Ben Archer

by Rae Knightly

  Mesmo stopped in his tracks, then turned slowly, throwing Ben a cheeky look.

  “Uh-oh!” Ben moaned, slapping his gloved hand on his forehead.

  How could I forget?

  Ben turned to make a run for it when what felt like a truckload of snow crashed on top of him from a nearby tree, nailing him to the ground. He spluttered and coughed the snow out of his mouth.

  Mesmo bent over him with his hands on his knees. Ben saw the alien grin. “Was that a good joke?” he asked.

  Ben groaned in surrender. “Not fair.”

  Mesmo placed a hand on the mound of snow to melt it so that Ben could free himself. Smiling, the alien teased, “You have the wrong skill, my friend.”

  ***

  “Nothing!” High Inspector Tremblay hit his desk with his fist. A stack of files slid off, crashing in a messy heap on the floor, while an expensive-looking pen did a somersault.

  The sturdy middle-aged man with a perm-pressed suit grabbed the one file that was still placed on his desk and pointed it threateningly at the two men standing before him. “For heaven’s sake, we are the CSIS, one of the most respected agencies in Canada. And you dare come to me with…” he waved the file in their faces, “…nothing!”

  He paced up-and-down the length of the desk while Hao and Connelly stood before him, weathering the storm.

  “What do I care if you picked up a homeless guy off the streets of Chilliwack? What do I care if he ran off with that woman, Laura Archer? It’s the little green men I want! Where are they? Not a shred of hair! Not a single fingerprint! My meeting with the Minister of Defense is scheduled next week. What do you expect me to tell her?’ The Americans and the Chinese think we’re incapable! We’re the laughing stock of the international secret services! If you don’t deliver pronto, this country will lose control of the biggest case in the history of the planet!”

  The muscles on the side of his neck tensed. “You have one week, gentlemen! One week to uncover the little green men! If I go down after that, I’m taking you down with me!”

  Hao waited for the blink of an eye before he ventured to speak, “Yes, Sir!” He understood full well that he could be jobless within seven days.

  With a visibly superhuman effort to calm himself, the High Inspector barked, “Dismissed!”

  Immediately, Hao and Connelly exited the modern office. Once they were in the hallway, Hao said, “We’re back at square one. We’ve got to find that plane!”

  “Yes,” Connelly agreed. “And while you do that, I’ll widen the perimeter for the facial recognition programs.”

  “Excuse me?” Hao retorted with an offended tone, stopping in his tracks to face Connelly. “That’s searching for a needle in a haystack. Besides, we already have a team accessing public cameras. That plane is our best bet, and I need you on it!”

  “Your plane search doesn’t require a big workforce. Problem is, your fugitives could be miles away from the plane’s landing location by now. Public cameras are our best bet. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

  Hao stepped an inch from Connelly’s face and pointed a finger at him. The other did not budge at the menacing gesture. “Listen here, wonder boy. I don’t like you. Never have. Never will. But I run the show around here, and when I give you an order, you follow it. I didn’t get to where I am by dawdling in front of TV screens all day. If you don’t believe me, you can check my track record. Just see how many criminals I’ve put behind bars. I did my homework and had a look at your record. Guess how many you’ve caught during your very long small-town police career? None! Zilch! Nada! So when I tell you I need you to work on finding that plane, you get on board, or I’ll have you distributing parking tickets in a heartbeat. Do I make myself clear?”

  Invisible static filled the narrow space between them. Connelly’s mouth twitched as he glared back at Hao with cold, impenetrable eyes.

  “Yes, Sir,” the bald man replied stiffly, though Hao could almost touch the smouldering anger emanating from his colleague.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Ice

  “Ben, have you seen Kimi lately?” Ms. Evans asked.

  Ben shook his head.

  Ms. Evans’ shoulders sagged. “I was hoping she would be in today. You know the civics exam is next Friday, right? I’d like her to be ready for it.”

  Ben offered, “I can go by her house later and give her a copy of my notes.”

  Ms. Evans smiled. “Well, if it’s not too much trouble...” She handed him some photocopies. “She should study these as well.”

