Preston opened the door of the Eagle and bounced out as soon as the ‘all clear’ signal sounded. He dashed across the landing strip to the rocks that bordered the cliff. He knew they provided a windbreak from the ocean, and had heard the story of the hurricane that his mother and father had survived about a million times.
“Dad! He called down from his perch on the rocks. “You should see the waves!”
His father was already unloading the little land carrier. “We’ll see them soon, son. Come on back and help your brothers get their packs down to the bungalow. The sooner we get our gear stored the sooner we can hit the beach.”
The brats were just climbing down the stairs. They weren’t quite big enough to simply step down, and Daniel sat on the top step then slipped his butt down to the next step. Dennys was climbing down backwards. Mama looked over top of them, holding a cargo box.
“Preston, come help get this loaded.”
Daddy looked up. “Let him get the kids down the path. You and I can load up the buggy and follow pretty quick.”
Mama nodded reluctantly. “You stay right on the path and stop at our bungalow. Do not go anywhere else.”
Preston nodded. “Yes, Mama.” Mama always gave very specific instructions, like she thought he would do something awful if she didn’t tell him exactly what to do. She reached back in and handed him his backpack and two smaller ones for the brats. He slung his own onto his back and helped the babies with theirs. Swim suits, hats, clean underwear and two extra sets of shorts and shirts in each pack. His own also had a small pocket for his flashlight and pen knife and another pocket for his slate. He herded the babies ahead of him.
Behind him he could hear his mother saying, “Are you sure you should take him camping?”
Preston felt a stab of fear. She wouldn’t talk Dad out of the trip would she?
“We’ll be fine, love. Pres and I have been planning this for months. It’ll be good for us to be on our own and him not be in the twins shadow for a while.”
Dennys and Daniel began to run and Preston had to hurry to catch up with them. He didn’t hear his mother’s reply, but Dad sounded determined. He grabbed Daniel’s arm just as he tripped on the rocky path and jerked him back upright. Tomorrow he and Dad would hike south. They would be gone for four days, all on their own. He couldn’t wait, and for tonight he could put up with just about anything the brats had in store for him.
Laurie came out of the bungalow and stood on the porch beside Dave. “Did I hear an Eagle?”
“Hmm,” Dave mumbled affirmatively, taking another sip of his drink.
Laurie glanced at him and muttered a curse softly in German. They were supposed to be using the time alone to talk things out, but all Dave wanted to do was sit on the porch and drink himself into a stupor. She saw movement on the pathway to the landing site. “It’s the Carter children. They must have taken the bungalow across the way.”
“Great,” Dave mumbled sarcastically.
“I think the twins have grown again,” Laurie said with a smile. “They’re so adorable.” In many ways they looked much like her own lost son with that white blond hair and blue eyes. She had a soft spot for the Carter children that she knew her husband didn’t share.
“Anyone but them,” Dave said, taking another long pull on the drink in his hand.
“They should never have been born,” Dave glared up the path then turned his gaze back to the ocean. “Those two shouldn’t have been allowed to marry. What was Koenig thinking?”
“I doubt the Commander had much say in the matter,” Laurie said, amused. “And it has worked out so well. Alan just worships her.” Laurie smiled. “I remember the day she was born. I was on duty. She was such a lovely baby, with all that jet black hair. Alan came by to see her and Helena when she was only a few hours hold. The way he held her and looked at her. I think he fell for her then.”
“Laurie, that’s disgusting,” Dave said with vehemence.
“Oh, it was nothing of the sort. It wasn’t physical then, Dave. It was… spiritual, I’d guess you’d call it. They both just seem… more alive in each other’s presence. Some people are just meant to be together.”
She glanced at him, wondering if he thought they were people like that, or not. He didn’t respond.
“Hi Miss Laurie! Hi Mr. Reilly!” Preston piped up as he neared their porch.
“Hello Preston. Where are your folks?”
“They’re loading the buggy. They’ll be down soon.” Preston reached out and grabbed one of the boys. “No, Den. This way, Mama said.” Preston tugged at the boy and pushed the other one toward the bungalow opposite them.
“NO!” The younger boy shouted, tugging against his older brother and trying to continue down the path.
“We’re staying here,” Preston said firmly, not listening to toddler’s protests which were growing louder.
There was the whine of an electric motor indicating the approaching moon buggy. Emma was driving while Alan balanced a box of supplies on his lap and steadied the ones behind him. Preston herded his little brothers toward their porch.
