The Renewal

by Joseph Ferguson

  Chapter 8

  Esther parked the car near the pier where their father’s boat is moored trying to avoid the death she was sure they would find at the boat house. A flock of seagulls screeched overhead when they exited their car giving them a start. Watercrafts of all sizes were anchored to the wharf as an afternoon breeze seemed to make them bump and creek more than normal. A dead dolphin had washed up near the dock; it was bobbing in the water moved by the currents. Its eyes were popped out of its shriveled body and mouth hung open revealing its blackened insides. The hot sun added to the strong fishy smell which was the part of docks and boathouses that Esther could live without. Elisabeth on the other hand loved it, helping on fishing boats and in the fish market during her summer vacations. They were twins yet in this thing they were quite different.

  They kept their eyes off the rocking boats, not only because they didn't want to see any dead bodies, but also the movement while standing made them both nauseous. They had to walk to the end of the pier because their father was emphatic about being tied to the last spot. It was empty, bringing panic and fear as they embraced each other.

  "What do we do now," Elisabeth asked with trembling hands and voice?

  "I'm not sure sis," Esther said trying to remain strong, "do you remember if he said anything about taking the boat out today?"

  "He said he would be here for my sailing lesson tomorrow, that's all I know," Elisabeth replied. Surprise lifted her voice as she noticed what might be his boat sitting a good ways away from the docks, "I think that's papa's boat there!"

  Esther followed the finger that Elisabeth had extended, pointing. Her eyes lit up when she saw the double heart image that was painted as part of the boats name "Twin Hearts". "That is dad’s boat," she exclaimed as she kicked off her shoes then hurriedly took her shorts and blouse off. She dove in the water under the protests of her sister claiming they could both take a rowboat out there. It wasn't that she could not swim but Elisabeth's stamina was weak and that would be too far for her. She watched as Esther stopped swimming seemingly engrossed in examining different objects a few times before arriving at the boat and pulling herself aboard. She decided it might be awhile so Elisabeth picked up Esther clothes she had hurriedly thrown off then sat down on the wooden bench her father had placed on the dock when they were little.

  Esther climbed up into the boat the smell of the water was sickening causing her to vomit back over the side. She would need a shower soon. The engine was still running, oddly she thought, because dad would never idle in one place long saying gas was too expensive to waste. The boat was spotless and in tip top shape, her dad kept very good care of it even though it was bought the day after her and Elisabeth were born. He would say that the happiest times of his life was the day his twin girls were born and the day he bought his fifty foot sailboat.

  She stepped down from the bow cautiously almost sure what she would find at the helm. Her dad was lying prone on the deck in a pool of pink water his body shriveled, almost unrecognizably. Esther fell to her knees with tears streaming down her face, "Papa" she cried over and over. She had hoped she would find him alive; they would need his strength more than ever now. Esther reached down and touched his hand, it was cold and rigid. She noticed a small framed picture of the family grasped in his hand partially hidden by his large wet shirt. What am I to do now, she thought, how would I tell Elisabeth?

  She would have to move him so she could steer the boat back to the docks. He was like trying to move a wet log, but she managed to pull him onto the bow where she secured him to the railing with the strap from a life preserver. Once back to shore her and Elisabeth would have to bury him and their mom, they owed them that. The engine sputtered so Esther checked the level of the gas, the tank was still half full. She decided to take a quick shower washing the sea smell from her body and slipping into a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt.

  Back at the helm she eased the throttle causing the boat to inch forward and with a little maneuvering she got it aimed back to shore. She was elated when she had it back in the dock and with the jumping that Elisabeth was doing, so was she. Esther hugged Elisabeth when she stepped onto the dock. "Dads dead, too," she said with tears welling up in her eyes.

  "It's the plague like Mom told me after I sung to her," Elisabeth said.

  "Oh, so you are empowered by some type of magic now!" Esther cried, "You know what dad would say to that."

  "Yea..., it's of the devil," Elisabeth responded as she lowered her head.

  They wrapped their father’s body in a white sheet from the sleeping quarters, lugging him back to the car and putting him in the back seat. Elisabeth was still sobbing when they got in the car. She sniffled when she asked, "Are we going to bury them together?"

  "I think it's what dad and mom would want. I mean they had already bought a burial place and their tallit’s. You know how dad always planned ahead. Yea, I'm sure that's what he would want," Esther said.

  They had drove awhile when Elisabeth who was still teary eyed asked, "Sis, can I sing to him? I know you don't like it, but I really feel compelled to for him."

  Esther rolled her eyes and grimaced, staying silent without answering. "P-l-e-a-s-e" Elisabeth begged.

  "Ok" Esther spoke quickly trying to quiet her sister, "but keep it down, I am trying to drive."

  "Thank you," came immediately from Elisabeth's lips. She reached back and touched his foot; it was ice cold and damp, his body still trying to expel water. Her voice was hushed and soft as she sung, "Father, father you were our strength, we learned how to live from you, rest, rest for now you can, help us to know now what to do." She stopped suddenly, her eyes wide and her face turned white. Esther turned her head to see what the matter was, “are you ok she asked?"

  "Did you hear him..., dad I mean," Elisabeth asked?

  Esther rolled her eyes again in disbelief, "no, all I heard was just your chanting," she hesitated, "ok what did he say?"

  "They," she whispered.

  "They, what do you mean they," Esther questioned?

  "Well I heard dad say mom and him want to be buried in the sea. Then I heard another voice, female I think, say to take the boat to Scotland," she replied.

  "That doesn't make sense, what's in Scotland?"

