Powers
Elaine Waldron
Copyright 2010 Sandra Elaine Waldron
Prologue:
Dying was not how the camping couple from Ohio expected to end their vacation. The day was full of sunshine, chirping birds and pine-scented breezes as they pitched their tent in Mount Rainier Park.
By noon, the tent was secured and they were famished. Donnie quickly made a fire of kindling and small pieces of wood he’d brought along, afraid the wood in the forest might be too damp. And Melanie roasted their hotdogs over the open fire and they stuffed themselves to the max, washing it down with a couple of canned sodas.
They put out their fire and cleaned up their cooking utensils and decided to take their long-anticipated hike. It was the first time either of them had taken a hike on a mountain, and though they both considered themselves in good physical shape, by six they realized they were actually exhausted. Melanie was the first to admit it. Donnie was ahead of her by a few feet and he glanced back to see how she was doing.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Donnie…But I just can’t go on…Gotta rest a few minutes.”
He glanced at his watch and then focused on her. “Yeah…I’ve been ready to go back for a while. But I thought you wanted to keep going.”
“You kidding me? I thought I was ready for this…working out at the gym for the past few weeks. But this! Different. We weren’t loaded down with backpacks in the gym. And we weren’t constantly ascending and descending steep trails.”
“We’ll sit for a few then.”
“Thank God!” She relived herself of her backpack and sat down on a tree stump.
He laid his backpack aside too and joined her. “I’m sorry, Melanie.”
“Oh…Don’t be, Donnie.” She gestured with her hand. “This is marvelous!” She looked upward into the high treetops. “The scenery is breathtaking! I love it. It’s just that I’m not as tough or prepared as I thought I was.”
He let out a low chuckle. “Neither am I. Blake…back at the office…Well…he tried to tell me. And stupid, stubborn me… just thought he was full of it. You know what a cocky little shrimp he is.”
“You got that right,” she agreed, still staring up. “You know…It’s getting dark quicker than I thought.”
“Clouded up. I thought it was supposed to stay clear for the next few days.”
Suddenly there was a loud squawk and a large black bird alighted on a tree branch only a few feet away.
“Is that a crow?” she questioned.
“Really big for a crow. I hear there are ravens out here.”
“His eyes are weird! Don’t they have yellow eyes?”
“Not really sure…Thought so.”
“That’s ones eyes are green!”
He squint, staring hard at the bird. “You’re absolutely right. Definitely green!”
She blew out air. “Guess I’m ready to head back now.”
“You sure?”
“It’s down hill most of the way. Should be easier. And I want to get back before it is totally dark.”
“Me too.” He helped her with her backpack and then slipped his on. “Ready?”
She nodded that she was and they started back down the trail. They didn’t see the raven following quietly behind, hopping from branch to branch. And they were almost to camp when Melanie noticed the bird again. “Donnie?”
“What, Melanie?” he asked, looking at her over his shoulder as he trudged up a steep slope.
“That raven’s following us!”
“Looks that way,” he said. “But probably just curious.” He faced forward again and noticed something else. ‘Hey! Look at the weird fog rolling in.”
“I see it,” she said. “Good thing we’re almost there.”
“Yeah…I can barely see our tent in the clearing up ahead.”
“Thank God!”
The fog was thick by the time they reached the clearing, and she ran over to the tent and relieved herself of the backpack and tossed it aside. He did the same.
She wasn’t sure why, but she felt really uneasy. “Let’s start another fire.”
“Just what I was thinking. I can barely see your face.”
“I don’t like it, Donnie. I’m…I’m scared,” she admitted.
“Don’t be, honey. We’re just not used to this. We are so not used to this!”
“Yeah…Cleveland’s looking really good to me right now.”
He grabbed her and kissed her quickly. “Now…Gonna get that fire going.”
“I’ll grab the wood pieces you brought.” She ducked inside the tent.
“Glad I brought lighter fluid along with me. Otherwise, it would probably take me all night to get a fire started.”
“Good thing,” she agreed, back now with the wood pieces.
Soon they had another fire going and were feeling much better beside the warmth and light. They began to relax, even laughing at their obvious lack of camping experience.
“That is weird fog!” he remarked, as some rolled in around their feet.
“No more weird than that bird, Donnie!”
He glanced up just in time to see it land in front of them. It just sat there staring at them, cocking its head from one side to the other.
“That freakin’ thing is huge!” he said.
“Makes me nervous. What the heck does it want?” She kicked at it and it squawked loudly, but it only hopped a few feet away.
“Sonovabitch!” Donnie grabbed a stick and slung it at the bird. It croaked loudly and flew away.
“Whew!” Melanie breathed. “That was creepy.”
“Kind of freaked me out too. But I think he’s gone now.”
“God! I hope so!”
A half an hour passed and it didn’t come back, so they went to bed in their tent and slept well.
But the raven wasn’t far away, keeping a watchful eye on their tent through the whole night.
One:
Amber Dalziel eased her Subaru Outback into the long, tree-shrouded drive. She sat there momentarily, eyes focused on the sunlight splashing through the tall pines above, before finally resting her gaze on the somewhat dilapidated front porch. “Ugh!” She was having second thoughts now about her hasty decision to buy this two bedroom cabin in the middle of the woods in the Pacific Northwest, ten miles from the nearest store and gas station. Her mother, Ruby Taylor, told her she’d lost her sanity. Maybe she had. Losing Derek so suddenly and unexpectedly, after only six months of blissful marriage, had been the hardest thing she’d ever endured in her twenty-two years. They’d planned everything out so perfectly – three kids, a home by the bay somewhere along the Texas coastline, a dog and cat. They really hadn’t minded living in the garage apartment in Texas City by an alley. It was only temporary. He’d meant to keep working for Amoco until they had enough money saved to buy that house.
Her gaze lingered on the three steps leading up to the front porch. A board was loose on the right at the top. She’d definitely have to nail that down, the sooner the better. Good thing she was a bit of a “handylady”, something Derek used to tease her about. Although, he actually liked the fact that his wife could “fix” things, as they say in Texas.
Her thoughts drifted and tears pooled in her eyes as she remembered being shaken out of her bed at four a.m. by the explosion at the plant. The one that took ten lives, including Derek’s. She could still hear the sirens wailing and her mobile phone ringing seconds later – Her mother frantically calling to see if she was okay, not saying what was really on both their minds – Was Derek okay?
Her mother and stepfather, Rob Taylor, had come over promptly and they drank coffee and talked about anything and everything but what they feared the most. When the alarm clock went off at six, the time she usually got up
to cook Derek’s breakfast, she promptly turned on the six O’clock news. The newscaster was just beginning with his story of the tragedy when there was a knock at the front door. Amber shared anxious glances with her mother and Rob, and Rob took the initiative and answered the door. The officer no sooner got the words out and Amber collapsed into her mother’s arms.
She forced her thoughts back on the cabin, what she thought she wanted. She wanted to be alone and far, far away from anything that would remind her of the dream and her life with Derek that she had lost.
She’d been to Washington only once when she was a preteen, had traveled there with her mother and her mother’s then new husband to visit his family. She’d fallen in love with the tall trees, mountains and cool air instantly, saying that maybe someday she’d like to live there. Only she’d never really believed that she would. That is, not until Derek died.
Her mother had begged her to stay in Texas City with the rest of the family. Amber had two sisters and a brother there with their families. Her father had committed suicide years ago. No one had known he suffered from depression until it was too late.
No doubt her family would miss her, and she would