Emma stopped the buggy and stepped out. She took the box that Alan had been holding. “Laurie, I heard you were down here,” she said, approaching the house. “I brought some extra fresh vegetables and a few other things.”
“Thank you, Emma. How sweet of you to think of us, isn’t it Dave?” Dave didn’t respond and Emma chose not to notice. Laurie stepped out and took the box from her. “How long are you staying?”
“Just a few days. Pres and Alan have planned a camping trip and the twins and I are going to stay here while the men go do manly things,” she said with a smile and a wink.
“I’m sure Preston is looking forward to spending a few days with his dad.”
“And away from the twins,” Emma added with a laugh. “Well, they’re all anxious to go down to the beach, so I’d better get things unpacked.”
Laurie nodded. “Thanks again, Emma.”
Two days laterDave was on the porch again; drinking, again. Laurie stood in the doorway feeling sad, regretful and a bit angry. She had thought they had a good marriage. It began as a friendship and had always lacked the passion she had felt when her love with Erich was new. And she had always known there was passion between Dave and his first wife. But they were older, and she felt friendship and genuine caring for each other and for Dave’s children would be enough. It was after the children were on their own that the strains in the marriage became apparent. She wasn’t Aiofe and she couldn’t make Dave truly happy. Both of them had too many ghosts of the past. Her dreams of growing old with someone to hold her hand and offer companionship were fading.
She noticed Emma Carter and her two boys on the beach. She was tired of waiting for Dave to talk. She picked up a hat and a towel and headed for the beach herself. She had seen the Carter’s on their porch the other night after their children were tucked in bed. They certainly didn’t lack for passion or companionship.
All three wore sun hats with wide brims. They were constructing an elaborate sand castle with a wide moat and a canal down to the water. There were sand toys spread across a wide area and Emma and both boys were all covered in sand. Emma looked up and smiled in welcome.
“Can I join you?” Laurie asked.
“If you don’t mind being covered in sand,” Emma said with a laugh.
Laurie spread out her towel and sat on it, close to the construction site, but not too close. One of the boys was digging near the water’s edge and putting small stones in a bucket. The other came and sat in his mother’s lap with a filled bucket of sand in his hands. With her help, he carefully placed the bucket upside down to begin work on the next tower. The other approached with his bucket of stones. He said something unintelligible to her and reached in his bucket. He pulled out a rock and handed it to her. It was longer than his hand, thin and round. A blinding white quartzite.
“Petty wak mslari,” The little boy repeated.
“Pretty rock,” Laurie interpreted. “Yes, it is…” she read the name on the brim of his had. “Daniel.”
Emma looked up sharply, then down at the child in her lap. “You’ve switched hats again, you imps.” She removed both hats and quickly replaced them on the right heads. Daniel, now correctly labeled, giggled and reached up to give his mother a sandy kiss on the cheek.
“How do you tell them apart?” Laurie asked. Dennys was now placing the stones carefully in a row around the outer edge of the moat.
“Alan says it’s mother’s intuition. But really, they look completely different to me. Daniel here has a narrower chin,” Emma began listing a half dozen ways the two boys differed. All were small details, but as Emma pointed them out she could easily see them, for the moment. Emma finished with “Dennys there is a lefty, like his grandpa, but Daniel is right-handed.”
Daniel crawled out of his mother’s lap and headed off to fill his bucket again.
“Do you plan to have any more children?”
“Oh, I’ve been thinking about it. But I can just hear Alan’s reaction.” She effortlessly shifted to an imitation of Alan’s Australian accent. “Bloody hell, Em. We just got this lot to using the loo on their own.”
Laurie laughed with Emma.
“He’ll come around. He understands how important it is to have as many little ones as possible to grow up while you first genners are still around to teach us things.” Emma smiled fondly at her little boys. “Their survival depends on that.”
Laurie watched Emma as she crawled around the sand castle, again helping the toddler to make a part of the castle wall. Both worked with a seriousness that belied the fun of the project.
“Is Dave feeling all right?” Emma asked.
Laurie wondered how best to answer that question. “No, I don’t think so. Phyiscally, he’s fine. But lately, he’s lived more in the past than in the present.”
“I heard that Maggie has a new baby.”
“Yes, a beautiful little girl. We just saw her last week. She named her Aiofe, after her mother." Laurie paused. “I think Dave is missing her all over again.”
