Inka of the Ice

Chapter Seven

It was dawn, and the bright, icy morning light filtering through the slippery tent material made everything in the tent seem blue. Inka stretched, rubbed her eyes, and stood up. Sera rose with her. Inka unzipped the tent door and stepped outside, pulling on a hat, scarf, and gloves as she did so.

The cold air hit her in the face like a blast, reminding Inka of where she was. A smile crept over her face. She watched Sera joyfully jump into the snow, sliding over ice and smiling, smiling, smiling. Inka turned away from the tents and looked out at the valley. The world was silent. Icy glaciers surrounded them. Everything was blue and white, blue and white.

Inka knelt down, pulled off her glove, and touched the ice. She rested her hand on the cold surface for a moment before putting on her glove again.

A dog was standing in the doorway of the doghouse. He was huge and black, his long fur glossy and thick. He stood completely still, his chest thrust forward, his face lifted to the sky.

Inka took a step towards him. His head snapped in her direction, his shining black eyes narrowing in suspicion and distrust. It was Haidi, the aggressive dog Prof. Parker had warned her about.

"Hello," Inka whispered, reaching a trembling hand towards the dog. Her arm shook, but the dog didn't bite. Inka crouched close to the ground, approaching from below, and Haidi's head tilted downwards to watch her every move.

Inka's fingers found Haidi's silky fur and she began to stroke him, pulling her hand over his magnificent head and scratching him behind the ears. He moved closer and allowed himself to be petted.

"Ho, there!" Prof. Parker was standing in front of the main tent. "Inka, careful!" Haidi turned to Prof. Parker and bared his teeth. He started to growl.

"It's all right," Inka whispered to Haidi. "Calm down, beautiful black beast." Under Inka's soothing fingertips, Haidi relaxed. He made a deep sound low in his throat and lay down on his stomach, tail wagging.

Prof. Parker smiled. "He's warmed towards you," he said. "Now, come on, let's get breakfast started."

Inka followed Prof. Parker into the main tent, Sera tottering behind. Prof. Parker pointed to the bag on one side of the tent while he went to his desk and put on reading glasses.

Inka rummaged through the bag. She found a few packets of tea and a loaf of white bread along with a jar of strawberry jam. She toasted the bread, boiled water, and got out the plates.

When Lucas came in, yawning and rubbing his eyes, ten steaming plates of bread with jam met his eyes, along with ten identical mugs of tea. He smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry I didn't help. Wake me up next time." Gratefully he accepted a plate and a mug and sat down on a seat next to Sera. Angel came in next, with neat hair and bright eyes. The Opaqs tramped in after her, Dr. Raschauska following them. Lastly, the Senecas walked in, smiling, and nudging each other.

Inka smiled, gave everybody a plate and a mug, and ate her own share. After half an hour of munching, laughing, and light-hearted chatter, the group dispersed. The scientists tramped outside to test the thickness of the ice over the frozen lake. Inka, Lucas, and Sera washed and dried the plates. All three were in a good mood.

"I played with Haidi this morning," Inka mentioned when the topic of sled dogs was brought up.

"The big aggressive black one? Did he bite you?"

"Nah. I think he likes me."

"Cool." They went on to discuss dogs in general, and then the living things that lived on the tundra. They didn't come up with many.

When the dishes were done, Inka took Sera's hand and they trekked outside. There they helped the scientists with heavy equipment, serve hot tea, and occasionally stopped to listen to a scientist explain something to them. They learned, laughed, and ran back and forth between the frozen lake and the tent.

A little after noon they stopped for a lunch break. Inka put together two slices of white bread, a smear of jam or a slab of cheese, and made sandwiches for everybody. They ate in the main tent over more tea- there seemed to be a never-ending supply of tea.

When the sandwiches were finished and all that was left were ten empty plates and a few crumbs, the scientists headed back out on the ice while Inka, Lucas, and Sera washed and dried dishes together.

"What do you call frozen rain?"

"Snow."

"No, hail."

"What? No. Definitely snow."

"Hail."

"Snow!"

"Hail."

"Okay, both. Truce?"

"Okay, okay. Truce."

"Good. Now, what do you call frozen ground?"

After the dishes were washed yet again, Inka, Lucas, and Sera were back to their duties with the scientists, moving heavy equipment, bring mugs of tea or scarves. Dinner was served in the main tent. Inka made soup.

This day schedule repeated over and over again for almost two months. The scientists collected more data, the children grew strong, reliable, and steadfast, and they all had lots of fun in the meantime!