Leaning in over me she slowly applied the red liquid onto the template on my chest, brushing it smoothly. She then stopped and sat, not saying a word. For some reason I didn’t speak, not wanting to break the spell of what seemed to be a sort of ritual. She waited about 10 minutes and repeated the process three times, allowing the liquid to dry each time. She carefully removed the template and packed everything up, leaving me there for a long time before a different young woman arrived to release me. I was aware that I was now marked for a long time with the insignia of the ranch, if the rumors were true.
That evening at supper, I looked for the table in the chow hall and tried to find the women from Pennsylvania. I made contact, and located one that lived rather nearby me. We arranged to meet on a given date at a local mall for lunch when we were both home again. After I finished eating, I was given my clothes and told to dress. As a ‘graduate’, my locator collar was removed, and replaced with the standard ranch collar. I was given a key to unlock that collar whenever I wished, along with an envelope that I was told I should open during my flight home.
In the dark, we drove to the small airfield. For this flight to the main airport I didn’t have to be blindfolded since it was dark with only a first quarter moon and the stars visible in the sky. I saw how the pilot did indeed have to rely on her instruments to set her course. When my night flight was boarded at the main airport, I was headed back home with a new collar, a tooled leather belt, along with a symbol on my chest. And exciting memories. Then I remembered the envelope. Opening it, I saw a direct contact number for the office of the ranch boss, Ms. Henshaw. I also learned that now that I wore the ranch collar, and had the ranch symbol on my chest, I was eligible to return and actually become a salaried ranch worker, if I learned that my current life now seemed pale, and I yearned to return to the exciting life on the ranch! The offer was good as long as the marking remained on my chest, so I had plenty of time to consider my choice.