The Unwanted Winter - Volume One of the Saga of the Twelves (69 page)

Some of the animals either
sniffed loudly or nodded in ascent.

“
Garfield, since you have
done the most ranging this day why don’t you go and get your fill
first.” Kodiak nodded toward him.

“
At once, Great Canine,”
the cat growled through its fangs. It bounded off out of the
entrance of the cave, in search of a meal, gone in a
flash.

“
I will help you,” said
Sophie. She came forward to stand before Elena with a wide
grin.

Elena was surprised and
grateful at the same time. “That would be awesome,
thanks.”

“
I will help you too,
Elena,” muttered Mikalah slightly nervous, staring up at Sophie
with large brown eyes.

Elena could see her sister
wanted to make Sophie’s acquaintance. “Good, then let’s get this
over with,” she proclaimed.

In minutes, all three were
arms deep into the shopping carts, while the others drifted away
towards the fire, conversing, joking, and eating some the food that
didn’t need preparation. None was more eager than Andrew who tore
through a ham and cheese sandwich like there was no
tomorrow.

Silently, Elena wondered
about the pale beauty beside her. What was her story?

It’s
probably just as terrible as ours…

*****

To their mutual delight,
the boys had done a magnificent job scavenging from the
supermarket.

First, the girls had
uncovered all five of the carts, opting to place four of the
furniture pads atop the twin piles of pine branches and palm fronds
Kenai had provided. The double-layer of cloth would definitely add
comfort when they slept.

The last remaining pad,
they’d commandeered Joaquin and Andrew to find a way to place it
over the entrance of the cave to keep out the cold and retain the
heat from the fire. The boys had grumbled at first, but when Sophie
asked them again, politely (if not demurely), they buttoned up and
promptly to figure out the problem. She had turned back toward the
girls, hiding her overly sweet expression from the boys and winked,
which made Elena and her sister giggle.

There were advantages at
being a drop-dead knockout.

In total, the girls
discovered they had scores and scores of cans of fruit and
vegetables. There were soups, olives, tuna (in water), spam, fruit
cocktail, spaghetti-O’s (all sorts), Chef Boyardee ravioli and both
refried and chili beans, even Pork n’ Beans. These they gathered in
one of the carts and, with the help of Kenai, undid the nylons
ropes holding the cart atop the sled. They rolled the cart next to
the woodpile and closer to the fire pit, where they’d most likely
be preparing their food. The sled they placed by the entrance of
the cave.

By then, Joaquin and
Andrew had secured the last furniture pad over the entire portal by
stuffing its bulky edges into narrow cracks along its’ top. Their
plan had proved sound, hardly any drafts made into the cave now.
Soon, they’d all be warm and snug.

Next, they placed bag
after bag of potatoes, oranges, apples, tomatoes, heads of lettuce,
celery, onions, carrots, and various other produce in a second
cart, and unleashed it from its sled. With this cart, they packed
it here and there with snow and left it closer toward the entrance
of the cave, where it was considerably colder. They’d created an
effective sort of ice box that would keep the food
fresh.

Then, they began to
organize the forks and knives and spoons, placing them in the child
seat of yet another cart. With these, they placed a great
assortment of cooking utensils the boys had gathered – both wooden
and plastic spoons, spatulas, turners, ladles, tongs, jar- and
can-openers, strainers and sieves, graters and peelers, and kitchen
knives of all kinds. In the lower larger section of that cart, they
placed a large conglomeration of pots and pans of all sizes and
shapes, using just about every bit of space in order to get every
single, one inside. As with the others, they unwound the ropes,
freed the cart from its sled, and rolled it alongside the cart full
of cans. Beside those two carts, on the ground, they placed a good
number of extra-large packages of paper plates, napkins, and paper
towels, and toilet paper as well. The second to last cart, they
filled with meat. A huge assortment, full with beef (both ground
and cut), pork, and chicken, interspersed the piles with snow and
ice. They left it next to the cart full of produce, making a second
ice-box.

The final cart, they
filled with a great assortment of bags – kitchen, trash, freezer,
sandwich, snack, etc. – as well as various cleaners and cleansers,
sponges and brushes, gloves and hand sanitizers, two first-aid
kits, and a slew of towels – dish, hand, and body. This they rolled
it next to the carts nearer to the fire pit.

As a group, they walked
over and placed a number of the throw blankets the boys had found
upon each of the sleeping areas. Mikalah walked the last three of
the blankets and a pair of scissors over to Andrew, telling him he
could make them into some sort of outer covering, better fitting
and not nearly as musty as the animal skin he’d worn earlier in the
day.

Behind her sister, Elena
grabbed the skin Andrew had worn and promptly walked it back toward
the cave entrance, lying it down on the ground with a satisfied
smile.

Sophie walked up to her
and patted her on the back. “That’s very nice, Elena. We have a
welcome mat now.”

“
Thanks!” she said with a
satisfied smile. “Now, we can wipe our feet and won’t track in all
kinds of gunk from outside into our new home.” It was her practical
tone. She used it to swallow the lump that had suddenly formed in
her throat. The thought of having to have to find a new home in the
first place was just downright disturbing.

Sophie nodded.

Elena turned around and
surveyed their handy-work, and then glanced back Sophie. “Thank you
Sophie for helping my sister and I.”

