A Blue Mountain Memory

XXIV

The train arrived in New York late in the afternoon. Cora stepped onto the platform and turned towards Lee who stood, hesitating, in the carriage doorway. The journey had visibly been taxing on his weakened body. Farmer Redd had crafted a cane for Lee just before the siblings' departure from Mount Baylin. It was the perfect height with a smooth, dark finish, and a curved handle. Lee had already developed blisters on his hand, but insisted he was fine.

Cora held her hand out, offering Lee stable leverage as he descended onto the platform. He glanced down at her hand and looked around, anxious for anyone to observe his inability. Lee shrugged off his sister, took a deep breath, and lowered himself messily onto the platform. He stumbled slightly, throwing his weight down onto his cane. He winced in pain, moving his hand to his bad leg.

When Lee wore pants, the injury was not visible. The fabric hid his scarred and deformed flesh, unable to bend certain ways and constantly throbbing with pain. Cora worried that amidst the chaos, Dr. Janis did not set the bones correctly. With his pants shielding his maimed leg, Lee could limp around seemingly normal. Even decades after the war, it was not an uncommon site to see men limping around, some missing entire limbs.

When Lee regained his balance and composure, the pair grabbed their singular bags and flagged down a coach. Cora and Lee had never ridden in one before and could not help but find the experience exciting. The driver fastened their luggage to the back and stood before Lee silently. Lee looked up at the tall man in confusion, remaining silent.

"Well? Where to?" The driver asked impatiently.

Cora stepped forward, handing the driver a piece of paper with Benjamin Call's handwriting. The driver looked from the note down at Cora, revealing a small smirk and offering a quick wink. Cora felt her face grow hot, and shrunk her body down, lowering her shoulders so as not to be perceived. The driver chuckled, opened the door, and waited for the siblings to climb in. When he offered a helping hand to Cora, she ignored it, throwing her body into the shelter of the carriage.

The drive felt like an adventure to Cora. She pressed her face against the carriage window, watching the road grow busier as they ventured deeper into the city. Cora's sight was filled with manufactured colors of brown, grey, and red, stacked in stones and bricks, taller than any tree top or church steeple she had seen back home.

People filled the road, bustling around in their silk gowns and tweed suits. Men and women walked arm-in-arm, laughing, or waving to other couples they spotted down the street. Tables lined the side of the road, filled with baskets of produce or crafted items. Vendors yelled to the public, calling over pedestrians, offering them deals and specials.

Uniformed men on horses trotted by with large sticks strapped to their hips. Cora realized they were policemen, patrolling the busy streets with powerful, cocky postures.

Cora had never seen anything like this. Nor had she smelled anything like this. The further they ventured into the densely populated area, the more overwhelming the stench became. The warm, May air sat thick, trapped by the large buildings with no trees to filter through. Odors of feces, sweat, and rotten food invaded Cora's senses and she withdrew from the window, placing a handkerchief below her nostrils. Her father's scent replaced the stink, and her excitement was thus replaced with melancholy. She breathed deeper into the aged cloth, imagining her face pressed against her father's chest, wrapped in his warm and loving embrace. She imagined her mother kissing the top of her braided hair, singing quietly as she rocked Cora back and forth in the safety of her arms.

Her mind wandered back home. Back to Mount Baylin and Lake Ren. Her mind wandered to the church where Minister Reed droned on about Hell as old, fat ladies sat in the front, frantically waving their fans over their perspiring faces.