by Kip Nelson
The floor creaked under their weight. The uneven floorboards were smooth wood and the girls looked around with fear whenever the house made a noise. Darren reassured them that it was just the wind and the fact that the house was very old. But even he had to admit that these noises were going to take some getting used to, especially in the night, when everything was dark.
The room closest to the main bedroom was a room with twin beds, and this was going to be the room for the girls. They jumped on a bed each and claimed it for themselves. The walls were faded, and Darren wished he had some paint so he could make the place brighter. It was something that had to be put on the to-do list.
The next room was Betsy’s, which was small, but it would suit her purpose. If the couple who had lived here had had any children, they hadn’t been here for a long time. Darren wondered if the couple had stayed here in the hope that their children would return. He felt pity for them, but he hoped that they would be honored to know that their home was giving shelter to his family.
There wasn’t another bedroom upstairs, but there was a storeroom that had some old furniture in. They were going to convert this into Brent’s room, and Darren was going to build him a proper bed. It was going to take some time, so in the meanwhile Darren said Brent either could sleep with him or on the couch downstairs. Brent chose the couch downstairs.
There was a bathroom upstairs with an old cast iron bathtub. The girls cowered in fear of this as they knew what it meant. There was also an attic, but there didn’t seem to be a ladder to get up there, so they left it alone for the time being.
They went back downstairs and spread out, exploring the kitchen, living room, and dining room. The younger girls went straight into the living room and started to open all the cupboards, searching for toys or books or something. They found some board games, which certainly would help pass the time. They also found some books, although turned their noses up at them because none of them had pictures. Darren took a look at some of them and decided that he’d read some of them, but most of them weren’t his style either.
In the living room there was a couch and two chairs. By one of the chairs was a newspaper rack filled with newspapers and magazines, and beside the other one was a crochet project that likely never would be completed. In the dining room there was a wide table and cupboards filled with crockery. It seemed like a miracle to actually sit down at a table and have a proper meal.
They rooted around the kitchen and found cutlery and other utensils and, most importantly, candles. They lit them immediately to clear the air and offer light. The flames flickered and were placed in lanterns all around the house. The place already was starting to look a little less gloomy.
Brent called to Betsy and offered to show her outside, an invitation she gladly accepted. While they were going that way, Darren shouted out to them to gather plenty of water. Brent scowled a little at this, and Darren surmised that Brent only wanted to go out to spend some time alone with Betsy. But it was important for him to remember that his duties never ceased, and they all had to pull their weight. Thankfully, Brent wasn’t one to make trouble, so he didn’t attempt to resist. He just sullenly slumped his shoulders and stomped out of the house.
Tara and Michelle were happy enough running around wildly, and Darren was happy to let them explore. He’d had to keep a close eye on them all through this new world so far, for fear that they would wander off and never be found. But, now that they all were located in this house, Darren was more at ease with letting them have more freedom.
“But make sure you stay inside the house. If you want to go outside, then you have to come find me first,” he made sure to tell them before they ran away. He heard their footsteps flutter up the stairs as they went to their room, and breathed a sigh of relief that the house was so loud. It made keeping track of them so much easier.
He looked around the kitchen and realized that he was all alone. A wave of relief washed over him. He actually was able to enjoy some time alone to himself without having to leave his family behind. His solitude always had been important to him, but it had been sacrificed when he decided to raise a family. Kids demanded so much that it was almost impossible to get any time to himself, and in the cave everything had been suffocating.
He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed solitude until now. In a way, the entire world had been his, and yet he still had felt stifled. The small cave barely had been large enough to house them all, and even though it opened out onto the whole world it made him feel trapped. But now he was in an actual house with actual rooms and actual doors. He kicked back, clapped his hands, and smiled with delight. Things couldn’t have been better.
Darren further had investigated the kitchen. He’d looked into the cupboards on the previous visit, but this time he looked more thoroughly and was amazed to see there was still some food left behind. It was mostly canned food the farmer hadn’t gotten around to eating, but it would make their lives a lot easier. There were also things like flour and honey and herbs and spices, things they actually could cook with. There were even stock cubes, so he could make some broth, and his stomach rumbled at the thought.
He wanted to have a good look around the house before he started unpacking, so he left the bags where they were for the moment. But he did light a fire in the kitchen, and another one in the living room, to generate some heat. He made his way into the living room and shook his head when he saw the disarray that Michelle and Tara had caused. Perhaps the sparse surroundings of the cave had been a blessing after all.
Darren sighed as he picked up the books and started placing them back on the shelves, looking at them more carefully. Some of them had notes inscribed in them, little love notes from the husband to his wife and vice versa. Darren smiled at this, and upon investigating further he found a large leather-bound book on a high shelf, which had been out of the girls’ reach. Darren pulled it down and it opened, revealing itself to be a photo album. There were black and white photos that seemed to date decades past, and then color photos from more recent times.
