Surviving the Fog

by Stan Morris

  “Why should Desi have to tell you that she was using the bathroom?” Jean asked. “Are you kinky or something?”

  “Any time she goes outside, I want to be informed, so that if she doesn’t come back in a few minutes, I can go check on her,” John explained through clenched teeth.

  “Oh,” a chorus of voices drawled, and then there was a moment of silence as the others considered John’s reasoning.

  “That does sound reasonable, Desi,” Erin admitted.

  “I don’t care if it is reasonable. He had no right to hit me. I’m not a child,” Desi responded.

  “A woman’s never too old to spank,” said Howard with a laugh. He glanced at Jean who was glaring at him, and he suddenly realized what he had said.

  “Not that I believe that,” he stammered hastily. “That’s just something I heard somewhere.”

  “At least he had a good reason,” Kathy groused. “It’s not like you were just accidentally, innocently rubbing your boyfriend, and you ended up getting a smack on the butt.” Hector winced as the others snickered.

  Mike returned to the room.

  “We need a new rule for everybody, Chief,” Jean said. “Nobody can go outside without finding someone to keep track of how long they have been gone.” The rest nodded.

  “All right,” said Mike. “We’ll announce it tonight.” The meeting went on to other items on the agenda.

  Afterwards, John said to Desi, “I’m sorry. I was worried. I love you.”

  “All right. I forgive you. That was the third time I forgot to tell you, I admit. You know,” she continued. “Mike conveniently missed that whole discussion.”

  “I guess that’s why he’s the Chief,” John said.

  In the middle of January, the temperature plunged. The skies were overcast and dark. Hector disconnected the pump, so that the hot water in the barrels was not circulated outside. Gradually, it grew colder and colder in the Lodge. The girls abandoned the upstairs rooms. Then the boys in the downstairs room escaped to the relative warmth of the small cave. Finally, the two couples and Mike admitted defeat, and they moved into the central area close to the fire.

  “I’m worried about the amount of wood we are using,” Hector said on the fourth day of the deep freeze.

  “What else can we do?” Mike asked.

  “Jean says that we should all move into the boys’ cave. I agree with her. Whatever heat is left in the barrels might last until this cold passes. And we will be huddled together. That will keep us a little warmer.”

  “All right, let’s do it. And until further notice, we’ll only use the emergency bathroom. But keep a small fire going,” Mike ordered.

  Quickly the entire tribe moved into the boys’ cave. The boys dismantled the girls’ bunks, so that they could be moved. Soon the small cave was crammed with bunks and people. There was not enough room for all the bunks.

  “Double up,” Mike said.

  “I want to bunk with Erin,” called a voice from a group of boys.

  “In your dreams,” Erin retorted with a sniff.

  “Every night,” came the rejoinder.

  Gabby yelped as Tyler pretended to pull her pajamas down, and there were a hundred other human interactions as the kids dressed in all their clothes and then got into their bunks. They found that pushing their bunks together and laying their mattresses crosswise allowed them to double up their sleeping bags. Some of the boys doubled with boys, some girls doubled with girls, and some of the doubles were mixed.

  There were twenty two doubles, once they had paired off. Mike found himself sharing his bag and Yuie’s bag. This made it warm enough to be comfortable. There was a lot of joking, a lot of teenage sexual innuendo, and a lot of snide comments. Someone told a story. Someone sang a song. Then, during a pause, came the sound of real music.

  “What’s that?” several people asked.

  “It’s Hector playing his harmonica,” Kathy explained.

  There was silence for awhile as Hector played. Night came and passed. Dawn was a drear light. Jacob got up, and he checked outside.

  “Still cloudy,” he said when he came back. “And it’s snowing again.”

  There were too many in immediate need of the bathroom to use only the emergency bathroom, so precious heat was wasted each time a group went outside.

  Mike gathered his Council together. “What are we going to do,” he asked. There was no answer.

  The tribe went back into the cave, and they got into their sleeping bags. As the day wore on, it got colder and colder in the cave. To avoid the danger of carbon dioxide, Mike made everyone leave the cave every four hours and go into the central area, while some of the kids flapped blankets to circulate the air. Mike and Yuie clung together that night and shivered.

