Antarctic Affair

by Louise Rose-Innes

  “It is an active volcano, yes,” a seismologist from Vancouver informed them. “The most recent eruptions took place in 1991-1992. Even today the seafloor inside the caldera is rising rapidly in geological terms.”

  “What’s ‘rapidly’?” asked Georgina.

  “About thirty centimetres a year,” he replied. “It’s classified as a restless caldera with a significant volcanic risk.”

  “Great!” both Georgina’s eyebrows shot up and she glared at Taj. “And how come no one thought to mention this to me?”

  “Thought you knew,” said Taj with a shrug.

  “What if it decides to erupt right now? Then what do we do?” She looked worried from Taj across to Don.

  “It’s not going…” Don began, but Taj cut him off.

  “It’s a risk you take when you climb an active volcano,” he said vaguely. “But if it does come to that I’m afraid our chances of survival are minimal. A sudden collapse of the caldera would have potentially devastating effects for anyone on the island at the time.”

  Don gave him a sideward glance. Georgina stumbled again, this time he let her fall, but she managed to grip hold of a rock and stabilise herself.

  Lance, the seismologist added excitedly, “It’s true, the ash fall, possible pyroclastic surges, tsunami and tidal oscillations would prevent us from reaching the beaches. Airlifting us off would be impossible.”

  By the sounds of things anyone would think he was looking forward to such an event.

  “Oh God,” whispered Georgina. “We’re all going to die.”

  Don made a suspicious coughing sound.

  Taj said, “At least we’ll die doing something exciting. How many people can say they saw an active volcano erupt?”

  “Is that all you really care about?” she asked him angrily.

  He shrugged, “Pretty much, as long as I get a quality photo.”

  “Taj, have I ever told you that you’re insane?” asked Don, shaking his head.

  “No more so than you, my friend,” Taj was quick to reply.

  Lance cleared his throat. “This volcano is constantly monitored for seismic activity. Currently no eruption is anticipated, but even if it was, we’d know long before it erupted. You needn’t worry.”

  “Thank you, Lance,” she said gratefully, glaring at Taj.

  Don chuckled.

  Onwards and upwards they climbed over the strange dark earth covered in slippery scree. Don was out in front, followed closely by Taj who kept a close eye on Georgina, even though he was determined to push her to the limit of her endurance. He and Don purposely set a gruelling pace, but surprisingly she was keeping up with the rest of the group. Considering she’d never been mountain climbing or even hiking before, she was doing impressively well. He gazed at her now, determination written all over her usually poised face. Sweat was making the make-up around her eyes melt and smudge, he’d have to change her nickname to panda soon. She’d nibbled off all her lipstick and her hair was becoming increasingly dishevelled. This was probably the worst he’d ever seen her look, but strangely he found her vulnerability endearing. She was trudging along gamely, chatting to Lance, who, Taj suspected was developing a bit of a crush, judging by his pink cheeks and the way he was gazing at her.

  As they headed up the steepest part of the ascent all conversation faded and the only sounds to be heard were the crunching of hiking boots on the dark mineral-laden ground and the soft panting of the less fit members of the group. After another hour the volcanic earth turned grey and then white with snow. Don finally called a halt. They’d reached the rim of the crater.

  Taj saw Georgina collapse on an icy boulder, her shoulders sagging.

  She looks wacked, he thought with a tinge of guilt. He went over.

  “How are you holding up?” he asked.

  She gazed up at him wearily. “When I get my breath back I’ll let you know.”

  At least she hadn’t lost her sense of humour.

  He looked around, wondering where the best vantage point to take some shots of the view was. From up here there was a 360 degree panorama of the island and the flooded caldera.

  He heard Georgina groan and wiggle her toes.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  She grimaced, “My feet are killing me.”

  She took off her boots and peeled off her socks to reveal large broken blisters on her heels.

  “Ouch,” he frowned. “That looks sore.”

