Post by KG on Jul 6, 2006 2:14:25 GMT -5
The Cave
The wind whispered through the barren trees, as Joshua made his way through the winter forest. His footsteps sunk deep into the snow as he checked the mink traps by the frozen river. It would be especially cruel not to check them today he thought. As cruel as this business was, he was not a monster, and to leave a creature in freezing agony in this weather, with its foot caught in a trap would be a monstrous thing to do. Joshua heard a sound in the brush. That was no mink, to be sure.
Joshua listened more carefully as the sound became louder. The crashing made it more and more apparent that this was not the sound of an animal, at least no animal that would be in this forest. Completely unnerved, he hid himself among the tangle of dried vines, and watched with caution. He fingered his rifle, thankful that he had brought it. The noise continued, but he saw nothing.
The sound turned out to be nothing but the wind, but what a wind. The snow had started again, and was whirling around him like a tornado, the trees towering above him twisted, and the very trunks creaked, and trembled. What was this Josh thought? Tornados in winter just don’t usually happen, yet the powerful wind changed directions and seemed to be coming at him from all directions at once, swirling until it felt like it was pulling him apart. It was definitely pulling the trees apart. He heard one falling not far away. He remembered seeing a cave last spring, only a few hundred yards from where he now stood, and seeing that the trees were not likely to withstand this strange wind for long he chanced a sprint to the opening.
Sprinting however was not possible in the deep drift of snow which he had fallen off into, but he managed by staying low to the ground and crawl, through the valley which was now knee deep in shimmering whiteness. The air above the drift was almost as thick with snow as the ground, and the wind continued to rip through the trees with awesome force.
Suddenly a tree came crashing down nearly missing his scrambling body, and it’s more delicate limbs tore into his coat sleeve as he struggled to avoid the weight of the main branches. Finding himself in the grasp of the fragile, ice covered, fingers, of the fallen tree, he struggled only to discover they would surely rip his coat to shreds before he managed to escape their grip.
Sharp pain shot through his leg. He had not noticed before, because of the cold, but now it was agonizing. He was afraid to look down, for a moment. He panicked as he realized he was pinned under the tree after all. His leg was caught under a branch. It was only about the size of his arm, but the weight of the rest of the boughs were on it, to the point it felt like a thousand pounds of pressure. He looked down at his leg. It wasn’t bleeding… well not much anyway, and it was not apparently broken. He pulled, trying to free himself to no avail. Then after thinking a moment he began to dig in the snow, under his leg. He shoveled quickly with his gloved fingers, trying desperately to free himself. The ice encrusted his gloves quickly, and he shook it off, only to begin digging again.
After a very long time of digging, he was able, with much pain to pull himself from under the limb, and then crawl through the mass of sharp prickly branches, which scratched his face, and tore into his clothes. Shards of ice, as sharp as broken glass, covered the ground, having broken from the tree as it fell. He made his way through this mess as cautiously as possible.
Finally free, he again rushed for the cave. His leg throbbed with each step, despite the cold. Perhaps it was broken, but at least it seemed to support his weight. He ignored the pain, and forced himself forward as quickly as possible. Trees crashed around him, as he plunged ahead. At last he reached the entrance of the cave, cold wet and bleeding.
As he entered he heard a voice, or maybe it was just the wind. It had to be the wind, didn’t it? There was no one around for miles. He was alone in an isolated section of forest, in the middle of a sudden blizzard. The wind howling made sense. Hearing voices didn’t, so he entered the cave quickly after only a moment’s hesitation.
It was a small little hollow in some rocks by the riverbank. It wasn’t much of a cave, now that he looked at it. He looked around out of curiosity, but there didn’t seem to be any more to this cave than he had seen from the outside. It was just a little dip in the riverbank; about six feet high at the tallest point, and for the most part, he had to crouch to even walk around. Overall it was about seven feet in diameter.
He had noticed a fallen tree very near the opening, so he chanced a quick journey outside to gather wood for a fire. The cave was small, but that was a good thing in this bitter cold. Even a small fire would warm it quickly. Fortunately the fallen tree was old and brittle, it had literally shattered as it hit the ground, so he didn’t need a saw. It was a good thing, because he hadn’t brought one, and his pocketknife would have taken forever to cut through a limb.
