Day 13

Chapter 19

“Let’s just drive over to Skeleton Cave and see what we can see,” said Bonanza as they left the parking area for Torture Rock.
If they had walked, it would have been about a half mile, but the road wound back down to the marshes, and around the base of another small hill before finally climbing back to the parking area. The road isn’t too bad, but the sun had started to set and by the time they reached the cave, dusk had fallen.
They walked to the entrance of the cave. Skeleton Cave, a lava tube, as are all the caves in the refuge, starts with a series of sink-holes. The first sink-hole up the trail is a very tricky crawl through much breakdown, that exits at the next sink-hole in line. If you find yourself in here, your only recourse is to climb the near vertical walls, or twist your way back through to the first sink-hole.
The third time is the charm. The main trail, which winds its way through some of the most remote parts of the refuge and eventually connects up with the trail system around the Big Mountain, is on the opposite side of the sink-hole from the entrance trail. If you are walking in the dark, as it were, you might easily miss the cutoff for this entrance trail: a small cairn marks the way.
“I don’t know about this,” said Mandy. She held on to Hugo’s hand again.
The clouds covered the moon and stars and the way was very dark. The first part of the trail to the cave is lined with pieces of basalt, and so they found their way easily enough. Then the trail led them through the juniper. At [washout cuts] they had to stop and make sure that they traveled in the right direction. Twice, Bonanza led them off the trail and into stands of juniper before they realized that they had gone wrong. The temperature dropped some more. Hugo wished that he had brought a warmer coat. He berated himself once again for his lack of foresight.
Finally they arrived at the first sink-hole. To their right it opened, darker blackness against the dark ground and sky.
It had been years since Hugo had been here. He knew that you had to know what you were doing in order not to waste a lot of time, but he could not remember what it was. The air grew still and the animals didn’t speak. Hugo kicked a rock over the edge of the pit and listened for it to hit. The sink-hole isn’t very deep, he remembered. What are we doing out here, he thought.
“I think that we ought to go up the trail a little farther,” Dr. Bonanza said.
“Why? I don’t see why,” said Mandy. She had a hard time controlling the fear in her voice.
“It’s okay,” Hugo said to her, squeezing her hand. It seemed so easy to be calm if you are not the one who is most afraid.
Bonanza led them on.
They came to the second sink-hole. Again it lay to their right. Hugo kicked another rock in. They heard rustling in the hole. They all stood motionless, straining to make out what might be down there. A rock clattered of its own accord.
Hugo realized that he had been holding his breath. Just as he let it out came the hoot of an owl in a tree just behind them. All three jumped, Bonanza landed on Hugo’s foot. Hugo pulled it away, tripping Dr. Bonanza. He went down with a thump.
“Oh Jesus,” Mandy said.
“Bonanza,” Hugo almost shouted.
Dr. Bonanza didn’t answer. They waited. Hugo inched forward searching for Bonanza as much with his feet as with his eyes.
“Bonanza,” he called again.
“Dr. Bonanza,” Mandy whispered.
“I’m all right,” Bonanza growled. “When you tripped me, I stepped in this [washout cut] and fell off the trail. Luckily my aim is good and I only landed in the bushes, not down in that goddamn pit.”
“Are you hurt?” asked Mandy, bending down to help Bonanza up.
“I’m fine, I said.” He shook her off and pulled himself upright.
Again, they heard a noise from the pit. Again they froze.
“Something’s down there,” whispered Hugo.
They strained their ears and eyes, but could make out nothing in the darkness.
“It’s nothing,” said Bonanza. “Probably just that goddamn owl.”
All the night animals went silent around them. Hugo could hear his heart beating. Mandy held his hand so tightly that it began to hurt. This brought him back. “Let’s get out of here,” he said.
“Be careful,” Mandy whispered.
Hugo led them out as quickly as he could, making sure as they neared the first sink-hole, not to lead them into it. As they passed it, the night animals resumed their conversations. As they reached the pick-up, Hugo felt that the air temperature had warmed at least ten degrees. He peeled off his jacket as he got in the truck next to Mandy. She handed him a beer, and one to Dr. Bonanza as well. Bonanza put the beer between his legs and steered them back down the entrance road, not bothering to open it until they had driven more than half a mile.
“There was something in that pit,” Hugo said as they passed the road up to Torture Rock.
“Don’t be an idiot,” said Bonanza. “It weren’t nothing but the night animals crawling around. Some weasel was huntin’ kangaroo rats. That’s all it was.” His words didn’t convince any of them.
“Something was down there,” Mandy said. “It got so cold, and the night animals were silent while it moved. And it wasn’t because of us that they were silent. Didn’t you hear when we reached the first sink-hole, they started making noise again.” She shivered and took a drink of beer.
Hugo didn’t know what to think. He had definitely felt that something had been wrong about the whole thing. Why had Bonanza wanted to take them out there in the dark without any lights. Hugo glanced at him in the eerie orange glow from the dash-lights. Dr. Bonanza stared out the windshield watching the road, but with a distant look in his eyes. His nose seemed more hawk-like in the dark, and his eyes took on the orange glow. Now Hugo shivered and took a drink of beer. Snap out of it, he thought. He turned his eyes to the road.
An animal darted into the head lights. It looked at them, green eyes glowing, then bounded off the road. It had been about a hundred yards away.
“What was that?” Hugo asked.
“What was what?” asked Bonanza.
“Didn’t you see it? Some animal. Right in the road up ahead.” Hugo pointed. They neared the spot where the animal had been. Hugo turned to the left and looked out the driver’s side window. Mandy and Bonanza turned to look also. They could see only darkness.
“I don’t think that it was a deer,” said Hugo. “Did you see it?” he asked Mandy.
“I didn’t see it,” she said.
“I don’t know what it was,” said Hugo, his voice rising. “It might have been a deer, but it looked more like a cougar. Or a cougar crossed with a deer.” He started to breath faster.
“Hey, hey,” said Mandy.
“Calm down there, sport,” said Bonanza. “Take a few deep breaths.”
Hugo tried to breathe, to calm himself.
“It’s all right, Hue,” said Mandy. She put her hand on his knee and he leaned into her.
His breathing slowed and he calmed down. “I guess that I just got a little worked up about the whole thing,” he said.
He relaxed and sipped his beer as they exited the refuge.
Dr. Bonanza drove them to Astor’s. It took forty five minutes.


