Mystery in the Mist novel (Chap. 9)

CHAPTER NINE

   

It was the right kind of day to sleep in. Who could ever enjoy being out in this dampness?

            Troy's feet were soaked from melting snow. Moisture falling from his coat made wet trails down his pant legs and into the warmth of his boots. His socks were soggy. Only the movement of his steps kept both feet from freezing.

            Troy's shoulders were damp too. He got chilly whenever he slowed down. Did he have the courage to continue his return to the ‘glowing place?’ He wasn’t sure. Plus he was doing it by himself, without his father’s permission.

            "Are we going to keep going, or not?" JC mocked.

"Chicken," Troy's inner voice continued.

            It wasn't often Troy deliberately disobeyed his dad. But this was something important he had to do. Going back was part of the missing puzzle in his life. He had to see if it really was Boots he had seen. Maybe she was waiting for him, right now, perhaps under a tree, lost, lonely, and hungry.

            “JC? Am I doing the right thing? Going back to the ‘place’? I mean, there's no danger is there?” Troy was more than a little unsure about his decision.

            His own voice egged him on with, “It will be fun to find out.” But Troy shook his head in annoyance. “Fun? Fun? This isn't what it’s all about,” Troy shouted at the trees in the distance. They looked tall and frightening right now.

He chewed on his lower lip and looked around. Then pushed back his shoulders and took a deep breath. “Let's keep on going,” he said and promptly tripped over a fallen tree trunk.

Troy hurried a little too quickly. Now his ankle felt the full impact as he landed heavily on the ground. “I’m not giving up,” he said through clenched teeth.

            He was determined to get on with the plan. His resolve would not be shaken. Troy and his new bravery headed into the misty distance.

            Kind of odd, Troy thought. The trees seemed to be thicker than usual. His arms reached above his head to try and protect himself. A branch in the eye would not be very welcome.

            He felt like talking to JC for company. But that person was just someone he made up. Why did JC seem so real? Something in Troy's memory seemed to be stuck in a snow bank. He had a hard time ridding himself of this feeling. It was as if he used to know someone like JC.

            Troy began to relax and focus on what his dad taught him about the woods. Pick out the tallest tree and head for it. That way, he would at least stay in a straight line. Now he felt better.

            When Dad took him camping and fishing, Troy was taught to respect the forest, not fear it.

“Be prepared in equipment and frame of mind. Then it can be a satisfying adventure,” Dad said.

            But Dad wasn't here now. And without him everything seemed different. Troy almost felt like a little kid again.

            With JC it wasn't the same.

            Stopping for a badly needed rest, his mind reviewed the past. Being alone in the woods gave a person much time to think.

            Lately, his memory was getting better. For a while after Mom's accident he seemed to be in a fog.

            Troy remembered he had made up JC during his stay at the hospital. He was lying in bed with no one around and he was afraid. He began having conversations with JC after his visitors left.

            Perhaps it was the complete darkness in the room. He remembered how scary it was being alone. His pain from the accident often awoke him. For a while he thought he was going to die. Then a series of conversations began with JC during those long hours.

            He needed to talk to someone. Especially when he overheard the nurse say he was okay, but “not the other one.” That's when he knew...really knew his mom was gone. Yes, she was killed in that car accident.

            He didn't remember very much about how it happened. Just that he was in the ambulance on his way to the hospital. Then a nurse stood beside him checking the IV bottle in his arm. But the oxygen mask bothered him.

The horrible grinding of the car still snuck into his memory. Like a nightmare repeating itself, over and over. He tried to forget everything about the accident.

But the memory kept coming alive, again and again.

            A huge spruce was like a green flag urging him on. Troy stood up and headed for his new landmark. Surely the river was somewhere behind that dark stand of forest. The boy had a hard time trying to see the glow, with tall trees towering over him.

            He was shocked to see it took a whole hour to get this far. Looking around, he suddenly felt confused. Was he even going in the right direction?

            Troy was getting dizzy again, and trees grew taller right in front of his eyes.

            His hands were cold. And a whistling breeze massaged his whole body with its freezing chill. This was not good. Should he head back for some dry clothes?

            Somewhere ahead he thought he heard JC's voice. "Don't worry, Troy. You're going to make it. I'm watching over you."

            Just like the voice he heard in the hospital. Now isn’t that strange?

            “I wonder what Dad's doing?” Troy's thoughts were a lot more generous about his father right now. Especially since he was lonely sitting under a huge birch tree. Sometimes Dad could be such a pain. Maybe it was Troy's turn to stop complaining and talk things out with Dad.

            Should it be before or after supper? Ah yes, tonight was Dad's turn to cook. He promised a special treat, baked kidney beans and Johnnycake with molasses and dill pickles. Troy could almost smell the aroma of cooking.

            Good old molasses and Dad's laughter made him homesick. His father's strange belly laugh would be very welcome right now. Troy could barely keep his eyes open. If only his bed were here. He leaned on a tree and saw how much the white landscape looked. So inviting, oh, just to lie down for a few moments. 

            “Where are you going, son? I had a hard time finding you.” Dad’s voice cut through Troy's thoughts like a twig smacking him in the face.

The boy was so startled he lost his footing and fell on his tender ankle. It was a reminder of the desperate pain he received a short while ago.

            His dad scooped up the boy as if he was weightless. Then he carried him back over a crooked trail not far from where Troy began his journey.

            Troy was quickly brought back to the warmth of their home.

            “Hurts, eh son?”

            Dad hadn't called him that in a while. It was kind of nice to know he hadn't forgotten. Being looked after like a little kid again was also neat.

            “I don't see any serious damage. No break or anything.” His father continued to gently poke around the anklebone. “Feel better?”

            “And warmer too, the boy answered.” This was a good time to hurry up and talk before Troy lost his courage. “Dad? I want you to come with me to the 'glowing place' I found, just you and me. Right now. Please.”

            “What about JC?”

            “DAAAD. I'm serious.”

            “Where?”

            “You know. Where the glow is; it’s like a fireplace, warm, but you don’t get burned or anything. Besides, I already told you about it. That's where I was going when I got scared and mixed up in the woods.”

            “You weren’t lost son. Somehow you turned around on purpose,” his dad said rather firmly. “I know you son, you're a brave fellow and you know your way around. You were heading back. And not just because you were disobeying me.”

            “Why?”

            “You wanted me to come with you.”

            “That's what I just asked you.”

            “I know, I'm just teasing,” his dad said.

            Troy never loved his dad more than this moment. He struggled to his feet and asked, “When can we go?”

            “As soon as you feel better,” the man replied. “But you must get into a fresh supply of warm clothes.” He gave his son a really bright smile.

“And that is a promise I’m going to keep.”