A Time in Heaven by Kathy Warcup Page A

didn’t want to go back inside the lodge either. But, they needed to go b ack in if they had any hopes of surviving until spring .
    Jesse looked toward the window and saw t hat the sun was coming up.  He had gotten some sleep last night but with all this thinking and worrying, he was still tired.  He decided to lie still and let Katie sleep a little longer.   “Hell, we c an sleep all day if we want to,” Jesse said barely loud enough so that he could hear himself. “We have no place to go today.” He closed his eyes and let sleep come to him.
    Katie woke up about an hour later when Sadie started moving around and whining to go outside.  “What time is it Jesse?” Katie asked rather frantically as she shook him . “Shouldn’t we be at the dock? A plane could come any time!”
    Jesse grabbed her and looked into her eyes, “Katie.  We need to come to terms with the reality that a plane is not coming.  It would have been here yesterday. We need to figure out how we are going to survive here.”
    “NO!”  Katie screamed at Jesse as she pushed him away. “The plane will come!”   She paused when she had a flashback , “ Jesse, do you remember when we were cleaning the lodge and I told you that I had heard something on that old radio. Something about there being a memorial service for Jesse Danvers?” She stopped and stared at Jesse.
    “What if that is what I truly heard? What if they were having a memorial service for,” she paused again. “For you.”
    “Everyone thinks we’re dead?  How coul d that be?  What did Smith do?” Jesse asked angrily.
    Katie had an idea. “Maybe Smith did kill that person in the lodge. He had to know we would find the body . So he decided not to come back. ”
    “But how did he convince our family and friends that we were dead? It just doesn’t add up. There would have been an investigation.” Jesse just shook his head trying to make sense of their situation.
    There was no time for speculation right now. H e was determined to try to explain to Katie how important it was going to be that they go back to the lodge.  “Katie we have to gather as much food as w e can find in the other cabins.” Jesse paused, “and in the lodge.”
    Katie almost immediately responded, “NO! I am not setting foot back in that lodge.” She glared at Jesse for a second then headed toward the bathroom . “I want to take a shower now.”
    “I’ll go get our bags from the dock” Jesse told her.  “You can take your shower, and then we have to talk.” Jesse put the leash on Sadie and they headed out the door.
    Katie called after them with, “We can talk all you want, I am not going back to the lodge and that dead guy!”
    Jesse brought Katie’s things back first.  Katie grabbed a towel, her toiletries and a change of clothes from her backpack without saying a word to Jesse, and went into the bathroom. He took the dog back with him to the dock to get the rest of their gear.  “Well, girl, this isn’t going to be easy, is it? Are you as worried as I am?  Let me tell you something. Do you promise not to tell Katie?” He reached down and pet ted Sadie down her back. “I am terrified.  If the world thinks we are dead, there won’t be anyone coming to this camp until next spring when the camp opens up again .  We are going to have to survive the winter by ourselves . I don’t think we have enough food or warm clothes.  And if I can’t get Katie to move into the lodge, we won’t have to worry about the other things; we’ll just freeze in the cabin without heat.”
    When Jesse and Sadie returned to the cabin, the bathroom door was still closed . Jesse could h ear Katie crying. He took the leash off Sadie, and then he knocked on the bathroom door.  There was no answer, but the sobbing stopped. He knocked again.
    Katie slowly opened the door and collapsed into Jesse’s arms. He sat her down on a chair, and then crouched down beside her.
    “Jesse,” she sobbed, “How