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by Dianne Kochenburg
 

            The forecast warned of more rain moving in from the ocean. And continuous rain across the valleys and snow the mountains. A series of storms were expected over the next week or so but then things would start to clear. The snow that began in the morning continued throughout the afternoon. The heavily-laden clouds moved slowly over the lake and dropped their crystals softly, quietly and relentlessly. At times the flakes were so densely packed that visibility was greatly reduced, other times anyone watching could make out the distant trees and hills as the next layer found its way to the ground. The ponderosas, lodge pole and sugar pines took up their winter burden as the heavy accumulation pulled down their branches. The snow pack was growing. Some branches of the young trees touched the fallen snow with their burdens.

            Wintering birds, the woodpeckers and blue jays, nuthatches and flickers, cardinals, chickadees and crossbills, all huddled in their nests and nooks, awaiting the possibility of sunshine and clearing skies. Mice, voles, ground squirrels and chipmunks all dug their tunnels under the snow, creating relatively warm, safe retreats from predators and the elements. The deer and elk waited patiently for a break in the snowfall so that they could begin to clear their trails to lower altitudes. Hibernating animals were safely in their dens, curled up nose to tail, just barely breathing and metabolizing, holing up until the inevitable spring. Out on the lake, the frogs and other amphibians, and the fishes too began their icy rituals, as the water began to freeze over.

            The steep-roofed A-framed cottage resigned itself to the snow that began piling in earnest around it, settling against its foundation, and clinging to its porches and deck supports. And now the jeep was all but obliterated under it. Inside the cottage, Sidney and Matt were nestled on the daybed. 

            Hunger pangs finally caused Sidney to stir. She blinked awake and for a moment was confused, and then she remembered. Would today be the day to escape. Toast meowed a protest as Sidney moved her legs ever so slowly. She was stiff and sore all over from their work, but above all she was hungry. She leaned against Matt until she felt him move beside her.

            "Wake up, Matt," she said. "We have to get up." His arms still cradling her, he protested her movement.

            "Huh?"  He changed positions slightly and as he did, the comforter fell from her and the cottage's chilly air reached her.

            "Burr, it's freezing in here." She pulled at the bedding as she got up.

            "Oh, no you don't." Matt hung onto it. He smiled up at her. 

            "Come on." She gave another half-hearted yank on the covers. It was too cold to play games. She saw her slippers over by the easy chair and the quilt she'd tossed over it the previous evening. Quickly she turned to it and threw it over her shivering shoulders. Then she stepped into her slippers. 

            "What time is it?" Matt asked.

            "Let me see, I gotta turn on the light." She reached over the chair to the table lamp and clicked it. Nothing happened. She did it again and shook it a little. Still nothing.

            "Damn. There’s no electricity." She moved to another lamp and tried it. Then she staggered, nearly tripping, over toward the wall heater. She was sure she'd left it on. No heat was coming from its wire cage. "No wonder it's so cold in here. Power's gone out."

            Matt wrestled with his covers and sat up, bumping his head against the sloped ceiling.  Sidney heard him swearing softly, but she couldn't quite make out the words.

            "I'll make a fire." He struggled over to the fireplace and started gathering the pinecones they used for kindling.

            Sidney turned to the kitchen. The light from the window beamed into the room. 

            "My god, it's late. We slept clear through the storm, Matt."

            "Uh-huh," he said, preoccupied with his task. 

            Soon the fireplace smell filled the room. Matt watched the flames carefully, making sure the smoke was drafting properly before he placed the first piece of heavy firewood onto the kindling. Sidney filled the tea kettle and took it to the fireplace. “Do you think this water will heat if I put it near the fire?”

Matt shrugged. “Maybe.”

            She stood at the fire, warming her hands, watching the flames dancing on the firewood. Eventually the side of the kettle felt hot to her touch and she could see the steam began to rise. She lifted two tea bags from the canister and placed them in a teapot, adding some hot water so the tea could steep for a few minutes alongside the fire.       

"How is it outside?" Matt asked. 

            "I haven't looked yet."

            He cracked open door and peeked out. "Christ. I don't believe it." He shook his head and then reached for his jacket, pulling it on over his sweat shirt. "Look at this, Sid.”

            She stood behind him and stared over his shoulder. The fresh blanket of snow covered everything. The jeep's distinctive shape was just barely visible. The snow they had piled around it was now smoothed over and covered. The driveway, so carefully shoveled off yesterday, was once again all but obliterated. "What do you think, maybe another foot?" Matt asked her.

            She looked past him and nodded. "When is it ever going to stop?" 

