Back To Our Beginning

by C. L. Scholey

  They needed to start on more beds and coverings. Few tables, chairs, mattresses and small useful pieces of furniture were salvaged as quickly as possible from the surrounding cottages. Dragging larger items through the dense woods and snow was tedious with only two men, as one now always remained at the mine to guard their most vulnerable survivors. They were careful during any outing to mark small caves, cellars or other possible shelters they might need to seek refuge in if a storm came upon them. These were stacked with wood, tinder and kindling for an easy fire.

  Michaela came running in from outside, followed closely by Ricky, her cheeks were rosy and she smelled fresh from a slight breeze that had blown through her clothes.

  “Here, Mommy.” Michaela proudly shoved a purple flower into Tansy’s hand. She was surprised to see it was a crocus.

  “It’s spring,” Tansy said, hard-pressed not to cry grateful tears. She had wondered for months if she would ever be warm again. She held up the tiny wilting flower in triumph and hugged her daughter. Nature found its way home.

  * * * *

  The steaks were medium rare, a bit sweet and gamey, but juicy and the seasoning added a wonderful taste and aroma. The meat would be a welcome relief. But they wished for more, craved more, needed more. Thankfully with spring on the way it would mean vegetables, the healthy sustaining greens of summer. They needed the bounty of vitamins and minerals to survive and keep disease away. Scurvy was a threat, as was cholera or dysentery. Any one of these could kill them.

  Ricky and Michaela looked thin, pale and tired. Perhaps not always being on the move and more settled would help all of them put some weight back on. It was a combination of a miracle, fortitude and perseverance that they had survived this long. With spring approaching, they had new hope. They could plan for their future. If winter found them here again, they would be ready. They could make it work because they had to and had hope.

  Even if spring was here, they could see a storm blowing up outside between the small cracks on the wooden frames they built to cover the entrances. The frames had been dug down into the ground. These were solid logs laid upright inches or less apart, painstakingly gathered from the forest floor near the mine, and wedged tightly under the top opening of the mouth of the mine, pushed against a slight overhang. Tree branches of spruce and pine had been woven tightly between the logs and lashed to them securely with ripped pieces of women’s nylons, extension cords and the wiring from Christmas lights they found in and around the home Tansy and Ethan had ransacked.

  Smaller logs were fashioned into a door set above the ground for an easier entry. Their ‘door’ could also be secured when all were within by leaning a few thicker sturdy logs against them and wedging them into the ground. Aidan suggested if they could dig clay from the bottom of the mine they could use it and rocks to make a more invincible barrier, as they’d need to remove the pine branches eventually. As well, the group had decided to return to one of the homes to secure the wood stove and piping. It would be a heavy and tedious venture on foot but worth the effort for the warmth it would provide. They wanted to build the frames around the piping to let the smoke out, but would need to be certain the frames were secure and wouldn’t catch fire. They would need more protection.

  Not wanting to frighten the others, Aidan had noticed that the elk was thin, which was not too unusual this time of year. But the bear had been huge and well fed; he could only offer a gruesome thought as to why. Though grizzlies have been known to attack man, this grizzly had come seeking its favored and lately most helpless victims. Aidan could only surmise how many people had fallen victim to this bear and how many other animals were benefitting from the death and remains of humans. With the world so unsettled it seemed to have pulled hibernating animals from their slumber and introduced a few to a grisly feeding frenzy.

  “No bed,” Michaela’s shrill howl penetrated Aidan’s thoughts.

  “Yes bed,” Tansy informed her firmly.

  “If you go to bed, I’ll tell you a story,” Clint promised.

  “’Bout what?” Michaela said with a pout. Clint’s charming smile had her relenting quickly enough, as she cuddled into his lap.

  “Tigers,” he said and growled low in his throat causing the child’s eyes to widen on a hesitant smile. At Tansy’s stern look, Clint shrugged his little boy shrug and tried again. “‘Dancin’ tigers?” he offered instead and cocked a brow at Tansy mischievously.

  “Do they wear leotards and tutus?” Michaela asked.

  “You betcha they do, bright glowin’ red ones.”

