by Renee Hart
“Ms. Petrova, allow me to introduce our newest teacher, Kat with a “K”…” he paused as he realized he didn’t know her last name.
Both women ignored his discomfort and started to speak at the same time.
“It’s nice to meet you Ms. Petrova,” Kat started to say as the other woman protested.
“J.T.! How many times have I told you to call me Lana,” she said.
Taking Kat by the arm, she added, “We’re all friends around here and don’t need to be so formal, now do we? You call me Lana and I’ll call you Kat and we’ll get along just fine,” she said leading them inside.
J.T. followed behind the two women meekly and quietly shut the door behind them. His embarrassment faded quickly in the pleasure of bringing the two women together. He hoped they’d find some way to become friends. His concern was born out of a love and respect for the woman that had acted as a mother to him while he was growing up. It was due to her influence that he’d left the isle and attended college. His debt to this family was immeasurable.
As they were being led to the dining room, his eyes searched the rooms they passed for any signs of other guests. People often came and went from the lodge without him being aware of their visit. They came by helicopter and the helipad was on the ridge behind the building. Usually the pilots would avoid flying over the village in order not to disturb the local population. While it seemed that most of what went on out here was done in secret, J.T. was well-aware of the reasons behind all of it. He was careful to respect those reasons for Lana’s sake.
“Your timing is perfect as usual J.T.,” Lana said, “you’re just in time to have dinner with me.”
J.T. grinned at this little ritual between them. He knew she knew he always came “just in time for dinner” and that he was always welcome at her table. He also knew there would be more than enough to eat for the three of them. There was never any chance of surprising Lana when he came for a visit. She always seemed to know he was coming, no matter the hour or the day. It was one of her mysteries that he loved about her.
True to her word, the table was already set for three as they came into the dining room and a steaming tureen sat in the middle next to a basket heaped with bread. Kat’s mouth was watering before she took a seat and her eyes lit up like a child’s at the sight of the food.
“I see it’s been a while since you’ve had a good home-cooked meal,” Lana said with a smile as she lifted the lid and began to ladle the stew onto their plates. “Eat up. There’s plenty more where that came from.”
Neither of her guests was deterred by protocol from digging into their food as the aroma wafted up to them. Rich gravy filled with chunks of moose meat and a variety of vegetables was a treat for both of them and the chewy bread only added to their pleasure. No one spoke for several minutes as the food disappeared from their plates.
Kat was the first to remember her manners as she leaned back in her chair and looked around the table. J.T. was still busy working on his second helping and Lana seemed to be picking at her original portion.
“This is wonderful,” Kat sighed. “I’d given up on having anything this nice to eat until next spring.”
Lana and J.T. laughed at the look on her face as she realized what she’d just said.
“Don’t worry. I understand. It’s hard to make anything decent with only a microwave and a small propane stove. I wouldn’t survive without my kitchen or my cook. He works miracles with the simplest of ingredients,” Lana said.
“So you have a staff here,” Kat asked looking around the room.
“Yes and no,” Lana said. “I have people here when there are guests, but much of the time, I’m here alone. The cook prepares most of what I eat in advance and freezes it for me. I just warm things up when I want to eat, though there are a few things I still like to make for myself.”
Kat took in her words with a feeling of sadness. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to live alone in a place like this. It was almost like living in exile without friends or family around, she thought to herself.
As if Lana had discerned her thoughts, she changed the subject and asked how Kat had managed to find her way to such a remote place. The two of them listened quietly as Kat gave them a brief history of the events leading to her becoming a teacher. The fact that she’d left out a few key details didn’t escape the notice of either of them. The real story, they knew, lay in the words that hadn’t been spoken, but those were for her to tell when the time was right.
Once J.T. had scraped every bit of gravy from his plate, Lana invited Kat to take a tour of her beloved Domiq. The lodge wasn’t really that grand, she explained, but the story of how it came to be was amazing. It was story she loved to share with her visitors.
J.T. promised to catch up with the two women a bit later. He needed to take a look around outside and check on a few things. Without any further explanation, he disappeared out a side door leaving them alone.
Kat helped Lana clear the table and they brought the dishes into the kitchen. She was amazed to find the kitchen was an interesting blend of rustic charm and modern convenience. It was clear to her this was no ordinary woman without means. She couldn’t wait to see the rest of the lodge.
***
Ulriq checked the ice every day watching for any sign that the long winter was about to release its hold on the island. The winter cold was far more brutal than anyone could remember and several of the Elders died in the course of it. Despite the excessive harvest of the great hunt, food became scarce as the hunters were forced to go farther than ever before in search of game. Several men that had gone out to hunt never came back and no traces of them were ever found.
The new leader wasn’t experienced in such matters and soon found himself scorned by the other men. They came to him looking for answers and he had nothing to give them. Ulriq stayed away from his mother’s hut as much as possible. There was nothing he could say that would change anything. The damage was already done.