Darren sat himself in a chair (enjoying the comfort it offered) and flicked through the photos. What he saw was a history of a family completely unknown to him. There were pictures of lovers together, and then of the lovers getting married and having children. He saw the baby pictures and witnessed the children grow into adults as the original loves became settled into their roles as parents, until eventually a new generation was born and the family expanded.
To see the course of these people’s lives captured in these snapshots was humbling, and it reminded Darren of what was truly important. These people wouldn’t have remembered the arguments they had or the times they’d been annoyed with each other. They would have remembered the happy times, these times. They would have remembered the special occasions that they shared with one another and that each of them was a part of each other because of the memories they had made and the experiences they had shared.
Darren felt privileged to look upon them. While he knew the reality was likely more dramatic than the idyllic scenes presented in this pictures -- he knew families often were plagued with arguments and disagreements, some of which lasted far too long -- he was glad to get a glimpse of what made these people special. He hoped that the children still were out there somewhere, living well and remembering their parents and grandparents. He looked at each photograph carefully, wanting to give them the proper respect they were due.
When leaving his original home, Darren had been forced to leave his photograph albums behind. He’d been tempted to take them, but they only had been able to take the essentials. He wondered if anyone had come into his home and looked at pictures of their family. The links between humans were so powerful, and yet everyone was so far apart.
A tear spilled from his eye onto the page he was looking at. He wiped it away with his thumb and then put the album back where it belonged.
Chapter Fifteen
Darren spent the rest of the day becoming better ac
quainted with his new surroundings. He took stock of everything in the house and made a mental list of things he needed. He looked in the room that was going to be Brent’s and found a small ladder, which he dragged out to below the attic. The rest of the furniture in there seemed to be no good for anything anymore. But he thought if he chopped it up, it would make a good basis for Brent’s bed. They’d have to make a mattress out of something as well, but that was a problem for later. Making the bed was the immediate issue.
He looked up at the attic with curiosity. He didn’t know what mysteries it held inside. He got up on the ladder and reached toward the door, not fully understanding how he was supposed to get into the attic with such a short ladder. He assumed there was a longer one somewhere else, perhaps in the shed that stood at the foot of the backyard. However, when he pulled the attic door down it brought with it a narrow stairway that reached to the floor. Darren put his hand on the one railing and tested it. It certainly seemed sturdy enough.
In the room beside him he could hear Tara and Michelle playing. Brent and Betsy were still outside. He carefully walked up the stairs and made sure that each step was able to bear his weight. The steps were made of thick wood and whoever had built them had done a good job. When Darren ascended to the attic his eyes widened in amazement. Unlike the rest of the house, this place didn’t have a gloomy feel to it.
It was a wide-open space, with paintings and wooden carvings all around. It evidently had been used as a kind of hobby room, and it seemed to be stretched over the entire span of the house. This would make the perfect playroom for Tara and Michelle, and a way for any of them to get some time alone if they needed it. The windows were wide, and they let in a lot of light, even though most of it was just from a gray sky. Darren walked over to the large windows and gazed out toward the city. Through the rolling gray clouds he could see the outline of the city, its proud skyscrapers still standing tall.
If he had stood here a year ago he would have seen the buildings illuminated by glittering lights and watched as planes soared through the sky. In his heart he felt pangs for the city, and couldn’t help but be curious about the state of it.
In front of the windows hung dream catchers and glass ornaments. These caught the light from outside and cast pretty patterns onto the floor. Darren almost considered rearranging the sleeping arrangements to give someone this room as a bedroom, but it felt far too special for anyone to use. This had to be an area for all the family.
After a quick investigation he found some paint and brushes. He was happy about that as it would allow him to begin painting the walls of the house to give it more color. He brought down the paint and brushes and closed the attic door using a pole that he noticed was resting along the railing of the stairs. Then he announced to the girls the place he just had found. They wanted to see it immediately, of course, but he told them they could look later.
They went downstairs to the living room and saw that Betsy and Brent were coming in with a bucket of water. Darren told Brent to boil some and then pour it into the bath so they could start getting washed. The girls wailed, but Betsy told them to stop making a fuss and get clean.
“We’re in a house now, and we have to look our best. We’re not wild people any longer,” she said.
Darren approved of her words and as she spoke he rubbed his own beard. The last time he’d seen himself in a mirror had been when he’d gone out looking for new sources of food and water. He’d changed his clothes and been in other people’s houses, but that seemed like a long time ago now. This felt like a big, lasting change, and he wanted to do something to commemorate it.
While Brent got the water, Darren unpacked all their equipment and put it away in the kitchen, before he went upstairs to the bathroom with a pair of scissors he’d found and a razor. Thankfully, the man who had lived here before had kept a well-stocked medicine cabinet. As well as shaving foam and razors it was filled with aspirin, antibiotics, painkillers, and cough syrup. These were more valuable than ever as they couldn’t be made by regular people any more. Darren nodded approvingly and whispered a thank you under his breath for the man who had left them these things. Once again he was struck by how lucky he was, having found this place after so much time had passed. It was a miracle that nobody else had come across this place.
