Walking the Ruins

Storytelling, and a babble

Kevin, Rose and I sit around the table. I gaze into the steady light of the lamp. It's an oil lamp, Kevin has explained, with a proud grin on his face, running on something that we didn't yet have the time to dwell on.

Anna is in bed, wrapped in dry clothes, her wound cleaned and bandaged. She was mostly quiet while Rose worked on her, saying only a few words while warily eying the strangers around her. Rose used some of the last supplies from Kevin's med-pack on her. And she added bits of new-world lore, such as an ointment made from honey and a small amount of diced and mashed onions. I made a mental note to ask her about that, and about the origin of the honey, later.

Towards the end of the procedure, Anna was visibly exhausted, and she nodded when I asked her to lie down. She is now sleeping in the room formerly occupied by Steve and Jenny.

Then I sat down with Rose and Kevin, and I told them my story. All of it, starting with the day that the three of us left on the boat. And ending with Anna's and my trip home.

"And I was so scared when I found the house empty, you know," I end. "Where were you, guys?"

The question seems to break a spell on their faces, dragging them back to reality.

"We were setting up some traps for the night," Kevin answers with a shrug.

"Can you imagine," Rose continues, "how it was to find a total stranger in our house, staring at us as if we were a couple of bears?"

I laugh. It feels so good to sit here, to hear their voices and to laugh. I lean back in my chair.

But then I remember Steve and Jenny, and I feel tense again and move closer to the table. "What do we do about Steve and Jenny?"

Rose glances at Kevin, then at me, her brow wrinkled, her mouth a thin line. "We do have to discuss this." She nods. "But not now ... I feel exhausted." She stifles a yawn.

Yes, I feel exhausted too. But I don't want to postpone this. "But..." I start. Before I can continue, Rose gets up.

"Sorry," she says and gives me a weak smile. She places a hand on Kevin's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "I really need to sleep now. Let's discuss this later, Kevin. But tell her about the things we've found—in the library, I mean. You can join me later. Good night."

She kisses the top of his head, earning herself a warm smile. I realize that I feel a bit overwhelmed by their constant signs of affection.

She turns and heads towards their bedroom.

"I'll join you soon," Kevin calls after her.

It's disappointing to see her leave like this—the question about Steve and Jenny is still foremost on my mind. I look at Kevin. "What do you think about Steve and Jenny?"

He shrugs. "You've heard what she said. Let's wait with this until tomorrow."

Like an old husband—but I decide to keep these thoughts to myself and to change the topic. "So what have you found in the library?" I keenly remember that library, the one I found in a sealed room in the basement of a house in the city.

He grins. "You know, we've continued to study the stuff there. The books, and all the other things."

His grin makes me curious. "Did you find anything useful in the books?"

"Many of them are about survival techniques. You already know that. There's a lot of useful information." He lifts a finger, obviously warming to the topic. "For example, that ointment that we used today, on Anna, the one with honey and onions? It's from one of the books. Honey and onions, they both have antibiotic effects." He beams at me.