by Karen Rispin
"That's not demons," Lisa said indignantly.
"It wasn't just the cold," Uncle Paul said. "They had to gasp for breath. Sometimes their lungs filled up, and they choked and died. Then there were strange rocks that burned their hands, then turned to water when they tried to take them home."
"Ice!" I said, remembering how the snow in the Rocky Mountains had hurt the skin on my wrists and face when I fell skiing.
"And pulmonary edema from high altitude," Uncle Joey added triumphantly.
"So stop trying to scare me with demons!" Lisa said, still sounding angry and scared. "The mountain isn't guarded by demons! Besides, Jesus is stronger than demons anyway."
Uncle Joey bellowed with laughter, and twisted in his seat to poke Lisa. "You tell 'em," he said. "You're a tough kid. You and me, we'll show that mountain."
Lisa frowned. She pushed herself into the corner of the back seat, crossing her arms.
I glanced at her uneasily, then looked past her at the faraway mountain. Maybe there weren't demons, but except for that time skiing, I didn't remember being where it was seriously cold. I wasn't really any better off than the Kikuyu had been, and I didn't even have a jacket yet.
At Forest Lodge, while the adults were registering, I looked around for the place to rent things Uncle Paul talked about. There was a door off into a kind of shop.
I ducked my head. Someone was standing in the door staring at us. He gave me a funny feeling, like I ought to know him. I glanced up at him again, and he suddenly focused on just me. His eyes were very blue, and fierce.
"Come on," I whispered. Grabbing Lisa's arm, I pulled her with me around to the other side of the grown-ups.
"What's with you?" she asked.
"Didn't you see that guy by the door staring at us?" I demanded.
"Which guy?" she asked, and she stepped around so she could see. I watched her, half holding my breath. That guy had given me such a weird feeling. She looked back at me, shrugged, and put one eyebrow up, like I was crazy. I stepped out after her. There was no one there.
"He was there!" I said indignantly.
"It must be the high altitude affecting your brain already," Lisa said, laughing.
"He was there," I repeated. "He had dark hair, and these really blue, fierce eyes."
"She's in love," Lisa said, giggling even harder. "Hey Traci, Sandy, Anika's in love."
"Oh, shut up!" I said, but I was grinning too. Lisa's laugh is like that.
Mom's voice rescued me. "Come on, kids. We've got to go get moved in."
Instead of following them, I dodged into the shop where you rent stuff.
"We have no children's jackets," the man in charge said, shrugging and showing empty hands. It turned out that a ladies' small fit me pretty good, though.
He named a price that was only ten shillings more than I had. You can almost always bargain in Kenya, so I tried, and he finally did let me have it for all the money I had.
I ran out and skipped across the parking lot toward our car, hugging the jacket. It was heavy, and the outside felt like canvas. I smiled. The cold demons couldn't get me in this jacket.
"Thanks, God," I said softly and then yelled across the empty parking lot, "Watch out, cold demons—here I come!"
Daddy stood up from the other side of the car. "What was that, Anika?"
"Um, nothing, Daddy," I said, feeling my face get hot. "What can I carry?"
He pointed, and I grabbed the cooler and started off.
"It's the first little cabin on the left," Daddy called after me.
I hitched the cooler up to get a better grip and looked around for the first time since we got there. The sun was low in the sky and lit the lawns and flowers with a golden glow. Everything was green and lush. A cool breeze lifted my hair.
I spun around to see everything. The cooler swung out and pulled hard on my hands.
Then I got a shock that knocked the smile right off my face. That same guy I'd seen by the shop had stepped into the path right in front of me. I stopped with a jerk that made the cooler slam into my stomach, then tried to dodge around him. At first he wouldn't let me. He just stood in the way staring at me like I was a ghost. Finally he let me go.
What's with him? I wondered, walking away fast. Why does he make me feel odd, like I ought to know him? When I thought I was a safe distance away, I looked back. He was still standing in the path, staring after me.
"Did you see him?" Sandy asked me as soon as I came up to them.
Sandy, Traci, and Lisa were outside between the two tiny cabins that we were going to stay in that night.