As he re-entered the cave, carrying an armload of broken branches, he again heard the sound. It sounded like a woman, but he knew it was just the wind. He thought of Marjory. How long before she started to worry about him? Marjory was not like most women. If she got worried she would come looking for him. If it were not for that fact he could hold up in this cave till the storm ended. He could melt snow for water and be fine for a month if he had to… hungry perhaps… but it wouldn’t take that long for this storm to be over. He could easily make it out by morning, but by then Marjory would be tracking him through the snow, in this blizzard.
How long had he been gone, and when would Marjory be expecting him back? He thought for a moment. She would not expect him back till around six, when she would have supper ready, then she would impatiently wait about an hour. She would take about ten or fifteen minutes preparing for her journey through the snow. So that meant he had until about ten after seven to get back home. It was only about two PM now, despite the darkness. Fierce black clouds had overtaken the sun, and now there was nothing but a white out, outside. He had five hours to wait for the storm to subside, gather his wits, and get back home. It was about an hour walk in good weather, from where he was. Now with an injured leg, and knee-deep snow it would take at least two, maybe three. He would stay here no longer than two and a half hours.
Josh quickly built a fire. He had been right about the cave’s ability to hold heat, and it also seemed to draw smoke out the tiny opening for some reason. It was a bit smoky but not too bad. He slid off his wet coat, and pants. To his dismay he saw that both were ripped nearly to shreds, and that his pants were also soaked in blood. He gingerly touched his calf, and grimaced. He examined the wound, which had now stopped bleeding, but still hurt a lot. If Marjory were here, he would not admit such a thing, but she was not, so he allowed himself to whimper a little as he examined the injury more carefully.
As he sat nearly naked in the cave, he again heard the woman’s voice. He knew it was the wind, but it made him uneasy, and sad in a way. It was already three PM. He thought of Marjory again. About now, she would be stirring that big pot of stew she was planning to fix for his supper. He would gladly spend the night in this cave, if it were not for Marjory, but it would be still better to make it home, and sit in front of a real fire place, savoring Marjory’s home cooked stew, and letting her dress the wound on his leg. She would make a big fuss over that when he got home, he thought.
Joshua’s thoughts turned to Marjory even more fully. He imagined himself approaching the little log cabin that was their home, in these mountains. He saw himself opening the door. Marjory would be in the kitchen, but the moment she heard the door she would run to greet him. Her hair would be down, and her skin was always so beautiful in the soft lighting of the cabin at night. She would of course notice right away that he was injured. Her soft hands would go to his face, and she would smooth his hair the way she always did, and then she would help him over to the sofa, and take care of him as if he were a little boy with a skinned knee. He would let her do that. He wanted her to do that right now. He missed her powerfully as he thought about how gentle and sweet she was to him, always, and not just when he was hurt, but she would be especially loving tonight, knowing how close she came to loosing him.
He had come close today; He shivered as he realized how easily he could have been killed by that falling tree. It was an enormous tree, one of several that had fallen in his path, either just before or just after he made his way by them. This storm was awful. The worst he had seen in these mountains. He hoped that he would be able to make it home. He also hoped that Marjory would not come looking for him.
Still the blizzard raged outside, and the wind howled his name in that eerie women’s voice. Joshua! Joshua! It sounded just like that, but it had to be the wind didn’t it. Anyway it would take a lot more than a voice to get him out of the cave in that wind, until he had to go. If there was only some way to tell Marjory I am OK, I wouldn’t have to come home till morning, but no, I have to leave this strangely haunted little sanctuary and move on, in a little while he thought. Only the thought of his beloved Marjory, making her way through this blizzard, and trying to follow his quickly disappearing foot prints, urged him to leave, but leave he must. What if he was wrong about how long it would take her to come after him? What if she somehow sensed his injury and came right away. Women were scary like that. Sometimes they just knew when you needed them, or when you were doing something you weren’t supposed to. They were always moms in that way. Marjory was nothing like his mother though. His mom was always harsh, but Marjory was sweet as honey, and her words were always a comfort. He had to get home, it was nearly four, and he had no intention of making his wife worry a minute longer than she had to. His leg felt better, and he was sure that once back outside the cold would numb it sufficiently till he got home. He checked his clothes and found that his pants were dry, however torn, and his coat, was only a little damp. The inside lining was dry and that was what was really important, the outside would start getting wet again the minute he stepped out anyway.
