by Brenda Beem
“She lost a lot of blood, but she’s awake. She’ll be okay.” I glanced at Makala who was standing next to Takumi, listening to every word. I pointed to the fire pit. “This looks great, but I didn’t expect it to be so big.”
Makala’s mouth turned down. Takumi waited patiently while she reached into a pile and handed Takumi a brick. He smiled at her. “Isn’t it super? I couldn’t have done it without such a great helper. It does take up a lot of room, but will be worth it. You’ll see. And we can climb on the seats to go back and forth to the cabin.”
Makala grinned and gave Takumi three more bricks. He placed them under the bottom metal grate to raise it up. “Needs air flow.”
Then he opened a hatch. What once had been the place we kept the boat’s docking fenders, was now a wood storage bin. The fenders hung off the lifelines. The bin was full of gathered wood.
He pulled out a thin board and two small drift logs. Makala helped him carry the thin board to the barbecue. “Do we have any paper we can start the fire with?” he asked.
The only paper I could think of was Dad’s log book and the novels we’d just brought on board. Then I remembered the stack of National Geographic magazines Mom always kept on the boat.
I hated ripping out the gorgeous pictures, but soon we had a smoky fire. I closed the cabin hatch to keep the smoke from going below. After a little while, the wood dried out and actual flames erupted. We had heat on the boat.
“’ervis,” Makala called out. Look what Takumi and I made.”
Jervis joined us at the fire. “Awesome,” he said and high-fived Takumi and Makala. I grinned.
Dylan stood at the wheel ignoring us.
I handed Makala a black rubber bucket. “Do you think you can fill the bucket with snow?” I helped her put on a pair of gloves Takumi and I had found in a bin that first day.
She nodded. “What are we going to do with it?”
I’d planned to gather snow for the sun shower, but when I saw her eager face I whispered, “Make snowballs.”
“Can I throw one at Dylan?” she whispered, her eyes glowing with excitement.
I nodded and glanced at my stoic brother. “I’ll help you.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Angelina, Five Days to Go
Makala landed a fluffy snowball on Dylan’s chest.
“Ahaw!” Dylan pretended surprise. The fight was on.
Makala squealed and hid behind Jervis. Boots jumped and barked, caught up in the excitement. I hit Takumi right between the eyes. He dropped a handful of snow down my back. Zoë joined us and used Dylan as a human shield, turning him toward any snowballs that came their way. I’d never seen Makala laugh so hard.
After the fight we hovered around the fire, smiling and reliving our fun. Jervis held Makala on his lap.
“Did you see the one I threw at Dylan?” Makala giggled and peered shyly at my brother.
Nick came up top to warm himself and report on Angelina. She’d fallen into a restful sleep. The pain pills were helping. The smiles around the fire faded.
Nick and Jervis avoided eye contact and tossed small pieces of wood at the fire.
“We need hot chocolate!” I announced during the awkward silence.
Most of the supplies we’d scavenged still sat in bags or pillow cases on the couches in the main cabin. Takumi and I headed below to check them out. We tried to be quiet so we didn’t wake Angelina.
There weren’t any packages of cocoa mix, but I did find a plastic squirt bottle of chocolate syrup. I held it in the air victorious. Takumi gave me the thumbs up sign.
“I’m going to heat some water over the barbecue,” Takumi whispered and then filled the teakettle. “We should save the propane for times we can’t have a fire.”
I hated seeing Mom’s copper bottomed tea kettle sitting on top of the grill over an open fire. After a few minutes the pot became black. But soon steam poured from the spout. The barbecue fire worked.
Makala sang and acted out, “I’m a little teapot,” at least a dozen times before the pot actually boiled. When the spout whistle blew, she shrieked, “Tip me over, an’ pour me out! Tip me over…”
Jervis grabbed her and flipped her upside down. She laughed hysterically.
Takumi passed around mugs, squirted chocolate in the bottom, and poured steaming water into the cups. The hot chocolate water tasted wonderful. We told ourselves that real hot chocolate wouldn’t have been any better. Makala wanted marshmallows. Jervis pretended to put some in her cup.
