Cold Soak

by Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Miss Akroyd’s dorm, Miss Devinski & Songmark copyright Mr. Simon L. Barber.

Angelica and Kama copyright Mr. Fredrik K.T. Andersson. Used with permission

Corrected December 7^th, 2010 c.e.

It was still dark when the little yacht hove too, its powerful diesel motors deep roar quickly dropping to the dull mummer of near sleep as they waited to be called upon again. Thick fog enveloped the little craft as an anchor was dropped, only mild swells rocking the craft as it waited. Aboard five women stood, four working to inflate a tiny rescue raft while an older hound simply watched. Normally this delivery would have been by aircraft, unfortunately a pontoon had suffered damage upon landing. An unseen barely submerged stump had caused just less than catastrophic damage that would take at least a week to repair. Thus the rented yacht.

“Its awfully cold” the hound Ada Cronstein observed as she helped stretch out the tiny two person craft.

Carmen Velasquez leaned over the side for a brief moment, returning to checking the thin ropes that ran around their little craft. “More ice than water” the anteater reported. “Watch heads when in water.” Their two companions shivered, Prudance Akroyd looking towards the yellow furred hound watching them.

“You have one minute, eighteen seconds” Miss Devinski reminded the spaniel. “At which point, ready or not your aircraft begins to sink. If you are still in it you will drown, thus you will fail the course. As always there are no retakes for any reason.”

Their forth member, a rabbit known as Belle Lapinssen, abruptly shook so violently that all four of those with her thought she had gone into convulsion. “Cold is not for me” the mid-American girl explained as she regained some control over her bodies shivering. Now she held the ropes bound to their small stack of allowed supplies. Of them all, only Miss Devinski knew what those three packages held, for she had packed them back at Songmark. Her one warning was that they could contain letters, parts or food, but not to place any hopes on the contents. They were simply what had washed ashore after the crash. Privately all three girls were certain that those heavy wooden boxes contained nothing but used lead fishing weights.

“Thirty seconds” the Songmark instructor warned. Ada gave the little raft a hard tug and it popped into shape exactly as advertised. With Carmen’s help she edged the little yellow rubber craft onto the yachts transom ready for launch. As they did so the ships engines coughed, then silenced. Being chewed up by a running propeller wasn’t part of Songmarks official course. Forcing the launch of a life raft off a ships stern though was well withing the guidelines.

“Now” Miss Devinski announced.

Instantly the little yellow boat dropped, a moment later three splashes were heard. Miss Devinski looked at Belle who was laboring to get her heavy boxes over the side without help. “Three demerits to your dorm” she announced. “For leaving you alone with the entire load.” Standing she walked to the laboring rabbit. “You are now drowning, abandon the boxes and save yourself. Three demerits. You will drown in twenty seconds. If you drown you will fail this course. You will never see your sweet mouse again.”

Belle’s answer was a heavy grunt, in less than a second she too vanished. Pulled more than jumping over the side. Leaning over the stern Miss Devinski searched carefully. Abruptly Belle’s head popped up, surrounded by barely floating boxes, the boxes ropes still in her paws. “Six demerits” she called. “They could have been filled with iron parts. You would now be sixty feet down, on the bottom with nothing but crabs for company. You would never see her again in this life.”

Belle looked up at her instructor in dismay. Not even to shore yet and she alone had cost her group twelve demerits. She was about to curse at herself when the cold finally hit her through her leathers and new rubberized canvas longjohns. It was a physical blow that caused her to inhale sharply. Seawater entered her mouth, forcing her to cough. Shaking herself she made for the dingy. Being smallest Ada and Carmen were already aboard. There was obviously no room for her or Prudence.

“Shore is that way” the Mixtecan reported, pointing into the fog. “I hear waves hit land. Not far.”

“Better not be far” Prudence warned. “Or Belle and I will be frozen before we make it.”

“Good. Be meat keep Ada I alive longer” the Mextixa girl answered as she pulled out a light metal paddle. “Where I hit kill easy?”

