A Soldier Finds His Way

by Irene Onorato

  He tossed an additional log into the fireplace and stepped over to Audra. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m sure.”

  Edward turned and strode to the door.

  * * * *

  Edward had been gone for quite some time. Zoe and Cricket were playing tug of war with a soft doggy toy. Audra, not having any way to tell time, figured a few hours might have passed. Her stomach growled. She tried to get out of the recliner, but the handle to release the footrest was on her right side, the arm that was in the splint. With her bruised left hip, no matter which way she rolled, she was stuck.

  “Zoe,” she called. “Can you flip the handle and help me get out of this chair please?”

  Zoe came to her rescue.

  Audra got up and went to the kitchen to see what she could prepare.

  Supplies consisted mostly of MREs, lots of them. Canned soups and vegetables were also stacked on the shelves. A box of macaroni and cheese looked appealing. After adding a few sticks to the woodstove, she set a pot of water on top.

  When the water boiled, she added the macaroni. After the noodles were cooked she struggled with her one good arm to pour out as much water as possible without losing the macaroni. She added some powdered milk, a little water, the cheese packet, a splash of oil, mixed everything, and set it aside. Zoe helped by opening a few cans of ready-to-eat soup and dumping it into a pot she found under the sink.

  Audra and Zoe sat down to lunch.

  “We should pray for Edward,” Zoe said. “Maybe he’s lost.”

  Audra patted Zoe’s hand. “I’m sure Edward can take care of himself. Let’s eat.”

  Cricket alerted and ran toward the door. It opened and Edward came in.

  He stomped snow off his boots, hung his coat on the hook, and rubbed his hands together. “Something smells good in here.”

  Zoe jumped up and pulled the wooden crate to the table for him. He washed his hands and sat down to eat.

  Edward finished off the last bit on his plate and looked at Audra. “Thanks. You didn’t have to cook. I’d have done it for you. I don’t know how you managed with one hand.”

  “I had a good helper.”

  Zoe beamed a proud smile.

  “Edward,” Audra said. “What did you find when you looked around outside?”

  “It’s bad out there. Very bad. The snow’s tapering off some, and the wind has died down as well, but the snow’s a couple of feet deep in some spots. Sometimes it covers ravines, and before you know it, you could be at the bottom with a broken leg. I don’t see us walking out of here any time soon.”

  “Oh, no. Are you sure? Zoe’s mom and dad have got to be out of their minds with worry by now. My parents too. If we leave early in the morning and go slowly and carefully, maybe we could—”

  “You’ve got one shoe. Zoe’s got none.” Edward stared across the table at her. “Neither one of you has a coat or gloves. If I put every piece of spare clothing I have on you, you’d still be barefooted. I thought of making a stretcher and dragging you both out. That’s one option. But the best thing would be for me to get out by myself and get to my truck. I can then drive to a high spot to use my cell phone to call for help.”

  “You’re right, of course. I’m sorry we’ve put you in such a bind.”

  “It’s not your fault.” Edward rose and picked up the dishes. “I’m not exactly comfortable with either of those choices until I know you’re not going to go and stop breathing on me again, or start puking all over the place because of your head injury. I think you’re okay, but I want to be sure before we head out or I leave to get help. We’ll wait a day or two more and then decide.”

  “What about the snowmobile?”

  “Dead. Tried it several times, and it won’t start. Hank’s going to be ticked off. He had it repaired not long ago.”

  * * * *

  Edward pushed the window curtain aside and rubbed condensation from the glass with his sleeve. Outside, snow blew at the whim of the wind in waning daylight. There had to be a way out of this mess. He dropped the tattered cloth, went to his duffel and pulled out a topographical map.

  Maybe there was something he missed. A forgotten road. A ranger tower. Anything. He spread the chart on the table.

  “Excuse me, Edward.” Audra smiled from the recliner. “Would you mind if Zoe and I used those long johns again tonight?”

  Edward picked them off the rocker and brought them to her. He gave her a hand and helped her out of the chair.

  “I’m going to go change.” She limped toward the bedroom. “Zoe, do you want me to help you change your clothes?”

