by Benson, Tom
Calvin turned and nodded to Marie to take the floor.
Marie glanced at her notepad. “Good morning, everybody, and what I’m about to say will not come as a surprise to some of you. When our pathway project gets down to the lower parts of the mountain, it will go on until it reaches the banks of the loch.” She paused. “It’s been proposed that we consider building shelters down on the meadows nearer to the loch. I’ve made a few sketches, and I have ideas, but I’d like a handful of you to support the project.”
A hand went up near the front; Jay-Dee, the male nurse.
“Yes, Jay-Dee?”
“When you say support, is it to help with the design and planning or just the building?”
“Every aspect,” Marie said. “A plan to build will only be as good as we can shape it with a few people offering constructive criticism. Considerations will be the practical design, remembering terrain and weather conditions. We must think of the scale, how many rooms there’ll be, and who is intended to live there. Building materials will be important, and as with everything, we’ll depend on having a team who’d like to be involved. I’ll leave a note on the board and whoever is interested can list their name for me.” She turned to Calvin. “All yours again.”
“Thank you, Marie,” Calvin said. “It will not have gone unnoticed that Sandy and Flint went off on a two-day trek into the wilderness so I’ll hand over to Sandy and let him tell you about it.”
“Hello one and all, and as you’ve been asked to expect with reconnaissance missions there will be good news and bad news. The recent two-day mission for Flint and me had three aims on behalf of our community. First, we were to assess the condition and route of the emergency escape which, as you know, is via the glass balcony. Secondly, we were to remap the coastline of Loch Awe, that rather impressive body of water we see when we look out to the south, or if you like, the front.”
A few stifled laughs were heard when he referred to the south as the ‘front’.
“Thirdly,” Sandy said, “we were to assess the area below those two large gaps in our generally dark sky and the implications for us.”
As Sandy paused, he looked around at the expectant faces. “First of all, the emergency exit from the glass balcony. The route might not appeal to everybody, but it is in place and serviceable. The metal rungs which provide the means to climb were fitted a long time ago so Flint and I will go out there soon and perform a bit of simple maintenance. The main thing is that if we all had to leave using that route, it could be done.”
A hand raised.
“Yes, Dawn?”
“I don’t want to sound pessimistic, but we’ve always been told at our briefings to ask about the worst-case scenarios ….”
“That’s fine, go ahead.”
“What about getting the children out that way?”
“Please rest assured, that if the day ever came, we’d get the children out safely and to put your minds at rest we’ll be looking at methods with that in mind.”
“Thank you.”
“Are there any more questions on the escape route before I go on?”
Alan said, “What about people who’re not too happy with heights and climbing the side of a mountain on metal rungs?”
“We’ve got a climbing rope, and if necessary we can assist any adults who are not comfortable with the climbing aspect.”
“Thanks, Sandy.”
“Our second aim was to make a start at remapping at least the local sections of Loch Awe which were already big as you are all aware. We performed a simple survey from the peak of our mountain, and I can tell you that what was a large body of water is now a massive body of water.”
Jean, the mature ex-teacher offered a question. “Sandy, did you see any villages when you were mapping the extent of Loch Awe?”
Sandy looked downcast for a moment and glanced at Flint, who nodded soberly. “We know for certain that eight villages have completely disappeared under water. I discussed it with Flint when we got down to the banks of the loch, and we’d prefer to believe that the majority of the people took the opportunity to get to higher ground. It’s right that we always remember the fate of those villages, but we should not live with perpetual mourning. There lie depression and ill-health.”
“Isn’t that being unkind to any of those who were lost?”
“No, Dawn, and believe me, I know what you mean. To put any losses in perspective, we must remember that we are a tiny percentage of survivors and whole towns and cities have perished. When we were walking along the banks of the loch yesterday morning, we found a bergen that belonged to one of our military colleagues.” Sandy swallowed hard and inhaled deeply. “Flint and I were the only two survivors of twenty-seven men sent to protect this installation. Due to the pace that things went out of control internationally, this power station was never under threat.”
The only sounds in the room were shuffling feet and breathing.
Sandy continued, “I accept that as military personnel, we had all willingly placed our lives on the line for the benefit of the population of our country. I’ve never talked about this before, but those were not just soldiers and pilots—they were our friends and we’d all been through hell together several times. Yesterday, we found a single backpack of equipment which we’ve given to Bill.”
As Sandy looked around the room, a few people avoided his gaze.
“On our journey of survival within this mountain, we’ve all had the occasional reminder that we were the lucky ones. We owe it to all those who lost their lives to give our very best. If our two days out there have done anything for Flint and me, it’s reminded us what’s at stake here and how much we must honour the people who perished. Sometimes we will find ourselves under stress, feeling tired or uncomfortable. We are all still here.” Sandy paused. “I apologise, you don’t need me to dictate or rant at you.” All of this from a man who rarely showed emotion publicly.
