by Toni Mozzie
“What’s your favorite song?” Maggie asked the darkness.
Her question was met with silence.
He can’t be sleeping already, she thought.
“Hey!” she nudged the body next to her.
He grunted and disappeared deeper into his sleeping bag.
“Hey, I can’t sleep.”
“What?”
“I said I can’t sleep.”
“No, I meant what as in, ‘What the hell did you wake me up for to tell me this?’”
“How can you sleep at a time like this?”
“At a time like what? Night time?”
“No, I mean squeezed into a tent in the middle of the wilderness during a snowstorm.”
“You get used to it.”
“You’ve done this before?”
“Of course I have. This is where I live.”
“You live in a tent?”
“Jesus, no. I meant the area, the land. Go to sleep. You’ll need your energy tomorrow. It will be a long day.”
She lay for another ten minutes, listening to the sounds of the storm and the forest around them groaning as it bore the brunt of the blizzard’s wrath.
“So those sounds are normal.”
“All I hear is your mouth. And as much as I like its look and sound, I would not prefer its company at this moment.”
“Yeah? You wouldn’t be saying that if I was going down on you now.”
“Maggie, now who’s acting like a—”
“Got it, sorry. So those sounds are normal?”
“Right. It’s all normal. Why? Because it’s night, so every animal, every monster, even every tax evader is sleeping right now, except you and me.”
“What if a wild animal isn’t sleeping though? What’s the name of that vicious nocturnal animal?”
“Vampire?”
“No, the real one. What would we do?”
“I’ll shoot it with a tranquilizer dart.”
“You have one?”
“You bet, and I’m not opposed to using it on you if you don’t get to sleep.”
“Ha-ha,” she muttered, relieved. “What time should we get up?”
“Soon, so go to sleep.”
“Did you set your alarm clock?” she asked.
“Why bother?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
When he said nothing, she rolled over on her side, away from him and wrapped herself snuggly into her sleeping bag. She wasn’t cold but she wasn’t overheated.
She wouldn’t mind it being a little warmer though and debated asking if she could sleep with him. She didn’t need to, but she imagined how heavenly it would be to fall asleep in his arms, his soft smooth skin and burning heat enveloping her, slowly soothing her to sleep.
She felt comfortable though. He had thought of everything: sleeping bags, pillows, sleeping mats, and a small heater that was inside the tent and gave off a soft faint glow that made Maggie feel she was immersed in the dying embers of a fire.
Maggie had no idea when she’d fallen asleep. She wasn’t sure she had, but she was awoken with a violent shake.
“What the hell?” she stammered, as her head cleared, and she realized where she was. She looked up.
Adam was staring down at her with a big wicked grin. “You can’t imagine how satisfying it was to wake you up. I hope you are feeling as tired as I am. Come on, you have five minutes to be out of that bag and get something to eat.”
Maggie moaned. “Give me another half hour.”
“I’ve already given you a half hour. If I give you any more time, my dogs will have puppies.”
Maggie’s head shot up. “Your dogs are pregnant?”
“Not yet, so let’s hurry up.”
She groaned and turned over and buried her head deeper into her pillow. She heard Adam leave the tent. She exhaled and smiled warmly to herself as she allowed herself to fall back into sweet dreams that slowly recede into blissful nothingness.
A dream of running in meadows ending in a pebbly shore with seals coming out of the ocean to dance with her. Then another seal, and then a third and then a midget ballerina and then rocks were falling out of the sky and just when that became too odd, she woke up. Three snow covered dogs were inside the tent trampling over her, shaking the snow and ice off their fur.
Maggie shrieked and sat up, the cold air in the tent and the colder air from outside rushing in burned her skin. “The dogs are in the tent!”
Adam poked his head in through the flap. “Oh, sorry about that; I must have forgotten to zip the flap up. They look excited to get going.” He disappeared back outside, but she could still hear him say, “You have four minutes.”
“Well, get the dogs out so I can get dressed.”
He stuck his head back in and whistled at the dogs, which promptly scrambled out of the tent. “You are dressed, just put your skidoo suit on and come get some coffee, a coffee crisp and some beans. You’re eating some beans for breakfast whether you like it or not. It’ll put hair on your chest, at least for as long as they are in your system.”
Maggie started shivering before she could scramble into the snowsuit. She stuck her head out the tent. Adam was over the fire tending to a pot. The sky was gray and blurry with flurries and blowing snow. The weather was worse than yesterday.
Suddenly Maggie felt sick to her stomach and gagged.
Adam looked up at her and smiled. “Not an early bird?”
“I usually don’t crawl out of bed and into a snow bank.”
“You get used to it. Look, eat something and then let’s get going. If you haven’t noticed, it’s snowing harder and faster,” he said. “We have to get a move on.”
As Maggie ate, Adam quickly dismantled camp and in fifteen minutes they were ready.
“How far do we have to go?”
“I’d say we should make it before dark.”
“So we won’t have to spend another night out here?”
Adam looked at her with soulful eyes. She thought that perhaps she had hurt his feelings.
