by Benson, Tom
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Tuesday 5th July
The next generation produced so far in Auchcarn were six girls and four boys aged between three and five. They were usually being watched over and kept occupied by Jean, the ex-teacher. Now, fifty-six, but without a significant other in the community, Jean delighted in both babysitting and teaching the children. She’d made it clear when talk of new projects or expeditions arose that she’d always be happy to be one of the childminders.
Apart from Jean taking care of the children, the only other person missing from the update was Archie. He was on shift as the duty engineer in the Control Room. The heavily-built fifty-five-year-old had been a plumber. Like many of the others, he had taken an interest in the workings of the massive hydro-electric power plant. On his first solo shift, he’d joked that it was the biggest plumbing project he’d ever been in charge of single-handedly.
Calvin had been one of the committee members during June and was now the community leader for July. The number required as the committee had been reduced to a leader and two people as back up. Since the group first settled in the main complex a member of the committee from one month went on to become the spokesperson for the following month, thus providing continuity.
When the muscular young black man stood and raised a hand, the cafeteria area hushed. He turned to his two sidekicks. “You see, that’s how it’s done.”
Tina and Paul shook their heads and smiled.
Calvin was recognised as having played a crucial part in holding things together since the very outset, and though a hard worker, a humorous remark was never far away. “As you will all remember, most of us had a relaxed day on Sunday, but four of our friends were checking the final details before their expedition.” He nodded towards Bill, Norman, Victoria and Flint who were sitting to one side of the head table. “It was great to see them all arrive back safely yesterday evening, and now I’ll hand over to Victoria.”
A cheer went up as the pretty botanist took the floor.
She smiled and gave a slight bow. “It was amazing and a privilege to be allowed to go on such an expedition with those three guys.” She nodded to the others from the outing. “Over the past two weeks as you know, Calvin has helped prepare us physically, and we tried a couple of practice sessions by going down as far as the loch and back again. The training was useful but hard, so before any of you volunteer to go out, be prepared.”
Stifled laughter could be heard among the twenty-two other people in the cafeteria.
“There’s so much to report,” Victoria said when she had everybody’s attention. “Some of what you’re about to hear might sound unreal, but please leave questions until the end. Whoever feels best qualified will answer.” She glanced at her notes. “Most importantly, we believe that the sky overhead and in this general region is becoming clearer. It was difficult to tell from inside the glass corridor, but we got a better view today.”
A couple of people sniffed and sobbed quietly on hearing such good news. It had been a theory for a long time. It was decided that it would take a day-long expedition to confirm what one or two people had suggested might happen farther afield.
“I’ll ask Norman to tell you more regarding area parameters. Suffice, for now, to say that our mountain home is under what looks like a substantial hole in the nuclear dust jacket or as we call it, the dirty cloud. The grass and deciduous trees we can see from our mountain all the way down to the loch are thriving. The main forest which spreads out east from the mountain is healthy, and it is most likely the reason for the gap in the generally dusty atmosphere high above.”
For a moment, Victoria allowed her words to sink in, and the only sound in the large room was breathing and an occasional sniff. Some people were relieved to move forward one more step on this incredible journey.
“It takes a couple of hours to get down the mountainside to our memorial area. It takes another two hours when you go east to reach the forest. It’s maybe an hour or more to go from the memorial garden as far down as the loch if you weren’t going to the forest. Anyway, on this trip, we headed east.” She explained about the pond and the deer before pausing to sip her chamomile tea. “Not surprisingly, the main forest trails are all overgrown, so it took us another couple of hours to get through and reach the first road which runs through there.” She nodded and grinned. “Yes, that road too was overgrown because Mother Nature wants everything back.”
A few murmurs followed.
Victoria explained briefly about locating the wildlife reserve and mentioned a few of the animals believed to have survived. She didn’t mention the state of the place or the more dangerous species although she did confirm the wolves because they’d been heard by most people recently.
“I’ll now hand over to Norman.”
The big forestry engineer stood and waited for the hubbub to die down. “I’m not going to get too technical and talk about acreage or physical measurement. At present, we can confirm, we have two large gaps in the dirty cloud over Scotland’s Highlands.” He looked slowly around the room. “Although we’re saying one is smaller, it is still actually extensive and appears to preside over our mountain and the wider area which covers the Trossachs National Park. The larger gap, which is allowing a lot more sunshine through is to the northeast and is most likely the size of the Cairngorms National Park—which is massive.” He paused briefly. “We’re hoping that the two gaps in the cloud will eat away at the section of cloud between them so that they make one enormous gap. I was asked to report on these things because it’s the forestry that Chloe and I helped create and maintain, which caused the gaps in the dirty atmosphere.” He laughed. “I’ll now hand over to Bill.”
“Hello, all and I hope you’re enjoying this update.” He looked around the expectant faces. “We set off early yesterday morning to allow for a long trek. Our breaks for refreshment were brief, and it was a long tiring day, but we were eager to bring you back as much news as possible. When we reached the main road a few miles away that cuts north and south through the forest, the wildlife park was in an unexpected condition.”
