Light Snow Falling, Dave Robinson [different ereaders .txt] 📗

too,” Cappy said, “Just hook the barrel part into the stock and snap it up, it’s a .410 shotgun, good for birds, or rabbits.”
Alex found several plastic bags sealed shut. “Meals, Ready to Eat” said the label.
Alex read the label aloud.
“MREs,” Cappy said, “Those are what the military men and women eat when they’re out in the field. They actually taste pretty good. There should be about two dozen of them in there.”
Alex found some tea bags, a small can of coffee, some spare batteries and tons of matches. The rest of the kit held a couple of foil emergency blankets, a GPS receiver, a hatchet, a hand saw and all kinds of other things that might come in handy.
“Ok, here’s what I need you to do,” Cappy said. “We’ve got to get that ELT out of the airplane.”
For the tenth time that day, Lieutenant Landon Scott brought up the weather forecast on his desktop computer. “Snow, overcast, and freezing temperatures,” for at least the next 24 hours. It was mid-afternoon and he was getting frustrated with this search. There had been no ELT report, and no one had reported any kind of ‘Mayday’ radio call. The best he could hope for was Cappy had put the plane down on some remote lake or glacier and they were holed up in some fairly comfortable shelter.
He spoke with Bess Benson several times that day just to keep her updated. Calls were coming in from all over Southeast Alaska from pilots who wanted to help. Lt. Scott told them all the same thing, “We’re just going to have to wait until the weather breaks. But thanks for the offer.”
Several pilots said they’d fly to Cordova anyway just so they’d be ready to go when the weather cleared. The fraternity of bush pilots was pretty tight. And when one of their brothers was down, they all pulled together. Each one knew that next time it could be one of them.
Alex made her way down the trail to where the tent was still standing. She slipped the bungee-corded tent poles from their pockets and the tent collapsed. Cappy had suggested they take the tent down or it might be damaged from the weight of the snow. Alex shook the snow off and rolled it up. She would pick it up on the way back to the cabin. Going down the slope, she stepped into the frigid lake water and waded out to the plane.
Climbing into the cargo section, she quickly located the small box mounted on the side of the plane. As Cappy had instructed, she checked all the wires, the power cable, and the antenna wire. Everything seemed solid and connected properly. The little indicator light was dark. Cappy said that if it had been activated, there would be a blinking light. No blinking light. Alex used the screwdriver Cappy sent with her and unscrewed the two screws holding the ELT to the side of the airplane. Then she unhooked the power cable and unscrewed the antenna. Placing the box into her pocket she climbed over the pilot’s seat and retrieved the bundle of maps stuffed in the pilot’s door pocket. Then she found Cappy’s knee board and climbed down out of the airplane.
Stopping to pick up the tent and poles on the way back to the cabin, Alex had her arms full. She needed to get inside and get her wet shoes and socks off so she could warm up.
Cappy was sitting up in his bunk when she returned. The fire was keeping the little cabin warm and Alex was grateful for the relief from the cold outside. It was hard to believe she had found the cabin only a few hours ago. So much had happened. She shuddered to think about huddling around a campfire outside the tent trying to stay warm.
“I got all the maps and the ELT,” she announced.
“Good,” Cappy said, “Maybe we can figure out where we are. Was the ELT working?”
“No, no blinking lights,” she answered.
“We can take the battery out and see if the contacts are corroded,” he suggested “But for now let’s see what we can stir up for dinner. I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to get hungry.”
After some discussion and a recitation of their inventory, they settled on MREs. Alex slit open one of the military rations and emptied the contents on the table. There was a pouch with the main entrée, some kind of creamed corn, peanut butter, crackers, some salt, pepper, a heat tab to warm the entrée, some freeze-dried coffee, a drink powder, a dessert bar, plastic fork and spoon and a napkin. Her choice was spaghetti and meatballs, Cappy chose beef stew.
“If you empty those packets into the little skillet from the cook kit, they should warm up just fine,” Cappy suggested.
Alex did as he said, and set the skillet on the wood stove. In a few minutes the odor of beef stew was wafting through the cabin. As soon as it was hot, she dished it up for Cappy and handed him a spoon. Then she turned her attention to the spaghetti. Hot food can be a real morale booster when a person is stranded in a cabin in God-knows-where Alaska.
The pair ate in silence as the daylight faded and darkness settled in to the room. Alex lit a candle and set it in an empty tin can in the middle of the table. The firewood pile seemed to be sufficient to get them through the night, then tomorrow she’d need to bring more wood inside.
Alex cleaned up the litter from the dinner meal and poured water into a pan to heat on the stove. “Coffee or tea?” she asked Cappy.
“Cup of coffee sounds nice,” he answered.
“There’s creamer and sugar from the MREs,” Alex offered.
“Black’s just fine,” Cappy said. “Is that weather radio somewhere handy?” he asked.
Alex took it from its place on the counter and handed it to him. Cappy flipped the ‘on’ switch and static filled the room. He pressed a button, more static, pressed the button again, this time a clear channel and a computerized monotone voice filled the room. “…continued snow showers for the next 72 hours accompanied by increasing wind and falling temperatures. Overcast conditions characterized by freezing fog will be over the entire region until sometime Friday when a new high-pressure front will move into the area…” The man’s voice droned on about dew points, winds aloft and wind waves and swells at sea, high tides, low tides and some other stuff Alex didn’t quite grasp.
“They’re not going to be able to find us with that kind of weather,” Cappy was thinking out loud. “At least we’re warm and dry, for now, and we’ve got plenty to eat. Things could be a whole lot worse.”
Alex said nothing, she was trying very hard to be brave and didn’t want to tell him how incredibly scared she really felt.
She retrieved her paperback book from her backpack. She hung her socks by the woodstove on a string she had stretched along the wall and placed her shoes nearby to dry. Cappy drank his coffee quietly while the snow began falling again. Alex made her way slowly through the paperback.


