“Surprise!”
Caitlin screamed as all of the adults jumped out of their hiding places. Her best friend and the only kid she knew, Ryland hooted with laughter.
Megan rushed over to her daughter. Wrapping her arms around her, she squeezed her tight before kissing her forehead.
“Happy birthday, baby!”
Caitlin stood in the doorway, looking dumbfounded. Her dark hair was still plastered against her face as she took in long, deep breaths.
The rest of the group circled around her, hugging her and affectionately rubbing her head.
“Oh, my gosh,” she exclaimed. “You guys scared me!”
Ryland was clearly proud of himself, “Gotcha!”
Everyone burst out laughing. Megan grabbed Caitlin's hand and pulled her to the center of the downstairs living area.
“Come see!”
Caitlin's eyes widened at the elaborate decorations that covered the kitchen table. There were paper chains made from magazine pages draped around the table and along the stair rail to the upstairs. Brightly colored cloths had been cut into strips and hung from the chandelier to resemble streamers. The table was covered with a pretty flowered tablecloth. Pinecones were arranged in a teepee on the table with bits of ribbon wrapped around the centerpiece.
Candles placed inside empty jars with rocks covering the bottom were scattered around the room. Two more jars sat on either side of the pinecone centerpiece. They were filled with flowers cut from cardboard and colored with crayons in a variety of pastel colors to look like bouquets.
Megan watched her daughter's face light up as she took in the elaborate display. They weren't able to find any of the traditional birthday party supplies, but together, they had come up with some creative ideas.
“This is so cool!” Caitlin touched one of the cardboard flowers, “I love pink!”
“I made the flowers,” Ryland piped up. “I told everyone we needed lots of flowers, even if the real ones were out of season.” He smiled proudly.
Caitlin spun around. She stopped when she saw the cake on the kitchen counter. Megan watched as the emotions crossed her daughter's face. The cake was plain. They knew it but there was little they could do to make it look like a traditional birthday cake.
“Rosie made you a cake and we have a feast planned,” Megan told her, gently turning her back to the table.
The eight-year-old girl smiled. The smile was forced. Megan knew her daughter was hoping for a chocolate cake, but they had not been able to find any chocolate. The baking chocolate they had in the pantry was long gone. There had been a few birthday celebrations since Megan and Caitlin had come to live at the lodge, which depleted the supply
The last of the chocolate powder had been used for their harvest celebration. They had been splurging; celebrating small successes and were running out of the little luxuries like sugar, chocolate and even coffee. They all pretended like it didn't bother them but it was an adjustment. Chocolate made the world a little better but it was disappearing quickly.
“Let's get your party hat on!” Megan exclaimed hoping to lift Caitlin's spirits.
The cone-shaped hats looked like traditional birthday hats, but were made from magazine pages carefully folded together. At the top of each hat, wildflowers created a tassel of sorts. It was very comical and made everyone laugh. Each hat had a length of paracord attached to hold it secure on the head. Even Duke had a hat.
Wyatt handed out half-sticks of gum and everyone hustled outside chewing and laughing. Megan had created a version of pin the tail on the donkey by using charcoal to draw a very crude donkey on the side of the cabin wall. They would use the gum to stick their “tails” on the donkey. Whoever came the closest won. Albert went first. Wyatt blindfolded him and Caitlin and Ryland spun him around three times as everyone cheered.
The kids squealed and tried to run away as Albert chased them around attempting to pin the tail on one of them. Megan laughed and quickly covered her mouth when Albert turned his blindfolded head to look at her. Ducking behind Wyatt, she ran toward the side of the cabin where the donkey was while Albert stalked toward her, donkey tail in his outstretched hand. At the last second, she dropped to a squat and scooted out from under him as his fingers found the wall. Pressing the gum into it, he stepped back, whipping his blindfold off.
He’d pinned the tail to the donkey’s nose.
