Lies

by Alda Grand

  The body glistened and twinkled from a layer of ice crystals covering it. She knew he was dead and yet she still expected him to look up at her any second with frozen dead eyes. She pulled herself back from the edge and returned to her bag. Within a few minutes she had hammered the ice stakes into the surface and attached the rope ladder to them. She unrolled it and threw it over the edge. She clipped on a safety harness and attached it to the ladder. Lana looked around one final time, there was no one around. She lay on the ground and swung her legs out into space and then quickly found the first rung of the ladder. She took another rung down and lowered herself fully inside of the crevasse. The air was chilled and her breath came out in curling white clouds. The ladder hung close to the frozen body and she would not have to stretch very far to reach his pockets. She looked down and beyond the ice shelf below everything quickly faded into an endless black. She swallowed hard as images of the black sands of the beach swallowing her whole flashed through her mind. Keep it together she told herself and pressed on. Five more rungs down and she would be close enough to reach him.

  Lana concentrated on moving one foot after the other as she lowered herself into the frozen heart of the earth. She was breathing deeply when she drew parallel to his frozen body. She hooked her arm into the ladders frame and reached out to him with her left hand. His head was twisted and facing away from her and she was glad she couldn’t see his frozen and dead face. She touched his jacket and peeled it back to reveal his inside pocket. The top of a phone stuck out from it. The dead mans head shifted and rolled back as if he was trying to get one last look at the sky above. Lana jerked her hand back in fright and her foot slipped off the rung and slammed into the ice shelf. Her foot swung wildly as she tried to find her footing again, her arms ached as she clung to the ladder. Her foot found the rung and she breathed again for what felt like the first time in hours.

  A wrenching crack echoed back and forth off the ice walls of the crevasse. The frozen body began to slide away from her as the ice shelf started to crack and break away. She shot out her hand reaching for the body as it slowly began to angle away from her. Her fingers fumbled at his inside pocket and she felt them brush across the top of the phone. The ice shelf collapsed and the body disappeared into the hungry dark below. A great sound wave of cracking ice reverberated up through the crevasse. Lana’s right arm hung in open space above the spot where the body had been seconds before. Between her index and middle finger she gripped the corner of the phone. Her arm shook as she brought it closer to her, the phone twitching as she barely gripped it with her fingertips. She was sure that it would drop into the inky blackness below and stared at it for a few seconds with incomprehension as it sat in the middle of her palm. She barely felt the icy cold of the phones metal back as she looked at her salvation. She slipped it into her pocket, zipped it up and climbed out of the hole.

  Everything about her return journey seemed easier. Her legs didn't ache and complain as she dug the crampons into the ice. The bag on her back seemed to barely weigh a thing as she moved across the ice at a fast pace. She tapped the pocket with the phone as she went, this was no lucky charm she thought, the phone was the start of a new life for her and Einar.

  As soon as she opened the door to the cabin Einar propped himself up in bed and said, “Did you get it?”

  He didn't need an answer from her as she ran over to the bed and showered him with gentle kisses. She held the phone up high for him to see and he cheered. “Here give it to me,” he said taking it. He popped the phone under the blankets and said, “Warm it up before we try to turn it on. The battery mightn't work if the thing is frozen. Are you ok?” he asked.

  “I can’t believe this is all nearly over,” she said in a raspy voice. They held hands in silence, drawing strength from each other as they waited to switch the phone on.

  The phones screen lit up and Lana pressed the icon for the address book. It contained one number and no name. She checked the signal strength and showed it to Einar. “That should be fine. People get a signal all the time up on the glacier. We have a few dozen tourists every year calling search and rescue when they get stuck up on the ice.”

  She nodded and typed in the word firetruck. The text progress bar filled and the phone vibrated in her hand to signify that it was sent. The two of them sat transfixed to the illuminated screen in her hand. Neither of them dared to take their eyes off it. Lana could feel a panicked uneasiness grow inside her. What if her attacker had lied, what if this was all some sort of trap. The phone vibrated in her hand and a message notification displayed on screen. She had one message, probably the most important one of her life. She hit the icon. Five words flashed up on screen. She could feel the hot tears spill onto her cheeks as soon as she read them. The message read, Good work. See you stateside. She dropped the phone on the bed and wrapped her arms around Einar. She buried her face in his neck and cried against him as relief washed over her. She couldn’t let herself believe that it was all over. She sobbed against him as the tears flowed and her body shook. “I can’t believe it” she cried holding him tight and never wanting to let him go.

  She pulled back and looked at him and his eyes glistened with tears. “I love you,” she said.

  He didn't hesitate and said, “I love you too Lana.”

  He pulled her against his body and the tears slowly subsided and all Lana could think was I am happy, I am truly and completely happy with this man.