  The next morning after everyone had used the bathroom, Mike gathered his Council again. “We’ll freeze if this goes on,” he said. “So we are going to have to build the fire real high, even if it uses a lot of wood.”

  “I have an idea, Mike,” said Eric. “What if we build a fire, and use it to heat up the barrels? When they are boiling hot, we can use blankets to roll them back to the cave.”

  Mike looked at Hector. “What do you think?”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Hector replied. “I’ll take some of the canvas, and use it to cover the opening. We’ll lose less heat that way once the barrels are in here, and we can huddle around the fire while we are heating the barrels.”

  “Might as well build two fires,” Jean suggested. “Heat up two barrels at a time, and more of us can get closer to the heat.”

  “All right, do it, Hector,” Mike said.

  They set to work, and the activity helped to warm them until the fires were roaring. Hector disconnected the barrels, and two at a time, they were rolled on to the fire. It took some time to get the water in the barrels sufficiently hot for Hector to be satisfied. They banked the fires, then using blankets; they rolled the barrels just inside the cave. Hector used long pieces of timber to prop canvas against the wall just outside of the alcove. He hoped that this would keep the heat inside the small cave.

  It worked. Within the hour, it became too warm to stay in their sleeping bags. They sat on their bunks, much happier now. They entertained one another and discussed many different subjects including their favorite, the differences between boys and girls.

  “Jean, why do you think guys like caves better than girls?” Erin asked.

  “It might have to do with safety,” answered Jean. “Thousands of years ago, when people lived in caves, the men had to leave and hunt animals for food. That was dangerous work. The men were much safer while they were in the caves. But women stayed in the caves much of the day doing traditional woman’s work. I suspect that they were much more likely to catch a disease from staying longer in cramped confined quarters. So for them, being out of the cave in fresh air was probably healthier.”

  The hero of the hour was Eric.

  “Good idea, Eric,” Mike said, as he praised Eric for the tenth time.

  “Yeah, the Geek saved the day, all right,” John agreed.

  “Thank you, Eric,” said Desi. “You are the brains in this tribe. The next time John gives you a hard time, tell me and you can take his place.”

  “Hey!” John complained.

  “Just kidding, Darling,” Desi responded.

  The bitter cold and the dark skies continued that day and the next, but the tribe was warm in the cave. Then the skies cleared, and the sun came out. Hector reattached the barrels, and the crisis was over for the moment.

  January turned into February. The kids settled into a routine. There were the usual squabbles, but nothing too bad. Mike finally lost his temper with Tyler and Gabby, so he took a ten foot length of cord and tied them together for twenty four hours. They were stunned.

  “What about when we go to the bathroom?” Gabby wailed.

  “I guess you can’t close the door,” Mike answered. “One of you will have to stand outside
while the other uses the bathroom.”

  “Even number two?” Tyler asked in disbelief.

  “Even number two,” Mike answered mercilessly.

  “Do we have to sleep in the same bag?” Gabby whined.

  “Yes,” Mike replied. “Go zip your bags together, right now. Get some help and move your mattresses over by the fire. Don’t get too close though.”

  Twenty four hours later the two seemed sufficiently subdued. They lasted ten days. Then, just before bedtime, a furious Yuie came storming into Mike’s room followed by Desi and a tearful Gabby.

  “Tyler pulled Gabby’s pajama bottoms down because two guys dared him,” said Yuie angrily. “She wasn’t wearing panties, because she washed them today, and they were hanging up to dry.” Gabby stifled a sob.

  “Find John,” Mike ordered grimly. “You stay here, Gabby.” A minute later, John arrived.

  Mike gave his instructions. “Find Tyler. Get some Spears, find the two guys that dared Tyler to pants Gabby, and bring them here. Tell the other Spears to grab their spears and come here.”

  A few more minutes followed, and then John and the Spears arrived with three boys in tow. Two were obviously scared, and one was scared but defiant.

  “Did you guys dare Tyler to pants Gabby?” Mike asked them solemnly.