“
You’re welcome,” replied
the girl as she giggled, her shoulders bunching. Elena could tell
the other girl wanted Elena to like her. She was pondering this as
she walked over toward the fire where all the others gathered, some
still eating – nibbling on beef jerky or potato chips (or candy, as
was the case with Louis). Some were resting against the logs,
half-asleep, stomachs full and content. She sat down next to her
brother, who promptly gave her a sandwich wrapped in a paper towel.
He had saved it for her, knowing she’d be starving by the time she
finished with organizing their provisions. He placed a can of Coca
Cola and an open bag of Doritos on the ground in front of her. She
accepted them readily, smiling at him as he did the same for
Mikalah when she sat down on the other side of him. Sophie sat on
the far side of Mikalah, retrieving her brunch from Anthony as
well.

Elena smirked, a little
giddy, at the long look her brother and the teenage girl
shared.
What are these two up too?
she wondered as she glance back and forth between
them. Then, Elena’s attention shifted when she took a huge bite of
her sandwich, savoring the various tastes filling her mouth. She
was famished! A twang in her gut exclaimed this to her when she
swallowed, her digestive organs demanding more. She obliged and
took another bite, watching Mikalah do the same as a similar
expression of pleasure crossed her face. Elena looked back at her
brother and felt a rush of love for him. It startled her when she
realized how thorough her feelings of him were, in the depths of
her heart, on many, many levels. She had never known she’d felt
that way about him. He was always such a pest. Why had it taken
such a monumental lost to get this through her thick skull?
I should’ve been a better sister.

The thought sent a spark
through her, one she couldn’t ignore. No, she wasn’t going to let
this pass.

Suddenly, she was
standing. “Even though, we’ve had a tough day,” she began her voice
nearly cracking, “and lost many of the things we hold dear, we
still have a lot to be thankful for,” she raised a hand indicating
the cavern surrounding them and the food in her lap. “Even on a day
like this, which is probably the worst Thanksgiving Day I have ever
had.”

Anthony peered up at her,
and then placed his left hand upon the upper portion of her bicep,
his right arm he draped about Mikalah’s shoulders. “Yes, we do,
Elena. We have a lot to be thankful for,” he said and gave Mikalah
the biggest squeeze he had ever given her in her life. He stood and
did the same to her. At his side, gazing down, all she could manage
was a deep, crimson blush.

Kodiak muttered softly in
her deep, rumbling baritone, “Well said, Elena.”

The girl looked up,
realizing, all around the fire, her companions were staring back at
her with thoughtful looks about them - some nodding in agreement,
some smiling in affirmation.

The fire
crackled.

Glances were exchanged and
the feelings about the cavern deepened. They became palatable. The
bonds between them began to thicken out of need. They were becoming
important in one another.

Yes, we
all
have something to be
thankful for, even on the worst days of our
lives
, thought the nine-year-old girl. For
the first time that day, she was - both inside and out -
warm.

~~~~~~~~<<<<<<{ ☼
}>>>>>>~~~~~~~~

Migraine

Day One, Thursday, 1:00 pm
Sharp…

Anthony sat up suddenly.
He hadn’t remembered falling asleep. He pushed away the blanket
he’d pulled over his body.

Where in hell am
I?

It came back to him as his
eyes flicked about the cave. He and his sisters had gotten up from
the central location of the fire pit. He had seen, at the time,
both of the girls were in dire need of sleep. Having gorged
themselves on sandwiches and potato chips, their bodies were final
capable of relaxing. After so many hours of distress, ill-treatment
and battling with the extreme cold outside, they were totally
spent. They had made their way to one of the two sleeping areas to
rest.

He had arranged his
sisters on one of the large pile of palm fronds and pine boughs
they had covered with two furniture pads. He had given them each
with their own blanket – two of the many they had taken from Vons.
Within minutes, they had fallen into exhausted slumbers, still as
stone, unmoving where they lay. He took a blanket for himself, had
tucked it about the lower half of himself, sitting next to them,
thinking for a while. He was tired, but not quite ready to do
anything other than think for the moment. It had been a brutally
intense day, involving so much emotional strain. It had been tough
- even for him. He couldn’t imagine what the ordeal had been like
for his young siblings.

He’d been able to keep
himself under control. He hadn’t lost it, for the most part. At
times, though, he’d wanted nothing more than to run off into the
hills screaming. Silently, he’d hoped by sleeping some of the
tension in their hearts and minds would ease. He’d sat there,
purposefully repressing his own emotions, not allowing them to pile
up upon one another, or on him. He made himself numb and unmoved.
It was for the better, sometimes, to cut ones’ self from the
world.

He’d glanced around the
cavern, watching the animal’s mill about, each taking turns to
hunt, a quiet symphony of comings and goings through the furniture
pad that blocked the entrance of the cave.

All the while, his human
companions were lounging about the fire, talking in short,
exhausted sentences or had taken heed of his idea of getting rest
and had stumbled over to the sleeping area adjacent to the one he’d
sat upon. They’d curled upon it, drifting off to sleep as
well.

He had watched the forms
of his sisters under the blankets, chests rising and falling with
the rhythm of sleep, his thoughts strayed to his grandmother. The
realization she might no longer be in his life was astounding. He
had wondered at the hole he felt in the middle of chest, but was
not sure what to make of it.
Why am I not
crying? Why do I feel nothing?
He knew he
should’ve been experiencing a fountainhead of loss. But, as he had
sat there, following the breathing of his sisters, seeing it deepen
and become regular as they slipped deeper into slumber’s warm
embrace - he felt nothing. Nothing at all, not even dismay at the
fact he couldn’t feel a thing.