The Book of Elements

by Cynthia Woods

  CHAPTER 8

  Caeli saw Salma standing beside the hospital bed and attempted to sit up. Salma quickly stopped her by placing a restraining hand against her shoulder.

  "Where do you think you're going?" Salma asked with a small smile. She did not want to scare Caeli by letting her concern show.

  "I just wanted to sit up so that I could see you better to talk to you. What time is it? Where's Vin?" Caeli dove straight into the topic.

  "One thing at a time. Let me raise the top half of the bed so that you are sitting up, but you are not getting up yet. Do you remember how you got here, Caeli?" Salma undertook the challenge of diverting Caeli's attention away from discussing Vin for as long as she could.

  "Sort of. I remember that our car went off the road during the storm. The wind was too strong for Vin to make it safely back to town. Then Vin and I were in the woods. I fell and hit my head," Caeli replied. She reached up, at the same time, to gently press her hand against the small knot on the side of her head.

  "After that?"

  "I woke up here. How exactly I got here I don't know. I assume it was by ambulance."

  "Yes. Someone called in your wreck, and the police found you unconscious in the woods. You were brought in a little while ago. Molly happened to be on duty and recognized you. She called me, and I got here as quick as I could," Salma filled in the missing details for Caeli.

  "Then I owe Molly a big thank you. I was really glad to see you standing there when I woke up. I was so scared, Salma. But, as he always is, Vin was there to keep me safe. I knew he was standing over me when I passed out. Is he waiting outside?" Caeli pushed her real memory to the back of her mind. She did not want to believe it. She wanted Vin to be out in the hall, pacing, as he was prone to do.

  "Caeli," Salma hesitated, uncertain how to begin the explanation.

  "He's probably worried sick. You should have let Vin come inside. I would have preferred that. You can let him come in now," Caeli interrupted Salma with a rapid continuation of her avoidance.

  "Caeli, listen to me," Salma tried again.

  "There really wasn't any need to make him wait outside. You know how he dislikes that. I've never seen anyone who could outpace Vin when it…"

  "Caeli, Dear. Vin is not here." Salma had to stop her rambling. She could now see what Caeli was doing. Salma could sense that Caeli was well aware of Vin's status despite her attempt to convince herself otherwise.

  With Salma's abrupt words, tears came unbidden to Caeli's eyes. The terrible memory forced its way to the front of her mind. What she saw in the woods was real. It was true. Vin was gone.

  "Caeli? What is it? What's wrong?" In all the years they had known each other, Salma had never seen Caeli cry. Not once. Vin once mentioned that he saw Caeli cry when her grandmother passed away, ten years ago, but never since. Salma assumed that Caeli's tears now meant that she knew what happened to Vin, and it was not good.

  "Are they looking for him? Have they found him yet?" Caeli sobbed lightly.

  "They are searching the woods right now. Do you know anything that might help them find Vin?"

  "I heard voices. Vin was standing beside me in the clearing. Salma, he was protecting me. He was guarding me from something, and then he vanished into the wind. He was torn away from me. I could hear the roaring…," Caeli couldn't continue. She was gasping between loud sobs now, and streams of tears ran unchecked down her cheeks.

  "There now. Take it easy. It's going to be all right. Everything's going to be all right. Try to calm down." Salma sat on the side of the bed and hugged Caeli as she cried, offering what comfort she could.

  "I pray that you're right, Salma, but I'm afraid. I'm afraid Vin's gone. Salma, it was awful. One moment he was there, and the next, nothing. Oh, Salma, I have to find him. I have to get up and go look for him."

  Caeli changed her focus and was suddenly wiping away her tears and trying to get out of bed. She set her mind to the task of finding Vin, and it helped ease her immediate fear. Nonetheless, Salma once again prevented her from getting up.