A low murmur started, and within a minute, the room was buzzing with whispers.
Bill nodded. “We located the West Highland Wildlife Reserve and Sanctuary as Victoria mentioned earlier. Yes, the place was home to bison, camels, wild horses, alpacas, lynx and wolves.” He paused. “Animals we didn’t expect to see on the welcoming sign were primates of different types, plus polar bears, leopards and tigers.”
The previous whispering seemed like nothing compared to the level of conversation which broke out in the room. The words ‘leopard’ and ‘tiger’ could be heard being repeated.
Craig said, “Bill, why did you say the reserve was home to the animals, yeah?”
“We didn’t venture far, but there appears to be considerable wilful damage done to the inner boundaries and enclosures.”
Bill allowed the usual murmuring to start and then raised his hands for quiet. “To put your minds at rest, I’d like to propose that we have a few natural history briefing sessions. In the meantime, please keep in mind that such things as deer, bison, camels and horses will herd by nature and move to graze on fresher pasture. Creatures like the bear, lynx, leopard and tiger are generally solitary unless it’s a mother with cubs. Wolves, as we all know, generally live and hunt in packs, although they too might be spotted alone.” He grinned. “And now, if there are any more questions, please raise your hands, and we’ll do our best to provide answers.”
For twenty minutes, a host of queries were raised about different aspects of the expedition, and the responses seemed to keep everybody happy. It was as the questions were thinning that Craig asked something pertinent.
“Bill, how far did you guys venture into the wildlife reserve, yeah?”
“We only went as far as the entrance and reception areas and the first track junction, Craig. The souvenir shop and cafe were dishevelled at best, and the largest building appears to have become home to
a troop of baboons.”
A hand went up at the back of the room. It was the fifty-year-old vet.
Bill responded. “Yes, Tina?”
She was keen to hear more about the wildlife. “Are there any plans for a longer expedition to go deeper into the reserve?”
“We have discussed it, but due to the distance involved and to do the job properly, it would entail staying out overnight. For that reason and because we know what might be out there we’ll have to plan carefully and be well-prepared.”
“Are we saying that at the moment we don’t know which animals have survived and could be roaming free?”
“Yes, I’m afraid that is one of the considerations. The level of damage to boundary fences, gates and electrical security locks would suggest that the animals didn’t do it.” Bill looked around. “Our theory is that animal rights activists may have gained access to the reserve when there was a general panic by other people.”
“Do you think they might have risked their own lives to free the animals?”
“Yes, Tina, and reserves, as you may know, are enormous establishments. There are many square miles of open land, hills, woodland and waterways. We have to err on the side of caution and be prepared for the possibility that there are breeding big cats staking claim to territory.”
“There is one positive aspect,” Tina said, and several people turned to face her. “If the bison and other herbivores have survived, are out in the open and thriving, it means there is a natural food source for the predators.”
“Why is that positive, yeah?” Craig said, asking what several people might want to know.
“As long as wild herds are roaming, a big cat or a wolf is less likely to be going hungry. The predators are less likely to be hunting something on two legs … like us.”
“Do you mean they wouldn’t attack us as long as there are bison and suchlike, yeah?”
“They’d still attack if we got too close, but if they’re not desperate for a meal and we don’t get close enough to stroke them we stand a better chance of not becoming lunch.”
Nervous laughter sounded around the room at Tina’s humorous and casual response.
“Seriously,” Tina added. “Wolves and big cats are territorial, so even if they’ve been fed, if another creature ventures into their territory, they will not be impressed.”
“It would be handy to have a few alpacas living nearby,” Anne said.
“Seriously, yeah?” Craig said.
“Yes, the fleece is similar to a sheep. We would have a constant source of material for weaving and making clothes.”
Flint was the only one of the expedition who had yet to speak to the audience. He stood. “Anne, we’ll get you some alpacas.”
There was laughter at the spontaneous promise from the quiet young man.
Calvin nodded his thanks when the expedition team had finished answering questions, and they stepped aside. “I suppose that briefing is going to make the rest of the day look a bit mundane.” He smiled. “Now that we’re feeling more upbeat about outside conditions in the local area, we’ll need to organise shifts and section leaders to work on the mountain path project.”
For fifteen minutes, Calvin read from his notes reminding everybody about the plan to create a narrow, winding pathway from their entry and exit portal. It was intended to go down as far as the flat meadows which in turn led to Loch Awe.
The children were shepherded into a large room. It had been prepared explicitly as one of the play and classroom locations. In that way, the children were regularly together, learning, playing and becoming one big family. Although there were only ten children, they usually had at least two adults with them.
The youngsters played, and thanks to the efforts of a few of the adults, there was a range of simple wooden climbing apparatus. It only took one adult to suggest a story. Before long, the rough and tumble would stop as the children gathered around, enthralled by tales of the world outside the mountain. It was a world the children had yet to experience.