  Ben took the documents and nodded when she thanked him. As he crossed the school field, he remained on the lookout for Wes and Tyler, but the two had clearly learned their lesson because they were nowhere in sight. He walked several blocks, then had to backtrack when he realized he had taken a wrong turn. Finally, he found a door with a veterinary sign on it that he took to be the front of Kimi’s house. He pressed the doorbell, which chimed loudly inside.

  A distraught voice called, “Kimimela?” It was followed by shuffling sounds and the outline of a woman appeared behind the hazy doorframe. “Kimimela?” the woman’s voice came again as she opened the door. She stiffened at the sight of Ben.

  Ben stared at the woman in surprise. He barely recognized Kimi’s mother: her hair was a mess, a night robe fell loosely over her crumpled pyjamas which were unevenly buttoned up, and there were deep bags under her hazy eyes.

  Maggie brushed away at her uncombed hair with the tips of her fingers. “Hi, Ben,” she greeted him shakily, her breath smelling foul. “I thought you were Kimimela.”

  “Hi,” Ben said awkwardly.

  Maggie attempted to straighten her clothes unsuccessfully. “Kimi’s not here. We had a fight this morning. It’s not easy for her, you know, taking care of her sick mama. I haven’t been very well, you see…” She seemed to remember something. “Oh, were you here about the crow? I released it a month ago. I’m sorry, I should have told you…”

  Ben shook his head. “No, no, it’s ok. I was just bringing some notes for Kimi. We have an exam next Friday.” He pulled out Ms. Evan’s photocopies from his backpack and handed them to her.

  Maggie’s lower lip began to tremble. “You’re a good friend, Ben,” she said gratefully. “She desperately needs one.”

  Ben felt sorry for her. She had shown a witty spirit on the evening of his birthday, telling colourful tales about the region with great enthusiasm. Not so today, however. He thought of his friend with a pang of sadness, realizing how hard it must be for Kimi to live with a mother in this state. He cleared his throat. “Well, please tell Kimi I said hi, and to let me know if she needs anything.”

  He took a step back, but Maggie reached out her hand as if to hold him back. “Wait! Please, Ben. Would you mind looking for her? I’m really worried. I haven’t seen her since breakfast.”

  “Sure,” he said. He noted her distressed face and added more firmly, “Yes, of course! Don’t worry. I’ll find her and tell her to come home.” He waved and headed down the street.

  Maggie shouted after him, “Check the lake! She likes to go there when she needs to be by herself.”

  Ben nodded and jogged off with Tike.

  The air brushed cold against his skin. The sky was low and grey, reflecting on the fresh, even snow that had fallen that morning. There was no sign of spring, yet. Ben hunched deep into his thick coat, covering his mouth with his scarf, his toque low over his ears. Tike wore a red dog coat, which Kimi had given him for Christmas. They reached the end of an alley and crossed into a large park. It was a bleak, empty landscape, dotted with trees. In the middle stood a small lake bordered by a low hill to the left. In this white world, Ben easily spotted Kimi’s black snow coat from afar. There was no-one else in sight as she slid elegantly over the ice. He read the sign at the edge of the lake: WARNING. THIN ICE. ICE SKATING PROHIBITED.

  Ben looked from the warning sign to the girl who paid no heed to it. Kimi wore her usual black snow trousers, knee-l
ength jacket and military-style boots. But for once, she did not have her beanie hat on. Instead, her dark hair fell freely to her waist, straight and shiny. Ben realized he had never seen it loose before. He found himself mesmerized by the way it changed her face. She was no longer hiding behind her long bangs, which she had pulled back behind her ear. He could see her pixie eyes and nose and noted with a blush that she was very pretty.

  “What are you waiting for?” Kimi interrupted his thoughts. She half-walked, half-slid to the middle of the lake, though she didn’t get far without ice skates.

  Ben glanced at the sign again. He said loudly, “I think you should come off the ice. Your mom sent me to find you. She's worried.”

  “Ha!” the girl snorted. “Is she, now? Or did she need somebody to pour her a drink because she can't even stand on her own two feet anymore? Yeah, she drinks, did you know that?” She shot him a glance.

