Kaya Stormchild

by Lael Whitehead

  “Look after them, Tike,” called Kaya from outside the shelter. “I’m going to find some medicine.”

  Kaya raced along the edge of the forest, hoping desperately that she would find what she needed. She had seen some growing on the other island where they had stopped for lunch. There must be some here too.

  “Please,” she begged aloud as she searched, “please grow here. We need you!”

  At last she saw a clump of the plants she sought: yarrow -- tall stalks with clusters of small white flowers. They were growing just beyond the high tide mark, in a grassy meadow at the edge of the forest of cedar and fir trees. Kaya cried out with relief when she saw the plants.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  She stooped and picked an armful and then hurried back to the shelter. She retrieved the water bottle from inside and placed it next to her feet outside. Squatting, she began to pick apart the flowers and leaves, placing them on a dish-shaped piece of driftwood she had found nearby. Using a smooth round stone as a pestle, Kaya ground the plants, adding a little water now and then from the bottle until at last she had made a bright green paste. When she was satisfied with the consistency, she carried the wooden dish to the doorway of the shelter and removed the boughs blocking the entrance.

  Once inside, there was just enough light coming through the open door for her to see what she was doing. She knelt beside the Duchess. Removing the tourniquet once more, Kaya gently ripped away the sleeve of the Duchess’s dress, exposing the wound in the old woman’s arm. Kaya’s breath caught in surprise. The wound was deep, and still seeping blood. It would easily get infected. Kaya would have to do her best.

  She pressed the paste she had made against the wound, covering it entirely. Then, ripping a narrow strip from the red checkered picnic cloth, she gently bound the wound with a tight bandage.

  “Lie down, my dear,” said Kaya soothingly. She moved the picnic basket next to the old woman and gently placed the wounded arm across it. “Here,” said Kaya, “keep your arm raised as long as you can. That will slow the bleeding.”

  She turned to Josh. His teeth were beginning to chatter, and he shivered as he lay.

  “Tike,” said Kaya, “I think you’d better help me warm Josh up now. He’s freezing!”

  Kaya stretched out under the blanket, nestled between the Duchess and Josh, while the otter crawled close to the boy’s chest. The four remained curled up together in silence for what seemed a long time. Outside the rain began to fall in earnest, and the wind rattled at the shelter as if it, too, wanted to come inside.

  At last, Josh stopped shivering. Kaya heard his breathing slow and deepen until she knew he had fallen asleep. The Duchess dozed. Tike snored.

  It seemed to Kaya that the four friends were enclosed in a strange cocoon, separated from the rest of the world, alone in the coming storm.

  Chapter 6 : Asking Magic

  Kaya woke up shivering. The wind howled around the shelter. Part of the covering of boughs on the roof had blown away and large, cold drops of rain were leaking in. The light outside was very dim. It must be nearing sunset.

  Kaya felt Josh’s body shuddering on one side of her. On the other side she heard the Duchess moan softly.

  “Duchess? Are you awake?”

  The old woman did not reply. Kaya rolled over and peered closely at her friend. She could see, even in the dim light, that the old woman’s face was ashen white and her lips were tinged with blue. The Duchess shivered uncontrollably. Kaya recognized the signs of shock. The Duchess had lost a lot of blood and was now also wet and chilled to the bone. Kaya realized that her friend was in grave danger.

  Kaya tucked the picnic blanket more tightly around the Duchess’s body then sat up, tears stinging her eyes. She felt so helpless. What could she do? She had no other medicine to give her friend. There was no way to keep her warm in this wind and rain, and soon night would fall and it would be even colder. Josh was young, he was not in as much danger, but the Duchess was elderly and frail! What if she died before help could come? Oh, why hadn’t Grandmother found them?!

  Kaya thought bitterly that if only she had matches she could make a fire and send a signal out to the world. But, she quickly realized, even with matches and dry kindling it would be almost impossible to get a fire going in this storm. And who would see the smoke anyway? The little island was hidden from Campbell Harbour by Heron island. No one would see either fire or smoke. Not in this weather. Not in the dark.

  Kaya crept to the door of the shelter and crawled outside. The rain was growing stronger, and the wind hissed and tore at the boughs on the roof of the teepee. Squinting against the wind, Kaya attempted to repair the shelter, replacing the cedar and fir boughs and finding scraps of driftwood to weigh them down.

