Hatter Island: Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3: The Halssons

Theo knocked on the Halssons’ front door and waited.  He looked around—a snow drift had piled up on the path just beyond the Halssons’ cabin, though it wasn’t a large amount of snow that covered the landscape.  The previous night’s storm had dropped two to three inches of snow and had left behind clear blue skies.

            

The door opened and there stood a tall man who appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties.  He smiled at Theo and said, “Hello, neighbor.”

            

“Hello, sir,” said Theo.  “I suppose you’re already aware that I’ve moved into the cabin down the hill—arrived yesterday afternoon.  My name is Theo Gruen.  I figured I should come meet you first thing this morning.”

            

“Well, very good to meet you, Theo.  My name is Peter Halsson.  Why don’t you come inside for a few minutes?”  Peter held the door open and Theo stepped through.  “We were actually just about to head down to meet you.  This is my wife, Lela.”

            

Lela Halsson had dark hair and looked to be a few years younger than Peter, and upon even an initial glance one would be able to notice how beautiful she was, in an elegant sort of way.  She was taking off and hanging up her winter jacket as she turned to acknowledge Theo.

            

“Good to meet you,” said Theo.

            

“Good to meet you, as well,” she said.  “What brings you to Hatter Island, Theo?”

            

“Um, well....”  Theo realized he didn’t have a ready answer for that question.  “I guess I’m not entirely sure, to be honest.  I suppose I’m just taking a long holiday—as far away from the bustle of society as I can get.  When I found Hatter Island, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take a few months away from it all.”

           

“I can understand that,” said Peter.  “In fact, that’s probably why Lela and I live out here most of the year.”

            

“So you do live out here permanently, then?  Mr. Klima seemed to think that you would be away right now.”

            

Both Peter and Lela looked confused.  “We pretty much live out here all year round, yes,” said Peter, “though we do take a few days or a week every two or three months to head to the mainland for supplies.  It helps us to keep in touch with humanity whenever we get the chance.  But this Mr. Klima you mention...I’m not sure I know him.”

           

“He is the man who brought me out here on his boat.  He seemed as if he knew you folks well, or at least that he was acquainted with you.”

           

“Hm, that’s strange.  But perhaps I’m just forgetting about him.”  Peter turned to his wife.  “Do you remember a Mr. Klima, Lela?”

            

“No, can’t say that I do,” said Lela with a smile.

            

Theo furrowed his brow, but let the oddity pass that the Halssons didn’t seem to know of Mr. Klima at all.  “What do you two do out here?” he asked.

           

“Not much at all!” said Lela, momentarily placing a hand on Theo’s shoulder.  “Which is why it’s nice to have a neighbor here on the island for a change.”

            

Peter laughed at his wife’s joke.  “Actually, we both work out here.  I know, it sounds crazy; what could we possibly do out here?  Surprisingly we both keep relatively busy in this remote place.  I run and maintain an emergency radio station out here, which mostly just means that I make sure the weather band transmits loud and clear to any boats within range, and I remain on hand for whenever there is a vital message that needs to be sent out, but that rarely ever happens.  I suppose you wouldn’t have been able to see it when you arrived, but there is a relatively small radio tower set up on the other side of the island.  It’s probably still obscured from the north by the trees.”

            

“And I’m a biologist,” said Lela.  “More of a botanist, really, but my main occupation is to study the local flora and fauna.  There are a surprising number of unusual variations to be found on Hatter Island.”

            

“It sounds like you keep plenty active out here,” said Theo.

            

“Very much so,” answered Lela, “though it is also still quite relaxing for us.  But what about you, Theo?”

            

“You could say I’m looking for something right now,” said Theo.  What could he really tell them about his vocation anyway?  The truth was that he was unemployed just now.  Well, that was part of the truth, at least.  “I was once going to be an English professor, but due to some unexpected circumstances I instead became the owner of a small but successful marina shop in Oregon.”  Theo felt like he was saying these words from rote memory, as if they didn’t carry any real or deep meaning.

            

Thankfully, Peter and Lela were merciful enough to not press him further.  Instead, they offered him a cup of tea and did their best to make him feel at home.  Peter showed him the setup in the radio room at the back of the cabin.  Lela mentioned a few species of evergreens he should look for as he explored the island.

            

As he left their home, Theo decided that he liked the Halssons, and that they would make good neighbors.  Walking back through the sparkling snow down the path towards his own cabin, he now just needed to figure out what do with the rest of this beautiful day.