Chapter 9

“Getting a Plan”

Alex awoke sometime in the night. The fire was nearly out and she shoved a couple of chunks of wood into the stove. The wind was howling and the snow made a static sound as it struck the window. Some of the snow sneaked in under the door and made a wet spot on the floor when it melted. Alex found the flashlight and checked on Cappy. He seemed to be resting comfortably. It was their first night in the cabin and their second night since they crashed in the lake. Alex recalled that last night, Cappy was nearly delirious with fever and pain.
Tonight he seemed much better, although he had said nothing about his vision improving. Alex fluffed her sweatshirt that she had been using for a pillow and snuggled back down inside her sleeping bag, again grateful that Cappy hadn’t scrimped on quality when he purchased emergency gear.
This time of year, nights are long in the Arctic. Alex woke up and glanced at her watch. Seven o’clock. If she were at home, she’d already be up, showered, and ready to go to school. She wondered about her classmates. Did they know she was missing? Was her Daddy worried? Her grandparents? All she knew is that it snowed again last night, the wind was still blowing and she was warm and snug in this sleeping bag in this tiny cabin somewhere in the mountains of Alaska.
“You awake?” Cappy asked.
“Mmmhmm,” she stretched. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Better, I think,” he answered. “Ankle’s still sore, but not as bad as yesterday. The good thing is I think I can see a little, although it’s still pretty fuzzy.”
Alex bounced out of bed and grabbed her jeans and socks. Striking a match, she lit a candle and put some more wood on the fire.
“Did you just light a candle?” Cappy said with hope in his voice.
“Yes, I did,” Alex replied, “Can you see it?”
“Not very clearly, but I can see the flame and tell that it’s flickering.”
“That’s awesome,” Alex answered. “That means your head injury is getting better.”
“All right, let’s get some breakfast,” Cappy suggested. “We’ve probably got to limit ourselves to two meals a day so that our food will last as long as possible. These MREs have enough for a snack in the middle of the day so we shouldn’t suffer too much.”
Alex put some water on the stove to heat so they could have hot coffee or in her case hot tea.
After breakfast Cappy asked about the maps. “I’ve got an idea,” he said. “I can’t see clearly enough yet to read a map, but you can help me. We’ll need the GPS receiver that was in the emergency kit, and one of those maps of Alaska.”
Alex spread the map on the table.
“If we can get a clear reading from the GPS, we can find our location on the map,” Cappy explained.
“What good will that do?” Alex wondered aloud.
“I’m not sure yet,” Cappy said, “But what if we’re just say, five miles from a village or a road or a lodge or a logging camp. I know that’s too far for me to walk, but if the storm ever passes, it’s not too far for you to walk and get some help.”
“You mean that if we’re close to civilization…” her voice trailed off as she contemplated the possibilities.
“It’s just a thought,” Cappy was trying to put her at ease, “But if we’re close to help, there’s no sense starving to death or worrying our families needlessly, is there?
“I’m not too sure about traipsing off through the wilderness, knee deep in snow all by myself,” Alex admitted truthfully.
Ok, ok, I understand,” he was reconsidering that this may not be such a good idea after all. “Is this GPS on?”
Alex looked at it, “There’s a display and it’s lit up,” she said.
“Good, now