There was a mix of booing and cheering as Albert turned around to take a bow while Chase clapped him on the back. “Well done, old man,” Wyatt called out.
“Horseshoes next!” Ryland called out. Grabbing Caitlin’s hand he dragged her over to the pitch area and handed out the horseshoes to see who would go first.
There was a lot of laughing, screaming, and groans as they played the first round of horseshoes. Ryland had become very good at the game and managed to win almost every time. Megan tossed her horseshoe and sighed when it missed the mark by several feet.
“Your aim is improving,” Wyatt teased, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
She turned and kissed him on the lips before pushing him away, scolding him for teasing her.
“Sore loser.”
“You certainly aren't going to win,” she shot back.
Caitlin threw her horseshoe. The clinking sound as the shoe hit the stake was cause for cheer as Ryland held her arm in the air declaring the birthday girl the winner.
Jack stepped forward, calling everyone to order. In as serious a ceremony as the happy group could muster, he held the golden horseshoe trophy up.
“Caitlin, you are hereby the winner of horseshoes. Please, take your trophy,” he told her solemnly before winking.
The trophy had been making its way around the house for the past few months, but it was usually in Ryland's possession. Caitlin grabbed the shoe that had been painted gold with some spray paint they’d found a while back, hugging it to her chest.
“I'm going to put this on the wall in my room,” she declared.
Her room was actually nothing more than a very small space walled off with blankets in a corner upstairs. Ryland and Caitlin had asked to have their own rooms halfway through the summer. Wyatt and Jack were still in the process of collecting wood and other materials to build another small addition on the cabin but it wasn't going to happen until after winter.
For now, they were all going to have to learn to live with each other in tight quarters. The open floor plan on the second floor allowed them to make each end of the U shape into small spaces for the kids. They had found cots on one of their supply runs at an old hotel and heavy blankets provided two of the walls and acted as a door. Ryland and Caitlin were free to decorate the two actual walls as they pleased. Ryland had plastered his side with pictures of video games he’d found in a magazine. Caitlin had asked permission to draw on the walls and had chosen to use chalk to draw pictures washing it off when she got bored or wanted to change it out.
“Will you help me hang it, Ry?” Caitlin asked still hugging the horseshoe.
“Ya, I'll grab the hammer.”
Jack and Willow joined Meagan walking into the cabin and together, they watched Ryland grab the toolbox from the hall closet and head up the stairs.
“I can’t believe how much he’s grown up right before our eyes,” Willow murmured as Jack hugged her to his side.
“It’s like he’s a mini adult,” Jack commented.
“Not so mini anymore,” Willow replied. He’s already taller than I am and he’s only twelve.”
“They’re forced to grow up so fast now,” Megan commented as they turned to smile at her.
Jack wrapped his arms around his wife, his hands landing protectively on her belly. “Are you?” Megan wasn’t sure how to ask because she knew they’d been talking about having another baby before the EMP, but now they were hesitant.
Shaking her head, Willow turned sideways to hug Jack. “Not yet, this is a good thing. We’ve no idea what it will be like here once winter comes. Things could get ro
ugh fast,” Jack told her as he hugged his wife tighter.
It was something they had all been thinking about as the fall weather rolled in. They knew there would be a lot of snow and it would be cold. They had planned and prepped and now had to hope for the best. It would be a true test. If they could make it through their first winter on the mountain, they knew they could survive anything.
2
Caitlin and Ryland had been enjoying their own private spaces, but they usually eventually found themselves together in one or the others. Even though Ryland was four years older, they found plenty of things to talk about. In six months, those two had become as close as siblings right down to their squabbling. Granted, it wasn’t as if they could complain about someone hogging the remote control or refusing to share a video game. No, their arguments were about the best way to trap rabbits or if it was better to flush wild turkeys or sneak up on them.