  Zoe, who’d been quiet for a while, stood and walked toward the curtain. She stopped and turned to Edward.

  “Will you help me get dressed for bed?” In her outstretched arms she held the top she’d worn the night before.

  “Me?” He pointed to his chest. “Why me?”

  “My turtleneck gets stuck and Aunt Audra only has one arm to help me.”

  He sat on the crate and she came to him. He pulled her sweater over her head, slipped the long john top over her, and folded up the sleeves as he had done the day before so her hands were free. Zoe stared into his eyes for a long moment, then threw herself against him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Thank you for saving us from the river,” she whispered in his ear.

  * * * *

  Audra came back into the room in time to witness the exchange. Edward seemed surprised at Zoe’s display of affection, and it took a minute before he held the child close to him. He stood up with Zoe’s arms still wrapped around his neck. Zoe wrapped her legs around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

  He took a few steps and stopped in front of Audra. She rubbed Zoe’s back. Audra cocked her head to one side and smiled. The sight of the two of them together touched her heart. How charming, or perhaps paradoxical, to see a small child in the arms of a powerful man.

  Edward placed Zoe in bed and adjusted the covers. “You need Cricket tonight?”

  “No, you. Tell me a story. Tell me and Aunt Audra a story.”

  “I don’t know any stories.”

  Audra slid into the bed beside Zoe. “Yes. You must tell us a story. Make it up as you go along. You start off like this. Once upon a time, then you keep on going.”

  “I’m telling you, I don’t know any stories. Look at me. Do I look like a fairy tale, storytelling kind of guy?”

  “Pleeease?” Zoe folded her hands as if in prayer.

  “Okay, you want a story? I’ve got a story for you.”

  Warmth drained from Edward’s face. His jaw muscles tensed, and his stance stiffened by the side of the bed.

  “Edward, you don’t have to—”

  “Once upon a stinkin’ time, there was a baby,” he said, “and its mom forgot about it and left it out on the street in the freezing cold. After a lot of hours went by, some guy found the baby and took it to the hospital where the doctor found it had frostbite and had to cut off its pinky toe with a pair of dikes. The end.”

  Audra’s chin dropped.

  Zoe’s mouth hung open and quivered.

  “What kind of story is that to tell a child?” Audra wrapped her arm around Zoe. “I can’t believe you’d come up with a hideous story like that. What is wrong with you?”

  “You asked for a story and I gave you one. If you were looking for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, or Sesame Street, you took a wrong turn, lady.”

  “You’re sick. Cut off a toe with a pair of dikes. Are you out of your mind?”

  Zoe pressed herself closer to Audra and looked up at Edward through freshly forming tears. “Why do you have to be so mean sometimes, Edward?”

  Edward opened his mouth to say something but stopped and averted his gaze.

  “The words you were looking for right now, Edward, are, I’m sorry. But, I see that those words get caught in your throat like a chicken bone.�
� She resisted the urge to cry. “Please go, Edward. Just go.”

  * * * *

  Edward stopped on the other side of the curtain and rubbed his neck. His rigid muscles ached. Zoe’s sobs, followed by Audra’s shushing, soothing sounds filtered through the dusty, makeshift curtain.

  Zoe sucked little gasps of air. “Was that a true story, Aunt Audra? Do doctors really cut off babies’ toes?”

  “No, sweetie, doctors don’t cut babies’ toes off.”

  “I thought Edward was going to try to be nice to us. But, then, he turned mean again, Aunt Audra. Why? Why did he do that?”

  “I don’t know, Zoe. I just don’t know.”

  Edward hung his head. He had no reason to do that to her. What a jerk.

  He threw a few logs into the fire and kicked back into the recliner for the night.

  Chapter 6

  A noise from the kitchen woke Edward.

  Audra was adding wood to the woodstove. Even wearing the long johns that swallowed up her figure, her shapely form was evident. She brushed off her hands and combed her hair with her fingers, lifting and tossing the golden strands about. A sudden rush of excitement coursed through him at the glimpse of the back of her bare neck.

