Page 12 of Hollow Valley

The safety and the comfort of the Lakehouse was too much, and I fell asleep the moment I lay back on the couch.My dreams were filled with gossamer memories of Max, brightly colored but ephemeral if I tried to hang on.

Abruptly, they were interrupted by Boden stating, “Who’s there?”

I sat up, disoriented in a dark living room that felt so familiar and so foreign.Boden was on the floor beside me on high alert, and I could make out the silhouette of someone tall and lanky standing near my feet.

“Sorry, it’s only me, Cole!”the silhouette answered nervously.There was a clatter of something on the end table, and a moment later, a small lantern began to glow, illuminating the living room.

“Do you need something?”Boden asked, and he had only relaxed a little since Cole had announced himself.

For his part, Cole was alone, unarmed, and looked especially sinewy in an oversized t-shirt and flannel pajama pants.

“Can I ask you guys a question?”he asked.

“Um, sure, go ahead,” Boden replied uncertainly.

“Are there doctors or medicine or whatever where you come from?”Cole inquired.“I mean, you said there were all kinds of people on the boat and you’ve got friends who are rebuilding New Emberwood.So is there anyone there that helps sick people?”

“Yeah, there’s a few people with different skillsets,” I said.“On the boat, Mika Dumont is a nurse, Joseph Worrell was a farm veterinarian but he treats people now too, and Edie is a midwife.”

“Oh, cool,” Cole said, but he looked more confused and uncertain.“Wh-what is a midwife?”

“Someone who helps women have babies,” I simplified.

“Oh.”A smile quirked nervously on his lips.“I don’t think that I need that one.”

“But you think you need a doctor or medicine?”Boden clarified.

“Yeah, yeah.”He nodded.“I haven’t been feeling right for a while.I’m tired and weak a lot, and I can’t seem to gain weight no matter what I do.I eat as much as I can, as much as we can spare, but as you can see…” He motioned to himself with his bony arms.“…it isn’t sticking to me.

“And, honestly, we’ve been trying everything we can think of,” he went on.“Bianka gave me herbal remedies, and Murphy gave me these antibiotics and old Benadryl she found when she raided an abandoned school.”

“Other than some First Aid, I don’t have any medical training, and neither of us have any meds with us,” Boden explained.

“No, no, I know that,” Cole said, then quickly amended, “I mean, I guess, I assumed.I wanted to know if, uh, if I could go with you.To your boat.”

“Well, we’re planning to leave in the morning,” Boden replied carefully.

“Yeah, I know.”Cole nodded agreeably.“And I know I said I’m tired a lot, but I can walk.I can push through it for a while.I won’t slow you down, and I’m not too much trouble.”

I looked to Boden, waiting for him to respond.Taking on another stranger was always unpredictable, but the people in this house had shown us hospitality.We didn’t have a good reason to say no, especially to a teenager who did seem to be struggling.

“Yeah, of course,” Boden said finally.“As long as you’re ready to go tomorrow, you can head out with us.”

9

Stella

Over breakfast of warm oats with jam, the amount of people tagging along with Boden and I ballooned from one to five.

Cole was actually the last one up that morning, and I was wondering if maybe he’d changed his mind about leaving.Boden and I were sitting around the dining table with the others, and the conversation involved light banter about fishing in Tremblay Lake.

And then Cole came in, carrying an overstuffed duffle bag and backpack, and he announced, “I’m leaving with Stella and Boden.I’m going to the Barbarabelle to see if I can get medical treatment.”

“What?You’re just leaving?”Leandro asked.

“But we have everything here!”Murphy protested.

Bianka slammed her spoon on the table and demanded, “Were you even going to say goodbye?”