Mystery in the Mist novel (Chap. 10)

CHAPTER TEN

 

Troy tried whistling through once freezing lips. He was so happy, but still unable to copy the lilting sound of a loon. Like Dad could.

            It didn't take Troy many minutes to change into dry clothes.

Dad made a few sandwiches and brought along a couple of apples. “Ready?” he asked.

            “You bet!”

            Together they headed towards Troy's mysterious destination. This time they were prepared for the wet weather. Yellow raincoats would keep them dry for the journey.

            A thermos of hot chocolate each, spare socks and lined jeans came along for the trip. Woolen mitts inside leather ones would guarantee no more cold fingers. Troy finished off his preparedness with insulated boots.

            Now he was ready for anything. And Dad was with him.

            Stepping into the cold wind was still a surprise. It seemed to warn them to stay indoors. Blowing sleet was worse than before.

            They were not planning on giving up, until they reached their goal.

            Troy's ankle held him back a little, and his limp was noticeable.

            “Still want to go on?” Dad asked.

            “I'm game if you are,” was the boy's answer. “Rain or shine,” was Troy’s way of thinking. It was a good motto. That is what the other boy said about his own father. This time Troy knew Dad would stick with him. He couldn’t wait to show his father the 'glowing place'. It would be his gift for him.

            Something didn't seem quite right. They had walked directly into the wind. Then they plowed through the slush across the square where campers gathered. And they passed the first row of cabins, then the second row. Everything seemed to be farther apart.

            As they approached the woods their eyes took time to adjust. The trees were taller and bushier than before. As if someone had dropped a ton of fertilizer on all the trees, since he was last here.

They seemed to be growing thicker and taller as father and son hiked together, in a journey growing more difficult with each step. As if there was a deliberate hiding of some kind of secret from human eyes.

            “This way!” Troy shouted. He took the lead, knowing exactly which direction the glow came from. They couldn't see it now though. Pine trees blocked their view. Troy made sure he led them on a straight compass line until time for a rest.

            He didn't dare tell Dad he might be a little confused.

            “Lost?”

            “NAW. I just need a little rest. My ankle's still a bit sore,” the boy said.

            “Sure you don't want to go back?”

            “No!” Troy jumped to his feet and hurried forward. He wanted to make sure Dad had no excuse to go back home. “Hurry up Dad!” Troy yelled behind him.

            “Hey, not so fast.” His father rushed to catch up. “We don't want to get separated son. There's something strange going on here. This forest is denser than I remember.”

            As they stepped through a last barrier of thickness, the change began. It was just as Troy remembered.

            Their feet felt it first, as they stepped through a wall of heat. Damp spongy ground became hard and dry. Tufts of grass replaced pockets of snow.

            “Look!” his father’s voice rose in surprise. “A brown rabbit.” The others they had seen back at the house were mostly white.

            It was their natural camouflage for winter. With spring and warmer weather they changed. But here, they were brown? And this rabbit wasn't shy. It was running towards them like a welcoming committee.

            Further surprises awaited Troy's father. The heavy spruce changed to birch and poplar. Shrubs even had a full growth of leaves. Yes, the air was certainly warmer now.

            Sleet turned into a gentle wind. The sky was blue and marshmallow shaped clouds followed them.

            “Isn't it beautiful?” Troy remarked. He tried not to smile as he watched Dad's reaction to the changes around him.

            Dad didn't answer at first. He just kept looking around. And up and down. His mouth had a hard time keeping closed. It was quite funny to see him confused.

            “If I didn't know any better son, I'd say I am now part of your imagination. It's really great. In fact, it's more than great. It's wonderful!”

            They walked slowly towards the river. Then stopped as a man and boy waved to them. They were the same ones Troy had seen this morning.

            Fish were jumping from the river surface. Then diving back with hardly a splash. And a variety of birds were performing their own acrobatics. What really caught his father's attention was the rainbow. Bright colors radiated like carnival lights.

Troy remembered something similar at the Nova Scotia Exhibition, in Bible Hill.

            “Wow. Oh wow,” both barely whispered, one to another.

            On the way home, it was Troy who led his father. The boy's face radiated with satisfaction. His dad still had a difficult time with what he saw.

            “It's okay Dad,” Troy kept saying on the return trip. “We'll talk some more, when we get home.”

            Later in the evening, father and son sat quietly in the living room. They were side by side staring out the window. Snow and rain whipped about in frenzy. Their minds relived the adventure they left a few hours ago. Words alone were insufficient to re-create that warm glow inside each of them.

            Returning home was like being an actor in a jungle movie. They had gotten confused with their direction. After going around in circles, they finally stumbled onto the edge of the campground.

            And it was Troy who led them home.

            “So beautiful son. Something I've never seen before,” Dad said.

            Troy could barely speak. His mind was still captured by the glow of the ‘place’. He had experienced all kinds of precious feelings in his young life. Like remembering Mom. He was sure she was right beside him, rubbing his arm and placing her hand on his head.

“Don't grow up too quickly,” she once said. “Enjoy each glowing moment that comes into your life.”

            Troy remembered her words very well.

            Watching that other man and boy by the river was something else. Yes, it could easily be himself and his dad fishing and talking one day. Troy absorbed that sight into his spirit. It felt natural and good.

            He understood now how much his father loved him.

            Troy turned to his dad on the couch. He moved a little closer watching as he stared out the window. He wasn’t saying anything, only breathing slowly, as if surviving some tremendous adventure. The boy leaned his head on his father's shoulder.

            He knew they were a proper father and son again. Like before. He witnessed his father crying back in the woods. Imagine this tough man who could be so grouchy and mean, actually crying.

Dad said crying was for babies. Then it was good to be a baby, with Dad.

            In a short while hungry appetites got things rolling. Working together as a team, getting supper ready was easy. First, pots and pans banged and clattered with activity. Potatoes were scraped clean, then dropped into water. Vegetables chopped up and plunked down.

            Steam began to rise from the jumping pot top. And kidney beans prepared to join a Johnnycake on the kitchen table.

            “Pass the molasses please,” signaled supper was in full swing.

Troy did as his father asked, still thinking about the ‘glowing place’. Old feelings of warmth and happiness covered him like a gentle wave. Going to the river was better than taking a bath on Saturday night. At the river, he left behind most of his worries.

            Troy was now thinking more clearly. He wanted his dad to tell him every detail about the accident that took the life of his mother. And also put Troy in the hospital.

            “Our thinking is on the same clothesline, son,” his father said. The man knew the time had come to share his grief. Troy had to learn the full truth about the accident.

            The boy had many questions. They were kept in check in the back of his mind for a long time. Like a wet blanket anxious to be dry again.

            “Dad?” He needed honest answers for his troubled thoughts. Troy proceeded slowly, one small step at a time. That way all the facts, however unpleasant, would not overwhelm him.

            “Yes, son?”

            “What was in that letter you got from the photo shop?”

            “Letter?”

            “Yes. Well, maybe a package. I saw you get it from our mailbox and place it under your jacket. As if it was something I wasn't supposed to see. I’m really sorry about sneaking into your mail.” By the time the boy finished his speech, his head hung shyly, feet scuffing against the floor.

            “What makes you think you weren't going to be told about it?”

            “Dad. We never had secrets before. We promised to talk about things that bothered us.”

            “I know. I was the one who suggested the idea. After your mom…when the time is right, we'll talk about it. I’m sorry, but I don’t know if you can handle it. Maybe now is not the time. Besides, I’m still trying to figure out what I saw by the river.”

            Now Troy’s curiosity was in full flight. What was holding back Dad’s explanation? And was he man enough to handle the truth?