by Renee Hart
Jim was the first to speak.
“Some rich tourists heading out to the Lodge, I bet. Well, did you give Kat the lowdown on her new job yet,” he asked. “I’m sure she’s dying to find out what we’ve decided for her.”
“Not yet. I thought we’d get to the school first and have a proper meeting before handing out assignments,” Marissa said with a sideways glance at Kat. “It’s not really that big of a deal. The whole school only has 46 students this year. I’m really surprised they funded for four teachers.”
“Maybe they were thinking ahead in order to cover themselves if someone couldn’t finish out the entire year,” Jim said sarcastically.
Marissa shot him a dark look before turning to go below to gather her things. She knew they were giving Kat a terrible impression even before they got to the village, but these kinds of problems were a part of the job. There was little point in trying to pretend they could all just be friends. Besides, the new girl looked like she could take care of herself. She’d definitely made an impression on J.T. He rarely spent that much time talking to new people. Shyness was his trademark, which made his role as peace officer a bit of a problem at times. Marissa wondered if Kat was going to be a problem on the small island with so few eligible men. No worries, she thought to herself. I can handle a little competition.
***
Ulriq ran down to the boats with the last of the hunting gear. His father was busy organizing the hunting parties and didn’t have time to make preparations for himself. All of the men in the village would join together for the Great Hunt. It was an annual event and provided the bulk of the animals harvested each year. Individuals could continue to hunt during the dark winter months, but this single hunt was always given special attention.
The night before, the entire village had gathered for the ceremony and the great white bear, Nanuq, came to give Ulriq’s father the number of animals that would be given to the men. When he revealed the number to the hunters, several of the men were angry and grumbled that the number was too low. They said the Russian traders would be disappointed with so few skins to trade.
The elders spoke and tried to remind everyone of the importance of honoring their traditions of respecting the animals, but some wouldn’t listen and left the ceremony early. Ulriq caught sight of the angry glances that were cast in his father’s direction. He knew his father didn’t have the power to change the tally and didn’t understand their anger towards him. He went to bed that night with a troubled heart.
He also worried the number of animals would be too low, but his concerns were selfish and he dared not speak of it to anyone. Iliana’s father came every year to trade for the rich pelts of the seals and otters. If there weren’t enough skins to make him want to come back, Ulriq would lose his precious connection with his best friend. He’d do anything in his power to prevent this from happening. The problem was that as a young boy, his power was very limited to do anything at all.
The men rose up in the darkness of the early morning and Ulriq was one of the first to reach the boats. His father was amused at his son’s eagerness and teased him about it. Ulriq turned red and turned his face away. He was sure his father didn’t understand why he cared so much about the hunt and he didn’t want to explain. Standing quietly, he listened as his father gave the word for the hunting party to set out for the southeast to a nearby rocky isle where the animals spent much of their day.
The men leapt into their boats and began to paddle steadily. The sea was eerily calm in the dim light and the boats moved swiftly across the water. Ulriq tried to keep pace with the men in his father’s boat, but his arms were too short. His father sat behind him and watched his son’s efforts proudly. The boy had a heart for the People and would someday be a great leader, he thought to himself.
Soon, the hunting party was in sight of the small isle and the cries of the animals carried to the men across the water. Their strokes drove deeper into the water as they hurried to arrive before their presence was noticed. With quiet movements, they landed the boats and gathered their weapons. The hunt was swift and the men worked together without a word spoken between them
Ulriq tried to keep track of his father in the activity of the hunt, but his attention was distracted and he soon lost sight of him. He wasn’t allowed to join in because he’d not yet reached the age of a man. He noticed two men turn away from the others and move off from the group. His father also noticed them and followed closely behind to see where they were going.
The three men quickly disappeared around an outcropping of rocks and Ulriq lost sight of them. He stood up to see better and was relieved when the two men came back into sight. He waited for his father to reappear with them, but the man didn’t come. Ulriq’s stomach twisted inside him and he began to run towards the two men.
When they saw him coming, one of the men waited until he was near and hit him in the head with his club. That was the last thing Ulriq remembered when he woke up in his own hut with his mother’s fearful face looming over him. His head was pounding and a bandage covered his right eye.
He wanted to ask about his father, but the look on his mother’s face told him not to speak. His eyes searched the shadows behind her until the dim outline of a man came into view. He could feel this man’s eyes watching and waiting to see what he would do or say. Turning his face to the wall, he closed his eyes to shut out the darkness. His father didn’t come back from the hunt. Because he was too young to be the leader in his father’s place, another would be chosen. It was a dark time for the People and Ulriq knew something far deeper had changed that day.
Chapter Three
Kat checked through the pile of paperwork on her desk for the third time that day and sighed. Her students clearly weren’t interested in doing homework and her efforts to inspire them were falling on deaf ears. As the new teacher, her class of seven to nine year olds was far more of a challenge than she was prepared to handle. Several of the boys had learning disabilities needing special attention and the girls were only slightly better. Fortunately, there were only nine students in her class.
