'Til Kingdom Comes - The Banished Prince Vol 2: Here Comes The Witches

Proposed Duck Pond Gets A Facelift

"Here we are, the latrine pits. This had been built since this town was established and we do not assign anyone to actually go in and dig up the night soil and use them as fertilisers. But rather, we would get someone to burn dry leaves, twigs and other dry wood inside it."

"The night soil would then be dry and would decompose along with the burning leaves. The liquid waste would be filtered somehow and hope it doesn't taint our drinking water."

Frank explained to the group as they peered inside the latrine pits. It was an open pit so basically after the last person dumped their waste, someone would be here to light a fire and burn the night soil.

"Hmm, don't mind if I take a look around first, Sir? Don't worry, I won't be diving right inside but I would just use my mind and see how much it had been filled and where does the liquid waste had gone to."

With that, Earl stood at the edge and hummed to himself as he begins to see the image of the seepage and managed to create an underground sewer to carry the liquid waste about 2 miles downstream. In this way, the liquid waste, if it leaked to the water source, would be filtered as it passes through the sediments. There won't be much danger after all.

Then what he did next astonished the entourage as the contents inside the latrine pits begins to churn by itself and replaced with fresh earth. There wasn't even a hint of any foul smell from within.

Looks of surprise were transfixed in the faces of the entourage and Frank finally woke up from his stupor and asked, "Where did the night soil go to?"

"Don't worry, Sir. The night soil had been carried deeper underground. Now what was being replaced is porous soil that could absorb liquid waste more efficiently. By the way, I may need Farah's assistance now, Sir."

"Farah, could you implement 4 radiating heat walls, 2 feet above the ground's surface, to help to constantly radiate heat and hasten the decomposition process, about 200°F?"

"So in the future, there won't be any more burning of wood anymore, it would be automatic. Besides, any dry wood or kindling thrown inside would automatically be incinerated as it is combustible and contain no moisture."

"Alright, big brother. 4 heat radiating walls at 200°F. 2 feet above the ground. Incinerating the night soil to decompose faster. Consider it as done, big brother." remarked Farah happily as she pointed her forefinger and suddenly 4 shots of flames emerged from it and rushed inside the pit.

"Hehe. Done, big brother." Farah gave a thumbs up at Earl and the entourage was surprised at how quick it was done. They peered inside and saw the heat radiating walls from inside the pit, right at the bottom and close to its surface.

Old Jack took a clump of dry tinder and threw it inside. As it fell to the ground, it suddenly caught fire and was incinerated. "Wow... It is like a live furnace down there, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week without a need to refuel. Hahaha. Splendid, young girl..." Old Jack clapped his hands and everyone in the entourage clapped too for both Earl and Farah for their wonderful improvised latrine pits.

If anyone was watching from afar, one can't help to wonder what was there to be celebrating over at the latrine pit. Did human waste suddenly turn into gold or someone had quit wearing diapers and was being congratulated. Hmm, only the night soil knows... Hahaha.

So the same process was done at the other latrine pit before the entourage leads them to the west side of town, near the dugout area of the quicksand, intended for the duck pond. When they reached there, they discovered that the water had risen but had not reached even the first terrace, which indicates the first foot of water.

"Sir, would you mind if I point out something about this duck pond?"

"Sure, my friend. Go ahead if its for the betterment of everyone." Frank replied as everyone gathered to listen to Earl's findings.

"Sir, a duck pond's water level would be about knee-high or 2 feet. There's no need to dig until this deep because accidents can happen and children who don't know how to swim would drown once they slipped."

"By the way, the earth that was exhumed from here was presumably made into clay bricks, rocket stoves and ovens, am I right, Sir?"

"That's right, Earl. It is being used for making those items and that's why the ground had been dug to be so deep. It was actually a knoll until we 'shaved' it off and flatten it. Then water seeped in, indicating the presence of groundwater and thus we dig further to remove the clay from the quicksand."

"This proposed pond had been left here for almost 3 months and the land behind it was also being shaved off and brought to the clay production areas. There was no water seepage and we may look for other knolls to get our clay."

Frank concluded and asked if there's anything that Earl could suggest so Earl decided to share his opinion. "Let us settle one matter at a time first. For the next few weeks, do you intend to have anyone to monitor these parts of land? If you do, please redirect them elsewhere first."

"What I would like to suggest is — bring up the land and level it to a depression of 2 feet. Then add an islet in the centre of it and surround the whole area with water."

"Penelope would assist next to have some water plants like hyacinth and waterlilies. I remember the water troughs at the northern entrance. There are some fishes in them so it would be best to have some fishes swimming in here too."

"This could be done in the springtime. At the mean time, Penelope would also create some plants to spruce up the place abit with some umbrella trees on all four corners of the duck pond."

