Chapter 10

The helicopter floated along the Mississippi the blades and the engine performing a perfect duet. Kaye looked out the window enjoying the peace within this moment, while still savoring her newfound freedom. There is just something about the rumblings of engines that can create an overwhelming sense of peace over time. Violet found herself succumbing to the purr of the engine and the humming of the blades overhead. The two women sat in silence.
Violet knew the silence would be short lived. Since she was unsure of which side of the Mississippi they were actually traveling she didn’t want to risk being in the air for too long. The goal was to get away from the house of horrors and they had successfully done that, well two of them at least. But Violet couldn’t allow her thoughts to linger to long on Rose, beautiful little Rose.
Finally they approached a clearing large enough to land the Helicopter safely. Once on the ground both ladies sat inside their new sanctuary, still in silence. It was as if nobody wanted to be the one to disrupt the peace they had found traveling in that helicopter for the last two hours. But eventually the moment would have to come to an end and for Violet there was no time like the present. She had been taken so far off her original course she was starting to doubt the possibility of ever getting back on track.
Before Violet could speak…
“Should we destroy the copter before we split up?” Kaye asked in an eerily calm voice.
“Right now the priority is figuring out where we are and then we can deal with the rest. But yeah we are going to have to do something about this helicopter.”
“Figuring out where we are is the easy part. I know where we are. I grew up in these parts; we’re in Slidel not to far from New Orleans. So, what do we do about this here copter?”
“Are you sure?”
“Sure as I can be. I don’t know much but I know home when I see it and… I am finally home.”
Kaye was having a hard time containing her joy and it slowly began to run down her cheek in the form of the most delicate tears. She sat there with her hands over her chest, eyes closed just taking the moment in. Kaye’s joy became contagious and Violet began to silently cry in solidarity with her new friend.
“Violet… we better get while the gettin’s still good.” Kaye says in barely a whisper.
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”
Without another word the two ladies move in perfect concert with one another… They gather dried, dead foliage surrounding the clearing; coupled with the fuel reserves from the helicopter as an accelerate they set the helicopter on fire. The blaze grows gradually burning from the inside cab and eventually engulfing the base of the structure. The ladies quickly run to the edge of the clearing, their exit being punctuated by the sudden explosion of the helicopter as the flames make their way to the fuel tank.
As the two ladies journey through the trees towards the road Violet couldn’t help giggling to herself. This was the second fire she'd started in two days. What would her mother say if she could see her now? She always told her never to play with fire.
“Kaye, … Kaye, we’ve been walking for hours. Are you sure you know where we are going?”
“Just keep moving and don’t fall to far behind. It’ll be dark soon and we are approaching the bayou. All sorts of creatures live out that way and we gotta make sure we keep surefooted.”
“Why can’t we just go a different way then?”
“Ain’t no other way to get where we need to go sept through the bayou. You know they shot a real live movie out here once. I never did get to see it but folks around here were real excited about it.”
“Thanks for the bit of random trivia.”
“I was just tryin to make conversation”
“Well don’t!”
“I was just tryin to ease the tension but no need no more, see that house… We’re here.”
Violet was none to happy about having to wade in water up to her waist to what appeared to be nothing more than a dilapidated old shack nestled between a bunch of dead old trees. As she approached the house she could see that it was resting on several wide stilts holding it above the water.
Violet was surprised at the ease of which Kaye was able to pull her body up onto the front porch of the old house. She figured if Kaye could do it this shouldn't be too much of a stretch for her, after all she had been working out with a trainer 3 times a week up until about a week ago. Violet planted both hands firmly onto the edge of the porch and tried to pull herself up. Just then she realized that this was going to be more of a challenge than initially anticipated. The ground was too soft making it impossible for her to gain her footing.
Kaye reached down to give Violet a hand up, pulling her onto the makeshift porch with ease. Once Violet had both feet on solid ground she found herself breathing a deep sigh of relief and a little embarrassment. She followed Kaye into the main room of the little shack on the bayou. Once Violet crossed the threshold she was bathed in light, bright light and warmth. The smell of cedar and fresh jasmine filled her nostrils filling her with an overwhelming sense of calm and peace. She immediately felt safe. Until that moment Violet hadn’t realized how long it had been since she felt at ease, how long it had been since she had taken a deep breath. Tentatively she entered the shack, in front of her standing in front of what appeared to be a tin wash bucket was…