Calvin stood and applauded. The activity was taken up by a few others, and then the whole room was filled with the sound of enthusiastic clapping. It took several minutes to quieten.
“Thank you,” Sandy said and gave brief nods to sections of the audience. “I promise I’ll try not to do that again.” He gave a hint of a smile when there was nervous laughter from one or two people.
“Part three of the mission, mate,” Flint said in a conversational tone.
Sandy took a drink. “Number three in our outing was to survey the gaps overhead in the dirty cloud and how those gaps were affecting the ground below. There have been a few theories and a lot of conjecture because we’ve got daylight and we know the forests and grass nearby are growing. We believed that there might be two clean and fertile areas below the gaps. It was also thought that there might be a dead area on the ground corresponding to the dark strip between the gaps. Yesterday morning we arrived on the summit of this mountain. We can report with confidence that much of the land has perished, but the two bright holes in the dirty cloud might as well be one.”
Audible gasps and sighs echoed around the room because it was a subject which had been discussed many times since the first of the recent expeditions.
“We are in the Trossachs National Park area which we now know is green and lush for miles around. The areas which appear to be undergoing a sort of nuclear winter are several miles away to the south, east and west which means away beyond the bottom end of Loch Awe. For six years, we’ve looked out from the safety of our glass corridor. Yesterday, from the peak of our mountain, we could see for many miles to the north and northeast.” Sandy paused. “The Cairngorms National Park dwarfs our area in its size, and we reckon it’s looking good.”
More gasps and sighs were heard around the room, and Sandy paused.
“To make it easier to understand, we are in a mountain and forest region which we know has survived, and a bigger similar region to the north has also survived. The best news we could have hoped for is that the land between the two regions looks fertile and green.
The mountains and hills have colour. If I were a poet like my friend Flint here, I’d say that the heart of Scotland has survived what has effectively destroyed most of the world we once knew.”
Hands went up tentatively.
“Yes, Anne?”
“Will there be … missions to explore the areas to the north that you’ve talked about?”
“Yes, there will be more missions. As with everything we do, when we know our aims, we’ll offer places to anybody who feels they could handle a few days of hiking and sleeping under the stars. However, we still can’t see too many stars right now.”
“Sandy, how will we continue to develop the area down towards the loch if people are going off to look around?”
“First of all, Archie, any expeditions will only ever be done by up to four people. Yes, in time it will be necessary for trips to take perhaps a week or more. Any tasks being undertaken here will have priority and continue steadily. We have sufficient numbers to deal with our projects.”
Tracey said, “When you go off on a two-day mission, you carry water and some food, but how would a group survive if they were out there for a week or more?”
“A good question and the answer might cut down the number of volunteers.” He smiled. “On a longer expedition, it would become arduous, and with known predators roaming, it could be dangerous. There’s a plentiful supply of water, so there is no concern there, but food might be reduced to berries, fungi and fish. I know we’ve all become vegetarian and we’ve done okay without red meat. I also know it’s been said before about the health benefits of eating fish so I think a small group would manage a few days in the wilderness.”
Louise said, “Are we pretty sure that any fish found in the lochs are free of contaminants?”
“I’ve discussed this with Harry and Tina for their opinions, and we believe that any freshwater species ought to be safe. The best policy we can come up with right now is to avoid any fish that may have come inland from the sea. Any fish which inhabit lochs and have survived to evolve over the past six years will be safe for consumption.”
Archie said, “How soon will it be before the longer expeditions take place?”
“We think it will be at least another week or maybe two before we conduct a big mission, and there will be much more to it than trekking across the local countryside.” Sandy looked around at the expectant faces. “A few people have been learning about minor installations out there. One of the primary aims of an extended mission will be to locate the sub-stations which are fed from here. We know there is power to the nearby step-up transformer. That connects to the power lines and out to sub-stations. Those sub-stations are the step-down transformers which are located near towns and villages.”
Noreen, the midwife, raised her hand.
“Yes, Noreen?”
“Surely, that would mean people having to climb pylons, and that can’t be a safe task?”
“I’ve asked Des about that aspect, and there are not that many pylons left in the Highlands. Over a continuous period in the more scenic parts of Scotland, the cables were re-routed underground, and most of the pylons were removed. The power lines are underground.”
“I’m sure Flint could have told me that,” Noreen muttered, which caused titters from some of the audience. Flint, notably smiled and slowly shook his head. Electricity pylons and power lines had never felt like the right topics for pillow talk.
“As usual,” Sandy said, “we’ll use the noticeboard at the counter to request names for any challenging missions.”
Calvin stood once again. “Well, our people covered a lot of ground there, and I think we all have a lot to look forward to. For the next half hour as normal, we’ll all mingle in here and discuss what we’ve heard. At ten o’clock, I’d like the pathway team out on the patio ready to start work, and today a couple of folks will be estimating where to create our perimeter.”
.
