Wes had finished his washing by then, and had laid the now sopping wet jacket on a rock to start to dry in the weak, late fall sun. “Let’s get about another two or three armloads each,” he said. “I’ll start while you get the kindling prepped and going.”
Starting the fire was actually remarkably easy. Some of the driftwood we found on the beach had been there for a very long time, and once I started breaking it up with a rock, it lit easily. By the time Wes came back with the first of his wood, the fire was already about the size of what we would make at night for warmth, and I turned the whole thing over to him to tend while I went out into the woods for my first load of wood. It didn’t take me long, but by the time I got back, the flames were already about as high as my waist and growing.
It took us a total of nine trips to get enough wood for the fire to reach what Wes wanted. In the end, we had a proper bonfire, with flames easily reaching twenty or even thirty feet into the air. The waves of heat rippled against my skin even from a good twenty feet away, and the entire beach was lit up in waves of red and orange. It was the warmest I had felt in a week, and I eventually had to strip off my outer layer on top, leaving me in just a t-shirt and my pants.
Wes grabbed the wolf carcass and tossed it on the fire, making sure to stay far away after the fur started to roast. I caught the odor for a moment, then hightailed it over to Wes’s side, where the air was a lot cleaner.
Wes dashed across the beach to our bags, rooting around inside to pull out one of our last rations.
Breaking out the ration pack, we shared out the food. “This is our third today,” I said, keeping track in my head. “By my math, we only have one left.”
“You’re right,” he said, munching on a cracker. “But you’re losing weight too fast, Robin. Even if it takes us another ten days to reach the other end of the lake because we’re foraging and fishing and stuff, I’d rather do that than have you drop from starvation and exhaustion. But if this fire works, it doesn’t really matter anyway.”
The night darkened, and we watched the fire dance. Every once in a while, Wes or I would toss in a new chunk of wood, but our supply was starting to dwindle. We were just thinking of breaking out the poncho for the lean-to when the sound came to our ears, so faint we couldn’t hear it at first. “What is that?”
Wes looked around, but in the darkness of the night we couldn’t see anything. Still, the humming sound increased, and after a moment I realized what it was. “That’s an engine!”
Chapter 9
Wes
Our story caused headlines when we were picked up. The Park Rangers, who’d come at first to ticket us for an illegal fire, instead ended up rescuing us and taking us to the far side of the lake, where a helicopter was dispatched to evacuate us. Our parents met us in Vancouver, and to say it was a joyful reunion would be an understatement.
The first thing my father did when I got off the helicopter was pull me into a hug, the type of deep embrace I hadn’t felt since I was seven or eight years old.
“Wes, thank God,” he whispered as I returned the hug. It was a little weird, considering I hadn’t hugged my dad in such a long time, but I welcomed it. Gerald Brandt looked like he had aged a decade in the week Robin and I were missing in the mountains, his hair thinner than I had ever seen, and with a little more noticeable gray. “When the Rangers called saying they had found the plane with only the pilot’s body, I was hopeful, but as the days went on . . . ”
I held him as he finally let loose with his emotions, and I felt him cry against my chest. Looking over at Robin, I could see that she and Rebekah were also embracing, and that both of them were crying. I was a little broken up over the whole reunion, but I wasn’t about to show that much emotion. “It’s okay, Dad,” I said as we broke our embrace. “Robin and I are fine.”
“Still, your next vacation is to Disneyland or something,” he replied, regaining his composure and patting me on the shoulder. I could already see his strength and confidence returning and knew he’d be fine. “Someplace where the biggest danger is indigestion or something.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “Well, I already promised Robin a weekend at a five-star hotel,” I said, looking over as she and Rebekah finally stopped wiping at their eyes and embracing. “That sound safe enough for you?”
“It sounds great, but first, let’s get the two of you home. I know Chef and Winston are both desperate to see you.”