SquidgeWorld Archive

Buck Frobisher looked around, bewildered, not quite sure were he was, and why he was standing, when just moments ago he'd been lying in bed. All around him were white-flecked pine trees. The snow-covered ground contrasted sharply with the blue of the sky. He could feel the wind against his face, but strangely, there was no cold.

He also realized that something was different about himself. For the first time in months, he wasn't weak or tired. As he looked down at his body, now dressed in red serge, he realized that there was no sign of the cancer at all. Where just moments ago, he had been terribly thin and pale, he was now robust and healthy again. He reached up to feel his head. Yes?his hair, which had long ago fallen out from the chemotherapy, was there again, underneath the Stetson. Much of the mental despair and apathy he'd felt as a result of his long battle with the illness was now gone. This was the first time in months he hadn't felt like going to sleep and never waking up.

He started to walk, thoroughly enjoying being able to move without the aid of a cane or walker. After a short time, he neared a small clearing. Squinting, he thought he saw something off in the distance. As he drew closer, he saw that it was a man on horseback, with another horse at his side.

"Come on!" the familiar voice of Bob Fraser rang out across the distance. "We don't have all day."

Buck moved faster, his anticipation growing. As he got closer, he saw that the horse Bob had brought was his own horse, Bucket.

"Get on, get on," Bob said, handing him the reins. "Someone's waiting for you."

It was obvious that Bucket was glad to see Buck, as he took a few steps forward and put his nose close to the Mountie's face. Buck patted him and smiled.

"Good to see you too."

He climbed aboard and the two men started off.

"Thanks for keeping him for me," Buck said, looking down at Bucket.

"It was no trouble," Bob replied. "I was glad to do it."

"So this is the afterlife?"

"Well, it's different for everyone. We all see what we want to see I guess. You and I just happened to see similar things because it's what we both wanted to see, I guess. I haven't really figured much of it out yet myself. You know, they call death the `great mystery' but it's even more of a mystery after your dead."

"Where are we going, anyway?"

"There's a cabin just over the ridge here. " He nodded to a small rise in front of them that descended down out of site."You should enjoy it. A lot of trees, plenty of game, stream close by."

"You hunt here? And fish?"

"Well you've got to have some sort of recreation even when you're dead. You can't spend all your time in the other world. "

"Well you seem to spend a lot of time in it."

"Well, I used to, but not much anymore. Benton doesn't seem to need me as much these days."

"You know, for some reason, he and Julie just seem?right?for each other. They're good for each other it seems. But even if nothing comes of it?"

"I'm hoping it will. I might actually have a chance at getting some grandchildren that way."

"Well I'm going to try not to interfere in things. I'd like to see her again, though."

"Are you saying I was wrong for advising Benton?" Bob asked questioningly, a slight tinge of anger barely detectable in his voice.

"No," Buck answered, shaking his head and hoping he hadn't made Bob angry "Sometimes giving advice is helpful. I think it's just important to know when to help and when to stay out of things."

"You're probably right." The anger was gone from his voice now. " I got the impression that I was just making things worse and that all I was doing was being annoying. Didn't realize it at the time though. Well, here we are." He nodded towards a cabin they were approaching.

Both men dismounted and tied up the horses. The cabin was an older rustic looking type that reminded Buck of the one he'd used when he was alive. There was a low wooden porch and, as he stepped up onto it, he could see the glow of the lights inside.

Inside, the cabin has a familiar, warm feel to it. There was a fireplace on the far side and what appeared to be a bearskin on the floor. There was also a moose head up on the wall. Toward the back was a table, a small bed-Buck wondered about that one?.did dead people sleep?-and a couple of wooden chairs.

As he looked around the cabin, he could feel his heart pounding. He could see her standing there, looking just like he remembered her. The long golden blond hair, the soft, pale blue eyes that seemed to sparkle as she smiled, the delicately featured face?it was almost like stepping back in time. He could still remember how painful to him her death had been and how much he'd missed her. She'd died of cancer as well, a little over 20 years prior. He remembered it clearly because she'd found out while he was laid up with his stab wound from Geiger. His long illness had been so much more difficult because he remembered how much she'd been through before she died. The searing pain had gone away, but the dull ache had always been there. Seeing her again made him happier than he'd been in a long time.

"Tina?"

She fell into his arms and they hugged for what seemed like an eternity.

" I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too. I knew I'd see you again."

"It hurt seeing you like that. I wish I could've been there in person?.I mean, I was there, but you never saw me. I wish you had but it didn't work, " she said, tears forming in her eye. "I'm glad
you're home now."

"I wish I could have seen you," he answered. "It would have made things easier. There were so many times I wished you were alive. I felt so alone. I think I'd have been lost without Julie and Patty. Benton was a big help too."

"We talked a couple of times. Julie wished Patty could've seen me, too, but it didn't work out that way."

Buck nodded. The girl had never seen her grandmother and he thought it would be nice if she could.

"She can see you?"

"I don't know how, but she could. I think she enjoyed the talks. I know they made her feel a lot better."

"Maybe, if it works, we can both go see her?.I think she'd like it. I know she was taking this pretty hard."

Tina nodded."I have faith in her though. And at least, as you say, she's not alone."

The talk did make Buck feel a bit better. He glanced around the room, looking at things more closely than when he'd first come in.

He could see other familiar faces as well. His parents were there and so were Bob's. He exchanged greetings and hugs with them. It'd been at least thirty years since he'd seen his father, a Mountie himself, who'd died in the line of duty when Buck was young. He'd always been closer to his mother, but he was very excited about seeing both of them again. He hadn't known George and Martha quite as well as Bob and Caroline, but they had been a part of his life too. He could
remember visiting with them when he sometimes brought Julie over to play with Benton.

Caroline was there too. Buck thought it was good that she and Bob had finally been able to rejoin each other again. He thought back on their brief dating stint and the `Great Yukon Double Douglas Fir Telescoping Bank Shot.' He had missed the shot on purpose, but he'd never admit it to Bob. He knew it was Bob she was in love with and that he could never have made her as happy as he did. Besides, he'd never have met Tina if he'd married her.

The Frasers weren't his family, but he and Bob had been so close-like brothers-that they seemed like family. He now felt like he was truly home. He still worried about Julie, but he knew that she could make it. She wasn't alone now. He knew Benton would help her through her grief. And, later on, he would go back and see her.