The Transformation of James Moon
James could feel his father’s disappointment in the air as he drove away. Their trip winter camping together on Lake Temagami was supposed to last four nights. James only lasted three nights. After his constant complaining his father finally told him “just go home James for both of our sakes,” and he’d finish the trip by himself. In some ways he felt bad leaving him however he was just glad to be getting home.
James Moon hated the outdoors. He would rather be cramped up in his tiny, musty apartment than have to spend any duration of time out in the fresh air. This trip was supposed to be a father son bonding trip before James went back to university in January. James and his father had never really been close. It had been his father’s idea to come to Lake Temagami in the frigid December temperatures. James had not expected such cold, cold temperatures and after the first night he’d done enough complaining to last a month. Finally after the third night his father couldn’t take it any longer. He sent him home feeling more distant from his son than ever.
As James drove along replaying the events of the three days in his mind he began to lose focus of the road. He briefly thought about his father’s disappointment in him but in his typical selfish ways his mind slowly drifted to thoughts of his plans with friends when he got back. The first thing he was going to do was call a few of his buddies so they could go out that night. He forgot all about his father… and the road.
A while later after James had finished daydreaming he suddenly focused back on the path ahead of him. He looked around at the sea of white ahead of him. He suddenly realized he had not looked down at the map in what felt like ages. He stopped the car abruptly starting to become panicked. The winds were fierce and the wet snow made loud patting noises as it hit the car. James studied the map his father had given him. He then looked out the window at the landscape in front of him. Nothing matched the path he was supposed to be on. It suddenly occurred to him that he had no idea where he was. He frantically looked all over the map. James did not want to admit to himself that he was lost. After many more minutes of frantic looking around him and at the map he finally stopped.
James got out of the car. He decided that it would make sense to retrace the tire tracks in the direction that he came. The snow was swirling around him and all he could see was white. As he squinted through the mass of white before him he realized that with all the time he wasted his tire tracks had been completely covered and blended in. James’s heart sank. He was stuck.
James got back in his car. He thought about what he had learnt from his father during their three nights together. James was terrified. He knew he would have to spend the night. James had never needed to step up like this before in his whole life. He had always been kind of immature and he knew that. Tonight, James knew he must grow up. James remembered making the hollowed out snow mounds called quinzhees to sleep in. He thought back to how he had watched his father pile all that snow while he sat back because his hands were ‘numb.’ He decided it was the right decision to make one to sleep in for the night.
The blizzard was dying down now and James was becoming tired. His arms ached from piling snow using a pot for cooking because it was all he had. He had to use a plastic bowl to scrape away at the walls of the tiny quinzhee he had made, in order to hollow it out. He was becoming slightly lightheaded from having nothing to drink in the last few hours. His father had told him to bring a nalgene filled with water with him but James had insisted that he would not need it. He greatly regretted that now. James remembered how his father had used a long thin blade to cut out a hole in the ice. He went to the back of the car and opened up the trunk. He moved around all his things but could not find anything that would possibly be able to cut a hole in the extremely thick ice. This is one of the times James knew he needed to step up and be creative. He needed water to survive.
The sun was setting and James had yet to have any water. He needed water to make some food and for him to drink. A snowflake fell onto his nose and quickly melted. That’s when it hit him. He could melt snow in a pot over the fire he had made. He remembered his father talking about this now. Why hadn’t he thought of it before? It didn’t make sense to him though. Wouldn’t the water evaporate? When he put the snow filled pot over the fire he continuously stirred. He thought this would prevent the water from evaporating. He was right.
After James had cooked the Kraft dinner he had found in his pack it was almost completely dark. He retrieved his flashlight from the back of his car and put out the fire he had made. It was time to get into his quinzhee. He dragged his pack in after him as he climbed into the small hole. It was completely dark. He switched the tiny flashlight on and pushed it into the snow so it would stand up. James remembered his father talking about how it was important to change from your sweaty clothes to fresh new clothes as painfully cold as this might be. As stubborn and immature as James was he had not listened to his father and slept in the same clothes as he had worn in the day. Tonight was different. James needed to survive anyway he possibly could. After changing in the extremely cold air, James climbed into his sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep.
James woke to the sound of a revving engine. He got out of his sleeping bag and put on his jacket and pants. He heard a man’s voice.
“Hello? Is somebody out there,” James called.
James heard a muttered answer but could not make out what he was saying. He climbed out of the hole into the daylight. There stood a large man all bundled up in a red coat. Behind him was a large blue pick-up truck.
“Howdy. What are you doing out here all by yourself?” the man asked.
“Trust me it was not by choice.”
The man looked confused.
“I got lost and had to spend the night,” James continued.
“Well where are you looking to go? Hop on into your car and I’ll lead you wherever you need to go bud.”
James packed his things back into his car and got ready to go.
“Where are we going bud?” asked the man one last time.
James thought back to how badly he had wanted to see his friends before. He could go over to his friend’s house and tell him all about the crazy night he had spent alone on the lake. They could go out tonight like they were supposed to the night before. But there was only one person James really wanted to see right now.
“My father’s house,” James replied.
