasped his hands together. “A friend of Opet, is a friend to the gods,” he said. “The act of being a part of us is a sign of wisdom in itself.”

“Farout, man,” Stephen said as he held the peace sign to him. He could tell immediately that Ptah was a man of peace. His voice was calming, benevolent, and collected.

“As to you,” Ptah calmly said as he held and pointed the palm of his hand towards his direction. “It is a pleasure to meet another mortal companion in this world. One day, we hope the veil of secrecy will come to an end, and we may show our true faces to you without the fear of destroying others’ beliefs.”

“I understand,” Stephen nodded. “Opet has told me everything about the mythics. I promise you that I am a man of nature. I have nowhere I would rather be than to be by Opet’s side till the end of my days.”

“Thankfully,” he said calmly as he withdrew his hand. “I don’t see your end happening for a very long time. I see much prosperity between you two. The fact remains that we must wait and regather ourselves until the day that we can finally reveal ourselves. Spend time, be with the people we love as we find our lost loved ones. For now, it is the only thing we can do.”

“You won’t have any argument with me. Your secret will remain with me. I have nothing left back at home.”

“You will often find that there are many things that are left at home that you are unaware of. There is no shame in going back to see one’s past. Regardless, I can sense your calming spirit. It is why Opet’s soul is at peace, more so now than ever. You are left with one that that you need now more than ever. You need a place of solitude.”

“Yes. I am not really good at building homes.”

Ptah went and grabbed his scepter as he turned around and looked at the groove. “A home is where the soul begins. A home is more important than anything. It is where life can begin and rest. I will help the both of you.”

Opet went and wrapped her large arm around Stephen’s shoulder as they watched the green god walk further towards the open field. He held his scepter up as he had his other arm up.

“For times of Egypt’s past,” Ptah explained. “I have been the guardian of knowledge. The ancient people that I cared for would call upon me to create the buildings around them.” He stabbed the scepter on the ground as he then went and had a seat to the soil below him. He assumed a cross-legged sitting position as he held one hand up and held the other to point at the other.

A swirl of energy began to radiate from his hands as his eyes began to emit a glow to it. Winds seemed to erupt from around him as he began to hover a little bit from the dirt below him. The unique powers of Ptah were going to be revealed by what he was going to do in the next two minutes.

The ground by the grove began to alter in shape. A series of wooden beams began to sprout from the ground forming an outer structure. A few of the wooden beams began to hover in the air as they would fit onto the other beams. A large carpeted floor began to materialize as it formed the bottom portion of it. Other materials started to fly towards the growing mass of creation before Opet and Stephen.

Stephen’s mouth showed nothing but amazement. Ptah was creating a house out of thin air. The god was hovering while he continued to alter his hands around. The swirling mass of energy remained as it continued to flow towards the house. Ptah’s eyes remained transfixed at the structure as more and more wood began to head toward it. A roof was placed over it as room after room was being created in quick precision. Even furniture was being summoned as the energy continued to flow through it.

In less than a minute, the house was nearing completion. Seemingly large enough, for a couple like them, it had plenty of extra rooms for more than just them. A small fenced-in area and patio were even constructed almost instantly.

Opet seemed to grin as she watched the house was built correctly and without error. It was spacious and fit perfectly into the landscape. Not a single tree had to be taken down, and little had to be cleared for it to be made.

Finally, after less than a minute, the process had been completed. A sizeable house was built as Ptah resettled back onto the ground. The channeling of energy from his hands had ceased as his eyes resumed a normal look. He stood up as he held out his hand. The scepter magnetized to the palm as he turned around to look at Opet.

“I trust that this is what you were seeking?” Ptah asked her with much confidence.

“Yes, Ptah,” she answered him. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Gnarly,” Stephen responded. “Magic of creation. To create a home out of nothing.”

Ptah did a slight bow of his head. “Call me if you need me again.”

With that, the god of creation went and grabbed his scepter. He lifted it up with both hands as he smashed it to the ground. Instantly, a flash erupted from his body as he suddenly vanished before them. The light faded away only leaving the creation of the great house before them.

“A home,” Opet said. “A home big enough to raise my child and the future offspring we will create ... that is ... if you want to.”

Stephen simply walked up and held her hand. “A man couldn’t have dreamed of anything more than this. It is incredible.”

Opet went and looked at Stephen. “We are with nature. I see no more need of this...”

She stopped speaking as she went and placed her hands over her dress. A glowing light emitted from them as the white dress began to dematerialize before him. She started from the top of her breast and waved her hands down slowly. Stephen could understand immediately what she was getting at.

“Come on,” she gently persuaded him. “Until the winters hit, we don’t need clothes.”

“I can’t argue with that,” he said. He started by taking his shirt off as Opet began to walk forward towards the building.

She was now topless as her protruding belly could be easily seen. Like getting rid of a layer of skin, the clothes began to disappear. Stephen was doing his best to get his clothes off. He walked up to the patio as placed his shirt there. He felt that after this, he wouldn’t need his clothes for a very long time. He started to unbutton his pants next as he walked up to the door.

Opet reached the edge of the door as she then lowered her hands below her torso. From behind, Stephen had a clear view of her tail and her ass. Her nakedness was getting closer as he got his boots off next and placed them by the entrance. The grass alone in the area felt easy to walk on.

Stephen again looked around him. He was so distracted by Opet’s beauty that he quickly noted the surrounding area. By the house were a camp place, large chairs, a large crib, and a table. One could spend outside with nature without a thought in the world. There would be nothing to worry about. This location was beyond perfect. The house consisted of five bedrooms just from the outside alone.