  Michaela giggled then settled back while Clint spun a tale of dancing tigers that donned their leotards after dark because the elephants laughed at their tutus.

  Soon Michaela was sound asleep along with Ricky who had laughed at the singing monkeys. It seemed if the tigers could dance, the monkeys could sing and instead of laughing at the tigers, the elephants were encouraged to provide the music. They all had to live in harmony after that. If they didn’t and ended up eating or hurting each other there would be no more music. That would indeed be sad. After Clint’s story, Shanie mentioned she sure did miss her cell phone and her iPod. Then they all settled for the night.

  * * * *

  “Aidan, can I ask you something?” Emmy said to the big man; he stood well over a foot taller than her. She looked up into his rugged handsome face. Although having overcome her fear of him and Ethan, she was still quite shy.

  Aidan smiled at the young pretty woman. He marveled again for the hundredth time that this tiny slip of a girl killed a grizzly, albeit there was a lot of luck involved.

  “Sure Emmy, what is it?”

  Aidan was heavily involved in making a frame to cure the fur of the bear. Because it had been Emmy’s kill, luck or not, Aidan had offered her and Shanie a trade. Aidan had asked if he worked the bearskin for them, in turn the girls would trade the mink fur coat to him for his bed. They had readily agreed, the bear being much thicker and warmer.

  “I was wondering,” Emmy began hesitantly. The look of embarrassment on Emmy’s face made Aidan pause in his work and he offered her his absolute attention. “How did you shave your face?”

  “Shave?” Aidan asked, taken somewhat by surprise. At Emmy’s slight nod he scratched his head curiously. “Why?”

  “Because the hair on her legs look like a pelt and she’s afraid you might skin her if you see them,” Shanie voiced loudly from close by. Mortified, Emmy squealed in outrage.

  “Well, we could make coiled and pleated ropes out of your underarm hair.”

  “Ladies, please,” Aidan said, throwing his arms out to separate them.

  “Someone find me a spear.” Emmy growled advancing.

  “Oh, save me. The big bad bear killer is gonna get me,” Shanie shrieked melodramatically and danced backwards as Emmy lunged for her.

  With an arm around Emmy’s waist, Aidan picked her up off the ground. With Clint’s aid, who snatched up Shanie and headed with her in the opposite direction, they effectively stopped a physical confrontation, but tempers were flaring. Michaela began to cry as her sisters yelled heatedly at each other. Ricky joined in her howls; he didn’t like to see his friend so distressed. Soon the whole mine seemed in an uproar.

  “Enough,” Ethan bellowed, shocking everyone into surprised silence. They all stopped and looked at him openmouthed, as he was the most even tempered of all and not prone to outbursts. “You know what we need?” he asked the group in general, assessing everyone.

  “Boxing gloves?” Tansy asked mischievously.

  “No,” he admonished. “We need to have a little fun.” He clapped his hands together. “I have had an epiphany.”

  “Don’t say it,” Tansy warned Clint, she glanced at his confused look and saw the rusty mind was at it again.

  “Well, he didn’t look like he’d jist pissed himself,” Clint mumbled anyway.

  Tansy shook her head in disgust.

  “What I meant was,” Ethan began and gave a hard
stare in Clint’s direction, “that we could use the garbage bags, find us a hill and go tobogganing.”

  The idea was met with a whoop of delight from Ricky and because he was so happy Michaela became happy; they bounced up and down and hugged one another. It had been a long time since either of them had really been out to just play. Their exuberance was an inspiring sight, too innocent to resist. Although Tansy worried about getting cold and wet, she elicited a promise from the men; they would bring in snow and everyone could have a wash in a hot tub afterwards. They soon had everyone dressed warmly, if in mismatched clothing.

  Moving the door partition back took a bit of strength, as the snow and ice had piled against it. But they soon had enough space to squeeze through. Ethan and Aidan brought out the garbage bags and a small hill within sight of the mine was found. With Michaela held securely in his lap Clint was happily flying down the hill at an alarming rate, howling excitedly for the world to hear that he was having fun. Once reaching the bottom he scooped up Michaela into his arms and raced through the snow to the top of the hill. Ethan and Ricky had already gone, but the bag slipped out from beneath them and they tumbled down the last few feet. They returned laughing and bright-eyed.