            He pushed the door shut and shook his head. "I don't know. This is the biggest early snowfall I can remember. We're going to be here for awhile longer I’m afraid. Snowbound. People wish this would happen to them so they won't have to go back to work. We’re definitely living somebody else’s dream. So, what's for breakfast?" he asked after her.

            "Well, there are still cookies. Lots of cookies. There's still some cold cereal left. So it's cookies and cereal for breakfast. But we'll have to use powdered milk on it. That be okay?"

            "Sure. I could eat anything," Mat answered.

             "I wonder how long it will be out,” Sidney said, changing subjects and she poked around the kitchen for their breakfast.

            Matt considered the question and scratched his head. “I guess it depends on where the problem is. If it’s a downed line between here and Quincy, maybe nobody will know enough to repair it for awhile. It’s not like we can call in and complain to PGE. If it’s in Quincy, maybe when they fix it, our power will come back on too. We just have to keep fingers crossed and hope for the best.”

            Soon she had two bowls on the table and mugs of tea for each of them and a small plate of cookies. Matt brought over a big candle that usually sat on the mantle, one that they rarely burned. They sat across from each other and sipped the vegetable soup in silence. Finally Sidney sighed and looked up, "We're just plain stuck, aren't we?"

            "Yeah, for now." Resignation sat between them at the table. "Until some of this stuff melts, I think we're stuck. Be impossible to drive through it even if we could get the jeep running. Must be at least a three-foot accumulation on the road by now. We might not even be able to find the road and would get lost out there. We just have to wait it out, I think."

            "That won't be until the spring at the rate it’s coming down." Her frustration rose with each word.

            "Hey, Sid, take it easy. We'll be okay. You heard the reports, regular weather pattern to return soon. Whatever that is for this time of year. It will probably melt in a few days. In the meantime, we've just got to use our heads, that's all. This is an early snow. Might well be that next week it'll be warm again and we'll be laughing at ourselves."

            "Yeah, I know, but what do we do in the meantime? I haven’t found much to laugh about lately. We're just about out of food, and we're freezing to death, no electricity, no phone. Nobody knows we're up here. I don't even remember the date -- or even how long we've been here."

            "Why don't we just try to get organized then, okay?" He looked over his shoulder at the calendar hanging on the wall next to the pantry. "Pull that thing down. Let's start with the easy answers."

            Sidney got up to retrieve the calendar and a couple of pencils. They'd make another list.  That was Matt's style, and hers too, after so many years together. She sat back down and they studied the calendar together as if it was some interesting puzzle neither knew the answer to. Finally she looked up at Matt and sighed. "I don't have a clue what day it might be, do you?"

            "Nope, not right off hand. Well, let's see. What day was it we were supposed to leave here?"

            "Sunday. Here," she pointed to Sunday, October 28th, on the calendar. "So, how many days has it been since then? Seems like a long time."

            "I can't believe this. We're literally lost track of time." Sidney shook her head. "How can we figure this out? What about the TV? Do you remember watching anything that would help us figure it out?"

            "Is there a TV guide around here?"  Matt looked over his shoulder.

            "Well, no, not a recent one. The paperboy hasn't been around for weeks now." Sid smiled at her own little joke.

            Matt smiled back. He always brought up the newspapers with him on weekends. Sidney would read the previous week's news, making it last through the week, until he brought up the next batch when he returned from the city. He always laughed at her odd practice and she always referred to him as the paperboy when he handed over the stack to her. 

            "I think there's an old one somewhere," Sidney said. She got up and headed for the living room window. She carefully rolled up the shade for more light. Then she found the old TV guide on the coffee table.

            "Okay. Maybe if I looked it over, it would jog my memory. I think I watched TV, let's see, it must of been night before last." Matt appeared to be enjoying the distraction. Yeah, that'd be right. I'll see if I can find something I watched." 

            She handed him the old TV guide and as he perused it she picked up the cereal bowls before sitting back down to watch him. She pulled over the calendar again to examine it again. "Let's see, if Sunday was the day of the accident, then Monday would be the second day. What day was it that I made the cookies? Was that the third day?"

            Matt looked up. "Speaking of cookies, pass me one, okay?'

            "Okay. The question you should be asking is: speaking of food, is there any left? And the answer is, no, not much. So as soon as you figure out what you watched on TV and what day it is, maybe we ought to figure out what to do about that."

            "Okay, okay." He munched a cookie. "Hmm. These are good. So, I think today is either Friday or Saturday. I remember watching this stuff. He pointed to the NBC listing, the only channel they received.  So that would have been Wednesday. So today is probably Friday morning, November 2nd."