Working together the four made for where they hoped the shore would be, Ada carefully hauling Belle’s crates aboard as they traveled. Thankfully it was only a matter of minutes before Prudence realized that her feet were hitting bottom. Reporting this to Belle she stood, the two now dragging their little boat ashore. Less than five minutes after hitting the water all four were ashore. Ada and Carmen dragged the little rubber boat well above the high water mark, while Bell and Prudence stripped out of their freezing wet clothing down to the rubberized canvas that was all that now stood between them and full nudity. Hypothermia was a very possible danger for the two largest members of the Akroyd dorm. From out in the fog they felt more than heard the heavy diesels start up again. Alone, on an unknown island with only the personal supplies they had brought with them. Theoretically the little ship would remain within sight of the shore for rescue is need-be. They were Songmark third years, they all knew that the boat would be gone before they made camp. Unlike their first two years, there was no instructor to watch over them anymore. They would live or die by their own abilities. As yet they were aware on no third year who had died during a test, but a few, less than a pawful, had failed due to physical reasons. Ones body could only take so much and Songmark was designed to prove to each girl just where that wall was.

“Two weeks” Ada whispered, working to start a fire with frozen driftwood that Carmen was dragging to her selected fire site. Each branch or board had to be banged against rocks to clear it of ice, and each was soaked with ice that would melt as it burned. But they needed a fire, Prudence and Belle needed heat to recover quickly. This time of year storms were a constant, not a possibility.

“We knew was coming” Prudence said as she wrapped her arms around a shivering Belle. Neither which could speak much at the moment as their teeth began to chatter. All now wished that they had accepted the Cranium Island shrews offer of those reflective cellophane sheets, but the price had been too high they thought at the time. Now they knew the truth, a weekend each as the shrews lab animal would have been cheap at three times the price.

“Open those crates we dragged along” Ada instructed Carmen as she shaved tiny feathers of wood from their larger cousins. “While I see if this new toy of Alpha’s really works.” Her price for this new toy had been a night with the shrew. A night of having the mad scientist poke, prod, measure and record everything about the hound. A baseline Alpha had explained. For reference to later experiments. What those experiments might be Ada was certain that she didn’t want to know. Ever.

Leaving her wood to Ada’s care Belle dragged the boxes next to her. Using her often maligned school knife she carefully pried each one open. “Four books at top” she announced, lifting a hardbound volume from a stack of its fellows. “Those bibles the Spanish sent us.”

For some reason the Spanish Air School believed that all of Songmarks girls needed saving. Even Carmen, who attended services religiously and could quote the King James version backwards and forwards.

“Give me one” Ada asked, accepting the black bound book Carmen tossed her. Opening it she started tearing its thin pages into tiny strips, much to the dismay of the Mixtecan. “This paper burns well Carmen” Ada explained as she created her little pile of tinder. “Your choice. Read and freeze. Burn and live.”

“Living is better. Book is just book” the anteater decided. “Many books, only one life.” She watched as Ada pulled a grey bar from one pocket, scraping flakes of strange metal off it onto the paper. Then reversing her blade Ada began striking it much as steel to flint. Bright blue-white sparks cascaded onto the pile of tender. Abruptly there was a blinding flash, followed by a puff of smoke.

“Alphas magnesium rod worked” the Mixtecan laughed. “You pay right price for heat I think.” Moving the small crates to block what prevailing winds were coming ashore she helped her shivering companions closer to the fire now growing under Ada’s care. By sunrise all four would be warm, but at the moment Prudence and Belle had drifted into a deep, healing sleep.

“If you think so, you spend a night as Alpha’s pet toy” the canine answered. Putting away the precious bar she began helping the anteater. With the sun coming up they all knew that there would be more wind. “I was sore for three days. Everywhere.”

“Everywhere” the anteater asked.

“Everywhere” Ada admitted.

By mornings light Carmen, her spare socks wrapped about her long muzzle for protection, ventured out to explore. They were stuck on this island for two weeks. Though where they landed was flat, it was dangerously barely above high tide. The idea that two weeks would pass without at least one storm rolling deep water over their position was not to be believed. Simply looking at the landscape proved that it happened often enough. While Carmen was gone Ada made a thin soup from some of her hideaway stash and snow water by using the tin cup set to her American style canteen as a pot. By the time Carmen staggered back into their makeshift camp an hour later, and barely on schedule, that hot thin soup tasted delicious.