I nodded, putting the cooler down on the grass and dumping my new jacket on top of it.
"Was he the same one—?" Lisa began.
Sandy interrupted, sounding angry. "He was standing right by the path, and he kept staring and staring at us."
"Yeah, is it your boyfriend?" asked Traci.
"Yes—I mean, no he isn't my boyfriend," I said, shaking my head. "It's the same guy I saw before, only this time he stood right in my way and wouldn't let me get past."
"Tell your boyfriend to go away," Traci said. "I don't want to go back for more stuff if he's still there."
"He is not my boyfriend," I yelled.
Uncle Joey's voice boomed out of one of the cabins. "Hey, we all know you're boy crazy already. Leave off about the boys and go get more gear!"
"But Uncle Joey, there's this—" Traci started.
Uncle Joey burst out of the cabin and started shooing us down the path like chickens.
That guy wasn't around where we could see him. When we got back, Daddy was setting up the camp stove outside our cabin.
"Sandy! Anika! Come here," Mom called from our cabin. "We've got to organize our packs."
"You too, Traci," Uncle Paul called from the other cabin.
Our family was in one cabin; Traci, Lisa, and their dads were in the other.
When I turned to go in, Sandy grabbed at me. I jerked away from her and hissed, "What?"
"Daddy's cooking the spaghetti," she whispered and made a small pointing movement that Daddy wouldn't see.
I looked back. Outside between the cabins, Daddy had set up the little camping stove. He was just putting the spaghetti pot on.
"Did you taste it to see if it was OK after it cooked?" Sandy asked.
"No… did you?" I asked. She just shook her head.
Burnt-meat-and-onion-lump spaghetti—yuck. Now we're in for it, I thought, heading into the cabin.
"We decided that you kids just need to carry your own sleeping bags and clothes," Mom said as we walked in. "Uncle Joey, Uncle Paul, and I will carry the food and the rest of the gear. Lay all your stuff out on the bed first and then—Anika, where did you get that jacket?"
I ducked my head. "I rented it at the lodge with my birthday money," I said. "There wasn't one that fit me at Mayfair, and I didn't want to bug you."
There was a small, uncomfortable silence. I held my breath, wondering if she'd ask why I didn't want to bug her. I dreaded it, but at least it would get whatever was wrong out in the open. She didn't ask.
She just said, "Good idea," and kept talking about packing up.
I sighed and started putting things into the pack Mom handed me. Its rough sides slid up past my arms. The ugly gray-brown pack looked tough and carried scuff marks and mended spots from other people's adventures. Now it's my turn, I thought and felt a bit better.
My sleeping bag was supposed to go into a round duffel space right at the bottom of the pack. It didn't want to fit. I was shoving away at it with my teeth clenched when Daddy called, "Supper!"
Sandy and I looked at each other and didn't move.
A second later Traci burst in the door. "Come on, Sandy, it's supper. Did you get all your stuff in your pack?" She grabbed Sandy's pack. "Hey, it's heavier than mine."
Lisa came in just then.
"Is my pack heavier than yours?" I asked, wanting to keep up the distraction from supper.
&nbs
p; Lisa gave me a funny look, but she lifted it to see, then nodded.
"I know," Sandy said. "It's those stupid green ponchos Mom got. They weigh a ton."
"Maybe you can get her to let you leave them," Lisa said, looking at me. "My dad said it won't rain anyway."
"Don't you guys have any—?" I started to ask, but Daddy's voice cut me off.
"Girls, get out here. Now!"
It was no use delaying any longer. Right after Uncle Joey said grace, Mom said, "I'd just like to let you know Anika and Sandy made this spaghetti sauce for us."
I cringed.
"Hey, is that so?" Uncle Joey boomed. He held out his plate. "Fill her up, and I'll check it out." Grinning at us, he took a huge bite. I glanced at Sandy, who had her head down, then back at Uncle Joey.
He swallowed and bellowed, "It's good! You two are hired as expedition cooks."
I let out my breath with a whoosh and got into line to get my food. I stirred the sauce for a second before I took mine. The onions had disappeared.