            "Sounds right. Too bad we can't turn the TV on just to confirm your hypothesis." Sidney smiled at her joke and checked to see if Matt was smiling too. He was. She picked up a pencil and put a mark through the days since they'd been trapped and then she wrote "Day 1" over the top of the Sunday. "I'm gonna keep track from now on."

            "Like the prisoners do in their jail cells?" Matt suggested.

            "Yeah, something like that."

            "This means you don't think we're gonna to get out of here any time soon, right?" Matt asked.

            "Well, I hate to be a pessimist about it, but it sure doesn't look too hopeful to me."

            "What do you mean you hate to be a pessimist. You've always been one. Why change now?"

            "Oh, that's right. Start up a fight, why don't you. That'll help." Sidney didn't have the energy to sound offended.

            "I'm sorry, Sid. I didn't mean it. You're right. Let's concentrate on a plan. You say we're running out of food. Let's figure out what can we do about that."

            "Well, too bad we can't just run down to the store. I've got it. You're the hunter, I'm the gatherer, so why don't you go hunt for something." 

            "Sure, like, get out the deer rifle and bag a big one, drag it over here and do whatever hunters do with them."

            "Yeah," Sidney said, "hang it up, gut it and let the blood run. Then carve off a couple of big roasts."

            "Yuck. Too macho for me. What about something smaller, like say a rabbit or a squirrel?  Maybe I could shoot something like that."

            "Uh-huh. Have you ever shot a gun before?"

            "Ah, no. You?"

            "Huh-uh." Sidney shook her head.

            "Well, I guess hunting is out. Maybe we could fish?"

            "Hmm, you mean like ice fishing?"

            "Yeah, ice fishing. I guess the lake will be frozen soon. Have to check that out." Matt started to stand up, forgetting for a moment his bad knee. "Damn. I gotta get over this knee thing, or else."

            "Maybe we should pack it in ice again. After yesterday, it's probably worse than ever."

            "Yeah, later for that." He settled back down. "I'm gonna put fishing down on the list, but we'll probably starve to death if that's all we've got going for us. The fishing is crumby in the summer. I don't think it would get better in the winter. You know, what we'll have to do is break into some other cottages. Maybe they left some stuff up here, you know, like we do."

            "That's a good idea," Sidney said, warming to it. "They probably wouldn't mind, if they knew it was us. So that's item two on the list: break into cottages, get food. Let's see, what else?  Oh, we'll have to bring up more wood for the fireplace." She wrote that down as number three.

            Sidney's mood brightened when the day started. They were trapped, maybe for a week or two more, but they weren't disabled. Well, at least she wasn't. She couldn't fret about Matt's sore leg. He'd have to tough it out. It seemed to be getting better.

            "Okay, here's the list of things to do today: Go ice fishing, maybe we'll put that at the bottom of the list, break into cottages, get wood for fireplace, and ice your knee."

            "Well, that's a more interesting day than yesterday at least," Mat said.

            "I agree. So let's get started. Which cabin shall we start with?”

            “How about the closest one? The Clausens is a good bet. They spend lots of time here in the summer, and I’ve smelled some wonderful barbecue coming our way, more times than I even want to remember.”

            “That’s true, if we started with Ben’s all we’d find were books and booze.”

            Matt’s eyes lit up. “That’s right, Ben did like a drink or two, now, didn’t he? And weren’t you complaining last night that you were afraid you’d be running out of reading material. Why don’t we break into two cabins today? Ha! I love that idea.”

            Sidney dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with a heavy sweater over it. She wished she had some thermal underwear. She found some heavy socks and pulled on two pair. Her clothes fit loosely. She knew she was losing weight. Matt was too. Yesterday's workout left her with sore muscles and a barked shin from when she fell on the ice. 

            She'd have to try and look on the bright side. They didn't get the jeep out, but maybe it was just as well. What if they'd started down the road and got stuck in this storm. Then they'd be even worse off. At least they were here in the cottage and they had their wits about them.

            "I've added a couple more items to our list," Matt said, as she came out of the bathroom.  "I'm gonna look for camping gear, maybe find us a Coleman stove for cooking. And snowshoes would be something we could really use."

            "Snow shoes? Okay, sounds good. Let’s look for candles and batteries too. That’s a lot of stuff to be hauling out."

            "Right. Let’s hope the shopping’s really good."