“Found a cavern. Not cave” she announced. “Too big, wind will score it always. Need to look some more.” She passed over her waterproof notebook, a map of the area she had searched drawn upon it. “Look familiar.”

“Should” the canine agreed. “We studied these islands for months. Which one?”

“I fear Alaid” the anteater admitted.

“Atlasov, Alaid, Oyakoba” the hound chanted. “It belongs to the Russians, Americans or Japanese. Depends on who’s warship last visited.” She indicated a pile of wadded up sheets of paper. “Stuff between your rubber outfit and your clothing. It helps.”

Picking up a wadded sheet Carmen grimaced. “Thus the Holy Word works to our favor. Prudence and Belle?”

“I got them into their dried clothing a little while ago. Two pots of hot liquid each. Their better but still washed out. I’d guess another few hours. That ice water just saps you dry and our heavy jackets still haven’t dried out.”

“Yes” the anteater agreed as she patted her still damp winter coat. “You I, we be worse if not take raft. You watch wind, is coming from West. Might mean a storm. Still have compass?”

“Three” Ada answered. “I’d rather be with Angelica and Kama right now though.”

Carmen laughed, though her laugh was thinner than usual. Cold was seeping into her body and she was not designed for cold weather. Certainly not for this kind of weather. “You have that ahead to dream of. I have studies only.”

Ada picked up the notebook, checking to be certain that her own mechanical pencil was still where it should be and working. “Another full moon” she said as she stood. “Another piece of my heart ripped out. Carmen, it isn’t right. I love her with everything I am. For a day, maybe two she loves me just as much. Then she couldn’t care less if I breathed or not.” Stepping away from the warmth of their small fire the hound checked her compass. “If I knew then what I know now, I would trade with you in a moment. Then, I would not. Carmen, those hours are so sweet that I cannot explain them. Then there are the weeks of dust pouring from my heart. I will eventually lose Angelica, that is certain. But I won’t leave Kama. Not ever.” She pulled her slightly less damp overcoat closer to her, then walked away into the icy mist.

Belle woke to Prudence shaking her. “Huh.. What?” she asked. She was cold, icy cold. But she had been so warm just a little while ago.

“Wake up” Prudence ordered. “Ada hasn’t come back. She’s ten minutes late.”

“Ada?” Belle shook her head. So cold, oh. They were on the island. Of course. Pushing Prudence away Belle tried to stand, only to discover her legs wouldn’t move.

“I’m sitting on them silly” Carmen explained. “You need dress. Ada is ten minute late. Not like her. Wind is building. We need to move. Now.”

Taking a deep breath of icy air the rabbet forced herself awake. With Prudence’s help she dressed, her heavier clothing still a little damp from its immersion, even with the now whipping fire. She barely questioned when the two girls started shoving wadded paper between her new immersion suit and her fur. Yet even with all three of them working it took twenty minutes to make certain everything was picked up. All were suffering from the cold, which was slowing their thinking process’s. With the last of their gear on their backs they started inland, dragging their raft with its broken crates behind them. They were following the last direction Carmen had seen Ada walking. Following the little carron’s of stone both Ada and Carmen had built as guide posts.

“It’s another carron” Prudence announced after studying the stones before her. Why was it so hard to think. Oh yes, the cold, and that wind was picking up. “Left spiral, Ada. She went that way.” Turning a bit to the right the three continued their trek, unaware at how badly the cold had sapped their strength already. They found Ada less than fifty yards away from that last carron of stones, laying face down on the snow. Gathering around their companion it wasn’t difficult to determine what had happened. Ada’s right ankle was twisted around, a hole in the ice showing exactly what had occurred. In her right paw was Carmen’s journal, held out as if offering to someone.

“Broken?“ Carmen asked after Prudence had checked the trapped foot.

“No way to tell until we get that boot off” Prudence answered. Around them the wind was building faster. There was a storm coming and it was going to be a dozy. “She was coming back, so check her map. Maybe she found someplace” the hound ordered.

