Chapter 14 - The Ridge Trail
The beam of the heavy flashlight cut through the dark woods like a light saber through smoke. The air smelled of wet pine needles, cold earth, and distant ozone.
Leo walked with long, measured strides, Copper trotting steadily at his knee. Clara followed close behind, pointing the way along the faint, rocky path that wound up the spine of the hill.
""My dad would've drowned trying to get me out,"" Clara said, her voice competing with the wind rustling through the oaks. ""If your dog hadn't stopped at that culvert...""
""Copper knew before I did,"" Leo replied, looking down at the golden dog. Copper glanced up, his eyes catching the flashlight beam with an amber flash, then returned to scanning the darkness ahead.
They crested the ridge after twenty minutes of hard climbing. Below them, the valley was a sea of blackness, the entire town drowned in the blackout. Only a few scattered emergency vehicle beacons flashed faintly red and blue miles away near the highway.
At the end of the clearing stood a small, sturdy cabin with smoke curling from a stone chimney. A warm lantern hung from the porch hook.
Before Leo could knock, the wooden door opened. An elderly woman with silver hair pulled back in a braid looked out, holding a kerosene lantern.
""Clara Miller?"" the woman said, squinting into the gloom. ""I heard the sirens down in the hollow. What on earth are you doing up here in this weather?""
""Mrs. Gable,"" Clara stepped onto the porch. ""We need your help. We have three newborns that won't make it to sunrise without goat's milk.""
May you like
The woman looked from Clara to Leo, and then down at the drenched golden dog standing proudly on the steps. She stepped aside, opening the door wide.
""Get inside out of the wind,"" Mrs. Gable said briskly. ""I've got a fresh jar in the cold box. But hurry—the ridge creek just broke its banks behind my barn.""