Emma looked her in the eyes, and Laurie could see a blend of curiosity and compassion there. Emma smiled gently, then looked away. “Sometimes I don’t know how your generation does it. You’ve all lost so much, yet still you manage to keep going.”
“Sometimes I feel the same about your generation,” Laurie admitted. “You have so many pressures. Maggie seems to be juggling so many different things there at Potter’s Mine. Babies, work, the ever-present danger in that environment.”
“Ah, but most of us don’t know any different. This is normal to us. I know it’s not normal for you.”
Laurie cocked her head. She didn’t think either Alan or Emma’s parents would pine so much for Earth that Emma would feel that certain.
“That time we ended up on Earth; Alan and me.” Emma explained. “I was so afraid I would be trapped there. It was so… alien. I felt so isolated. I didn’t know anyone, or how the world worked. Sometimes Alan would warn me not to tell anything about myself, not even that we were married. Other times, with other people, he didn’t seem to care. I didn’t understand the rules. I was so afraid of making a mistake. The food was different; the clothes were different. If we had been trapped there, and I had lost him…” Emma shook her head. “I think that must be how most of you feel here.”
Laurie looked out over the blue ocean, and the white clouds above. It was so like Earth, yet so different. And yes, Emma was right; sometimes she did feel as if she didn’t understand the rules out here, isolated from Earth. She certainly didn’t understand the rules of being married to Dave, a person she would never have chosen to spend her life with had she been on Earth. Then she remembered the years in space, before they came to Loki. “It is different here, but Emma, it’s so much better than before we found Loki. We should be grateful every day for what we’ve got now.”
Dave watched Laurie start toward the Carters then he got up and stumbled in to the bungalow. Still clutching his empty glass he began to open cabinets looking for a bottle.
When he had no luck in the kitchen he went into the bedroom and opened the valise.
There in the side pocket he found what he had been looking for. He was surprised it had taken her so long to clear out all the others. She had been after him this entire trip to give up the drink.
He removed the cap and took a swig straight from the bottle. It burned going down and ended as a roaring fire in his stomach. She didn't understand him, he told himself. He needed this. He needed to drink until he couldn't dream, because if he dreamed they would come back and he would have to remember. He still saw her when he looked at Maggie especially since Maggie was about her age, but when he and Laurie had gone down to Potter's Mine a few days ago it struck him hard. Then when she introduced him to the new baby, a baby girl she had named Aiofe, the dam burst and a myriad of memories he had packed away were loose upon him. Why did she have to do that? It wasn't right.
He took the remainder of the bottle and stretched out on the bed. Aiofe would have understood. She would have understood the drinking. They would have fought fiercely with strong Irish will pitted against it equal and then made up with the same passion with which they had fought. But in the end she would have understood and not begrudged him for it. Dave Reilly fell into a dreamless sleep still clutching his bottle.
Alan looked out over the water and studied the waves. The wind had picked up and the waves were cresting at about three feet. "Sorry mate, no swimming today." he told Preston.
Preston finished packing the last of the dinner dishes and set the mess pack inside the tent. "That's okay. The wind's a little cool anyway."
Alan smiled at his oldest son. He had been very agreeable during their campout. Possibly due to the absence of the twins. The bonding experience was very good for both of them and he almost hated to see it end. Almost. The long hikes had been telling on his older body and he was anxious to get back to see Emma and relax. He wondered how she was faring with the twins. "Well, son, let's get this fire put out. The way the wind is picking up we don't want to catch the tent on fire."
Preston knelt beside his father and began helping him scoop handfuls of sand on the fire.
"Will you tell me another story about you and Grandpa tonight?"
"Sure, mate. How about I tell you about Piri tonight?" he said smiling.
"Heard it already." Preston quickly replied.
"Oh really? Well, then how about the planet where the mist turned everyone into cavemen?" He stood up satisfied the fire was out.
"Heard it."
Alan's face fell. "All right then. I know I haven't told you about Ultima Thule."
"No, Grandpa did."
Alan sighed. "Well, I know he didn't tell you about the planet with the living rocks looking for water."
Preston's eyes brightened. "Did you fly an Eagle?"
"Best flying I've ever done, mate." he said as he took Preston by the shoulders and led him into the tent. Just before entering the tent himself he looked to the sky. The clouds were dark on the horizon and it looked like rain. A chill ran through his body, the temperature had definitely dropped.
