Chapter 10

A Return

Dr. Wright had warmed the boy up the best she could. All they could do was to wait until he started to wake up. She had felt his pulse and was satisfied that he had sufficiently warmed up to start to breath.

"Candy, he will be okay, when he wakes up I will check him again, it looks as if he has no frostbite. Although it had taken over half an hour to get back and I think he was in there for at least an hour. It is amazing that his body did not sink all the way to the bottom.

Candy was still scared; she wished that Jeremy could have been there to hold her hand and comfort her. But he was helping his brother find his other brother. Molly had come over as soon as Eliza and Biddie were comfortable with the little ones sleeping. The storm was getting bad again but this time it was not as fierce.

"Candy, Candy, I am here" Said Molly who took her hand and sat with her watching Christopher, hoping he would wake up.

"I brought his favorite book, Treasure Island. I thought we could take turns reading it to him while he slept?" Molly said. Candy had cried a bit on Molly's shoulder now she looked at her little sister and said:

"Molly, I am so tired, I am going to take a nap, if he wakes up wake me up. You go ahead and read to him!" Molly nodded and drew her chair up to his bed and sat next to him. Placing the oil lamp near her she opened the book and started on Chapter 1. She was about three paragraphs in at:

" "Fifteen men on the dead man's chest- Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!""

"Molly, Molly, I read that already!" Christopher said as he opened his eyes and looked at her. She turned around to wake up Candy and when Candy woke up she was overjoyed to see her brother awake and complaining about the story:
"Like I said Molly, I have read that one already, I'm in chapter 3!"

Molly and Candy were laughing so hard that they woke up dr. Wright and Christopher looked at his sisters and just shook his head.

"Christopher, I want to look in your eyes." She held a candle and looked at his eyes, when she was done he rubbed his eyes and said to Candy:

"Jason said he will be okay; he is near the caves at a trappers cabin on the mountain!" Candy looked at her brother with a question in her eyes.

"I saw Jason while I was away. He said he is okay, send Swede and Corky up to the trappers cabin on the mountain! He said that Joshua and Jeremy are going to need help, it is snowing hard up there and they need to, to,…I am sorry, I forgot the rest, but they need help up there!" Christopher said

"Dr. Wright, I am tired can I go back to sleep now!" Dr. Wright smiled and said yes. He lay down again and went to sleep almost immediately. Dr. Wright stood there and looked at Candy and Molly and said;

"Don't you think you need to go find the men to get up to the cabin?" Candy looked at the doctor and at Molly and then she decided to head over to Lottie's and see if she could get help finding the men. It had stopped snowing there in Seattle, now it was just a cold drizzle. She made it to the Saloon, When she saw Aaron and his sister and then she saw Corky and Swede and his wife Essie. Lottie was about to serve some sandwiches when she saw Candy and asked her how Christopher was doing.

"Oh, Lottie, he woke up! He said he saw Jason; he said…" she stopped and then got everyone's attention and said:

"Christopher said that Jeremy, Joshua and Jason are at an old trappers cabin up on the mountain. He said that Jason said you would know where to go!"

"But Candy, how do you know that? How did Christopher know that?" Aaron Stemple asked. Candy looked at Aaron and then she said:

"Because Christopher doesn't lie about something like this! If he believes he saw Jason, then he saw Jason! So, get going and get them home please!" candy finished.

Chapter 11

The Escape

When the Winter queen said the last two words they both disappeared at the same time. Neither of them knew or understood what had happened, but they found themselves on a mountain top close to the camp. Jason looked and said they would go to the camp first. As they were walking to the camp, Jason said to Christopher:

"If you get back before me, let Swede and Aaron know that I am okay, I am in an old, abandoned trappers cabin above the camp. Can you remember that?" Christopher looked at Jason and asked:

"What makes you think you will not get home before I do? I still have to walk down to Seattle and then go to the doctor's office!" Christopher said, not realizing what he had said.

Jason smiled at him and said;

"You will get there first; do you know why?" Christopher shook his head no and Jason said:

"It is because you are younger than I am and you only got really cold. I not only got really cold but I stopped breathing!" Christopher looked at Jason and said:

"Ohhhhh!" Jason smiled at Christopher and suddenly he got a queasy feeling.