"Walter will assist in filling the depression with water right after I lay the area with pebbles and streambed gravel. What do you say, Sir? It could be done in a matter of minutes."

"My Gosh...! It took us months to dig up this place and you are going to fill it up with earth once more, lay it with gravel, Walter will fill it up with water and Penelope would spruce up the area with trees and all?"

"All this is achievable within minutes? Wow...! I would never believe what I'm hearing right now... This is truly unbelievable...!" Frank was filled with astonishment while Ben and Old Jack wanted to see how it was being done.

Old Kayla was also surprised along with Gwen and Crystal as they only thought that these could be achieved only in dreams and not reality.

Frank nodded his head in agreement and Earl just picked a stick and walked near the surface. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and then he tapped the side of the depressed land. Soon, before everyone's eyes, the water began to recede as the land began to take over the water that was there a minute ago.

The land quickly covered the whole area and rose steadily upwards, filling the whole surface, a foot at a time. The land that was filling up didn't make any kind of sounds or tremors. It was pretty much like watching the scene unfold in reverse.

When the land rose right up to the first 2 terraces, it stopped and then gravel began to spread out on the surface of the land which would be soon become the bottom of a duck's pond. Old Kayla was holding on to Old Jack's arms firmly as they watched the land before them covered with streambed gravel.

"Right, Sir. My part is done now. It is only up to Walter and Penelope now." Earl looked a bit exhausted through the control of nature through his mind and thoughts. As for these Priests and Priestesses, the only thing they need was to have a power nap of about an hour to replenish their mental energy.

Normally Earl would fill up or dig a ground of not more than 3 feet wide and several feet deep but to fill back the earth of this kind of magnitude, Earl somehow was a bit 'mentally' tired after the task.

He had refilled 2 latrine pits and channelled their liquid waste out 2 miles away from the town so this would solve the waste management in Gracehaven for good.

Besides, he was actually quite well-fed from the earlier lunch of pottage, then the biscuits, cake and recently the Crispy, Fluffy and Light Pan-Fried Flatbread that was served at the Gracehaven's Greasy Spoon.

So a little nap would do all right for him, as he excused himself and went to find a spot where there was tree shade. He sat cross-legged on the floor and closed his eyes.

Penelope was standing at the edge of the proposed duck pond and touched the sides of the bank. She summoned some water plants — Moss, sss Sword, Java Fern, Anubias and Anubias Nana, Crypt Wendtii, Cryptocoryne, Pygmy Chain Sword and Water Wisteria.

She also summoned four banyan trees on all four corners of the duck pond. These banyan trees would sprout slowly, absorbing the water and soil nutrients at the sides of the duck pond and at the same time giving lots of shade for one to fish, frolic in the water or even to hunt.

Available ducks that might be in flight would be Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Baikal Teal, Red-crested Pochard, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Ferruginous Duck, Lesser Scaup, King Eider, Steller's Eider, Harlequin Duck, Black Scoter, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Bufflehead and Barrow's Goldeneye.

As for the sides of the duck pond, Penelope summoned clumps of purple loosestrife, pendulous sedge, cyperus sedge, greater pond sedge, sweet galingale, hard rush, true bulrush, reed sweet grass, bogbean, soft rush, yellow flag, slender reedmace, medium reedmace and mare's tail.

Right now the surrounding of the duck pond may look like nothing because Penelope 'instructed' these plant to grow slowly. At the meantime, the tenderlings had sprouted from the ground and it would only take a matter of a week before it would grow towards a maturity stage.

The small islet in the middle of the proposed duck pond was about 10 - 12 feet in diameter and it was shaped like a heart. Penelope had summoned some clumps of grass to be grown at the surrounding area so that these ducks would be provided with some protection or a place to play hide and seek whatsoever.

"Well Sir, I'm not that good at designing a water landscape but this is what I could do at the least. I hope that by end of winter, the ducks which would be in flight would be heading here since they now have their own pond."

"I now hand over to Walter who would be filling in 2 feet of water in this pond." Penelope pointed out as she too was a little exhausted after summoning 4 banyan trees sprouts, many clumps of vegetation at the sides as well as water plants that would soon flourish.

The water plants would be food for the ducks and also to provide the fishes with some cover and also oxygenate the water. Since there was no other flow of water, the level of oxygen in the water would dip greatly if there are no water plants inside it.

Walter stepped up and tapped at the side of the duck pond with a small stick and soon water begins to emerge from the streambed gravel first and slowly rise.

It was up to about 1 foot of water before he stopped and he simply said, "The water will trickle in right now. Since the bottom of the pond had soil, rocks and sediments, the groundwater that rises up would be further filtered."

"I can only summon water but not aquatic life." Walter smiled at the entourage and they were delighted to see that the land that they had dug to extract the mud was now filled up once again.