  "I'm sorry, Caeli, but not yet. I'm not releasing you until I've had a chance to review your chart. I only arrived a few minutes before you woke up. I want to look at the test results of the doctor who examined you when you were brought in. Once I'm certain that you are all right, then I will drive you out to the woods myself, and we will both join the search for Vin. In the meantime, you lay there and rest. I'm going to step out to the nurses' station. I won't be long."

  "All right, but please hurry, Salma." Caeli's tears returned as Salma left her learning back against the pillow, staring at the wall.

  Not again, Caeli thought to herself. This can't be happening again. Caeli's father died a few days after discovering his wife was pregnant. Caeli never got a chance to meet him. Her mother died when she was in grade school. Her grandmother died a few weeks before her early high school graduation. Aside from Vin, Caeli had no other family. Everyone she loved was dead. Everyone who loved her died of unnatural causes long before the end of their natural lifetimes. Now Vin, too, had joined that list. The thought was unbearable. Caeli turned and buried her head in the pillow as she cried. Large raindrops pounded against the window as another thunderstorm unleashed its burden on the town.

  "Yes, Captain, she's awake. Physically, she'll be fine. It was just a nasty bump on the head. She has suffered much worse than this before. She was lucky in that respect. Yes, she knows that her husband is missing. What's more, I think she believes that Vin is dead. She's very upset, but she wants to come out and join the search." Salma looked down at Captain Erickson's business card in her hand as she spoke into the phone.

  "That's understandable after the trauma she's been through. But, the rain is making it too wet and dark to do anything more tonight. If Mrs. Harding wants to come out tomorrow, we'll start the search again in the morning. Maybe it will be good for her to participate. Perhaps I can get a few more details out of her while she's here," Ben considered the possibility that returning to the site might help Mrs. Harding recall the crash more clearly.

  "Will you be stopping by to see her again tonight?"

  "No. I'm no doctor, but I think it's best if I don't upset her with questions yet. Let her rest tonight. I will talk to her tomorrow," Ben replied.

  "Well, for not being a doctor, you understand the delicate nature of my job almost as well as I do. I concur with your assessment. I will bring her out there around nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Until then, Captain. Thanks again for your help."

  When Salma finally returned to Caeli's room, all the lights were on. Caeli was dressed and sitting in a chair putting on her shoes. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, but she now wore a look of determination.

  "Don't try to stop me, Salma. I'm going to find Vin," Caeli said when she heard the door open.

  "Of course not, but I just spoke with the officer leading the search effort. The rain is forcing them to put the search on hold until tomorrow morning. It's too wet and dark out to see anything. However, he would like for you to come out and help them first thing tomorrow," Salma informed her.

  "But Vin may need help now. I can't leave him out there all night," Caeli insisted defensively.

  "Caeli, be reasonable. Be honest with yourself. What would Vin tell you to do?"

  Caeli took a deep breath and thought about it. Salma was right, of course. Vin would tell her to wait until morning. Caeli could almost hear Vin saying that he would be fine overnight. A few hours would make little difference to him, but the rest would be good for her. She would be no help to Vin if she hurt herself or got lost because she was too tired and too stubborn to wait. Then again, if the situation were reversed, Vin would never have left those woods without her.

  "Hello, Doc. You're looking good this morning," Captain Erickson greeted Salma as she and Caeli walked up to the table to sign in and join one of the search teams.

  "Good morning, Captain. I brought Mrs. Harding out, as you suggested. We're ready to g
et started," Salma replied politely.

  Caeli stood a step to Salma's side, staring off into the woods. Now that she was here, Caeli was anxious and scared. She clasped her hands together in attempt to hide their trembling. She was desperate to find Vin and, at the same time, Caeli was afraid of what she would find. She did not notice Salma or Captain Erickson watching her.

  "Are you sure she's up for this?" Captain Erickson asked in a low voice. His concern for Caeli was clear.

  "Yes. There's no joy to be found in such an undertaking, but Caeli won't be deterred. It was all I could do to keep her from arriving hours ago. She is determined to find her husband," Salma replied.