  “I guess I should have worn them in first,” she sighed. She really did look exhausted, poor girl. Her hair band had slipped back and pink tendrils were stuck to her cheeks with sweat. Her skin had gone all blotchy from the smudged make-up. She looked a sight.

  “I would have thought you of all people would appreciate the dangers of new shoes,” he said wryly.

  She gave him a caustic look. “Thanks. I don’t usually have this problem, but then I don’t usually hike up volcanoes in my spare time.”

  Feeling sorry for her he said, “I’ll go and see if Amy has any plasters. I think she’s carrying a medical kit.”

  Five minutes later he was back and handed her a couple of plasters. “These should help till we get you back on board.”

  Wordlessly she took them from him and ripped the backs off. A soft moan escaped her lips as she applied them to her shredded heels. It was all Taj could do not to go to her assistance, but he had to stick to the plan! He’d already given her the plasters - that was enough. He needed her to suffer, so that she’d be too sore and weary to accompany them on the next excursion.

  “Let’s rest here a while. We can descend into the crater in about twenty…” he glanced at Taj, “make that fifteen minutes. Everybody fine with that?” shouted Don, addressing the group. Everybody nodded and went off to explore nearby rock formations or to collect water and dried lava samples.

  “Perhaps you shouldn’t have come along,” suggested Taj feeling more than a little guilty.

  “I’m sure you would have enjoyed that,” she said curtly, sending him a knowing look. He froze. Had she worked out what they were up to? Surely not?

  “What do you mean,” he asked innocently.

  “Then you wouldn’t be bothered by my stupid questions, would you? You don’t have to pretend, I know you don’t want me around.”

  At his guilty look she added, “Luckily for you I’m too exhausted to ask any questions at the moment anyway.”

  He let out a shaky breath. She wasn’t aware of the plan, but she was smart enough to work out what his intention had been.

  She pulled her socks and shoes back on and stood up. He moved away from her to set up his tripod which he’d lugged up in a special lightweight camera bag.

  He got to work and concentrated on photographing the barren, lunar quality of the landscape and the sweeping vista around them. He found Antarctica so unique, unlike anywhere else in the world.

  “Wow!”

  He turned around. Georgina was staring into the caldera and expression of wonder on her enraptured face. Despite her wayward hair and blotchy face, in that moment, she looked beautiful.

  “This is magnificent,” she said waving her arm at the snowy horseshoe-shaped caldera flooded with cobalt blue water. “I can see why you come here to take photographs.”

  He didn’t reply. He was bothered by the fact that despite being everything he disliked in a woman, she was still growing on him faster than a polar front coming in from the south. She was distracting him from his work, but not because she was grilling him with silly questions, but because in between the painfully stuck-up attitude he saw glimpses of a bright girl with a fantastic sense of humour. He suspected that when she wasn’t so busy being a spoiled brat, she’d actually be a lot of fun.

  Although she had tried to hide it, Georgina was furious with Taj - and Don for that matter. How stupid did they think she was? She knew what they were doing and there was no doubt they were in cahoots. Those two were as thick as thieves. From the moment they’d left the ship, t
hey’d gone out of their way to make this excursion as difficult as possible for her. Even Lance had commented on the crazy pace at which they’d hiked up the mountain. Luckily for her she could finally put all those hours on the Stairmaster at gym to good use. If they wanted her to suffer, they’d have to try harder than that. She didn’t have buns of steel for nothing! She looked down into the crater and for a moment her determination faltered, but then she gritted her teeth. Even if she broke every single one of her French-manicured nails she would see this out to the end, and beyond. From now on she was going to stick to Taj Andrews like glue. And she was going to ask questions. Lots of them. Hers was going to be the most thoroughly researched cover story in the history of cover stories. That will teach him to try and thwart me, she fumed.