“Wait until they melt,” Jervis said.
Makala scowled. “Are they melted yet?”
“No, not yet,” Jervis said again and again until the water had cooled.
The fire made staying on deck in the cold bearable, pleasant even. The problem was going to be getting a supply of wood. Even if we kept the fire small, we were going to burn up what we had in a couple of days. But I could worry about that later. I just sat back, enjoying my drink and the warmth of the flames.
The sky changed from gray to black. Night was only slightly darker than daytime. The wind continued to pick up and Whistler flew over the water. The wind made the cold air frostier.
There was still no service on any of our cells. According to Dylan, we were behind schedule. He Dad would find a way to be on the island before us, and might leave. I was sure Dad would wait.
Takumi, Jervis, and I watched the fire pit as the boat tipped or heeled over. The fire stayed at the bottom. I could tell how pleased the guys were that their idea worked.
Even Dylan gave up his skepticism and warmed his hands over the flames. As the night grew colder, he taped the boat hook to the ship’s wheel, and moved closer to the fire. He steered using the pole.
It finally stopped snowing. Takumi and I took over driving the boat. Zoë sat on Dylan’s lap with a blanket wrapped around them. Makala held a stick in the fire, burned the tip, and swirled the lit end in the air. It kinda looked like a sparkler.
After a while, Takumi picked up the dirty cups that were rolling around the deck and carried them below. Dylan and Zoë went to bed. I took over the wheel, loving the way I could stay warm and steer. Makala threw her stick in the fire and yawned.
“Where’s Makala going to sleep tonight?” Jervis asked.
I thought for a moment. “She and Boots should sleep where they always do, in the bedroom. Angelina doesn’t need a dog pouncing on her.”
Makala frowned. “I want to sleep with Sissy.”
The wind direction changed and we heeled to the other side. Makala fell toward the barbecue. Jervis caught her just in time. Boots slid off the seat and hung by a rope tied to the lifeline. I shoved the little dog back onto the bench and ran to the wheel.
“Let out more sail,” I told Jervis.
Jervis held Makala under one arm and let out the main. Whistler leveled out. I checked our heading. We were still going southwest.
“Makala, go below and hold on.” I adjusted the wheel.
Jervis looked from me to Makala.
Dylan stuck his head out the cabin opening. “What’s going on?”
“Just a gust. Makala, go to Dylan. Jervis, hand down the dog too. It’s getting too rough up here.”
Dylan made a face, but took Boots and Makala.
Takumi rushed up the stairs past Dylan. Jervis made the main sail smaller by reefing. Takumi held the wheel with two hands. We were tipped way over. It was hard not to slide off the seat. But with the smaller sail, we leveled out.
Jervis went below to check on Makala. When he came back, he said Makala was wedged in at the chart table and looking at National Geographic magazines. He sat down across from me. “Nick, Zoë and Dylan are fixing dinner. Angelina needs something in her stomach before she has another pill.”
We kept the fire low in case the boat tipped. I was about to lean over and put another piece of wood on the fire when the boat headed up a swell and came down hard. Angelina screamed.
“I’ll go,” I told Jervis and
leapt down the stairs. Angelina and Nick were still on the mattress on the floor.
“That crash was painful,” Nick told me. “The pills should kick in soon.”
Angelina’s eyes were closed, her mouth a line of agony. Makala sat at the chart table, her eyes wide with fright.
“What are you looking at, Makala?” I peered down at the magazine.
Makala shook her head and whispered, “I don’t know.”
I leaned in to study it closer and smiled. “That’s a sky full of butterflies. They fly long distances every year. These ones are called monarchs.”
Makala squinted. “Butterflies?” She turned the page and a single butterfly was featured. “Butterflies!” Her face lit up and all fear was gone for the moment.
Dylan and Zoë were examining macaroni and cheese boxes they’d found in the piles of stuff we’d brought back from Grays Harbor.
Dylan held up a box. “I think these are still good. We’ll make sure everything boils. There are four boxes. We’ll make them all.”