In a rare moment of niceness, Jim tried to explain how this particular group was the fallout of a series of particularly unqualified teachers. They started off on the wrong foot early on in their education and no one had expended the energy to set things right with them. Most of their basic skills were far below their grade level at this point. He told her it was up to her to decide where and how she would spend her efforts to deal with them. None of their parents were exactly the “PTA” type, he said with a wink.
Kat took what he said at face value. She hadn’t met any of the parents from her class at the opening day gathering. The students showed up in the mornings seemingly on their own and nothing she’d sent home for a parents’ signature ever came back. It was clearly up to her to step up and help these children get back on track or sit back and bide her time until the end of the year. It was an ugly choice and she wasn’t the kind of person to give up on them. She had to find a way to make this work.
When it was time for the students to go home, she stood at the door and sent them off with a kind word of encouragement, or so she hoped. A couple of the boys ducked out of line and tried to avoid her. She let them slip past without comment. Maybe, in time, they would find a way to relate to one another, she sighed to herself.
Turning back to the table that served as her desk, Kat was startled by a male voice behind her. She jumped in surprise and scattered a pile of papers to the floor.
“I’m sorry,” J.T. said as he hurried to help her gather them. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I was thinking you might be ready to see some more of the isle before it’s buried in snow and ice.”
Kat was actually pleased to see a friendly face and more than ready to get away from the school for a little while. There wasn’t much to do on the isle, no shopping mall or theater or even any kind of restaurant. Her evenings were spent grading papers and preparing lessons. If she’d had any hope
of having a social life here, that thought was dashed in the first week. None of her co-workers seemed to have any interests beyond their weak internet connection and their own classrooms. She rarely saw them beyond the meals they shared in the makeshift cafeteria.
“That sounds wonderful, J.T. I’d love to get out of this place and see something besides paperwork,” she said brightly.
She couldn’t help but notice the slight blush that came to his face with her words, but he just grinned and put the messy stack of papers back on her table. Taking a moment to gather her things, she watched him look around the classroom from the corner of her eye.
“How are things going with your students,” he asked from the far corner of the room.
“Not as well as I’d hoped,” Kat confessed as she came over to join him. “I’m having a hard time finding a way to connect with them.”
“Do you mind a word of advice,” J.T. asked as he studied her face.
“Not at all! In fact, I’d welcome anything that might help. I really do want to make a difference for them if I can.”
“From what I’ve seen that doesn’t work, I think your best chance is to stop talking to them and listen. Help them find their own voices and let them tell you stories. That’s the way of the People, to tell stories. They really like to talk about the legends of their people, if you can get them started,” he laughed, “they won’t shut up.”
Kat stood there for a moment and thought about his words. She was overwhelmed with the idea that he was absolutely right. She spent most of their day talking at them, and frustrated because they didn’t listen. What would it hurt to turn the tables and find a way to let them talk? Her mind reeled with the possibilities contained in this simple idea. J.T.’s simple advice could change everything for her class.
“I confess I have a vested interest in your students,” he said quietly. “Two of the boys are my nephews and I know they haven’t been doing well in school. My sister’s not much good at helping them with their studies and her husband doesn’t really care. I’ve been trying to keep tabs on them, but my job prevents me from spending enough time with them. I’m really hoping you can help them.”
Kat looked at him, but her mind was racing with new ideas so she merely nodded at this words.
“Anyway, I didn’t come here to tell you how to do your job. I came to invite you to come and watch me do mine. I have to take a trip up to the Lodge and was hoping you’d like to join me. There’s a good chance we’ll get some moose stew out of this little excursion if we play our cards right. The cook at the Lodge is a personal friend of mine.”
Kat’s eyes brightened at the thought of eating something that didn’t come out of a can or a freezer and she hurried to grab the rest of her things.
“You said the magic word,” she laughed, “FOOD!”
J.T. laughed along with her as the two of them headed for the outside doors. Neither of them noticed Marissa standing in the shadows watching them leave together. The look on her face was anything but nice.
***
Ulriq leaned back against the rock and stared out at the icy sea. Soon the strait would be a solid sheet of ice and relatives from the other island would come to visit. It would be good to have some new faces around the village. The death of his father had caused a great rift to develop among the People and many of them were fearful. The truth of what happened was buried at the bottom of the sea with his father, but the lie left behind an ominous stench. Nothing anyone said could ever cover that up.
The two men had spread a story about his father’s death. They said he’d slipped on the rocks and fallen into the sea. They hadn’t been able to reach him before he slipped under the water. None of the People knew how to swim. They told everyone how Ulriq ran to help his father, but it was too late and they had to stop him for his own safety. All the people were proud to speak of Ulriq’s courage to try and save his father. He knew none of this was true. He’d kept silent for his mother’s sake.
