The First Snow of Winter

by Fred Allen

  “Jacob, there’s a small construction hut beside the ramp to the bridge and the door has been blown off. It seems to be empty. What I suggest is that Robbie and I move Sara to the hut and cover her over with one of our travel blankets. Jacob, please believe me, I don’t want to do anything that you feel is sacrilege. I’ll only do it if you agree.”

  “Peter, you are a good kind man, Just do what you must. It makes no difference now. Sara is dead. Sarah is gone.” The old man collapsed back on the seat his body still wracked by sobs.

  Peter made his way back to the Cadillac. He recovered a blanket and a bug screen from the rear compartment of the wagon. The bug screen was mounted on the front bumper of the wagon in the summer to screen bugs from the engine. He took great pains in closing the tailgate to ensure that the heavy socks were back in place to prevent the exhaust fumes from entering the passenger compartment.

  Peter told Robbie of his plan and together they removed Sara’s body from the car and laid her on the screen. They each took a corner of the screen and together they pulled the loaded screen in the direction of the construction hut. It was only a distance of about twenty-five feet but the wind was blowing down the valley with a force that would nearly lift them off their feet, and they could only see their destination during split second windows in the fiercely blowing snow when the hut was visible.

  The hut was dilapidated but appeared substantial enough to survive the storm. It was empty except for a few half-empty cement bags and Peter cleared an area of the floor and put Sara’s body there and covered her with the blanket. Peter told Robbie that the bug screen might be needed again and told him to cling tightly to the back of his jacket as they made their way back to the Cadillac. Marie-Louise was still semi-hysterical. “Oh, my God, Peter, she died right there. Please, Peter, I don’t want to stay here. Please take me back to our car, please!

  “Just hang on for a minute and I’ll see what I can do. How about you Sandy? Are you all right?” Sandy looked very pale but she assured him that she would be all right. “How about you, Robbie, will you be all right with Wee Willie?” Robbie assured him that he would be fine and he would look after Wee Willie and also keep the car warm by running the motor from time to time.

  Peter went back to the wagon and asked Jacob if he would return to the Cadillac where he wanted him to help Robbie in ensuring that the car was kept warm enough for the passengers. Peter could not be sure that Jacob even understood him as he helped him back to the other car and then brought Marie-Louise back to the wagon. She was no longer hysterical but, obviously, very upset.

  Once seated in the car Marie-Louise continued her sobbing which was interspersed with pleas to Peter. “Peter, she died right there in the front seat, only a few feet away from me and she didn’t say a thing. Peter, I don’t want to die. What will happen to us? We’ll just die out here. We won’t even receive last rites.”

  This was the first time that Marie-Louise had ever made any reference to religion and he wondered when was the last time she had gone to confession. She just might encounter some difficulty at the Pearly Gates if, indeed, she traveled that way, which he had every reason to doubt.

  He tried to comfort her. “What’s this talk of dying. Nobody else is going to die. We’ll be found just as soon as the storm blows itself out.”

  “No! No! We’re all going to die. I know it. Peter, I’m so sorry for everything and now we’re all going to be punished.” She was approaching the hysterical stage again and Peter, grasping her firmly by both shoulders, and shook her vigorously.

  “Just cut it out, Marie. Don’t be so foolish. Get control over yourself. Take a drink of this, perhaps it will calm you down.” Peter poured a stiff drink of Scotch into a plastic cup and held it to her lips continuing to hold the cup as she drank the whiskey. There was a little bit of sputtering and Peter thought for a moment that she was going to throw up. But she held it down and in a short time the drink seemed to have the desired effect as Marie-Louise calmed down and even appeared to doze off to sleep.

