Caitlin struggled to keep her eyes open. Disjointed images half-painted in rain-washed gray, half-smeared by terror, were all she had leading to this moment. She recalled rough water and the kayak capsizing. Time ticked away and practiced maneuvers became frantic attempts to upright it. "Only wet-exit if there's no choice," she mumbled to her memory. When she broke the water's surface, she found the second kayak had suffered the same fate. She could remember how she cowered at freezing water and ripping wind, echoed the loss in her mother's anguished cry, and hoped for her father's futile attempts to reach them to succeed. All of it dissolved into desperate clinging together and unceasing effort to keep their heads up and gasping for air until they made it to shore. She looked down at her brother Tommy nestled against her as she leaned against the cave wall. His auburn hair still dripped as he slept.
"Wake up, Tommy." Her voice came out as a quiet whisper, as if she dared not disturb him. He shouldn't be sleeping. Why not? There was a reason. She fought to remember it, but she was so tired, and she didn't feel cold anymore. She opened her eyes, not remembering closing them. It wouldn't hurt to sleep.
With enormous effort, she opened her eyes again. They resisted, repeatedly lowering until she surrendered with a weary sigh. Just a short nap.
That wasn't right… "Get up, Cait." Everything was just so heavy. "Don't… go… t'sleep."
The Fire in the Flint
Moderator: Student Council
Re: The Fire in the Flint
Mike took a moment to survey the brick hearth and mentally checked off his list. A small hand-woven rug lay with one edge slightly curled over the brickwork corner. He thought fondly of the aunt who made it for him as he placed a hand-carved ivory amulet in its center. That was a present from his uncle on his tenth birthday. They would be pretty upset if they knew he was using their gifts this way.
Why didn't they get it? They must be afraid of the old ways, like his friends said. His uncle called them heathen practices. When he first heard of this ritual, it was his friends who came to the rescue, pooling and sharing their knowledge. His Catholic mother had just told him to pray if he was worried.
He carefully placed a collection of twigs in an intricate pattern on the rug, weaving around but never touching the amulet and leaving another open space below it. He filled it with a small mound of dirt poured from a plastic cup. A cardboard box set behind him contained the last component. He reverently lifted from it a lock of ribbon-bound red hair. Cait was probably on her trip at that very moment. He smiled and gently laid it in place.
He pictured her face as he stepped back to review his work. Her parents were far too reckless, going on such dangerous trips and taking her along with them. This would keep her safe. He began a crude dance accompanied by a broken imitation of a Tlingit song. When he heard a car door close, he abandoned the half-completed ceremony and rushed to glance outside. His mother opened the trunk and lifted a canvas bag from it. Oh would she be upset if she caught him performing this ritual again! In a panic, he snatched up his amulet and shook his rug off into the fire. Too late and with a short cry of dismay, he remembered Caitlin's lock of hair, now lost to the flames.
Why didn't they get it? They must be afraid of the old ways, like his friends said. His uncle called them heathen practices. When he first heard of this ritual, it was his friends who came to the rescue, pooling and sharing their knowledge. His Catholic mother had just told him to pray if he was worried.
He carefully placed a collection of twigs in an intricate pattern on the rug, weaving around but never touching the amulet and leaving another open space below it. He filled it with a small mound of dirt poured from a plastic cup. A cardboard box set behind him contained the last component. He reverently lifted from it a lock of ribbon-bound red hair. Cait was probably on her trip at that very moment. He smiled and gently laid it in place.
He pictured her face as he stepped back to review his work. Her parents were far too reckless, going on such dangerous trips and taking her along with them. This would keep her safe. He began a crude dance accompanied by a broken imitation of a Tlingit song. When he heard a car door close, he abandoned the half-completed ceremony and rushed to glance outside. His mother opened the trunk and lifted a canvas bag from it. Oh would she be upset if she caught him performing this ritual again! In a panic, he snatched up his amulet and shook his rug off into the fire. Too late and with a short cry of dismay, he remembered Caitlin's lock of hair, now lost to the flames.
Re: The Fire in the Flint
Caitlin opened her eyes and dimly realized that she had fallen asleep. With a surge of panic, she scampered to her feet, scanning frantically for Tommy. Stupid! An angry jerk of her head accompanied her silent self-rebuke. She shouldn't have fallen asleep. She was lucky she woke up at all.
Where was Tommy? For that matter, where was she? An impossibly large cavern sprawled before her, not the small cave she crawled into with her brother earlier. Great columns of rock thrust upwards randomly throughout, and the walls danced with a faint yellow-orange glow. She forgot her flood of anxiety, now drowned in awe and wonder. A rhythmic sound wafted gently on the air, rising and falling. Memories of her mother singing to her floated to the surface, banishing fear and worry, pushing them aside with love and comfort. She staggered to the nearest column to lean against it for support and smiled dreamily. Fingers absently crawled along the rough surface. With her head pressed to the stone, she listened to the cave's song.
