Ronnie Coleinger: A Winter Collection

by Coleinger, Ronnie

  Monique stepped outside the back door and turned around. She sat down under a small tree just outside the door and spoke to Ginger. She said, “I will be staying behind to insure we have missed nothing. I will stir a small wind and spread the fall leaves over the area to hide the last remaining footprints. I will be with you shortly after daylight.” Ginger picked up Fatin and Ahti and held them close. As she stood, she could see out the backdoor of the cabin. It was too dark to see the barn, but she saw a few twinkles of energy as the barn moved off towards the meadow a few miles away.

  Just as Ginger sat down on one of the benches at the kitchen table, she felt a slight wave of nausea overtake her, but quickly realized the motion had ceased. She stood up, walked to the back door and looked outside. She heard a noise and saw Natalie walk up onto the porch. The girls hugged and then Ginger placed the kittens on the floor. Natalie said, “The animals are safely locked in the barn until daylight. We can ask Blacky to help us set the fences then.”

  Natalie put some coffee into a pot and filled it with water from the kettle on the stove. Then she walked over to the fireplace to see if there were any hot coals. The fire was cold, but Ahti walked up and touched one of the smaller logs with his paw. Natalie saw the smoke begin to rise up from the underside of the log and then a tiny flame rose up. Ahti stepped back, wagged his tale and strolled off towards the open back door. When he was outside, Natalie said, “I wished humans could be born with the magical power to build fires by just touching.” Ginger giggled and said, “You light my fire with just a touch.” Natalie looked up at her friend and giggled.

  Once the coffee pot was over the fire, the girls stepped outside to watch the sunrise from the porch of the new ranch. Ginger walked back inside and raised the door in the floor where the cool room existed at their last location. She laughed and said, “Blacky did not dig a hole for our food storage. I guess we will have to do a little physical work after all.”

  Fatin and Ahti walked into the cabin, walked over to the dirt and began digging. Dirt flew in every direction for a few moments and then the cats stopped digging. Ahti turned around, squatted and did his business in the hole he had just dug. Ginger said rather loudly, “You cannot use our kitchen for a latrine. Go outside and do your business.” As the cat walked past Blacky, he reached out and swatted his child on the head with his paw. Ahti walked outside, realizing that neither the humans nor his father appreciated his actions.

  Shortly after sunrise, Monique appeared. She walked into the cabin and sat down beside the hearth. She appeared cold and wet. She curled up and soon fell asleep as the warmth of the fireplace dried her fur. Blacky settled down beside her and soon the kittens joined them. As the four got some much needed sleep, the girls walked down to the barn to check on the animals. As they walked, they heard the sounds of the coyotes howling far off in the distance. Then the sounds of wolves echoed around them. The wolves were only a few hundred yards up the side of the mountain. The girls both checked their rifles to insure there was a bullet in the chamber and then quickly walked up to the door of the barn. As they unlocked the latch and stepped inside, Ginger lit a lantern and hung it on a hook hanging down from a rafter.

  When the goats saw the girls, they quickly gathered around, hoping for some food and water. The girls locked the barn door and then placed their rifles in the gun racks, high up off the floor so the goats could not knock them over. As the girls fed the goats some grain and insured the water trough was full, the chickens began to come out of their coops. As the goats settled down on some fresh straw the girls had spread around the stalls, the chickens were next to be fed. Ginger swept an area clean and then sprinkled some grain around on the floor. The chickens quickly gathered around and began to eat. The girls then fed the rabbits. They seemed timid this morning, having been under Blacky’s spell during the move seemed to have unnerved them. As the girls coaxed them out and loved on them, they seemed to settle down and soon began to eat.

  Once they had fed all the animals, the girls opened two small vents up high in the peaks of the gable ends to let a little light and fresh air into the barn. As they turned off the lantern and retrieved their rifles, they cautiously opened to barn door and stepped outside. For the next day or so, the animals would have to remain indoors. The girls needed to get the fences up and see what creatures posed a threat to the animals during the day. If need be, the girls would have Blacky build another, much larger barn to house the animals so they could remain safe from the predators that roamed these mountains.