Hours later Alan awoke to the sound of heavy rain pounding on the tent. He crawled from his sleeping bag and felt a sudden icy chill. It was much too cold for Loki this time of the year. Immediately Alan became concerned that the weather could turn dangerous. Putting on his tank top and hiking boots he decided that they should move the tent closer to an outcropping of rocks several meters away. It would serve as a windbreak and they could use it for shelter if the weather got too bad. After making sure Preston was warm in his bag, Alan grabbed a flashlight as crawled out of the tent. Immediately a gust of wind hit him and he nearly lost his balance. The night was black as pitch and the wind had a definite cutting edge to it. He knew he had to get the tent closer to the rocks. He poked his head back inside for a minute. "Preston, wake up son."
Preston responded to his fathers calling. "What is it , Dad?" He rubbed his tired eyes.
"Get up and dressed, son. We have to move the tent to a safer location."
A few minutes later Preston exited the tent dressed in the same warm weather attire as his father. "It's cold."
"Must be one of those freak cold fronts coming through. It may mean we are in for some bad weather." He began pulling up stakes. "Zip her up and we'll move over by those rocks. They should give up some shelter from this wind." He ordered his son. "Leave the packs inside. The less we have to move the better, it should be light enough."
Alan had one stake left when a giant gust of wind hit the tent broadside and lifted it from the ground. He grabbed for the guide rope and yelled at Preston at the same time. "Look out!" Alan struggled with the one remaining rope that kept the tent from taking to the air.
He could hear the wind howling in his ears. Another strong gust caught the tent and he lost his grip on the rope. The remaining stake was ripped from the ground, striking Alan across the scalp. Then the tent was gone from sight, out across the ripping waves.
Alan looked around and saw that Preston had wisely flattened himself to the ground. He was shaken but unhurt. At that moment he felt the cold stab of the rain harder than before. He looked down to see the rain had turned to pellets of ice...hail. He got up and pulled Preston to a small alcove in the rocks. Just as they were sheltered the small pellets turned into large golfball chunks. Alan had no doubt they would have both been injured far worse if they had not gotten out of the tent. He pulled his shivering son next to him.
"Dad, the packs. The slates, our food, everything was in the tent." Preston said through chattering teeth.
"I know. Hopefully this rain will let up soon." Alan said with hope he didn't feel. He didn't know when the rain would let up, but when it did he knew it would get a whole lot colder. He wrapped his body around his son's to shelter him and give as much warmth as he could.
Emma woke abruptly from a dreamless sleep. The wind whistled around the corner of the bungalow and one of the shutters thumped in the wind. There was one warm spot at the center of her back; the rest of her was cold. A small snore from right at her face informed her that both twins had crawled in bed with her and were sleeping on either side of her. She sat up and crawled from in between them, covering them again with the thin sheet. She rubbed her arms and reached for her robe that she always left next to the bed. She slid her feet into boots and stepped out onto the porch. The wind was biting and her thin robe and nightgown were not adequate protection. She quickly moved around to the side of the house and fastened the shutter back into place. She glanced up at the sky, but no stars showed through the cloud cover.
Back inside she sat down in the living room and activated her slate. She called up weather data for the area. Her eyes widened in surprise at the temperature cited. It was above freezing, but with the strong wind, the wind chill factor was well below freezing. She called the weather station at Dover to confirm the figures listed.
Maya’s face appeared on the screen almost immediately.
“Maya! I didn’t expect to get you. I didn’t wake you did I?”
“Hello Emma. No, I was checking on some things and got engrossed in what I was doing and lost track of time,” She smiled. “I do that sometimes.”
“I know the feeling. Maya, I just woke up and the temperature has really dropped here in Bedrock. Alan and Preston are out camping and they weren’t prepared for this weather. The long range forecast said it was to be warm and sunny this week.”
Maya checked another screen and frowned. “A series of cold fronts moved further north than we expected. And it also picked up speed as it blew across the continent. The first one moved through your area around sundown. The one behind it has been picking up speed too. It has quite a bit of severe weather with it. The cold air it’s pushing in is clashing with the warmer air over the water. Where exactly are Alan and Preston?”
“They headed south along the beach. I’m expecting them back tomorrow late afternoon, so they’re only a day’s walk south.”
Maya looked into the pickup. “Emma. There’s a line of extremely severe thunderstorms moving in from the south. They’ll sweep across that area during the next hour or so, and then hit you right at dawn. Once they blow through the temperature is going to drop again.”
