The water was up to her neck, but being able to stand allowed Emily to lift the side of the canoe and crawl under it. Buttons had managed to climb partway onto one of the seats and she decided he was not in imminent danger of drowning. Emily discovered that the overturned boat not only shielded her from the fury of the fire that raged just a few metres away, but that it contained a large air pocket. She could breathe comfortably. That was the good news. Unfortunately all her emergency gear had been lost, except for the small life jacket that had somehow got tangled up in a seat.
With nothing between her and the nearest flames except a thin aluminum wall, Emily pointed the bow of the canoe toward deeper water. She walked as far as she could and when the bottom fell away she held onto the centre cross piece and started kicking. The overturned vessel didn’t move smoothly through the water, but that turned out to be an advantage. The wind didn’t move it around as easily as when the canoe was floating on its bottom.
There were lots of shallow areas along that strip of lakeshore. Emily’s feet often touched muck or rock and she was able to push the canoe along at a steady place. Although Buttons wouldn’t stop whining he had managed to wedge himself into a secure perch. Only his hindquarters dragged in the water.
Emily would periodically stop and lift the canoe letting air inside and allowing her to keep an eye on what was happening outside the metal cocoon. The lightning and thunder continued, although there wasn’t yet any rain. The radio had warned that lightning strikes could make the fire situation a lot worse unless they were accompanied by heavy rain.
Most of the shoreline was a continuous wall of flames, but there was a small strip of darkness immediately ahead. It was a mystery. But then it occurred to her that if there was land in front of her that wasn’t on fire it must mean that it was made out of something that couldn’t burn. Although it was too dark to see what she was getting into she decided to take the gamble. She turned toward the blackness and wearily began kicking. Emily felt her body had already been through too much that day. It was all she could do to hold onto the canoe.
Something hard banged against the side of the canoe and Emily’s heart fluttered. She wondered what fresh disaster she’d have to face. Whatever was waiting outside bumped against the boat for a second time.
With difficulty she managed to duck her head under the water, come up outside the canoe, and come face-to-face with the cooler. And it was floating just an arm’s length away. The wind and waves had taken it away. Now they were giving it back. It felt like Christmas morning. All her survival gear was inside the container. It was floating low in the water because there were some heavy things inside, but she was amazed it was still floating at all. The cooler was now the most valuable thing in the world to her, and she wasn’t going to risk losing it again.
Then came another piece of luck. Her feet hit ground, allowing her to stand up and pull the cooler under the canoe.
Several minutes later, after alternating between walking and swimming, her toes pressed into slime. Once again she stopped to peek out at the world and renew the air supply. She had arrived in a shadowy place that had been mysteriously spared, even though it was surrounded on three sides by fire. There was a sharp, rotten smell that even partially masked the stink of smoke. Night had fallen and, with the smoke blocking any light from the moon and stars, Emily couldn’t see anything except some sinister shadows. At least the shadows weren’t moving.
The water was quite shallow, although the mud was deep and seemed determined to drag her down. Every footstep required energy she no longer had. Emily came out from under the canoe and started pulling it awkwardly through the muck. Buttons was still underneath and wasn’t happy about it.
“Stop whining,” ordered Emily. “I don’t know if we’re safe or if we’re already dead and gone to hell.”
Thirteen
Emily grabbed fistfuls of vegetation that felt like wet sponge, and pulled. She was in waist-deep muck, trying desperately to haul herself onto something that appeared to be land. It was as if the muddy lake bottom didn’t want to let her go. After an exhausting struggle Emily was able to free her legs and crawl up the bank.
As she stood up the ground quivered. It felt like soggy carpet to her bare feet. Emily had heard of muskeg and she wondered if that’s what she was walking on. If so it meant she’d landed in the middle of a swamp, and that would explain why there weren’t any flames nearby.
Walking was difficult because the ground was so unstable. Fighting to keep her balance, Emily tried to pull the canoe onto shore. The boat was still upside down, with Buttons trapped inside the hull, making her job harder. After she got the canoe onto its side she was able to drag it and a very unhappy poodle out of the lake.
Emily knelt on the moss, alert for danger. She started to take off the life jacket, but changed her mind. It seemed possible they’d still have to flee at a moment’s notice.
She picked up the cooler, took off the lid, and reached inside. The contents were all jumbled, but at least they were dry. After fumbling around she found the flashlight. The narrow beam of light wasn’t able to penetrate very far into the smoke and inky darkness, but it did provide enough illumination to reveal they were on an island that was no bigger than her backyard at home. There was hardly any vegetation, except for the moss, some spindly saplings, and a few cattails. Emily had never been in a swamp before and decided it would normally be the last place on earth she’d want to be. She pulled up a handful of moss and was pleasantly surprised by how much water oozed out of it. It seemed impossible that something that wet could ever catch on fire.
Because they were on an island, and there really wasn’t anywhere to go, Emily figured it was safe to untie Buttons. He showed no interest in wandering off. Instead the poodle huddled next to the canoe, seeking shelter from the wind. Occasionally he’d sniff the air and whine.
