After sleeping a surprisingly peaceful, dreamless night Billy woke well rested to the sun spilling through the window. The aroma of bacon frying downstairs wafting into his room brought him quickly awake. He threw on his clothes and ran down the stairs.
After breakfast he and his dad headed out to Billy’s Bronco. “Where to, Dad?”
“Gilberton, Tony’s Specialty Kitchens on Summer St. I’ve got a surprise kitchen remake for your mother lined up. Today we’re picking up the new stove and all new counter appliances. She’ll pick her new cabinet fronts from the literature I’m picking up.”
“She has no idea.”
“Not that it’s about to happen. She’s talked about it for the last two years, so I know exactly what she wants.”
“Cool, she’ll be so surprised.”
“Yeah, that’s my hope.”
There was just enough room in the back of Billy’s Bronco to get everything in but the new range had to go in on it’s back. Tony had assured them that the packing would protect it lying down for the short distance they were going.
Once they had all the boxes loaded up and had gotten back on the highway Billy’s dad spoke up. Your mother has an outing with her friends and will be out for a while so we have a little extra time before we need to be back. I’ve been thinking about your little incident the other day and it got me thinking about Ethan Gregor. Let’s detour out by his old place and McCrory Cliff on the way back.
“You sure we have time?” Billy was concerned what his dad might think when he sees the debris at the cliff.
“It’ll be fine, more than enough time.”
Billy was unsure but realized there was no talking his dad out of it. He had wanted to check things out back at the cliff. He’d just have to play along as best he could, try not to deviate too far from the truth if it came to that. They drove another five minutes, the radio started playing “Simple Man” and his dad began to sing along. Billy joined him, he knew it was one of his dad’s favorites.
As it ended they both laughed, “Good job, Billy. Take this next exit.”
“McCrory cliff is off exit 5 another mile and a half ahead.”
“This is the back way in, goes right by old man Gregor’s cabin. I’d like to see what’s become of the place.”
Billy turned off. A mile from the highway the road swept to the right, but there was an old overgrown turnoff on the left. A makeshift gate sat crookedly on its hinges. “Take the left son.”
As they drove into the woods Billy noticed that the road was partly overgrown, but there were a couple small trees that had clearly been removed recently and tossed to the side. There were some noticeable tire tracks in places. “Someone’s been through here recently.”
His dad replied, “I had heard that someone was fixing up old Gregor’s cabin, his only living relative I believe. A great niece or something.”
They drove another few minutes and as they crowned the hill, a fieldstone fireplace poked up on their left. Then the road widened with a pull-off into a driveway to an old ranch style log cabin on the left while the road continued its way through the woods ahead.
“Pull over here Billy, this is Gregor’s old place.” A utility trailer was parked alongside the front porch with a couple pallets of building materials. Over the right side of the cabin the roof was covered with a large blue tarp. The area in front of the cabin showed several signs of tire tracks. From the Bronco they could see the front porch had a rocking chair and a table with a mug sitting on it.
Billy and his dad got out of his truck and started towards the cabin. Billy shouted out, “Hello!” and then he shouted again, “Is anyone here?”
A white wolf appeared at the corner of the building, running in their direction. He thought it looked just like the one he had seen after the accident. His dad reached out and touched Billy’s arm. Speaking quietly, “Stop Billy. Stand very still.”
All of a sudden the wolf charged towards them. Billy put his arms out in front of him totally focused on the wolf. Billy felt the hair on his arms raise, the wolf slowed down and came to a stop. Billy noticed the wolf had a slight violet cast to him. The wolf stopped and sniffed the air, pacing side to side he was sizing them both up. Seeming satisfied he then turned and ran back into the woods. Billy thought to himself, “What just happened? Why does this feel familiar?”
“Well I’ll be”, said his dad. “That was lucky, I thought for sure we were in for it. Strange though, there hasn’t been a wolf sighted around here in years.”
Billy started to mention the wolf he saw on his way home after his fall and then thought better of it. “Yeah, that was definitely strange.”
“Clearly the new owner isn’t here right now but has taken possession of the cabin. Good to see it won’t go to waste. Let’s head up to the cliff, it’s just a little further in. Maybe they’ll be back when we head out.”
They climbed back into the truck and drove cautiously further down the road which was quickly becoming more of a path. There were some small plants and scrub pines but then the path spilled out onto the road Billy normally used to get to the cliff. Pulling through and turning left onto the other road the cliff was clearly visible up ahead.
Billy stopped at the base and parked the Bronco. He and his dad got out and started toward the cliff.
Looking up at Old McCrory Cliff he could see where he had attempted to climb, a large opening in the rock face where he had been trapped. But there appeared to be nothing about it that looked any different than a rock slide. There were no smooth surfaces just craggy rock like the rest of the cliff.
Surveying the large pile of debris, his dad asked, “Did this happen when you were climbing?”
Billy paused for a moment. Technically he had been resting and was about to climb when everything had happened. And then he was thrown clear when the rocks fell away. “It must have happened after I was off the cliff.”
His dad was shaking his head, “This is why your mother doesn’t like it when you climb alone, it worries us both. Back when you used to climb with Joey…”
Billy got a stoic look on his face. “Ya know ever since Joey died it’s been difficult for me to get close to anyone new. We had a trust, an instinctual understanding between each other that is rare.”
“I do understand son. He was your best friend, almost a brother. The two of you were practically inseparable.” His dad paused. “It wasn’t your fault, there was nothing you could have done or can do to change what happened. Joey’s accident is what scares your mother about your climbing.”
“I know Dad. My head gets it, but my heart is still trying to come to terms.”
Moving over to the base of the cliff, where he had begun his ascent, Billy poked around in the debris. He found nothing that looked like the burgundy glass-like rock he had seen that day. He couldn’t have imagined it, the image of the changing rock on that day still clear in his mind’s eye.
His dad pushed at some of the rubble with his feet. Something sparkled in the sunlight as he did. Bending over and picking up a rock he uncovered a piton, it was a purplish color with black streaks and slightly deformed as if it had been exposed to very high temperatures. “Check this out. One of yours?”
Billy took it in his hand, turning it over and over. He recognized the branding and the stamp he put on all his pitons then he had to lie again. “I don’t think so Dad. Mine are all a bright golden color so I can spot them easily.” To himself he wondered, “I don’t remember any heat but there was a huge explosion that day. Could it have burned these almost to the melting point without my even noticing?”
He vaguely remembered that one piton and a cam were with the lines that were laying with him when he came around that day. He had just tossed them on the floor in the back of his Bronco. They should still be lying there but he would have to take a closer look at them without his dad later to see if there were any similar indications. “I’ll throw it in the truck so nobody tries to use it.”
“Good idea. Billy? Will you promise me that you won’t climb here again, especially alone?”
“Dad this stuff happens at other sites too. Rockfall is a fairly common thing.” His dad was giving him the look. Billy knew he wouldn’t let up. “Alright, I’ll stay away at least for now and I’ll try to find someone to climb with.”
“Your mother would feel much better if you found a climbing companion and didn’t do this stuff alone. As would I. Speaking of your mother, we should get back if we’re still going to surprise her. Better take the normal route home. We can swing back by Gregor’s place another time.”
They climbed back into the Bronco. When Billy turned the key nothing happened. Looking ahead he saw the wolf looking directly at them in a defensive posture. “Dad, do you see?”
“Yes, the wolf is back? Do we have a problem?”
Come on back next Monday to see what happens next…
Episode 5 – 5/10/21
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