- il y a 42 minutes
A wild family drama set in the actual wilds of Alaska, this is the story of a father changed by the Vietnam war, his loving wife, and the 13-year-old daughter caught between it all. It’s a classic tale of nature vs nurture, steeped in layered characters, each with their own story to tell.
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00:00«Leany, baby, sit up! We're almost there!»
00:04She blinked awake.
00:05At first all she saw was her own potato chip crumb-dusted lap.
00:10Beside her lay an old newspaper, covered in candy wrappers,
00:14and her paperback copy of The Fellowship of the Ring.
00:17It was propped up like a pup tent, yellowed pages splayed out.
00:21Her most treasured possession, her Polaroid camera,
00:24hung from a strap around her neck.
00:26It had been an amazing trip north on the mostly unpaved Alcan Highway,
00:32their first true family vacation.
00:34Days driving in bright sunlight,
00:37nights spent camping beside raging rivers and quiet streams,
00:41in the shadows of sawblade mountain peaks,
00:44huddled around a fire,
00:45spinning dreams of a future that felt closer every day.
00:49They roasted hot dogs for dinner and made s'mores for dessert,
00:52and shared dreams about what they would discover at the end of the road.
00:57Leany had never seen her parents so happy,
01:00her dad most of all.
01:01He laughed, he smiled,
01:03he told jokes and promised them the moon.
01:06He was the dad she remembered from before.
01:09Usually on road trips,
01:11Leany kept her nose buried in a book,
01:13but on this trip,
01:14the scenery had often demanded her attention,
01:17especially through the gorgeous mountains of British Columbia.
01:19In the ever-changing landscape,
01:22she sat in the back seat of the bus,
01:24imagining herself as Frodo, or Bilbo,
01:27the hero of her own quest.
01:29The VW bus thumped over something,
01:32a curb maybe,
01:33and stuff went flying inside,
01:35dropped to the floor,
01:36rolled into the backpacks and boxes that filled the back of the bus.
01:40They screeched to a halt that smelled of burnt rubber and exhaust.
01:45Sunlight streamed through the dirty, mosquito-splattered windows,
01:48Leany climbed over the heap of their poorly rolled sleeping bags
01:52and opened a side door.
01:54Their rainbow-decorated Alaska or bust sign fluttered in the cool breeze,
01:59the sides anchored in place by duct tape.
02:01Leany stepped out of the bus.
02:04We made it, Red!
02:05Dad came up beside her,
02:07laid a hand on her shoulder.
02:08Land's End, Homer, Alaska.
02:11People come here from all over to stock up on supplies.
02:14It's kind of the last outpost of civilization.
02:16They say it's where the land ends and the sea begins.
02:21Wow, Mama said.
02:23Even with all the pictures Leany had studied
02:25and all the articles and books she'd read,
02:28she hadn't been prepared for the wild, spectacular beauty of Alaska.
02:33It was otherworldly somehow,
02:35magical in its vast expanse,
02:37an incomparable landscape of soaring glacier-filled white mountains
02:41that ran the length of the horizon.
02:43Knife-tip points pressed high into a cloudless cornflower-blue sky.
02:48Kachamek Bay was a sheet of hammered sterling in the sunlight.
02:52Boats dotted the bay.
02:54The air smelled briny, deeply of the sea.
02:57Shorebirds floated on the wind,
02:59dipped and rose effortlessly.
03:00The famous Homer spit she'd read about
03:03was a four-and-a-half-mile-long finger of land
03:06that crooked into the bay,
03:08a few colorful shacks perched on stilts at the water's edge.
03:12Leany lifted her Polaroid,
03:14took pictures as fast as the developer would let her.
03:17She peeled one photograph after another out of the camera,
03:20watched the images develop in front of her eyes.
03:23The buildings sketched themselves onto the shiny white paper line by line.
03:28Our land is over there, Dad said,
03:31pointing across Kachamek Bay
03:32to a necklace of lush green humps in the hazy distance.
03:36Our new home.
03:38Even though it's on the Kenai Peninsula,
03:40there are no roads to it.
03:41Massive glaciers and mountains cut K'nec off from the mainland,
03:45so we have to fly or boat in.
03:48Mama moved in beside Leany.
03:50In her low-waisted bell-bottom jeans and lace-edged tank top,
03:54with her pale face and blonde hair,
03:56she looked as if she'd been sculpted from the cool colors of this place,
04:00an angel alighted on a shore that waited for her.
04:03Even her laugh seemed at home here,
04:05an echo of the bells that tinkled from wind chimes in front of the shops.
04:09A cool breeze molded her top to her braless breasts.
04:13What do you think, baby girl?
04:14It's cool, Leany said.
04:17She clicked another picture,
04:18but no ink and paper could capture the grandeur of that mountain range.
04:23Dad turned to them,
04:24smiling so big it crinkled his face.
