Into the Cold

“Good morning,” Caleb said as Amelia got out of bed the next morning.

“Morning,” she replied, wiping the sleep from her eyes with one hand. “You’re up early.”

In truth, Caleb hadn’t slept much the night before. Every time he closed his eyes he was back under the ice, his fist beating uselessly against its indifferent surface. There was no one there to pull him free, to warm him up, he was alone.

He’d sat up waiting for morning, for Amelia to wake, planning his next move. He knew what he had to do.

“I meant to tell you yesterday what quick thinking you had,” he said, pulling on his extra pair of boots. “Stripping us out of our wet clothes and sharing body warmth like that.”

“I read a magazine article on the plane up to Anchorage,” Amelia explained fingering knots out of her hair, “about what to do if you got wet out here.”

“I’m glad you did,” Caleb said, standing and looking down at her. “You saved my life.”

“No problem,” Amelia said, feeling a little odd with Caleb hovering over her.

This early in October he could get some rabbits, or maybe even a bear, but that would mean leaving Amelia alone for several days to run a trap line, or track an animal, while traveling to the plane would only take the day.

With a sigh, he reached for his traveling pack.

“Where are you going?” Amelia asked, seeing Caleb packing a bag.

“Well,” he said, inspecting his rifle, “tomorrow I plan on heading up to the crash sight and see if I can find anything useful.”

“What?” she asked, falling onto a stool.

“I think,” he said with a sigh, “there are still about two weeks until I can legally start hunting more than rabbits. The plane should have a full stash of emergency supplies.”

Pale, and shaking slightly, Amelia closed her eyes.

“Okay,” she said, remembering her promise to listen to him. “When do we leave?”

“We aren’t leaving,” Caleb replied, stressing the word. “I’m leaving after I teach you how to shoot and I make sure you’re set for a day or two alone.”

“Caleb,” Amelia pleaded, “I know I’m not a mountain woman, but…”

“Amelia,” Caleb soothed, standing and moving to squat next to her. “I need to be able to travel fast and light.

"I need you,” he continued, lifting her face to look at him, “to stay safe, warm, and snug. Okay?”

“Okay,” she assented softly, hating the tears that escaped her eyes.

“And part of staying safe,” Caleb said, standing and reaching up on a shelf above her head, "is making sure you know how to use this.”

In his hand, he held a large revolver.

“This is a .45 caliber revolver,” he began.

“I hate guns,” Amelia told him.

“I thought you said you were from Texas,” he laughed.

“I may be from Texas,” Amelia replied, looking at him coolly, “that doesn’t mean I know anything about guns.”

“Okay,” Caleb replied nodding taking a quick look out the window. “It looks like the snow has stopped, let’s go outside and I’ll give you a quick tutorial.”

Lining up several small rocks on a plank, Caleb showed her how to breath out as she pulled the trigger, how to line up the sights for accuracy. After chastising her for closing her eyes every time she pulled the trigger, she was soon hitting the rocks more often than she missed.

“Good,” he congratulated her. “I don’t want to use too much more ammunition on practice. You shoot well enough.”

“Thanks,” Amelia replied, grateful that she was good at something out here.

“Let’s get go inside,” Caleb said, motioning back to the house. “I’ll show you how to make some cornmeal mush and broth out of some of the dried meat I have.”

The rest of the day Caleb spent teaching Amelia as much as he could to make sure she’d be able to take care of herself if the trip took more than a day. He even showed her how to make fried corn cakes out of the mush.

Silently they ate their less than flavorful mush and drank tea, each lost in their own thoughts. Caleb going over and over what he needed to take with him, and what he hoped to find. Amelia, trying desperately to keep from begging him not to go.

After eating, Caleb brought in extra buckets for water from his shed and fulled them with snow until they'd melted to the brim. He then chopped more wood and made sure there was more than enough inside to keep the stove going for several days. He also brought in several bundles of dried meat, some bear, some moose.

“Well,” Caleb said indicating all of his efforts, “it looks like you’re set. I’m gonna bed down on the floor again so I can get an early start tomorrow. Keep the door barred until I get back. There should be more than enough water and I’ve made sure there’s enough wood if I take more than a day.”

“More than a day?” Amelia asked, her head snapping up to look at him.

“I don’t plan to be gone that long,” he explained, standing to put his bowl in the wash basin, “but up here you plan for all contingencies.”

Caleb left her sitting at the table, fear settling on her chest like a lead weight.

“Caleb,” Amelia said, catching his hand as he passed her. “Why don’t you take the bed tonight? I’ll sleep on the floor. That way you can have a good rest before heading out tomorrow.”

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “I’ve slept in rougher places than on a wooden floor next to a warm stove. Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said turning down the lantern, “let’s get some rest.”

With that, Caleb laid down on the folded quilt he’d been using as a bed since Amelia arrived and he’d given her his.

“Good night,” Amelia said, clambering over him on the bed.

“Good night,” he replied, extinguishing the lamp completely.