Chapter 20

Astor’s was hopping.
Bonanza looked for a place to park near the entrance, but he had to turn the corner look there. Eventually then found a place three quarters of the way down the block.
As they entered Astor’s, a pair of young women in their early twenties, blonde hair, came out. They smelled of smoke and their hair had been mussed; sweat gathered on their foreheads. They laughed, heads together. The taller of the two said thank you to Hugo who had held the door. They smiled at him. He stared back, mouth slightly open. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“It’s Saturday night,” said Mandy. “Haven’t you ever been here on Saturday?”
Hugo looked at Bonanza. Sure I’ve been here on Saturday, he thought. He looked at his watch: a quarter after ten.
“I guess that we are usually here during happy hour,” he said. Dr. Bonanza slapped him on the back and pushed him through the door.
I’m too old for this, Hugo thought. Inside, the kitchen was closed; the restaurant had been closed off. The bar was open. Behind it were Shirley, Mi…Roger, and another woman whom Hugo was not sure was named Melinda. In front of the bar stood maybe three dozen college students talking, smoking, and drinking. A deep bass thumped from the back room; through the doors he could see people gyrating to the music, lights flashed red, blue, green, and yellow. Hugo stared.
Mandy put her index finger on his chin and closed his mouth. “Haven’t been dancing in a while?” she said.
“I’m too old for this,” he said.
Bonanza pushed his way to the bar and ordered their drinks. Shirley waved to them. Hugo waved back, trying to stay away from the crush of the people. Mandy had been holding his hand. She let go and made her way through the crowd. Hugo followed her with his eyes, then looked to where she was headed. The Duck stood talking to a couple of older men. Probably lawyers, Hugo thought. Mandy walked up to the Duck and hugged him from behind. He turned around and gave her a kiss. They said a few words, then she turned and motioned to Hugo; she called him over. He looked blank for a moment, thinking, Well there goes that.
Bonanza met up with him as he started to walk toward Mandy. He handed him a bottle of beer, keeping the pint of ale for himself, taking another bottle to Mandy. Hugo avoided the jostling people as best as he could. Twice he ran into someone. The first time, when he said excuse me, a lovely young woman turned and smiled at him, then turned back to her conversation. The second time a rather large man with tattoos turned. He did not smile.
When they reached Mandy and the Duck, she talked animatedly about their day. He noticed that her ears were turning pink. He wondered if it was from the heat of being with so many people, or if she were sunburned. He felt his own ear and decided that they were all probably a little sunburned, except Bonanza who apparently spent most of the day outside.
“…and then it just went quiet,” Mandy was saying. “We heard something moving around down in the sink-hole, but we couldn’t see a thing. Then Dr. Bonanza fell…”
“Hugo tripped me,” Bonanza said.
“Well, there was an owl right behind us,” she continued, “up in the tree, and he scared the wits out of us.”
Hugo didn’t really have any interest in hearing the story told to the Duck. He looked around the room. Smoke filled the air, and the lights were turned down low. Hugo wrinkled his nose. Sure, in college he had smoked a bit, just at parties, but these days, the acrid scent burned his throat. Across the room he saw an older woman who looked a lot like Mrs. McGregor. He shook the notion off as absurd. The woman talked with a man with bushy brown hair.
Hugo pushed his way toward where the pair stood. Surely, it isn’t Mrs. McGregor, he thought.