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.

Hatter Island: Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: Unpacking

Theo stared at the pile of boxes stuffed into the single room of his log cabin.  They were filled with the abundance of supplies he had brought along to help him survive the winter.  Mr. Klima had helped him carry the boxes up to the cabin before hurrying off for the mainland, hoping to avoid becoming caught out on the water when the worst of the weather hit.  So Theo was left to himself with a room full of boxes.  They would take some time to organize, so he began elsewhere.

He opened his large black duffle bag and sorted through it.  Clothes were the main items inside.  He wasn’t one to worry too much about organization in most cases, but he figured it might be useful to have some semblance of civilization out in the solitude of a remote Alaskan island.  So he removed from the bag ten shirts, six pairs of pants, seven pairs of underwear, two pairs of long underwear and sixteen pairs of socks (he had been mistaken when he told Mr. Klima that he had packed fifteen pairs of socks).

            

He took one of the shirts, the one nice, almost formal, shirt that he had packed, and hung it up in the small closet in the corner of the cabin with a hanger he had brought along.  When he had packed, he had questioned why he had thrown in this one nice shirt at all, seeing as he was headed to an obscure island off the coast of Alaska with nobody around to impress.  Now, however, with the Halssons just down the path, it turned out to be quite a useful decision.  Of course, he had no intention of going out of his way to impress these people, but if the need did arise for him to wear some nicer clothing in their presence, then he could simply go to his closet and find what he needed.  He also hung up another shirt in the closet, a red-and-yellow-plaid flannel shirt, not because it was a nice shirt that needed to be hung up in a closet, but because he had brought along a second hanger, and so with plenty of room in the closet, he figured he ought to use everything at his disposal; he deemed that this flannel shirt was the second-nicest he had packed.  The rest of his clothes he organized into the two-drawer dresser next to the closet.

            

Having unpacked his clothes, he removed the rest of the items packed in the duffle bag and placed them on top of the dresser.  These items included a comb, a bottle of aspirin, a bottle of shampoo, five bars of soap, a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, a pair of nail clippers, a wristwatch a pair of heavy gloves for warmth, a pair of work gloves for decent weather, a black stocking hat and a blue cotton scarf.

            

He moved on to the smaller of his two bags, the one designated for books and related things.  He took out the books he had packed and placed them on the cabin’s wooden table one at a time.  It had been obvious from the initial assessment of this trip that books would be the primary form of entertainment during his stay on the island.  He had a university degree in English after all, he had figured, so they were just a comfortable way of life for him.  He had packed as many tomes as seemed reasonable.  The books included Moby Dick by Melville, The Idiot by Dostoyevsky, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Twain, Don Quixote by Cervantes and The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner, as well as Elantris by Brandon Sanderson for something modern, Figured Dark by Greg Rappleye for a bit of recent poetry, Essays and Poems by Ralph Waldo Emerson if he needed some philosophy, The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene in case he wanted some science, and a copy of the Bible to keep perspective.  The Idiot and Elantris were the only two books Theo had yet to read, but he often liked to revisit his favorite books whenever he had the opportunity.

           

Along with these books, he also brought three large-sized Moleskine notebooks and a handful of pens and pencils (and a pencil sharpener) in case he got a sudden itch to do a lot of writing or note taking.  He had never been a very good writer, at least not compared with some of the authors he admired most, but he nonetheless liked writing from time to time, especially when it was in the form of expanding on his thoughts about something he had studied.  He had also brought an mp3 player and headphones, accompanied by a large package of AAA-batteries—the only pieces of electronic entertainment he had allowed himself.  Listening to music helped him to concentrate sometimes while he studied.  Still, he left the mp3 player in the bag for the time being.

           

Before he at last went about the task of emptying and organizing his boxes of supplies, he found the one crate that contained matches and several butane lighters, and started a fire going in the cast iron stove using logs and kindling from the pile of dry wood that was left inside by those who had prepared the cabin for his arrival.  Outside was also a massive pile of wood, already chopped, under a large blue tarp.  By anyone’s estimation, it would be more than enough fuel to keep him warm for the winter.