“Maya, they packed light—only summer clothes and a fair-weather tent. I’ve got to go after them.”
“This is not flying weather, Emma,” Maya said firmly. “You cannot risk an Eagle.”
Emma shook her head. “I understand that. I wouldn’t be able to spot them anyway in this cloud cover. And we don’t have a land car here. I’ll take the moon buggy out. Laurie Riley is across the way. I’ll ask her to watch the twins.”
“Have you tried Alan’s slate?”
“Not yet. But I’ll do that next. Thanks, Maya.”
Emma signed off and then touched the link that would contact her husband’s slate. She received an error message. The slate was not in service. Frowning, she tried Preston’s slate. That one gave the same message. She knew there were rock formations around here that would interfere with slate transmission, but booster transmission towers had been added years ago, back when she and her brothers had ended up trapped in that cave. There shouldn’t be any kind of problem reaching the slates. Unless the severe weather was affecting the transmissions. She called up the link to the Riley’s cabin.
Dave had fallen asleep on the sofa, still clutching an empty bottle. Laurie had not tried to move him when she went to bed. The comm unit beeped insistently. Dave rubbed his face and sat up, glaring at the offending device. Holding onto the wall to steady himself, he moved slowly toward the kitchen counter. By the time he got there, Laurie was up as well, coming out of the bedroom while she tied the belt on her robe. He glared at her. Her short blonde hair and sharp features not the image he wanted to see. He reached to answer the call, eyes blinking as he tried to focus on the screen.
Dark curls framed her face and for a moment he thought he was seeing Aiofe. But the voice was Emma Carter’s. “Dave. I’m sorry to wake you, but the weather has turned very bad and I’m worried about Alan and Preston. Is Laurie awake? I was hoping she could come watch the twins while I go out with the moon buggy.”
Dave glanced at Laurie, and finally noticed that the room was a good deal cooler than it should have been. “She’s here,” he said, unable to think of anything else to say at the moment.
Laurie stepped forward. “Emma, we’ll be over as soon as we’re dressed. Have you tried calling Alan?”
“Nothing is getting through to either his slate or Preston’s. I just talked to Maya and the weather is going to get worse very soon. They were dressed in summer clothes and aren’t prepared for this. Laurie, I’m really worried.”
“We’ll be right there.”
Emma nodded and closed the connection.
Laurie turned back to the bedroom peeling off her robe and nightgown as she went. Dave just stood there, realizing that he was still dressed. Emma had asked for Laurie to come. Laurie had included him. He turned to the door, noticing the sound of the wind outside. He walked across the room and opened the door. A blast of cold air hit him and he stepped back, surprised. He remembered seeing Alan and his son striding down the beach in tank tops and shorts. He closed the door and headed back to the bedroom for a jacket.
Without saying a word he pulled on his own jacket and handed Laurie hers. Remembering Alan and Preston walking on the beach reminded him of that picnic, the night before Aiofe died and the way Alan had struggled so hard to help him save Aiofe and Padraig. By the time they had fought the wind to cross over to Emma’s house he had made a decision.
Emma opened the door for them. She had already dressed in a standard work jumpsuit with a t-shirt underneath and workboots. A jacket lay atop two blankets and two other jackets and she was pulling her black curls into a tight knot.
“Maya says there will be another front through here just at dawn, with severe weather The twins are asleep in my bed. I just put another blanket on them. .” She pulled out a waterproof duffel bag and began stuffing the blankets and jackets into it. “They’ll want juice and some cereal when they wake up. And they’ve never experienced a thunder storm. It may scare them.”
Dave took her arm. “You need to stay with the babes, Emma. I’ll go after Alan and the boy.”
Emma looked at him with surprise. Her look told him that she was well aware of his feelings about her marriage to Alan. He realized that was probably the most he had spoken to her in the ten years she had been married to Alan.
“Do you have any foul weather gear on the Eagle?” he asked, not acknowledging that look.
“There should be some slickers in the emergencies stores.”
He nodded. “You finish up that pack while I go suit up.” He turned and walked out into the blowing wind. It sure as hell was no fit night to be out.