"Maybe Mom made different sauce and didn't say," Sandy whispered.
"No, I didn't," Mom answered from right behind me. "Why? What's wrong with it?" she asked.
"Well, Anika kind of burned the meat," Sandy said.
"And Sandy put in these huge chunks of onion. They were floating around in there like dead fish with their white bellies up."
"They weren't that bad!" Sandy protested.
Mom laughed. "And you've been worried ever since we left home? The sauce was fine by the time it cooked a couple of hours. Onions disappear if they're cooked long enough. The dark browned meat just gave it a good flavor."
"Oh," I said, feeling dumb, and ladled a big glob of sauce onto my spaghetti noodles.
"You've been up here before, Paul. What are we in for tomorrow?" Uncle Joey asked.
I stopped chewing to listen, but Uncle Paul is never in a hurry to talk.
"Well, there's the rain forest," he said after a long pause. "After that there's the vertical bog, and finally a long walk through the Teleki Valley."
"Is any of it likely to give us trouble?" Mom asked.
Uncle Paul looked at her, then methodically ate another mouthful. Halfway through he nodded at Sandy and me and made an OK sign to say the spaghetti was good. I squirmed, wishing he'd hurry.
"The vertical bog can be vicious, and of course we don't know how the kids will do carrying packs." He paused. "I guess a lot of it depends on the weather. If it rains hard, the road up to the top of the forest becomes impassable to vehicles. The vertical bog gets softer from the runoff, and the snow gets deep and soft on the last stretch to the top of Lenana."
"They told me it doesn't rain this time of year," Uncle Joey said, sounding indignant.
Uncle Paul just raised his eyebrows, tipped his head sideways, and took another bite. I wondered if he was laughing at Uncle Joey.
My stomach knotted. It was near the end of the dry season. It could rain. Suddenly I wasn't very hungry. I just had to make it. No matter what, in spite of this thing with Mom, I just had to.
"Only God knows what the weather will do," Daddy said. "You asked me to lead devotions. I'd like to read Psalm 121. It seems appropriate."
I'd heard the psalm before, but this time was different. Daddy's soft, deep voice carried across the dusk under the trees.
"'I look up to the hills. But where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord. He made heaven and earth. He will not let you be defeated. He who guards you never sleeps. He who guards Israel never rests or sleeps. The Lord guards you. The Lord protects you as the shade protects you from the sun. The sun cannot hurt you during the day. And the moon cannot hurt you at night. The Lord will guard you from all dangers. He will guard your life. The Lord will guard you as you come and go, both now and forever.'"
As I snuggled into my sleeping bag on the top bunk, I thought about the psalm. "My help comes from the Lord. He made heaven and earth." I thought, That fits with what I read before about the Father giving us strength out of his great glory.
The sound of rain rattling on the tin roof woke me up in the middle of the night. It was pouring outside.
I lay there stiff as a board trying to make it stop raining. Please God, stop the rain, stop the rain, stop the rain, ran over and over through my head.
"Kevin, are you awake?" Mom asked suddenly in a soft voice.
"Umhum," Daddy answered.
"Since I got the letter I can't get him out of my head. He said his name is Rick."
"Hazel, it will be OK," Daddy muttered, still sounding sleepy.
"It isn't OK." Her voice sounded tense. "It's horrible realizing I don't know anything about my own child. He's almost an adult. This could ruin our family."
Ruin our family? What did she mean? Her own child? Sandy and I are her only kids. She was talking about the same letter that made her cry. Who is Rick, anyway? I got goosebumps all over my body. I held absolutely still.
"Look," Daddy said. "We've prayed for the child ever since we came to the Lord. You'll just have to leave it in his hands."
"But the girls… ," Mom said, sounding desperate.
The springs creaked, and I could hear Daddy going over to Mom. Then things were quiet.
I lay still, thinking hard. Nothing made sense. Mom couldn't have another kid, could she? An older one she didn't know? It didn't make sense. After a long time, I finally went back to sleep.
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Chapter Four
The sun was shining, sparkling on wet grass, when I woke up.
