Page 2 of Emma's Element

Marcus finished off his water and placed the bottle back in his pack; the motto “Take only pictures, leave only footprints” ran through his mind. Funny where the brain took a person when exhausted and in pain. As he ruminated over that thought, he heard voices just above him.Yes!Finally, human life.

“Hello!” he croaked. He tried again after clearing his throat. “Hello! Is somebody up there?”

The conversation above him stopped. “Hello? Where are you?”

“Down here,” Marcus called back. “I fell.” Footsteps hesitantly padded near the edge, and a few pieces of sandstone fell around him. “Careful. The ground is unstable there. That’s why I fell.”

A woman peered down at him. “Goodness! How long have you been down there?”

“Since yesterday afternoon. My leg is broken. I can’t get any service on my cell. Can you?” he asked.

“Let me check.” She looked at her cell. “No, nothing. But we just passed a ranger a few minutes ago. We’ll run and see if we can catch up to him.”

“Thank you so much!”

“Sit tight!”

He laughed, his heart racing with the anticipation of finally being rescued. “I’m not going anywhere.”

After a little while, the woman returned with the ranger, who looked over the edge at Marcus. “Sir? You hurt?”

“Broken leg, dislocated shoulder.”

“Okay, we’ll get you out of there as soon as possible.” Marcus heard the crackle of a radio as the ranger contacted his people. “We’re going to need the Nighthawks on this one,” he told whoever was on the other end. “Copy. ETA? Got it. Over.”

Then to Marcus, he said, “Rescue team is on the way. It might be an hour or two before they arrive. They are flying in from southwest Michigan. Think you can hold out for that long?”

“Been here all night,” he mused. “What’s another hour or two.”

“Good. I’m having some things brought out here for you while we wait. Water, blankets. You need food?”

“I’ve been nibbling on my trail-mix. Ran out of water this morning, though.”

“It’s on its way. Hold tight.” The crackle of the radio sounded again. “Copy,” the ranger said.

The hum of an ATV engine grew closer. “Okay,” called the ranger. “I’ve got some supplies here. Gonna lower them down to you, okay?”

“Got it,” Marcus answered. A bag containing a few water bottles, energy bars, and some blankets landed in front of him. He took them all out and wrapped the blankets around himself as best he could with one hand. Tearing open an energy bar, he called up to the ranger, “Thanks.”

More loose shale fell down around him as the ranger stepped closer to the edge. “Careful,” Marcus called. “The ground has a nasty habit of disappearing beneath your feet there.”

“Copy that,” he returned. “What’s your name, man?”

This was the part that Marcus hated the most. If he lied, they’d discover it as soon as he was topside. But if he told the truth, he ran the risk of someone calling the press, or worse, the paparazzi. He sighed and gave the ranger his real name.

“Seriously?” the shocked ranger said.

“Yeah.”

“What are you doing in the UP?”

“Looking for a little peace and quiet. So please no press,” he begged.

“No problem, man. We don’t want those scavengers in our woods.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it,” he gritted, wincing as a rock fell and hit his injured shoulder.

“Shouldn’t be long now. I can hear the chopper,” said the ranger. “They are going to have to land about a mile from here. But don’t worry. These guys are the best. They’ll be here pretty quickly now.”

---