As morning broke the rain stopped. Dark clouds still loomed on the horizon and Alan shivered as he felt the chilled air drive in. He looked at his sleeping son in his arms. Preston had snuggled as close to his father as he could get, but still trembled from the cold. For the first time in as long as he could remember Alan was scared and helpless. He looked out at the water in anger. The only tools he had for keeping his son and himself alive had been swept into the sea last night during a furious gale. Now he knew it would be up to him to save them and he didn’t have a clue how. He pulled his mostly dry tank top off and wrapped it around Preston’s bare shoulders. Immediately he felt a thousand tiny needles stabbing him as the cold air assaulted his bare skin. He nudged Preston gently. “Wake up, cobber. Time for another hike.”
Preston stirred then tried to burrow in closer. “It’s so cold.”
Alan hugged Preston tight for a moment. He could only hope he was making the right decision. Emma would be worried when he didn’t check in and come looking for them, but in the mean time they had to start moving to bring up their body heat. “I know, mate, but once you’re moving you’ll feel better.”
Preston lifted his face and gave his father a nod that was full of trust. “Okay.”
Alan wavered for a moment after he stood. His muscles were cold and numb. He began moving about to loosen the stiffness from his joints. Preston at his side, mimicked his actions with much less determination.
The wind had lost some of it’s ferocity, but the sea continued to churn. Alan knew there would be one hell of a rip tide out there. It was a sea of white caps and foam. Undoubtedly deadly chilled as well, he suspected. And he and Preston would have to skirt the deadly water to get to shelter. The cliffs around them were too steep to attempt in their condition and they no longer had their climbing gear. His memory served that there was a small shelter along the coast not far from where they were. It was mainly used for storage and there might not be anyone there, but at least it would provide some shelter and possibly have some provisions. The difficult part would be getting there. The cliffs were steep and they would have to traverse some boulders that were fairly close to the water. One slip from them could mean disaster as well. Considering his short list of options, Alan could not come up with a better plan. Taking Preston’s small hand in his own Alan started toward the water line.
The wind ripped at Dave’s face and clothes as he guided the buggy along the coast. The chill that had come on overnight stung his face but the lingering effects from the alcohol he had consumed the night before dulled his senses. He had let Emma and Laurie talk him into looking for Alan and the kid only to get them off his back. What Alan did was little concern to him anymore. He patted the flask seated securely in the pocket of his jacket. At least Laurie hadn’t found this one. He had little doubt that she would check him out thoroughly when he got back and give him hell.
He squinted his eyes trying to make out movement in the mist ahead. The warm water and cool air had created a patchy fog around the water. Depending on wind conditions Dave didn’t find it troubling, but he had come in to a lee area. He stopped the buggy as he made out the figure of a woman ahead. It was amazing to see someone in such torturous weather conditions. “Hello!” he called out hoping she had some idea as to Alan’s whereabouts.
As the figure half turned Dave caught his breath. She was so familiar to him, yet impossible. He climbed from the buggy and started in her direction but another patch of fog moved in obscuring her from view. He ran into the fog to where he last saw her but found nothing. Not even a footprint. He stood baffled with a cold chill running down his spine. The chill wasn’t from the cold. He recognized her from his dreams and from the many nights they had shared. As impossible as it seemed he knew he had seen Aiofe or her wraith. Shaken he returned to the buggy and took out the flask. He took a deep pull and tried to shake away the eerie feeling. The sound of his slate almost made him jump out of his skin. Relieved to touch base with reality he turned it on and instantly recognized his wife’s face. “Hello, Laurie.”
Laurie studied his face for a second. He was clearly shaken. “Are you all right, Dave? Have you found anything?”
“No and I won’t if you don’t quit bugging me, woman.” He felt a pang of regret as he saw the pained look pass over her face. He wondered how he could hate and love the same woman at the same time.
“I just wanted to pass on to you that Emma thought it would be a good idea to check the research supply shelter up the coast for signs of them.”
“Right. I’m almost there now.” Then he added a bit softer, “I’ll let you know what I find.”
The biting cold had numbed Alan to the bone as he stumbled along. His mind barely functioned and were it not for the fact that Preston’s very survival depended on his he would lay down and let the cold take him. Only his son’s survival fueled his desire to fight.
He looked over at Preston who stumbled and fell. Alan reached down and pulled him to his feet.
“S-s-s-o. C-c-c-cold, D-d-ad.” Preston said through chattering teeth.
Alan noticed his lips had a tinge of blue. He lifted the boy into his arms with renewed strength and willed his legs to carry them to the shelter. Preston would not last much longer under these conditions and Alan knew that if Preston lost his fight he would give up his own.