04:27The ferry to K'nec is tomorrow,
04:29so let's go sightseeing a little
04:30and then get a campsite on the beach and walk around.
04:33What do you say?
04:35Yay!
04:36Leany and Mama said together.
04:37As they drove away from the spit and up through the town,
04:41Leany pressed her nose to the glass and stared out.
04:43The homes were an eclectic mix.
04:46Big houses with shiny windows stood next to lean toes,
04:49made livable with plastic and duct tape.
04:52There were A-frames and shacks and mobile homes and trailers.
04:56Buses parked by the side of the road had curtained windows and chairs set out front.
05:00Some yards were manicured and fenced,
05:02others were heaped with rusty junk and abandoned cars and old appliances.
05:06Most were unfinished in some way or another.
05:10Businesses operated in everything from a rusted old Airstream trailer
05:13to a brand new log building to a roadside shack.
05:17The place was a little wild,
05:19but didn't feel as foreign and remote as she'd imagined.
05:22Dad cranked up the radio as they turned toward a long gray beach.
05:26The tires sank into the sand.
05:27It slowed them down.
05:29All up and down the beach, there were vehicles parked,
05:32trucks and vans and cars.
05:33People obviously lived on this beach in whatever shelter they could find.
05:37Tense, broken-down cars,
05:39shacks built of driftwood and tarps.
05:41They're called spit rats, Dad said, looking for a parking place.
05:45They work in the canneries on the spit and for charter operators.
05:49He maneuvered into a spot between a mud-splattered Econoline van
05:52with Nebraska license plates
05:54and a lime-green gremlin with duct tape and cardboard windows.
05:58They set up their tent on the sand, tying it to the bus's bumper.
06:01The sea-scented wind was insistent down here.
06:05The surf made a quiet, shushing sound as it rolled forward and drew back.
06:09All around them people were enjoying the day,
06:12throwing frisbees to dogs and building bonfires in the sand,
06:15and putting boats in the water.
06:16The chatter of human voices felt small and transient
06:19in the bigness of the world here.
06:22They spent the day as tourists, drifting from place to place.
06:26Mama and Dad bought beers at the Salty Dog Saloon,
06:30while Leanie bought an ice cream cone from a shack on the spit.
06:34Then they dug through bins at the Salvation Army
06:37until they found rubber boots in all of their sizes.
06:40Leanie bought 15 old books,
06:43most of them damaged and water-stained in some way,
06:46for 50 cents.
06:48Dad bought a kite to fly at the beach,
06:50while Mama slipped Leanie some cash and said,
06:53Get yourself some film, baby girl.
06:55At a little restaurant at the very end of the spit,
06:58they gathered at a picnic table and ate Dungeness crab.
07:02Leanie fell in love with the sweet, salty taste
07:05of the white crab meat dunked in melted butter.
07:09Seagulls cawed to them, floated overhead,
07:12eyeing their fries and French bread.
07:14Leanie couldn't remember a better day.
07:17A bright future had never seemed so close.
07:20The next morning, they drove the bus onto the hulky Tustamena Ferry,
07:25called Tusty by the locals,
07:27that was a part of the Alaska Marine Highway.
07:30The stout old ship serviced remote towns like Homer,
07:34Konek, Seldovia, Dutch Harbor, Kodiak,
07:37and the wild Aleutian Islands.
07:40As soon as the bus was parked in its lane,
07:42the three of them rushed out onto the deck
07:44and headed to the railing.
07:46The area was crowded with people,
07:48mostly men with long hair and bushy beards,
07:51wearing trucker's caps and plaid flannel shirts,
07:54puffy down vests,
07:56and dirty jeans tucked into brown rubber boots.
07:59There were a few college-aged hippies here too,
08:02recognizable by their backpacks,
08:03tie-dyed shirts, and sandals.
08:05The ferry eased away from the dock,
08:08belching smoke.
08:09Almost immediately,
08:11Leanie saw that the water in Kachamak Bay
08:13wasn't as calm as it had looked
08:15from the safety of the shore.
08:17Out here, the sea was wild and white-tipped.
08:20Waves roiled and splashed the sides of the boat.
08:24It was beautiful, magical, wild.
08:27She took at least a dozen pictures
08:29and tucked them into her pocket.
08:31A pod of orcas surfaced from the waves.
08:34Seals peered at them from the rocks.
08:36Otters fed in kelp beds along the rough shores.
08:38Finally, the ferry turned,
08:41chugged around an emerald green mound of land
08:43that protected them from the wind
08:45that barreled across the bay.
08:47Lush islands with tree-tossed rocky shores
08:50welcomed them into their calm waters.
08:53K'nec coming up,
08:54came over the loudspeaker.
08:56Next stop, Seldovia.
08:58Come on, Albright's,
08:59back to the bus,
09:00Dad said, laughing.