Megan couldn’t be more pleased at her daughter’s growing maturity level but she often wondered if it was too much, too fast. She couldn’t resist following them up the stairs and peeked over the rail to watch Ryland go into his "room" to retrieve the jar filled with finishing nails. As he parted the curtain, she could see the small shelf that he’d managed to build using scraps of wood and small branches. Albert had taught him how to cut tongue and groove joints using the hacksaw he liked to use so that he could piece the box shelf together without using the much-needed nails but not all the pieces had fit snugly together so, he ended up using a few nails to make sure it stayed together.
He had been collecting rocks he found while on hunting expeditions. Caitlin contributed to his collection whenever she found a rock she thought was pretty.
His meger stack of clothing was neatly folded and sitting on the floor next to his display shelf. Willow allowed him to do as he wanted, but insisted he keep things tidy. Of course, it didn't always work that way.
Joining Caitlin in her room, Ryland helped her find the perfect spot for her trophy. They both knew it would probably be gone after the next game of horseshoes, but for now, she clutched it to her chest while Ryland carefully picked out three nails to secure it to the wall.
“You wanted a chocolate cake, huh?” Ryland asked Caitlin as he stepped back to let her hang the horseshoe.
She shrugged, “Yea, I really did but it's okay. I understand. There, what do you think?” She stepped back, as Ryland crossed his arms over his chest and appeared to study the horseshoe. Megan clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from saying anything as she smiled broadly.
Nodding his head, “It looks good. I think it looks better in my room, but this is second best. Oww!” Ryland rubbed his arm where Caitlin had punched him. “Come on, we should get back.”
Megan watched Caitlin adjust her party hat and barely made it back down the stairs before she heard her daughter shout, “I'll beat you down!”
Jumping down the last three steps, the kids joined the adults around the table where Rosie had placed the cake alongside a few gifts wrapped in an assortment of newspaper.
Caitlin beamed.
A couple candles sat in a small jar next to the cake. Rosie had learned the hard way that the large candles they used for light destroyed the cake and made a huge waxy mess.
Megan started to sing Happy Birthday and the others joined in.
“Blow out the candles and make a wish,” Megan instructed her daughter.
Caitlin squeezed her eyes shut, made a silent wish and blew. When Ryland asked her what she wished for, she looked at him as if he was crazy.
“I can't tell you or it won't come true!”
Everyone laughed. Megan loved that they could still have these moments. They were very fortunate. Most people didn't even know what day it was let alone have the luxury of being able to celebrate anything. Every birthday they celebrated meant so much more than it had before the collapse. Every year they survived was a huge feat and it wasn't to be taken for granted. Wyatt had been insistent that they keep track of the days, partly as a means to track the time of year for plantings but also to give them a certain level of normalcy in a world gone dark.
When the solar flares came causing the electromagnetic pulse to take out the power, chaos had instantly ensued; dividing the world into us and them. Those who were prepared or had the means to take care of themselves, survived. Those who didn’t quickly became fodder for those willing to take what they wanted in order to survive at any cost.
Megan had done the best she could with her daughter but she wasn’t sure they would have survived the last six months if it wasn’t for the love and generosity of the Morris family. Sadly, it had come at a cost, but things were turning around and they’d happily welcomed the two of them into their home and their lives.
“Who wants cake?” Rosie asked, interrupting her thoughts.
Everyone raised their hand and Caitlin jumped up and down waving her hand shouting, “Me, me, me.”
Megan wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of eating what Rosie referred to as her spin on a cake from a scratch recipe without eggs or sugar. But Willow and Rosie were convinced that with a few tweaks, they could make it into a sweet treat that would satisfy everyone's sweet tooth.
Instead of using traditional cornmeal, they used one and three-quarters cup of whole-wheat flour and while they still had some brown sugar left, instead of the typical one cup, they only added enough to sweeten the dough. Two teaspoons baking powder gave the cake some fluffiness and a splash of vanilla, one-half teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of cinnamon added to the flavor.
