Outnumbered

I smirk at my own cleverness, glad she isn’t able to see my expression.

“Yeah. You’ll have to crawl out before I can.”

“All right.” Seri shuffles around for a moment. “Feet first?”

“It’s the only way.”

“Got it.”

“Put my socks on first. Your boots are still wet.”

“Okay.”

Seri shuffles her way out of the cave and I follow, bringing with me our boots and my inner coat. Loose snow covers the area, but I don’t think it’s any deeper than it was before. I pull my boots on and stand up straight to stretch my back and get my bearings.

The sky is bright and still, and the half-moon is visible. I can clearly see the outlines of the barn and the cabin in the distance.

“It doesn’t even look that far away,” Seri says.

“It’s not,” I reply. “The problem is finding it when you can’t see through the storm. The worst thing to do is to get yourself lost.”

“How long have we been out here?”

“Just a few hours. With your boots still wet, I’m going to carry you. It will be slow going, but at least you’ll stay dry. We’ll be back in the cabin with a fire going in no time.”

Seri holds her wet boots, socks, and my axe, and I carry her piggyback style, slowly, toward the dark shape of the cabin in the distance. When we get to the door, I can already hear Solo howling from the other side. Beyond the door, it’s dark and cold.

“Poor kitty,” Seri says as I set her down on the floor inside. Solo runs around in a circle, screaming in his little kitten voice. She picks him up and holds him to her chest as he continues to meow. “Were you scared? I was scared, too.”

After shedding my winter gear, I light the kerosene lamp so Seri can see well enough to get Solo some sustenance while I get the fire going again. I find a few hot coals buried in the ashes, and the fire lights quickly after I pile them together and toss some kindling on top. I make cold sandwiches so we don’t starve waiting for the coals to provide enough heat for cooking.

I head into the back of the closet and bring out the bearskin and lay it down on top of the braided rug for a little more warmth. All of us sit close to the fire, Solo on Seri’s lap, to try to ward off the chill while we eat. I’m tired, but all I can think about is the wood still sitting on the sled by the barn. I need to get back out and haul it to the cabin.

“My stomach is killing me,” Seri says as she rubs her belly. “I guess lunch didn’t agree with me.”

A few minutes later, she jumps up and runs to the bathroom. Solo races after her, but she closes the door, and he turns to yell at me.

“Nothing I can do about it,” I say with a smile. I tap my fingers on the floor, trying to coax him over, but he’s far too pissed about the door in front of him. He whines and paces.

Seri is in the bathroom a long time. When she finally comes out, she can’t meet my eyes. She picks up Solo and coos at him.

“Feel better?” I ask.

“Yeah, a little.”

“Did you get sick?”

“Um, not vomiting, no. Just, uh, trying to avoid TMI.”

“TMI?”

“Too much information.”

“Oh. Okay, I get it.”

“You never owned a cell phone, did you?” She snickers. “That’s a pretty common abbreviation for texting.”

“Never had use for one. I don’t have anyone I want to call, and everyone seems to just play games on the things anyway.”