09:01They maneuvered through the line of cars,
09:04found their way back to the bus,
09:05and climbed in.
09:06I can't wait to see our new home,
09:09Mama said.
09:10The ferry docked,
09:11and they drove off the boat
09:12and uphill onto a wide dirt road
09:14that cut through a forest.
09:16At the crest of the hill
09:17stood a white clapboard church
09:19with a blue-domed steeple
09:21topped with a three-slatted Russian cross.
09:24Beside it was a small picket-fenced cemetery
09:26studded with wooden crosses.
09:29They crested the hill,
09:30came down on the other side,
09:32and got their first look at K'nec.
09:34Wait, Lini said,
09:36peering out the dirty window.
09:38This can't be it.
09:40She saw trailers parked on grass,
09:42with chairs out front,
09:43and houses that would have been called
09:45shacks back in Washington.
09:47In front of one of the shacks,
09:49three scrawny dogs were chained up.
09:51All three stood on top of their
09:53weathered dog houses,
09:55barking and yelping furiously.
09:57The grassy yard was pitted with holes
09:59where the bored dogs dug.
10:01It's an old town with a remarkable history,
10:04Dad said,
10:06settled first by natives,
10:07then by Russian fur traders,
10:09and then taken over by adventurers
10:11looking for gold.
10:13An earthquake in 1964
10:14hit the town so hard
10:16that the land dropped five feet in a second.
10:20Houses broke apart and fell into the sea.
10:23Lini stared at the few ramshackle,
10:25paint-blistered buildings
10:26that were connected to one another
10:28by an aging boardwalk.
10:30The town was perched on pilings
10:32above mudflats.
10:33Beyond the mud was a harbor
10:35full of fishing boats.
10:36The main street was less than a block long
10:39and unpaved.
10:40To her left was a saloon
10:42called the Kicking Moose.
10:44The building was a charred, blackened husk,
10:46clearly the victim of a fire.
10:49Through the dirty glass window,
10:50she saw patrons inside,
10:52people drinking at 10 a.m. on a Thursday
10:54in a burned-out shell of a building.
10:56On the bay side of the street,
10:59she saw a closed-up boarding house
11:01that her dad said had probably been built
11:03for Russian fur traders
11:04over a hundred years ago.
11:06Next to it,
11:07a closet-sized diner called Fish On
11:09welcomed guests with an open door.
11:12Lini could see a few people
11:13huddled over a counter inside.
11:15A couple of old trucks
11:16were parked near the entrance to the harbor.
11:19Where's the school?
11:20Lini said,
11:21feeling a spike of panic.
11:23This was no town.
11:24An outpost, maybe.
11:26The kind of place one might have found
11:28on a wagon train headed west
11:29a hundred years ago.
11:31The kind of place where no one stayed.
11:33Would there be any kids her age here?
11:36Dad pulled up in front of a narrow,
11:38pointy-roofed Victorian house
11:39that appeared to have once been blue,
11:42and now only showed patches of that color
11:44here and there on the faded wood
11:46where paint had peeled away.
11:48In scrolled, gilt letters on the window
11:50were the words,
11:50a Sayers office.
11:52Someone had duct-taped
11:53a hand-lettered
11:54Trading Post General Store sign
11:56beneath it.
11:57Let's get directions, Albrights.
11:59Mama got out of the bus quickly,
12:01hurried toward the small civilization
12:03this store represented.
12:05As she opened the door,
12:06a bell tinkled overhead.
12:08Lini sidled in behind Mama,
12:10put a hand on her hip.
12:12Sunlight came through the windows behind them,
12:14illuminating the front quarter of the store.
12:17Beyond that,
12:17only a single shadeless overhead bulb offered light.
12:21The back of the store was full of shadows.
12:24The interior smelled of old leather
12:26and whiskey and tobacco.
12:28The walls were covered in rows of shelving.
12:30Lini saw saws,
12:32axes,
12:32hoes,
12:33furry snow boots
12:34and rubber fishing boots,
12:36heaps of socks,
12:37boxes full of headlamps,
12:39steel traps
12:39and loops of chain
12:40hung from every post.
12:42There were at least a dozen
12:44taxidermied animals
12:45sitting on shelves and counters.
12:46A giant king salmon
12:48was caught forever
12:49on a shiny wooden plaque,
12:51as were moose heads,
12:52antlers,
12:53white animal skulls.
12:54There was even a stuffed red fox
12:56gathering dust in a corner.
12:58Off to the left side
12:59were food items,
13:01bags of potatoes
13:01and buckets of onions,
13:03stacked cans of salmon
13:04and crab and sardines,
13:06bags of rice
13:07and flour and sugar,
13:08canisters of Crisco,
13:10and her favorite,
13:11the snack aisle,
13:12where beautiful,
13:13multicolored candy wrappers
13:14reminded her of home,
13:16potato chips
13:17and snack pack
13:17butterscotch puddings
13:19and boxes of cereal.
