Midnight Sun (18 page)

Suddenly
the
plane
leveled
and
the
roar
of
the
engine
softened.
She
sensed
that
they
were
still
moving,
then
laid
back
like
she
was
being
gently
forced
in
a
La-Z-Boy
recliner.
The
engine
shut
off.
She
opened
her
eyes
and
found
that
somehow
Marcus
had
landed
the
plane
without
her
even
realizing
they
had
touched
down.
The
plane
drifted
across
the
surface
of
the
water,
powered
by
inertia
that
slid
it
toward
a
narrow
beach
comprised
of
smooth
round
rocks,
a
secluded
hideaway
rimmed
by
massive
spruce
trees,
spires
pointed
heavenward.

“
Well,
this
is
it,
”
Marcus
said.

Hilde
regarded
their
surroundings
as
if
unsure
they
were
actually still
on
the
surface
of
the
same
planet. Marcus
took
off
his
headset
and
she
did
the
same.
The
plane
drifted
to
a
halt
against
the
rocky
shoreline
and
he
climbed
out.

“
Told
you
it
would
be
a
nice
landing,
”
Marcus
said
as
he
stepped
onto
the
pontoon.

He
jumped
toward
the
rocks
with
the
rope
in
his
hand,
the
splash
of
his
feet
landing
in
the
water
like
a
quotation
mark
announcing
the
beginning
of
a
new
dialogue.
He
walked
toward
the
shore
pulling
the
plane
forward
until
it
stopped,
then
tied
the
rope
to
a
tree.
Mike
and
Hilde
climbed
out
and
joined
him.
They
piled
the
gear
at
the
forest
’
s
edge
and
Marcus
started
setting
up
camp with Mike’s
help.
Hilde,
who
had
only
slept
in
a
tent
once
in
her
life,
was
totally
unfamiliar
with
the
whole
concept
of
real
camping.
Backyard
sleep
overs
as
a
twelve-year-old
G
irl
Scout
seemed
like
staying
in
a
hotel
by
comparison.
The
peace
and
quiet
of
this
place
lay
on
her
like
a
comfortable
blanket.
Mosquitos
quickly
found
them,
and
Marcus
tossed
her
a
bottle
of
bug
dope.

“
Put
this
on
your
exposed
skin,
”
he
said,
“
but
not
on
your
lips
or
eyes.
It
’
s
pure
DEET. Works
like
a
charm,
but
not
good
to
eat.
”

“
I
don
’
t
want
to
rub
poison
on
my
skin,
”
she
said.

“
It
won
’
t
hurt
you
unless
you
use
it
every
day
for
months
at
a
time,
”
Marcus
said.
“I
t
’
s
definitely
better
than
getting
eaten
alive
by
the
mogies. They
’
re
the
only
evil
scar
on
this
otherwise
picturesque
scene.
”

As
she
rubbed
the
clear
lotion
onto
her
skin,
she
was
amazed
at
how
the
“
mogies”
immediately
seemed
unwilling
to
land
on
her.
The
silence
of
the
forest
gradually
became
an
entity
of
its
own.
Wind
whispered
between
the
branches
of
the
spruce
trees
and
clusters
of
willow
that
grew
along
the
edges
of
the
lake.
Small
insects
skimmed
the
water
as if inspecting
its
surface.
A
gathering
of
swallows
flitted
out
from
a
tangle
of
willow
branches,
spinning
and
turning
then
dashing
back
into
the
trees
as
if
playing
a
game
of
tag,
their
song
like
laughter
on
the
warm
afternoon
air.
The
air
had
vitality.
It
was
not
just
some
unseen
necessity
here.
It
was
a
being
in
its
own
right,
clean,
fresh,
sweet.
Her
lungs
felt
as
if
they
were
being
filled
properly
for
the
first
time
in
her
life.
Hilde
breathed
deeply
and
let
the
undiluted
purity
of
it
soak
into
her
blood
stream.
She
felt
the
sensation
that
since
infancy,
she
had
been
on
the
verge
of
drowning,
kept
alive
by
artificial
means
for
the
past
thirty-nine
years
and
only
now
discovered
what
oxygen
really
felt
like.
She
had
the
fleeting
thought
that
it
was
original
air,
an
untouched
leftover
from
Creation,
air
that
God
had
reserved,
kept
in
a
secret
store
house,
unspoiled,
holy.