“Don’t we need milk and butter?” Zoë made a face.
“You’ll have to make do with sea water,” I said.
Soon the macaroni and cheese was done and tasted almost as good as the chocolate water. I carried plates up to Takumi and Jervis. Zoë and Dylan ate and raved about how wonderful their meal was. Angelina had a few bites and a pain pill. Makala nibbled slowly, turning pages in the magazine, and smacking her lips. Boots went from person to person, begging for bites.
When dinner was over, Zoë laid her plate down. “We made dinner. Someone else should do the dishes.”
I rolled my eyes. Takumi and I had prepared almost every meal on the boat. He usually washed up. It wasn’t worth another fight. I washed the dishes using the hot water from the macaroni. When the galley was clean I asked Nick if he needed anything.
“Get Makala ready for bed,” he whispered.
Makala was overtired and didn’t want to leave her sister to change into her pajamas or brush her teeth. After a long struggle, she was ready. I looked through a bag of books from Grays Harbor and found a picture book.
“Come on, Makala. Say good night and let’s go to bed.” I held the book and pointed to the girls’ cabin.
“Boots wants to sleep with Sissy,” she whined.
“Your sister is hurt. Boots might forget and jump on her. He can run around on our bed. Come on. I’ll read you a new story.”
“That book is for babies,” Makala scowled.
“Makala!” Angelina said in a stern, but weak voice.
“Well, it is.” Makala scooted away from me before I could stop her. She crawled across the mattress, snuggled next to her sister, and glared at me.
Angelina sighed and closed her eyes.
“That went well,” Dylan smirked. He scooped Boots up and handed him to me. “Wake us when it’s our shift.”
“Wait! Zoë. Here,” I cried.
“That stinky dog is not sleeping with us,” Dylan growled.
“Boots isn’t stinky,” Makala said with her thumb in her mouth.
“Not the dog. Find a place for this stuff.” I handed Zoë two of her pillowcases. One was full of clothes, the other, shoes. Dylan raised his eyebrows and Zoë thrust the bags at him.
Boots whined and wiggled in my arms, desperate to be with Makala. I finally gave up and sat him on the mattress. Makala pulled him close. Nick draped a blanket over the pair and settled back down on the other side of Angelina.
I studied the mess on Takumi’s bed. The supplies we’d gathered in Grays Harbor were piled high. One after another, I emptied pillowcases and boxes. Books I stowed in the small shelves on both sides of the cabin. Clean towels I stuffed in the bathroom locker. Cans of soup, tuna, and tomato sauce I stacked in the food lockers. My mouth watered at the thought of new food.
But not all of the food was in good shape. A water-damaged bag of flour, two wet boxes of Hamburger Helper, and a rock hard box of biscuit mix were left on the kitchen counter for Takumi to check out. He would probably toss it all.
“Wow!” I said softly. I gawked at what had been lying beneath all the supplies. A giant bag of dog food sprawled across the bed. It was large kibble, the pieces too big for Boots, but we could break them up. The bag would keep Boots fed for a year.
“Who found the dog food?” I asked.
Zoë answered from behind the closed door of their cabin. “Dylan did… Ouch! Well, you did.”
I chuckled and searched for a place to stow it.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Freezing, Four Days to Go
Takumi, Jervis, and I stayed on deck for over five hours that night. The fire made it easier, but I was chilled and exhausted when I finally went below.
It had snowed again, hard. I hung my frozen coat and gloves in the shower. Nick and Makala slept soundly next to Angelina. I didn’t see or hear Boots, but knew he was under the covers somewhere.
I tried to be quiet when I roused Nick for his shift. Angelina woke up anyhow.
“How are you feeling?” I whispered.
“Fine,” she replied, but then moaned with pain.
“You don’t sound fine. Do you want another pain pill?”
Boots stuck his head out of the blankets. I covered both he and a sleeping Makala back up.
“Do you think I should?” Angelina said. “Don’t people get addicted to those?”
“If you need one, you should take one. It will help you sleep and heal faster. Besides, there aren’t enough on board to support any type of habit.”