  Peter took another long drink from the bottle and the strenuous physical activity combined with emotional tension took their toll and he fell into a deep sleep. He awakened several hours later. Marie-Louise was still sleeping. He started the engine and turned the heater up to full force and for a long time he just sat there looking at her. “My God,” he thought “she is so beautiful.” The years had been kind to her and he found little wonder that she had always been so attractive to men. Peter thought of the doctor in Quebec City who had done nothing for her in her hour of need many years ago and then refused to help her daughter-or, to be more exact, his daughter-a few days ago even after enjoying Marie-Louise’s favors over the years.

  Perhaps he should not judge her so harshly. He was not blameless. He knew he had succumbed to that old military hazard of drinking too much. This was nearly inevitable on the banquet circuit that he traveled with the Lieutenant-Governor. While he had always been faithful to her, his fidelity had not been that difficult because sex had never been that important to him. His duties had kept him away from home a great deal and there had been opportunities but while he was home their sex had been very satisfying and that was all he needed. He now realized that part of the problem was that he had become very satisfied with himself to a point of smugness. But efforts to rationalize her infidelity, the ultimate act of disloyalty, failed dismally as he remembered that she had been pregnant when they married, and knew it, and had continued her affair with David Vincent at every opportunity in recent years. Hate her? No, not really. He suddenly felt that wave of fatigue sweep over his body and he questioned himself as to whether anything was worth the effort. Then he thought of Robbie and Wee Willie; they made things worth while and poor Sandy was just another victim.

  Meanwhile, back in the Cadillac, Robbie had fallen asleep and Sandy was watching the baby. She had fed him from one of the cans of baby food taken from his travel bag and heated in the “jiffy pot”. She heated one of the few remaining pre-filled bottles also from the travel bag. She laid him down on his bed arranged on the jump seat and gave him his bottle. Wee Willie was soon fast asleep again.

  The heat generated by the “jiffy pot” and the smell of the baby food stirred twinges of nausea in Sandy’s stomach and these increased in intensity to the point where Sandy had no choice but to try and open the window to get her head outside the car. But the window would not move so she opened the door hoping that the fresh air would help to settle her stomach. Once outside the car she was totally unprepared for the force of the wind. She was pushed to the crest of the ramp leading onto the bridge and when her foot came in contact with the ramp it encountered nothing but sheer ice. Her feet went out from under her and she slid down the ramp.

  At the bottom of the ramp she found herself in a snow drift and once again she struggled valiantly to stand up but her feet went out from under her again and this time she tumbled head over heels down the steep bank of the small stream ending up in a heap at the foot of the bridge abutment directly under the ramp. The nausea returned and once again she was violently ill. But now her stomach was empty and waves of nausea resulted in nothing but painful retching.

  Sandy tried to get back on her feet but she had absolutely no strength left in her body. She was desperately tired and she tried to pull her coat closer around her but found that her strength was not even equal to such a simple task. The sleep of total exhaustion was now engulfing her and she did not resist. For many weeks, sleep had offered the only solace for her broken heart and now it returned providing the ultimate shelter from all mortal pain.

  It was late evening and the storm had relented only a few times but, even then, never for more that a minute or so. Through the darkness Peter saw the flickering signal of the Cadillac’s left rear turn signal. He made his way over to the other car and when Robbie lowered the window Peter saw that he was nearly in tears. “It’s Sandy,” he sai
d. “I fell asleep and when I woke up she was gone. I didn’t want to leave Wee Willie alone to go and look for her.”

  “Where is Mr. Rosenburg?” Peter asked.

  “I thought he was with you” Robbie replied. “He said something about smoking a cigar, and I thought he was in the station wagon. What will we do?”

  “You just stay where you are and look after the baby. I’ll look for them.” Peter was alarmed. He felt quite sure as to where he would find Jacob, but had no idea as to where to start looking for Sandy.

  Weather conditions were a little better than they had been earlier in the day so it was not that difficult to make his way to the construction hut. He was right, Jacob was there lying on the bare floor with his arm around Sara as if in the act of protecting her. Jacob was dead. He had just slipped away from the car, found his Sara laid down beside her, and died. Peter spread the blanket as wide as it would extend and covered both of the bodies; it seemed a meaningless gesture, but for Peter it seemed the only thing to do.

