by C L Lassila
They didn’t talk about what would happen when Jonas returned, or the likelihood that they would not see each other for months during the winter. The next several days were spent living life as normally as possible, spending their days together and sleeping together at night.
Adelaide was pleased to find the clothes left behind by the Greenfields, the clothes that were intended for winter weather, to be a relatively good fit and in good condition. Calix inspected the two sets of snowshoes that has been left behind and found them to be in good condition as well. Adelaide found the idea of being housebound during the winter months to be claustrophobic. Now she knew that she would be able to get out into her beloved woods.
After several days that were cool and wet, the weather turned milder and although it was still overcast the sky had brightened. The rain had turned into a drizzle and finally the drizzle stopped. Adelaide was restless and suggested that they pack something for lunch and go for a long walk. She had been missing spending time outdoors.
With the usual morning chores attended to, Adelaide, Calix and Darwin set off. The four legged chicken now would follow Adelaide whenever she was in the yard. Adelaide was concerned that she would follow her into the woods. Her solution was to leave extra food for all of the chickens so that they would be happily eating while she slipped away. The extra attention to the chickens brought a scolding from the crows. Adelaide broke apart one of the biscuits that she had packed for lunch and tossed it on the ground for the crows. Now, with everyone happy, she, Calix and Darwin were finally off.
They decided to first walk down to the lakeshore. Adelaide loved the smell of the woods after the rain. It was rich and organic and to Adelaide it spoke of the fecundity of nature. Darwin ran off in front of them, zigzagging back and for with his nose to the ground, caught up in his world of smells. He wouldn’t go too far ahead without stopping to wait for the two legged members of his pack to catch up.
A red squirrel disturbed the quiet of the forest, voicing its displeasure with their presence there. It was a calm day. Very little wind stirred the branches of the tall trees. Other than the snapping of the twigs beneath their feet the forest was still. They moved from an area with a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees into a part of the forest primarily consisting of tall pines. The forest floor was carpeted with rust colored needles. They walked slowly, climbing over fallen branches, weaving their way between trees and pushing through the undergrowth. Darwin, even with just three legs, was better suited to moving through the undergrowth than were Calix and Adelaide. He continued to move ahead of them and then stop and look back, not wanting them to fall too far behind. The trees began thinning and the soil grew sandier. They knew that they were nearing the lake shore.
The lake, like the woods, was quiet. The water was gently lapping against the shoreline. Several gulls floated on the still water while others flew overhead or ran along the water’s edge in search of food.
After being out for a time and having gotten wet while walking through the rain drenched woods, they decided to stop and build a fire in order to warm up while they ate lunch. Adelaide helped Calix collect drift wood from the beach. As he started the fire she set off running down the sandy lakefront engaging in a game of chase with Darwin. The dog quickly took off after her. She turned around to run back. It wasn’t until she was halfway back to Calix that she realized that Darwin had abandoned the game. He had become distracted by something and had stopped to sniff around in the sand. She walked back toward him.
“What is it, Dar?” she asked.
She saw pieces of burnt wood scattered in the sand, the remnants of a camp fire most likely.
“Do you smell food, Dar?” she went on, thinking that perhaps someone had used the fire for cooking.
Darwin then began to dig, kicking the sand up behind him.
“What are you looking for,” she asked again.
All of Darwin’s digging had uncovered something white which now lay in the sand behind him. As the dog continued to dig she picked up the object. It was a small china hand from a child’s doll. As Darwin went to pick something up with his mouth, Adelaide reached into the hole and retrieved the charred head of a doll, its rosy cheeks blackened. She began to sift through the sand as Darwin lost interest and began to lick her cheek. She discovered a piece of burned fabric, all that remained of the doll’s dress. It was a pretty shade of green and was patterned with a delicate red and yellow design.
Adelaide placed the pieces of the doll back into the hole and pushed the sand back over them.
“She must have been a pretty doll, Dar,” Adelaide said as she stood up. “Let’s go find Cal.”
She ran back down the beach toward a now blazing bonfire with Darwin at her heels.
It was two days later that they woke up to find the first snow of the winter on the ground. Calix got up before Adelaide and started a fire in the fireplace and the stove. He then slipped back into bed with her and pulled her into his arms. She felt his hard cock against the back of her thigh. Still somewhere between waking and sleep she moved back against him and felt him slide deeply into her. She liked their morning lovemaking, her body consumed by pleasure while her mind still clung to dreams. Lazy and quiet, they moved against each other to climax.
When Adelaide finally got out of bed the cabin was comfortably warm. She dressed and walked outside into a world transformed by white. Only an inch or two of snow had fallen, but wet and heavy, it clung to all surfaces. The outbuildings, the trees and the land were all wearing white. Looking over what she thought was a beautiful sight, Adelaide felt sad. She knew that the first snowfall would likely hasten Jonas’ return and Calix’s departure. Her weeks of bliss would come to an end.
