Read Online Storm the Author's Cut by Vanessa Grant - Free Book Online
Authors: Vanessa Grant
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these waters, many of them visiting Hot Spring island with its natural hot baths.
She walked past the little shelter where she had bathed earlier, on up the path to the top of the hill where she found a pool about ten feet across. The steam rose from the water in wisps.
She followed the path on, past the pool, to the crest of the hill. She looked out over a dark land of water and mountains. The black ocean was backed by the blacker outline of the mountains. She thought she could make out the south end of Lyell Island. To the left, she fancied she could see the beginning of Darwin Sound.
The passenger with the broken leg would be in pain. She hoped that was not Tony, Mike's son. Tony had been given a name and an identity. He was very real to her and she did not want to think of him in pain.
She was alone on top of the hill, perhaps alone in the entire world. It was a long time since she had been alone. She avoided solitude and the memories it brought.
She had been eighteen the summer after her graduation from high school, getting ready for college, excited, high on the adventure of life. Shane, usually the calm one, had been high on the excitement of obtaining his pilot's license.
"Let's fly to Prince Rupert," Laurie had suggested. "Shane, you could fly us over, then we could all go out for pizza and a movie."
They had been sitting in the coffee shop of the hotel—Laurie with Bob, her current boyfriend, and Shane with a girl named Cheryl. They were all a little bored, but Shane vetoed Laurie's idea and told them, "I'm not flying in this weather."
"Come off it, Shane! It's not windy! Those clouds have been hanging around all day, amounting to nothing. We'd be in Rupert in no time at all."
"This morning's weather forecast said there's a storm coming."
"The weatherman's wrong all the time! One of the commercial seaplanes just took off." She turned to her father. "We can go, can't we, Dad?"
When her father hesitated, Laurie picked up the phone and called the seaplane base to confirm that the floatplanes were still flying.
"All right," her dad agreed. "Just check first that Bob's grandmother does have room to put all four of you up for the night."
Shane hadn't protested any more.
Laurie took the co-pilot's seat, although she knew nothing about flying. Her brother had taken flying lessons with Dad's blessing, but their father had had no enthusiasm for the idea of his daughter as a pilot.
The black clouds didn't materialize on the southwest horizon until halfway across Hecate Strait.
"It's a squall," Shane said. "We'll outrun it."
He was a cautious pilot, aware of his relative inexperience. He chose to make landfall on the north end of Banks Island and follow the sea passage in to the port of Prince Rupert. Even if visibility became poor, he would have the aid of the large lighthouse on nearby Bonilla Island.
They had just sighted Bonilla Island when the squall caught up with them. Laurie was unprepared for the way their world suddenly narrowed to the small seaplane and a few feet of driving rain outside the windshield.
Shane altered course to come clear of the north end of Banks Island, but he was flying blind now. Banks Island disappeared, along with the rest of the world.
"My God! I can't see a thing!"
They flew on in a grey and formless world.
"Shouldn't we land?" shouted Bob from behind Laurie. "We'll fly into something if we keep going in this!"
Shane wasn't calm now. There was panic in his voice.
"It's a local squall! We'll fly out of it. I can't land here!"
"Fly back to that island!" shouted Bob, but Shane shook his head desperately.
When they saw land ahead, Shane checked his compass heading and the map on his lap. "I know where we are now," he said, and changed course again.
Laurie sat silent, frozen in the passenger seat. This was her fault. She knew they were going to crash, and that there was nothing she could do to prevent it.
They flew on for what seemed like hours, the engine loud in the
She walked past the little shelter where she had bathed earlier, on up the path to the top of the hill where she found a pool about ten feet across. The steam rose from the water in wisps.
She followed the path on, past the pool, to the crest of the hill. She looked out over a dark land of water and mountains. The black ocean was backed by the blacker outline of the mountains. She thought she could make out the south end of Lyell Island. To the left, she fancied she could see the beginning of Darwin Sound.
The passenger with the broken leg would be in pain. She hoped that was not Tony, Mike's son. Tony had been given a name and an identity. He was very real to her and she did not want to think of him in pain.
She was alone on top of the hill, perhaps alone in the entire world. It was a long time since she had been alone. She avoided solitude and the memories it brought.
She had been eighteen the summer after her graduation from high school, getting ready for college, excited, high on the adventure of life. Shane, usually the calm one, had been high on the excitement of obtaining his pilot's license.
"Let's fly to Prince Rupert," Laurie had suggested. "Shane, you could fly us over, then we could all go out for pizza and a movie."
They had been sitting in the coffee shop of the hotel—Laurie with Bob, her current boyfriend, and Shane with a girl named Cheryl. They were all a little bored, but Shane vetoed Laurie's idea and told them, "I'm not flying in this weather."
"Come off it, Shane! It's not windy! Those clouds have been hanging around all day, amounting to nothing. We'd be in Rupert in no time at all."
"This morning's weather forecast said there's a storm coming."
"The weatherman's wrong all the time! One of the commercial seaplanes just took off." She turned to her father. "We can go, can't we, Dad?"
When her father hesitated, Laurie picked up the phone and called the seaplane base to confirm that the floatplanes were still flying.
"All right," her dad agreed. "Just check first that Bob's grandmother does have room to put all four of you up for the night."
Shane hadn't protested any more.
Laurie took the co-pilot's seat, although she knew nothing about flying. Her brother had taken flying lessons with Dad's blessing, but their father had had no enthusiasm for the idea of his daughter as a pilot.
The black clouds didn't materialize on the southwest horizon until halfway across Hecate Strait.
"It's a squall," Shane said. "We'll outrun it."
He was a cautious pilot, aware of his relative inexperience. He chose to make landfall on the north end of Banks Island and follow the sea passage in to the port of Prince Rupert. Even if visibility became poor, he would have the aid of the large lighthouse on nearby Bonilla Island.
They had just sighted Bonilla Island when the squall caught up with them. Laurie was unprepared for the way their world suddenly narrowed to the small seaplane and a few feet of driving rain outside the windshield.
Shane altered course to come clear of the north end of Banks Island, but he was flying blind now. Banks Island disappeared, along with the rest of the world.
"My God! I can't see a thing!"
They flew on in a grey and formless world.
"Shouldn't we land?" shouted Bob from behind Laurie. "We'll fly into something if we keep going in this!"
Shane wasn't calm now. There was panic in his voice.
"It's a local squall! We'll fly out of it. I can't land here!"
"Fly back to that island!" shouted Bob, but Shane shook his head desperately.
When they saw land ahead, Shane checked his compass heading and the map on his lap. "I know where we are now," he said, and changed course again.
Laurie sat silent, frozen in the passenger seat. This was her fault. She knew they were going to crash, and that there was nothing she could do to prevent it.
They flew on for what seemed like hours, the engine loud in the
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