  “Stop!” she cried out to the storm. As if in answer, a powerful gust whipped at her damp hair. It rose like a mighty hand and flung aside two of the evergreen branches, tossing them end over end away into the forest.

  Then there came a brilliant flash of light in the sky overhead. A horrific thunderous CRACK followed. Kaya instinctively ducked, shielding her head with her arms. More flashes and more thunderclaps shook the ground beneath her. Rain began to pummel the earth like so many thousands of tiny fists. The sky was a vast, angry, seething expanse of wind and water and electricity, punishing the sea and the shore without mercy.

  Kaya gave up trying to repair the roof of their teepee. She stood staring into the storm. A memory surfaced slowly from the depths of her mind. It was one of Grandmother’s lessons, learned long ago and never practiced because up until now her life had never been in danger. Grandmother had called it Asking Magic: a way of summoning help in a time of desperate need.

  Now was such a time. Kaya focused her mind, remembering. Brushing the wet hair from her eyes she began to search along the stormy beach for two round stones. More thunder pounded overhead, but she paid no attention. She found one, and then another close by – smooth stones about the size of fists. She straightened and turned her face once more towards the sea. With an immense effort of will she drained all thought, all fear, all expectation from her mind.

  She cupped one stone in each palm, and then began to hit them softly together. The rhythmic tapping sound was barely audible above the wind, but she continued. Tap, tap. Slowly, she began to sing. The song contained no words, only a feeling, intense, and deep, swelling up through her body and out through her throat like a fountain of energy. Kaya closed her eyes and swayed with the rhythm of the stones. Her voice became louder and stronger. The strange, dark melody of her song twined in and out of the claps of thunder and mingled with the hissing of the rain. It was the song of Asking. Kaya asked the world for help. She begged the sea, the sky, the earth, the wind, and all the creatures that roamed or swam or flew to hear her plea.

  She did not know whether minutes or hours passed. Her voice trailed almost to a whisper. Then she stopped singing abruptly. She had heard something.

  Kaya opened her eyes, straining her ears to catch the sound. Was it-?! The sound came again: a distant, familiar call, far off, almost blending with the roar of the wind but yet distinct. The call of an eagle, shrill and wild.

  “Grandmother!” Kaya’s voice caught in her throat.

  She stood on the shore and waited. Rain had drenched her t-shirt, and the wind tore at her hair. It was nearly sunset. The black storm clouds overhead made it seem as if night had already fallen, but far off in the distance, a streak of red light gleamed over the water through a tear in the clouds, like a gash in the flesh of the sky.

  Again, Kaya heard the cry, closer now. A black speck began to descend towards her. Soon she could make out Grandmother’s gleaming white forehead and white tail feathers. The eagle landed with a whirl of wings on the beach and Kaya ran to throw her arms around the neck of the huge bird.

  “You came!’ cried Kaya. “I called you and you came!”

  “It was a powerful call, my child,” said Grandmother. “You are in trou
ble. Tell me what has happened.”

  Quickly the girl related the events of the past few hours. The eagle nodded solemnly.

  “Help is coming, Kaya. A boat is heading this way. You’ll have to make a signal. Try to wave your arms and yell as loudly as you can so they will know you are here. I must fly to get help. That was indeed the Omrith you saw today. This storm will not end until we can recover it. Wish me wingspeed, my dear! I will return when I can.”

  The eagle flew off once more. Just then, Kaya saw through the dusk and the rain that a boat was passing the rocky point at one end of the beach, heading toward Heron Island. She began to shout and yell with all her might. The boat slowed, turned, and sped towards her. Not a white boat, Kaya saw with relief, but a small, dark-coloured speedboat.. A tall man stood at the helm, wearing a bright yellow rain slicker.

  The boat pulled up on the beach, and the man leapt out. He quickly tied the boat to a driftwood log. Then he hurried towards Kaya.

  “Is Josh with you?” the man cried.

  “Yes, yes!” Kaya answered breathlessly . “Oh help us! They are hurt and …!”

  “I’m Josh’s Dad. I’m Martin,” he said with an anxious smile. “You must be Kaya. Where is he? Is he OK?”

