Midnight Sun (16 page)

“
I'll
get
in,
but
only
because
you
say
so,
Lonnie.
”

“
C'mon,
honey,
”
Mike
said.
“
It
’
s
a
Beaver—you know,
buck
teeth,
diligent
dam
builder.
”

“
Safest
of
all
animals.
”
Marcus
completed
the
preflight
inspection
and
gave
them
the
all
clear
to
load
up.

“
Why
don
’
t
you
sit
up
front,
Hilde,
”
Mike
said.
“
You
’
ll
be
less
likely
to
get
airsick.
”

She
climbed
into
the
plane,
surprised
to
find
that
it
was
larger
than
it
appeared
from
the
outside.
As
she
buckled
in,
Mike
motioned
from
the
back
seat
to
the
radio
headset
hanging
on
a
hook
above
her.

“
You
’
ll
need
that
if
you
want
to
hear
anything
other
than
the
engine.
”

She
put
on
the
headset
and
glanced
out
the
window
as
Lonnie
loosed
the
mooring
line
and
tossed
it
to
Marcus
where
he
stood
on
the
pontoon.
He
tied
it
off,
and
the
plane
rocked
as
he
climbed
into
the
seat
and
started
the
engine.
The
450
horse
power
Pratt
and
Whitney
engine
rumbled
to
life
with
a
throaty
roar,
drowning
out
every
other
sound.
Marcus
pulled
away
from
the
dock
and
taxied
into
the
lake.
Hilde
stiffened,
pressing
her
shoulder
blades
into
the
seat
as
the
plane
rocked
on
the
shallow
swells
caused
by
its
own
wake.

“
You
look
nervous,
”
Marcus
’s
voice sounded
tinny
over
the
headphones.
“
Just
relax.
It's
smoother
than
taking
off
from
the
land,
and
wait
till
you
see
the
landing.
”

She
acknowledged
him
with
a
nervous
smile,
then
leaned
back. Marcus
pushed
the
throttle
forward and the
engine's
roar
increased
tenfold,
drowning
out
every
other
sensation.
Her
knuckles
glowed
bright
white
as
she
gripped
the
armrests.
The
thirty-foot-long
craft
glided
over
the
water.
When
Hilde
opened
her
eyes,
she
was
surprised
to
discover
they
were
already
several
hundred
feet
above
the
ground.
She
glanced
sideways
out
the
window,
then
back
toward
Mike.
He
grinned
at
her
and
winked
with
an
“
I
told
you
it
would
be
fine
” look
.

The
city
of
Anchorage
descended
beneath
them
as
they
climbed
into
the
clear
blue
summer
sky.
Within
moments,
she
could
see
hundreds
of
miles
in
every
direction.
Her
mouth
gaped
in
wonder
at
the
immensity
of
the
wilderness
around
her.
She
had
flown
frequently
as
part
of
her
job,
but
only
around
the
eastern
half
of
the
country,
and
never
in
anything
smaller
than
a
727.
Every
time
she
had
been
in
the
air,
it
felt
as
though
the
ground
beneath
her
was
a
patchwork
quilt
of
multicolored
squares
and
rectangles
bordered
by
trees,
roads,
and
power
lines.
In
Alaska,
outside
of
the
few
small
cities
and
towns,
there
are
no
farms,
no
borders,
no
boundaries,
no
squares
or
straight
lines.
Even
the
roads
meander
like
winding
estuaries
of
asphalt
and
gravel.
She
found
herself
having
to
rethink
her
perception
of
what
the
earth
looked
like.