ROBERT PUSHED OPEN the tent flap and painfully began crawling into the tent. What he saw made him stop. A bloodred towel lay next to the Primus. Oh, no! The rescue had come too late.
Grace and Polly turned to him. They both looked worried and tired. Grace’s face was especially white and pinched.
Andrew was awake, and smiled at him.
“Are you okay?” Robert asked as he entered.
“I had a nosebleed,” Andrew said.
Polly nodded.
Robert sighed with relief.
Billy stuck his head in and crawled toward them. “You won’t believe this. We’ve been rescued.”
“Rescued?” Grace said in a tone of disbelief.
“By Amundsen.” Robert sat down and rubbed his shoulder. “Not really by Amundsen. I mean, by the guy who’s playing Amundsen. His name is Harry.”
Harry stuck his head into the tent. “What happened?” he asked, looking at the bloody towel.
“I almost froze,” Andrew said. “It messed up my nose.”
Billy looked at Polly with a question in his eyes. Polly shook her head. So Andrew’s toes were still intact. Thank goodness.
The man wagged his finger at the girls. “Where are the smiles? Ol’ Harry has rescued you.”
“We thought we were in this game alone,” Polly said, irritated at this man’s silliness.
“Not anymore.” Harry grinned broadly. “I’m here.”
Polly and Grace exchanged glances. Both disliked this big man, but what were their alternatives? Andrew needed a doctor and lots of warm food to get well.
Harry held up his radio locator. “The military transport helicopter will be here before you know it.” He chuckled. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you guys didn’t want to be rescued.”
“I don’t,” Grace piped up. “I’d like to stay.”
Harry scowled at her. “What does a little girl like you know about her own good? You’re coming with me.”
Grace set her teeth and glared at him.
How could Grace want to stay? Polly couldn’t wait to leave this cramped tent. “Could you leave us alone for a minute?” she asked Harry.
Harry doffed his cap at her and backed out of the tent.
Polly turned to Grace. “So what’s going on?”
“I don’t expect you guys to understand, but my whole life I’ve wanted to live somewhere like this. I don’t want to go back yet.” Grace looked at the kids’ solemn faces. It felt good to have shared her dream and to realize that no one was laughing.
“But you’ll die,” Polly said finally. “We can’t leave you.”
“There’s plenty of food at the depots for me to stay awhile,” Grace said. She was starting to admit to herself that she wouldn’t be able to live here, that she needed to rethink her dream. The time that she got to spend here on account of this game might be all she’d ever have.
Robert eyed Grace. The trip had been hard, but he was beginning to figure out ice and snow. If he left now, he’d be turning away from a challenge. “I’d like to go with you to the Pole,” he said. It was strange to realize that he probably couldn’t make it without her.
“But Robert, your shoulder,” Polly said.
“I hiked through the thick snow today, and it hardly hurt at all,” Robert lied.
“We could take turns riding the dogsled,” Grace said to Robert.
Robert grinned at Polly. “You could watch us on television.”
Polly wasn’t convinced. But what could she do? Grace and Robert had a right to make their own decisions. “I guess the government could send the rescue team back for you,” she said.
Robert and Grace looked at each other and smiled.
“Billy, you don’t want to stay, do you?” Polly asked playfully.
Billy shook his head. He had eaten enough seal and pony meat to last a lifetime.
Polly laughed. “I didn’t think so.” Then there was a loud noise. “What’s that?” she said.
Everyone’s head turned in the direction of the noise.
“The helicopter,” Robert said. “Polly, make sure they pick us up in a military transport helicopter.” He was tempted to leave just for the ride. But it would be so cool to be the first kid to make it to the Pole unassisted by an adult.
Harry stuck his head back in. “My orders are to take you back. All of you. Now come on.”
“Andrew, Billy, and I will come,” Polly said cheerfully. “But Grace likes it here. This is her home.”
“Nobody lives here,” Harry argued.
“And Robert wants to be a record setter,” Polly added.
“You kids are crazy,” Harry said. “If I have to get out my gun, I will.”
Robert hated threats, but while he was feeling tongue-tied, Polly responded in her brisk, confident way.
“There are cameras here, and I can assure you that the President would not want the viewers to see us taken out at gunpoint,” Polly said.
“Cameras? Where?” Harry looked around the small tent.
“In our eyes,” Polly said.
“What?”
“We’re freaks,” Polly said. “We have cameras in our eyes, and I’m filming you right now.”
Harry backed off.
Then the kids heard someone calling. “Harry?” It was the helicopter pilot.
Antarctic Historical Survivor was over for Polly. She was going home. “Are you sure you want to stay?” she asked Grace.
Grace nodded.
Polly turned to Robert.
Robert beamed at her. “We’ll make it.”
Polly thought about Robert’s silly grin. Optimism was his brand of courage.
“You guys can have my whole stash of peanuts and Chocobombs,” Billy said gravely.
Robert laughed. “Thanks, Billy.” Even though Billy was going back to America and they were staying, Robert knew that it was hard for Billy to give them his stash of food.
Andrew grinned. “I don’t have anything to give you unless you want my parka.”
“You never buttoned it anyway,” Robert said.
“I don’t have anything to give you but this,” Polly said to Robert. She crawled over and kissed him.
“Thank you, Polly,” Robert said.
Billy stuck out his hand to shake Grace’s.
Grace pulled him to her and hugged him.
“Hug me, too,” Andrew said.
Grace crawled to Andrew and hugged him.
“I would have trusted you with my toes, Grace,” he whispered into her ear. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
Robert overheard him. “Thank you, Andrew, for all you did for me.” He leaned down next to Andrew. “I’m sorry if I treated you badly at the beginning of the trip.”
“It’s not important. I was a different person then,” Andrew said.
“Can we do anything else for you?” Polly asked Robert.
“Yeah.” Robert grinned. “Make sure they send someone back for us after we reach the Pole!”
Polly nodded.
“It’s time,” Billy said. He was excited.
“Let’s help Andrew out,” Polly said.
Billy and Robert each grabbed one of Andrew’s arms and pulled him.
Grace held the tent flap open.
Polly crawled toward the open tent flap for the last time. She felt as if she were leaving her death behind. She had never believed that she would make it home.
Billy and Robert helped Andrew toward the helicopter.
Grace stood in front of the tent and looked at the shiny helicopter. She felt a stab of joy that she didn’t have to go back to the modern world yet.
“Good-bye!” Polly grabbed Grace’s hand before she climbed in.
Grace squeezed it. “Good-bye.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds before the pilot shouted, “Let’s get out of here while we can! You never know when bad weather will blow in down here.”
“Everybody buckle up!” the pilot called.
Polly grabbed Andrew’s hand and looked out the window.
Billy, who was sitting up front with Harry, waved at Robert.
Polly waved, too.
With its propellers whirring, the helicopter lifted off.
Polly pressed her forehead against the icy glass. She remembered what Wilson had written in his diary: These days are with one for all time—they are never to be forgotten—and they are to be found nowhere else in the world but at the poles…. One only wishes one could bring a glimpse of it away with one with all its unimaginable beauty.
Polly stared out the window. Robert and Grace were standing next to the blue tent below. She watched them until they, the tent, and even the mountains had disappeared and all she could see was a great expanse of white.