  Don called the group together and they began slipping and sliding down into the steaming crater. Taking a deep breath Georgina ripped off her hair band and used it to tie back her tangled and sweaty hair. There, that was much better. She set off after the group, leaving Taj to pack up his tripod and follow at his own pace. She took a particularly bad slide next to Max the producer, who was waxing lyrical about the documentary opportunities in Antarctica. The gravel beneath her feet suddenly gave way and she slid a couple of metres on her backside, frantically trying to get a grip with her boots. Max reached out with one arm, encircled her waist and effortlessly and lifted her back onto her feet. She stared at him in surprise. He was so wide, she’d just assumed he was overweight, but she realised now he was built like a wrestler and not fat at all.

  “Thank you,” she breathed.

  He winked at her and carried on talking, barely missing a beat.

  “I’m thinking the abandoned whaling station we saw from the summit - there must be some footage of past expeditions somewhere - juxtaposed with the natural aspect of the penguins and seals. Those critters are totally cute! I hear some species are even endemic to this part of the world.”

  Amy rolled her eyes at Georgina, but her husband Claude didn’t seem phased and launched into a long narrative about at least eighteen species of moss and lichen which have not been recorded elsewhere in the world.

  Georgina laughed and said to Max, “I don’t think you were talking about lichen, were you?”

  There was some loud scraping as Taj fell into line beside them.

  “Look at that,” he murmured excitedly and squatted down to photograph a hissing geyser that looked like it was about to explode skyward at any moment.

  Max twirled his fingers next to his temple to indicate he thought all photographers were crazy, which made Georgina chuckle.

  The setting at the bottom of the crater was worth the scramble. Impossibly blue water lapped at the icy stones along the edge of the flooded caldera, creating a soft tinkling sound as the ice knocked together. Hot springs bubbled away merrily and the hikers gathered around some of the cooler pools to soak their tired feet.

  “You’re not going in?” Taj asked her when he rejoined them some time later.

  She said woefully, “I’d like to, but if I take my boots off again, I don’t think I’ll have the will power to put them back on. You may have to leave me here.”

  “It’s not a bad spot to camp out,” remarked Taj, looking around.

  “It’s magical, actually. I’m so grateful I got a chance to see it.” She glanced at Taj who looked like he was about to say something, but then changed his mind.

  “Coming along on the expeditions with you was such a great idea,” she gushed, patting him on the arm. “I’m so glad you thought of it.” Then with a sparkle in her eye she spun on her heel and went in search of Amy.

  Don called the group together, “Guys, we’re going to have to move out. The wind is picking up and I want to be back on the ship before it turns nasty.”

  “How long have we got,” Taj asked.

  “An hour at the most. Let’s move people!”

  Everyone scrambled to put on their boots and before long they were trudging back up the caldera in a snake formation. Don and Taj at the front, then the rest of them. From her position at the rear, Georgina could study the two men at the front without them noticing her. Don was handsome in his own way. He was incredibly broad shouldered, had thick messy blond hair and a kind, craggy face. She like him a lot and more importantly felt that she could trust him. He exuded an air of reliability and strength and she had a feeling that with Don, what you saw was what you got.

  Taj on the other hand was harder to work out. He was a contradiction. At times he was cold and condescending and she knew he didn’t approve of her but there were moments when she was sure he was watching her. She’d felt his eyes on her a couple of times during the day and she didn’t know what to make of it. It unnerved her because she knew he didn’t appreciate having her around. Don had been right, though, he was opening up now that they were in the wilderness and he was doing what he loved. He looked so at ease as he strode up the snow covered hill, camera bag over his shoulder, and trusty Nikon around his neck. His easy forward-propelled gate indicated strong legs and a level of fitness one only gained from hiking and climbing over difficult terrain. He was also broad, but not as wide as Don. Taj had a more streamlined build, like an athlete.

  The group reached the rim of the volcano, but this time Don refused them a break.