She slid along the column bringing most of the cavern into view. Breathlessly taking in glyphs and pictographs painted or etched on the floor and walls, she pushed away and wandered toward a small fire burning in a stone ring. An old woman sat cross-legged beside it, swaying back and forth slowly. She, not the cool stone, gave voice to the song. She looked up and waved an arm to gesture Caitlin forward.
The old woman's presence was inexplicably reassuring. Rather than dwell on it, Caitlin found herself walking towards the fire. She received another gesture, this time inviting her to sit, accompanied by a wide smile spread across a face bronzed and deeply lined from an apparent lifetime of exposure to subarctic sun and biting winds. She noticed it added a lot more wrinkles to the woman's face, but when it touched her soft eyes, Caitlin felt warm and safe, as if she had just pulled a comfortable blanket close around herself.
She crossed her own legs to sit and her eyes settled on another figure lying nearby. She leaned in, almost getting back up, seeking to confirm her hope. When he rolled in his sleep, she caught a glimpse of Tommy's face. Thank God he was OK! He slept there all that time? She felt her face flush with a growing sense of embarrassment. How could she not remember Tommy since those first few panicked moments? She looked back to the old woman, who spoke quietly.
"Welcome, little one."
"Wh-"
"Shh."
Caitlin screwed up her face in confused curiosity as the old woman held up a plump finger before her mouth, giving a meaningful nod at Tommy. "The cave grows cold," she whispered. "Help me warm my old bones."
Scanning the cave again, Caitlin sought any sort of fuel or exit. Not seeing either, she started to clamber from her seat when a hand on her arm stopped her.
"Sing with me, child."
The old woman began to sing again slowly, nodding to Caitlin and bobbing gently. Her long gray hair nearly brushed the floor as she rocked from side-to-side. Caitlin gazed at her with bewilderment but caved in to an overwhelming urge to follow along. When she added her own halting voice with an off-key pitch, broken with the effort of trying to speak the unfamiliar words, her companion offered another encouraging smile.
Within moments, she found the proper cadence. Another pass and her higher-pitched lilt slid into graceful harmony with the old woman's lower tones. She noticed a dim, yellow flash at the edge of sight. Her eyes peeled away from the old woman and fell upon the cave walls. Glyphs glowed with a soft light, igniting when a word rang true and snuffing themselves out with uncertain, half-mumbled others. Using their light, Caitlin eagerly tested each syllable, each phrase as the song repeated. With each iteration, the glow grew brighter and remained longer. Each time the glow failed to dim brought greater confidence and a euphoric jubilation. After a few frustrating attempts and with a final, bright flash she found the last few words. She sang the song anew, watching for any ebb in the glow that would reveal a mistake. Triumphant, she chanted the final words boldly.
Her gaze was ripped from the glyphs by an explosion of light and heat next to her. She faltered and shrank back as the fire leapt high reaching with flaming fingers for the rock face above. The old woman leaned back to watch, quietly laughing and clapping her hands with child-like glee. Caitlin gazed upwards and felt the corners of her mouth pulled into a grin by infectious laughter.
"Shall we try another?"
Caitlin nodded enthusiastically, leaning forward with anticipation.
Time slipped by unnoticed as Caitlin learned song after chant after song. The glyphs threw off myriad colors, mostly in shades of reds and oranges and yellows, but with an occasional flare of green or blue. She was so intent on the songs, she nearly missed her name as it echoed through the cavern. She faltered, causing the old woman to stop and turn her head as if listening for something elusive.
"Caitlin? Caitlin Reighner?"
The old woman turned an intent gaze on Caitlin. "It's time for you to leave, child."
"But…" Caitlin didn't want to leave. Now that she knew she must, every question she longed to asked sprang to mind.
"Caitlin!"
"We'll meet again. Farewell." She offered Cait a final reassuring smile.
"CAITLIN!"
Caitlin's eyes flew open. She saw the cave, in truth little more than a deep cleft, she and Tommy had fallen asleep in. Small fires burned here and there on the ground surrounding them, but they rapidly fizzled out. She squinted toward a space between the rocks where two shadows partially blocked the blaring light. They looked as if they were dressed in Coast Guard rescue gear. She lifted her hand in a weak wave, before she drifted back to sleep again.