  “I…” he began, embarassed, but he could tell she wasn’t even listening to him.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t know that. Everybody in town knows the vet lady who drinks! Now you know, too. A regular Canmore citizen, you are!”

  Ben, who hadn’t expected this outburst, felt anger swelling as she spoke. “Don’t talk like that!”

  “I’ll stop if you come on over. I dare you! Or are you scared?” she taunted.

  Ben was so upset by her tone that he stepped onto the ice without thinking. Immediately, Tike jumped before him, barring his teeth.

  Danger!

  Ben stared at his dog in surprise but came back to his senses. He took his foot off the icy surface.

  “Oh, poor dear. He’s s-o-o scared!” Kimi mocked, laughing snidely.

  “Knock it off, Kimi! Get off the ice. It’s dangerous!”

  She shrugged and ignored him, skating further away.

  “Come on, Kimi. Why are you doing this?”

  She whirled around, her face flushed with anger. “Do you know why my dad left us?” she yelled.

  Ben lifted his arms helplessly, then shook his head, all the while searching the park in the hopes an adult would come by and talk some sense into the girl.

  “He married my mom because she is pure-blooded Dakhona. The lazy bastard thought he’d get tax privileges by marrying a First Nation woman and grow stinking rich. Then, when he realized he’d never get his way, he abandoned us,” she retorted. “He left me! My dad left me because I’m First Nation!” She was standing in the middle of the lake, shaking. “He left me because I’m a freak!”

  Her words hit home more than Ben cared to admit. “No, you’re not! Don’t say stupid things like that!”

  “Look who’s talking!” she yelled at him. “You have the perfect dad, the perfect mom, the perfect family! What would you know about being different?”

  A huge lump surged in his throat.

  You have no idea!

  He was about to retort, then gritted his teeth and balled his fists instead. He breathed heavily through his nose several times, then whirled around and stomped off.

  “Hey, Ben!” Kimi shouted. “What…”

  Her voice turned into a shriek as the ice broke. It made a horrible cracking sound through the lake. By the time Ben turned to face her again, she was already submerged, her hand sticking out like a final farewell.

  “Kimi!” he screamed.

  He ran back to the edge of the lake, placing a foot on the ice, but it went right through, filling his boot with icy water. He gasped and pulled back. He went up and down the lake, desperately searching for a way to reach his friend, but all he could see were round ripples on the surface where the ice had broken.

  Over here!

  Tike had scampered to the right of the lake and was carefully testing the ice. The dog lifted his head, his tongue lolling. It was more than instinct that told Ben his dog had found a safe spot to cross. Sure enough, this time the ice felt firm, for it did not crack or wobble under his feet.

  Kimi resurfaced with a loud gasp. Her arms flailed in panic, searching in vain for something to hold on to. But the ice was crumbling and Ben could picture her big army boots dragging her down.

  “Kimi!” Ben yelled urgently. “Hang on! I’m coming!”

  Just as he threw his thick jacket off his shoulders, Mesmo appeared on the opposite side of the lake, the part bordered by the small hill. Ben hadn’t reached the middle yet when Kimi sank again.

  “No!” he shouted, tearing at his scarf. The freezing wind pierced through his sweater, but he took no notice. His panicked breath came up in steam before his eyes as he reached the broken ice and stared into the dark water.

  Mesmo had already recognized the situation. He walked straight into the lake, plunging his hands into it. Then he stared at Ben and nodded urgently.

  Ben understood.

  I have to go in!

  Without a second thought for his own safety, Ben took a big gulp of air and dove into the water. He yelled behind his closed mouth, expecting a heart-stopping cold. Darkness submerged him, yet as his skin tingled at the contact with the water, he realized he did not freeze up like he had expected to. He let himself float under the lake, blinking his eyes open, while bubbles lifted around him.

  His senses told him that the water was comfortably warm. He could see some feet before him; an eerie blue light filtered to the depth. His heartbeat slowed, and he became confident that he could search for Kimi safely. He swam up, breaking the surface, and gasped for breath. The freezing air entered his lungs and droplets of water froze in his hair, yet his immersed body remained warm.