Once the ice began to break up, Ulriq turned his attention to the horizon as he watched for the ships of the Russian traders. He wasn’t really interested in the traders, but he kept that part to himself. As the days grew longer, he became more and more anxious. His heart couldn’t bear the thought that Iliana wouldn’t come with her father.
His fretful watch was finally rewarded with the sight of sails coming from the setting sun. He kept his post all that day and into the night as he waited for their arrival. They would wait for morning to make their way to land in the longboats. He determined, he would be the first to greet them and didn’t give word to anyone.
The next morning, he stood on the shore and scanned the two ships anchored off shore, hoping to catch a glimpse of a familiar face. His heart leapt with joy when he finally saw the answer to all his prayers being helped into one of the boats. The two of them waved at one another and called out until their voices were hoarse.
Iliana was the first to be let out of the boat and in her haste dipped her skirts into the water. She ran to embrace Ulriq in a flurry of icy drops as the two of them danced in a circle of joy, much to the amusement of her parents. Others from the village had spotted the sails also and they hurried down to the shore.
Ulriq’s stepfather came with his mother to meet their visitors. Unlike Ulriq’s father, he spoke no Russian so the boy was pressed into service as an interpreter. Once the formalities of greetings were complete, he was then forced to relate his stepfather’s version of the story of the change in leadership. Even as he spoke, Ulriq could see the questions forming in Iliana’s father’s eyes. Wisely, the man left them unasked and moved to the business at hand.
Explaining through the boy, Iliana’s father talked of how he would like to build a dwelling place for himself and his family here on the island. There was trouble back in the mother land and he felt his family would be safer away from their home for a while. He was willing to pay for the land and would hire whomever was willing to work on the building for a
fair wage.
Ulriq struggled to explain all of these matters to his stepfather as there were many words for which he had no translation. In the end, he was sure he’d made a poor job of it all, but it didn’t matter. The new leader caught the basic idea that money and goods would be given to the People. His own greed was motivation enough to make him agree to whatever the Russian trader wanted from him. The entire business was settled there on the beach without any consideration from the Elders.
Iliana’s father brought massive timbers to be used in building a Domiq, or lodge, for there were no large trees growing on the island. He asked Ulriq for his ideas about a suitable location. The boy brought him to a large cleft in the rocky cliffs to the north of the village. This was the place Nanuq came to speak to him after his father’s death, but he didn’t share that story.
As the ship’s crew brought load after load of building supplies to the shore, the villagers gathered to watch this strange activity. They’d never seen such things as these massive timbers or window glass. There was even furniture and trunks full of cloth and fancy dishes. The men from the ship worked hard each day hauling things to the building site, but the villagers weren’t interested in working with them. These things were not a part of their world and soon they lost interest in the entire project.
Ulriq found his own place in a cave at the back of the cleft and when he wasn’t learning some new thing about building, he and Iliana spent their days together. Her parents welcomed him as if they were his family and he rarely went back to the village. In many ways, the darkness buried in his heart lifted and he teetered on the edge of manhood as his love for Iliana blossomed.
As the lodge took shape, Ulriq came to understand that Iliana and her family intended to stay on the island for the entire winter. He couldn’t grasp how this would be possible for them, but he was elated with the idea. Iliana’s father traded with the People and gathered all their skins and hides and a large cache of ivory carvings. He intended to take this shipload back to Russia before winter and use it to purchase the things his family would need to survive.
As the time drew nearer to winter, tensions began to grow between the Russians and the People. The new leader had no interest in friendship with Iliana’s father and soon the villagers were avoiding these foreigners. Iliana’s father decided it would be better to take his family back and face the trouble at home for another winter. He planned to leave a small crew of men to continue the work of building the lodge while they were away.
With a heavy heart Ulriq stood on the shore watching them leave. There were many dangers that might prevent them from returning. No one knew this better than he did, but the trip was necessary for the family’s well-being. Alone and isolated from the People, they had little chance of surviving on the isle on their own.
Chapter Five
Kat studied the faces in the old portraits carefully as Lana led her up the stairs to the second floor. The stairway was a historical journey into the past as they traveled upward. The fading light made it difficult to distinguish many of the details of the faces staring out at them. Lana pointed out a few of the more storied pictures as they moved along. Losing track of the time, both women were surprised when J.T. called to them from below.
“I’m sorry, ladies. We really need to get back to the village. There’s some urgent matter needing my attention,” he said as they made their way back downstairs.
Kat was quiet as her mind struggled to realign itself with the present. The atmosphere of the lodge seemed to have drawn her so deeply into the past, she felt trapped there. A part of her really wanted to stay here and it was hard to say good-bye as they prepared to go.
Sensing her mood, Lana made it clear she was welcome to come back for a visit at any time. Being alone wasn’t always such a good thing, she said with a laugh. She pressed Kat’s hand to her cheek in an odd gesture that touched Kat’s heart.
Even J.T. noted the warmth extended to the young woman and felt a flash of jealousy. He silently chided himself for being silly. It would be good for Lana to have someone around, and his duties kept him away far more than he liked. After all, that was the main reason he’d invited Kat to come out to the lodge with him.