13:21It looked like a store
13:22that would have welcomed
13:23Laura Ingalls Wilder.
13:25Customers!
13:26Lenny heard the clapping of hands.
13:28A black woman
13:30with a large afro
13:31emerged from the shadows.
13:33She was tall
13:34and broad-shouldered
13:35and so wide
13:36she had to turn sideways
13:37to get out
13:38from behind
13:38the polished wood counter.
13:40Tiny black moles
13:41dotted her face.
13:43She came at them fast,
13:45bone bracelets
13:46clattering on her thick wrists.
13:48She was old,
13:49at least 50.
13:50She wore a long
13:51patchwork denim skirt,
13:53mismatched wool socks,
13:54open-toed sandals,
13:56and a long blue shirt,
13:57unbuttoned
13:58to reveal a faded t-shirt.
14:00A sheathed knife
14:01rode the wide leather belt
14:03at her waist.
14:04Welcome!
14:05I know,
14:06it seems disorganized
14:07and daunting,
14:08but I know
14:09where everything is,
14:10down to O-rings
14:11and triple-A batteries.
14:13Folks call me
14:13Large Marge,
14:14by the way,
14:15she said,
14:16holding out her hand.
14:17And you let them?
14:19Mama asked,
14:20offering that
14:20beautiful smile of hers,
14:22the one that pulled people in
14:24and made them smile back.
14:25She shook the woman's hand.
14:28Large Marge's laughter
14:29was loud and barking,
14:31like she couldn't get
14:32quite enough air.
14:33I love a woman
14:34with a sense of humor,
14:35so whom do I have
14:37the pleasure of meeting?
14:37Cora Albright,
14:39Mama said,
14:40and this is my daughter,
14:41Lenny.
14:42Welcome to K'nec, ladies.
14:44We don't get many tourists.
14:46Dad entered the store
14:47just in time to say,
14:49we're locals,
14:50or about to be.
14:51We just arrived.
14:53Large Marge's double chin
14:54tripled as she tucked it in.
14:56Locals?
14:57Dad extended his hand.
14:59Beau Harlan left me his place.
15:01We're here to stay.
15:02Well, hot damn,
15:04I'm your neighbor,
15:05Marge Birdzall,
15:06just a half mile down the road.
15:08There's a sign.
15:09Most folks around here
15:10live off the grid,
15:11in the bush,
15:12but we're lucky enough
15:13to be on a road.
15:14So, do you have
15:15all the supplies you need?
15:17You guys can start an account
15:18here at the store if you want.
15:20Pay me in money,
15:21or in trade.
15:22It's how we do it here.
15:23That's exactly the kind of life
15:25we came looking for,
15:26Dad said.
15:27I'll admit,
15:28money's a little tight,
15:29so trade would be good.
15:31I'm a damn good mechanic.
15:32I can fix most any motor.
15:34Good to know.
15:35I'll spread the word.
15:37Dad nodded.
15:37Good.
15:38We could use some bacon,
15:40maybe a little rice,
15:41and some whiskey.
15:42Over there,
15:43Large Marge said,
15:44pointing,
15:45behind the row of axes
15:46and hatchets.
15:47Dad followed her direction
15:49back into the shadows
15:50of the store.
15:51Large Marge turned to Mama,
15:53sweeping her from head to toe
15:55in a single assessing gaze.
15:57I'm guessing this is
15:58your man's dream,
15:59Cora Albright,
16:00and that you all came up here
16:02without a whole lot of planning.
16:04Mama smiled.
16:05We do everything on impulse,
16:07Large Marge.
16:07It keeps life exciting.
16:09Well,
16:10you'll need to be tough up here,
16:11Cora Albright,
16:12for you and your daughter.
16:14You can't just count on your man.
16:16You need to be able to save yourself
16:18and this beautiful girl of yours.
16:20That's pretty dramatic,
16:22Mama said.
16:23Large Marge bent down
16:24for a large cardboard box,
16:26dragged it across the floor
16:28toward her.
16:29She dug through it,
16:30her black fingers moving
16:31like a piano player's,
16:33until she pulled out
16:34two whistles on black straps.
16:36She placed one around
16:37each of their necks.
16:38This is a bear whistle.
16:40You'll need it.
16:41Lesson number one,
16:42no walking quietly
16:43or unarmed in Alaska.
16:46Not this far out,
16:47not this time of year.
16:49Are you trying to scare us?
16:51Mama asked.
16:52You bet your ass I am.
16:54Fear is common sense up here.
16:56A lot of folks come up here,
16:58Cora,
16:58with cameras and dreams
17:00of a simpler life.
17:02But five out of every
17:031,000 Alaskans go missing
17:06every year,
17:07just disappear.
17:09And most of the dreamers,
17:10well,
17:11they don't make it past
17:12the first winter.
