Into the Cold

After two weeks of rest Amelia was finally well enough that Caleb decided she was ready to go outside for more than just a trip to the outhouse. He’d taken such excellent care of her, feeding her broth, tender bits of meat, oatmeal, and cornmeal, that she was beginning to feel more than a little beholden to him.

“I was thinking about doing some fishing,” he said, unpinning her arm from its brace.

“Fishing?” Amelia asked, wincing slightly as he began their routine of moving her shoulder in circles, making sure that she didn’t lose any mobility.

“I’ve looked at my food stores, and while I think they’re still pretty good,” he explained, pressing his palm into the muscle of her shoulder. “I would like to start supplementing now, rather than waiting until we get too low. I don’t usually venture out on the ice this early, but at this point any little bit of fresh protein will help.”

“You mean I get to go outside farther than the freezing outhouse?” Amelia asked, slipping her feet into her boots.

“Yes, you do,” Caleb replied bending down to tie the laces, a smirk playing at his lips. “I don’t know how much you’ll be able to do, I don’t want you to use your arm too much, but until we try we’ll never know.”

Standing, he reached for his unghaq.

“What is that?” Amelia asked, eyeing the unusual tool in Caleb’s hand.

“This?” Caleb said, holding the instrument forward.

“This is a ‘unghaq’, it’s a traditional tool for checking ice thickness. This end,” he explained, showing her the sharpened tip on one end, “this is for poking into the ice to test how thick it is.

“This end,” he continued, turning it around, “has a hook for retrieving things. It is also useful if you do ever fall through the ice. It’s long enough to hopefully catch the edges of any hole you might fall through.”

“Wow,” Amelia said, eyeing the unique object. “Can you show me how to use it?”

“I don’t think you’re strong enough,” Caleb said, looking down at her. Where he was six foot of solid man, Amelia was almost a foot shorter making him feel like a giant whenever they were side by side.

“Please,” Amelia said, her eyes pleading up at him. “I am making more work for you. The least I can do is be useful.”

“Alright,” Caleb said, sighing heavily.

Pulling on a heavy sweater, he handed Ameila a tattered, but still weatherproof jacket. When he’d helped her button it closed, he opened the door scanning the clearing for danger before letting her go through.

Stepping outside, and not for the first time, Amelia was enraptured to see the world Caleb had created for himself in the middle of nowhere. It was breathtakingly stunning. The cabin sat on top of a small rise overlooking an ice covered lake with dense trees surrounding them, the entire setting back dropped by the stark whiteness of the mountains enclosing them on all sides.

Walking slowly towards the water, using Caleb for help on the slippery path, she could see why someone would choose to live here. Maybe not all the time, but it looked like a beautiful place to visit.

“You hold the unghaq like this,” Caleb said, when they reached the icy edge, showing Amelia the proper grip. “Then, you punch the ice with all your strength. Depending on how deep it strikes and the sound it makes, you should be able to determine if the ice is strong enough to support you. If the end goes through too easily or sounds wrong, the ice is too soft and you need to find another path.”

“Okay,” Amelia nodded her understanding.

“Like this?” she asked, assuming the stance she’d seen Caleb take.

“Almost,” he said, moving to stand behind her. “Spread your feet a little further apart,” he continued, using his own foot to adjust her position.

“And move your right hand a little forward,” he went on, wrapping his arms around her to guide her hand to the correct position. “There.”

Though she knew he was only trying to help, Amelia would have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to notice how solid he felt against her. He was a man’s man, the smell of leather and wood smoke invading her senses. Unable to stop herself, she wondered what it would feel like for his hands to slip from the unquah and into her jacket.

“I get it,” she replied a little breathlessly, stepping quickly out of his embrace shocked by her own thoughts, her cheeks burning despite the chill in the air.

Plunging the sharpened end of the unghaq into the ice as hard as she could, Amelia only managed to skip the tip across the frosty surface at the edge of the pond and send a sharp bolt of lightning through her shoulder.

“I don’t think you’re ready for this,” Caleb chuckled shaking his head.

Looking down, he saw Amelia cradling her arm, a look of pain on her face.

“Sorry,” she said, handing the tool back with her good arm, her voice hoarse with pain.

Realizing his laugh had hurt her, but not as much as the action had hurt her shoulder, Caleb took the unghaq back from her.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” he said huskily, angry at himself for even thinking she would be useful to him. “Go back inside.”

Amelia shook her head, doing her best to hide the pain she was in.

“You asked me to help, and I will,” she said. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”

Seeing a look of determination on her face, Caleb sighed.

“Alright,” he conceded. “Stay on the shore until I check the ice. It’s pretty thin towards the middle, but we should be able to get far enough out to catch something decent sized for lunch, and if we’re lucky dinner. When I’m sure it’s safe I’ll come back for you and the gear.”

“Okay,” Amelia nodded, grateful to be allowed to do something other than lay in bed.

Caleb began testing the ice along the edge of the water before stepping onto it. Though winter had just started, he was sure it would still be thick enough to support them, as long as they stayed near the shore.

‘What am I going to do with her?’ he thought.

She was useless. Less than useless, she was a burden. He would have to feed her, and keep her safe until his supply plane arrived. Shaking his head, he continued walking, absent-mindedly stabbing at the ice, not paying as much attention as he should have been. He barely registered the cracking seconds before the ice gave way beneath him.

Struggling, Caleb managed to kick off his boots, but his sweater was stuck snugly to his body, its weight dragging him down. The cold water enveloped him, and panic gripped his heart as he began to sink, his clothes and own dense body mass making him sink fast.

Reaching the bottom, Caleb dug his feet into the slimy mud pushing up with all his might, clawing and kicking at the water, determined not to die this way.

In his panic, he didn’t see the sheet of ice, banging his head soundly against it. Trying desperately to regain his calm, Caleb began to run his hands over the underside of the ice looking for the place he had fallen through, his legs kicking frantically to keep him from sinking again.

Suddenly, he felt a hand grasp his as he was pulled to hole in the surface. Amelia lay on her stomach stretched across the ice, desperately screaming his name.