Grace Lost by M. Lauryl Lewis Page B

steps above us.
    The three of us waited there
together, on edge and cold.  Emilie looked pale in the fading evening
light and Boggs had circles under his eyes.  It seemed like an eternity
before the front door opened.
    “Welcome home,” whispered Gus.
    Emilie smiled and hugged the man
as she entered.  “Are you sure it’s safe?” she whispered back at him.
    “Yup.   Come on in.”  He opened the door wide and Boggs
and I eagerly crossed the threshold.
    Boggs closed the door softly
behind us, and then locked it.  The inside of the cabin was dark aside
from the fading light filtering in through windows. 
    “It’s too dark out to secure
windows tonight,” said Gus, finally speaking above a whisper.  “I think we
should lay low on the top floor for tonight, stay quiet, and regroup with
securing the place in the morning.  There’s a small attic.  I think
we should hunker down in there.”
    I looked around the room and
wondered about the covered furniture.  “Looks like it hasn’t been used in
awhile,” I said.  “Gus, what all’s upstairs?”
    “Three  
bedrooms , a bathroom.  A closet and a hallway.   A small attic.   That’s about it.”
    Emilie had her arms wrapped around
herself again. She walked into the kitchen and started looking through
cabinets.  “Look!” she cried out softly.  “There’s stuff left!”
    We walked into the kitchen as a
group and looked though the cabinets.  There wasn’t much to choose from,
but we were grateful to have found anything.
               
We each grabbed a couple of things from the shelves then walked to the stairway
together and climbed.  It was even darker on the second floor. 
    “Walk to the end of the
hall.  Just set what you grabbed off to the side and I’ll pull the ladder
down,” said Gus.  “We’ll light a candle once we’re up there.”
    “You cleared the attic, right?”
asked Boggs.
    “Of course,” said Gus as he pulled
on a rope hanging from the ceiling.  A ladder unfolded with several
squeaks.   “I’ll try to oil that tomorrow,” he said while rubbing his
chin with one hand.  “Ladies, go ahead and climb up.  Stay low though
‘ cause the ceiling’s short.”
    Gus handed Emilie a lighter from
his jeans pocket and she and I climbed up into the little room.
    “Give us just a minute to bring
some candles up,” said Gus.
    Emilie and I scooted back on our
butts until our legs were all the way up, and not long after Boggs scaled the
ladder and handed us a pillar candle.
    “Thanks Boggs,” I whispered.
    “No problem,” he replied. 
“Gus found a whole drawer full.  He said to go ahead and light it so he
can check from outside to see if any light is visible.”
    “’Kay.”
    Emilie ignited the lighter on her
third attempt, and used it to light the dusty candle.  The cramped attic
was set aglow. 
    “I’m going with Gus.  You two
stay put,” said Boggs, to my dismay.
    “Boggs?” I called.
    “Hmm?”
    “Just…be safe.”
    “We will.”
    Emilie and I sat there facing each
other, both looking worried.
    “Zoe, can I ask you something?”
she asked quietly.
    I looked up. “Sure.”
    “How old do you think Gus
is?”  She blushed slightly.  “He’s been in the Army.  Do you
think he’s really old?”
    I figured she must be asking
because she was smitten with him.  He was a pretty good looking guy, after
all. 
    “Em?   Why do you ask?”  I teased her.  Her
cheeks reddened more.  “I think he’s older than you,” I said.  Maybe in his thirties?”   I shrugged again.  “You
can ask him.”
    “ Noooooo, he might get the
wrong idea!”  She looked horrified at the thought.  I stifled a
chuckle, for the moment almost forgetting my fear.  It felt good.
     “So this is where your
family spent vacations?”  I asked Emilie.
    “Every summer
till I was twelve.   After that my
folks divorced, and the good times ended.  Joey had just been born. My mom
got so depressed that I