  As he left the hut, a flash of color caught his eye. He followed his still limited line of sight with a feeling of deep foreboding. When he reached the base of the bridge abutment, his worst fears were realized. It was Sandy lying there partially covered by snow and curled up in a near fetal position. Tears welled up in his eyes as he realized that she was dead even before he touched her. She was cold and frozen to his touch, and he noticed that she had been violently ill He also noted that the side of her face was streaked with tears now frozen where they had flowed from her now sightless eyes.

  With heavy heart he made his way back towards the Cadillac. He noticed that visibility had improved to the extent that he could now see part way up the steep hill that led to the bridge. He recalled the glimpse of the small building he had caught just before he had been hit by that blast of snow when he had reached the top of the hill. He made his way back to the Cadillac and found Robbie to be nearly frantic. “Where’s Sandy? Did you find her?” He asked.

  “Not yet,” Peter lied, knowing the plan now forming in his mind would require Robbie’s full cooperation. “But I have a plan and it will only work if we work together. I want you to bundle Wee Willie up nice and warm and we’ll make a sled for him with that bug screen we used before. Then, we’re going to take him up the hill and there’s a building near the top of the hill. When I’m sure that the two of you are safe, I’ll come back down. I’ll find Sandy and I’ll bring her and your mother back up the hill.”

  Chapter X

  PETER AND ROBERT

  Robbie made sure that the baby was wrapped up warmly while Peter went back to the station wagon. Marie-Louise was still asleep so he woke her gently. “Don’t move,” Peter told her. “I’m going for help. I’ll leave the motor running so you will be warm. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” She was still drowsy but seemed to understand. He went to the back of the wagon, opened the tailgate and took out the bug screen. As he closed the tailgate, he didn’t notice the two socks that had been wedged in place fall to the ground.

  Robbie was ready when he got back to the Cadillac and they took the bundled up baby in his car seat and put him on the bug screen. Peter took his belt and combined that with a cord from Robbie’s parka and fashioned a towrope for Robbie to use in towing the improvised sled.

  “Now, Robbie, I’m going to walk ahead and break track. You follow me pulling Wee Willie. Be careful, there will be a lot of deep drifts but if we’re lucky the wind may have packed them down which will make it easier for us to get through. Again, be careful and don’t let me get too far ahead.”

  They found it very difficult-going on the steep hill. It was very slippery in places and covered with high snowdrifts in others. Some of the drifts had been glazed over with ice by the fierce wind but others were just thick snow through which Peter had to make a track so Robbie could pull the sled through. Wee Willie thought that this was great fun, a sleigh ride in the dark and the only sound from him was a gleeful laugh whenever Robbie slipped and fell.

  It took them more than an hour to reach the top of the hill and Peter immediately identified the building he had seen and the sign over the entrance. Looking closely Peter could now make out the lettering on the sign as “Laurier Sport Camp.”

  They made their way up the driveway leading to the long, single story building. The snowdrifts were huge and they could only make very slow progress. Peter checked the front door and found it to be locked. He went to one of the windows and, covering his fist with his coat sleeve, broke a small pane of glass and, reaching in, turned the slide on the windowsill and opened the window.

  “Robbie, jump in here and come over to the door and open it. We’ll cover that broken window when we’re inside.”

  Robbie went through the open window and moved over to the door. After opening the standard door lock, Robbie pulled several bolts which were intended to provide additional security and the front door was opened for his father and Wee Willie. Peter found a Coleman lamp, which appeared to have a sound mantle and a partially full reservoir. After a bit of pumping, Peter lit the lamp and their eyes were dazzled momentarily by the bright light. Robbie put a piece of cardboard over the broken pane of glass while Peter carried out a quick inspection of the premises.