  Natalie and Ginger had only taken a few steps from the barn when a wolf walked out of the tall grass and approached them. They quickly moved their rifles into firing position and prepared to defend themselves if need be. The wolf seemed unafraid of humans, but did take a step back when Natalie spoke the words, “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will kill you if you come any closer.” The animal cocked its head, probably wondering what the human had spoken. Just then, a porcupine walked out of the grass and walked between the girls and the wolf. The wolf quickly grabbed for the porcupine and then let out a squeal that only meant one thing, pain and lots of it.

  As the wolf ran off into the tall grass, the girls began to feel sorry for the animal. It would surely suffer for many days and possibly lose its battle with life if it was unable to eat. The girls headed into the safety of the cabin. As they shut the door, they both stood looking at each other, wondering if they had made a mistake moving to this location high up in the foothills of the Seines. Ginger poured them some of the still hot coffee from the pot and then sat down beside Natalie. The girls talked for a few minutes and then decided that they would soon come to grips with their new home. They decided that the fencing was the most important thing right now. They agreed to not only fence the barnyard to protect the animals, but they would also fence the walkway leading from the barn to the cabin to protect themselves from the predators that roamed the meadow and forest above them.

  The cats were still asleep and the girls decided to follow suit; they too had been up all night and now needed sleep. They had fed, watered and insured the safety of the animals and now the girls needed to care for their own bodies. As they stretched out on the floor beside the cats, the warmth of the fireplace and the purring of the cats soon lulled them to sleep.

  ***

  The survey crew woke early and quickly packed up the tents and sleeping gear. As they built a fire and cooked their breakfast, one of the men walked up to the foreman and said, “I could be wrong, but I could have sworn that when we went to sleep last night, that cabin and barn were just a few yards away. I just walked over to get some water from the well and found it, along with the cabin and barn, missing. There is no sign that any such well or buildings were ever here.” The man shrugged his shoulder and headed off towards his truck. The foreman laughed over the conversation, but soon decided to check out the story. As he walked back towards the place where the cabin once sat, a black raven squawked at him and flew off. The man walked around the area, trying to figure out how an entire cabin and barn could have disappeared during the night without anyone hearing even one sound.

  As he stopped near a tree that he had marked with spray paint, he knew that he was within twenty feet of where the cabin once sat. He walked a few feet forward and kicked something on the ground that was shiny. When he looked down, he saw the shiny glint of sunlight from the shiny metal buckle. He reached down and picked up the object. What he saw surprised him. The object was a very old animal collar with a silver buckle attached. When he turned the collar over, there was a gold colored tag riveted to the leather that read, “Monique—Lucinda Fissiped.” As the man turned the collar over in his hands, the raven flew into a tree beside him and squawked again. The startled man stumbled backwards and tripped over a tree branch, dropping the collar on the ground. The bird swooped in, picked up the collar and flew up into a nearby tree. Within seconds, the bird took flight again and disappeared into the heavy cover of the forest.

  Gi
nger woke first and decided to use the outhouse. She loaded her rifle and stepped out the backdoor of the cabin. She took only a few steps away from the porch when the raven she had seen on the trail flew down and landed on the ground in front of her. In its beak was an animal collar; one just like the ones she and Natalie had purchased for Blacky and Monique. The bird laid the collar on the ground and then stepped back a couple of steps. Ginger stood perfectly still, wondering how the bird had found the collar. Just as she considered walking over and picking up the object, the bird squawked and turned into the human form of a man. Ginger stepped back and raised her rifle. The man spoke and said, “Sorry to frighten you, Ginger, but I had to return this collar that one of the survey crew found. I suspect Monique lost the collar in the forest. The man found it buried under the leaves near where the cabin once stood. I frightened the man who picked it up and he dropped it on the ground, giving me a chance to retrieve it and return it to its rightful owners.”

