MAE
I was telling him the truth. If my ankle was sore, and I didn’t think I was up to a walk, I really would tell him. I wasn’t in the business of being a martyr after all. But after another trip to the trees to relieve myself, I was happy to report that my ankle was pain-free, swelling-free and bruise-free. I did a little jig behind the truck to prove it to him.
‘Would you mindnotdancing on the edge of a cliff?’ he said, amused but also watchful.
‘I’ll stop if you agree to show me the ice cave. I’ll be disappointed now if we don’t go.’
‘Fine. But, and this is abigbut,ifI see you limping or see any kind of hint that you’re in pain, I will call the search and rescue team out to pick you up from the side of the cliff. And everyone in town will know. You’ll never live it down.’
‘That seems extreme.’
‘Then let’s agree that if it gets too hard, you tell me and we turn back. OK?’
‘OK.’
He exhaled heavily, as if still unsure.
‘Jonah, I have survived many years on this planet already without you to fuss over me.’
‘Is that what you think I’m doing? Fussing over you?’
‘Aren’t you?’
He ran a hand through his hair. ‘I’m sorry if it’s coming across that way. I just can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt.’
‘Hey.’ I took hold of his face and made him look at me. ‘It’s fine. I just want you to remember that I’m capable of looking after myself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it when you look out for me too. Does that make sense?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Good. Now…’ I zipped my jacket up to my chin ‘…lead the way to the cave.’
The hike down the trail was long, but scenic. Jonah lead the way, turning to check on me often, especially when the trail got a little rocky or steep, holding out a hand to help me over the worst parts. He pointed out various kinds of trees and birds. Identifying them by their calls. As we got lower, near the coast, the air grew saltier. There was no sound, apart from the birds, my heavy breathing and the sound of the waves breaking onto the rocks below sending sea spray high up into the air. The storm from the night before was a distant memory, and if I hadn’t been a witness to it, I’d never have believed it had happened. The sky was clear and blue. The world seemed cleaner somehow.
‘Look,’ Jack said, suddenly halting in his tracks. ‘Over there.’
I craned to see what he was pointing at, but could only see rocks. ‘What am I looking at?’
‘Seal colony,’ he replied. ‘Unusual to see them around here in December. Guess they came up on the rocks to ride out the storm last night.’
I focused, and realized that some of the rocks I was staring at were moving, although most of the seals were sunbathing orsleeping. ‘They’re gorgeous,’ I breathed. ‘I’ve never seen a seal this close before.’
An hour later, the trail started flattening out, and we emerged out of the trees and into a little cove. It narrowed as we picked our way across the rocks, the waves lapping at our feet.
‘Careful,’ Jonah warned. ‘The rocks can be slippery after a storm.’
‘Thanks for the heads-up.’
‘I’m fussing again, aren’t I.’
‘No. You’re caring. There’s a difference.’
‘The cave,’ he said, holding out his hand and leading me through a gap between two rock faces, ‘is just through here.’ As we stepped inside the gap, all external sounds fell away. At the far end, a wall of ice, framed by an icy arch, as if a wave had simply frozen in motion. Blue and translucent. Shimmering.
‘It’s beautiful,’ I exclaimed softly. ‘Like something out of that movie,Frozen. I watched it with my nephews when they were little.’
‘It’s only here for a few months every year.’
I turned in circles, my eyes drinking in the stunning surroundings. ‘How did you find this place?’
