by M. D. Cooper
He looked over his seat at Jude, who was trying to snatch the octopus from Erin’s hands. When she relented and gave it to him, Jude copied what she’d been doing, hiding behind the toy and then popping out.
“Boo, Mommy Erin! Boo!”
Martin caught Erin’s eye, but then they both quickly looked away.
* * * * *
“I can see it,” Erin said. “You’re cheeky, Isa, tricking us like that. So that’s why they call it an island.”
Isa also looked out of the aircar window. Erin was right. There it was, the high plateau called the Island of Aeolia. The cloud cover was low currently, so the green expanse was surrounded by a white sea.
Isa switched to manual controls to take the aircar down; she’d been teaching herself to fly the craft and rely less on the autopilot. The Island of Aeolia had no designated landing area for the automatic navigation to target, so it was simpler if she landed the craft herself. There was no designated anything in this place, or any buildings or facilities. The island was untouched and, as far as Isa knew, entirely uninhabited. Most of the land was covered in forest. To land the shuttle, she would have to slowly fly over the canopy and find an open space large enough to accommodate the vessel.
“Whoa,” said Martin. “That is something.”
“I thought you two might like it,” Isa said. “You don’t mind being away from the sea for a few days, Martin?”
“I think I can manage it,” he replied. “Just for a few days.”
He was smiling, genuinely smiling, for the first time in ages. Isa breathed a mental sigh of relief. Perhaps her plan to end the stupid conflict between Martin and Erin would succeed.
She enlisted their help in finding a place to land. As the aircar skimmed the treetops, Isa explained that the Island of Aeolia was a continental plateau. Two thousand and six hundred meters below it lay the tropical jungle that covered most of the continent of Thrace.
“So the climate must be colder than the surrounding land due to the altitude,” said Erin.
“Yes,” Isa said. “It’s subtropical.”
Martin was peering at the trees. “I think I can see a gap over there. Uh, southeast.”
Isa turned the aircar and took them in the new direction. “I see it.”
As they drew closer, the gap turned into an open glade in the surrounding thick canopy. Isa checked out the space as they flew over. It looked bumpy but sufficiently level to land the aircar. She brought the vessel around again, returned toward the open spot, and then slowed down and guided the aircar in to touch down.
“Nice landing,” Erin said. “Hey, I never told you guys, but I actually had a near-miss in a skiff at work the other day.”
“You did?” asked Martin. “Were you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine,” Erin replied. “Though the same can’t be said for my pride. I nearly flew right into a piece of maglev track, and now MacCarthy and Linch won’t let me hear the last of it. When I arrived at work yesterday and walked into the control room, Linch jumped up and moved all the seating out of my way.”
Isa laughed. “As long as you’re OK.” She turned off the engine and added, “They’ll forget about it in a while.”
“Yeah,” agreed Erin, “in a century or two.”
Martin opened his door and stepped out into grass. It was thick and lush and rose to his thighs. All around them, trees rose to the sky.
“This is wild, Isa,” he said. “Literally. I like it. Let’s find a place to set up camp.”
Isa also climbed out. The air was cool but so humid that the leaves of the trees that surrounded the glade glistened with water droplets. Unfamiliar bird calls and the cries of other unknown creatures echoed in the shadowy spaces beneath the canopy.
“Whoa,” Erin said as she exited the aircar. “Are we the first people to come here? It’s like no one knows this place exists.”
“I’m sure someone must have,” Martin said. “The FGT was on Troy for hundreds of years.”
While Erin took Jude for a walk to stretch his little legs, Isa and Martin removed the camping gear from the back of the aircar. They carried it to the other side of the glade, where the ground looked the most even, and selected the best space to set up the tent. Martin put down the pack at the center of the spot and moved out of the way before activating the mechanism.
Faster than Isa’s eyes could follow, the tent erupted from the pack. Where a flat pack had lain only a second previously, their compartmented tent now stood.
“That’s really neat,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve seen one of those in action before.”
The structure was roughly five meters square and was still wobbling gently from its fast expansion. At the base of the structure was a cushion that would mitigate the effects of the bumpy ground.
“It’s been a while since I’ve gone camping,” said Martin. “It might be a little musty inside.” He opened the flap, stuck his head in, and sniffed. “No, it’s fine. It’s only two rooms and a shower room, but it should be OK for a short stay. I’ll set up the condenser. It won’t have any problems drawing water from the air around here.”
