Epilogue

I finish tidying up our dinner dishes and grab the broom to sweep the floor under the kitchen table. There’s a pretty rug underneath it but it makes it hard to clean up the crumbs that get on it so I end up just moving the table and pulling up the rug to take it outside and shake out. My hands still as I see the trap door that was hidden by the rug and I gently drop it to the side and get down on my knees. I smile when I think about all the tricks my grandfather has played on us and wonder what this one will be.

I pull the ring and the door comes up easily. There’s still enough light for me to clearly see the stacked bars that fill the opening. I stare at it for a few minutes before shaking my head and closing the door. I replace the rug without bothering to shake it off and move the table back into its place.

I’m still shaking my head with a small smile as I go out to the front porch and settle into the double rocker beside Beck. I lean my head on his shoulder and think about everything it took for us to get here. Once again, I have the same thought as before. I don’t care about gold bars, I care about life. I sigh with contentment as we sit there watching Glo dance and laugh in the mist that our gushing waterfall kicks up, happy.

April 3, 2031

To my loving wife,

I want to start this letter by apologizing to you. I should never have left for this trip until we had resolved our argument. I hate knowing that we parted with anger in our hearts. I’ve had plenty of time to think about your reasons for not wanting to relocate to the valley and I want to tell you that I understand. I understand all the reasons you’ve listed for not wanting to be so isolated with our small daughter. I want only the best for both of you but most of all I only want happiness for you.

This will be my second to last trip into these hills and then my time as a prospector will be over. I have brought in all the materials that I will need to close up and camouflage the valley so that it will be here as a fallback option should the very worst happen. I’ve spent days hanging in a harness on the side of the valley wall while I drill into the stone to install the sluice gate that will close off the water and hopefully keep it from drying up like so many other sources have. At night, I sew the tarps together by lantern light so that I can cover the house. Hopefully, these measures will be enough to stop anyone who stumbles on the valley from entering it and discovering the preparations I’ve made for us.

I concede to you that we will not move to the valley but the writing is on the wall as far as us losing the war and that means we will not be able to stay in California. I refuse to return north and live under the government that took over my home country and annex it to be a new nation with the northern states. Instead, we will go south! Yes, I said south. Far south down to the tip of South America. With the temperatures rising everywhere and the U.S gone from most trade pacts, the countries down there are flourishing in both economics and environments. The government of Argentina was most eager to grant us citizenship with passports when I moved the majority of our fortune to their main bank. I have stockpiled a large sum of gold bars as well as the passports we will need here in the valley and will come to retrieve them when it’s time for us to go. I do not trust the local government not to search and confiscate goods and property once they finally concede that they have lost the war.

My sweet wife, as much as you wish to stay in our home, it just won’t be possible if we want our daughter to be safe. I must insist that you concede to my wishes just as I have conceded to yours in regards to the valley. Please, sweetheart, give it some deep thought until I’m back and we will discuss it in more detail once I’m home.

All my love to you and our daughter,

Lucas

Read on for an excerpt from LAND – A Stranded Novel, book one in the Stranded series.