17:13They can't wait to get back
17:14to the land of drive-in theaters
17:16and heat that comes on
17:18at the flip of a switch,
17:19and sunlight.
17:20You make it sound dangerous,
17:23Mama said uneasily.
17:24Two kinds of folks
17:25come up to Alaska,
17:27Cora.
17:27People running to something
17:29and people running
17:30away from something.
17:32The second kind,
17:33you want to keep
17:34your eye out for them.
17:35And it isn't just the people
17:37you need to watch out for,
17:38either.
17:39Alaska herself
17:40can be sleeping beauty
17:41one minute
17:42and a bitch
17:43with a sawed-off shotgun
17:44the next.
17:45There's a saying.
17:47Up here,
17:47you can make one mistake.
17:49The second one
17:50will kill you.
17:52Mama lit up a cigarette.
17:53Her hand was shaking.
17:55As the welcoming committee,
17:57you leave something
17:58to be desired, Marge.
18:00Large Marge laughed again.
18:02You're right as rain
18:03about that, Cora.
18:04My social skills
18:06have gone to shit
18:07in the bush.
18:08She smiled,
18:09laid a hand comfortingly
18:10on Mama's thin shoulder.
18:12Here's what you want to hear.
18:14We are a tight community
18:15here in Canuck.
18:16There's less than 30 of us
18:18living on this part
18:19of the peninsula.
18:19year round,
18:20but we take care
18:21of our own.
18:22My land is close to yours.
18:24You need anything,
18:26anything.
18:27Just pick up the ham radio.
18:28I'll come running.
18:30Dad laid a sheet
18:31of notebook paper
18:31on the steering wheel.
18:33On the paper
18:33was a map
18:34Large Marge
18:35had drawn for them.
18:36The map showed Canuck
18:37as a big red circle
18:39with a single line
18:40shooting out from it.
18:41That was the road.
18:42There was only really one,
18:44she said,
18:45that ran from town
18:46to Otter Cove.
18:46There were three X's
18:48along the straight line.
18:49First was Large Marge's homestead
18:51on the left,
18:52then Tom Walker's
18:53on the right,
18:54and lastly,
18:55Bo Harlan's old place,
18:56which was at the very end
18:58of the line.
18:59So,
18:59Dad said,
19:00we go two miles
19:01past Icicle Creek
19:02and we'll see the start
19:03of Tom Walker's land,
19:05which is marked
19:05by a metal gate.
19:06Our place is just
19:07a little farther on,
19:09at the end of the road,
19:10Dad said,
19:11letting the map
19:12fall to the floor
19:12as they headed out of town.
19:14Marge said,
19:15we can't miss it.
19:16They rumbled onto
19:17a rickety-looking bridge
19:18that arched over
19:19a crystalline blue river.
19:21They passed
19:21soggy lurchlands,
19:23dusted with yellow
19:24and pink flowers,
19:25and then an airstrip,
19:26where four small,
19:27decrepit-looking airplanes
19:29were tied down.
19:30Just past the airstrip,
19:31the gravel road
19:32turned to dirt and rocks.
19:34Trees grew thickly
19:35on either side.
19:36Mud and mosquitoes
19:37splattered the windshield.
19:39Potholes the size
19:40of wading pools
19:41made the old bus
19:42bump and clatter.
19:43Hot damn,
19:44Dad said,
19:45every time they were
19:46thrown out of their seats.
19:47There were no houses
19:48out here,
19:49no signs of civilization,
19:51until they came
19:52to a driveway
19:52littered with rusted junk
19:54and rotting vehicles.
19:55A hand-lettered sign
19:57read,
19:57Birdsell,
19:58Large Marge's Place.
19:59After that,
20:00the road got worse,
20:01bumpier,
20:02a combination of rocks
20:04and mud puddles.
20:05On either side,
20:06there was grass
20:06that grew wild,
20:08and sticker bushes,
20:09and trees tall enough
20:10to block the view
20:11of anything else.
20:12Now they were really
20:13in the middle of nowhere.
20:15After another empty
20:16patch of road,
20:17they came to a bleached
20:18white cow skull
20:19on the rusted metal gate
20:20that marked
20:21the Walker homestead.
20:22I must say,
20:24I'm a little suspicious
20:25of neighbors
20:25who use dead animals
20:27in decorating,
20:28Mama said,
20:29clinging to the door handle,
20:30which came off in her hand
20:32when they hit a pothole.
20:33Five minutes later,
20:34Dad slammed on the brakes,
20:36200 feet farther,
20:37and they would have
20:38careened over a cliff.
20:40Jesus,
20:41Mama said.
20:41The road was gone.
20:43In its place,
20:44scrub brush and a ledge.
20:46Land's end.
20:47Literally.
20:48We're here!
20:49Dad jumped out of the bus,
20:50slammed the door shut.
20:52Mama looked at Laney.