At least the storm had calmed a little he thought, and he hadn’t heard a tree fall in half an hour or more. The wind now faintly whispered Joshua, instead of screaming it. “OK Marjory I am coming home!” He announced to the wind as if it could hear him, and somehow carry his message to his wife.
The storm was not nearly as severe as it had been earlier. The blizzard had slacked to a rather heavy flurry, and he could see the forest in all its devastation. Fallen trees were everywhere. As he carefully picked his way out of the deep snow, and tangle of fallen limbs, he saw something familiar in the snow. It was a scarf. Marjory’s scarf!
“Oh God, she did come looking for me!” he thought aloud. “Marjory! Marjory!” he screamed, and his voice came out shrill like a frightened little boy’s. He listened and heard a muffled sob, and then the voice.
“Joshua! Joshua!”
He scrambled through the wreckage of limbs, in the direction of that sound. It was not far. “Marjory! Marjory!”
There beside a fallen tree! She was just crouched there, weeping, and clawing at the brush. What was she doing? It was the same tree that he had struggled free of only a few hours before. How did she know he had fallen there? Had he left that much of his coat behind, that he looked like he was still there? He rushed to her side, and wrapped his arms around her to pull her up. She must be freezing. As he grasped her, she neither got up nor turned around. She just kept pulling and digging. What was she doing? He looked at her hands; there was something there. It was his boot. He looked down, and there was his boot, on his foot, but it was still under the tree too. How could that be? Suddenly Marjory stood up, leaned over, and pulled on the body that was somehow attached to the boot, that was under the tree. Joshua didn’t understand, or at least he didn’t want to understand what was happening.
“Marjory!” he screamed in panic, and embraced her back, He pulled with her, with his arm around her waist. He was able to hold her somehow this time, and his strength, coupled with hers, was enough to pull this lifeless body from under the tree. He stared in amazement into his own face, which was very pale. His leg looked much worse here, than what he had seen earlier. Joshua tried to stay calm, even though this scene frightened him out of his wits. Marjory knelt in the snow beside this lifeless body. She felt his pulse and seemed encouraged a little. She examined his leg, and then hugged him tightly to warm him. She tilted his head back and felt his breath.
Joshua looked up at her now. How had he gotten in this position? He was lying in the snow, and he realized he was now in his body.
“You saved me,” he whispered softly. He meant to sound more exuberant, but he suddenly felt exhausted. A terrible pain ripped through his leg, making him wish he had not plunged so quickly back into this ragged body. He was cold, so cold, and he knew he was freezing to death.
“What do I do now Joshua? How do I get you home?”
“I need to rest and get warm, then I will be alright. There is a cave, only a couple of hundred yards from here. It is that way, by the river. Help me over there, and build a fire. The cave will warm up quickly, and I will feel much better once I get out of these wet… frozen clothes, and get warm.”
“Your leg looks pretty bad Joshua. You need a doctor.”
“You are a pretty good doctor Marjory. You already brought me back to life.” Joshua did his best to smile as if nothing were wrong at all. He doubted that his attempt to conceal his misery was at all successful though. “I’ll be OK, just get me to the cave over there.”
Marjory pulled and Joshua crawled and eventually made it to his feet a few times. Slowly they made their way to the cave. Marjory built a fire, just as Joshua had asked her to. She helped him out of his wet clothes and then got out of hers, and dried them all by the fire.
It was a bit smokier than Joshua remembered it the first time, but it was still not too bad. Marjory had built the fire closer to the mouth of the cave, so it began to draw out a little better once the wind changed again. She dressed his leg using her scarf, which she found near the mouth of the cave, and remarkably it was still clean and dry. It was not so bad as it had seemed.
Marjory embraced him tightly, both to warm him and because she desperately wanted to. She caressed him vigorously, trying to restore his circulation. Then she soothed him more gently as he warmed beneath her hands.
Soon they were laughing and talking by the fire. Marjory was beautiful, naked as the day she was born, and standing by the golden fire light. She grabbed her coat, which was now dry and covered him with it. Slowly, she knelt on the ground beside him, and kissed him very tenderly, then passionately. There would be no stew tonight apparently, but that didn’t matter. Only that they were together.
