The Journal: Crimson Skies: (The Journal Book 3) (38 page)

“A muff,” she explained. “These are easy. All
I do is lace the ends together, trim it and turn it inside out.
With the fur on the inside, the hands stay warm.” I pictured
old-fashioned Christmas scenes with women having their hands tucked
inside a muff in front of them. It swept me with a warm, nostalgic
feeling.

“Mittens are next. The children are forever
wearing them out,” Art continued.

“We are also experimenting with shoes, or
moccasins to be more precise. We’re not sure how long the leather
on moccasins will hold up,” the worker continued.

“You know, Art, you have quite a valuable
barter commodity in this leather crafting,” I said as we made our
way down to the lake.

“Perhaps someday. Right now we’re barely
keeping up with our own needs.”

~~~

Dinner that night was bear burgers, potato
salad, and blackberry wine. I ate way too much and slept well for
the first time in many days.

~~~

“I’m sorry you didn’t catch any fish
yesterday, Allexa,” Art lamented.

“It’s called fishing, not catching,” I
laughed, and that felt really good. “I do think it’s time for me to
head home. Art, Claire, this has been a wonderful, relaxing break
for me. Thank you so much.” I reached out and gave each a brief
hug.

“Before you go, we have a gift for you,”
Claire said, presenting me with what looked like a pile of
leather.

Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a
large purse or satchel, with a long, wide strap. The exterior flap
that closed and held the contents inside was held shut with a piece
of antler pushed through a loop of matching leather. The flap was
etched with designs of pine needles and pinecones. I was
awestruck.

“This is beautiful,” I whispered, admiring
the well-oiled leather. “Thank you.”

December 24

I slipped inside the church and found a seat
in the back, like I had done before with Pastor Carolyn. The place
was packed, many looking for salvation or forgiveness or both;
still others just seeking the company of others. I can’t say I
blamed them for any of it.

Father Constantine looked healthy, if not
somewhat subdued, and gave a good, non-denominational sermon on
what Christmas means to Christians. He’s going to make an excellent
spiritual leader for the community.

“Allexa,” Father Constantine said as he
greeted me in the throng of the parishioners in the narthex of the
church. “It’s really good to see you here for our Christmas Eve
service. How are you doing?” His deep brown eyes searched my face
compassionately.

“I’m doing as well as can be expected,
Father. Will I be seeing you tomorrow afternoon at my son’s
party?”

He smiled instantly. “Absolutely, and we’re
looking forward to it.” He then let go of my hand as the crowd
pushed me onward and out the door.

~~~

I had no lights, no tree, and few presents to
give my family tomorrow. I kept telling everyone I was doing fine,
but I wasn’t.

“Oh, Mark, I miss you so much!” I sobbed, and
cried myself to sleep.

December 25

With the sun coming up later in the morning
and with it usually shrouded with murky cloud cover, I didn’t
notice the dusting of snow at first. The snow gave a fresh look to
the yard and the trees, especially the evergreens. The temperatures
must have dropped during the night.

I lit the stove to take the chill off, just
as Rayn came over.

“Good morning, Allexa! Isn’t the snow
beautiful?” She glowed with happiness.

“Yes it is. Are you getting ready for the
party this afternoon?”

“I’ve never been more excited about an event
in my life! I was wondering if you had a dress I could borrow?
Dress up was not part of my duffle bag.”

I laughed along with her. “Certainly, let’s
take a look.”

At my closet we stood and stared, until I
found what I was looking for. It was a long, slim, peach colored
dress with a scooped neck. I pulled it out, and held it up to her.
The peach emphasized and complimented her exotic coloring.

“Here, try this on,” I said, leaving her in
the bedroom alone. Moments later she came out.

“The dress is lovely on you, Rayn, but the
boots have to go!” I laughed. She looked down at her feet and
laughed too. Then frowned.

“I suppose I could go barefoot,” she
grinned.

“No need. I have just the thing.” I
disappeared back to the closet and found her some beige slippers
while she changed back into her own clothes.

“Thank you so much! These will be perfect.
I’ll see you around three o’clock!” and she slipped out the door,
running home.

~~~

I made a batch of tortillas first, so they
could rest before grilling. They should be cooled for what I had in
mind as my potluck contribution.

I opened and drained two jars of canned fish,
mashing the chunks in a medium bowl. Next was a glop of mayonnaise
I had made a few days ago, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and
several dashes of liquid smoke. I stirred it until blended, and
added one onion, finely chopped. I felt a twinge of sorrow,
remembering I usually left out the onion because Kathy disliked it
so.

I divided the mixture into six portions, and
spread it evenly on the six tortillas, rolling each one tightly. I
sliced the rolls an inch thick, forming pinwheels, and placed them
on a Christmas platter. Covered with a clean sackcloth towel, they
would keep in the cold pantry until I was ready to leave.

