It took many trips back and forth from the cave to the available bit of woods to gather enough supplies to last the night. Halfway through, Will got grumpy and disagreeable, and when James tried to talk some sense into him, Will exploded.
“Here I am, tiring myself out just for you, and you think I will be fine listening to you complain about my company? Well, if you’d rather go hang out with the soldiers, be my guest. Just don’t come running back to me when they tell you they are leaving for who knows where!” With that, he stomped off to sit alone in the darkest part of the cave.
James rolled his eyes at Ketzal, then shrugged and said “, He always gets like this. Don’t take it personally.” He grinned at her, and she returned his smile half-heartedly.
Another day passed, then another. Will’s foul mood vanished for small periods of time, and then returned at the blink of an eye. After the first night, which was wet and cold, Ketzal began to imagine a steaming pot of soup, and a nice feather bed. Her fantasies never lasted long, and in a few hours, she would find herself forcing down the atrocious concoction that James had cooked on a small campfire. Usually, their meals consisted of wild mushrooms, some meat, and a few wilted greens. All too soon, the four kids found themselves bickering relentlessly. It was about noon on the third day, and the sun was high in the sky. Ketzal and Sally had finally given up hope that James would start being more creative about their food, and decided to take over the cooking. That was just fine with James, who sat back against the wall of the cave and dozed off.
Ketzal stood up slowly, and stretched her back. She felt around the cave for any leftover scraps, and, finding nothing, left the small confines of the cave.
The day was hot and humid, and the dark sky promised rain. Ketzal climbed into a sturdy tree, and looked east, toward the soldier’s camp. The children had kept a keen eye on the soldiers, and they had not moved their camp. In fact, they weren’t even sure that any of the soldiers had moved at all except to switch a position. Ketzal noted no change in the appearance of the camp. She climbed back down the tree, and began searching for edible plants. When she finally returned to the cave, Will was in an amiable mood, playing tic-tac-toe in the dirt with Sally. Ketzal sighed, and walked resignedly over to the campfire that Will had started an hour before. It was still burning brightly, so Ketzal set the pot on the stone floor. She walked over to Will, hoping with all her heart that his good mood would last.
“No, really, why do you need it?” Will asked, searching her face for an answer. His dark eyes glistened with expectancy. Ketzal found it hard to speak. When she finally found her voice, Ketzal explained her idea.
“Well, it’s been a little while since I had a descent meal, so I thought I might make a small meal,” Ketzal said resignedly, emphasizing the last word. Will looked confused.
“But where will you get the supplies,” he inquired. Ketzal sighed with relief. Will’s good mood had lasted.
“Oh, I have my ways.” Ketzal smiled her special smile that she usually reserved for her sister’s birthday. Ketzal pushed the distressing image of Lisa’s big, blue, frightened eyes out of her head. It wasn’t the time to be thinking about that now.
Ketzal’s hands worked quickly, chopping the leafy greens into small pieces. James had caught a few rabbits the day before, so she added some of the meat to the meal. The whole production must have taken about an hour, and by the time she was done, the skin on Ketzal’s hands were raw and dry.
She divided the portions evenly then called for Will, Sally, and James. They came quickly, eager to discover the source of the delicious scents that had drifted to them from the fire. The four children ate in silence, devouring the food within minutes. When they were all finished, James lay back against the cave wall and gave a deep sigh of contentment. Rubbing his belly, he dozed off once more into peaceful slumber, only to be woken seconds later by an extremely annoyed Will.
“Well, it didn’t seem to bother you before,” James explained. Ketzal took Sally’s hand and started to lead her away from the two arguing boys. They played a game with some sticks for a couple minutes. When Ketzal finally looked up, Will and James were both on their feet, and Will looked murderous.
“James, calm down,” Ketzal said calmly. “Will, you too. Now listen to me, both of you. There is no need to get mad at each other yet.” Will was about to object, but Ketzal held up her hands to stop him.