  “Come on, Tansy,” Clint yelled.

  Clint grabbed up a protesting Tansy and before she knew it, she was sailing down the hill adding her own screams to Clint’s howls as the trees rushed past in a frenzy, snow flying in their wake. They landed at the bottom in a heap of snowy arms and legs. Tansy, lying beneath a large and heavy Clint, looked up into vibrantly blue laughing eyes. Before she knew what was happening his look turned serious and his mouth descended. He kissed her. It had been so long since she had physical contact, at first she responded to his soft exploration, until Clint’s lips became more demanding while cupping the back of her head.

  When his warm moist tongue invaded her mouth greedily to explore, she began to struggle beneath him, until they both went flying as Aidan and Shanie crashed into them. Tansy was up on her feet, shaking off the covering snow; she headed to the mine alone. She insisted she needed to check on the bath water. She moved off, almost running in her haste to escape the embarrassing scene and was gone before anyone could think to offer up a protest.

  Clint watched her as she disappeared. Worry for her safety had him about to follow, until he felt a snowball explode onto his chest. Surprised, he looked around seeking the culprit.

  “Mom needs some space, and Mike wants you to play,” Shanie told him.

  Shanie had seen them kiss and had mixed feelings. Her loyalty was with her father, but he was gone and would never be back. Her mother couldn’t stay alone forever. Though Shanie liked Clint, she knew her mother never had a chance to grieve, none of them had. Their losses and stress were too overwhelming emotionally; they needed more time. Survival for their lives was paramount and foremost taking precedence in their thoughts.

  * * * *

  Tansy entered the mine carefully. After glancing about she decided it was safe to enter. She felt it was, but a hasty decision could produce another encounter with an animal she’d rather avoid. Tansy sat near one of the fires that had died down to smoldering ash and rocked herself back and forth. She was confused and embarrassed, she felt as if she were betraying Shane. She wanted to be loved again, she knew that. She didn’t know if she wanted Clint. Tansy liked him, respected his altruism; he was wonderful with Michaela and her other girls, but was he someone she wanted to be with in a physical and emotional way?

  Smiling wryly at the thought she determined that yes, there was a definite physical attraction. Clint was exceedingly well built and handsome. But what about her emotional and social needs? Clint was funny and sweet, but putting it delicately; his elevator didn’t always go to the top floor. Tansy didn’t want to feel shallow. It wasn’t as if they were going to be fighting over which plays and movies to go see. There would be no bestsellers to offer a debate, the ballet was non-existent. Not even a baseball or hockey game to start an interesting conversation. Clint could hunt, he was powerful, and he wanted her, of that there was no doubt. But what did she want for herself?

  “Damn,” she muttered and rose to her feet, intent on busying herself with work. A pot of melted fat sat nearby perched on three rocks, which accidently tipped when her foot caught one of the stones, sending it over into the hot ash in her haste. It sizzled, spit and sparked startling her and she jumped, grabbing for the water boiling in one of the pans for the bath, tossing it over the fat.

  “Great. What a mess.” Her hand swatted absently before her against the billowing smoke.

  Tansy sat there staring into the watery mess angry with herself. She’d have to restart the fire, and grabbed up a stick to pull the watery fat to the sides of the pit. As she did, she saw she was creating suds. Curious, Tansy began thinking hard; she remembered reading a book once about making soap. Excitedly she racked her brains and remembered it was fat, ash and water. She grabbed up her book and became elated at reading a small part about making soap an antiseptic by adding horseradish root or pine resin.

  Tansy grabbed the pot originally containing fat and dropped more into the pot. After starting a small fire she set the pot over the stones surrounding it, careful to keep from upsetting it once more. She then mixed water and ash in another container. By the time the others returned Tansy had strained the water and ash mixture through a cloth and boiled it with equal amounts of melted fat then simmered it. The contents had cooled and she sat smiling at everyone.