  After taking another deep breath of air and checking that Mesmo was still there, Ben plunged down again. He swam in the semi-darkness, the white ice hung ominously above him and rays of soft blue light illuminated the bottom. His lungs were about to burst when he spotted Kimi some way ahead, her boots dragging her down, her arms reaching upwards, her long hair spread like a fan around her head; her eyes were closed as if she were sleeping peacefully.

  He had to go up for air again, then immediately swam towards her again. He reached out for her hand and pulled with all his might. She was heavier than he expected because of her layers of clothing, but he would not give up. He could see the broken ice above him. If only he could pull her up to catch a breath. Her hand slipped and she started to sink again. He shouted in panic behind his closed mouth, then swam to catch her again. This time he grabbed her under the armpits and kicked upwards.

  The surface was so close now. His throat burst with pain as he fought not to open his mouth just yet. He reached out his hand and his fingers closed onto the edge of the ice. It was enough to help him heave both of them up. They broke the surface and he opened his mouth to let in a gulp of freezing air, which cut through his throat and lungs. He gasped in pain, swallowing water in the process. Struggling to hang on to the slippery ice, he spluttered and fought to keep Kimi’s head up and out.

  He blinked the moisture out of his eyes, strove to catch his bearings, and spotted Tike running up-and-down the side of the broken ice. Ben followed him, pulling himself by holding on to the crumbling side, trying to ignore the contrast in temperature above and below the ice.

  Painstakingly, he made it to the shore, to the exact spot where he had been standing moments ago. In a last, exhausting effort, he dragged himself and Kimi out, their clothes heavy with water.

  A heartwrenching cry came from behind him. He turned to find a woman entering the park. His legs gave way in numbness and he tumbled to the ground as Maggie and Mesmo rushed up to them.

  “Kimi!” Maggie yelled in anguish. She threw herself on the ground next to her daughter, patting her on the cheek. “She’s not breathing! Oh God! She’s not breathing!”

  Ben rolled over in shock, coming face to face with Kimi. The girl’s lips were blue, her skin was as pale as a ghost, and not a hint of a heartbeat appeared on her skin.

  “Kimi! Kimi!” Maggie cried, shaking her by the shoulders. She frantically performed CPR, pressing with the knuckles of
her hands on the girl’s chest, then applying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She did this several times but was so distraught that she lost energy fast. She sobbed in despair. “Kimimela! My butterfly! Come back to me!” Her pleading eyes found Ben’s own. “This can’t be happening! Please, help me!”

  Ben hadn’t realized that he was sobbing. His chin quivered with cold, his wet clothes covered his body with an icy layer, and he could not feel his hands. Yet all he noticed was the heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach. His eyes fell on Mesmo, begging the alien wordlessly.

  Mesmo stared from Ben to Kimi with calm interest. He leaned forward, frowning, then placed his hands two inches above the girl. A faint, bluish light emanated from them, causing Maggie to catch her breath. As the alien’s hands floated above Kimi’s chest, he said, “I will try to extract the water. But I can’t guarantee anything.” He gazed at Ben as if sending him a silent message.

  “What are you doing? Leave her alone!” Maggie gasped.

  “It’s ok-k! T-trust h-him,” Ben stuttered through shivering lips.

  Slowly, Mesmo’s hands moved upwards from Kimi’s stomach to her chest, then up to her throat and her mouth. A stream of water appeared at the corner of Kimi’s lips like a snake. It flowed to the ground before turning into a small geyser as the warm liquid was drawn from her body.

  Maggie grabbed her daughter by the shoulder and shook her. “Kimi! Come back to me! Kimi!”

  The girl made a gurgling sound, then suddenly her body heaved to the side as she coughed up more liquid.

  Maggie cried in jubilation, while Ben fell back into the snow, an immense sense of relief washing over him. Kimi’s eyes fluttered open and she blinked in confusion. Maggie brushed away her hair which was littered with icy droplets.

  The girl caught her bearings. “Iná…” she began, her face crumpling. “I didn’t mean…” she sobbed, unable to finish the phrase.