A few minutes later Alan’s senses came alert. Not knowing what had prodded them he looked around him with a strange sense of foreboding. The closer they got to the waterline the more patches of fog they encountered. They were about to enter one now and Alan sensed something or rather someone moving on the fringes of it. He strained to make out whoever was there, but the features were lost in the white mist.
“Hello,” his voice was barely more than a coarse whisper.
The figure, a little boy he now recognized, half turned then disappeared into the fog.
The anger rose inside Alan and he started after with renewed determination. Who would bring a child out into weather like this? He looked down at his son who was barely conscious and shivering uncontrollably and willed his feet to move with greater speed than before.
The tiny supply shack came into view suddenly as the fog around it blew off. Dave parked the buggy and went inside looking for signs of occupancy. He wasn’t much surprised when he found none. There were many places that Alan might have holed up and it was very possible that he was warm and dry while Dave was running around damp and chill searching for him. He reached into his pocket for another sip from the flask when he saw her again from the corner of his eye. As he raced around the side of the shack he came face to face with his tormentor. For only a second she looked at him with eyes full of sadness---no pity. He felt the ice shroud covering his heart crack and he reached for the vision. But in an instant she was gone again leaving him more shaken and possessed than before. It was the same face that had looked at him imploringly during those last few seconds of her life. The face that came to him in his dreams over and over. Dave sank to his knees on the verge of madness. She had trusted him to protect them, but he hadn’t and it had cost him two of the people he loved most in his life. He had let them down.
His despair was near complete now. It wasn’t enough for her to haunt his dreams reminding him of his failure, but now she followed him into his waking moments; driving away his sense and seeking penance.
As wind began to howl around him Dave lifted his weary head. This time his apparition did not disappear but seemed to beckon him. Coaxing him to follow. Past the point of disbelief he climbed slowly to him feet and wiped the damp sand from his face. He felt the gusts buffet against his body pushing him ahead. The fog swirled about him but this time Aiofe’s image did not falter.
He allowed himself to be pushed forward toward the crop of rocks that ran into the sea. It was important now for him to watch his step closely. One misstep and he would end up in the swirling waters. Each time he looked up from his task he found her standing ahead as if a guide. He wanted to call out to her or to reach for her but deep inside he realized the futility of it, she was a figment of his tormented mind and he had no will to resist her. He had reached the other edge of the rock barrier, but as he stepped over a small boulder he lost him footing and slipped. He came down hard on another flat boulder and had the wind knocked from him. He lay there for several seconds gasping for air. Then he saw her again standing over him with eyes full of pity.
“Why?” he said between jagged breaths. “Why did you leave me?”
She stood by silently.
Dave began to sob. “I didn’t mean for it happen. You and Paddy were my life … I wish it were me.”
Aoife’s apparition looked on silently, but her expression softened. Dave sat up and reached for her but she withdrew.
“Let me go with you.”
Her expression changed again and Dave recognized it as the one she used when she scolded him. Slowly Aiofe withdrew to the edge of the fog. Dave got to his feet quickly and tried to hobble after her but she disappeared into the mist.
“COME BACK!” he yelled.
Indistinct movement further in the fog caught Dave’s eye. He rushed into the fog after it. “Wait!” he cried. He reached out and was rewarded by the feel of living flesh in his grasp. He looked into the bleary eyes of Alan Carter. “Where is she?” he asked as Alan stood wavering. Then he noticed the small form in Alan’s arms. “Paddy,” he took the boy from Alan and cradled him in his own arms. “Paddy, talk to Daddy.” Preston’s lips were blue and he shivered uncontrollably.
Alan grabbed Dave’s sleeve. “Got to get to shelter. He’s so cold.”
Dave spun around and retreated back over the rock barrier more sure-footed than before. Alan could barely keep up and reached the small shack just as Dave forced the door open with his shoulder. He placed Preston gently on the floor then raced back to the buggy for blankets. Very tenderly he covered Preston up.
Alan activated a small sterno-type cooking appliance. It didn’t give up much heat but at least they were out of the wind. Soon the cabin was noticeably warmer. He wrapped himself in a blanket and sat by Preston’s side watching as Dave cared for his son.
“He’s going to make it this time.” Dave said as Preston’s color returned.
Alan’s head jerked around. “Dave,” he said placing a hand and the big man’s shoulder. “It’s Preston. My son.” It seemed that Dave hadn’t heard him. “Dave, that isn’t Paddy.”