  He forced himself to look away, got up and warmed his hands over the woodstove. She smiled and showed no signs of anger toward him for his behavior the previous night.

  Edward returned a small smile. “What are you doing up so early?”

  “I couldn’t sleep anymore. I’ve been lying around for a few days, and I think I’m all slept out. Zoe woke me up with her snoring. She snores like a bear, you know. I’ve never heard a child snore like she does.”

  “Yeah, well you two performed quite a symphony together last night.”

  “You’re kidding. Me?”

  “Like a grizzly.” He blew a little laugh out of his nose. “Of all the people I could have fished out of the river, I had to come up with two females that sound like cave-dwelling bears. It’s a miracle a man can get a wink of sleep around here.” He smiled.

  She put the percolator on the woodstove and hobbled to the recliner. Edward let Cricket outside, then joined her and sat in the rocker.

  Audra looked at him with her sparkling blues. “Do you think Hank misses his dog?”

  “That smelly beast?”

  “She’s not smelly.”

  “I was talking about Hank.”

  Audra burst into frilly laughter that made his day, and even made him laugh himself.

  “I’m sure he thinks about her. He’s an animal lover for sure. Having animals around him suits his lifestyle.”

  “What kind of lifestyle would that be? What kind of man is he?”

  “Wow, what can I say to describe Hank? He’s different. No, he’s more than different. Hank is an off-the-grid kind of guy. He prefers to live alone. No electricity, stuff like that. He’s a survivor. If I were stuck on the moon and could only have one guy to help me figure out a way home, I’d pick Hank.”

  The coffee started to boil over. Edward scurried and moved the pot to a cooler part of the stove. “Uh-oh. We may have to sift our coffee through our teeth and spit out the grounds.”

  “Not a problem. We have our toothbrushes.” She held up her index finger.

  Zoe staggered into the living room. Wild curls, flatter on one side than the other, jutted from her head at crazy angles. Long john sleeves hung past her hands and dangled apishly at her sides. She arched her back in a big stretch and yawned.

  Edward squatted, folded her sleeves, and stood. “Breakfast anyone?”

  Zoe moaned. “Oh no, not enchiladas again.”

  “How about oatmeal? We can do that. I have instant oats, the peaches-and-cream kind.”

  Zoe’s face lit up.

  Good. There’d be no complaints about breakfast this morning.

  * * * *

  After breakfast, Edward pulled out his maps and spread them on the counter. “Here’s where we are, and here’s where your car went off the road.” He jabbed the spot with his finger.

  Audra rubbed her hip. “The GPS took us way off the roads we should have been on.”

  “You do realize no one will come looking for you here, right?”

  She nodded. “I understand. We’re on our own.” She settled into the recliner, still in Edward’s long johns.

  Zoe worked quietly building a tower with dominoes, taking care not to shake the table as she piled the tiles higher and higher.

  Gloomy quietness settled inside the cabin. Edward put his maps away. He needed to boost the moral a little. “Today I’ll set up a bath for you guys. I should have done that sooner. I know you don’t have any clean clothes, but a bath ought to make you feel a little better.”

  “A bath. Mmm. That sounds good.” Audra twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “My hair feels like straw.”

  Zoe’s eyes widened. “Do you have bubbles?”

  “Look around you, kid, I mean, Zoe. Does this look like a bubble bath, nail-painting, girly girl pampering kind of spa? Around these parts, you get well water, a bar of soap, and if you’re lucky, real live shampoo, which may or may not belong to Cricket. Afterward, you will be squeaky clean and free of fleas and ticks.”

  Zoe laughed, scratched herself behind her ear and tapped her foot on the floor like a dog. “Let’s take a bath right now!”

  Good. His playful smirk got a positive response from her.

  “Okay then.” Edward rigged the special hose he’d made to the water pump. He ran the end around to the tub and weighted it down with a rock he’d staged for this purpose. “Who pumps first?”

  Zoe pulled a chair to the sink, jumped on it, and pumped with unbridled vigor.