“Not if we hit the road by dark. I’m fine with traveling along the road through dusk. I say we’ll make it. Make sure you hit the snow bank before we head out, as there won’t be public washrooms quite as luxurious as the faculties you enjoyed here at camp.”
Leaving camp, the two whisked through the woods toward Bender’s Peak, the dogs striding at a good pace. The snow was coming down thick, and before they had gone two miles it was blinding. The sky had grown darker as the day drew on and the whirling flakes looked more mad and frenzied. Their clothing became white.
“I can hardly see anything,” Maggie uttered, growing nervous. She felt that they could crash into a tree at any moment. She strained her eyes to see into the distance but could only see a few yards ahead of her. She squeaked in alarm when a tree or hill appeared suddenly out of the twirling snow.
“Just watch out for a ledge,” Adam bellowed from behind her. He was standing on the runners. “Our only danger now is that we might dash straight off the cliff.”
Maggie turned her head to him in alarm.
Adam was grinning, his stubbled beard white with snow. “What are you looking at me for? Look out for that cliff.”
Maggie snapped her head forward and desperately stared into the whiteness ahead. She thought she heard him chuckle. She decided to ignore him. She trusted him not to get them both killed. He was doing a pretty good job so far, and the fact that they were there at all was her fault anyway.
They pressed on; Maggie picturing her family snuggled up in the cabin with a warm and glowing fire to welcome her.
They had traveled for hour, both peering through the storm and almost feeling their way, when Adam stopped and pointed.
“The cliff is just over there. Let’s let the dogs rest for a bit.”
“How can you tell where anything is?” Maggie muttered, slouched over.
This was turning out to be the worst Christmas ever. Her clothes restricted he
r movements, yet she felt a formal coldness rub her all over her body.
She was peckish and her stomach ached. Her bladder wasn’t bothering her yet, and she minimized her water and food, as the thought of struggling out of her clothes in a snow bank horrified her. Last night was perhaps the most unpleasant experience she’d had since she had once fallen into some icy water when skating as a kid.
Adam had a plastic toilet seat with long spikes that could stick into the snow and hold the seat in place when she sat on. But, dang, was it cold.
The entire day was gloomy, the sky gray and heavy. Darkness would come quickly, and Adam was aware of this and was determined to lose no time getting back on the road. The dogs needed no encouragement.
After an hour, they crossed a somewhat thicker section of wooded land and came to a rise of ground and then down a slope and back onto the road. It was covered in snow, and Maggie could tell no cars had been on the road all day and probably not since yesterday.
She was glad she hadn’t tried to make it in her car, or she would have been spending Christmas it. The overhead road lights still worked, as they blew in the wind. They did not provide much light; all they did was illuminate the clouds of snow falling and blowing.
Gradually more signs of civilization began to appear, as first one, and then another old-fashioned cabin could be seen nestled in a grove of trees not far off. Then the church, the general store, and a few more homes that made up the center of the tiny country village appeared. Every building and tree was decked out in Christmas lights.
After almost two days in the wild, Maggie couldn’t help but feel how surreal civilization seemed. For a moment, she thought she understood why Adam liked to live in the wild, with its simplicity.
Maggie explained how to reach her family cabin, which was only about a ten minute walk from the corner store and fifteen minutes from the church/community hall and frozen pond, both manmade to enhance the Christmas atmosphere during the season.
When they were standing in front of her cabin, her heart was pounding. Adam got her things as she made her way through the snow to the front door. She stood there, staring at the Christmas wreath, the soft porch light casting all her emotions into shadows.
Adam climbed up the steps with the bags over his shoulder. He looked questioningly at her.
“What’re you doing? Isn’t this the right place?”
“This is it,” she murmured, smiling faintly. She felt tears coming. It suddenly felt like such a relief to be here again, like it was ridiculous that she had ever been away or needed to be away. She took her gloves off, as her hands were sweating. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to be inside with her family.
“It was ‘it’ a moment ago.” He moved to step past her and knock on the door himself, when she quickly raised her hand and knocked.
Chapter Six
The screaming and sobbing and hugging lasted ten minutes.
It gave Adam time to size up the three sisters. The older two looked alike; Maggie looked different. That’s how it sometimes was with the youngest, Adam thought.
He was attracted to Maggie most of all, and not because she was the youngest, all three sisters were stunning beauties, it’s just that he found Maggie looked more eager to please; plus, she had a liquid femininity decanting from her eyes, her lips, her hair, her skin.
He wanted her in his arms. He wanted to feel her skin against his; he wanted to see the lust in her eyes when she gazed upon him.
Once they were finished hugging and were wiping away the tears, did the women notice Adam, who was grinning with some anticipation.
Maggie decided at that moment to play him off as a boyfriend. She had been debating whether to ask him to play along or not, but she couldn’t decide if that was what she really wanted. Now, in front of her sisters, she realized it was.
“Adam,” Fiona said, “you made it.”
Maggie’s heart sank. “You two know each other?” she asked her oldest sister.
“Yeah, this is the cutie I was telling you about over the phone.”