            They decided to stack up the firewood first. Sidney started with the pile on the porch, bringing it in and stacking it along the inside wall. Matt grabbed the flashlight and headed for the pantry to look for candles and the lamp. Then Sidney went down stairs and hollered Matt over to shine the light on her and help her take the wood as she handed it up. They worked steadily until there was a huge pile under the sloping ceiling. Finally Matt called down to her to hand up a bunch of pinecones and then come back upstairs. When she emerged, she was carrying a tin can that boinged as she hit it against the metal stairs. "Look what I found. The lamp and a can marked kerosene."

            "Good. Is it full, do you think?"

            "Pretty close. It's heavy." Matt reached for it as Sidney climbed out of the stairwell and plopped down beside him. "Well, that ought to last us awhile. The fireplace seems to be heating the place okay. It feels warm in here."

            "Yeah, but you've been working hard. It'll feel colder when we're just sitting around. Let's hope that this power thing is temporary. I found the candles and some extra batteries for the flashlight." He's stacked up the treasures on the kitchen table.

            Sidney got up and went over to the stove. "God, what I'd do for a cup of coffee right now." She poured the last of the tea into her mug and took a sip. "Yuck. It's cold." She added more sugar and took another sip. "Well, shall we head over to the neighbors and break down their door now?"

            "Why not."

            Bundled up and outside again, the chore didn't seem quite so easy. 

            "We'll need tools," Matt said, standing at the foot of the stairs. Sidney surveyed the snowpack before answering. She picked up the snow shovels and handed one to Matt.

            “I might need a screwdriver, something like that. I’d hate to have to break in through a window. I’m hoping I’ll be able to jimmy the doors.”
            “First thing I’ll do is look for a key. It would be easier to open the door with a key than force the door,” Sid said. "I think we should hit the Clausen place first. What do you think?"   

            "Oh? I was thinking we'd head for Bentley's. It's closer."

            "Well, you know Maggie Clausen. How she loves to bake. I figure that she'd have more supplies hanging around then Ben would." She looked him in the eye. He looked away. "Of course, if you think booze is more important, then maybe we try Ben's first." She didn't want to go over to Ben's place. Not yet anyhow. It wasn't the booze. She didn't care if Matt wanted to drown his sorrows, she just wanted to stay clear of Ben's place. She figured if she jabbed him a little about the booze, then he'd back off.

            "That's a cheap shot, Sid. You think I'm gonna' drink myself to death, or what?"

            "Well, the thought occurred to me, now that you mention it," Sidney answered. Might as well play the card now that she'd dealt it.

            "Don't worry about it, okay? I'm getting better all the time." He shook it off.      

"Okay. How are we gonna carry the stuff back?" she asked.

            "God, I don't know. What do you say we just head over there and see if there's anything worth bringing home. If there is, then we'll figure out how to get it home. Maybe throw it in a big plastic bag and drag it back."

            "Okay by me. You ready?" 

            He nodded and led the way. The Clausen cabin was close, but tricky to reach. They didn't visit their cabin very often. The closest access was usually down by the lake, around the overgrown bushes that divided the two property lines. Matt and Sid only saw the backside of the Clausen cabin, which faced the lake's inlet, a meandering arm that tended to go dry when the weather was hot. The Clausen's liked their privacy. As a result Matt and Sid didn't see much of them and over the years they only spoke when their paths crossed, which wasn't very often.

            Maggie Clausen's baking ability was legendary in their small community. She started her projects early in the day and by the time the fisherman hit the inlet, the bread and cinnamon roll smells were beginning to waft over the lake. She sold her breads, rolls and cookies to the lodge, so every resident had sampled Maggie's home baked goodies at one time or another. Just thinking of Maggie's bread gave Sidney a hunger pang.

            They broke a snow path down to the water's edge and stopped for a minute. They were living in a black and white world. Snow puddled in the lake like tiny floating islands. Blackened trees with snow-laddened branches leaned over the water. Their reflected images mirrored back at them, looking like pen and ink drawings. It was hard to see where the water’s edge started. She wondered if it was strong enough to walk on yet.

            The Clausen cabin was sturdy two-story bungalow with weathered shingle siding and dormer windows on the second floor. It sat on a flat lot so there were just three steps to the long covered front porch. There was snow on the steps but very little on the porch. The first floor windows were shuttered against the weather. They cupped their hands and peered through the unshuttered glass panes of the front door.

            "I can't see anything, Matt."

            "Let me look." He pushed forward and leaned against the door. "Nope."

            He pulled off his gloves and reached into his pocket. Sidney watched him take out the screw driver. He raised it to strike the glass pane and then he stopped.

            "Wait a minute. Let me try something here." Sidney watched as he tried the doorknob. It turned in his hand. He held it and put his shoulder to the door. It opened slowly and he stumbled in. "Well, son-of-a-bitch.  They left that sucker wide open."