  “I’m making soap,” she told them excitedly.

  “Mom, you take your bath way too seriously,” Shanie told her.

  Clint had been reluctant to enter the mine, wondering if Tansy was angry with him. He had been surprised at her response when he had kissed her, elated she had responded. Then when she began struggling, he was dismayed. He was wondering at the reception he was about to receive and found himself smiling back at her.

  “Look,” Tansy exclaimed, holding up a mass of suds that slipped through her fingers.

  “Where did you get that?” Ethan asked.

  “I made it.”

  Tansy then explained to the group about ash, fat and water, and how she had come about putting it together. Clint was troubled, knowing it was him that caused her frustration. But if Tansy was annoyed with him, she gave no indication; she seemed impressed with herself. She picked up her soap concoction and Michaela and headed for the wash tub. Michaela was soon splashing and Tansy was soaping them both.

  It was late afternoon when everyone was clean and dressed. They took up overlooked tasks with more enthusiasm being refreshed. Tansy talked Michaela into taking a nap. Ricky succumbed soon to sleep as well on Tansy’s bed, having no one to play with and after a busy morning of fun. Aidan returned to making the frame for the bear fur and with the help of Clint soon had the fur stretched out as tightly as possible. They made small holes all around the fur and tied it tightly by using string Aidan found. Aidan and Clint then moved the frame near the fire to aid in drying it.

  Aidan explained the smoke from the fire would help preserve it. After doing this Aidan began scraping the skin to remove fat and flesh with a sharp rock; he told Clint, who aided him, to scrape gently lest they damage the skin. Aidan wanted the fur left on the bearskin but told Clint after they cleaned the elk hide he would soak its skin in water for two or three days. He explained he would then be able to pull the hair off easier. They finished by rubbing the bearskin hide with wood ash.

  Continuing his explanation for the others, Aidan told them he needed to make a mixture of animal fat and brains that would have to be simmered over the trench fire until it made an even consistency. After the skin was scraped on both sides of the elk while wet, he would then work the concoction into the skin. Afterwards, he would dry the elk skin as he was the bear fur, near the fires in the smoke alcove to make it supple. Also the animal fat or tallow from suet would make the skin waterproof.

  “What are you going to make with it?
” Shanie asked Aidan.

  “I can make lots of things,” Aidan boasted.

  Shanie was surprised at his knowledge and was amazed he would think to glue rubber from old tires or pieces of trampoline to moccasins for stronger footwear. He told them grass and feathers could be used as insulators along with moss. Aidan also delicately mentioned that soft scrap pieces of hide could be used for a woman’s personal needs. Hides could be used as bedding, clothing, footwear, lashings, door covers or if necessary food.

  “You’re amazing,” Emmy told Aidan in wide-eyed awe.

  Aidan colored and offered her a smile of thanks. She seemed so sincere in her innocence, he was hard-pressed not to gush in his enthusiasm. He also made a mental note of making sure the girls would get a great deal of much needed scraps, even if it meant he wouldn’t be able to make moccasins to match a shirt. Though his boots were definitely showing signs of wear and tear as were everyone else’s. He realized he would need to teach them all how to make a more substantial footwear.

  Off in another area Ethan was making his son a bed fashioned after the one Clint had made. Aidan gave him sinew from the animals and told him it would dry hard and strong to help hold the bed together with duct tape. When finished, Ethan blew up two small air mattresses they found in the closet of a half-standing home, and would place one on Michaela’s bed when she awoke and one on Ricky’s overtop a small sheet of the plastic strips Emmy had been crocheting together, hoping to keep the bough branches from puncturing the mattresses.

  With the mines entrances barricaded, they were feeling more secure and though they kept many fires going, it was mostly for warmth and comfort. Many fires meant they had more light to work on many different projects. Tansy was able to cook their food over the grill and worked at carving out a wooden bowl from a piece of wood. Aidan told her she could use sandstone like a piece of sandpaper to make it smooth. Though they had plates and bowls collected from the few remaining standing homes, they realized once these broke they would be unable to purchase more and had best get used to creating their own.