  "All right. I'm not going to put you with the other search teams. I'd like you to take Mrs. Harding down to her car and let her guide you from there. See where she goes without any influence. Officer Caldwell and I will follow you closely. Try to get her to talk out loud about what happened. She might say something helpful that she isn't even aware she knows," the police captain explained.

  "If it will help Vin, I will tell you everything that pops into my head. Can we go now?" Caeli replied to the overheard instructions. She was tired of waiting and wanted to get started. Every minute they wasted talking was another minute that Vin was still out there.

  Caeli led Salma down the incline and made her way to the wreckage of Vin's car. The damage had not seemed that bad at the time, but looking at it now, Caeli was surprised to see the entire passenger's side smashed inward. It looked as if some huge hand tried to crush that half of the car. Caeli went over to the driver's door and opened it. She reached down and retrieved a small utility knife from the seat.

  "What's that?" Salma asked. Captain Erickson listened from a few steps away.

  "It's Vin's pocket knife. He always carried it with him. I found it in his empty seat and used it to cut myself out of the seatbelt. Then I crawled out of the car to find the voices I was hearing. I must have dropped the knife onto the seat before I left." Caeli replayed that scene in her mind.

  "Voices? How many voices did you hear? Can you describe them?" Captain Erickson picked up on the little detail. If there was more than one voice, then there must have been someone else out here. Perhaps someone found Mr. Harding and took him to get help.

  "Two. I heard two voices, but I could not understand what they were saying. They were too far away, and the wind was so loud. I thought Vin was bringing help, but he didn't come back. Then I was afraid that Vin was hurt, and whoever found him didn't know that I was out here. So, I got myself out of the car and went to find Vin."

  "Where did you go?" Salma asked.

  "This way." Caeli led them further into the woods. She had no trouble retracing her steps to the clearing. It was not nearly as far away as she thought it had been last night. Admittedly, she was disoriented when she made the trek the first time. As she stepped into the clearing, Caeli immediately noticed the grass near its center. It looked as if a tornado might very well have formed where the blades of grass were bent over in a circular pattern.

  Caeli stopped in the spot where she thought she fell. Though she could not see the rock on which she hit her head, the tree root that tripped her was clearly visible now. Without warning, Caeli dropped to her knees on the wet and muddy ground. From here, she looked up toward the fallen tree in the glade's center.

  Captain Erickson started to rush forward to help Caeli, but Salma waved him off. She wanted to let Caeli do this. If it turned out that Vin was dead, then this would help Caeli come to terms with it. Salma watched carefully while Caeli relived the trauma.

  Forgetting the captain's request, Caeli let the memory flash, unvoiced, through her mind. She suddenly saw Vin closer to the center of the clearing. He turned and looked at her as she broke free of the trees. Caeli started to run to him, but tripped and fell. She tried to call to Vin through the strong winds.

  Vin came to her. It looked to Caeli as if he fought his way over to her, but he reached her, nonetheless. Then the wind stirred again. It howled in her mind. Caeli clasped her hands over her ears in a futile attempt to shut out the sound of that memory. Then Vin was gone, snatched away by the wind.

  "Vin!" In her mind, Caeli shouted for him, but Salma heard only a whisper.

  Salma reached over to give Caeli a hand to return to her feet, but Caeli refused to move. She wasn't ready to leave. The answer she sought was here. Vin was out here. He had to be. She replayed the moment in her mind several more times, gaining no further insight.

  "Why can't I see it?" Caeli asked in frustration.

  "Perhaps you are trying too hard. May I suggest a different tactic?" Captain Erickson offered as he pulled her to her feet.

  "What?"

  "Walk with me." Ben led her up to the fallen tree in the center of the clearing, asking Salma to stand in Caeli's place. When they reached the charred tree, he turned Caeli around to face Salma.

  "I don't understand. What am I supposed to do?" Caeli asked.

  "Tell me what your husband saw. What was he doing when you entered the clearing? You described what happened to you, but that's not all that you saw. What did Mr. Harding do?"