            

So with the fire going, he removed his jacket and finally began sorting through his supplies.  In the box with the matches and the lighters, there also came six battery-powered lamps with enough 6-volt lantern batteries to last all winter, as well as two flashlights with a plentiful supply of D-batteries.  For some reason, the ten boxes of tea he brought along were also packed into this container.

           

From there, the boxes contained primarily foods and beverages, though there were the other essential supplies that Theo was glad to find that he had not overlooked, including towels and washcloths, bed sheets and blankets, a heavy sleeping bag that claimed it kept a person warm in temperatures as low as negative twenty degrees Fahrenheit (in case of a particularly cold night), two fluffy pillows, a small set of tools, duct tape and a full supply of toilet paper.  When he had first approached the house, he had not only noticed the huge pile of wood behind the cabin, but the outhouse as well.  At least he wouldn’t have to dig a hole in the ground for his business.  He hadn’t brought along a spade anyway.

            

One crate, packed on the inside with bags of ice, contained as many fresh fruits, vegetables and meat that had been able to be stuffed into it.  It wouldn’t be possible to use fresh foods for the whole winter, even if he limited himself, but he figured it would be nice to have a good variety of food for at least part of the time.  In this box, there was lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, milk, cheese, eggs, apples, oranges, bread, bacon and steak.  He would be able to store these things outside in the ice chest he had brought.

            

In the department of canned and longer lasting consumables, the many boxes held beans, soups, cream corn, peaches, pears, applesauce, three varieties of potatoes, green beans, sauces, sardines, tuna, noodles, gravy packets, potato chips, corn chips, four bottles of wine, a bottle of whiskey, and a full assortment of dry herbs and spices.  He would not be going hungry.  All of this was made useful and convenient as well with a full complement of pots, pans, plates, bowls, spoons, forks, knives, a spatula and a couple of can openers.

            

There were also jugs with twenty gallons of water.  Theo planned to make use of any and all rain and snow he could collect to fill his water needs, which should provide no problem considering the rather wet climate of southern Alaska, but he had also decided it was wise to bring along plenty of extra water in case he ever ended up with a shortage.

            

At last, with everything at least somewhat organized, placed into cupboards as much as possible, and with a good fire in the stove and his bed made, Theo looked out the window at the quickly approaching dark and the snow that had begun to fall.  He eyed the rough path that supposedly led west to the home of the Halssons.  He was eager to meet them and introduce himself, but it was getting late and it seemed like a better idea to wait till first thing in the morning to show up at their front door.

            
So he settled down on his bed at the end of this long day, thinking of the months to come in this place, and soon began drifting towards sleep.

New winter story on Chronicles of Nowhere

Continuing with the new winter project, there is a new winter story posted over on chroniclesofnowhere.com.  The story is entitled, "Waters Meets Elizabeth Kate".  Along with that, Hatter Island chapter 2 & 3 will be posted here on this blog very soon!

Hatter Island: Chapter 1

Foreword: So seeing as how we are in the midst of summer, I figured it would be appropriate to share a few stories about winter.  I hope to be sharing these stories, or in the case here, parts of these stories on a regular basis, with a new update to the continuing series at least once a week.  These stories will be shared either on here or over on chroniclesofnowhere.com.  So be sure to check every day or two for new updates.

To begin the adventures, below I present to you the first chapter of a story called Hatter Island.  Please let me know what you think, and whether you like the length of this first section or would like to read it in slightly longer sections.  I hope you enjoy!

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CHAPTER 1: Disembarking

Theodore Gruen watched the waves compress and decompress as he sat on the white seat in the back of the cabin of Mr. Klima’s small boat.  A light rain splashed against the cabin’s windows, falling down from the gray Alaskan sky.  Theo held onto the smaller of his two bags, glad to be sealed away from the elements, and thankful that Mr. Klima’s boat had a heater.

            

Mr. Klima coughed.  “Well, Theo, you picked the last good day to head out to Hatter Island.  The forecast says this rain is going to turn to snow tonight.”