“And there’s a party tomorrow night at the hall,” Maggie’s other sister, Annie, added. “Christmas in Bender’s Peak has gotten a little more randy in the past few years. When Dad was around, we never really noticed it changing, but lots of young people hire the cabins now and party through the holidays. They keep to themselves so you actually have to go over, but they are always more happy for another lady to party with.”
Their mother shook her head.
“So that’s why you left this year’s boyfriend at home?” Maggie asked Fiona.
“Maggie,” her mother muttered.
“Jesus, put the barbwire whips away,” Adam said.
Maggie blushed.
Fiona laughed. “I’m single now. I needed to clean my palate, so…”
This meant Fiona was dating a woman. Whenever Fiona broke up with a guy, she always rebounded with a woman. It lasted anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, and then she would be back in the clubs prowling for some ‘reliable’ dick, as she dubbed it.
“But I’m here alone, Adam, in case you get randy,” Fiona quipped. “Why are you here now anyway with Maggie? I thought we said you’d try to drop by tomorrow.”
“Your little sister needed my help,” he said.
Maggie interjected and explained the situation and how she got caught in the storm and that Adam had agreed to bring her here.
“You spent last night out in the storm?” her mother asked.
“I was in good hands,” Maggie said.
Her sisters said nothing, instead scrutinizing Maggie and Adam, arms crossed.
Maggie suppressed a grin.
“Well, we weren’t expecting guests,” her mother said, looking at the two older sisters. “I suppose you girls can share a bed for the night and let Maggie and Adam take the other rooms.”
“Isn’t happening,” Fiona said.
“That’s all right. I’ll sleep outside in the tent.”
The women, excluding Maggie, stared at Adam in horror.
Maggie wasn’t sure if they were reacting to the fact that he offered to sleep outside in a blizzard or if they were reacting to him thinking or expecting they were poor hosts.
Maggie of course knew the truth. She knew this wasn’t up for discussion. He actually intended to spend the night outside.
She realized why. She was still in her coat and was only just now starting to feel the heat and coziness of the cabin. While the women had been smothering each other up in hugs and kisses, he had undressed down to a T-shirt and jeans, and he was standing near the door, which Maggie suspected was open just a crack.
“I have the dogs to look after. No, you guys pretend I’m not even here,” he said with his sexy boyish grin.
All three sisters scoffed, studying how his T-shirt clung to his already moist skin.
“I will not have it known that I turned someone away into a blizzard,” Maggie’s mother said.
“Actually, Mom,” Maggie said, “I think he wants to sleep outside. Right, Adam?”
He nodded.
“He’s like a little boy who likes to build forts and play in the snow.”
“I don’t care,” her mother said. “What if you freeze to death?”
“Mom, we didn’t freeze to death last night.”
“Well, Ma’am, if you are that concerned, or any of the rest of you for that matter, then you’re more than welcome to come out and join me. That would probably keep me from freezing.”
Without a proper response, the matter was dropped. Instead, her mother invited them in saying there was lots of food and wine, and that they should make themselves feel at home.
Adam dropped off Maggie’s bags and then excused himself. He had to attend to the dogs and set up his camp.
“Need any help?” Maggie asked.
Her sisters snickered.
“What? I’m still in my coat anyway; isn’t it the hosty thing to do?”
“Yeah, you
can collect wood.”
“We have wood,” Annie said. “Inside. You are welcome to share ours.”
Adam nodded gratefully.
Maggie was struck by his sudden politeness and formality.
“Then I’m all set,” he said. “I’ll set up camp and then drop in for some of that food and wine.”
Once he was gone, Maggie turned to her sisters. “Okay, what’s wrong with Mom?”
Their mother was in the kitchen, getting more plates and putting the final touches on the feast.
“She’s lonely,” Annie said.
Maggie stared in disbelief. “You’re kidding me. You had me all worried for that?”
“You aren’t worried?” Fiona asked. “She’s still a young woman. Fifty is the new forty.”
“There are plenty of guys in Bender’s Peak to keep her company,” Maggie said. She didn’t want to imagine her mother with another man. Perhaps that was the reason she’d kept away?
“Yeah, but they’re all short, and you know how Mom hates short men.”
Maggie didn’t want to discuss this now and went to her room to unpack. She looked through her window with the lights still turned off, looking for Adam. He was setting up camp in the shelter of a shed and snow.
He wasn’t setting the tent up. She wondered if he was planning to do it later or if perhaps he had changed his mind and had decided to sleep inside—with her. It made more sense that he would want to sleep with her, especially if it was platonic, as he and she had already had an adventure together, and she had already seen him practically naked.
As she unpacked, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had let a delicious opportunity pass her by. Should something have happened last night in the storm?
She took a much desired shower, and then put on some clean clothes. All of her old clothes like Christmas sweaters, socks, and long underwear were where she had left them.
She came into the living room just in time to see Adam stumble inside, wearing nothing but the T-shirt and jeans. He flipped off his boots and rubbed his arms. “Bracing!”
“Put something on!” their mother cried.
Fiona groaned.
“Don’t worry; I’ll be toasty warm in a minute.”