The following day brought rain and the thin layer of snow disappeared as quickly as it had come. But Calix had decided that it was best that he leave the farm soon. He would stay until the end of the week but on the weekend he would move into town and soon after leave for Lanse. They tried to pass the next few days normally, but their pending separation weighed heavily on both of them.
Saturday morning they lingered in bed, reluctant to start a day that would end with them being apart. They ate breakfast quietly, neither one of them knowing what to say about the situation that they had gotten themselves into. Calix found a number of things to do in order to delay his leaving. He moved wood from the shed onto the porch and he did some work to make the chicken coop more weather proof. But busy work could not delay the inevitable forever.
In the late afternoon he decided that it was time for him to go. She stood and watched Calix walking away from her yet again, down the road to town. Adelaide wanted to run after him. She wanted to go with him. But with a child in her womb she knew that this was not possible. She stood frozen on the road in front of the house until Calix disappeared from view, tears running down her face. Darwin, sensing that something was wrong, nudged her leg. She remained there for several minutes after he had exited from her view and then turned around and walked back to the house. She lay down on the bed and rested her hand where Calix body had laid. How long would it be before he would lie there again?
Darwin jumped up onto the bed and began to lick Adelaide’s face. She ran her fingers over his soft fur and began to laugh.
“You’re the one male in my life that is not going to leave,” she said. “I love you, Dar.”
Fighting the desire to stay curled up in bed all day Adelaide got up the following morning and dressed to go to church. Although she no longer had any concern about parishioners checking up on her, she did not want them asking Jonas why she had been absent. She also was concerned about Mary and hoped to see her at the service.
She arrived at the church late. The crows had not been happy with the little that she had left for them and they began to follow her toward town, diving down over her head. Adelaide enjoyed having an entourage of crows and entertained by their antics she returned home to indulge them. Her choice to do so resulted in her getting to the c
hurch after the service had begun. Entering quietly, she took a seat in the back pew while Darwin took his place outside of the door. Adelaide looked over the congregation in the hope of seeing Mary, but she was unable to locate her amongst the parishioners. Mrs. Fay sat in her usual place in the front pew, but today Mary was not at her side. She noticed the green ribbons on Mrs. Fay’s bonnet. They were made from the same green fabric decorated with red and yellow designs that she had found burned on the beach. The doll destroyed in the bonfire had belonged to Mary.
Adelaide walked home with Darwin at her side. Once there she sat on the back steps while the four-legged chicken pecked corn from the palm of her hand. It was a cold day but she had no desire to go indoors. While outside her senses were stimulated. There were things to see, sounds to hear, scents to smell. She felt more awake. Outside there was the possibility that something interesting could happen. Once she went indoors she would be alone with her thoughts. Once she went indoors she would have no defense against thoughts of Calix.
“Come on, Darwin,” she said when she got too cold to remain sitting still. “Let’s go for a walk.”
They walked together down to the far end of the Rose’s property. At one point she thought that she heard something moving in the brush behind them. She turned quickly, hopefully.
“Calix?” she called.
There was no one there.
“Wishful thinking, Dar,” Adelaide said. “Let’s go home.”
She would not see Calix or Jonas that day.
The following morning was cold and a dark overcast cloaked the blue of the sky. It was not cold enough to snow, but by midmorning a heavy drizzle had begun to fall. The chickens had continued to lay and she was grateful to have fresh eggs. Adelaide always thanked the chickens after removing the eggs. She always felt a bit of guilt when she took them from the hen, but now that the weather had turned cold she was more comfortable taking them. Winter was not the time to be raising chicks.
“You can raise a brood in the spring,” Adelaide told each hen. “I promise.”
She and Darwin had fresh eggs and biscuits with honey for breakfast. After eating, Darwin went to lay down by the fire. Adelaide set about cleaning, preparing the house for Jonas’ return. Suddenly Darwin stood up and went to stand by the back door.
“Do you want to go out, Dar?” Adelaide said.
She opened the door and before it was even open all of the way the dog had gone outside. A short time later he began to bark. Alarmed because Darwin barked rarely, Adelaide grabbed her coat and went out onto the back porch.
“What is it, Dar?” she hollered.
Darwin was standing by the big oak tree, near the graves of the children, barking at something in the trees. Adelaide left the porch and walked over to Darwin.
“What do you see, Dar?” she said.
Amidst the branches Adelaide saw a patch of blue, a color that did not belong there.
“Who’s there?” Adelaide inquired. “What do you want?”
A faint voice answered, “Your man, he went away today.”
“Come out where I can see you,” Adelaide instructed.
A small figure emerged from behind the tree. Soaked to the bone and obviously pregnant, Mary stood looking at the ground and repeated, “He went away.”
“Come into the house, Mary. You need to dry off,” Adelaide said with concern in her voice.
Mary stood before her shivering. “Your man went away on the boat,” she whispered.
Adelaide took the girl’s cold hand in hers and led her into the house.
“I know. It’s all right,” she said in reply to Mary’s remarks.
“He left like Nathan did,” Mary stated.
Once in the house, Adelaide moved a chair close to the fireplace and instructed Mary to sit down.