While Carmen studied Ada’s additions to her map Belle helped lift the hound’s body onto Prudence’s back. “I will drag the boat” Belle explained. “Until you cannot carry her. Then we trade.” Neither considered the anteater, as Carmen was having more trouble with the cold than any of them.

“North-East” Carmen announced. “Seventy feet above us. She finds cave facing South.”

“Seventy...” Prudence looked up into the now whipping, low lying clouds. “That... will be such a trek” she whispered, knowing her friends could not hear her words. Shifting the smaller hounds weight she started moving, Carmen leading the way with Belle following behind. “We should rope ourselves” she realized suddenly. Thus another ten minutes were lost as safety precautions were followed. Precautions designed to save someone’s life.

It did.

Ada’s cave turned out to be a small thing in width, but went back as far as any cared to follow. Outside the storm was building, but by blocking the caves opening with stones and snow there was little breeze within. “Need fire” Prudence gasped. She looked around but saw nothing that might burn.

“Crates” Belle supplied. “Wood.” Her own face sported a massive bruise from falling. If she hadn’t been tied to Prudence, then Prudence to Carmen it could have been hours before anyone noticed she had fallen. She would have been frozen solid by then.

“Snow for water” Carmen decided, searching Ada’s still motionless body. “Her canteen bottom. Yes.” She held up the canteens detachable bottom as if she had located the Holy Grail. Crackling noises brought her back to reality. Carmen and Prudence were slowly making hash of the wooden crates. Their contents tumbled about, to be shoved out of the way for now. Heat was now paramount. Had the crates held pure gold it would have had no value to any of the girls other than as bricks around a firepit.

Taking out her electric torch Carmen began exploring their new home. She found that it widened enough to be comfortable a few dozen feet further on, then abruptly shrank back to its original size. Oddly she found no evidence of any creatures making it their home. At least not in several years, as the only dragged in bedding she found was rotten with age. Useless even for fire. Returning to her friends she gave her report.

“Maybe an old volcanic vent” Prudence decided. A low moan of pain reminded her of Ada. “Drag her back now, before she wakes up. If that is broken we can’t move her when she wakes up.”

Ada eventually woke to the smell of fire an boiling broth. “I’m in heaven” she whispered.

“Can not be” Carmen corrected. “Angelica not here.”

Lifting her head the hound studying her situation. “My friends are here. If I cannot have her, the three of you will do nicely” she decided. “What happened?”

Belle looked up from the broth she was warming on their tiny fire. “You damaged your ankle. Bad. No walking. Not for a long time. Have some thick rich stew.” She offered her friends the thin broth, which Carmen helped Ada hold.

“Delicious” Ada decided after a long drink. “Best I’ve ever had. Prudence?”

“Sleeping” Carmen answered. “We sleep in shifts. Have blocked cave. Both ends. But thought something want in.”

“What something” Ada asked.

“Not know” the anteater admitted. “Low moan, hollow sound. Come, go. Think maybe lost sailors spirits. Then discover was hole in wall. Wind blowing. Scare me more than believe. Now stuffed old animal bedding.”

“Which explains why this place was abandoned” Belle continued. “What animal is going to bed down in that sort of noise?”

“Good luck for us” Ada agreed. “Supplies?”

“What we bring with us” Carmen announced. “Then ten cans mack-a-rotty in boxes. Worn engine pushrods. I use to splint your ankle. Lot of old radio cable. Strip some use tie splint to ankle. Dozen Spanish bibles, make good bed. Noisy but comfortable. Help start fire too. Nothing else.”

“All that.” Ada sighed, laying her head back. “Hey!” Reaching behind her she discovered a pillow made of excelsior stuffed into her carry bag. “This stuffs explosive” she reminded her friends.

“Yes, but soft. Maybe not go boom with hard head on it.”

Ada took a swing at Carmen, which moved her ankle, which... She barely managed not to scream too loudly. “Exactly how bad” she asked when her brain reset.

Carmen’s long tongue whipped out for a moment, a sign of nervousness. “Ankle out of joint. Belle put back together.”

“You will heal” Belle filled in. “You will simply be doing zero walking for some time. They cannot fail you for a dislocated ankle. Not when it is already set and with two weeks of healing well done.”