  “Yeah, so what?” sneered the defiant boy. “He’s the one who did it. He didn’t have to. We didn’t do nothing.” The other instigator nodded.

  Mike looked at Tyler. “Loyal friends you have here, Tyler,” he said sarcastically.

  Tyler did not respond to Mike. Ashamed, he looked at Gabby and said, “I’m sorry, Gabby. I’m really sorry. I was stupid.” Gabby choked back a sob.

  “You three strip,” Mike ordered. “We’ll give Gabby a chance to see you three naked.” Two of the boys hesitated, and then, red faced, they began to shed their clothes.

  “Hell no, I’m not stripping,” said the defiant boy. “I didn’t do anything.” Mike motioned to the Spears, who grabbed the alarmed boy and began to remove his clothes.

  “Hey! Stop! You can’t do this!”

  He swung a fist, and then he yelped as John smacked him hard on the side of his head. He stopped fighting and held his aching head.

  “Our food would last longer if we tossed this one out in the snow,” Desi suggested coldly.

  The boy lost his defiant attitude. “Oh, shit, don’t do that. Please, Chief. I’m sorry.”

  “We’ll let him stay. For now,” Mike answered. He addressed the other boy. “We’re trying to survive here, dickhead. Now get your clothes on and get out. You, too.” He motioned to the boy on the floor. Hastily, the two boys pulled their clothes on and fled.

  Mike turned to the last naked boy. “Tyler,” was all he said.

  Tyler turned white. “Are you kicking me out of the Lodge, Chief,” he whispered.

  “Not yet,” Mike said He turned to the Spears. “Give him a beating,”

  “No, Chief!” This outburst came from Gabby. “Please don’t beat Tyler, Chief. Don’t do it!”

  Mike turned to stare at Gabby.

  “Why not?” he asked.

  Gabby started crying. “I don’t want you to hurt Tyler,” she cried. “It’s partly my fault. I pulled his pajamas down last week. I accidentally got his underwear, too. But he never told on me.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Desi muttered.

  “Is that true?” Mike asked Tyler.

  “Yes, Chief, but it’s not the same. She didn’t have any panties on, and beside I’m a guy. Go ahead and beat me,” Tyler said bravely, as his body shook with fright. “I deserve it for listening to those two assholes.”

  “No, Chief. Don’t do it,” sobbed Gabby.

  “All right,” Mike said. “You two have been causing me a lot of grief, so here’s what I’m going to do. I’m officially pronouncing you two, boyfriend and girlfriend.

  “Huh?” chorused the startled twosome. Gabby stopped crying.

  “You heard me,” said Mike firmly. “You two are going to be boyfriend and girlfriend until April. By the end of this week, Gabby, you are going to tell all of your friends that you like Tyler and that he’s your boyfriend. Tyler, you are going to tell your friends that you like Gabby, and that she is your girlfriend.” The baffled kids were thoroughly blushing by this time.

  “I’m not sure that my friends will believe me,” Tyler said.

  “Or mine,” added Gabby.

  “To prove it you each have one week to make each other a present,” said Mike. “A very nice present. And if you don’t…,” his voice turned menacing. “And if you don’t, or if it’s not nice enough, then I’ll have the Spears give Tyler a beating and the girls give Gabby a beating.”

  “Your present better be nice,” Desi warned Gabby. “Or I’ll kick your little ass.” Gabby nodded. Like most of the kids, she was very leery of Desi.

  “What kind of present?” Tyler asked with a puzzled expression.

  “Think of something,” Mike snapped. “Ask people. And I better see you guys holding hands and stuff. Now Tyler, put your clothes on and you and Gabby get out.” The two kids left.

  “You handled that brilliantly, Chief,” Yuie said, filled with admiration.

  “No, I didn’t,” grumbled Mike. “There’s too much of this boyfriend and girlfriend crap going around, and I just added to it.”

  “Well, there are more couples since we were stuck in the boys’ cave,” Yuie admitted.

  “And this is all your fault,” Mike said, glaring at John and Desi.

  Desi smiled at him. “You are so sweet,” she murmured.

  “I am not,” he denied hotly.

