Above the Fire by Michael O’Donnell

Author:Michael O’Donnell [O’Donnell, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub

He was preoccupied through the evening but said nothing about David’s offer to the boy. The moment he opened up any question for decision, Tim voiced a firm opinion and then was hurt if his advice wasn’t followed. Yet even when he held strong convictions, they soon faded away. And in any event, this was no matter for a child to decide. Doug mulled over what to do. His thoughts tended to run toward departure. If he looked beyond the risk of the journey, the prospect of breaking their isolation and merging bubbles with another family felt like the relief of an extended hand. Their chances of finding good information about events would be much higher in town than in the wilderness. As well stocked as their mountaintop cabin was, the food would not last forever; Burlington would offer more dynamic opportunities for resupply. It was closer to the border with Canada if they decided to try and leave the country. A famously easy-going town, it seemed less likely to succumb to the sort of civil unrest that had plagued other cities. Still, he hesitated. Safety was all, and each of these windfalls depended on a journey of several hundred miles through an uncertain world. Several hundred miles away from home, with no sure way back. Moreover, while he trusted his instincts about David, he did not know his new friend’s daughter or her family. The journey was therefore not the only gamble. Even if, as David had said, he and Tim would be welcome, these might not be the right people to live with indefinitely during a historic crisis. Doug played and replayed these thoughts fretfully, without coming to any clear resolution. He would make up his mind for sure in the morning. But just to be prepared for an early departure, he gathered their things together after the boy was soundly asleep. Hiking out in time to meet David would mean starting early.

He slept fitfully and woke well before the appointed hour. The decision had crystallized as he slept. With the balance of risks so close, what made up his mind was exhaustion with solitude. The two of them were a remarkable pair, but they remained precarious as two legs holding up a stool. The rest was missing. His wife, Tim’s mother. For once, they would not have to be alone—alone together. A makeshift family stood waiting. They had been on their own for so long. So. They would leave and join David on his trip to Burlington. It was a close call, but he felt confident in its rightness. He began gathering their few unpacked things. At a few minutes before six, his son remained asleep, so he took the radio outside where it would not wake him. He stood under heavy gray clouds and waited, radio in hand. Yet no call came. Doug tried David over the line but received only static. He waited a few minutes and tried again without success. Tim came outside, noticed his father’s preoccupation with the radio, and asked what was going on.

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