20:53They were both thinking
20:54the same thing.
20:55There was nothing here
20:57but trees and mud
20:58and a cliff
20:59that could have killed them
21:00in the fog.
21:01They got out of the bus
21:02and huddled together.
21:03Not far away,
21:05presumably below the cliff
21:06in front of them.
21:07The waves crashed and roared.
21:09Will you look at it!
21:11Dad threw his arms wide
21:13as if he wanted
21:14to embrace it all.
21:15He seemed to be growing
21:16before their eyes,
21:18like a tree,
21:19spreading branches wide,
21:21becoming strong.
21:22He liked the nothingness he saw,
21:25the vast emptiness.
21:26It was what he'd come for.
21:29The entrance to their property
21:30was a narrow neck of land
21:32bordered on either side by cliffs,
21:34the bases of which
21:35were battered by the ocean.
21:37Laney thought that a bolt
21:39of lightning or an earthquake
21:40could shear this land
21:41away from the mainland
21:43and set it adrift,
21:44a floating fortress
21:45of an island.
21:47That's our driveway,
21:48Dad said.
21:50Driveway?
21:51Mama said,
21:52staring at the trail
21:53through the trees.
21:54It looked like it hadn't
21:55been used in years.
21:57Thin-trunked alder trees
21:58grew in the path.
22:00Bo's been gone a long time.
22:02We'll have to clear the road
22:03of new growth,
22:04but for now,
22:05we'll hike in,
22:06Dad said.
22:07Hike?
22:08Mama said.
22:09He set about unpacking the bus.
22:11While Laney and Mama
22:12stood staring into the trees,
22:14Dad divided their necessities
22:16into three backpacks
22:17and said,
22:18OK, here we go.
22:20Laney stared at the packs
22:22in disbelief.
22:24Here, Red,
22:24he said,
22:25lifting a pack
22:26that seemed as big
22:27as a Buick.
22:28You want me to wear that?
22:30she asked.
22:31I do if you want food
22:32and a sleeping bag
22:33at the cabin.
22:34He grinned.
22:35Come on, Red,
22:36you can do this.
22:38She let him fit
22:39the backpack on her.
22:40She felt like a turtle
22:41with an oversized shell.
22:43If she fell over,
22:44she would never
22:45right herself.
22:46She moved sideways
22:47with exaggerated care
22:49as Dad helped Mama
22:50put on her pack.
22:52OK, Albright's,
22:53Dad said,
22:54hefting his own pack on.
22:55Let's go home.
22:57He took off walking,
22:58his arms swinging
22:59in time to his steps.
23:01Laney could hear
23:02his old army boots
23:03crunching and squishing
23:04in the muddy dirt.
23:06He whistled along,
23:07like Johnny Appleseed.
23:09Mama glanced longingly
23:10back at the bus.
23:12Then she turned to Laney
23:13and smiled,
23:14but it struck Laney
23:15as an expression of terror
23:16rather than joy.
23:18OK, then,
23:19she said.
23:19Come on.
23:21Laney reached out
23:21for Mama's hand.
23:23They walked through
23:24a shadow land of trees,
23:26following a narrow,
23:27winding trail.
23:27They could hear
23:29the sea crashing
23:30all around them.
23:31As they continued,
23:32the sound of the surf
23:33diminished.
23:34The land expanded.
23:36More trees.
23:37More land.
23:38More shadow.
23:40Sweet, simple Christ,
23:42Mama said after a while.
23:44How much farther is it?
23:46She tripped on a rock,
23:47fell,
23:48went down hard.
23:49Mama!
23:50Laney reached for her
23:51without thinking,
23:52and her pack
23:53threw her to the ground.
23:55Mud filled Laney's mouth,
23:56made her sputter.
23:58Dad was beside them
23:59in an instant,
24:00helping Laney and Mama
24:01to stand.
24:02Here, girls,
24:03lean on me,
24:04he said,
24:05and they were off again.
24:07Trees crowded
24:08into one another,
24:09jostled for space,
24:10turned the trail
24:11gloomy and dark.
24:12Sunlight poked through,
24:14changing color
24:15and clarity
24:15as they walked.
24:17The lichen-carpeted ground
24:18was springy,
24:19like walking
24:19on marshmallows.
24:21In no time,
24:22Laney noticed
24:22that she was
24:23ankle-deep in shadow.
24:24The darkness
24:25seemed to be rising
24:27rather than the sun
24:28falling,
24:29as if darkness
24:30were the natural
24:30order around here.
24:33Sweet,
24:33simple Christ,
24:35Mama said
24:35after a while.
24:36How much farther
24:37is it?
24:38She tripped on a rock,
24:40fell,
24:40went down hard.
24:42Mama!
24:43Laney reached for her
24:44without thinking,
24:45and her pack
24:45threw her to the ground.