  Caeli stood there a moment considering the notion. She replayed the scene once more and tried to see it from Vin's perspective. On the second recollection, she shared her comments with Captain Erickson.

  "Vin was facing away from me, talking to someone. He was upset. He turned to look at me when I reached the clearing. It seemed as though he was both surprised and glad to see me there. Vin was still talking to the other person, but was trying to reach me. Something was holding him back. He was struggling. Eventually, he broke free and came to stand beside me." As she related the story in this manner, Caeli was beginning to understand why the captain asked her to do so. She did know more than she realized.

  "There's more, isn't there? He said something. What did your husband say?"

  "It wasn't to me. He was standing protectively over me, but he was talking to someone else. He said that they could not have me, and that he would not go with them either. He warned them that they would have to go through him to get to me. And I heard…," Caeli was astounded and horrified by what she just realized. She was momentarily stunned by the realization.

  "What? What did you hear?" Captain Erickson persisted.

  "I heard another voice. He said, so be it. So be it. It was definite and final. Then Vin was gone."

  So was Caeli's last bit of resolve. She cried openly, and Salma walked up to take charge of her. They walked slowly back to Vin's mangled car, and Caeli sat down on the edge of the driver's seat. The rain was coming down again and getting heavier by the minute.

  "What do you make of all that?" Officer Caldwell asked as he walked around the clearing with Captain Erickson.

  "It's not what I was expecting. Honestly, I thought that she must have witnessed her husband being carried away by the tornado. I'm sure it would have been a terrible sight and difficult to accept. I figured that having her look at the event from her husband's point of view might allow her to admit the truth to herself. But now that she has, I don't think I was right. I'm not so sure that's what really happened," Captain Erickson replied, rubbing his chin as he walked.

  "What else could it have been? Do you believe her?"

  "Yes, I believe her. I don't think Mrs. Harding is lying to us. I think this couple went through something terrible. I believe that he lost control of the car and tried to go for help. Beyond that, I'm just speculating; but I think Mr. Harding stumbled across someone out here in the woods who did not want to be discovered. It turned out to be more trouble than he could handle. I think the young man made a heart-wrenching choice that allowed him to save his wife but not himself. I do not expect to find Mr. Harding's body." The captain painted a morbid scenario.

  Search efforts had gone on for hours the previous night. They continued all day, and Caeli continued to walk endlessly through the woods in hopes of locating her husband. At the end of the day, the search was
officially called off. There was no sign whatsoever of Vin Harding. Caeli was forced to admit the reality to herself, and Salma finally convinced Caeli to make arrangements to hold Vin's memorial service the next day.

  CHAPTER 9

  Vin was struggling to locate her. He knew the comet would be in orbit for another couple of days. The astronomers following and reporting its progress the prior week all agreed that it would take approximately seven days before the massive rock would break free of the Earth’s gravitational influence and continue on into the blackness of surrounding space. In theory, this event and his emotional connection should keep the pathway open and allow him to reach Caeli. Why couldn’t he find her? Was he not yet skilled enough or had his efforts been noticed and consequently suppressed? No, not the latter. Vin wasn’t sure how he knew this, but was confident that his actions were his own, and he was not being hindered by the others.

  He continued for a while longer, going over every minute detail, making sure that each thought was focused properly. At one point, Vin was able to see her briefly, but could not reach out to her or make himself heard. He knew it was possible because he heard Michael’s voice the night of the accident. Right now, that was all Vin wanted. He wanted to talk to Caeli and tell her that he was ok. He would love to share all he had learned with her, but was unsure how much autonomy he would be permitted if he elected to disseminate the information to someone on the opposite side.

  "Hello Friend."

  "Uh, hello," Vin stammered in reply to the unexpected voice that disrupted his already faltering concentration. He turned completely around twice looking for the source of the voice, but saw no one.

  "May I speak with you? Perhaps I can provide assistance."

  "Who are you? Where are you? Please show yourself."