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The Present
“Hope I never have to operate on my man,” Caitlin said to Bec a few days later.
“Brendan is recovering well, but I’m still recovering.” Bec laughed.
With a break in the weather, Scott exercised his horse and let the horses out of the stables. He led them around as he rode the black horse, as the corral fence was still under snow. They kept the exercise area to the wide path they had shovelled in the snow between the house and the stables. Scruffy ran wildly in this space, enjoying the fresh air after the confines of the cottage. The dog did his ‘business’ in the snowdrifts at the sides of the cleared area and disappeared. Scott had to retrieve him on more than one occasion.
“You realise you’ll have to name this horse?” Caitlin watched Scott riding. “How are you so good with horses?”
Scott looked up to make sure their friends were inside and out of earshot.
“In the future, we only have horses, ye ken? Due to the fuel shortage, there are very few vehicles. There’re a few horses in our herd sired by a dark horse. They have magnificent natures and are very reminiscent of the particular animal which I’m currently riding.” He raised his eyebrows and gave a knowing look.
Caitlin’s mouth tugged in a broad smile. So, this horse had left its mark. And her husband had found an equine friend.
“I think you should call him Adam,” she suggested, “as he was the first father. Just an idea.”
“Hmm, aye.” He nodded. “I like it. Adam, it is.”
The evenings had become a time for reflection and discussion. The many terrorist attacks that had taken place around the world were still a shock to her and the others. Scott would quietly listen to her and their friends’ responses. In the privacy of their own room he had told Caitlin he knew of these attacks as history, for he was an infant when they occurred. Scott recalled history reported that the world’s population, at a point not too far away from the present time, was to diminish by approximately one half. This was due to the violence, an increase in warfare and terrorist attacks, poverty and disease, and starvation caused by the food shortages. It was his hope, he had told her, that tucked away in their haven, frugally managing their supplies and planning for their own food production, they and any companions, would escape the worst of it.
***
“LAW ENFORCEMENT AND protection. Security. An army? Not too official and aggressive sounding. A militia?” They sat on the green sofa and chairs. The fire glowed comfortably radiating the distinct scent of burning peat into the room. Caitlin had sent her comment Scott’s way. He raised an eyebrow, the lambent light from the fire caused his face to shine. “That’s like the minimum a Community requires, next to strong leadership.”
“So, you think the model of one ruler is the best form of government?” Brendan asked.
“No,” Caitlin shook her head decisively, “one ruler? Never. Too much power. History has proven it over and over.”
“Democracy then?” Bec probed.
“Seems to have worked the best so far.” Caitlin lifted one shoulder. “Couldn’t imagine anyone around here going for socialism. And when I say Democracy, I don’t mean to combine it with Capitalism, necessarily. I think a bit of community sharing and support, instead of competition, wouldn’t go astray.”
“So, group leadership, responsible for and to the people they govern,” Brendan suggested. “An oligarchy then?”
“I suppose so, if I knew what it meant. Didn’t study politics at school,” Caitlin admitted. “These are only ideas. Nothing written in tablets of stone, yet.”
“Form of leadership covered?” Scott moved the conversation forward. “Facilities?”
“Healthcare.” Caitlin and Bec said it in unison.
“Power and fuels,” Brendan suggested. “Can’t do much without power. Windmills are the way to go, aren’t they Scott?” The two men did a ‘high-five’. “We must try to tap into Scotland’s wind farms somehow.”
“Aye. Very good idea.” Scott had a knowing expression on his face. “Have to say though, it does nae seem like they will mass produce nor distribute fossil fuels for much longer. The Arab States hold their resources close, I think. Horses. That will be the mode of transportation.” Scott waited for a response and received thoughtful nods. “I will breed from the stallion.” He smiled. “That’s assuming the owners dinnae turn up. They’d need to have papers to prove the animal is theirs, aye. Then pay me for keeping him for months.”
“You’ll breed him with your Highland Mountain mare?” There was amusement in Brendan’s voice.
“Aye,” Scott said. “Will make a strong and handsome horse.”
“What’s happened with the nuclear power plants. They can’t just close, can they? Those nuclear rods release energy for a lifetime. Who’s monitoring them?” A cold sensation centred in Caitlin’s gut. What had happened to those potentially dangerous power sources?
“The government probably commandeered them and maybe use them for their power now they have gone underground.” Scott looked directly at Caitlin.
“Probably?”
“Aye, probably,” Scott continued his look.