  As the man bent over and picked up the collar, Ginger asked his name. He stood up with the collar in hand and said, “My name is unimportant, but you may call me Charles. I am the living spirit of a human who once worked the gold mines of these mountains. I was careless and tangled with a rattlesnake, which bit me on the hand. After the snake bit me, I returned to my mine and died there that night. The spirits that rule these mountains took my soul and breathed into it, life eternal. I now roam these mountains in many forms, often I take on the form of the raven in order to see all who roam my homeland.”

  Ginger stepped up to the man and asked if he was real. She then stepped up to within arm’s reach of him and stretched out her hand. The man took a slow step forward and allowed Ginger’s fingers to touch his face. She felt warmth from his skin and realized that he was alive; at least he seemed alive. She understood that he had shifted his shape from a raven into a human form; how did not seem to matter. She found him to be exciting and stimulating as he stood before her.

  As she stood listening to the words he spoke about his ancestors, Natalie stepped out onto the porch. She walked up beside Ginger and said, “Just like to you discover a man and not wake me. You are a very selfish girl.” The man before her bowed and then kissed the back of her hand. Ginger giggled and said, “I meant to wake you, but you must understand there was not time; he just flew in.” Natalie looked perturbed at Ginger, but soon allowed her emotions to subside.

  As the two girls stood studying the human form that stood in beside their back porch, he stepped back a couple of feet, smiled and then turned himself into a raven in flight. The bird soared over them for a moment and then headed off towards the east. The girls saw a flash as the sun glinted off the shiny buckle. The raven carried the buckle off with him as he flew south towards the top of the mountain.

  Ginger slid her arm around Natalie and said, “Shame he was so flighty. I could have enjoyed his company for a night or two.” Natalie giggled and said, “We might have to hike into town for a few days before the winter snows set in. A little male companionship would do us both some good.”

  As the sun rose and warmed the air, the girls started their breakfast. They wanted to get an early start at setting fence posts. They had sixty cedar posts in the barn that they had cut last summer. The posts would be well seasoned and ready to be set into the ground. The girls owned no power equipment except for one item, a power auger that they used for digging fence posts and for cutting through the thick ice on a nearby lake. The machine would make short work out of setting the fence posts. With any luck, they might be able to get all the posts in the ground today.

  As they walked outside, they saw the deer hanging around the barn. They probably were wondering what the strange new building was that the humans had placed there. When they had the posthole digger running, they began drilling holes. The ground was soft and the work went easily, that is, until they moved up around the cabin. Then they discovered that bedrock was only two feet below the surface, making setting fence posts with any structural integrity simply impossible. At that point, they decided to lay large cedar logs on the ground and then attach the vertical posts to the logs. They would have to cut six large logs from the forest, but that would have to happen on another day.

  Once they had set the posts in the holes they had dug, they began attaching the horizontal rails. It was hot and tiring work, but they did manage to get half of the fence completed before sunset. As they headed up to the cabin, they could smell something wonderful cooking. Natalie looked at Ginger and said, “You don’t suppose,” but did not finish the sentence. As the girls stepped into the cabin, a woman was working in the kitchen, setting the dishes of food out on the table. Ginger giggled and said, “Monique, you lovely creature. You have prepared supper for us. Thank you.”

  Once the girls had washed and sat down at the table, Monique joined them for the evening meal. They seldom had the pleasure of Monique’s company in human form, but it was always nice having another female in the house to talk too. As the girls ate supper, they giggled and carried on like schoolgirls. Blacky could hardly stand the girls giggling and finally decided to take Fatin and Ahti outside to check out the barn.

  Once the girls had cleaned up the kitchen, they decided to make popcorn. As the first kernels popped in midair over the kitchen table, Blacky and the kittens returned. They loved popcorn and Ginger and Natalie always shared with them. Once the kernels had all popped that would pop, Ginger guided the popcorn down onto the top of the table onto a large towel. Natalie sprinkled a tiny bit of salt on the kernels and then began placing some of the popcorn on the bench seats for the cats to enjoy. The girls always loved watching Monique pop the corn over the table. It always led to fun times.