24:47Mud filled
24:48Laney's mouth,
24:49made her sputter.
24:50Dad was beside them
24:52in an instant,
24:52helping Laney
24:53and Mama to stand.
24:55Here, girls,
24:56lean on me,
24:56he said,
24:57and they were off again.
24:59Trees crowded
25:00into one another,
25:01jostled for space,
25:02turned the trail
25:03gloomy and dark.
25:05Sunlight poked through,
25:06changing color
25:07and clarity
25:08as they walked.
25:09The lichen-carpeted ground
25:10was springy,
25:11like walking
25:12on marshmallows.
25:13In no time,
25:14Laney noticed
25:15that she was
25:15ankle-deep in shadow.
25:17The darkness
25:18seemed to be rising
25:19rather than the sun
25:20falling,
25:21as if darkness
25:22were the natural order
25:23around here.
25:24They got hooked
25:25in the face
25:26by branches,
25:27stumbled atop
25:28the spongy ground,
25:29until finally
25:30they emerged
25:31into the light again,
25:33into a meadow
25:34of knee-high grass
25:35and wildflowers.
25:37It turned out
25:37that their 40 acres
25:38was a peninsula,
25:40a huge thumbprint
25:41of grassy land
25:43perched above the water
25:44on three sides,
25:45with a small
25:46C-shaped beach
25:47in the middle.
25:48There,
25:49the water
25:49was calm,
25:50serene.
25:51Laney staggered
25:52into the clearing,
25:54unhooked her pack,
25:55let it crash
25:55to the ground.
25:57Mama did the same.
25:58And there it was,
25:59the home
26:00they'd come to claim,
26:02a small cabin
26:02built of age-blackened
26:04logs
26:04with a slanted,
26:06moss-furred roof
26:07that was studded
26:08with dozens
26:08of bleached
26:09white animal skulls,
26:10a rotting deck
26:11jutted out
26:12from the front,
26:13cluttered
26:14with mildewed chairs.
26:15Off to the left,
26:16between the cabin
26:17and the trees,
26:18were decrepit
26:19animal pens
26:19and a dilapidated
26:21chicken coop.
26:22There was junk
26:22everywhere,
26:23lying in the tall grass,
26:25a big pile of spokes,
26:27oil drums,
26:28coils of reddish wire,
26:29an old-fashioned
26:30wooden washing machine
26:31with a hand-cranked ringer.
26:33Dad put his hands
26:35on his hips
26:35and threw his head back
26:36and howled like a wolf.
26:38When he stopped,
26:39and silence settled in again,
26:41he swept Mama
26:42into his arms,
26:43twirling her around.
26:44When he finally
26:45let her go,
26:46Mama stumbled back.
26:47She was laughing,
26:49but there was a kind
26:50of horror in her eyes.
26:51The cabin looked like
26:52something an old,
26:53toothless hermit
26:54would live in,
26:55and it was small.
26:57Would they all be crammed
26:58into a single room?
26:59Look at it,
27:00Dad said,
27:01making a sweeping gesture
27:02with his hand.
27:04They all turned away
27:05from the cabin
27:05and looked out to sea.
27:07That's Otter Cove.
27:08At this late afternoon hour,
27:10the peninsula and sea
27:12seemed to glow from within,
27:13like a land enchanted
27:15in a fairy tale.
27:16The colors were more vibrant
27:18than she'd ever seen before.
27:20Waves lapping the muddy beach
27:22left a sparkling residue.
27:24On the opposite shore,
27:25the mountains were a lush,
27:27deep purple at their bases
27:28and stark white at their peaks.
27:30The beach below,
27:32their beach,
27:32was a curl of gray,
27:34polished pebbles,
27:35washed by an easy,
27:36white foam surf.
27:38A rickety set of stairs,
27:39built in the shape
27:40of a lightning bolt,
27:41led from the grassy meadow
27:42to the shore.
27:43The wood had turned gray from age
27:45and was black from mildew.
27:47Chicken wire covered each step.
27:49The stairs looked fragile,
27:51as if a good wind
27:52could shatter them.
27:53The tide was out.
27:55Mud coated everything,
27:57oozed along the shore,
27:58which was draped
27:59in seaweed and kelp.
28:00Clumps of shiny black mussels
28:02lay exposed on the rocks.
28:04Lainey remembered her dad
28:05telling her that the boar tide
28:07in Upper Cook Inlet
28:08created waves big enough to surf.
28:10Only the Bay of Fundy
28:12had a higher tide.
28:13She hadn't really understood
28:15that fact until now,
28:16as she saw how far up the stairs
28:18the water could get.
28:19It would be beautiful at high tide,
28:21but now,
28:22with the tide ebbed
28:23and mud everywhere,
28:24she understood what it meant.
28:26At low tide,
28:27the property was inaccessible by boat.
28:30Come on, dad said,
28:31let's check out the house.