“Okay then, if you’re sure. But can you help me to the bathroom first?”
I held onto her from her good side. Any movement to her shoulder hurt. Without warning, the boat tipped way over. I grabbed an overhead railing with one hand and tried to hold Angelina with the other. She swung around me and slammed against the wall. Angelina groaned and closed her eyes. I don’t know how she kept from screaming.
When the boat righted, I managed to get her to the bathroom and back to bed without damaging her further. I panicked when I saw her dressing had started to bleed through.
I called for Zoë to get up and check Angelina’s bandage. She had a knack for wrapping it so it stayed on tight. Something I didn’t seem able to do.
While I waited for Zoë, I helped Angelina drink a glass of water.
Zoë and Dylan stepped out of their berth. I showed her Angelina’s bleeding bandage. She calmly nodded and opened up some fresh bandage material. I was so grateful for Zoë’s extra medical supplies. What we had on board would already have been used up.
I held my breath, hoping I hadn’t really damaged Angelina. Zoë didn’t think the bleeding was serious. I started breathing again.
Zoë went to the sink and washed the blood off her hands. She shoved her hair under a stocking hat, glanced up the steps, and shuddered. “Is it still snowing?”
Jervis passed by and shook his coat. Ice droplets flew in the air. Zoë squealed.
I shushed her. “It snowed lots. We stayed up five hours so you could get some sleep. We’d appreciate the same.”
Zoë sighed and opened the canvas flap to the outside. Cold air poured down at us.
“Close the flap! Close the flap,” Jervis and I whispered.
Takumi came down and peered over my shoulder. “You look good in the galley.” He nuzzled my neck and pulled me close.
I yelped. “You’re freezing.” His coat was covered in snow and his hands were icy.
“You’re no fun!” He grinned and headed to the bathroom to shed his gear.
Jervis climbed over the mattress to check on Angelina. She grimaced as he put an extra pillow under her head.
“Zoë just changed her bandage. She bumped the wall on the way to the bathroom and reopened her wound.”
For the next three days, Makala and Boots snuggled with Angelina in the main cabin. Angelina needed someone to hold her in place when the boat rocked from side to side. Nick and Jervis took turns lying beside
her. After a while it didn’t seem strange at all.
Makala managed to sleep while rolling back and forth with the rhythm of the boat. Boots snored.
I had a bedroom all to myself. At first I was thrilled, but it was cold. I missed Makala and Boots’ warm little bodies next to mine.
After one long and extremely cold shift, Takumi stood in my bedroom doorway shivering. “Can I come in? I’ll leave the door open.”
His manners made me smile. He climbed on the bed and wrapped one of my blankets around himself.
“Look what I found.” He showed me a deck of playing cards.
“Cards?”
“Do you play?” he asked.
“Sure,” I giggled. So much for romance.
We propped up on pillows and played Go Fish and then poker. I always seemed to lose. For some reason, I found that terribly funny.
“Hush,” Jervis came to the door. “You’re waking Makala and Boots.” He closed the bedroom door behind him.
Takumi and I gazed into each other’s eyes. My face burned. He pulled me close, and gently kissed my forehead, my nose, and then my lips. My arms wrapped tight around his neck. I held him close and kissed him back. Our bodies pressed together. Our kisses grew deeper. Soon we were gasping for breath.
Takumi rolled over on his back, taking me with him. “I should go.”
“No, don’t.” I whispered. “But… I can’t, not here…”
“I know. I’ll hold you.” Takumi pushed a strand of my hair aside. “I just want to be with you.”
“Then I think we should try and get some sleep.” I kissed his cheek and rested my head on his chest. His heart was beating fast. “We only have a couple of hours before we have to go back out there.”
He sighed and stroked my hair. I tucked the covers in around us and curled up beside him. It took a long time for our breathing to slow down.
And then my bedroom door crashed open.
Dylan stormed into the room, still wearing his ice covered jacket. “What the hell! Takumi, you’re a dead man.”
Takumi and I bolted up from the bed. Dylan’s face was purple with rage.