Despite the Darkness
The drive was done in the relative silence of a car
traveling at high speeds on the highway with Oldies playing over the stereo and
the people inside not talking to each other. The snow was growing thicker on
the ground as they moved further into the hills. The landscape changed suddenly
when they turned a corner; what were once gently sloped hills turned into a
steep sloped ravine blanketed in deep white. The road was clear of traffic in
both directions, so they were the only ones traveling up into the mountains in
the slush.
“We should have taken Highway 2.”
“This is a straight shot to Mom’s.”
“It’s going to be closed.”
“There aren’t any signs and I checked the DOT hotline before
we left.”
“Uh huh.”
He sulked in the driver’s seat while Jan sulked in the
passenger’s. The Beach Boy’s Good
Vibrations came to a climax and the DJ cut to the local news.
“A string of disappearances in the North Cascades have
authorities baffled; Skagit Sherriff’s Deputy Malcom Mead and a Forestry Ranger
Amanda Muir didn’t come home two nights ago from their patrols along Highway 20,
leaving no clues as to their whereabouts. Listeners are encouraged to call the
Skagit County Sherriff’s Office with any information on their disappearance.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Police Dep…”
He turned the radio off with a stab of his finger, ignoring
the look from his wife. Snowflakes began to fall in earnest; big, wet ones that
started to cover the whole road and the windshield.
“We’ll make it,” he said as much to himself as to his wife.
The wipers were turned from intermediate to full shortly after. The sun was now
set and visibility was cut down by the heavy snowfall.
They had passed the Ross Lake Dam and were almost to
Washington Pass when even Isaiah way in the back could see the amber lights
flashing ahead. He gripped the steering wheel, girding himself for the
inevitable “I told you so.”
“Huh.” There it was.
He slowed down as the scene became clearer - a huge
excavator was desperately fighting a shifting, sliding section of hillside that
had come down onto the road. Boulders and huge evergreen trees were mixed with
mud and snow to cover the whole road. A police car’s lights, parked back from
the accident, came on as further reminder that the van should stop.
The Sherriff’s Deputy reluctantly got out of his warm
vehicle to personally stop the van’s forward progress.
“Did you miss the road closed sign?”
“Didn’t see one and I checked before we left.”
The deputy sighed. “They said they had it up and would
announce it on the radio…“ He shook his head like a man shakes out cobwebs, “Not
your problem. This slide’s going to close the pass at least until morning; you
folks will need to turn around.”
“We need to eat Steve.” It was less a comment and more a
command.
“You passed a little town a few miles back, it’s a company
town, but they have a bar and some cabins you can rent if you’d rather stay the
night.”
“Canyon Creek?”
“Yeah, they don’t get many visitors.” The deputy smiled
crookedly.
“Thank you, we’ll head there.”
“Drive safe.”
The window went back up and the van turned around.
“We should go home and go Highway 2 in the morning.”
“You wanted to eat.”
“Not at some bar!”
“Where are we supposed to go Jan? You’re the one who’s
hungry.”
“Dad, I think we should go to Canyon Creek.” Isaiah’s small
voice from the back stopped his mother’s retort.
“Honey, we can make it down to a nicer place in just a little
bit, o.k.?” She projected back to her son in that pleasant compromising voice,
that really meant no compromise.
“No… we won’t.” Isaiah’s voice drifted off and he looked out
into the dark woods that were passing by.
“I need to at least stretch my legs and go to the bathroom.”
“Fine.”
Questions? Comments? Bribes?