  She saw that he looked like a grown-up version of Josh – short, curling, light-brown hair, a dusting of freckles over the bridge of his nose, and intense green eyes. But his face was much thinner and his eyes seemed weary and sad.

  “There’re over here,” she cried. She took him by the hand she ran with him up the beach to the shelter.

  When Josh’s father saw his son, he slumped to his knees and threw his arms around the boy’s shoulders, pressing him close.

  “Thank god, thank god” the man stammered in a husky voice. “I was s- so worried! But what’s happened to you? And who is - is that Mrs. Kimpton from the thrift store?!” he said in amazement, seeing the Duchess for the first time.

  Kaya explained about the fight with the criminals. Martin’s face grew dark as he listened.

  “The bastards! To harm a kid and an old woman – they deserve to be –“ he stammered angrily.

  He swallowed and took a deep breath.

  “But at least I found you.” He looked from Josh to Kaya. “When Josh didn’t turn up for dinner, and then this storm whipped up, I got worried and called the police. They told me they had found a red canoe floating out here among these islands. I knew it was yours, Kaya. Josh has told me a lot about you. So I feared the worst. I borrowed my neighbor’s boat and set out to search myself. The police boat is out looking for you too, and the coast guard probably.”

  He paused, musing. “Funny thing is – there was an eagle that kept landing on the prow of my boat and then flying off in the direction of this island. I’ve never seen anything like it. I swear I almost heard it say, “this way!” So strange - !“

  Martin stood up. “Let’s go. We have to get you all back.” “Mrs. Kimpton badly needs a doctor, and so, my boy, do you,” he said, smiling tenderly at his son.

  Gently, Martin lifted the Duchess into his arms and carried her out of the shelter, as if she weighed no more than a child. The old woman moaned and muttered, but her eyes remained closed. She was deep in delirium.

  Kaya followed and together they managed to maneuver the Duchess into the stern of the boat. Kaya quickly covered her friend with a large oilskin cloth she found beneath one of the seats. Then she jumped down from the boat and ran back to help lift Josh. He was harder to move. His father carried him, while Kaya held the boy’s leg as straight as she could, but the inevitable jarring caused Josh to cry out in pain.

  At last the injured pair were safely aboard the boat and sheltered from the storm beneath the oilskin blanket.

  “Don’t forget me!” squealed Tike, who had followed at their heels. Kaya bent and lifted the otter on board. Then she clambered in after him.

  “We’d never forget you, Tike!” Kaya whispered, hugging him close. “If it weren’t for you, I don’t know where we’d all be this night.”

  It was now quite dark and Martin switched on the boat’s headlights. They pulled out of the bay and began to speed towards Heron Island. Flashes of lightening still lit the sky, but the thunder was fainter now. The storm had moved north. Rain still fell relentlessly. Kaya had put on a life jacket, which gave her some warmth, but she was still soaked to the skin. She crouched low in the boat to keep out of the biting wind. Tike crept into her arms and nestled close.

  They had just passed Heron and could see the dim lights of Campbell Harbour to the north when the boat began to lurch and sputter. There was a loud backfire, and then the motor went dead.

  “What the -?!” cried Martin. “I don’t believe it! We’re out of gas! George told me it had plenty! Damn!”

  He face was drawn and anxious as he searched beneath the seats of the boat. There was no spare can of gas to be found. Eventually he came upon a pair of small paddles. They seemed more suited to a rubber dingy than a proper boat, but they would have to do.

  “Can you help me, Kaya? We’ll each work one side. It’s the only option we have.”

  Kaya took hold of a paddle and leaned over the side of the boat, pulling as hard as she could. The swell of the waves was against them, and they seemed to make no progress whatsoever. But Kaya kept pulling, stroke after stroke. After what seemed an interminable length of time, she collapsed, panting.

  “I don’t think we’re getting anywhere,” she gasped.

  Martin threw his paddle down, cursing loudly. He seemed on the verge of tears. Another flash of lightening illuminated the sea, and in the brief glare they glimpsed the distant silhouette of Henby Island.