A route-planning team went out onto the mountainside to start work. They would be setting out a series of regularly spaced wooden stakes as a rough guide to where a long and narrow, winding path would lead down to the loch. Due to the circuitous route being used the distance would increase considerably, but it would be easier to negotiate whether descending or climbing back up the mountain.
Des had trained several of the community to a high standard regarding the task of duty engineer. Hence, the regular shift system meant that the time spent in the Control Room for any operator was reduced. Over the early part of this, their sixth year together, Des had commenced training for some operators on equipment maintenance. He had been the sole engineer who’d stayed behind when the plant was evacuated six years earlier.
Harry, Cherry, Archie, Marie and Tracey were all people who had come from professions in which they worked with or maintained equipment. They were delighted to be involved in such rewarding work.
Bill had climbed the narrow and steep internal spiral staircase to the glass balcony which overlooked the region to the south, southeast and southwest. Since the community had settled into their new lifestyle and it had become routine, the ex-Serviceman had relaxed. When he was on edge, there was one person who’d learned to see through his casual remarks and expressions.
When the hatch opened slowly and quietly, Bill lowered his powerful field glasses and turned.
“Hello, lover,” Fiona used a tone which she was aware would warn her man he was about to be interrogated. “You didn’t sleep well last night, and however you put your points across this morning, something was missing.”
Bill wrapped an arm around her and kissed her lightly on the lips. “You missed your calling.”
“There’s more to being a dentist than maintenance, cosmetics and repair work. In my practice, I sometimes had to depend on extraction. Now, are you going to tell me what’s worrying you or are you going to make it feel like pulling teeth?”
“She’s still out there, Fiona.” He glanced at her and then turned to stare down at the view of the tiny people on the mountainside below, measuring and setting wooden stakes into the ground.
Fiona joined him and looked down at the pathway team. “Who’s still out there, my love?”
“Patsy … the murderess who opted for banishment as her punishment for killing Ken.”
Fiona turned to face him, her brow furrowed. “Are you positive, Bill? It’s been a few years since—”
“You heard what we told everybody about stopping at a freshwater pond in the forest where deer had been drinking?”
“Yes, and Harry is now working on the water samples.”
“While Victoria was acquiring her samples from the pond, Norman and Flint were keeping a wary eye on the woodland around us. I was looking at the tracks.”
“The prints left by the family of deer?”
“Yes, and very near the edge of the pond were imprints made by humans.”
“How do you know a human made the markings?”
“When an animal drinks it stoops, squats or kneels but if for example a deer kneels forward it doesn’t leave knee and toe-prints which look like they were encased in a soft material.”
“I’m sorry that still doesn’t sound conclusive, Bill.”
“Would you be convinced if I said there were similar prints on a smaller scale—like those made by a child?”
3 - Great and Small
Friday 8th July
It had taken a while to list and prepare the variety of supplies and equipment which could easily be spread between four backpacks. One of the tasks undertaken was the conversion of an old tarpaulin into a makeshift tent. The heavy cover had been kept aside in a maintenance room in the sure knowledge that one day it would serve a purpose.
Sandy and Flint set up the finished product in the orchard inside the mountain so that it would be tested in realistic conditions thanks to the sprinkler system. The canopy proved to be waterproof,
and when folded, it would strap on top of a backpack.
The overnight expedition team were different only in that the vet had replaced the botanist. At fifty, Tina was the oldest in the small group, and her athletic, five-foot-ten physique had her slightly short of Norman and Bill.
The four people left via the specially-prepared exit. When they were all outside in the natural porch-like cave, they paused, nodded to each other, and Norman led the way onto the newly-marked path which was still in its infancy. All four of them had backpacks, and while Bill and Flint were armed with laser weapons, Norman and Tina were carrying long, stout wooden sticks. On Monday during the return journey, Norman had cut down two ash trees for trimming and conversion into walking poles which could be used as defensive spears.
“This already feels more manageable,” Norman said as he followed the long and winding route, downhill. He was careful not to broaden the path by stepping wide of the wooden markers. “When the team have spread some stone chips and flat stones here and there it will be more stable.”
When they were a short distance from the memorial area, Tina paused and stared across at the three graves.
Flint placed a hand on her shoulder. “They’ll never be forgotten.”
Tina reached up and touched the young man’s hand. “You’re right, of course.” She set off again and caught up with the other two men before they changed direction again on the twisting pathway.
Norman half-turned. “Now that we’ve reached the flatter area we go east, Tina. Before we arrive at the edge of the forest if you look up now you’ll see the two gaps in the dirty cloud more clearly.”
“Wow! It would be so good if the dark strip thinned out and the gaps joined. It’s not such a big band of darkness between them, so maybe we’ll be lucky.”
“That’s the way to look at it,” Bill said, half-turning to nod to Tina.
The group were in no hurry but still made good time reaching the entrance into the forest.