We walked along another abandoned farm and climbed through the fence. On our last trip with Connie we’d walked around it, not wishing to upset anyone by trespassing on private property, but I assumed that this time we didn’t need to worry about that. The sheep grazing the field were running away from us in all directions and letting us go through.
My heartbeat sped up. If I recalled correctly, as soon as we make it to the peak in front of us, we’ll get a view of the valley, on the other side of which is the upside down tree, on another little hill. By sheer force of will I managed not to speed up, Ruby was tired enough as it was.
“We’re almost there,” I encouraged her in a tight voice.
Just a few more steps before we see the tree!
We walked to the top of the hill and stopped there. Two emotions surged through me at once. First, a great relief, because the blue painted tree was standing there just like I remembered. And then a great disappointment, because the group of people hanging around it that I’d expected to see wasn’t there. There wasn’t anyone at all.
Did I get the day wrong? What if I’d forgotten to mark a day in the calendar at some point, or marked two at once?
I felt my stomach sink. Was it possible that we were in the right place at the wrong time? The weight of that mistake was pressing on me, turning me into a frozen statue. I wasn’t capable of any movement while my mind was racing ahead at full speed. If we were early, all we had to do was wait until others started turning up. That shouldn’t be a problem, although the idea of any more waiting wasn’t exactly pleasant. But what if Ruby and I came too late? Was it possible that the meeting had already taken place and they’d all moved on to some other more convenient location without us? If they’d found a new hideout, we could be criss-crossing the entire island as much as we like and still miss them! Why was I relying on some calendar instead of coming over here to camp a week early, to make sure I don’t miss a single person?
“We were here with Mummy,” Ruby said thoughtfully.
I didn’t know if it was worse to think about Connie, or about the idea that the promised meeting with other survivors might not happen. Despite my doubts, nothing would bring Connie back, and a community of survivors would mean a new life for us, companionship, restored mental health…
According to my daughter’s, or rather Mark’s estimate, this new community should be made up of some three hundred people. More or less. How come nobody was there yet? Sure, someone had to be the first to arrive. Maybe our farm was just the closest, so it took us the smallest amount of time to get here, even though we spent some time by the river.
Don’t panic, I told myself. They will come!
“Okay honey, let’s go. We’ll go up to that tree and have a snack…”
I slowed every step, every movement, while looking around constantly. When we got to the tree, we sat down so that the blue trunk was behind our backs, but even so, I got up every few minutes and walked around it. We ate an apple each and a few homemade cookies. I saw them just as I was taking a swig from a water bottle.
I rubbed my eyes. What if it was just a mirage? But we weren’t in a desert, and it wasn’t so hot that the air would be swaying, breaking and reflecting visions of a human shape.
I stood up and waved. I couldn’t help myself. I felt like I suddenly understood dogs on a much deeper level. They waited for ages until their owner came back home, and when the moment finally arrived, they jumped around in ecstasy, barking and spinning around in circles. I might not have been waiting for anyone I knew, but my joy at seeing another person was almost palpable.
The woman waved back and sped up. She was hand in hand with a little girl of approximately Ruby’s age and it was clear from far away that she was laughing, obviously just as excited about our meeting as I was. But I soon realised my mistake. Her mouth was open not into a wide smile, but rather because of how much she was crying. She wasn’t even trying to hide her sobs.
We left the backpack where it was and walked out to meet them. My granddaughter who, thanks to my promises, spent the whole day being so ecstatic to meet other children, was suddenly gripping my hand tightly, hiding behind my body.
“My name’s Frank,” I said when they were a few feet away from us. “And this is Ruby. You have no idea how glad we are to see you here!”
The woman shook my hand and nodded passionately. “I’m Jaana,” she said with a distinct accent and I immediately guessed her for a European. “This is Miia, my daughter.”
She took a handkerchief out of her bag and cleaned her nose. Her daughter, a small duplicate of her mother, blond with clear blue eyes and light skin, was silently taking us in and with a small smile peering at Ruby, probably desperate to play with another child just like my granddaughter was.
“I’m sorry,” Jaana gestured towards her face. “I didn’t think that I’d cry, but… I was worried that nobody else had survived. Seeing you is such a relief!”
We walked to the tree together and exchanged some basic