But then his mind grew sober. Perhaps they had, he thought, but they had come at the beginning of the new world when the man who lived here was still alive. Maybe he had driven them off, or they had been too scared to approach. Darren estimated that the man had died during the winter, the cold temperature turning his blood to ice, and perhaps nobody had dared come inside for fear of facing the wrath of the homeowner. Darren never would admit that death was a blessing, but in this case, he was quite glad that the owner of this house didn’t have the chance to turn them away. If they had been forced to find somewhere else to live, he didn’t know what he would do.
Carefully, he snipped the thick ends of his beard down close to his chin, and then placed some shaving foam on his face. Without any running water he had to rely on the cup of water he’d brought up with him, and dipped the razor in, dragging it down his face. The hair fell off in thick clumps, looking like tumbleweed in the sink. Darren stretched his face this way and that, pulling the razor down until he could see the flesh underneath. He got a cloth and dabbed the remnants of the foam away from his face, then looked at himself in the mirror.
Taking away the beard had taken away years from his face. He looked young again, and he almost gasped when he saw himself in the mirror. There were still a few too many lines on his face, and his hair was streaked with gray, but his clean-shaven jaws proved that he was still a civilized man underneath all of his wild mess. He wasn’t a complete monster.
Darren gathered up the hair in the cup and took it downstairs, ready to throw it away. The kids almost didn’t recognize him when he reappeared. He used it as a reminder about why it was important to have baths and stay clean.
The fires in the house were burning nicely and the candles had filled the air with scents of vanilla and lavender. They made some broth using the stock cubes and added some herbs and spices, along with cabbage and other winter crops from the field. The soup was hearty and flavorful and satisfied their hunger. The evening was cozy. After dinner Betsy played a board game with the girls before they went to bed.
Darren and Brent were in deep discussion about their plans for the future, and what they wanted to accomplish with the house. Brent told Darren about the tools he’d seen in the shed and that the surrounding land was ripe for them to cultivate. All they needed was spring to come and they could begin planting their seeds. There were plenty of tools that Darren could use to carve wood as well. Before it got too dark, he went outside to gather as much as he needed to make a start on Brent’s bed, although he decided that could wait until morning.
Darren sat in the chair and read a book after Tara and Michelle went to bed. Betsy and Brent had found an old puzzle book and were trying to figure out a crossword, occasionally asking Darren for the answer to some tricky clues. In time they all went to bed in their new house, and Darren had to get used to sleeping on a bed again. He wasn’t sure if the mattress was unusually soft or if it just happened to be that he had been used to a rocky surface, but it took him a little while to get used to having a pillow underneath his head again.
During the night he was only awoken once, when Michelle came into his room sniffling. She climbed into bed with him and wrapped her tiny arms around his body, crying that she missed the cave. Michelle was sometimes a sensitive child and didn’t always take change too well. Darren comforted her and while she was in her Daddy’s arms, she fell asleep soundly. To Darren’s dismay she took up much of the bed, even though she was so small.
The morning light poured into the room and Michelle was in much better spirits as the daylight fell upon her. She had to explain to Tara why she wasn’t in bed when she woke up, and the two girls were happy to go off on their own. T
he five of them had breakfast and talked about their plans for the day. Betsy was going to take Tara and Michelle for a little exploring in the nearby area so they could figure out what food they could expect to gather. Brent wanted to take the bike out exploring again. Darren was in a good mood so he saw no problem with this, although his same provisos as before were in place. He didn’t want Brent to go off for too long on his own. Brent agreed reluctantly, and then shoveled down the rest of his breakfast so he could get going.
While they all were all out of the house, Darren decided to get on with some projects of his own. He made a start on Brent’s bed and managed to fit together the frame. The samples of wood he used from the storage room already had been disassembled and it was quite easy for him to fit them together. He also started to paint the girls’ bedroom, making a pretty canvas of sunshine and flowers.
The following couple of weeks were spent with these projects. When the girls realized what he was doing they wanted to help as well, and he saw no reason why they shouldn’t have a hand in painting their own room. As a result, the picture was the combination of three distinct styles, which were apparent at varying heights. The girls could only reach so far and had been given a section each of the wall upon which they worked. When it was finished, however, it was the perfect joining of the three styles, and everyone rejoiced in how good it looked.
Darren’s section was filled with vibrant colors and a lush landscape. He had wanted to create a kind of fantasy version of the real world so that the girls could fall asleep dreaming of wondrous things and a better future. He wanted their dreams to be filled with hope even if their real life wasn’t.
Tara and Michelle shared much in common, so it wasn’t surprising that their paintings were similar. Tara had painted representations of each of them, and on the other side Michelle had painted the mountain lions and JR. In the middle was the cave that had been their home, and both girls had contributed to it. Michelle’s looked more like the cave, but Tara’s half had an expressionistic quality that showed great potential. Darren made a note to encourage this side of her in the future.