Chapter 44—The Swan Queen

The two moms chatted as if their kids were at the movies instead of missing somewhere on the mountain. For two hours they sipped coffee and paced. Adele washed the countertops for the third time. It was after 10:00 p.m., and there was still no news from the search party. They knew that discussing worst possible scenarios was a waste of time. So they swapped stories about their families, and Laurita regaled Adele with humorous anecdotes from the emergency room. She was careful to stay away from depressing tales.

Adele's phone interrupted the tale of a man who had run into the emergency room in his boxer shorts. Adele fumbled with her phone and then put it to her ear. "Yes?" Her voice shook.

"Adele, this is Joe. We're back at the base now with James."

Adele's heart thumped and Laurita motioned to put the phone on speaker.

"We have Nikki." Joe's voice was clear. "And Jake, and they're fine, but Christina and Devin are missing."

"What?"

"Hold on," Joe said. "I'll explain when we get back. We're on our way now. But Devin's hurt. We don't believe it's serious, but he injured his leg in one of the tunnels. Christina's fine. She stayed with him. Nikki and Jake ran back for help, but they lost the trail and got disoriented. That's what's taken so long. To make a long story short, we have Nikki and Jake, but had to abort the search because of the dark. We believe Devin and Christina hiked to a cave for safety. I feel confident they're fine and we'll be able to locate them tomorrow." There was silence.

"Adele? Are you there?"

"We're here, Joe," Adele said, grabbing Laurita's hand. "We're trying to absorb the news."

"I know, it's a lot to take in, but it could be worse." A lot worse, Joe thought, though he wanted to stay positive. "We'll tell you more when we get back. Jake and Nikki will fill you in, but those kids are tired. They're asleep in the jeep now. I think they should get to bed as soon as possible. We'll all be up early to start fresh."

"Okay, Joe. We'll hang on till you get here. We won't keep them up."

"That's what you think," said a deep voice from the far side of the kitchen. "I want to know what's going on with those kids."

"Joe...Nikki's dad just got home and wants an update. We'll see you soon and thanks so much." Adele clicked off and set the phone down, her face as pale as a ghost's.

"What were they thinking going into that dangerous, old mine?" Nikki's dad asked, walking on into the kitchen.

* * *

Christina crept back into the cave after fitting the final piece of brush over the opening. She made her way to Devin, who was asleep. His light, rhythmic breathing was reassuring. As Devin had requested, she had covered the cave opening as best she could, which was actually quite effective. No animal would make it through easily. And she would have the sharp tip of the ski pole at the ready if any creature tried.

Christina didn't want to disturb Devin's sleep, but she needed to clean his injuries and replace the dressings that had gotten soaked during the hike to the cave. Then she would rest but not sleep.

When she was satisfied with her nursing, Christina put away the emergency kit, grabbed the ski pole, and sat down next to Devin. She laid her head on her bunched-up fleece and prepared to wait until dawn. As she settled in, her arms touched Devin's but she didn't move away. His warmth and the slight heat from the crystals helped to keep the cold at bay.

Somewhat comfortable, Christina knew her only task now was to keep her mind busy while the long night hours passed, so she closed her eyes to prompt her imagination. Something touched her hand and she looked down. Devin had placed his hand on hers. She smiled, closed her eyes again, and drifted off into the story she had danced many times—Swan Lake.

Christina pictures Odette, a beautiful young maiden. One day, Odette walks alone into the forest and is captured by an evil knight who turns her into a white swan. He curses her to be a swan by day and a maiden by night. That same night a handsome prince travels into the forest because his mother, the queen, has ordered this to be his last night of freedom. The next day he must choose a bride. No maiden has yet caught his eye. Wandering under the starry, moonlit night sky, the prince spies a beautiful maiden, Odette, bent over while drinking from a stream. He falls in love and they dance the night away. But Odette, still under the curse, turns into a swan as day breaks. Then things become horribly complicated and the story ends sadly.

Christina doesn't think about the sad ending. She imagines herself as the white swan and Devin as the prince. He finds her in the forest and releases her from the spell invoked by the evil knight. The sweet love between them is what turns the graceful swan back into a maiden, and the dazzling prince and lovely maid greet the rising sun together.

Then, right before the story ends with "for many happy years," Christina falls asleep.