  Silence settled over the miserable group like a dense cloud. They listened to the hiss of the wind and the seething of the waves beneath the boat. The headlights were still working, but they would go out, thought Kaya bitterly, once the boat’s battery ran down. She didn’t want to imagine what would happen then, when the five passengers would be adrift in total darkness, tossed on a black sea, not knowing what reef or rocky shore they were heading towards.

  “It’s OK, Dad,” came a muffled voice from beneath the oilskin. “Thanks for coming to find us. You didn’t know about the gas.”

  Josh held out a hand. His father grasped it tightly. “I’m so sorry…” Martin began.

  Silence fell once more. The headlight began to flicker and dim. Kaya groaned inwardly.

  “Don’t go out, don’t go out,” she whispered.

  The light continued to flicker. It went off for a moment and they were thrown into utter darkness. Martin lunged for the light and banged it with his fist. It lit once more. But it was such a feeble, dying light Kaya knew it would not be long until it was out for good.

  Then suddenly Tike lifted up his head, scenting the air and listening keenly.

  “There’s another boat coming!” he said eagerly to Kaya. “I hear a motor!”

  Sure enough, after another minute or so, lights appeared on the distant water. The sound of a large motor cut through the wind.

  Kaya and Martin both stood up and began shouting.

  “Over here! Help! Help!”

  Within moments a huge spotlight fixed them in its wide, bright beam. Kaya blinked and shielded her eyes. A large boat came alongside. The police boat. Kaya could see Angela and Raymond on board. Raymond was at the wheel.

  “Out of gas? Bad luck in this storm, eh?” said Angela. “But wait - you’ve found them!” She had caught sight of Kaya and Josh. A huge smile spread across her face, and she whistled loudly. “Now that’s a sight for sore eyes!”

  “Listen,” said Martin quickly, overcoming his natural shyness. “You – you’ve got to get my son and the old woman to a doctor. They’ve been badly hurt. She’s got a big gash in her arm and is delirious. It’s urgent. Can you take them in the boat? And lend me a can of gas?”

  Working quickly, she and Raymond tied the smaller boat alongside the police boat. With Martin and Kaya’
s help they got the Duchess and Josh on board and had them down in the dry cabin and wrapped in warm, woolen blankets in no time.

  “We still haven’t arrested those two guys,” Angela told Kaya. “We found their hide-out yesterday, and all the horrible stuff they’ve stashed there. But nobody was around.” Angela shook her head. “We’re going to keep looking, though. I’ve got the police on Corby and Mullin Islands out searching too. Those fellas are going to pay big time for what they’ve done! I can’t believe they’d attack Mrs. Kimpton!”

  She went to the back of the police boat and retrieved a big red plastic container.

  “Here’s some gas,” said Angela, heaving the container across to Martin.

  “Kaya, you stay with Martin and help him navigate. It’s a lot safer with two in the boat. We’ll meet you back in town.”

  Kaya nodded, and climbed back aboard the little speedboat.

  “Take my coat, though,” Angela suggested. “You look frozen.”

  The policewoman removed her big hooded coat and tossed it across to Kaya. Kaya put it on. It was still warm from Angela’s body. Kaya stopped shivering for the first time in what seemed like hours.

  As the police boat sped off into the night, Martin found the gas cap and emptied the red container into the tank.

  “We’ll follow as quick as we can,” said Martin, reassuringly. “Their boat goes much faster than this one. But we’ll be in town in fifteen or twenty more minutes, and we can tie up and go straight to the Clinic and see how they’re doing.”

  The sea had grown a little less choppy, and the wind had subsided to a dull moan. Martin got the little boat’s motor going. At once the headlight shone bright and strong again.

  “Watch for deadheads, Kaya,” called Martin.

  Kaya stood up next to him and scanned the patch of sea illuminated by the boat’s headlight, looking for logs bobbing in the water. Tike curled up at her feet and kept her toes warm in her wet shoes. The waves sped by. Although she was finally warm again, and knew her friends were getting help, Kaya became aware of a familiar nagging pain deep inside her. It had been there all the while, but had been overlaid by the work of survival during the past few hours. It was like a knot of blackness in her chest. A new, more intense version of the hollow feeling she had experienced earlier that day. Now the sensation had become almost a hunger. It was a desperate, painful longing for something that was absolutely MISSING from the world.