The Elders were forced to choose a new leader and only one man was willing to take on that role. Everyone knew he wasn’t really the right man, but he was happy to marry Ulriq’s mother and take care of her and her son. That gave him honor with the People. Most of them knew he only did this because he was hoping to have a son of his own, but it didn’t matter to them. His first wife and child had died during a difficult childbirth.
The man was kind to his mother and ignored Ulriq most of the time. That was enough to make the situation bearable. The boy was willing to stay quiet for his mother. Without a husband, she would have been left to fend for herself and the two of them might have starved as he was still too young to hunt. Ulriq struggled to cling to the memory of his father while everyone else tried to forget.
A sudden noise caused Ulriq to sit up in surprise. He turned to find Nanuq, the great white bear, watching him from the shadow of a nearby rock. He jumped to his feet and fought down the urge to turn and run away. Before his father’s death, there was no reason to be afraid, but Ulriq knew the hunters had broken the agreement and taken more animals than the tally. No one reported the exact count, but it was clearly higher than allocated to the men. He knew there were consequences for what they had done. The problem was that without his father, there was no one who knew exactly what those consequences were going to be. Nanuq only spoke to the leader of the People.
The bear moved closer to Ulriq as he pressed himself backwards against the rock. His heart squeezed into a ball of fear and his stomach knotted. No bear had ever killed a human from the village before, but Ulriq knew the power of those claws would make quick work of him.
“I see fear in your eyes,” Nanuq said quietly. “There is wisdom in being afraid.”
“My father is dead,” Ulriq blurted out.
“I know. There is nothing hidden in the sea that can’t be found out. It is not for you to worry about, Young One. I came to tell you that justice will come for your father’s death. It might not come in the way you expect or the time you hope, but I promise you it will come. Your father was a great leader and he kept the treaty of peace.
Now the treaty is broken and there is no longer any peace between the animals and your people. There is war between us and any animal that has the chance will take the life of a human at will. You can warn the people of this, but they won’t believe you. Their hearts are full of darkness and greed and they have forgotten the old ways. Soon they will lose the memory of how to speak to us and they will learn how to live with fear.
One thing I will promise you is that we will honor your father’s memory. If you will remember the old ways, you and your children will continue to live under the treaty of peace. This word will stand for as long as your blood goes on in this world. If you forget and break the treaty, the word will fall with you.”
Nanuq turned as if he meant to leave, but a sob came from Ulriq’s throat and he turned back. Ulriq couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw a tear fall from the old bear’s eye. Later, he would wonder if it was a trick of the light, but in that moment, he felt compassion and a small measure of peace. Falling to his knees, he cried until there were no more tears and when he looked up, Nanuq was gone, leaving the boy to wonder if it had all just been a dream.
Chapter Four
When they got outside, Kat looked dubiously at J.T.’s mode of transportation. She wasn’t expecting much, but the ragged UTV had clearly seen better days. The battered seat was held together with layers of duct tape, peeling in more places than she could count, and the frame was wired at a couple of points with old clothes hangers. He laughed at the look on her face and jumped on to start the engine.
“Don’t worry! Ole Betsy is the most reliable piece of machinery on this isle. I’ve fixed every part on her at least once by myself. She’s never let me down.”
Kat paused to consider the dichotomy of his words for a moment, but decided this was an adventure not to be missed. At the very least, she would have an interesting story to tell her students on Monda
y. They were all too familiar with J.T.’s antics anyway.
As they roared off down the rocky path, she leaned over to shout into his ear but only succeeded in banging her helmeted head into his. She decided this wasn’t a good time for conversation and leaned back to try and enjoy the ride.
As Ole Betsy bucked and rolled down the trail, J.T. shouted greetings to everyone they passed. Kat wondered if this was his usual behavior or if he was trying to show off. She knew it would be the talk of the village before nightfall that she’d gone off with him after school. Not that it really mattered to anyone here anyway, she reminded herself. I'm just another stranger passing through to them.
After about fifteen minutes of being tossed around on the back of the vehicle, they turned a rocky corner and the Lodge came into view. Kat was overwhelmed with the beauty of the place. It had been built into a cleft of tall rocks overlooking the sea. It was hidden from the sight of the village and stood as a lonely sentry, remote and aloof.
“Welcome to Domiq,” J.T. said as he shut off the UTV and waited for her to dismount.
“This place is incredible,” Kat gasped as she struggled to her feet. “How…why?”
Her questions died on her lips as a movement near the front door drew her attention. J.T. quickly moved to the door to greet the woman standing there. He was one of the few villagers welcomed at this place. She reached out to hug him gently and patted him on the back.
“I see you’ve brought along a friend,” the woman said in a melodious voice, “and a lovely one at that. Come here, Dear and let me get a closer look at you.”
Kat moved over to join them and suddenly felt shy at the woman’s piercing gaze. Her blue-gray eyes seemed to look right through to Kat’s heart as if she were being measured. J.T. brought the uncomfortable feeling to an end with an attempt at making introductions.