60

The End of the Beginning

The first heavy drops of rain from the storm began pelting the roof shortly after Lottica and Nick shared a subdued dinner with their grandparents. The winds quickly picked up, and they felt the distant reverberations of thunder in the surrounding peaks. Knowing what to expect, their grandparents had lit a wide assortment of candles and oil lamps. It seemed like they were in for a long night.

As the storm strengthened outside and no word came from Heidein, their uneasiness grew. Nick, to fend off an anxiousness growing in his gut, suggested they play a table game. He and Lottica had never played a game with their grandparents, so it was a surprise when they showed enthusiasm for the idea.

They searched the cabin’s cupboards for and when Nick’s eye came acoss a smallish wooden box, he took it out and shook it. When he slid the lid off the box, he smiled.

"How about dominoes?" he asked hopefully.

“Is good,” Bopei answered with a clap of his hands. “I teach your father!”

Nick and Ladamei teamed against Lottica and Bopei. They became so engrossed in their game that they ignored the intensifying wind and pounding thunderclaps. Late into their fourth game, Nick slapped down boxcars to score thirty points. He jumped up, pumped his fist and—

KABOOM!

—a thunderous jolt shook the cabin. The front door flew open to a rattling rush of fierce, cold air that blew out the candles and lamps.

Nick bit back a cry as a sizzling flare of lightning backlit a figure standing in the doorframe.

The shadow advanced into the room, causing Nick to bolt out of his chair. Dominoes tiles rattled to the floor. He was ready to charge the intruder when a calm voice pre-empted him.

"My apologies. Extremely bad timing."

It was Heidein.

He swiftly shut the door and Bopei struck a match to relight the candles and oil lamps. In the flickering light, Heidein cut a ghastly a figure. He was soaked, his woolly hair plastered against his high forehead, his jacket and face splattered with mud.

"You look awful," Lottica said before she could stop herself.

He smiled. "Yes. I'm sure I look like a Lebreiman Bigfoot. I did not mean for such a dramatic entrance."

Ladamei helped Hedein with his soaked jacket and fetched him tea as he sat down to at the table. He studied the domino pieces spilled on the floor. "I have interrupted your game."

"We were killing time. Waiting for you to get back," Nick explained.

"Yes, I was delayed." He hesitated and then seemed to think it best to just launch into his report. "After much searching, the authorities located Beilla's airplane. He was crafty in hiding the plane some twenty kilometers east of here. I went with them to look the craft over. The plane was empty, but two clues were left behind. The authorities took one because it was dangerous. It was a blasting cap."

"You mean for detonating explosives, like dynamite?" asked Nick.

Heidein nodded. "Exactly."

"What does that mean?"

"It is hard to say," said Heidein. "Though it might have to do with the other clue." He reached inside his jacket Ladamei had draped over a chair and pulled out a crudely wrapped parcel.

Nick moved the oil lamp closer as Heidein unwrapped it and then held the object up. Lottica and Nick stared wide-eyed. In Heidein’s hand was the pane of stained glass missing for centuries from the great window of the Breima library.

The Pleisahd, the missing piece.

In the painted pane, a boy and girl held their respective hearts high above their heads while from their chests blazing stars burst forth.

Lottica, dumbfounded, stared at the stars where the children’s hearts should be. And their hearts where the stars should be. “What’s it mean?”

Heidein turned the missing piece slowly in his hand, the candlelight casting a primordial glow over the startling image of the boy and girl. “I believe this is the end,” he paused, “of the beginning.”