The wind whispered through the barren trees, as Joshua made his way through the winter forest. His footsteps sunk deep into the snow as he checked the mink traps by the frozen river. It would be especially cruel not to check them today he thought. As cruel as this business was, he was not a monster, and to leave a creature in freezing agony in this weather, with its foot caught in a trap would be a monstrous thing to do. Joshua heard a sound in the brush. That was no mink, to be sure.
Joshua listened more carefully as the sound became louder. The crashing made it more and more apparent that this was not the sound of an animal, at least no animal that would be in this forest. Completely unnerved, he hid himself among the tangle of dried vines, and watched with caution. He fingered his rifle, thankful that he had brought it. The noise continued, but he saw nothing.
The sound turned out to be nothing but the wind, but what a wind. The snow had started again, and was whirling around him like a tornado, the trees towering above him twisted, and the very trunks creaked, and trembled. What was this Josh thought? Tornados in winter just don’t usually happen, yet the powerful wind changed directions and seemed to be coming at him from all directions at once, swirling until it felt like it was pulling him apart. It was definitely pulling the trees apart. He heard one falling not far away. He remembered seeing a cave last spring, only a few hundred yards from where he now stood, and seeing that the trees were not likely to withstand this strange wind for long he chanced a sprint to the opening.
Sprinting however was not possible in the deep drift of snow which he had fallen off into, but he managed by staying low to the ground and crawl, through the valley which was now knee deep in shimmering whiteness. The air above the drift was almost as thick with snow as the ground, and the wind continued to rip through the trees with awesome force.
Suddenly a tree came crashing down nearly missing his scrambling body, and it’s more delicate limbs tore into his coat sleeve as he struggled to avoid the weight of the main branches. Finding himself in the grasp of the fragile, ice covered, fingers, of the fallen tree, he struggled only to discover they would surely rip his coat to shreds before he managed to escape their grip.
Sharp pain shot through his leg. He had not noticed before, because of the cold, but now it was agonizing. He was afraid to look down, for a moment. He panicked as he realized he was pinned under the tree after all. His leg was caught under a branch. It was only about the size of his arm, but the weight of the rest of the boughs were on it, to the point it felt like a thousand pounds of pressure. He looked down at his leg. It wasn’t bleeding… well not much anyway, and it was not apparently broken. He pulled, trying to free himself to no avail. Then after thinking a moment he began to dig in the snow, under his leg. He shoveled quickly with his gloved fingers, trying desperately to free himself. The ice encrusted his gloves quickly, and he shook it off, only to begin digging again.
After a very long time of digging, he was able, with much pain to pull himself from under the limb, and then crawl through the mass of sharp prickly branches, which scratched his face, and tore into his clothes. Shards of ice, as sharp as broken glass, covered the ground, having broken from the tree as it fell. He made his way through this mess as cautiously as possible.
Finally free, he again rushed for the cave. His leg throbbed with each step, despite the cold. Perhaps it was broken, but at least it seemed to support his weight. He ignored the pain, and forced himself forward as quickly as possible. Trees crashed around him, as he plunged ahead. At last he reached the entrance of the cave, cold wet and bleeding.
As he entered he heard a voice, or maybe it was just the wind. It had to be the wind, didn’t it? There was no one around for miles. He was alone in an isolated section of forest, in the middle of a sudden blizzard. The wind howling made sense. Hearing voices didn’t, so he entered the cave quickly after only a moment’s hesitation.
It was a small little hollow in some rocks by the riverbank. It wasn’t much of a cave, now that he looked at it. He looked around out of curiosity, but there didn’t seem to be any more to this cave than he had seen from the outside. It was just a little dip in the riverbank; about six feet high at the tallest point, and for the most part, he had to crouch to even walk around. Overall it was about seven feet in diameter.
He had noticed a fallen tree very near the opening, so he chanced a quick journey outside to gather wood for a fire. The cave was small, but that was a good thing in this bitter cold. Even a small fire would warm it quickly. Fortunately the fallen tree was old and brittle, it had literally shattered as it hit the ground, so he didn’t need a saw. It was a good thing, because he hadn’t brought one, and his pocketknife would have taken forever to cut through a limb.