"Chris, I think it is time, I want you to go straight down the usual path, do not look back not even in case you hear something, ugh!" Jason said as a queasy feeling hit his stomach. Christopher was a little scared and gave him a hug and asked if he was okay.

"I am fine, but you need to get going. I will see you soon!" Jason said. Christopher started to run down the path toward Seattle, he was mostly down the mountain when he heard the explosion, he remembered hearing it a week ago. 'was it a week ago?" he asked himself. But he kept on going, he made it to Seattle and then to the doctors clinic. He saw his Candy sitting on the bench in his room. Molly had pulled a chair up and was reading the first chapter of Treasure Island. He looked at Molly and shook his head, didn't she know he had turned the page corner where he had stopped, He was going to have to tell her that she was reading what he already had read.

Jason was getting a queasy feeling again. He looked up towards the dynamite shack and saw two men who had just entered the dynamite shack. In spite of his queasy feeling he watched and waited. Suddenly he saw one of the men coming out of the shack. He knew an explosion was going to happen, but the man that came out first was not Rick Lincoln. It was Steve Rollins. He saw that Steve had a stick of dynamite in his hand. Rick came out just at that moment, at the same time Steve tossed the dynamite in the shack, he then ran for cover, Rick had not seen the dynamite. And was blown up with the shack. Jason left and went up higher to the cabin that he had told Christopher he would be at.

"Jeremy, do you have any of that rabbit stew you made? I am getting a little hungry?" Jason said quietly while he was laying on the bed they had made for him. All three looked over and saw Jason sitting up. Jeremy, Joshua and Holly all ran over to him. Holly stood by first to let the brothers get their hugs. Then she came over and made him eat a little of the broth from the stew and she said:

"Well, I am sure glad you are feeling a lot better!" Jason looked at her and asked:
"I am glad I am better as well, what brought you over this way, I thought you were with your niece and nephews?"
"I was, then I had a feeling about coming out this way to make a visit with my favorite family. When I got here, I heard that you had disappeared! So, I came looking for you!" she said as she wiped his mouth from the drips from the stew.

"Did you lead me out of the cave?"

"What cave? I don't know what you are talking about?" She said to him. He looked at her and then said:

"There was a woman in buckskins that lead me out of the cave and up to the top of the mountain. She disappeared and then I woke up in a place, …I can't seem to remember it now. But I spent a lot of time there. I think I was healing?" Jason said. Holly said:
"Well, when one is almost freezing to death, sometimes they can have delusions. Your brothers found you just in time!"
"I think we did; we wrapped you in our blankets, you know the ones that mama made for each of us?" Joshua said

"It was a funny thing. We left to go find you and we thought of taking those blankets along all three of them. They were the clan blankets." Jeremy said as he picked up each blanket. Jason took his blanket and held it close to himself. He did not say anything but both Josh and Jeremy understood, sometimes when no one was looking they would take their blankets and hold them and smell them as if they still had the same smell as they remembered in childhood.

"The snowstorm looks like it is almost finished, we can get down from the mountain soon." Joshua said as he took a cup of water to drink. There was a knock on the door. An old woman stood at the door and asked if she could come in to sit awhile. All three and Holly said yes. They offered her some stew and a hot cup of coffee. She took it gratefully. Jason recognized her and though he could not stand he said to her:
"Thank you for helping us. We are grateful!" He took his cup and lifted it to her. Joshua, Jeremy and Holly did the same thing as well. She was happy that things turned out so well, she did say one more thing:

"Jason, you and your brothers and this lady need to start from this cabin at once. There is still danger for all of you here!" She walked out of the door. When they stopped looking at each other, they looked out of the door and did not see her. Jeremy looked out the back and said:

"I think she is right. The mountain above us looks like any kind of movement or noise can start an avalanche! Jus as Jeremy finished a loud roar came down from the mountain.

Chapter 12

Homecoming

Down in Seattle, they heard some rumbling. Jason and Swede and a couple of other men had started up to the mountain. Swede remembered where the old trapper's cabin was. They reached the camp and knew that if they did not get to the cabin in time all three brothers would be buried and they would not be able to rescue them.