28:32He took Lainey by the hand
28:34and led them through the grass
28:35and wildflowers,
28:36past the junk,
28:38barrels overturned,
28:39stacks of wooden pallets,
28:40old coolers,
28:41and broken crab pots.
28:43Mosquitoes nipped at her skin,
28:45drew blood,
28:45made a droning sound.
28:47At the porch steps,
28:48mama hesitated.
28:50Dad let go of Lainey's hand
28:51and bounded up the sagging steps
28:53and opened the front door
28:54and disappeared in sigh.
28:56Mama stood there a moment,
28:58breathing deeply.
28:59She slapped hard at her neck,
29:00left a smear of blood behind.
29:03Well, she said,
29:04this isn't what I expected.
29:06Me either,
29:07Lainey said.
29:08There was another long silence.
29:10Then, quietly,
29:11mama said,
29:12let's go.
29:13She took Lainey's hand
29:14as they walked up the rickety steps
29:16and entered the dark cabin.
29:18The first thing Lainey noticed
29:20was the smell.
29:21Poop.
29:22Some animal,
29:23she hoped it was an animal,
29:25had pooped everywhere.
29:26She pressed a hand
29:27over her mouth and nose.
29:29The place was full of shadows,
29:31dark shapes and forms.
29:33Cobwebs hung in ropey skeins
29:35from the rafters.
29:37Dust made it hard to breathe.
29:39The floor was covered
29:40in dead insects
29:41so that each step
29:42produced a crunch.
29:44Yuck,
29:44Lainey said.
29:46Mama flung open
29:47the dirty curtains
29:48and sunlight poured in,
29:50thick with dust motes.
29:52The interior was bigger
29:54than it looked from outside.
29:56The floors had been crafted
29:57of rough,
29:58mismatched plywood
29:59nailed into place
30:01in a patchwork quilt pattern.
30:03skinned log walls
30:05displayed animal traps,
30:07fishing poles,
30:08baskets,
30:09frying pans,
30:10water buckets,
30:11nets.
30:12The kitchen,
30:13such as it was,
30:14took up one corner
30:15of the main room.
30:17Lainey saw an old camp stove
30:19and a sink
30:19with no fixtures.
30:21Beneath it
30:22was a curtained-off space.
30:24On the counter
30:24sat an old ham radio,
30:26probably from World War II,
30:28cloaked in dust.
30:29In the center of the room,
30:31a black wood stove
30:33held court,
30:34its metal pipe
30:35rising up to the ceiling
30:36like a jointed tin finger
30:38pointed at heaven.
30:40A ragged sofa,
30:41an overturned wooden crate
30:43that read
30:44Blazo on the side,
30:45and a card table
30:46with four metal chairs
30:48comprised the cabin's furnishings.
30:50A narrow,
30:51steeply pitched log ladder
30:53led to a sky-lit loft space,
30:55and off to the left,
30:56a curtain of psychedelic-colored beads
30:59hung from a narrow doorway.
31:01Lainey pushed through
31:02the dusty, beaded curtain
31:04and went into the bedroom beyond,
31:06which was barely bigger
31:07than the stained,
31:09lumpy mattress on the floor.
31:11Here there was more junk
31:12hanging from hooks on the walls.
31:14It smelled vaguely
31:15of animal excrement
31:17and settled dust.
31:18Lainey kept a hand
31:19over her mouth,
31:21afraid she'd gag
31:22as she returned
31:22to the living room,
31:24crunch-crunch
31:24on the dead bugs.
31:25Where's the bathroom?
31:28Mama gasped,
31:29headed for the front door,
31:30flung it open,
31:31and ran out.
31:33Lainey followed her out
31:34onto the sagging deck
31:35and down the half-broken steps.
31:38Over there,
31:39Mama said,
31:39and pointed at a small
31:41wooden building
31:41surrounded by trees.
31:43A half-moon cutout
31:44on the door
31:45identified it.
31:46An outhouse.
31:48An outhouse?
31:49Holy shit,
31:51Mama whispered.
31:52No pun intended,
31:53Lainey said.
31:54She leaned against her mother.
31:56She knew what Mama
31:57was feeling right now,
31:58so Lainey had to be strong.
32:00That was how they did it,
32:02she and Mama.
32:03They took turns being strong.
32:05It was how they'd gotten
32:06through the war years.
32:08Thanks, baby girl.
32:09I needed that.
32:10Mama put an arm around Lainey,
32:12drew her close.
32:13We'll be okay,
32:14won't we?
32:15We don't need a TV
32:17or running water
32:18or electricity.
32:20Her voice ended
32:21on a high,
32:22shrill note
32:22that sounded desperate.
32:24We'll make the best of it,
32:26Lainey said,
32:27trying to sound certain
32:28instead of worried.
32:29And he'll be happy this time.
32:32You think so?
32:33I know so.
32:38
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Recommandations
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