Emily realized she was thirsty. Although it seemed she’d been in the lake all day she’d hardly had anything to drink. The two cans of evaporated milk were still in the cooler, but they were small and she was reluctant to open them so soon. She crawled to the shore, intending to get a drink. The water smelled vile. She reluctantly scooped up some in her hands and drank it. It tasted even worse than it smelled. She forced herself to take another couple of gulps before deciding the swamp water was going to make her sick if she drank any more.
She’d just made it back to the canoe when Buttons went nuts. It was hard to believe that such ferocious barks and growls could come out of a pampered house pet. Emily couldn’t see anything, but thought she might have heard a faint splash. If there was something moving in the swamp the poodle’s barking was drowning out the noise. Emily was just about to tell the poodle to shut up when she heard something sloshing through the water. Instantly alarmed she turned on the flashlight. She pointed the beam of light in the same direction the poodle was looking. At first she couldn’t see anything. Then a large, dark body came out of the water and two eyes gleamed in the light. The eyes were staring right at her. The creature was silent for a few moments before making an odd moaning sound. The eyes were suddenly gone. Moments later they reappeared, only they were higher off the ground. Emily gasped, unable to make sense of it. Then it dawned on her that whatever was watching her had stood up to get a better look.
The flashlight finally lit up the animal enough for Emily to see what she was dealing with and it was nearly enough to cause her to faint from fear. A bear stood on its hind legs, swaying from side to side and sniffing the air. It growled when Emily aimed her light directly at its eyes. Terrified, she turned off the flashlight.
Emily knew there were both black and grizzly bears in British Columbia. She wouldn’t have been able to tell which kind she was dealing with, even if she could have seen it clearly. All she knew was that she was terrified of bears. It didn’t matter if it was a black bear or a grizzly. She’d read enough news stories to know that both types were known to attack and kill people. Sometimes they even ate their vic
tims.
Emily’s initial instinct was to push the canoe back into the water and escape the island. Then she remembered losing the oar when the canoe overturned. It was still floating somewhere in the dark. There was nothing to use as a paddle or pole. There was no escape. If the bear charged it would be on her in seconds.
The animal snorted again. It appeared to be coming closer, although without turning on the flashlight it was impossible to tell for certain. Emily reached into the cooler and grabbed the knife. Despite her terror she was determined to fight. With the flashlight in one hand and the knife in the other Emily instinctively moved behind the canoe so that it was between her and the bear. Then she had a flash of inspiration. If an overturned canoe could provide shelter in the water it might do the same thing on land.
Convinced the bear was about to attack, Emily dropped the knife and clenched the small flashlight in her teeth. Having freed her hands she flipped the canoe over. Buttons was so startled by her actions that he stopped barking. Emily lifted up the stern, pushed the dog to safety, and then slid under herself. The canoe was long enough that she was able to stretch out on the damp ground.
The flashlight revealed there were spaces between the overturned boat and the earth that were big enough for a bear to shove a paw into. Then she discovered the soggy ground could also work in her favour. Her weight, pressing down on the thin wooden board that ran across the middle of the canoe, was enough to push the sides into the moss, eliminating most of the cracks. She turned off the flashlight, fearing it would help the bear find whatever gaps remained.
The bear approached slowly, moaning and clicking its teeth. Its feet made a squishing sound as the large animal sank into the moss with every step. Buttons pressed himself against the front of the canoe and whimpered.
The footsteps abruptly stopped. Emily wondered if the bear had stopped moving or if it was just on drier ground. She knew she’d dropped the knife, but wasn’t sure if it had ended up under the boat with her. It was the only weapon she had and she desperately wanted to find it. As quietly as possible, Emily searched her tiny sanctuary for the knife. It was pitch black, and there was hardly any room to move, so she blindly ran her hands over the ground and along the sides of the canoe. Nothing.
After a few minutes she reluctantly turned on the flashlight, hoping the light wouldn’t attract the bear. There was no sign of the knife.
Close to her head was a narrow opening where the canoe and muskeg didn’t quite form a seal. Emily pressed her cheek hard against the ground and aimed the flashlight’s beam outside. An arm’s length away, gleaming in the light, was the missing blade. Right next to it was the face of a bear. It growled and blinked in the light. Emily dropped the flashlight and pressed down on the canoe as hard as she could, hoping to press it further into the moss and eliminate all remaining cracks.
The bear circled the canoe several times, sniffing and moaning. It gave the boat a shove. Emily felt the walls move and heard the scratch of claws. She nearly fainted from fright. Then, for no apparent reason, the bear moved off. She could clearly hear its footsteps sloshing through the muck and moss.
Wondering if she was taking a reckless gamble, Emily waited for a minute and then slid out from under the canoe. On her knees, she used the flashlight to look for the bear. She heard an annoyed woof and saw the gleaming eyes. The beast was on the far side of the small island. Knowing that if the animal attacked she didn’t have a second to spare Emily grabbed the cooler, knife and small life jacket. She dragged them to safety under the canoe.
Although she was glad to rescue her gear it meant there was even less room to move around in the aluminum cocoon. She awkwardly pushed the small life jacket to the bow and made a bed for the dog.