As he re-entered the cave, carrying an armload of broken branches, he again heard the sound. It sounded like a woman, but he knew it was just the wind. He thought of Marjory. How long before she started to worry about him? Marjory was not like most women. If she got worried she would come looking for him. If it were not for that fact he could hold up in this cave till the storm ended. He could melt snow for water and be fine for a month if he had to… hungry perhaps… but it wouldn’t take that long for this storm to be over. He could easily make it out by morning, but by then Marjory would be tracking him through the snow, in this blizzard.
How long had he been gone, and when would Marjory be expecting him back? He thought for a moment. She would not expect him back till around six, when she would have supper ready, then she would impatiently wait about an hour. She would take about ten or fifteen minutes preparing for her journey through the snow. So that meant he had until about ten after seven to get back home. It was only about two PM now, despite the darkness. Fierce black clouds had overtaken the sun, and now there was nothing but a white out, outside. He had five hours to wait for the storm to subside, gather his wits, and get back home. It was about an hour walk in good weather, from where he was. Now with an injured leg, and knee-deep snow it would take at least two, maybe three. He would stay here no longer than two and a half hours.
Josh quickly built a fire. He had been right about the cave’s ability to hold heat, and it also seemed to draw smoke out the tiny opening for some reason. It was a bit smoky but not too bad. He slid off his wet coat, and pants. To his dismay he saw that both were ripped nearly to shreds, and that his pants were also soaked in blood. He gingerly touched his calf, and grimaced. He examined the wound, which had now stopped bleeding, but still hurt a lot. If Marjory were here, he would not admit such a thing, but she was not, so he allowed himself to whimper a little as he examined the injury more carefully.
As he sat nearly naked in the cave, he again heard the woman’s voice. He knew it was the wind, but it made him uneasy, and sad in a way. It was already three PM. He thought of Marjory again. About now, she would be stirring that big pot of stew she was planning to fix for his supper. He would gladly spend the night in this cave, if it were not for Marjory, but it would be still better to make it home, and sit in front of a real fire place, savoring Marjory’s home cooked stew, and letting her dress the wound on his leg. She would make a big fuss over that when he got home, he thought.
Joshua’s thoughts turned to Marjory even more fully. He imagined himself approaching the little log cabin that was their home, in these mountains. He saw himself opening the door. Marjory would be in the kitchen, but the moment she heard the door she would run to greet him. Her hair would be down, and her skin was always so beautiful in the soft lighting of the cabin at night. She would of course notice right away that he was injured. Her soft hands would go to his face, and she would smooth his hair the way she always did, and then she would help him over to the sofa, and take care of him as if he were a little boy with a skinned knee. He would let her do that. He wanted her to do that right now. He missed her powerfully as he thought about how gentle and sweet she was to him, always, and not just when he was hurt, but she would be especially loving tonight, knowing how close she came to loosing him.
He had come close today; He shivered as he realized how easily he could have been killed by that falling tree. It was an enormous tree, one of several that had fallen in his path, either just before or just after he made his way by them. This storm was awful. The worst he had seen in these mountains. He hoped that he would be able to make it home. He also hoped that Marjory would not come looking for him.
Still the blizzard raged outside, and the wind howled his name in that eerie women’s voice. Joshua! Joshua! It sounded just like that, but it had to be the wind didn’t it. Anyway it would take a lot more than a voice to get him out of the cave in that wind, until he had to go. If there was only some way to tell Marjory I am OK, I wouldn’t have to come home till morning, but no, I have to leave this strangely haunted little sanctuary and move on, in a little while he thought. Only the thought of his beloved Marjory, making her way through this blizzard, and trying to follow his quickly disappearing foot prints, urged him to leave, but leave he must. What if he was wrong about how long it would take her to come after him? What if she somehow sensed his injury and came right away. Women were scary like that. Sometimes they just knew when you needed them, or when you were doing something you weren’t supposed to. They were always moms in that way. Marjory was nothing like his mother though. His mom was always harsh, but Marjory was sweet as honey, and her words were always a comfort. He had to get home, it was nearly four, and he had no intention of making his wife worry a minute longer than she had to. His leg felt better, and he was sure that once back outside the cold would numb it sufficiently till he got home. He checked his clothes and found that his pants were dry, however torn, and his coat, was only a little damp. The inside lining was dry and that was what was really important, the outside would start getting wet again the minute he stepped out anyway.