“So what do we do now” Ada asked.

“Get some sleep like Prudence” the rabbit answered. “Then take further stock of our supplies. Perhaps strip some wire for a snare.” She looked over to where Prudence was snoring lightly. “We are to survive two weeks. There are not sufficient supplies for four for even one week. You are the wounded one, so if food is needed we shall dine well. If the meat is a bit stringy it is still meat. I will personally console the grieving widow, rest assured. Now. I will take first guard.”

Ada laughed, carefully settling back down as Carmen joined her. Warmth was most important now as the rocks about them had none. “Oharu would burn you alive if you went cannibal on her.”

“Oharu? She is our friend yes, but why should I worry what that mouse cares about.”

“Well” Ada yawned. “That is a bracelet of her hair your wearing on your left wrist. Right?” She giggled as Belle turned her back, snuggling as carefully as she could against the anteaters warm body. Sleep came quickly, but it was dream filled with Angelica and Kama again holding Angelicas stomach, always asking her for a playmate. Didn’t she know that Ada couldn’t give the feline a child? No, she was a child herself. She couldn’t know that.

Three days passed as the four slowly explored the area outside their new home and unwound aircraft wiring harness’s to pass the time. A bitter storm had struck, and where they had set their first camp was nothing but whitecaps for now. That was, if they had been able to see more than three feet in front of them. The forth day broke bright and sunny. A perfectly calm day, unbelievable considering what they had just experienced. Belle and Prudence went out to see what they could find, making certain to use their new metal rope as a guide back should another storm strike. Their fire was nothing but tiny embers now, carefully fed with splinters by Carmen as she watched over Ada. They were eating too little and Ada wasn’t the kind to just lay around letting other take care of her.

Ada though was going mad. Unable to move around well, not able to leave the cave because she couldn’t walk the hound was going stark raving mad with boredom. Having her friends tend to her needs of nature was even more embarrassing. Especially considering the only paper they had. “Someone will pay for this” she abruptly declared.

“Someone is” Carmen answered. “Me.”

“I guess so” the hound admitted. “I apologize and I mean it. To change the subject, these rubberized canvas outfits you came up with probably saved our lives several times. How did yah design them?”

“Thanks” Carman said, a blush rising from her neck. “Saw canvas diving outfit. Thought keep water out. Problem was heavy. Keep water in too. So think long time, try to think like Alpha. Make head hurt.”

Both women laughed at that image.

“Think, use very thin cotton. Use very thin rubber coat. Wait cure, punch bizillions holes in rubber with tracing wheel. That let hot air out, take sweat. But little hole not let big water in easy. It work when test in harbor, so make for you three too. Think maybe we sell to classmates?”

“We can try” Ada agreed. She tried to move her ankle, finding that though it twinged it didn’t scream at her. Putting her bare foot against a stone she applied pressure. A wave of pain rolled up her leg, warning her that this wasn’t a good idea. “Can you see our intrepid explorers” she asked, covering her pain with the question.

Carmen carefully made her way to the caves opening, careful to cover her long snout before sticking it out. She’d already experienced one minor bout with frostbite and though only a discomfort, it had been enough to warn her what could happen.

“They are returning” she announced. “With wood.”

“Wonderful news” Ada admitted. “I’m freezing in here so I know your already frozen.”

“Not when with Belle” the anteater admitted. “She has much softness to share.”

“And is stuck on that lovesick mouse. God, what is it about that mouse anyway. She can have Belle and still pines for Molly.”

“You can have me” Carmen reminded her friend. “But still pine Angelica.”

Ada closed her eyes. “Point taken, you win the argument paws down. I’ll never understand love.”

“I think no one will” her friend agreed. “Now I help break up wood. You stay in cave. Is better for you.”

Ada watched her friend leave, pushing the layers of cut apart yellow raft aside thus letting icy air in. It truly was warmer inside, but only by a few dozen degrees. If they brought the temperature above freezing water began to drip from the ancient stone. It was a constant balancing act. But with the outside temperature hovering somewhere between flash frozen and you have got to be kidding me, their little den was a five star hotel. “Next time you break your ankle” she said to the yellow rubber curtain, but she knew she didn’t mean it.

