They walked along the Farmington Canal trail north to Avon and stopped to see if they could get some food and a place to rest for the day. The tribe at Avon was holding up just barely without their precious data flow. There was evidence of looting. People were shouting. They heard arguments between two women standing outside a pop-up cafe.

"The promise of future ratings sounds like credit to me. You want me to offer you these sandwiches on the promise you will rate me later, but we don't even know if that's going to ever happen."

"Please Carly. How can you ignore that all the ingredients you have there were offered? Are you suddenly hoarding? I never took you for a greedy taker before." The argument got worse from there.

Helen, Marto, Maxtor and the Ninjas witnessed an actual fist fight erupt over some apples, not far away. Things were getting ugly. Then Maxtor was recognized by a child on a skateboard, and all of that changed. Regardless of the current breakdown in society, his status remained a well of pure power. The entire town turned their efforts toward making the travelers comfortable and happy. It was miraculous.

That night they ate and slept in total luxury. The entire town was at their disposal. Offers of food, supplies, clothing, bikes, massages, hot oil skin treatments, assisted baths, beverages of all kinds, were made without any regard to the possibility of Merit gain or ratings. They slept on the largest beds in town, wrapped in the softest sheets, attended to by the friendliest people. In the middle of the night, without any warning, the interconnection came back on. Helen felt as if her ears had popped and it woke her. An immense space opened up in her head. She sat up in the bed. Marto sat up next to her.

"Wow!" she said aloud.

"Ah..." Marto's expression was pure bliss.

They sat there for a while, just listening and monitoring the interconnection as it came online. Thousands of discussions were already underway. They learned that the interconnection returned progressively, spreading outward from a single point. That point had been determined to be Reverside from the pattern of online tribes and the progression of live nodes.

Back in the flow of things, Matthew returned to identifying himself as Marto, unwilling to reveal his true identity. Helen wondered if he was thinking of keeping it a secret, but didn't want to say anything, either aloud or in thext for fear that she would accidentally out him. They just sat there, reconnecting with old friends, getting updates on all the events they had missed.

"Lala's dead. Seemi's dead," Marto said aloud. "Killed by Raiders. Shit."

Helen looked it up and saw that it was true. Eulogies had been posted. She remembered LalaUbriay from her thexting lessons just a week ago. She was so friendly and welcoming. Her heart sank.

They followed a few of the accounts of the occupation of Reverside. There were many references to the bravery of Reyleena and the barbarity of two men named Barnabas and Daschel. Barnabas was still alive. He was a wanted man now. Little was said about the manner in which the Feudalist invaders were defeated. Reyleena had reprogrammed the decompilers. She convinced the chefs to change the town's diet. The plan was intricate and impressive. It was also slightly barbaric. Still, she was now a hero among the recently reconnected. Her Merit would soon rival Maxtor's.

["Nora was a spy!"] Marto was amazed. ["She seemed so sincerely lost and eager to be one of us. Did I unwittingly assist her in her plans? I was just trying to help her fit in with us. I'm flabbergasted."]

["She fooled everyone, even Reyleena,"] Mem sent back. ["I found her messing with our roads and tackled her. I had no idea what she was up to. Glad to see you back with us Marto!"]

["So good to see you too Mem!"] Marto responded. He sent her waves of affection. Helen got a glimpse of how hard it was for him to pretend to be someone else with the people he loved.

Helen and Marto stayed up until dawn, getting news and messaging with their old and new friends. Marto posted something he had saved as a draft about marriage and polygamy. He started working on a new post.

The greater mind returns after a long absence. How we all were missed! My heart is broken by news of the loss of life in Reverside. My heart breaks even for the loss of life of the attackers. Such violence! Why?

I have journeyed with Maxtor Uber-G and was joined shortly before we were all silenced by Helen « Somebody « Helen « etc who some of you may remember from the start of this Episode back at the Lester Sunshine Inn. Amazingly, she has been eager to catch up with me and join me on my wanderings. She was a noob among us but is starting to feel like a regular member of our tribes of late. Send her a hello!

The towns we have seen since the blackout have all been holding up bravely during this interruption. Our interconnectedness survived even in the absence of thexting and data, it seems. I am very grateful for the help I received somewhere near Bristol from Lydia « Martha « Didi « Mirona « etc who generously donated a bicycle for my new companion. She proved to me that our spirit of generosity goes far beyond technology; it comes from the heart.

Speaking of which, six adventurous heroes I would mention are listed in this link [data blast with the full names of the ninjas] . They rescued Helen from captivity in the Hampton Isles and delivered her safely to meet me in Bristol. We would have been at a total loss without them. Thanks to Helen, they now call themselves the Ninjas. They are brave and true, and not at all like the frightening assassins of old.

So good to be back in touch with you all! Hearty congratulations to Reyleena in Reverside, our fearless head of security for turning away the invaders, and inexpressible grief at the loss of my good friend LalaUbriay. My wanderings will feel a bit colder without you, my dear, dear friend.