Saturday 16th July
While the path was being continued down towards the loch by a small team, Victoria demonstrated how to cut and uproot narrow sections of heather. She also showed how to check the soil and how to replant heather to border the pathway.
Flint and Paul worked from coordinates given by Sandy so that they could begin setting up a demarkation line half a mile away from the forest. The pair had a start point high on the hill and hammered in small wooden stakes at regular intervals down the mountain, keeping to a consistent distance from the tree-line.
Paul said, “I thought I understood why we were setting up a boundary with a half-mile gap before the trees, but why don’t we build a drystone wall or perhaps a fence?”
“The theory of a boundary is to prevent or spot people or animals coming into our area, but there are pros and cons. If we build a fence, it will use up excessive timber, and the forests are partly responsible for saving us. We must treasure them as a valuable commodity. Animals can get through or over a fence, and people can climb it or knock it down.”
“Right, so why not a wall?”
“What did Sandy say about the downside of a wall, apart from the requirement for substantial quantities of rocks?”
Paul nodded. “The amount of rock would be massive but didn’t he say something about a defensive position?”
“Yes, but he didn’t mean in our favour.”
“I don’t understand.”
“If we built a wall of rocks, it would be a good perimeter, but it would allow animals or people to get close without us seeing them. In the case of people, if there were any, it would give them cover to take a shot at us with whatever weapons they had. If it were predators, they could get close without our knowledge. Most animals only leave themselves a pounce or short dash to catch prey.”
“Shit,” Paul said, “I see it now. If a hostile person or group got from the woods to our wall, we’d end up being the ones out in the open, and the outsiders would be using our wall as their defence.”
“That’s exactly right, mate. Now, if you remember what we’re doing, we are plotting a line to lay a wide perimeter of loose stone chips. First, it gives us a quick indication of how far any human or animal visitor is if the perimeter is half a mile from the trees. Second, if they’re barefooted, they have to get across a couple of metres of gravel.”
“How will we know any distances within the perimeter?”
“I’ll be helping Sandy, and we’ll mark out a few small piles of stones to indicate distance in one-hundred-metre stretches. For the sake of defensive purposes, it will be what we call a range-finder.”
“Will more of us be taught to shoot … you know, in case we ever had to—”
“Bill, Sandy and I will be teaching anybody who’d like to learn, and we’ll find out who the most proficient shots are while we do it.” Flint smiled. “Do you fancy yourself as a marksman?”
“I’d like to have a go.”
“You shall, mate. In the meantime, we’ll see how far down we can go with these stakes today.”
“Bill,” Flint said, “could I have a quick word?”
“Certainly, mate … by the way, you and Paul covered quite an area working down the hill on the boundary.”
“Thanks, and we would probably have got more done if I didn’t stop to chat with him a few times for tactical reasons.”
“What do you mean, tactical reasons—you mean explaining why we’re marking out a boundary that way?”
“That was the reason Paul thinks we were chatting, but at least three times I saw a movement just inside the tree-line.”
“The forest is half a mile from where you were working.”
Flint lifted the binoculars he had hanging around his neck. “I stopped a couple of times and pointed out birds and then I used these as if looking for where they’d gone. As I looked through the binoculars, I pretended to be pointing in the direction the birds had flown. I was trying to see who or what was watching us.”
“Did you get a clear sighting?”
“A long-haired adul
t and an equally long-haired child unless I’m mistaken.”
“Okay, mate, the sooner we get our broad gravel, and earth boundary laid, the better.”
“There’s one other thing you should know, Bill.” Flint paused. “The taller of the two figures was carrying a bow … as in bow and arrows used for hunting. The smaller figure was carrying something too, but I couldn’t spend too long focusing or my bluff wouldn’t have worked.”
“Paul wasn’t aware of you looking at anything out there?”
“No, he was more concerned about being taught to shoot.”
“Well, maybe his wish will be met sooner than he imagined—we’ll have to recce.”
“How soon do you want to go into the forest?”
“From what you’ve just told me, it will have to happen before we have anybody setting out on our big mission. Your sighting means we have a danger out there that we don’t want to be broadcasting within the community.”
“When could we discuss a plan discreetly?”
“Tomorrow is Sunday and a day for relaxing. Maybe you, Sandy and I could relax while discussing how to investigate our mysterious observer. However, I think we know who it is.”
9 - Responsibilities
Sunday 17th July
The three men were sitting on the patio area as far from the front door as possible. Their premise for relaxing away from the entrance was to avoid blocking it. They wanted to prevent any snippets of their conversation being overheard by anyone who wandered outside.
Bill said, “I never thought I’d acquire a taste for herb tea.” As he savoured the mint, which was his favourite, he turned from his two grinning companions to gaze across Loch Awe and towards the dead white peaks in the distance to the south.
“I’d have to say I never envisaged myself sitting on a house-brick seat,” Sandy said, “on a mountain patio several years after a nuclear war.”