  Chapter 27

  One Week Later

  The doors to the sports hall where wide open and people in their best clothes streamed in. A stage was erected at one end of the hall and a band from Reykjavik was setting up to play. People waved and greeted each other as the crowd slowly moved into the hall. Long tables had been set up and filled with a selection of food. Huge platters of smoked lamb on dark flat breads, bowls of potato salad studded with green peas, and fresh fish prepared in a myriad of ways. Across from the tables of food was a simple bar serving beers brewed by a micro brewery situated in a farm close to Vik. Beside the bottles of beer stood several tall thin bottles each with a birch branch inside it to flavour the traditional schnapps the branch soaked in.

  At a table close to the stage Einar and Lana sat hand in hand, his leg in a splint and sticking straight out in front of him. The towns doctor came over to them and shook both of their hands and said something in Icelandic to Einar.

  “He was asking how the healing was going. The doc said I’m as strong as a ram and should have the splint off in a few days,” Einar said turning to Lana.

  She kissed the back of his hand and nodded. They had been inseparable the last week, holed up in his farmhouse as they recovered from the ordeal. They had slid into a bubble of the sweetest domesticity. After all they had been through the simple delights of early morning breakfasts on the front porch, afternoon horse riding sessions along the beach while Einar sat in a folding chair cheering her on and an evening beer while relaxing in the hot tub made the past feel more and more faint the further they moved away from it. When Einar held Lana late at night as they made love she felt connected to him and to the country, Iceland was going to be her new home and discovering all it had to offer excited her.

  The doctor said a few more words to Einar and then left to join his wife at another table.

  “Are you ready to see some Icelandic people party?” Einar asked with a big smile. “This thing is going to go on all night and well into the morning.”

  “Oh I’m ready. I hope you have your dancing shoes on,” Lana said.

  “Once I get a few beers into me you won’t be able to stop me tearing up the dance floor. Even with a limp I intend to put some of these guys to shame,” Einar said.

  “You talk a big game. I hope you don’t embarrass yourself out there,” she said teasing him.

  “Don’t underestimate me because of my bulk. I am a sight to behold once I get up there and start grooving, I’m surprisingly fleet of foot” he said.

  The hall was
full with people grabbing plates of food and local beers. Men in heavy traditional Icelandic sweaters stood around in groups chatting about how their summers on the farm had went. Chairs where dragged across the hall as groups began to solidify and set up their tables for the night ahead. Everyone was happy and smiling as the drink began to flow. The band had finished setting up and the lead singer looked in Einar's direction and gave him a thumbs up.

  “We’re up,” he said as he walked arm and arm with Lana to the stage.

  The long haired singer handed him the microphone and Einar tapped it once or twice to get the crowds attention.

  “Hallo, Hallo,” he said in english. “Before the party starts I’d like to make an announcement. Myself and this beautiful woman standing beside me are engaged to be married.” The crowd erupted into cheers, people clapped and the group of men in woollen sweaters whistled loudly. Einar waited for them to simmer down and went on, “If you could all welcome Lana to Vik and give her your warmest Icelandic greeting I would appreciate it,” he said and then said a few words in Icelandic.

  The crowd began to sing a song in unison. An older man sang in a deep baritone and the crowd replied to him in a call and response.

  Lana waved to the crowd as they sang. “What are they singing?” she asked Einar.

  “It’s a traditional song of celebration. They are welcoming you to the family. You’re an honorary local now,” he said and kissed her. A huge cheer went up from the crowd and people clapped as they kissed. Einar passed the mic back to the singer while the crowd continued to sing at a quickening pace as people stamped their feet into time to the beat.

  Back at the table Einar turned to Lana and said, “Prepare for the questions. You're going to have a line of people coming over and asking everything about yourself, the wedding and your plans. It’s all honest curiosity, a wedding is a big event in these small towns. People get really really excited by them.”

  Lana held his hand and stroked it and said, “I love you Einar.”

  “I love you too,” he said smiling widely.

  The crowd finished singing and the band kicked into a fast rock song that was famous in Reykjavik during the seventies. People of all ages began to get up on the dance floor and sway to the music. As more people got up to dance, peoples moves got more boisterous and less self conscious until the dance floor was packed with people of all ages.

  “Here they come,” Einar said as the first batch of people made their way over to their table.

  Two older women shook Einar's hand and kissed him on the cheek tears glistening in their eyes. They turned to Lana and said in slowly enunciated english, “Welcome to the family.” They switched to Icelandic and spoke a few more words to Einar before leaving.

  “They are my aunts. They live on a farm an hour away from Vik. Neither of them ever married. Both are amazing women with kind hearts. They wouldn’t stop saying how beautiful you are,” he said.

