As they pulled up to the house, Geram stepped out of the metal shed and walked over to meet them.  Sasha hopped out of the back seat and stretched as she let out a whine.  She bounded across the yard and to the field beyond to explore the new territory.  As Jake and Kate exited the Bronco, Geram called out, “I’m going to draw some water out of the hand pump out back. I for one am ready for a warm bath.”

For each bath, they brought fresh water to a boil in a large, galvanized tub over an open fire, and then took turns relaxing in the clawfoot tub in the bathroom.  The power was out at the home, but the wood burning stove still functioned perfectly.  After they had all bathed, they warmed some canned goods on the stove and sat down to enjoy the odd breakfast.

“So,” Geram said, “the door, what do you think it means?”

“I’m sure it’s a message from Dad, I’m just not sure what he’s trying to say.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

They ate in silence for a while as they enjoyed the sense of normalcy brought on by the baths and a meal at a table.  As she finished her plate, Kate got up to retrieve the percolator from the stove and topped off their cups.

“If you’re going to meet someone,” she said, “what all do you need to know?”

“Well,” Jake said, “you need to know where to meet them.”

Geram interrupted, “And when.”

“Right,” Kate replied, “a time and a place; that’s all you need to know.  That door has the time and the place.  We’re already pretty sure of the place though, right?”

“The landing.”

“Yeah, the landing.”  She opened the door inward so that they could see the markings from the table.

“You’re right Hun; BLL, that’s Bates Lake Landing.  Now we’re getting somewhere.”

She smiled, “We know the place, now we just need a time.”

“Too easy,” Geram replied, “0100 has got to be one in the morning.”

Jake slammed the table with the palm of his hand as he exclaimed, “Thursday, one o’clock at the landing!”  They cheered and laughed as they deciphered the message that was lovingly left for them.

“You know what this means,” Geram said, “Every week for months, Pop’s been coming to that landing to look for us.  He’s been waiting and watching for us since the crash.”

Jake smiled, “That’s Dad.”

***

Jake, Kate and Geram crept down to the landing with their weapons ready.  They had left the Bronco a mile or so up the dusty, red-dirt road to allow for a silent approach.  The ground at the landing sloped quickly down to the lake below.  The tiny fishing community was dotted with camp houses on timber pilings near the water’s edge.  They did not see a single light on the lake.  Apparently the landing was experiencing a blackout.

Jake checked his watch, it was 12:45.  They sat on a stump close to the water that was concealed by a small stand of scrub trees.  The night was loud with the sounds of the swamp.  The frogs, owls, insects and other creatures serenaded the three as they waited for contact.  Sasha quietly followed several cold trails around the stump before giving up and stepping out into the lake.  She lay down in water nearly a foot deep and began lapping it up happily.

Jake peered across the water but saw nothing.  He checked his watch again; 12:50.

“What if he doesn’t show?”

“He’ll show.”

“I know he’ll show if he can, but what if something happened to them?”

“I don’t even want to think about it.  I have no idea what we’d do.  I guess we’d just go back.”

“Talk about an awkward return, and I don’t even know how we’d make it back.”

Geram chuckled and replied, “None of that matters; he’ll show.”

“We’ve got a lot of memories out here, you know.”

“Tell me about it.  A lot of hunting and fishing and just being together, the three of us.”

“I hope one day there’s time for that again.”

“That might be a long time off.”

“You’ve got to have something to hope for; something to live for.  Otherwise, what’s it all for?”

Suddenly, they were illuminated by a spotlight from somewhere across the lake.  They jumped off the stump and crouched behind it.  Jake checked his watch; 12:59.

“It’s him.”

“It better be.”  Geram gripped the rifle tightly in his hands.

The boat silently trolled across the lake and landed just feet from the stump, its gentle wake lapping at the shore.  The brothers were met at the water’s edge by a bear of a man.  He grabbed each of them with tree trunk arms and pulled them to him.

“My boys!  Thank you God for my boys!”

“We’re all here.”

“Kate!”  Clayton released them and grabbed her, lifting her off the ground with his giant hug.  “You been keeping ‘em straight, sweetie?”

Kate laughed and replied, “They manage themselves; you’ve got good boys, Clay.”

“Yeah I do, yeah I do.”

Moses bounded out of the aluminum boat and greeted Sasha with a wagging tail.  He nuzzled her wet head with his.  She returned the affection of her new friend.  He jumped back in the boat and she followed immediately behind him.  They both took a seat in the front of the vessel.

Clayton laughed at the dogs and said, “I have to agree with the pair, we should get going.  It’s safer on the water, and Claire won’t want to miss a minute of the reunion.”

The night was starry and clear as they raced across the muddy waters.  The stars and moon reflected off of the open water all around them.  The brothers were flooded with memories as they recognized the landmarks from times long past.  The towering, solitary, cypress tree still stood like a colossus at the mouth of the lake.  The ancient, oak tree that grew horizontally and hung over the river still beckoned them to its domain.  The world had changed all around it, but the swamp had remained the same.

Geram stared in awe at the rifle mounted in the center of the boat.   He looked up at Clayton and shouted over the sound of the motor, “You’re practically running a gunship here!”

“What?”

Geram simply pointed to the Barrett. Clayton let out a bellowing laugh and exclaimed, “Isn’t it a work of art?  It’s already paid for itself in spades out here.”

Geram huddled up to the gun and swung it left and right, testing it out.  He turned and said to Jake, “This thing is perfect, it puts you head and shoulders above anyone else out here.  A three-man team would be nearly invincible: one on the gun, one with a rifle and the operator – I could get used to this.”

Jake flashed a smile and shot back, “He always thinks of everything, doesn’t he?”

As they pulled alongside the staircase and tied the boat off, Claire stepped out the front door. She squealed in delight upon seeing the three.  She rushed down the stairs and met them as they were coming up.  She wrapped her arms tightly around all three of them and wept with joy.

Claire fixed a late night dinner of catfish and cornbread.  The family ate and laughed and talked about life in the past few months.  For a short while, the sorrows and realities of recent events disappeared.  Sasha and Moses were exhausted from the long night; they both lay head to tail in front of the door.  After several hours of celebration, Claire and Kate retired, so the men took their conversation outside.

Clayton leaned against the railing and stared off into the faintly illuminated swamp.  The blue hour of twilight was just beginning to break the shadows of the night.  The brothers sat on the stairs in quiet contentment. It felt strange to not have a goal or task that need completing in the morning.  They were where they had strived to be, their journey was over.

“I know I’ve said it before, but I can’t tell you both how good it feels to have you here.”

“It feels good to be here.”

“We’ve worried about you so much.”

“It’s over now; we’re here.  We can relax for a while.”

Clayton moved closer and paused for several minutes, enjoying the silence before continuing, “I really don’t want to bring this up, not tonight, but I don’t have a choice.”