The Mountain Lights

Chapter 2

The flight to Anchorage was long only because her mother kept yapping over the phone with the guy she was supposed to meet. And her mother had a very loud voice. Especially if you sat next to her for hours on a plane. Dany frowned as she tried to concentrate on A Wrinkle In Time. It was one of two books she actually owned. She didn’t want to bring the library copies.

“Oh what a lovely man! He has some kind of accent I can’t make out which one. Says he’s got a big fancy house on the lake. He’s got four kids, but you won’t mind brothers and sisters, right? Oh, what am I saying. Course’ you won’t.” Her mother said after finally finishing the call.

She took out her compact mirror and started powdering her cheeks. The powder wafted into Dany’s nose and made her sneeze. Her mother jumped next to her and gave her a look of horror. Dany frowned at her and wiped her nose. She checked her sleeve. Nope. Nothing green there. She sniffled and resumed reading. Her mother babbled on about men and money and other things, mostly to herself. Suddenly, Dany missed old Greta, her nanny. But she went to heaven two years ago.

“What’s my uncle’s name?” Dany asked.

“What uncle?” Helen asked her, confused.

Dany sighed. “Your brother.”

“Oh!” She’d momentarily forgotten the kid had an uncle. “Matthias. Matt.” Then she proceeded to talk about what a loser he was.

Dany didn’t really hear what she was saying. She just said uh-huh now and again. It didn’t even have to be appropriate. It was just in case her mother was listening to her.

When the air hostess came, Helen ordered a double rib burger with fries and salad for herself, and a strawberry milk for Dany, who snatched a fry every time her mother leaned over to admire the man on the opposite seat. Once, it looked like the man’s wife was silently talking to her mother. She looked angry. That time Dany stole six fries without her noticing.

After the plane landed, Dany ran to keep up with her mother through all the people in the airport, or get lost. And it wasn’t easy because she could hardly move. She’d worn every long-sleeved thing she owned. And still her hands and feet were frozen. Outside, the snow was only an inch deep. They got into the taxi and were wheeled off to a huge A-frame house made of logs.

Dany met Clive and his four teenage children. The two sisters were twins, and the scowls were double. The one boy was on his cellphone. All. The. Time. And the other boy was locked in his room for most of the time, though she saw him briefly when he came out to fetch a spoon of peanut butter right out of the jar.

She sat on the chair, legs dangling, hands wringing, not really knowing what to do with herself in the conversation. Clive was thinking of selling his house and moving back to Texas, maybe with Helen. They chatted and crooned. And then his man-friends came and things started getting rowdy. All the children fled. And Dany was no exception. But she couldn’t stay with the teenagers.

She tapped her mother on the shoulder as she licked Clive’s cheek. “Mom, can I have some money?”

She wanted to get away. Really get away. She wanted to find her uncle. Maybe she could stay with him for however long her mother was here.

Helen waved a hand. Dany assumed it meant yes. She rummaged through her purse and took out fifty.

Then she went right out through the door. She didn’t think of bringing her luggage. She wore most of what was in the carry-on anyway. She only took her book and the money, and a few other things she stuffed in her backpack. Clive's house wasn't too far away from the town. She walked and kicked up snow. No one bothered her. The air was cold and turned her cheeks tomato red.

Eventually, she came to the bus stop. Then she sat and waited with her feet and hands freezing. She stuffed them in her jacket's pockets. She didn't have gloves. She kicked her legs as they dangled off the bench. Later, Dany took out a peanut butter cup and ate that. It was almost frozen.

The bus came, paused, and people started climbing off. She raced up the steps, through lots of long legs.

"Hi!" She cheerily greeted the driver, who turned to look over his shoulder. He had a squint and wore a fluffy hat with long ears. "Can you take me to Harlem?"

"Sorry kid, bus don't go that way. You'd be better off tryin' the cargo train. Here she comes," he pointed a pruny finger, and she saw the train slow to a stop just opposite the road.

"Thanks!" She beamed.

Dany got off, paused to look for cars, then ran across the road to the train. The cars were all closed. She stood on the side of the rails, and looked around until she spotted the station. She ran toward it, her wheezing breath creating clouds of cold in front of her face.

She saw a finely dressed man standing there.

"Hi! Can you take me to Harlem?" She asked.

The man looked around before realizing he had to look down. He frowned at her. "Where's your parents?"

She smiled and handed him the money.

He raised an eyebrow, then gave a shrug. It was probably the parents that gave her the money. How else would a kid her age get hold of so much?

"Where you going in Harlem?" He asked, for extra reassurance.

"To see my uncle," She answered.

Well, he saw nothing wrong with that. He gestured for her to get into the car. "Train leaves in thirty, it's a few hours' ride. We'll be there an hour after sunset."

She nodded, gave him all her money, but after eyeing her, he gave her ten dollars back. Then she got into the nearest car, sat down against a bunch of crates, and continued reading A wrinkle in Time.

They started moving again before long, and as the ride progressed, the train became pretty cold inside. Dany took out her last peanut butter cup and ate it, while huddling her knees in. She couldn't feel her ears. Eventually, the train came to a halt, and her heart danced with excitement. She was grinning hugely and she didn't even know it.

The door of the car opened and Dany saw the same man from before. He gestured her out. She hopped out and caught him in a hug. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," the man said.

She looked at her surroundings. She saw mostly trees, until she squinted. Then she saw a small town with probably no more than twenty buildings on the other side. That includes the houses.

She trodded through snow and spruce trees. Her teeth were chattering and she had her arms wrapped around herself tightly. She was shaking. Yup, just twenty-something buildings, made of wood and some painted bright red or blue. Dany thought for a moment. Where would she start to look for her uncle? And it was already dark, too.

She saw a couple of young guys come out of a large double-story building made of logs just across the road, laughing and shoving at each other with tin mugs in their hands. Maybe they know him? She shook once convulsively from the cold, then started stomping towards them.