  And so the evening continued like this. People patting Einar on the back and warmly hugging Lana in a tight embraces. They ate and drank and danced the night away as the sun shone and the waves crashed on the black sand beach of the tiny town of Vik. The night flew by in a whirl of good food and even better times. Lana would glance over at Einar as he spoke to an old friend and her heart would thump in her chest with pure love and excitement for the life they were about to build together. For the first time in what felt like forever Lana could envision a happy and fulfilled life with Einar by her side, living a simple rural lifestyle side by side. They had both exposed their demons to each other, seen each other at their weakest moments and they came through this changed and strengthened. Their love for each other made it feel like anything was now possible for them. And now day by day they were beginning the rebuilding process, as their new life together made all past deeds fade away like a snow flake in the midnight sun.

  “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”

  Confucius

  Bonus Story 1 - Come To Me

  When May Greer was sixteen her father died suddenly. When May turned 18 her older sister surprised everyone and married a white guy. She was the first in the family to marry a non African American man. May moved in with her sister and her new brother in law who was a broad imposing figure and he looked like he had been ripped from an old illustration of a viking. May was instantly attracted to her new in law. Sexual tension between them quickly arose and May sensed that her sister knew what could potentially happen. On a drunken whim May packed her bags and booked tickets and fled her home to make a new life for herself. She told no one where she was going. She could not be around her brother in law anymore as she knew she could not resist temptation for much longer. She put Jake and all thoughts about him behind her and fled.

  That had been three years ago and she now worked in a low ranking position in a dull grey office. Her life was boring and she spent her days sitting at her desk dreaming about what she would have done to her in law if she stuck around. She pushed her darkest desires to the back of her head, until it all changed one afternoon.

  It started with a letter.

  May Greer’s life had hit a serious rut. She had been working for the same financing company for three years and her career was going no where. Her day was taken up by a succession of boring tasks fuelled by endless cups of coffee. File this, print that, post this and on it went day in and out. Her love life was fairing no better as she couldn't get the images of her brother in laws broad shoulders out of her mind. She had been with three men in as many years and they had all ended badly.

  David, the fast talking publisher had dumped her unceremoniously at a new years eve party. Scott who worked in some area of financing and spoke endlessly about financial instruments if she listened or not, cheated on her. Finally Clark the sweet natured yoga instructor showed his true colours when he broke up with her saying, “I can’t be with you because you are too fat.” He rolled up his stupid yoga mat, grabbed his gym bag and left. She never saw him again.

  Deep down she knew why all these encounters had failed, she could not get her brother in law out of her mind.

  “True I am a little over weight,” thought May, but I like how I look. I like how my thighs feel when they rub against each other when walking. I love the sensuous curve of my belly and ass and how good my cleavage looks in a low cut top. Unfortunately for me most men seem to like the rake thin girls who are always flitting about. The only man who ever seemed truly interested in me was my sisters husband. His eyes used to light up when I came down in the morning for breakfast wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt. I could feel his eyes on me as I would prepare my breakfast and my nipples would harden. That was all in the past now.

  I looked at the clock on the office wall, it was only 11:00 am. The day wasn't even half way through yet. What am I supposed to do for the rest of the day? All of my tasks are finished, I guess my only option is to fill out another profile on an internet dating site. I’m not sure why I bother I've had no luck with the things.

  I quickly filled out the first few options on the form:

  * * *

  Name: May Greer

  * * *

  Age : 21

  * * *

  Height: 5ft 6in

  * * *

  Ethnicity: African American

  * * *

  Occupation: Office drone

  * * *

  Build: ????

  * * *

  I paused for a moment, what should I enter for my 200-210 pounds frame, my weight fluctuating depending on which day of the week it is. I go with:

  Build: Voluptuous

  Next was the section to describe myself. I always had difficulty doing these parts as I always thought I came across as too boring or pedestrian. No wonder I haven't been getting too many hits from these dating profiles. Ok I will leave that part until last. I scanned down the form to the section marked “Sexual wants and needs”. I let my mind wander thinking what it would feel like to suck on Jake’s cock. Ho
w it would feel if he slipped two fingers inside me as we made out . I could feel a nice warm wetness spread in my panties.

  “Working hard I see,” intoned the office gossip a one Ms. Plant. I quickly shut my browser tab, I could feel the redness spreading across my cheeks. That damn woman moves like a cat always sneaking up behind me when I least expect it.

  “Just a quick bit of surfing, nothing to worry yourself about,” I replied.

  She held out her hand and between the thumb and forefinger of her perfectly manicured nails was a white envelope. “This is for you, it arrived this morning”. She dropped it on the table and left, presumably to go and gossip about “the sad fat girl wasting her time and filling out another dating profile”.

  The envelope was of a heavy paper stock with patterns and ornate curlicues embroidered in it. It had a nice weight and heft to it. I gave it a sniff, a deep rich smell of cinnamon and mahogany filled my senses. My pulse quickened ever so slightly.

  I went to an empty conference room and locked the door to make sure I wouldn’t be disturbed. I turned the envelope over and the back of it was fastened with a wax seal. The wax was a deep crimson and stamped into it was the head of a horse. I cracked the seal and opened the letter, my heart fluttering a little. I’d never received something like this before, please don’t let it be some sort of marketing stunt.