  As the sign stated, this was a sports camp with a storage room with shelves on which many pairs of skis were stacked. There were several toboggans, fishing gear, several bunk beds and, most important of all, there was a large camp stove.

  What appeared to be the kitchen had a large wood stove and there was a pile of dry wood stacked in the shed. The cupboards held some dishes and cups and one was full of canned foods. Peter found that the tank on the camp stove was nearly full and he lit it. The room warmed up a little and Peter brought in some kindling and fire wood from the shed and lit the kitchen stove. The temperature soon reached a comfortable level and he joined Robbie in changing Wee Willie. He melted some snow and had enough warm water to give the baby a sponge bath. For Wee Willie, it was all a great adventure and he was obviously totally secure in the presence of Robbie and his Dad.

  Robbie brought in more snow and after melting it down they now used the water to heat up two cans of spaghetti from the kitchen cupboard. Wee Willie had quickly developed a taste for pasta and was very cooperative as Robbie fed him. They warmed one of the last bottles from his travel bag and he was soon sucking on his bottle, the very picture of contentment. When they laid the baby on one of the cots and covered him with a heavy blanket, he was asleep before he had consumed even half of his bottle.

  Robbie finished the spaghetti realizing just how hungry he was. Peter carried out a more detailed inspection of the premises. In a cupboard drawer he found two flashlights but there was very little life in the batteries. He also found a flare pistol that appeared to be in working order, together with two flares.

  “Robbie, this is the next step in our plan.” Peter hesitated as he noticed that Robbie wanted to say something.

  “Dad, would you please call me Robert? I’d really prefer to be called Robert.”

  “No problem; Robert it will be from now on. You’re absolutely right, you’re getting to big for Robbie. Now this is the plan. I’m going to go back down the hill to get your mother and Sandy. The weather isn’t improving and it may take me a while. I want you and the baby to rest here but if I’m not back by first light I want you to take a pair of skis and ski poles from the shed. You won’t need a harness because most of the skis just use the toe strap. Also, take one of the small toboggans. At first light, if I’m not back, I want you to put Wee Willie on the toboggan, put on your skis and start back up the road towards the main highway. Do you understand Robert?” Robert answered positively obviously very proud that his Dad was depending on him.

  “Next, I think you have seen one of these before.” Peter showed Robert the flare pistol and flares. “Remember that motor cruiser course we took
in Saint John and how they demonstrated how the flare pistol could be so useful to signal distress? I think you actually fired the pistol once.”

  “Yes, I remember,” answered Robert. “I fired the pistol twice. It was very easy.”

  “When you leave here at first light take the pistol and the flares with you. If the weather improves I know there will be planes out looking for people who are stranded. If you hear a plane, fire the pistol. Only fire once in case they don’t see you. If the plane is on skis they will pick you up and you can direct them to where the cars are. If it is not on skis, they will call for a ski-equipped plane but I want you to wave directions to them to fly down the road to the bridge. I know, you’re wondering why I don’t fire the flares now but the weather is so bad I don’t think they will be seen. And, there are only the two flares so we can’t take any chance of wasting them. Do you understand our plan Robert.”

  Robert was proud to hear the words “Our plan” and assured his father that he fully understood and his father could depend on him to carry out his orders.

  “It’s about four a.m. so we can expect first light in a few hours. I’m going to take a pair of snowshoes from the shed and start back down. The baby is asleep and I want you to rest for a while. Robert, you and Wee Willie are very important to me. You are a very brave young man and I’m very proud of you.”

  “You can depend on me Dad”Robert said as his father enclosed him in a firm embrace. “We love you very much. Don’t worry, I’ll look after Wee Willie. He’ll be safe with me.” He then watched as his father kissed Wee Willie on the forehead as the baby slept.

  “I’m off” Peter announced as he went out the door. He did not look back and Robert thought he could detect tears in his father’s eyes but that was probably because of the fierce wind now blowing directly into his eyes. Robert checked the kitchen stove and added firewood then lay down on the cot beside the baby.