Definitely then.
“The government went underground? What, like in bunkers?” Caitlin asked.
“Yes,” Brendan said. “The government has been quiet for a while.” They were silent for a few moments.
“Moving on—education.” Caitlin remembered what Scott had told her of her own insistence on education for everyone in the future, especially those who had missed out due to the disruptions to normality. “Judaeo-Christian morals. They’ve held society in the West together for centuries, may as well stick to that. And we must secure any art, literature, music, historical artefacts.” She counted these off on her fingers as she spoke, “and any precious thing saved from pillaging. We must ensure its preservation. Sorry. I’m on my ‘high horse’ again. I’d hate to lose any of it. I think of the Library in Alexandria, which in 48 BC, the Romans set alight and burned all the scrolls that were ancient manuscripts then. And all the art the Nazis stole from the Jews in Europe, they never recovered much of it. I don’t want that kind of thing happening again!”
“That will require locked, safe storage. Where do you propose to have it?” Bec asked.
“Not in only one place, so it’s easy to wipe out if anyone wished. It should be dotted around the world.”
“There is probably something like this anyway,” Scott said. “Surely someone’s thought o’ this? They’ve got an underground seed bank. There’s one in Norway, is there no’?”
“What happened to that?” Brendan asked. “We’ll need access to it for getting food production going.”
“We need to write all of this down. We may forget some of our bright ideas when we get a chance to use them.” Bec dug into a box of supplies in the corner of the living area and brought out a notepad and pen. “So, it seems this snow is here for a while. Our stay until we installed the wind-powered electricity supply may continue a wee bit longer. Is that okay with you two?” Being the practical person, Bec broached the ‘elephant in the room’.
“Well, we could turn you out in the snow,” Caitlin teased, “but we won’t.”
“Ye are welcome to stay for as long as you need to. It may be the whole winter, mind. I think I was correct in my predictions of a bad winter, aye?” Scott agreed.
***
IT WAS WARM AND COSY in their bed together as Caitlin looked through the now curtained window. The world outside remained white and frigid, but no further snow had fallen so far that week. They were safe in their isolated haven, especially after their discussions of the evening on the contrasting state of the world. Snuggling into Scott, she smelled horses and pine. His muscles generated heat, and she moved closer to him; the bed clothes enveloped them both.
“Tha gradh agam ort,” she ventured.
Scott turned his head sharply and her head slipped off his shoulder.
“What? Would you care to repeat that?” He raised his eyebrows.
“Ha gragh agum orshh,” she said less confidently.
Scott’s face lit up with recognition. “Ha gragh ackum orsht, leannain. I love you too,” he responded in fluent Gaelic.
Scott chuckled. Caitlin hit him in the ribs.
“You don’t know how long it’s taken me to remember it! You’re so unappreciative!”
“Oh, Caitlin, it was so bad.” He flinched from her slap and shook his head. “But I’m touched that ye tried.”
Caitlin opened her mouth to further complain about his lack of appreciation, but he cut her off with tender kisses. They had not made love for a while because of the proximity of their neighbours. It intensified her want for him. He would feel the same.
Scott ran his hands along the length of her back and down her legs. The exercise and self-defence training had honed her muscles and removed excess fat. Caitlin was lean and hard.
“I’ve missed you,” she said between kisses.
“I want you. My body needs you. My heart and my soul need you.”
Scott’s kisses became more intense as he lay on top of her. He put his hand in the small of her back, in the gap now formed as her body rose to meet his in response to his touch. He parted her legs with his own and started making love to her slowly. Scott held his weight off her with his other hand as he gazed into her eyes.
“I love you,” he breathed into her ear.
Shivers coursed through her as she ran both hands along the length of his back; it was all smooth skin over strong firm muscle. The fingers of her right hand ran through his soft curly hair and held it. Caitlin tugged his head back to face her. Scott kissed her again and pressed onto her lower lip with his teeth, gently. She let out a quiet gasp. He released her lip and grinned at the sound she had made. He covered her mouth with his. Scott’s lips and breath were warm on her face. Their bodies joined as closely as their breath. Their oneness complete once more.
Scott rested his upper torso on his elbows and kissed her mouth, his lips soft and heated, and all-encompassing. His lips then traced a journey across her cheek until they reached her neck, then he lay to the side still holding her close.
“What part of that do you like best?” he whispered.
Caitlin turned to face him. “The part where The Universe explodes, and I see into your soul. And all I see, and feel, is you.”