They had to use powdered milk for the binder instead of eggs, which would leave the cake a little flat, but it was all they had. They had used an additional cup of applesauce in place of a stick of butter and added some chopped hazelnuts they’d been able to forage to round out the treat. It wasn't a traditional cake by any means, but more of a sticky sweet-bread.
Rosie quickly cut the cake and handed out the plates. While everyone ate, Caitlin unwrapped her gifts.
She whooped with glee when she opened the gift from Albert. It was a .22 caliber Crickett youth rifle. Albert had found the gun some months back and had carefully restored it. Wyatt had personalized the gun by carving a stylized, “C.W.” in the stock.
The rifle was a typical beginner rifle for a child. Megan remembered her own dad giving her a Crickett when she was Caitlin's age. She was so grateful that the tradition could be handed down, even in these difficult times.
Caitlin ran her hands over the carved lettering before hugging it like a doll.
“Can we go hunting?” she piped up as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.
Megan laughed, “Not at this very moment, but we can go first thing in the morning.”
Caitlin clapped her hands, excitedly.
The group had already decided it would be only Caitlin and Megan going. They needed some mother-daughter time. Living in such close quarters meant they were rarely alone. Jack and Willow would often take Ryland out hunting or scouting. It was a way for them to maintain their family unit and get a little privacy.
Wyatt and Megan had made it a point to spend time together both with Caitlin and without her. Starting a new relationship was never easy, but trying to do so under the watchful eyes of seven other people was difficult to say the least.
Megan watched as Caitlin took a bite of her cake. Her daughter swallowed without even chewing. The cake wasn't so bad Megan thought as she took a bite. Maybe a little too sticky. She wondered if it might taste better having been toasted a bit on the stove. Caitlin's hand kept disappearing under the table. Megan watched as she slowly tore off pieces of the cake and fed Duke who was patiently waiting below. Duke certainly liked the cake.
Caitlin noticed her mom watching her and quickly stopped feeding the dog under the table. Megan knew trips into town for supplies would probably stop as soon as the snow started to fall. It was unlikely they would find chocolate, sugar, or any of the other treats they were longing for. T
hey were going to have to make do with what they had. Caitlin would learn to adjust.
The rest of the evening was spent playing Caitlin’s favorite game, Twister. Each scouting trip had yielded another deck of cards or some new board game. Chase had come across an empty Twister box, so they decided to make their own using a patched tarp, some paint, and markers for the circles and they made the roulette using the box lid and an electric clock hand.
The group’s matriarch, Rosie, along with Albert, declared themselves too old to play so they took turns spinning the dial and cheering everyone on while the rest of the group broke up into teams of four with Caitlin playing on both teams since it was her birthday.
“Left foot, red,” Rosie called out.
“Hey, you aren’t supposed to slide under me, Caitlin. What happens if I fall?” Chase demanded but Caitlin only giggled.
“You better not crush my daughter,” Megan warned, as she laughed.
“Damn, my legs are shaking. Rosie, hurry up and call the next one,” Chase called out.
“Right hand green,” Rosie called out again, coughing to mask her laugh.
“Now, you did that on purpose! How am I supposed to reach that with Jack in my way?” Chase demanded.
“Well, considering you’re the Jolly Green Giant, well..., not so jolly, I believe you can manage just fine,” Jack laughingly told him as he shifted into a position to make it harder for Chase to reach a green circle.
There was significant jostling and declarations of cheating if anyone shifted position. When Chase finally settled, his feet slipped out from under him and he went crashing down on top of Jack to a chorus of “Owws” from both men and much laughter.
Megan wiped her eyes, she’d been laughing so hard before finally declaring it was time for bed, which Willow quickly seconded. Both kids grumbled about wanting to stay up later, until Megan reminded Caitlin about tomorrow.
“I can’t wait to try out my new rifle,” Caitlin said excitedly as the kids ran up the stairs to get ready for bed.
The EMP Lodge Series: Books One to Three Page 21