Where was Tommy? For that matter, where was she? An impossibly large cavern sprawled before her, not the small cave she crawled into with her brother earlier. Great columns of rock thrust upwards randomly throughout, and the walls danced with a faint yellow-orange glow. She forgot her flood of anxiety, now drowned in awe and wonder. A rhythmic sound wafted gently on the air, rising and falling. Memories of her mother singing to her floated to the surface, banishing fear and worry, pushing them aside with love and comfort. She staggered to the nearest column to lean against it for support and smiled dreamily. Fingers absently crawled along the rough surface. With her head pressed to the stone, she listened to the cave's song.
She slid along the column bringing most of the cavern into view. Breathlessly taking in glyphs and pictographs painted or etched on the floor and walls, she pushed away and wandered toward a small fire burning in a stone ring. An old woman sat cross-legged beside it, swaying back and forth slowly. She, not the cool stone, gave voice to the song. She looked up and waved an arm to gesture Caitlin forward.
The old woman's presence was inexplicably reassuring. Rather than dwell on it, Caitlin found herself walking towards the fire. She received another gesture, this time inviting her to sit, accompanied by a wide smile spread across a face bronzed and deeply lined from an apparent lifetime of exposure to subarctic sun and biting winds. She noticed it added a lot more wrinkles to the woman's face, but when it touched her soft eyes, Caitlin felt warm and safe, as if she had just pulled a comfortable blanket close around herself.
She crossed her own legs to sit and her eyes settled on another figure lying nearby. She leaned in, almost getting back up, seeking to confirm her hope. When he rolled in his sleep, she caught a glimpse of Tommy's face. Thank God he was OK! He slept there all that time? She felt her face flush with a growing sense of embarrassment. How could she not remember Tommy since those first few panicked moments? She looked back to the old woman, who spoke quietly.
"Welcome, little one."
"Wh-"
"Shh."
Caitlin screwed up her face in confused curiosity as the old woman held up a plump finger before her mouth, giving a meaningful nod at Tommy. "The cave grows cold," she whispered. "Help me warm my old bones."
Scanning the cave again, Caitlin sought any sort of fuel or exit. Not seeing either, she started to clamber from her seat when a hand on her arm stopped her.
"Sing with me, child."
The old woman began to sing again slowly, nodding to Caitlin and bobbing gently. Her long gray hair nearly brushed the floor as she rocked from side-to-side. Caitlin gazed at her with bewilderment but caved in to an overwhelming urge to follow along. When she added her own halting voice with an off-key pitch, broken with the effort of trying to speak the unfamiliar words, her companion offered another encouraging smile.
Within moments, she found the proper cadence. Another pass and her higher-pitched lilt slid into graceful harmony with the old woman's lower tones. She noticed a dim, yellow flash at the edge of sight. Her eyes peeled away from the old woman and fell upon the cave walls. Glyphs glowed with a soft light, igniting when a word rang true and snuffing themselves out with uncertain, half-mumbled others. Using their light, Caitlin eagerly tested each syllable, each phrase as the song repeated. With each iteration, the glow grew brighter and remained longer. Each time the glow failed to dim brought greater confidence and a euphoric jubilation. After a few frustrating attempts and with a final, bright flash she found the last few words. She sang the song anew, watching for any ebb in the glow that would reveal a mistake. Triumphant, she chanted the final words boldly.
Her gaze was ripped from the glyphs by an explosion of light and heat next to her. She faltered and shrank back as the fire leapt high reaching with flaming fingers for the rock face above. The old woman leaned back to watch, quietly laughing and clapping her hands with child-like glee. Caitlin gazed upwards and felt the corners of her mouth pulled into a grin by infectious laughter.
"Shall we try another?"
Caitlin nodded enthusiastically, leaning forward with anticipation.
Time slipped by unnoticed as Caitlin learned song after chant after song. The glyphs threw off myriad colors, mostly in shades of reds and oranges and yellows, but with an occasional flare of green or blue. She was so intent on the songs, she nearly missed her name as it echoed through the cavern. She faltered, causing the old woman to stop and turn her head as if listening for something elusive.
"Caitlin? Caitlin Reighner?"
The old woman turned an intent gaze on Caitlin. "It's time for you to leave, child."
"But…" Caitlin didn't want to leave. Now that she knew she must, every question she longed to asked sprang to mind.
"Caitlin!"
"We'll meet again. Farewell." She offered Cait a final reassuring smile.
"CAITLIN!"
Caitlin's eyes flew open. She saw the cave, in truth little more than a deep cleft, she and Tommy had fallen asleep in. Small fires burned here and there on the ground surrounding them, but they rapidly fizzled out. She squinted toward a space between the rocks where two shadows partially blocked the blaring light. They looked as if they were dressed in Coast Guard rescue gear. She lifted her hand in a weak wave, before she drifted back to sleep again.