  At the end of the week, Gabby presented Tyler with a pair of deerskin moccasins. “Jean helped me make them,” she said with an anxious look at Tyler, who was examining the footwear with obvious delight. “Are they okay?”

  “Wow, these are too cool!” Tyler exclaimed. “Mine is not that good,” he said apologetically, as he presented Gabby with a pair of clip-on turquoise earrings and a turquoise pendant.

  “Oh, Tyler, these are so pretty,” Gabby gushed. “How did you make them?” she asked, as she tried them on in front of her envious friends.

  “I pried the turquoise out of my belt buckle,” he answered proudly. “Eric had a couple of itty bitty alligator clips that he let me have. Hector helped me bend the teeth over, so they wouldn’t hurt your ears. Mike let me have some tiny screws that he found in his tool chest.”

  For a moment, Gabby was speechless. Then right in front of everybody, she took Tyler’s face between her hands, and she kissed him right on the mouth. No tongue, of course. When she finished, Tyler sucked in a breath, red faced but pleased. Mike had no trouble from them for the rest of the winter.

  “I wish someone would make me a present like that,” grumbled Desi to Yuie, as she glanced sideways at her boyfriend.

  “Don’t worry, Sweetheart,” John assured her. “I was already thinking of making you a Mr. Potato Head. We still have plenty of potatoes.” Desi sighed.

  Yuie giggled, and then she asked Desi, “Do you think that Mike would have told the Spears to give Tyler a real beating?”

  “What do you think?” Desi replied.

  Yuie was troubled. “I’m just not sure anymore,” she said.

  After several months of living in the Lodge, some of the teenagers began to emit an unpleasant smell. One day, Mike got a whiff of a boy walking by. He stopped him, and he demanded to know when the boy had last washed himself in the washroom.

  “It’s cold in there, Chief,” the boy complained. “And whenever it gets a little warm, it stinks in there.”

  Mike was unmoved. He ordered everyone to wash their body at least once every three days. He endured a lot of grumbling about that order.

  When March rolled around, Mike and the Council took stock of their supplies. There was a general consensus that they had done better than they had expected. They had carefully rationed the meat from their ve
nison, rabbits, and birds, and had encouraged everyone to eat the vegetables. They had made lemonade once a week, so that everyone could drink a small glass of the juice. The pickles and beets had lasted, but the bread and rolls were almost gone. Still, by the middle of April they would start running out of food.

  “We’ll have to get into the forest by then, in spite of the snow,” said Mike. “Hector, if you can power up one of the big machines, you might get through the snow to Mrs. Brown’s house. She said that she would try to make bread for us during the winter. Maybe you can catch some trout, and maybe we can get some real milk. Besides that, I would like to know how our people are doing. Jean, see if you can find some of the plants that you have been teaching us about. Jacob, what do you think?”

  “I’ll go look. Mrs. Brown said that there were more deer than ever last year. If they stayed alive, I’ll find them,” Jacob replied.

  Later Jacob came to Mike privately. “Chief?” Jacob looked around to see if anyone could hear him.

  “Yes, Jacob?” Mike said.

  “I’ve been meaning to tell you something, but I wasn’t sure if I should say anything yet. You remember the last time we dumped the Porta Pottys? Well, the others didn’t say anything, but I think the Fog was lower down than it was the first time I saw it.”

  Stunned Mike stared at Jacob. “Are you sure?”

  “Well, not really,” Jacob said. “But I noticed a strip of brown grass running along the edge of the Fog. At first, it looked like the rest of the grass that had died from the frost, but then I noticed this strip had, like, a reddish goo on it. I didn’t say anything to the others, because I didn’t want to get everyone’s hopes up. But as soon as possible, we should check it out.”

  “All right. Let’s just keep it between us for now,” Mike said.

  There was plenty of snow on the ground, but the skies had cleared again, and there was a lot of sunshine in March. The solar heating system was working well, so the temperature in the Lodge was quite comfortable. One day, the temperature outside got up to seventy degrees. Everyone was allowed to go outside again without permission, but they were required to stay within the boundaries of the camp. Jacob chafed at this, but Mike was firm.