Carmen was surprised when her friends pulled out a reddish stone from one of their bags. “Look like hocky puck” she admitted, accepting the thing. “What is?”

“Crab” Belle gasped, her voice turning into ice as she spoke. “Place is littered with them. They popped their legs in the cold. Weird.”

“Crab” Carmen asked, her eyes widening . “Fresh crab?”

“Some survival test right” Prudence asked. “We can’t get crab ever at Songmark, but come up here to freeze and we are surrounded by the things. Help with the wood. We can hardly move. Belle’s pack is full of legs and the Gulls are everywhere.” She patted a wad of feathers at her side. “We eat well tonight! Fresh roasted seagull and boiled crab for all.”

Later, with their fire now built up Ada found herself pulling feathers from freshly killed gulls. Frozen, the birds made the task difficult. “You covered a lot of crabs up” she asked.

“Big stone carrion. If we are lucky nothing large will get to it. I don’t expect that luck still we tried” Belle admitted. “There’s more wood to get too. That’s important. We can cook and freeze what we have, stack it just inside the entrance. We haven’t seen any indication of large predators, or small ones other than gulls for that matter. Tonight we can feast, then eat sparingly. Tomorrow the three of us will recover everything we can find. There obviously isn’t enough here to last the week, but it will help a lot. And if the storm holds off long enough the four of us can drag in enough to feed us a month. There’s frozen fish too by the way.”

“Yes” Prudence agreed from where she was boiling crab legs in their one tiny pot. “Important we don’t go crazy eating too much. We’ll get sick. Not want to gain weight yes? Who wants a soft plump girl in her bed?”

Laughter answered her.

A storm did return later the next day, catching Carmen still several hundred feet from safety when it did. She managed to struggle up their guide wire until Belle grabbed her, the larger rabbit easily carrying both anteater and supply bag out of a raging storm. Carmen though was so cold she couldn’t even help undress herself. Shivering violently her last impression was of Ada holding her arms open as she was pushed against the roaring furnace that was her friends naked body.

Thus their time was spent, withdrawing into the cave during storms, and there seemed to be an awful lot of storms they noted. Salvaging firewood and cast up sealife for food. Not exactly the worst lifestyle, but all four knew that had they not found this little cave there lives would have been much worse. Pity those caught out in the howling winds where not even the smallest fire could be reliably kept burning. To Ada went the serious task of keeping the days right. Miss Devinski had said sunup on the fourteenth day. She would wait no more than four hours, then they would be considered dead. A rescue would be attempted, but if they could not be found there would be a memoriam anyway. If they ever did make their ways back to Songmark it would be to a failing grade. All would be for nothing. So on the fourteenth day, several hours before the allotted time they dressed fully in now dry and fairly clean clothing. It would be a very long trip with Ada still bedridden.

It was not the yacht that returned, but the repaired Songmark floatplane that landed on a flat, featureless bit of ground. Stepping out Miss Devinski looked about her and smiled. Her four little fledglings were still alive and healthy. How she knew this no student could know. Still she knew. Taking her time the yellow furred hound looked about her. Where her students had cast their first camp there was no evidence. She ignored that, turning to look inland. Then without a word or even glance at her compass she started walking. Half a mile inland she met her students making their careful way back to shore. A glance at the prone Ada informed Miss Devinski that her injury was minor. “You are well” she asked Prudence.

“Yes Mam. But crab and seagull does get boring.”

“It do” Belle agreed, releasing a very unladylike belch. “Filling, but boring. Roasted Cod does make a nice break though.”

Looking over her students Miss Devinski seemed to come to some conclusion. “I look forward to your reports” she decided. “Now we must hurry back to the aircraft. There is a Russian warship rumored to be in these waters.” She followed her students as they hurried, they themselves following their instructors trail in the featureless snow.

A tiny laugh escaped the hounds lips as she studied her students. No drooping tails, each was as full of energy as the day they left Songmark. If anything they had all gained weight. Especially Ada. Her Angelica might like that the hound thought. Survivors as healthy two weeks after their crash as they were before. Now that was a first for this test.