            "Way to go, Maggie," Sidney said as she followed Matt into the dark kitchen. "How'd you know the door would be open?"

            "I didn't. I just thought I'd try it, you know, for luck."

            "Oh."

            "And I heard that some people leave their places unlocked in winter, to save them from being broken into." He said, smiling. "Maybe they knew something we didn't." 

            He groped around his pockets as he headed to the kitchen counter. "I got my little flashlight here somewhere," he said. "Ah, here it is."

            "Brrr. It's cold in here and dark too." Sidney shivered into her jacket.

            "You got that right." Matt pointed his pen flash around the room. It didn't give off much light. 

            "I'll check the fridge first. That's where I keep stuff. Maybe Maggie does too." Matt followed her over and held the light as she opened the door. Nothing except a box of baking soda.

            "Uh-oh." Matt drew back and turned the light towards the counters. "Check them," he pointed to the overhead shelves on either side of the sink. Sidney opened the doors. Glassware, dishes, serving bowls.

            "Nothing here either," Sidney said slamming them shut again. She tried under the sink where she found only cleaning supplies and an empty garbage can. "Not looking too good here either."

            "Yeah, and you thought there'd be a loaf of fresh baked bread sitting on the stove waiting for us, I'll bet." Matt turned and played his flashlight over the rest of the kitchen. Sidney ignored his remarks. Surely they'd leave something on hand. Didn't everyone? 

            "I wish I knew her a little better. Is she so well organized that she packs up everything and takes it home with her?" Sidney asked, watching the flashlight beam skirting the far kitchen walls.

            "Maybe. Or might be they just plan things so they run out of food on the exact day they leave."

            "Yeah, right, Matt. They spend the last week at the lake eating up the sardines and canned beans."

            "Um-um, that sure sounds good to me right now."

            "What's that over there?" Sidney pointed to a small door under the stairs. She could just make out what looked like a black handle against the knotty pine. 

            "Hm. Cellar door?"

            "Maybe. Let's look."

            They headed toward it. Matt stooped over and pulled it open while Sidney peered over his shoulder. No stairs. Matt raised the flashlight. Clutter greeted them.

            "Hey. It's the pantry," Sidney said. "Point the light in there."

            "Well, whaddaya know," Matt exclaimed. 

            "Let me see," Sidney demanded.

            "Okay, okay. Back up so I can get out of your way," Matt grumbled.

            She took the flashlight from him and stooped into the stair-well closet. Shelves were built into both sides of it. "They, I think there's food in here. Oh, and here's a flashlight." She pulled it off the wall bracket and tried it. It was a big one with a large beam. "I'll use this one," she said, handing Matt his little pen light.

            She turned back to the closet. Canisters and packages lined the shelves Flour, sugar, rice, beans, macaroni, packaged soup mix, even coffee, were all stored carefully on the shelves.  "Would you look at this." Matt didn't answer.

            "Hey, Matt! Look what I found." Sidney said again. "Matt?"

            "I'm over here." She heard his muffled voice, coming from another room. "Come and see what I found," he said.

            She headed for his tiny light beam. He’d found a storage room, and was rummaging around.

            "What?" she asked. 

            He was having a hard time producing the thing he wanted to show her. She heard stuff banging around and him swearing under his breath. Finally he freed the object and banged it against the door. "Ta Da!"

            "Hey, a sled." It was a little kid's Flexible Flier, the writing was just visible on the wooden slats. She turned it over. The runners were rusty and its rope frayed. Matt grinned like a kid as she inspected the toy.

            "So does this mean I get to pull you around like a sled dog?" Sidney asked as she completed her inspection. She handed it back.

            He grinned at her. "Well, I'd pull you if you were hurt." He looked it over, running his hand along the wooden slats. "Needs a little work I think. Better sharpen those edges a bit. Actually, I thought you could use it like, you know, kind of like a shopping cart. I could hammer a little wooden box onto it. That reminds me, did you find anything good?"

            "Yeah, I did. There's a bunch of dried food in the pantry. We won't starve just yet, thanks to Maggie. So you mean I can use this to lug stuff home with?" she asked.

            "Uh-huh. Just load up a sackful, put it on the sled and pull it home."

            "Sounds easy. Let's try her out." Sidney headed back to the kitchen and filled up a plastic garbage bag she found under the sink. It was heavy and bulky. By the time she got it to the porch, Matt was outside with the sled, sliding it along the snow by the end of its fraying rope.

            "It'll be better when I fix up those runners," he said, assessing the little toy sled. "I had one of these when I was a kid. It was fun."

             Go to: Day 7

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