  "I think we ought to listen to dad and bury them at sea. And we should listen to the other voice and at least sail past Scotland, even though it doesn't make sense to me either."

  Esther drove awhile with neither of them talking, both struck with horror at the death that was before them. Not only was mankind affected but mammals of all kind lay dead. It seemed as if they were the only people left on earth, not seeing a soul, but the small child that Elisabeth thought she saw earlier. The roads were littered with vehicles that Esther had to avoid, sometimes slowing to swerve between them. The engine had started running rough for the last few miles, stalling once when she slowed down, but easily restarting. Elisabeth mumbled that she was getting hungry hoping that Esther was feeling the same. Esther said that they were going to have to get gas somewhere anyway so she would take the next exit.

  They pulled up next to the gas pumps at a small station with no cars blocking them. Esther pumped gas while Elisabeth walked inside like she always did, normally to pay, but found the attendant lying on the floor behind the register. While she was grabbing a few bottles of water and candy bars, she noticed a small television showing scenes in Las Angeles. It was the same as Israel, causing her heart to race and stomach to hurt, death is everywhere, she thought. The end of the continuous video showed a man holding a sign saying for all survivors to meet at city hall. She returned to the car just as Esther was hanging the pump back up, "it's everywhere," she said.

  "What's everywhere," Esther inquired?

  "Death, the plague or whatever it is. I just saw footage of Los Angeles and it's not much different than here," Elisabeth said.

  Her words made Esther uneasy, it was that fear that had been building up inside of her and she h
ad been trying to hide from it. They were basically alone; Elisabeth's dream had come true. She would have to put those fears aside if they were to exist in this new world. They too would have to search for others, but it would have to wait till they buried their mom and dad, it was important to their beliefs.

  They pulled up into their driveway, Esther noticing the three Siamese cats they saw this morning on their side patio were now just small piles of bones. Their neighborhood was quiet for this time of day; usually people were out and about visiting on the streets. It would be normal to see kids playing on the sidewalks or some sport in the street. A bird sang as it flew from carob tree that Dad had planted startling them both. Looking around Esther realized that the birds hadn't died and seemed to be flourishing. Elisabeth's scream got Esther attention, noticing she was looking at the body lying on the neighbor’s steps. Esther pulled her close hoping to reassure her and telling her they will get through this. She quickly led her into the house.

  Their mom’s body had become hard as the skin became taut around the now visible bones. Her skin had white flakey patches showing on the unclothed body parts. They took the sheet from her bed gently wrapping her up trying to avoid the skins flaky dust that shot into the air when they moved her. Her now lightened body was easily carried down the stairs and out the front door. They placed her in the back seat beside their father’s body that had also seemed to have shrunk in size. They both went back in to pack some of their things and a little bit of food though their father always kept the boat well supplied, putting them in the trunk.

  They sat without talking as Esther drove the now familiar road back to the docks. They averted their eyes from the idle cars that cluttered the roadways wanting not to see the death that was within them. The only signs of life they saw were the influx of carnivorous birds and swarms of flies. Fires were now burning in every direction filling the air with the scent of smoke even with the windows up and air-conditioning on the smell still made its way in. The car started to sound and drive rough especially at stop signs or times when she had to slow down, but didn't stall out. When it seemed as if they were the only ones left in Israel, they saw a lone man walking along the highway who turned when he heard their car approach. Esther brought the car to a rolling stop beside him (it stalled) while Elisabeth rolled her window down.

  Immediately the man produced a pistol and aimed it at Elisabeth telling them to get out of the car. He stepped back as Elisabeth slowly opened the door her voice cracking as she started to cry. "Why are you doing this? Isn't their enough dead people for you already," she asked as she stepped out?

  "Yours is the only car that seems to be working, others I’ve tried won’t start and I am tired of walking," he answered gruffly.

  "We would have gladly given you a ride, if you would have asked," Esther yelled from the other side as she also got out.

  He laughed an evil laugh, "if you ask nice and do nice things for me maybe I will let you have a ri...,de" That's all he could say, before Elisabeth grasped the hand holding the gun pushing it up, turning her body and placing her elbow hard into his neck, then bringing her right foot up between his legs into his groin dropping him to the ground. She held the pistol as he easily released it before passing out. "Idiot," she said.

  "You learnt your lessons well, Sis. The Krav Maga training Dad made us go to has finally paid off," Esther said with a smile.

  "Yea, but you would have figured after all that has transpired today he wouldn't have acted this way," she said sadly.

  "You would have figured,' is all that Esther said as she got back into the car.

  After tossing the gun a distance away Elisabeth climbed back in and buckled her seat belt saying, "I guess he will wake up with an aching pelvic and hopefully an attitude adjustment."

  The drive to the marina in Tel-Aviv was eventless, but more enjoyable now that they focused on "Elisabeth's brawl with the thug"; at least that's what Esther started calling it. More marine mammals had washed up on shore near the pier their fathers boat was docked. Three monk seals lay dead on the beach, along with a small whale and a few dolphins. They quickly carried their parents to the boat strapping them to the bow after which they went back for their things. Esther untied the boat from the dock while Elisabeth started the engines. It too was sputtering but stayed running allowing Esther to take it back out to open sea a few miles to bury their parents.

  They prepared the bodies by wrapping them in old sails and strapping weight to the legs. The twins held hands as they said their goodbyes and crying for a while before finally slipping both into the water. They watched and sobbed in each other’s arms as their parent slowly descended out of sight. They decided to spend the night on the calm sea setting the engine to prevent drift; at least out here they could avoid the death that engulfed the land. They lay on the bed and reminisced stories about their parents, laughing and crying into the late night before drifting to sleep.