"Mr. Stemple, you go with Harve around to the right of the cabin, if that mountain comes down, you have a better chance at getting to them before we will!" Swede said

Aaron nodded and he and Harve set out to get to the other side of the cabin. Swede and Steve Rollins and Corky approached the cabin from the front. They were almost to the front of the cabin when Steve Rollins took out a pistol and said to them:

"You can stop right here!" Steve said,

"What do you mean by this?" Corky said Steve pointed his gun at the men and he said;

"Well, I hope I don't have to kill all of you but I plan to start the avalanche soon and I want you to be out of the way."
"What are you talking about? Do you mean to kill the Bolts?" Swede asked

"Why yes I do, I also mean to kill anyone who gets in my way!" Steve said and then he said;

"Now, I want all of you to turn your horses around and leave, Once I fire the gun, the avalanche starts!" Steve said as he raised the gun to shoot it towards the cabin.

Jeremy came out first, holding the cot that Jason was on, Joshua was at the other end. Holly had followed them, she saw the men on the horses first and said:
"Well, well, a welcoming committee!" She smiled after she said that but Steve pointed the gun straight at her. Joshua saw that and let go of the cot and pushed Holly on to the ground. The pistol went off and as promised the avalanche started. Steve Rollins was angry that the Bolts weren't dead yet and ran his horse straight over to Jason to shoot him. Jeremy grabbed Steve and pulled him down from his horse. After a few punches, Joshua came and helped. Jason was not able to do anything since his legs were still a bit frosty. Aaron and Harve came and got a hold of Steve Rollins, put him on one of their extra horses.

"Quickly Jeremy, Joshua, Holly get on a horse! I will get Jason!" Aaron said to them. The avalanche was rolling quickly down the slope. The cabin was right in the way of the avalanche. They scurried to jump Swede picked up Holly, Jeremy got on with Corky, Joshua got on with Harve. Steve was picked up by a woman with long hair flying. He screamed once he was on that horse. In fact, they seemed to disappear! Aaron had Jason on his horse. They rode quickly sideways so that they could get to the end of the avalanche, it was only about a mile wide and they were on the shorter side. The climbed a hill and then turned to look at the avalanche. The cabin had been destroyed once the avalanche hit it.

"Was that a Banshee that took Steve?" Jeremy asked as they rode quietly through the camp and back down to Seattle. Without looking, Jason said:

"Yes!" then he suddenly slumped behind Aaron. Aaron stopped to reposition Jason, Joshua was nearby and helped to tie Jason to Aaron to keep him from falling off as they rode back down to Seattle.

They got down to Seattle and went straight to the clinic. They carried Jason into the clinic and placed him on the bed in the first room. Dr. Wright came in and saw Jason, she smiled, she was so happy he was back.

"We will let him sleep. He needs to get his strength back. He will be okay!" she said she checked out Jeremy and Joshua and then Holly who said she was fine. She told Jeremy and Joshua that Eliza and Candy were all together with the children at Jeremy's home. Joshua said he wanted to see Eliza before he went home and so they went over to Jeremy's house. Jeremy thought that it was unusual that the door was locked. He knocked on the door. Christopher answered the door, and when he saw who it was he shut the door and ran to tell Candy and Eliza.

"Well, didn't you let them come in?" Eliza asked Christopher. Christopher looked at her sheepishly and said:

"OOPs, I shut the door on them!" Just then Jeremy and Joshua walked in through the door.

"Molly let us in!" Joshua said. They all laughed at that and Candy and Jeremy hugged each other promising never to let each other go. Eliza was a little more discreet, she kissed Joshua and said:
"We are going home, Carla, Peter, Ann, it is time to leave!" All three children helped each other get ready and they were dressed and ready in no time.

"We will come and get the rest of the children's things tomorrow or maybe the next day!" Eliza said.

"That is okay, whenever you are ready. Go home now and be thankful that they are home and safe!" Candy said goodbye to the children.

Walking home Eliza finally stopped, looked at her husband, blonde hair, blue eyes and smiled, she said to him:

"I have missed you so much! I am so glad you are home now!" He took her in his arms and said:

"I love you and I have missed you as well." Then he held her close and kissed her, smiling as he kissed her again. The children stood there, when Carla said:

Mom, dad, it's cold out here and well, I'm not complaining but the little ones are getting colder!" She tapped on her dads pant leg and he stopped for a moment looked down, saw three small children looking at them. He turned back to Eliza and they both smiled and went home.