Chapter 9

Dear Jim,

Today everyone was working together to finish the bridge over the river. The others made great progress yesterday so we hoped to get it done. This means I had no chance to escape today and was carrying planks like all the others.

Mr Pollak had taken his place under the tree again and sometimes shouted things which were ignored by everyone. His wife again was nowhere to be seen. Candy was back to filming what was going on, while Dough carried her suitcase wherever she went. She was shooting angry looks at Loreley and me.

Ryker seemed to be everywhere at once. Several times someone almost tripped over him or he demanded pets from people who had no time. He was finally convinced to retreat to a corner of the tent where Gerald had put a bowl of water and a blanket. To his delight every now and then someone joined him to give him a pet.

I myself was first tasked to carry long planks together with Barbara, but my legs are by far not as long as hers, so I had trouble keeping up. I was finally told to take Arthur's place at the OMR, which means that I spent the rest of the time pushing grass cuttings into a hole in the machine. This grass was brought into the tent by Peter and Tom in carts. The whole tent was filled with the smell of fresh hay.

I am very happy to tell you that the OMR is still working perfectly and produced almost flawless building materials. Laszlo keeps nodding approvingly at them, which seems to be the greatest kind of appreciation anyone can get from him.

A few hours later finally it was done. Laszlo fixed the last plank on the bridge and people cheered. That resulted in Mr Pollak waking up in his chair. He immediately came over, walked to the middle of the bridge and called for silence. What followed was a long speech about working together, accomplishments and how in the future we will all overcome difficult obstacles together. But everyone was tired and sweaty and we really didn't have the patience for it.

'Well, that's all very nice,' Peter said. 'But the only accomplishment I currently see in my future is a shower and a long nap.'

And then he left, while Mr Pollak was still talking. When others saw it they also went away one by one and so we all went back to our pods for a shower and for having a rest. I fell asleep uncomfortably on the tiny couch under the picture of Barbara's family which is taped to the wall. Meanwhile Barbara was resting in her bed. Both of us ached everywhere from the work.

In the evening we slowly pulled ourselves up, groaning with every move. Just as slowly we put on fresh uniforms and gathered our things, which were mainly two folding chairs. Barbara was also carrying a dish of insta-meatloaf and I had a bowl of mashed potatoes (made from a dubious yellow powder). The sun was still up in the sky on this long summer evening, but already on its way towards the black streak of mountains at the horizon. We were making our way to the meeting place and for the first time we did not have to take a boat to cross the river but comfortably walked over our new bridge.

When we reached the meeting place, people were already there. They also had brought folding chairs on which they were sitting, chatting to each other. Laszlo had built a table from some left-over planks, which was now carrying what we supposed could be regarded as a potluck from all the food items people had brought.

Gerald brought fresh tomatoes and Tom brought lettuce, from which Arthur quickly made a salad. Maia had found some edible berries, which she had put into small bowls and labelled with the place where she had found them. 'At the river near pod 37' were small and dark. They tasted slightly sour but not unpleasant. 'Near the trees to the west' were larger and red and very sweet. 'To the east, north of the lake' were black and a bit too tart for my taste.

Susana and her roommate Nisha brought a spiced rice dish. They complained about the lack of fresh ingredients and apologized for not bringing something more elaborate. Dough and his roommate Yang added a few packets of crisps to the collection. Candy brought some Crypto Cola. Peter brought a dish of instant mac and cheese and Loreley brought a bunch of flowers in an empty bottle, which she explained were not for eating but solely decorative. Mr and Mrs Pollak had brought a few bottles of wine from their personal stock. It was the first time for a few days that Crystal showed up and she looked very well rested – as opposed to everyone who had helped build the bridge.

The centerpiece of the whole collection was a chocolate cake, which Arthur had made with ingredients he found in the communal supplies. Everyone complimented him on his baking skills, which he was visibly proud of.

It was nothing like the family potlucks we had at grandma's when we were kids, but it was good company and everyone was in good spirits. Is there any chance that you could get hold of the recipe for aunt Gertrud's pasta salad, by the way? If you can, please send it to me. Even if I don't know if I will ever get all the ingredients.

Everyone put up their folding chairs, got their plate and fork and lined up at the buffet. Everyone was chatting and talking about the time since we came here and the next challenges ahead; then, like back home, news from relatives nobody else knew and how things may change in five years, when the Boreas arrives.

Slowly, the sun was setting in shades of orange and pink, but there still was light for a long time. Lamps were lit and Gerald got his guitar. His music was accompanied by Loreley, who has a beautiful voice. For a while, everyone just sat on their chairs and listened and watched the sunset and the appearance of the first stars.

Most of us stayed long into the night. By then many were already slightly tipsy, but Mr Pollak had the biggest share of wine. As Crystal had already left to get her 'beauty sleep', Reginald Pollak left alone – slightly unsteady – in the direction of the western lake shore and the pod he shared with his wife. He was soon swallowed by the darkness.

The few of us who were still at the gathering stayed to listen to Gerald telling about something funny that had happened to him a long time ago. He lost the plot several times and drifted to completely different things, which always ended in Arthur trying to get him back on track. Everyone had lots of fun.

Suddenly, there was a scream from the lake. Ryker barked loudly and stared into the darkness, then growled quietly. Everyone jumped up and got their flashlights out of their pockets. We walked fast but carefully, looking around us. We could hear several things running away from us, rustling in the grass, screeching, grunting.

Ryker led us to the spot where Reginald Pollak was lying in the ground, covering his eyes with his hands and whimpering. He had scraped his knee on a rock but otherwise seemed unharmed. Maia tried to console him to find out what had happened and after a while he pointed out at the lake, which reflected the light of a rising moon.

'There!' he screached. 'Something came at me from the lake. A monster! It was looking at me! Waving its arms! It came at me, but it fled when I screamed!'

We looked out at the lake. Although it was a warm night I suddenly had goosebumps. The water was lying still like a mirror.

Arthur laughed and patted his back.

'We'll walk you home, Mr Pollak. It was probably just a reflection. They have scanned the whole lake and there is nothing like that in there. Just some fish,' Arthur said calmly.

Mr Pollak tried to insist that he had seen what he had seen, but we made him move back to his pod and handed him over to his wife. When the door was closed and we were far enough away there were sniggers and muffled laughs.

And that's how the party ended.

As I went back to my pod with Barbara and Peter, I marvelled once again at the many stars in the sky. The sky is clear and there are no streetlamps to make them fade. One moon was already high in the sky, illuminating our way through the hip-high grass and a second one had just started to creep over the horizon. In the black-and-white world under the moonlight, the white rock in the lake glowed like a beacon. The air was still warm after the hot day and the slight breeze was not cooler at all. It just made the grass rustle and the trees hum quietly like a strange lullaby. From a distance we could see eyes watching us in the darkness, but they disappeared when we shone a flashlight at them.

Barbara and I watched Peter walking up the stairs to his pod, then went inside ourselves. As I write this I am already in bed and can hear Barbara snoring quietly in the bed above me.

Best wishes to the whole family. I miss you all.

Love,
Sarah

Tavaron

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