As they rode away on the UTV, Kat couldn’t help turning around to look back at the lodge. Lana stood on the porch watching them and waving good-bye. Suddenly, Kat caught sight of a face in an upstairs window, also watching. She tried to get a better view by turning around a bit more, but her efforts caused J.T. to almost lose control and drive them into a rock.
As he righted their path, he thumped her in the face with his helmeted head nearly causing her to fall off backwards. The two of them struggled to stay on as he brought the machine to a stop around a small bend which hid the lodge from their view.
“Are you okay,” J.T. asked her as she shook her head.
“Yeah, sorry. I got distracted.”
“By what?”
“Oh, it was nothing,” she said. “I thought I saw someone looking out of an upstairs window. I’m sure it was just a reflection or something.”
J.T. studied her face carefully.
“You’re right. It was probably just a reflection,” he said abruptly. He turned away so she couldn’t see the look on his face.
***
On Monday morning, Kat’s students were strangely quiet around her. She’d taken J.T.’s advice to heart and prepared several activities to get them talking. The problem was they’d somehow lost their voices. She couldn’t figure out why they were acting so odd.
The breakthrough came in the afternoon when two of the boys got into a tussle. As she pulled them apart, one of the boys pulled away from her touch. He actually seemed to be afraid of her.
“What’s the matter with you two? You know there’s no fighting allowed at school.”
Mumbling something incoherent, both boys stared at the floor.
Kat sat down nearby as the other students gathered around them and stared at her.
“Who’s going to tell me what’s going on,” she asked.
One of the girls finally raised her hand.
“We know you went out to that place,” she said. “Did you see the pirate?”
“Domiq? The lodge, you know I went out to the lodge with J.T.,” she asked them.
Slowly they nodded their heads.
“How did you….oh, I see,” she hesitated. “There’s no pirate. I met only an older woman living alone. Why do you think that there’s a pirate?”
“Oh, we know there’s a pirate living out there,” one of the boys assured her. “He’s a wild man with black hair and crazy eyes.”
The other students nodded in agreement as they continued to stare at her.
“And you’ve all seen this pirate with your own eyes?”
Their faces fell as one and she watched them carefully until one of them spoke up.
“Well, not exactly with our own eyes, but we all know someone that knows someone that’s seen him,” one of the students said defiantly.
Almost as a unit, they all lifted their eyes to hers and nodded again.
Her first thought was to debunk this myth with some facts, but she couldn’t shake the memory of the face in the upstairs window.
“Surely if there was a pirate, Officer Thomson would know of him and take care of it,” Kat said.
“He can’t,” one of the girls said. “You can’t arrest a ghost.”
Kat wanted to laugh, but the serious faces staring at her belied the urge. She scratched an imaginary itch on the back of her arm as she considered her next step. Realizing this might be an opportunity to get the students talking, she decided to approach this scientifically.
“So, you all believe there’s a ghost pirate living at the lodge,” she stated watching them all nod once again in agreement. “Maybe we should gather all of your evidence of this pirate and find out the truth.”
The rest of the afternoon flew by as Kat listened carefully to all of the “evidence”. Every st
udent had a story to tell and while much of it was quite fanciful, the similarities were striking. There was clearly a mysterious ship that came and went under cover of darkness and a ‘dark’ man rarely seen. They all agreed he was up to no good and most of them were convinced he was a ghost or evil spirit.
By the time class was over for the day, all of them were sure they’d presented enough evidence to make all of their stories true. As they were leaving, Kat assured them she’d bring the matter before Officer Thomson and have him look into it. One of the boys stopped on his way out the door.
“He won’t help you,” he said. “The pirate is his brother.”
Kat stared after him long after he’d left wondering what he meant.
Chapter Six
After a rough night dreaming of pirates and faces in distant windows, Kat was late getting to her classroom the next morning. She was surprised to hear angry voices coming from the room as she approached. When she came in, two women glared at her from the back of the room. Jim was trying to make some kind of explanation to them, but stopped at her entrance. Basically, he shrugged his shoulders and took a step back as the women stepped towards her.
“You shouldn’t be telling our kids ghost stories,” the first woman growled at her. “My girl was up all night having nightmares!”
“What kind of a teacher are you,” the other woman chimed in.
Kat didn’t know what to say. Her first thought was that she hadn’t told any ghost stories, but knew that wasn’t going to help her. She couldn’t help but notice Jim slipping out of the room. A few of the students were sitting in their desks watching her carefully.
“Good morning, Kat,” came a cheery voice from behind her.
Everyone turned to see Officer Thomson standing in the doorway. He greeted the two women and invited them to step outside with him. They glared at Kat as they followed him out. She could hear them expressing their displeasure all the way down the hall. Making her way to the front of the room, she took a deep breath and struggled to calm herself. Maybe it would be better to stick to reading, writing and arithmetic, she thought to herself. There's no point in getting the parents mad at me.