“Right,” said Isa. “I’ll set up the bed packs inside. I want to watch them pop up, too.”
* * * * *
Erin held Jude’s hand tightly as they walked through the trees. The trunks were packed closely together, and Erin knew she would quickly lose sight of the precocious child if he ran away. She would still be able to find his location via the Link, but maybe not before he’d come to harm.
The density of trees and the thickness of the canopy shaded the ground so heavily that little grew there. The forest floor was thick with leaf litter, making the going comparatively easy for Jude’s short legs. However, Erin used the Link to navigate. Without that or Walter, she could have quickly become disoriented within the endless spread of uniform tree trunks.
The air was still, a little chilly, and moist. It was filled with the calls of unseen birds, frogs and other unidentifiable animals, as well as the endless dripping of water from saturated leaves.
Jude’s little hand gripped Erin’s tighter.
“Mommy Erin, this is a scary place.”
“Is it?” she responded. “I don’t think so. What’s so scary?”
“I can see things under the trees. I think they must be monsters.”
“There aren’t any monsters here, Jude. There’s nothing to be scared of.”
said Walter.
What she really wanted was the lowdown on what Eamon thought about the problems between her and Martin. She’d been dropping hints to Walter for days, trying to get him to spill the beans on what Eamon had said about it. She suspected that Martin’s AI probably didn’t agree with Martin’s behavior or attitude, but he either wasn’t trying or hadn’t succeeded in getting throu
gh to him. Martin could be as unyielding as titanium sometimes.
“I’m scared, Mommy Erin,” said Jude.
“There isn’t anything to be scared of here, sweetie. Don’t be afraid. Do you want me to carry you?”
In reply, Jude held up his arms. Erin lifted the boy onto her hip. The canopy had thinned out, and the additional light that penetrated it had fueled the growth of waist-high, spreading plants. It was no wonder that Jude was feeling frightened. At his eye level, all he could see was leaves.
Erin waded through the vegetation, Jude clinging onto her neck.
Erin stepped out from between two tree trunks. The ground in front of her dropped away, and she pulled up sharply.
A chasm lay open at her feet. Towering trees overhung the space, and its sheer, rocky sides were patterned with heavy iron oxide deposits in red, orange, yellow, and ochre. Far below, a dark cleft led the way into the cave.
She felt like she was carrying around two kids: the one on her hip and the one in her head. Walter obviously wanted to see this fascinating place on the Island of Aeolia through human eyes.
After double-checking the correct direction with Walter, she set off on another short hike through the subtropical jungle. After walking about another hundred meters, Erin finally found the place.
“Oh, wow,” was all she could say at first. Then,
The ground had opened out again, but the space Erin was gazing at was far bigger than the previous chasm. She guessed she was looking across roughly half a kilometer to the other side. At a similar distance below her, at the base of a nearly vertical-sided valley, another forest was growing.
She supposed that the cave system continued underground until it reached this spot where centuries ago the roof had collapsed. The cave floor had been opened to the elements, and trees had colonized it, creating a second, secret forest. The place was so green and lush in the protected zone, and so overhung by the main forest’s trees, it was no surprise they hadn’t spotted it from the air when they were looking for somewhere to land.
* * * * *
After Erin returned to the glade where Martin and Isa had set up the camp, she told them about Walter’s suggestion. He was insistent that they walk the short distance to the edge of the plateau, stating that the weather was going to be cloudy for the next few days and this might be their only chance to see the view.
Martin put Jude on his shoulders, and the three of them set off. The tension that had wracked the family over the previous weeks had eased a notch. Isa’s plan was working so far.
My wife definitely has a knack for dealing with emotional stuff. She’s far better at that than me or Martin, Erin realized.
Jude appeared to have overcome his fear and was bouncing on Martin’s neck while simultaneously bashing his head with flat hands, like he was beating a rhythm on bongos. Martin winced and reached up to catch hold of Jude’s wrists. Erin smiled sympathetically, and Martin gave her a small smile back.
Isa had marched off ahead, perhaps to leave Erin and Martin alone together. But then she called back through the trees, “Wow, come and see this, guys. Hurry up.”
“Hurry up, Daddy,” said Jude, bouncing with added vigor. “Go faster.”
They sped up their pace. Isa was only a few feet ahead of them. As soon as Erin saw her, she stopped. It wasn’t the sight of Isa that had arrested her, but what she could see beyond her wife’s figure.