            

“Then I’m glad you talked me into leaving sooner rather than later.”  Theo didn’t know Mr. Klima very well—or at all, really.  They had met earlier that day, when the seasoned boat captain agreed to take him out to Hatter Island, where Theo was renting a small log house for the winter.  However, he found Mr. Klima to be quite pleasant, a man of honesty and integrity.  Theo wasn’t sure why he found this comforting.  Perhaps it was the weather, or perhaps it was the fact that he intended to spend the winter alone in a small cabin on a remote island off the coast of southern Alaska.  One last view of a confident attitude felt like encouragement enough to make it through the cold months ahead.

            

“We should be arriving in just a few minutes,” said Mr. Klima.  He glanced at Theo.  “I hope you brought warmer clothes than what you’re wearing.  This is surprisingly cold weather for October, and it’s only going to get colder.”

            

Theo gestured to his large duffel bag on the floor of the boat.  “I packed 15 pairs of socks.  Do you think it will be enough?”

            

“Oh, it’ll probably do,” mused Mr. Klima.

            

When they approached Hatter Island, Theo stood up and walked over to the windows towards the front of the boat.  Through the mist, he observed the landscape.  It was a relatively small island.  East to west, it ran about a mile long, if he remembered correctly on the information he had been given, and it was about half a mile in width.  Little more than a large mound rising out of the water, it had a couple of sandy beaches, but for the most part, trees, brush and rock covered the majority of the area.

            

Coming from the north, a small dock came into sight.  Another boat was tied up at the dock and covered by a large tarp.  This boat wasn’t as big as Mr. Klima’s, probably used mostly for leisurely days of fishing or similar relaxing activities, but it looked like it could also be used easily enough for transportation as well.

            

“Whose boat is that?” asked Theo.

            

“I’m not sure,” said Mr. Klima.  “You know what though, it must belong to the Halssons.  For some reason, I thought they were back on the mainland.”

            

“The Halssons?”

            

“Peter and Lela.  They live out here most of the year, but of course they need to head over to civilization for a few days or a week every now and then to stock up on supplies.  You’ll like them.”

            

Nothing in the information that Theo had been given said anything about other people staying on the island.  He had assumed that other people did stay on Hatter Island from time to time, seeing as how there were a few cabins built on it, but he had not considered how complete his solitude would be this winter.  At least the island wasn’t packed with people.  There would be plenty of quiet hours to himself, which is what he desired more than anything from this expedition.  Still, he thought, I suppose it will be nice knowing that there are others around when needed.

            

Mr. Klima skillfully brought his boat up alongside the dock, opposite the Halssons’ craft.  Theo zipped up his jacket and stepped out onto the wooden planks.  Ignoring the icy raindrops, he looked around.

            

His cabin stood easily visible from the dock, about fifty yards inland along a rough path, and just at the base of the main rise of the hill that made up a large portion of the island.  This was perfect—exactly what he wanted, and just what they had promised when he gave them the money to rent the place.

            

He turned to Mr. Klima, who stood with his head poking out of the doorway of the boat’s cabin.  “Where do the Halssons live?”

            

“You see how the path sort of winds up along the contour of the hill,” said Mr. Klima, pointing, “and then it goes around that bend near the crest?  Well, their place is just around that bend, if I remember correctly.”

            

Theo saw what Mr. Klima described.  The path ran slowly westward up the hill, until it came to a dip where the land began to head back down, and the path curved and was lost behind the trees.  Theo nodded.

            

“You should make sure to go visit them once you get settled in,” said Mr. Klima.  “I’m sure they’ll want to know they have a new neighbor on the island.  Besides, like I said, you’ll like them.”

            

“I look forward to meeting them,”

            

“Good,” said Mr. Klima, stepping down.  “Shall we unload your supplies and bring everything up to your new home, then?”

            

“Yes,” said Theo.  “We shall.”  He pulled up the hood of his jacket and rubbed his hands together.  He was already eager to shut himself inside, away from the cold and the damp, with a nice fire glowing in the stove and a good book to read.