With the generator running for my shower, I
also did the few dishes and ran a load of laundry. I drew off two
gallons of water to put through the filter and set them aside for
later.

Showered and dressed, I gazed at my
reflection in the bathroom mirror. When had I gotten so thin and
sad looking? This wouldn’t do. The party my sons were having was to
be a fun and festive occasion. I rooted around in the cupboard and
found my makeup bag. It had been over a year that I’d even thought
about using it. A touch of eyeliner, a swipe of mascara and a light
dust of blush made all the difference in the world. I was ready to
face my family and my friends.

~~~

“Hi, Mom!” Eric greeted me at the door. He
was glowing with excitement. “Let me take that dish from you.” He
set it on the table while I took my coat off and added it to the
growing pile in the anteroom off the kitchen.

It was good to see how many were already
here. Jason thrust a glass in my hand and I made my way to the
group on the other side of the room.

“You look lovely tonight, Allexa,” Colonel
Jim said, kissing my cheek.

“Thank you. Once Rayn borrowed a dress from
me, I figured it was an occasion to spruce up a bit,” I laughed,
and noticed everyone was dressed up a bit. I’m not sure Joshua
owned anything other than jeans, though the ones he had on were
clean and looked like they had been pressed, as well as his button
down shirt.

There were colored lights strung around the
ceiling and over every doorway. Those two boys of mine must have
done a great deal of searching the house and barn to have found
Nancy’s artificial tree and ornaments. The place sparkled with
festivity.

Shortly after Sgt. Sanders and Corporal
Perkins arrived, Father Constantine and the three Sisters came in.
I looked around at the crowded room. It seemed that everyone we
knew was there. What a wonderful way to spend the holiday.

Father Constantine cleared his throat. “May I
have everyone’s attention please? Not only is this Christmas day,
and we are celebrating the birth of Christ, but we are also
celebrating another event.”

Eric and Rayn were suddenly in front of me,
holding hands.

“Mom, remember what you said when you
announced that you and Dr. Mark were getting married? That you
wanted to hold onto all the happiness you could find? Well that’s
what I want, too, with Rayn. I’m going to grab onto this happiness
I’ve found with her, so I’m asking for your blessing on our
marriage.”

“Oh, Eric….” I barely got the words out. “Of
course you have my blessing!” I turned to Rayn and said, “You are
both very lucky! When is the wedding?”

Eric grinned. “Right now.”

~~~

“What a joyous occasion this is,” Father
Constantine started, as Eric and Rayn took their places in front of
him. “And I’m personally pleased to be part of it. When we first
arrived here in Moose Creek two months ago, we were all strangers.
Now, I feel we are all family, and that makes my heart sing. All
the disasters that have befallen us and brought us such sorrow have
also bonded us, and now Eric and Rayn have asked to be bonded in
marriage.”

Father Constantine talked on and my mind
drifted.

It was a simple and lovely ceremony.

JOURNAL ENTRY: March 15

It’s been an incredibly mild winter with very little
snow. Rather than having the harsh winter and cold summer that
everyone was expecting with the ash cloud still circling the Earth,
it seems as if our seasons have been balanced to a more neutral
zone, which may mean an early summer.

I pulled out all the vegetable seeds I had in
storage and piled them by types: tomatoes, root crops, squash. With
the greenhouse it is never too early to start some seedlings.

The greenhouse has produced well over the winter,
and I was able to share green and wax beans, tomatoes and kale with
my family and friends.

*

I pushed more of the fresh vegetables at
Rayn, now that she was expecting a baby. Their news was what I
needed to pull me out of the grief-induced funk I was in. The
prospect of them giving me another grandchild filled me with joy
and hope for the future.

I was about done drawing out this year’s
garden when I spotted a familiar car pull in the driveway. Jim had
arrived for our weekly game of cribbage.

“The weather sure has been good, Allexa,” he
said with a mischievous grin. “And with no snow, I bet we could
make it around that other route we found and get to the city. Want
to take a road trip?”

About the Author

Deborah Moore lives a quiet life in the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan with her cat, Tufts. She was born and raised
in Detroit, the kid of a cop, and moved to a small town to raise
her two young sons, then moved to an even smaller town to pursue
her dreams of being self-sufficient and to explore her love of
writing.

Being a life-long Prepper, Deborah has done
numerous articles for magazines, and speaking engagements at
conventions regarding the subject.

Her first published novel, The Journal:
Cracked Earth, made the Best Seller’s list in just six weeks. Book
Two of the series, Ash Fall, went to the printer eight months early
because of the unprecedented popularity and Book Three, Crimson
Skies, is proving to be even more popular. And Deborah is delighted
to announce that book #4 is right around the corner.