“We have to get you out of those wet clothes,” Adelaide said.
She got a blanket and held it up as Mary removed her dress. She then wrapped the blanket around the girl and told her to sit down. The wet dress, heavy from the rain, was hung near the fire to dry.
Mary looked at her and said,” You have a baby in you too.”
Adelaide froze in place, not understanding how Mary could have known this. She almost always wore Mr. Greenfield’s clothes, clothes that were a bit big on her and had, until now, concealed her pregnancy.
“Yes,” Adelaide answered. “I am going to get you something hot to drink.”
She poured a cup of coffee from the pot on the stove and brought it to Mary who sat and drank it quietly, rocking back and forth on the chair, her eyes directed toward the floor.
Adelaide sat down at the table and watched the young woman, not knowing what she could do to help her. It was obvious that the child that Mary was carrying was Nathan’s. The pregnancy was too far along to have been the result of the rape. Had Mary come to see her because she had seen Calix leave? Did she feel that they had something in common? The men that they loved had both left. Or did she just need to reach out to somebody?
Adelaide got up and took the empty coffee cup from Mary. The girl remained silent, still rocking back and forth, her eyes fixed on the flames in the fireplace. Not knowing what to do, Adelaide did not try to draw the girl into conversation.
“If you want to talk about anything, you can. It’s safe here,” Adelaide said. “You’re safe here.”
She went to the door and let Darwin in. When she saw the dog, Mary started and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders.
“He won’t hurt you,” Adelaide said. “He’s a good dog. Dar, come over here and meet Mary.”
Darwin came over to Adelaide who had knelt down beside Mary’s chair. He sniffed the stranger and began wagging his tail. Mary stretched out her hand to stroke his side. She stopped her rocking and, for the first time, Adelaide saw the young woman smile.
“He’s a good dog. His name is Darwin,” Adelaide said.
Mary sat petting the dog while her dress dried. She seemed to be calmed by the contact. Adelaide, not knowing what else to do, set about cooking something for supper. By the time that the food was ready the dress had dried. She helped Mary into her dress before leading her to a seat at the table.
“I want you to eat something,” Adelaide instructed.
She put a fork into the girl’s hand and repeated, “Eat.”
Once Mary began to eat it was obvious that she was hungry. Adelaide refilled her plate and sat down across from her. She saw the girl slip something from her plate to Darwin.
“You’ve made yourself a friend, Mary,” she said.
After they had finished the meal Adelaide had to go out to feed the chickens. She put on her jacket and said to Mary, “I will be right back. Dar will keep you company.”
She took some scraps to give to the crows and went outside. The crows began to vocalize as soon as they saw her and the four legged chicken ran to her feet looking for the corn that she had in her pocket. She watched as the crows flew down from where they had been roosting to grab the food that she had put down for them. She then took a seat in the steps. The chicken took kernels of corn from her outstretched hand while the others ate the feed that she had placed on the ground. Adelaide watched the birds eating, feeling both respect and admiration for them. A wave of sadness went over her as she thought of Mary who, so injured by people, had become lost in her pain.
With a sigh she said, “People always place themselves so far above the creatures that we share the earth with. But it is the other way around. Human beings do such damage to each other. What happened to people that it turned out that way?”
The chickens had finished eating and had gone off to do the things that chickens do. She had stayed out longer than she had intended. Remembering that Mary was in the house she got up and went back inside. When she walked back into the house she found Darwin lying by the fire and Mary gone. Adelaide went over and sat down next to the dog. Her eyes focused on the movement and colors of the flames while her hand gently scratched Darwin be
hind the ear.
“I wish that I could have done something for her, Dar,” she said. “That poor girl is hurting so much.”
It was then that she started to cry, recalling Mary’s words: “Your man left on the boat.” Tears ran down her cheeks. She knew that Calix was gone.
The temperature dropped dramatically after the sun set. Adelaide woke up during the night to keep the fire going. She was grateful to have Darwin sleeping next to her, helping to keep her warm. The world that she awoke to had once again been transformed by white. Slipping quickly into her clothes, she hurried to set a fire in the stove so as to have hot coffee to drink when she came in from feeding the chickens. She walked out onto the back porch with Darwin and stood for a moment looking out over the snow covered farm. She felt relief knowing that Calix had done work on the existing structure to ensure that the chickens had a sound, sheltered coop and scratch pen. Hopefully it would keep them protected during the winter months.
The crows were making quite a ruckus. She could see a large number of them, more than those that usually spent time around the farm, active in the trees at the far end of the field. The birds that had congregated there were cawing loudly and others were flying in from all directions in response to some unwelcome visitor. The chickens had taken cover in reaction to all of the noise. Adelaide was thankful for the crows’ presence as they frequently alerted the chickens to danger in the area. She poured a deep trough of water for the chickens to drink from and put down extra food so that they would have the energy to stay warm.
Perhaps three inches of snow had fallen during the night. It was not so deep as to make it necessary to wear snow shoes, so she decided to walk down to the place where the crows were gathering to see what it was that was causing so much excitement.