I settled my pack onto my back for the walk to the car. Daddy was going to drive us as far as he could go in the car. My pack felt good. Not heavy at all. What I'd heard in the night seemed far away. Like a dream. Today was real. Climbing the mountain was real. I took a deep breath and trotted up the path to catch up with Lisa.
"Wow!" Lisa said, stopping. "Look!"
Mount Kenya was clear of the clouds and looming over us above the trees. The snow shone pure white against a deep blue sky.
"Glorious, isn't it?" Daddy said, coming up behind us. "It almost makes me wish I was climbing. Almost, but not quite. I saw some nice rises on the creek already this morning. You can think of me while you're struggling in the bog."
"But Daddy, look at it! How can you not want to climb? I'd want to try even if there were three vertical bogs."
He grinned and said, "Keep that determination. You'll need it."
Pretty soon we were all jammed into our car, eight people and seven packs. Sandy's skinny behind bit into my knees as the car swayed and slithered in the mud.
"Paul, this is pretty slick," Daddy said as he twisted the wheel to correct a skid. A few seconds later we slid to a stop. I hunched over, trying to see out past Sandy's head.
"Ow! Anika, hold still!" Lisa exclaimed. "Your elbow is killing my ribs."
"What's happening?" I asked.
"It's the park gate," Traci answered.
"Everybody out!" Daddy said.
The adults went into the wooden building, but we stayed outside on the porch. I leaned against the rail, watching the mountain through the gray veil of cloud that had started blowing across the peaks. My throat was tight with wanting to be there, up on the top. Just for a second the two top peaks shone clear. Then they were gone. I waited, staring at the place.
"Anika! Hey, Anika!"
I spun around and came over to join the others.
"You all have a decision to make," Daddy said. "The rangers said that the road isn't passable for much further."
"I'm ready for a hike," Uncle Joey said, throwing his head back. "So what if it's a bit longer."
"You kids are sure about this?" Mom asked. "It could add as much as four hours to an already difficult hike."
I nodded, and so did Sandy and Traci.
"Lisa?" Mom asked.
"No kid of mine is going to wimp out!" Uncle Joey bellowed, thumping her on the back.
Mom kept waiting f
or Lisa to answer.
She looked down for a moment and then said, "Um-hm. I guess."
Uncle Paul had been watching with thoughtful eyes. Now he said, "Before you kids decide, read this."
He handed us each a pink paper. I read the first few lines. It was some park thing about rules. I dropped it and said, "I'm ready!"
Uncle Paul bent down and picked my paper off the muddy porch floor. "Read it," he said in a voice that was almost a growl.
My face felt hot, and I ducked my head to read.
I started reading the next part and almost stopped breathing. It said if we got off the path and got lost, we could die of overexposure. It said your lungs could fill up and your heart stop from the high altitude. It said to bring anybody down right away whose breathing got rough. It talked about headaches and throwing up. Then it said that many people climb safely every year, and to be safe and enjoy our climb.
I swallowed hard and looked up. Daddy was watching me. "You can always come fish with me," he said.
"No way!" I said.
The other kids agreed, even Lisa.
"Let's all pray together before we start," Mom said.
All I said for my prayer was, "Dear God, please keep us safe and please help us to get to the top of your mountain." I didn't even want to think about what I'd heard Mom say in the night.
"OK," Daddy said, looking up at the end. "Let's see how far I can get you with the car. All aboard!"
I looked up one more time at the cloud that hid the mountain, and I climbed into the car.
"Move over," Lisa said as she climbed in.
"I can't," I said. "There's no more room. Ow! Sandy, move your rear."
"Everybody in?" Mom asked, looking back over her shoulder. "Hold on tight. This could get rough."
The car lurched and swayed steadily up the road. Blobs of reddish-brown mud hit the windows. The engine growled in low gear.
"At least we got farther than some people," Lisa said, pointing out the window. I craned my head to see.
"Ow! Hold still!" Sandy snapped. "It's just a parked car with a guy getting out with a pack."
"Hey! It's that same guy!" Traci said.
"Is not!"
"Is too. Your boyfriend is climbing, Anika. Maybe you'll get to see him."