  As the girls crawled into their beds, Ginger spoke to Natalie and said, “The raven man who visited us today said he was snake bit and died in a gold mine. I am wondering where the mine is located.” Natalie giggled and said, “The Seine Mountains hide their secrets well. The chance of finding the place where his bones now rest would be impossible to find.” Monique, who was sleeping at the end of Natalie’s bed, raised her head and said, “Actually, I know where the mine is located. It is only a short distance from here, just over the top of the ridge behind the cabin.” Monique put her head back down, hoping the girls would quit talking and go to sleep. Instead, Ginger asked, “Monique, in the morning would you take us there. Would you take us to the mine? I would like to give the man a proper burial.” Monique said, “If you promise to close your eyes and go to sleep, I will take you there tomorrow after the animals are fed and cared for. Then you need to finish the fences so the animals can be let out of the barn during the daylight hours.”

  When the girls were up and dressed, they quickly ate breakfast and headed out to the barn. The deer that grazed in the meadow looked up at the humans as they walked to the barn, but did not seem disturbed by their presence. They simply returned their attention to their own breakfast. When the girls entered the barn and lit the lantern, animals that needed attention mauled them. As they talked to the animals and loved on them, they quickly cleaned the barn and then fed everyone. While the goats ate their breakfast, the girls milked them. The girls shared a small amount of fresh goats’ milk with the cats. They poured the milk into a small pan and watched the cats as they enjoyed their treat.

  Once the animals were content, the girls opened the small windows in the rafters and let in some light and fresh air. As they turned off the lantern and closed the door, the animals milled around the barn, hoping the girls would let them outdoors soon.

  The girls made a decision to complete the fencing before they went off hunting for the lost gold mine where the raven man had died. They figured they could finish the fencing in two more days. The animals needed out of the barn and that was not possible until the fencing was complete. The girls realized that the older goats could roam the mountain trails during the day, but they feared the bears that they had seen in the area might kill them. The goats could probably escape fro
m a bear, but they surely could not escape from wolves working in packs.

  ***

  As the girls followed Monique up over the top of the mountain, she soon began walking on a well-traveled animal trail that seemed to wander along the top of the mountain. As they walked into a small clearing, Monique turned uphill into the forest. They only walked a hundred yards or so when they spotted the mine. The trees that had taken over the abandoned mine hid it from view. It did not look as if anyone had been near the mine in many years. The girls were very careful, not wanting to find a rattlesnake in the brush. They both carried heavy sticks to fend off a snake if need be. As they stepped inside the mine, they realized it was very dark. Ginger lit a lantern and soon they could see that the mine split off towards the west. As they made the turn, they began to see shovels, picks, buckets, lanterns, wheel borrows and other mining equipment strewn around the tunnel. As they moved deeper into the mine, they soon discovered a small wooden bed along a wall with a lantern sitting on a wooden table beside it. Lying on the bed were the bones of the dead miner.

  The girls stood in amazement at the scene before them. Ginger spoke to Monique and asked how she knew where to find the mine. Monique walked a few feet farther into the mine to a place where an animal or bird had made a nest. From the nest, she retrieved the collar that the raven man had tried to return to them at the cabin. Ginger remembered that the raven had carried the collar with him when he flew away that afternoon; they had seen the sunlight reflect off it as he flew away.

  Natalie put the collar around Monique’s neck and carefully adjusted it to fit properly. They discussed moving the bones to a proper gravesite, but decided that this place was sacred. As they walked outside into the sunlight, they could see the raven floating in the thermals, high overhead. They turned and looked back into the mine and said a prayer. As the girls followed Monique down the rocky trail back towards their cabin, they heard the coyotes begin to howl. When they turned to see where the animals were, they could see them standing at the entrance to the mine.