At least the storm had calmed a little he thought, and he hadn’t heard a tree fall in half an hour or more. The wind now faintly whispered Joshua, instead of screaming it. “OK Marjory I am coming home!” He announced to the wind as if it could hear him, and somehow carry his message to his wife.
The storm was not nearly as severe as it had been earlier. The blizzard had slacked to a rather heavy flurry, and he could see the forest in all its devastation. Fallen trees were everywhere. As he carefully picked his way out of the deep snow, and tangle of fallen limbs, he saw something familiar in the snow. It was a scarf. Marjory’s scarf!
“Oh God, she did come looking for me!” he thought aloud. “Marjory! Marjory!” he screamed, and his voice came out shrill like a frightened little boy’s. He listened and heard a muffled sob, and then the voice.
“Joshua! Joshua!”
He scrambled through the wreckage of limbs, in the direction of that sound. It was not far. “Marjory! Marjory!”
There beside a fallen tree! She was just crouched there, weeping, and clawing at the brush. What was she doing? It was the same tree that he had struggled free of only a few hours before. How did she know he had fallen there? Had he left that much of his coat behind, that he looked like he was still there? He rushed to her side, and wrapped his arms around her to pull her up. She must be freezing. As he grasped her, she neither got up nor turned around. She just kept pulling and digging. What was she doing? He looked at her hands; there was something there. It was his boot. He looked down, and there was his boot, on his foot, but it was still under the tree too. How could that be? Suddenly Marjory stood up, leaned over, and pulled on the body that was somehow attached to the boot, that was under the tree. Joshua didn’t understand, or at least he didn’t want to understand what was happening.
“Marjory!” he screamed in panic, and embraced her back, He pulled with her, with his arm around her waist. He was able to hold her somehow this time, and his strength, coupled with hers, was enough to pull this lifeless body from under the tree. He stared in amazement into his own face, which was very pale. His leg looked much worse here, than what he had seen earlier. Joshua tried to stay calm, even though this scene frightened him out of his wits. Marjory knelt in the snow beside this lifeless body. She felt his pulse and seemed encouraged a little. She examined his leg, and then hugged him tightly to warm him. She tilted his head back and felt his breath.
Joshua looked up at her now. How had he gotten in this position? He was lying in the snow, and he realized he was now in his body.
“You saved me,” he whispered softly. He meant to sound more exuberant, but he suddenly felt exhausted. A terrible pain ripped through his leg, making him wish he had not plunged so quickly back into this ragged body. He was cold, so cold, and he knew he was freezing to death.
“What do I do now Joshua? How do I get you home?”
“I need to rest and get warm, then I will be alright. There is a cave, only a couple of hundred yards from here. It is that way, by the river. Help me over there, and build a fire. The cave will warm up quickly, and I will feel much better once I get out of these wet… frozen clothes, and get warm.”
“Your leg looks pretty bad Joshua. You need a doctor.”
“You are a pretty good doctor Marjory. You already brought me back to life.” Joshua did his best to smile as if nothing were wrong at all. He doubted that his attempt to conceal his misery was at all successful though. “I’ll be OK, just get me to the cave over there.”
Marjory pulled and Joshua crawled and eventually made it to his feet a few times. Slowly they made their way to the cave. Marjory built a fire, just as Joshua had asked her to. She helped him out of his wet clothes and then got out of hers, and dried them all by the fire.
It was a bit smokier than Joshua remembered it the first time, but it was still not too bad. Marjory had built the fire closer to the mouth of the cave, so it began to draw out a little better once the wind changed again. She dressed his leg using her scarf, which she found near the mouth of the cave, and remarkably it was still clean and dry. It was not so bad as it had seemed.
Marjory embraced him tightly, both to warm him and because she desperately wanted to. She caressed him vigorously, trying to restore his circulation. Then she soothed him more gently as he warmed beneath her hands.
Soon they were laughing and talking by the fire. Marjory was beautiful, naked as the day she was born, and standing by the golden fire light. She grabbed her coat, which was now dry and covered him with it. Slowly, she knelt on the ground beside him, and kissed him very tenderly, then passionately. There would be no stew tonight apparently, but that didn’t matter. Only that they were together.