“I was going to try and turn this into a life jacket for you,” she said. The poodle didn’t make a peep.
Emily pointed the light at Buttons, concerned about his condition. The dog was wet, filthy and so tired he could barely sit up. Remarkably, the pink ribbon was still in place.
Satisfied that the dog wasn’t injured Emily stretched out on the musty moss. She was utterly spent and her left eye was swollen shut. The eyelid and the surrounding skin were too sore to touch. Emily didn’t think the eye itself had been damaged, but couldn’t be sure. When she laid the side of her face onto the cool ground it brought some relief. After a while she simply pulled up a fistful of moss and held it gently against the injured eye. It helped a little.
Without the bear snuffling around the shelter Emily was able to relax a little. In addition to the sore eye there were several other burns, a gash on the back of her right hand that she couldn’t explain, and her arms and legs throbbed. It felt like every muscle in her body had been strained or torn.
Fourteen
When it finally started to rain it was as if a giant tap had been turned on. A torrent of raindrops hit the aluminum hull with such force that the sound was like being inside a giant drum. Emily checked her watch. It was after midnight. Even before the rain the wildfire had appeared to be slowly dying down. A lot of the available fuel, especially the dead trees and dried pine needles on the forest floor, had already been consumed. There were still flames everywhere, but Emily suspected the situation might be better in the morning. Hopefully the bear would be gone by then. She had no idea what would happen if it was still hanging around. She couldn’t stay under the canoe forever.
Almost as suddenly as the rain started, it stopped. The deluge hadn’t been long enough or intense enough to put out the fire. Emily hoped the rain would come again, but she waited in vain. She’d been wondering if there were some way to safely capture some of the rainwater.
The swamp water hadn’t satisfied her thirst. Her throat was so dry she could barely swallow. Emily craved something clean to drink. The only liquid available was condensed milk. There were two cans in the cooler, which was lying on the ground next to the top of her head.
The cooler was so large it barely fit under the canoe. Getting it open wasn’t easy. She had to turn onto her stomach and unlock the lid, forcing her to momentarily lift up the back of the canoe. Fortunately the bear wasn’t sniffing around.
Emily slid the top off the cooler and reached blindly inside. Her hand went from one object to the next, trying to identify every last piece of her meagre survival supplies. She found a can of condensed milk and the can opener. The tin felt disappointingly light in her hand. There wasn’t much liquid in it. Emily decided to limit herself to one can of milk. She’d save the second tin for later.
After carefully opening the can she pressed it to her lips and started sipping. She wanted to make it last as long as possible, but her body craved the sweet liquid and the sips turned into gulps. In what seemed like the blink of an eye the can was empty. She set it down and Buttons’ nose was suddenly inside.
The dog frantically licked up any drops of liquid that were still inside the can. He whimpered for more. Buttons was as desperate for food and drink as Emily was. At first the dog’s begging annoyed her. Then she felt ashamed for drinking the entire can of milk herself. Emily reminded herself that she and the poodle were a team. They had to look out for each other. That meant they had to share whatever supplies they had.
Emily found the second can of milk and opened it. Buttons sensed it was for him and barked eagerly. Emily couldn’t resist taking another gulp, but she gave the rest to the poodle. It was a fair amount of liquid for a small dog, but Buttons didn’t stop until it was gone.
It came as a surprise to Emily to discover she was getting chilled. The day had been scorching hot and the night wasn’t much cooler, but she’d spent hours in the water and her clothes were still soaking wet. And now she was lying on top of damp moss. It felt as if the heat were being drained from her body.
Emily was still wearing the life jacket, which kept her torso from touching the ground and also provided some insulation. Buttons hadn’t shown any interest in bedding down on the child-size life jacket. Emily took it for herself. She s
pread it out and used it as protection for her hips. The cooler lid wasn’t serving a useful purpose for anything, so she slid it under her feet. Most of her body was now off the muskeg, although the bed could hardly be called comfortable.
Annoyingly, her elbow kept hitting the two empty milk cans. Her first instinct was to toss them outside, but it occurred to her that the smell of food might attract the bear. Then she remembered that empty cans could be useful in an emergency.
Her mother had been raised in northern BC, where winter roads are often treacherous. A mechanical breakdown in the middle of nowhere might be fatal. Motorists can freeze if they don’t have a source of heat. Emily’s mother always kept a simple survival kit in the trunk of her car in the winter. The kit included an empty can, emergency candles that are designed to burn all night, and matches. Emily had been told that if you lit the candle, put it into a tin can, and held the can on your lap it provided both light and warmth.
Emily was skeptical that it would actually work, but she had all the necessary material and nothing to lose. The milk tins were smaller than the coffee can her mother kept in the winter survival kit. Emily wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.
She put her hand back into the cooler and fumbled around until she found everything she needed. Emily used a match to light a candle and poured a little hot wax into the can. She stuck the bottom of the candle into the wax and was pleased to see it remained upright. The candle did provide some welcome light and she could feel the can gradually getting warmer in her hands.
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