  “This is the easy bit,” he told them as they headed down towards the beach where the zodiac was waiting. Out in the bay the sturdy figure of the Explorer could be seen, her red hull creating a bright contrast to the more subdued frosty-grey tones of the ocean. The wind had indeed got up and now they were out of the protection of the crater and seaward facing, it felt bitterly cold against their skin.

  Taj waited at the top while the group filed past him, all zipping up and huddling forward against the icy breeze. He fell in line with Georgina and she noticed that he wasn’t even remotely out of breath.

  “You obviously do a lot of exercise,” she told him dryly. “And you don’t strike me as the type who has a gym membership.”

  “No, you’re right about that. Never in town long enough anyway.”

  “So how do you keep fit? Climbing volcanoes?”

  Now he did laugh. “That, amongst other things.”

  “Like what,” she pressed.

  “I go surfing or kite boarding when I’m home, but I get a lot of exercise in the field.”

  “I believe you,” she panted.

  After a pause, “I did a story on Russian fire-fighters last year which involved a lot of rappelling out of helicopters into the dense forests. It’s the only way they can get in there. It took days to hike out once the fires were out.”

  “Rappelling? You jumped out of a helicopter?”

  “Not exactly. We climbed down ropes dangling two hundred feet in the air, from helicopters. I had a helmet-mounted camera.”

  “Into the forest?”

  “Into a burning forest, yes.”

  “You’re crazy, has anyone ever told you that?”

  “Repeatedly,” he grinned. “Once we had to camp in the forest for five days before we got rescued. It was five days of rain and bugs and noodle soup, waiting for a helicopter that seemed as if it would never come.”

  “Sounds absolutely awful,” she said in amazement.

  “Yeah, that was pretty bad, still it was quite an experience.”

  “I think I’d prefer to sit at a computer.”

  He cocked his head. “Don’t you get bored? All that inactivity would drive me nuts.”

  “At least its safe and a computer won’t explode and blow me to bits either,” she said pointedly.

  “You never know,” he said sardonically.

  She gave him her best, ‘don’t be ridiculous’ look.

  “Some people just don’t like high risk situations,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “Like you?” he asked.

  “Correct. I prefer knowing I’m safe. I happen to like my life the way it is. I don’t need heart-stopping adrenalin to feel
alive.”

  “Do you feel alive staring at a computer for nine hours?”

  “No, but I feel alive when I’m writing. Nine hours of anything is exhausting.”

  “True, I suppose. So what do you and your fiancé do for fun?”

  “We actually go out a lot. Charles has many social engagements and there are media functions, book launches, fashion shows…” she faded off.

  “I see,” he gave her a funny look. “Different strokes, I guess. I can’t think of anything worse than hob-knobbing with a bunch of boring, rich people.”

  “Rich, maybe, but boring they are defiantly not. Writers, actors, artists and creative people in general are seldom boring. In fact you’re one of them too, you know.”

  “But I don’t live in a smog-filled city and attend publicity events in my spare time.” He looked horrified at the thought.

  “No, that’s true, although you’d probably get more financing if you did.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t even own a suit,” he told her with something akin to pride.

  “Just like I didn’t own a pair of hiking boots before this trip,” she said with satisfaction. “Each to their own, I guess.”

  They walked in silence for a few minutes, Georgina careful not to lose her balance on the loose gravel. Taj looked deep in thought, and Georgina could just imagine what he was thinking. How different could two people be, yet here she was, traipsing through the icy sludge in a frozen wilderness in order to interview him. He was right, she had no business being here, but she was surprised to discover she was enjoying herself immensely. After the initial fear of the icy water and restless volcano had past, she had relaxed enough to enjoy her surroundings and she found it invigorating. She nearly laughed at the incongruity of it all. Who would have thought? Perhaps she had more of her mother in her than she knew.

  Don was doing a head count at the beach. “Okay, let’s go guys. You may notice the water’s a little choppy, it’s going to be a rough ride. Make sure you put the life jackets on before you get in the boat and hang on tight to the rope.”