Dave looked up at Alan uncomprehending for a moment then shook his head and looked down at Preston’s sleeping form. After a moment he got up and went outside.
Alan found him plundering aimlessly through the compartments of the buggy. He could tell Dave was deeply disturbed and on the verge of a breakdown. He walked over to the buggy searching for words.
“I saw her tonight.” Dave said without looking around.
“Saw who, mate?”
“Aoife, she was out here tonight. It’s almost like she led me to you.” Dave sighed and bowed his head. “You think I’m crazy don’t you?”
Alan hesitated. He didn’t want to feed Dave’s delusion, but then he had seen something too hadn’t he? And it had seen real enough to him. “No, mate. I saw something too.”
Dave looked at Alan with surprise. “Your saw Aoife?”
Alan shook his head. “No, it wasn’t her. It appeared to be a little boy. I don’t know, my mind may have been playing tricks on me.”
“Paddy,” Dave’s eyes moistened. “I always knew they would be together.”
Alan shook off an eerie feeling and turned to face Dave. “You’ve got to let them go, cobber. I know you miss them, I miss them too. I’ll never get that night out of my mind as long as I live, but you have to move on. Live your life. She would have wanted it, no, she would have insisted on it.”
Dave sighed. He knew it was true, but he felt guilt. The weight of failing them had was so heavy on him that he found it hard to bear. “I let them down and I can’t be happy ever again, because they can’t.”
“So that’s it,” Alan said with understanding. “You think because they are dead you can’t live. Do you think that is what she would have wanted? I knew Aoife too, mate and I know she wasn’t that selfish. If it had been you that night she would have mourned you deeply, but she would have eventually picked up the pieces again. And if you haven’t noticed there is someone who cares for you very deeply. She puts up with a far sight more from you that most women would.”
Dave pulled the flask from his pocket and contemplated it. “I think I’ve failed there too. I think Laurie has had enough.”
Alan reached over and took the flask. “Then maybe you should turn on the old Reilly charm. She’s a good one, mate, don’t let her go.” Alan pulled the blanket tighter around him and walked back into the shack. Whatever demons still possessed Dave he would have to battle on his own.
Preston stirred as Alan walked in. “Dad?”
“Hey there mate. Feeling warmer?”
“Yeah…” the boy said dreamily. “Who was that?”
“Mr. Reilly. Your mum was worried about us and he came out to find us.”
“No, Dad. Who was the little boy?” Preston’s eyes blinked sleepily. He yawned widely.
“What little boy?”
“He held my hand. While you were outside.” Preston’s eyes closed again. Alan sat next to him and listened to the boy’s easy breathing. None of the wheezing that had been so alarming when they lost Paddy and Aiofe. Alan shivered; and not from the cold.
He found a small tin and began to use the little stove as a billabong. He wanted something to warm him up from the inside. He wanted to be back home with Em fussing over him and the twins playing on the floor at his feet. He didn’t ever want to see this stupid planet again.
Dave came in just as the tea boiled. He made a face, but accepted a cup from Alan. They sat on the floor in silence, Alan wondering if he should tell Dave what Preston had said. Before he could decide Dave handed over his slate. Alan grinned, realizing he could at least talk to Em.
Alan pressed in the correct code. Em answered quickly, her face going from concerned to joyful as she took in his picture. “Where are you?”
“The research station. Dave met us on the trail and helped us get here. We lost everything in the blow; packs, slates, tents.”
Her voice cracked, but he could see she was trying valiantly to maintain control. “Are you okay? Pres?”
“We were cold, but intact. Pres was exhausted. We’ve been up most of the night. Take a look.” Alan turned the pickup of the slate around and he sat back, watching his beautiful wife as she examined their child. He saw her smile with satisfaction at the boy’s condition.
“When can you come home?” she asked quietly.
“Pres is soundly asleep and I’m done in too. I think we’ll stay here until morning.” He glanced at Dave for confirmation who nodded.
Emma nodded more reluctantly and then gave him a brave smile. “I’ll see you then. Get some sleep. I’ll get an updated weather report and send it on to Dave’s slate. That cold front should blow through by then.”
“Thanks,” Alan nodded. “Em, we’re really okay,” he assured her.
“Call me if you need me.” She blew him a kiss.
Alan nodded again and signed off. He handed Dave the slate without a word and lay down next to his son. He closed his eyes, all energy gone, and even the worry about Em abated. Dave could fight his devils by himself.
Ellen Lindow & Paula Austin
June, 2002