A green ocean swept away from them. At their height, they could see for dozens of kilometers to the horizon. Wisps of cloud vapor hung above the tropical treetops, and in amongst them were dots of brilliantly colored birds, swooping between the branches. The birds were tiny, but the fact that they could see them from so far away meant they had to be huge. There were no words that fit to comment on the sight.
Erin joined Isa and wrapped an arm around her waist. Martin stood behind them. Even Jude was awed into silence.
Though she spent her days on a space station looking down at Troy far below, somehow the sight didn’t affect her in the same way as this view of Thrace. It put everything into perspective. Erin’s concerns seemed small and insignificant.
When they managed to tear themselves from the view, they spent another hour or so exploring before returning to the camp.
Jude was drawn to a patch of sunlight in the glade and played with his toys there, following the light as it slowly moved across the ground. Erin, Isa, and Martin sat and chatted for the first time in ages. They talked about their work, the political problems in Troy and what they might mean for the family, and all the little things and anecdotes that had gone unsaid in the great silence following Isa’s ruined party and the invasion drill.
Too soon, it seemed, the glowing patch that Jude liked so much had disappeared, and the glade was entirely in shadow. Early stars began to faintly shine and the air grew chill. Dew settled heavily on the leaves and grass.
Martin made dinner in his camping cooker from the food Isa had packed for them. While he cooked, Erin and Isa went with Jude to gather wood and then made a small fire. When the food was ready, they sat on logs and ate thick stew with hunks of bread in a comfortable silence. Jude began to nod over his bowl.
Finally, it was time to douse the fire and go to bed.
The condenser was full of water, plenty for everyone to have a shower. Erin went in first while Isa was putting Jude to bed and Martin was tidying up outside. Oddly, showering in a tent in the middle of nowhere felt different from doing the exact same thing at home or aboard ship. Erin enjoyed the feeling of the warm water slipping over her skin, washing away the dust, pollen, spores, and general grime that had settled on her during her afternoon in the forested Island of Aeolia.
When she’d finished showering, she felt both refreshed and tired. She was ready for a long, deep sleep, and she was happy with anticipation of what the following days would bring. She’d told Isa and Martin about the mini forest on the floor of the cave, and she guessed that visiting it would be their excursion the next day. After that, no doubt Walter would have places to recommend. It appeared they had the entire plateau to themselves.
Erin left the shower cubicle and walked into the bedroom. Isa was talking to Jude in the small annex, reassuring him that his mommies and daddy were right next door.
Their bed was an air-filled mattress that rose from the floor. Erin lifted the covers and climbed into bed, ready to fall immediately asleep. She didn’t think that even Martin’s snoring could keep her awake that night. She could hear the shower running, which meant that he’d finished what he was doing outside and would soon come to bed too.
Erin yawned and tucked her arm und
er pillow while working her head into its welcome fluffiness. She predicted she would be out before Martin and Isa joined her. However, as she was drifting off, Martin came into the bedroom. He crossed the room and peeked into the annex.
His sudden appearance clearly interrupted Isa’s progress in getting Jude to sleep. The little boy immediately launched into a conversation with his father. Probably realizing that he wasn’t helping matters, Martin retreated into the bedroom.
He came over to the bed, and Erin watched with half-closed eyes as he climbed in next to her. She said goodnight and turned over, expecting his self-imposed distance from her to continue. The mattress rocked slightly with his heavy presence, causing a depression next to her. She could hear him breathing.
Erin’s tired contentment gave way to sadness. Things between them had seemed better that afternoon, but she didn’t know if the gulf that had opened up would ever close.
She felt Martin slide closer to her, and then she felt the touch of his hand on her upper arm. Erin turned over to face him. They were eye to eye, only a few centimeters between their faces.
If he spoke aloud, he might disturb Jude. Isa had left his small room only moments ago and gone to the shower.
Their conversation was mundane, but Martin’s eyes were telling Erin something different. They were saying something along the lines of, ‘I’ve missed you. Let’s try to be friends, OK?’ Tension that she hadn’t even known she was feeling flooded out of her.
She reached up and touched the side of Martin’s face. It had been weeks since she’d touched him. He slid closer until they were almost touching and wrapped an arm around her, resting his hand on her lower back.
Desire for him instantly pooled inside her. Erin felt a yearning she realized she’d been ignoring. When Martin kissed her, she squeezed up close to him and held him tight.