Slowly the spirit withdrew, and Nigel's knees gave way. Sydney caught him, but his heart was suddenly inconsolable. Within those few moments, his mother's presence had been a sweet caress that wrapped itself around the very core of his being. Bereft of that gentle embrace, his mind, body, and soul felt empty and abandoned.
"Nigel?"
Tears welled up in his eyes and he whispered, "It was her, Syd. It was my mum. She said She said she was here to save our lives." He shook his head to clear the fog that still clung to the recesses of his psyche.
His boss was skeptical as she glanced down at his bare feet on the near-frozen tundra. "If that's true, why are we out here in the cold - !"
Her words were cut off abruptly as an explosion flung them to the ground.
Dazed, Nigel raised hazel eyes to stare at the SUV. Flames and smoke rose from the back of the vehicle, where they'd been sleeping mere moments earlier. His mouth formed words his mind barely had the presence to connect. "I smelled gasoline on the way up here..."
Sydney chose to verbalize her opinion by means of more pithy vocabulary. Finally she conceded, "Okay, I believe you now. You really did smell gasoline leaking." She dashed toward the truck, to her colleague's amazement.
"Sydney, what the hell are you doing?" he called, horrified, as he stumbled after her.
"Nigel, everything is in this truck!" she yelled back as she yanked open the back door and pulled out the burning sleeping bag. "Our food, backpacks, books, and your mother's letter!" She ignored the coughs forced by the now dissipating smoke. Once out on the ground, the conflagration seemed to lose its enthusiasm, and within moments it was extinguished entirely.
Other than a light coating of ash and a thick smell of smoke, most of their belongings had survived intact. One sleeping bag was beyond hope, but the other one was still salvageable. All things considered, they opted to share the remaining down bag, falling into an exhausted, restless sleep under the stars.
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