No inch was left unchecked by his deftly, precise movements.
As he finished clearing the house, he relaxed somewhat and began to focus on the minute details around him. He ran his finger along the kitchen counter and noted the thick layer of dust that blanketed it. It appeared that the house had been empty for months. He clutched his radio and simply said, “Jake.”
“Go ahead.”
“The house is clear. No one has been here for weeks, maybe months. I’m going to check the shed just to be sure. Hold off until you hear from me again.”
Jake sat impatiently in the Bronco with Kate and Sasha. He rapped the steering wheel with his fingers as he waited to hear from Geram again. Kate broke the silence in the SUV.
“At least we know your dad made it out.”
“Yeah, now we have to find a way to reach him.”
The radio crackled to life again, “All clear.”
Jake replied, “On my way in.”
As he drove the Bronco down the long driveway to his father’s country home, he noticed something had been spray painted, like graffiti, on the front door. It was a large white circle; inside the circle was the following:
BLL
H – 0100
“What’s that?” Kate said as she noticed the front door.
“I’m not sure.”
“It’s not what they put on doors after disasters, is it?”
“I don’t think so; that’s usually an ‘X’. I’m willing to bet this is a message from the old man, we just have to figure it out.”
As they pulled up to the house, Geram stepped out of the metal shed and walked over to meet them. Sasha hopped out of the back seat and stretched as she let out a whine. She bounded across the yard and to the field beyond to explore the new territory. As Jake and Kate exited the Bronco, Geram called out, “I’m going to draw some water out of the hand pump out back. I for one am ready for a warm bath.”
For each bath, they brought fresh water to a boil in a large, galvanized tub over an open fire, and then took turns relaxing in the clawfoot tub in the bathroom. The power was out at the home, but the wood burning stove still functioned perfectly. After they had all bathed, they warmed some canned goods on the stove and sat down to enjoy the odd breakfast.
“So,” Geram said, “the door, what do you think it means?”
“I’m sure it’s a message from Dad, I’m just not sure what he’s trying to say.”
“Yeah, me neither.”
They ate in silence for a while as they enjoyed the sense of normalcy brought on by the baths and a meal at a table. As she finished her plate, Kate got up to retrieve the percolator from the stove and topped off their cups.
“If you’re going to meet someone,” she said, “what all do you need to know?”
“Well,” Jake said, “you need to know where to meet them.”
Geram interrupted, “And when.”
“Right,” Kate replied, “a time and a place; that’s all you need to know. That door has the time and the place. We’re already pretty sure of the place though, right?”
“The landing.”
“Yeah, the landing.” She opened the door inward so that they could see the markings from the table.
“You’re right Hun; BLL, that’s Bates Lake Landing. Now we’re getting somewhere.”
She smiled, “We know the place, now we just need a time.”
“Too easy,” Geram replied, “0100 has got to be one in the morning.”
Jake slammed the table with the palm of his hand as he exclaimed, “Thursday, one o’clock at the landing!” They cheered and laughed as they deciphered the message that was lovingly left for them.
“You know what this means,” Geram said, “Every week for months, Pop’s been coming to that landing to look for us. He’s been waiting and watching for us since the crash.”
Jake smiled, “That’s Dad.”
***
Jake, Kate and Geram crept down to the landing with their weapons ready. They had left the Bronco a mile or so up the dusty, red-dirt road to allow for a silent approach. The ground at the landing sloped quickly down to the lake below. The tiny fishing community was dotted with camp houses on timber pilings near the water’s edge. They did not see a single light on the lake. Apparently the landing was experiencing a blackout.
Jake checked his watch, it was 12:45. They sat on a stump close to the water that was concealed by a small stand of scrub trees. The night was loud with the sounds of the swamp. The frogs, owls, insects and other creatures serenaded the three as they waited for contact. Sasha quietly followed several cold trails around the stump before giving up and stepping out into the lake. She lay down in water nearly a foot deep and began lapping it up happily.
Jake peered across the water but saw nothing. He checked his watch again; 12:50.
“What if he doesn’t show?”
“He’ll show.”
“I know he’ll show if he can, but what if something happened to them?”
“I don’t even want to think about it. I have no idea what we’d do. I guess we’d just go back.”
“Talk about an awkward return, and I don’t even know how we’d make it back.”
Geram chuckled and replied, “None of that matters; he’ll show.”
“We’ve got a lot of memories out here, you know.”
“Tell me about it. A lot of hunting and fishing and just being together, the three of us.”
“I hope one day there’s time for that again.”
“That might be a long time off.”
“You’ve got to have something to hope for; something to live for. Otherwise, what’s it all for?”
Suddenly, they were illuminated by a spotlight from somewhere across the lake. They jumped off the stump and crouched behind it. Jake checked his watch; 12:59.
“It’s him.”
“It better be.” Geram gripped the rifle tightly in his hands.
The boat silently trolled across the lake and landed just feet from the stump, its gentle wake lapping at the shore. The brothers were met at the water’s edge by a bear of a man. He grabbed each of them with tree trunk arms and pulled them to him.
“My boys! Thank you God for my boys!”
“We’re all here.”
“Kate!” Clayton released them and grabbed her, lifting her off the ground with his giant hug. “You been keeping ‘em straight, sweetie?”
Kate laughed and replied, “They manage themselves; you’ve got good boys, Clay.”
“Yeah I do, yeah I do.”
Moses bounded out of the aluminum boat and greeted Sasha with a wagging tail. He nuzzled her wet head with his. She returned the affection of her new friend. He jumped back in the boat and she followed immediately behind him. They both took a seat in the front of the vessel.
Clayton laughed at the dogs and said, “I have to agree with the pair, we should get going. It’s safer on the water, and Claire won’t want to miss a minute of the reunion.”
The night was starry and clear as they raced across the muddy waters. The stars and moon reflected off of the open water all around them. The brothers were flooded with memories as they recognized the landmarks from times long past. The towering, solitary, cypress tree still stood like a colossus at the mouth of the lake. The ancient, oak tree that grew horizontally and hung over the river still beckoned them to its domain. The world had changed all around it, but the swamp had remained the same.
Geram stared in awe at the rifle mounted in the center of the boat. He looked up at Clayton and shouted over the sound of the motor, “You’re practically running a gunship here!”