“Let me finish,” she ordered. “Will, you need to be more patient with all of us if we are ever going to survive out here. We are all trying our best to cope with our displeasure right now. I think Sally and I would have to agree with James on this one. He’s right; you need to calm down and try to compromise.”
“What are you, my mother?” mumbled Will, glaring furiously at Ketzal, who stared back into his deep, brown eyes.
Will gasped in astonishment. Apparently, she had done a good job disguising her eyes. Will was speechless. When Will finally found his voice, it was full of disloyalty and repulsion.
“Do you really believe that nonsense? I have never done any magic in my life, nor do I worship Satan,” Ketzal said, offended.
“If that’s what you want to think, then that’s fine with me. Just remember what I said before.” Ketzal reminded him. “Maybe once you think that over, you will see what I mean. Why I know that what you are saying is wrong,” Ketzal finished. Then, she stalked off toward the back of cave toward Sally, who was just sitting there, looking cross at being abandoned. Ketzal hoped she hadn’t caught the gist of the conversation.
“Yeah, Will. Quit being a grumpy pants,” she said loudly, pouting. So she had been listening. Ketzal supposed that it was hard not to hear the conversation.
Will, looking murderous again, plopped down on the cave floor where he was, and put his head in his hands. He was shaking hard. Ketzal couldn’t tell if it was from anger, tears, or a combination of both. She looked away. Ketzal was suddenly shivering, too. Will saw her shivers, and threw his jacket at her. She acknowledged his kindness with a nod, and curled up under the jacket. Ketzal could feel eyes boring into the back of her head, so she looked back at Will.
She recoiled immediately from the glare and the waves of hostility that seemed to emanate from him. His glare was piercing, but pained at the same time.
As Ketzal watched, a single tear escaped from one of his eyes, and made a watery track down the side of his face. This single tear was followed by many more. Ketzal looked away out of respect.
It was a few hours later that she woke, unaware that she had ever fallen asleep. She sat up, listening carefully for any small sound that Sally had woken too, but Sally wasn’t beside her. She was still sleeping beside Will. Outside, the sky was dark. Rain was pouring down relentlessly, and the nearby river was rushing along at a furious pace. A slight snuffling caught her attention, and, looking around found the source. Sally had sat up, waking up Will in the effort. Will whispered soothing words to her, and kissed the top of her head. James snorted, and Ketzal realized that the rain had woken him too. Silence fell, and continued for many more minutes. Finally, Sally’s breathing evened out, and she was asleep again.
Ketzal watched Will carefully, hoping that James wouldn't catch her looking. Will looked tired and worn out, like an old scarf that had been worn much too many times. He was still angry with her, she could tell, but he had a kind of brightness to him, even now. Ketzal had noticed that his eyes were a deep, dark chocolate brown, a color she had never seen before. All of her family had either blue or green eyes, and she had only been into the village center twice.
The thing that had caught Ketzal’s attention was Will's hair. It was dark brown, like his eyes. It was slightly wavy, and its length was such that it could brush the bottom of his ears. In the light, Will’s hair seemed to gleam and shine like a pool of sunlight glinting off of freshly fallen snow, or a beam of light reflecting off of a shiny, new, copper pot.
Ketzal decided that he was perfect in every way. Not only was he strikingly handsome, but he also took care of Sally with the most love that Ketzal thought she had ever seen. Ketzal imagined him with the rest of his family, laughing and playing around. Maybe he even wrestled with his older brother sometimes. Ketzal’s fantasies ended when Sally barreled into her from behind, to demand a drink of water.
As she poured the water for Sally, Ketzal peeked once more at Will. She saw again his gorgeous features, and sighed deeply. It would take a while, but he would warm up to her eventually. At least she hoped he would. Ketzal couldn’t predict the future, but of one fact she was certain; she was positively, absolutely, unquestionably in love with Will.
Posted by jonpotts on June 10, 2009
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