  “Slow down or you’ll get tired too fast,” he said. “I’ll start heating some water.”

  With a pot of water hanging from a hook in the fireplace and another on the woodstove, Edward sat near Audra while Zoe pumped water into the tub. Now and then she paused and switched arms.

  “This is hard work.” Zoe sat on the counter, shook out her arms, and started pumping again.

  Cricket let out a low growl. Hackles raised, she stood to her feet, and glared at the door. A guttural sound erupted outside. The door handle rattled.

  Edward jumped out of his chair, grabbed Zoe off the counter and pushed her toward Audra.

  The door flew open, and a hulking figure filled the doorframe.

  Zoe screeched and ran.

  Edward dropped to a knee between Audra and the intruder and trained his Glock on the stranger’s head. “Hold it right there or I’ll blow your head off.”

  The stranger stood motionless and breathed heavily. His breath vaporized in the air. He pulled off his mittens, threw the fur-lined hood off his head with a sweep of his hand, and lifted the goggles from his eyes. “Well, that’s a fine howdy-do. Is that any way to greet a man coming into his own home?” His gruff, booming voice filled the room.

  A deep breath and slow exhale slowed Edward’s heartbeat. He lowered the handgun and stood. “Hank? Are you crazy? Man, I could’ve killed you. What are you doing here?” He returned the gun to an upper kitchen shelf. “I thought you were going to visit your mom in Miami.”

  “I was, but then I said to myself, ‘Hank, why don’t you skip the flight and hike up to the cabin and see if you can get yourself shot today.’” He walked into the room, slammed the door with his foot and dropped his backpack onto the floor.

  Cricket went wild with excitement, and Hank scooped her into his arms. She licked his face, squirmed and whined even more.

  Edward waited for Hank’s serious answer. He couldn’t think of any sane reason for his brother to hike to the cabin in such treacherous conditions.

  “Atta girl. I love you too.” Hank set Cricket onto her feet. “My flight was cancelled. Everything’s grounded with this storm. Anyway, I gave you a few days to be by yourself, then figured I’d come get Cricket and tak
e her home so you wouldn’t eat her.”

  Edward laughed. “We made friends. She can stay. Besides, she looks like she’d be a little too chewy for my taste buds.”

  “Who’s the cupcake sitting in my favorite chair wearing your drawers? I thought you came out here to be by yourself, you rascal you. What happened to ‘alone, o solo mio, solitude’?” Hank grinned. “Liar.”

  Audra sat wide-eyed, her breaths coming in short gasps.

  “It’s okay, Audra. This is Hank, the one we talked about this morning,” Edward said. “He won’t bite. Zoe? Hey, Zoe, where’d you go?”

  Audra pointed to the bedroom.

  Edward went through the curtain. “Zoe? Where are you?” He stopped and listened. Sounds, much like a dog panting on a hot summer day, came from under the bed. He dropped down on his stomach. “It’s okay, you can come out.”

  She shook her head.

  “What are you afraid of, Zoe? He won’t hurt you.”

  “It’s Bigfoot. He’ll eat me. I know he will.”

  “Zoe, it’s my friend, Hank. He’s just a big hairy guy who talks kind of loud. Come on, I promise he’s okay. Trust me. Will you trust me?”

  She came out from under the bed but declined the hand Edward offered, preferring instead to cling to his leg as they went to the living room, where she half-hid behind Edward.

  Even without the Parka and snow pants he’d shed and dropped by the door, Hank was a huge hulk of a man. Six foot-four, muscular frame and wild-man appearance, his persona fit that of a wrestling ring contender. Wild, wavy and sandy blond, his hair nearly touched his shoulders, his wiry beard showed hints of red. A narrow elastic band held a black patch that covered his left eye. One look at his face made Zoe gasp and run to the comfort of Audra’s lap.

  “Hank, this is Zoe and her aunt Audra. Girls, this is Hank,” Edward said. “The ladies had an accident by the river. Their car went off the road, and they ended up here with Cricket and me. Now you have the whole story. They’ve been here for a few days, and I was going to go get help, probably tomorrow.”