– The Wakeful Wanderer's Guide, Vol. 6, lines 733 - 737

Maxtor said goodbye at Avon. They left him as he was choosing between 40 different offers of rides back to The Middle. His vacation from the Interconnected had been cut short by Zeke's wives, and he said it was as good a time as any for him to get back to work. Marto was sad to leave the man. He felt that they shared a special bond at Lake Compounce, but like all relationships between those of high and low Merit, personal connections are transitory at best.

The Ninjas had vanished in the night. Helen tried to find them that morning to thank them, but they had run back to their ship in the river and were headed back to New New London. ["Thank you so much!"] she sent to Londra and the others. They responded it was their honor, and thanks were not necessary. Helen didn't think she could rate them highly enough. Mere Merit did not cover her gratitude.

They rode the northern extension of the Farmington Canal Trail out of Plainville to Granby and then Springfield. Marto kept up with Helen, who pedaled a new assisted bike that was offered in Avon. They both wore backpacks filled with non-perishables for the journey ahead. There would be stretches of the trail without any major tribes to visit and they needed to be able to keep up their energy. Helen's bike had saddle bags which held a wonderful self-raising tent for sleeping out of doors. The weather was finally turning cooler, and they had jackets for the wind and the rain.

Marto noticed he was becoming a couple with Helen. This was also noticed by his followers. They still didn't know his real name, and he was determined to keep it that way as long as he could. They teased him about his sudden physical monogamy.

["For some, it seems unavoidable,"] messaged John of Sherwood, ["the mythical biological clock starts to chime, and instincts take over."]

["It's not a myth,"] thexted Dierdre « Dierdre « Hazel « Dierdre « etc, of Tacoma, ["that clock is real. This very thing happened to me, minus the bicycle and the traveling. Also, there were two guys I was trying with, so I guess it's not exactly the same, but when it's time, it's time. Some people just pair up. Better not to be overly critical. You never know when it might happen to you."]

They entered Pi Valley after Springfield and stayed a week, partially because they couldn't keep their hands off each other, and partially because it was Pi Valley. Helen loved it there. The weather began to turn cold, just above freezing. Marto kept using his pseudonym, but it was getting harder and harder for him to keep up the pretense. When they were alone, they messaged privately.

["You have to decide what you want to do,"] Helen sent him, ["I still think they will adjust if you explain that you didn't know who you were. We could stay here in the Valley until your next tour. We could live together here and be happy. What do you think of that?"]

["It sounds like the perfect ending to your adventures and my tour, Helen. But I have to keep going a bit further before I can finish out this tour. Do you feel like staying here and settling in or biking a bit further down the road with me? It shouldn't be more than a month more."] Marto knew Helen was already tired of cycling around with him. He also knew that the area where they stopped was perfect for her.

Pi Valley was beyond tribal identifications. Communities were fluid and ever-changing. The area was considered a laboratory of social structure by the rest of the Interconnected. What The Middle was for technological innovation, Pi Valley was for societal organization. Living there could be a bit confusing, but also fresh and exciting. Helen was completely smitten with it. She told Marto she would stay and wait for him.

Marto reached the Brattle just as the temperature dipped below freezing. His followers wanted him to head east to the Boston satellites, but he pressed northwards, posting less often. He gathered up warmer clothes and pressed on, reaching Woodstock the next day and Montpelier two days after that. His Merit plummeted. Helen became worried. She spent the nights messaging with him.

["Why don't you come back here? Your heart doesn't seem to be in it anymore. Rest for the winter and then start again."]

["There is a monastery to the east that I've always wanted to visit. The Interconnected and the mindful work cooperatively. They have been in continuous operation for over a hundred years now. I hear it's beautiful there. After I see them, I will come back to the Valley. Sending my love."] He sent her an emotional wave of warmth and caring. These were new types of messages that became available a little after the interconnection was reestablished. No one knew who had invented them, but they were wonderful.

["Okay, please stay safe? There are not many repeaters in that direction. You are going to be dark a lot of the time."]

["I've been touring around for years now. I have not gotten into a pickle I couldn't find my way out of before. I will be fine."]

The next morning, Marto posted a desire for dry food for a week to carry in his pack, accepted the gift of a bicycle that resembled the one Helen rode up from Avon and headed away to the east of the great city of Montpelier. Just before he went dark, he posted:

No words, no actions, no gifts, no innovations, no creations, no offers, no kindnesses, no fantasies, no perspectives, no games, no intimacies, no delicacies, no hugs or kisses can ever convey the love I have for all of you. I've had the privilege to live among you for almost three decades. I count myself supremely lucky for that. I wish I could continue on this journey with you, my beloved community, but I cannot. This will conclude the final episode of The Wakeful Wanderer's Guide unless someone else decides to take up the project. You will find the unicycle in Montpelier [lat/lng data] .

It is offered.

– The Wakeful Wanderer's Guide, Vol. 6, Line 925 & fin.