Secrets 2: Looking Through Different Eyes

“Isaac and Jacob, my old friends,” Captain Jack said as we walked up to the Cessna.  “How nice to see you, and I see you’re bringing the boys with you on this trip.”

“It’s nice to see you as well,” Pops replied in greeting.  “The boys are with us because the job we started last year when we all flew with you wasn’t completed, so we’re back to tie up a few loose ends.” 

“Then I hope you’re able to accomplish whatever you have left to do.”

“Did you just land here before we arrived?” Gramps followed. 

“Actually, Jacob, we flew in last night.  I just took the first shuttle from the hotel to get here, because I wanted to make certain those in charge did everything I requested after we landed.”

“What did you ask them to do?” Devin blurted out.

“I requested the cleaning crew wipe down the seats and tables, as well as vacuum the carpet, because the passengers on our last flight were a little rowdy and made a mess.  I also asked the mechanic to do a visual inspection of the jet to make sure there weren’t any other problems, and I wanted the ground crew to top off the fuel tank.  That way we’d be ready to go as soon as you arrived.”  

As we were chatting, one of the ground crew asked if they could take our luggage, so he could put everything in the cargo hold, and as he was doing that, another shuttle arrived with Tony and Jan. 

“Isaac and Jacob, how nice to see you again,” Tony said in greeting.  “And if my memory is correct, this is Devin and Michael.  It’s nice to see you two as well.”

“And I’d like to echo Tony’s comments,” Jan quickly added, “and as soon as we stow our travel bags, we’ll get you all situated so we can take off.”

Each of us said it was nice to see them too, and a few minutes later Jan appeared at the jet’s door and signaled for us to come aboard.  “I believe you all know the drill, so just take a seat and buckle in.  As soon as you’re ready, I’ll remind you of the flight safety rules and then I’ll notify Captain Jack and First Officer Tony that we’re ready to take off.”

Once the jet was in the air, Jan asked what we’d like to drink.  While she was getting those things, Tony came out and asked a question.  “Devin and Michael, if you’re interested, I’ll let you take turns sitting in my seat in the cockpit and I’ll stand in the doorway, just in case we have to switch places quickly.  Captain Jack will fill you in about everything you’ll need to know and answer any questions you might have.”

“Sounds great,” we both agreed, and then I urged Devin to go first. 

After Jan brought our drinks, we suggested that she take Devin’s seat so we could chat.  Seeing Captain Jack had mentioned how rowdy and messy the passengers on their previous flight had been, we asked Jan for the details. 

“It was a group of Kappa Delta Rho fraternity brothers from two different colleges.  They told me they’re the incoming officers from their respective fraternities and we took them to the Kappa Delta Rho National Conference in California.”  

“How did you end up transporting a bunch of frat brothers on the jet?” I asked.

“It was arranged by a member of the board of directors for the group that owns this jet.  From what I heard, he’s an alumni of Kappa Delta Rho fraternity and he arranged for us to take the officers from two different colleges to the national convention.  One of the groups was from Ohio State University, since that was the University that he’d graduated from, and we also picked up another group from Ohio University, since his wife had graduated from there.”

“I can see where those groups might have gotten out of hand,” Gramps commented.  “I remember how rowdy some of the frat parties got when I was in college.”

“The guys were excited during the trip when we took them there, but they didn’t cause any problems.  On the return trip, however, their benefactor made sure we had beer for them on the jet, since they were all upper classmen and at least 21-years-old, but allowing them alcohol didn’t help the situation.  To tell you the truth, I suspected that some of them had been drinking before they got on the jet as well, and many of them were also smoking cigars, and I can’t stand the smell of cigar smoke.”

“That must have been hard on you then, being stuck in this enclosed cabin with several of them smoking,” I commiserated.  

“Yes, and there was no place I could go to get away from the smoke.  At least Captain Jack and Tony could close the door to the cockpit and not have to deal with the smoke.”

“Too bad you couldn’t have gone in there with them,” I stated. 

“There isn’t enough room to do that, unless you leave the door to the cockpit open, and then they would have had to deal with the smoke as well.  They told me later that they couldn’t smell the cigar smoke, since it wasn’t leaking into the cockpit, so they didn’t realize how bad the problem was.”

“Why did Captain Jack say those guys were messy?” Gramps asked. 

“First of all, they were getting cigar ashes on the tables, seats, and carpet, plus they were using the coasters I gave them to set their bottles on like frisbees and they were flying all over the cabin.  They were also wadding up the napkins and throwing them at each other, so by the time we landed there were balled up napkins, coasters, and cigar ashes everywhere.  At least they used the ashtrays to butt out their cigars when they were done.”

“I guess they weren’t totally inconsiderate then,” I added sarcastically. 

“That certainly explains everything,” Pops agreed, “and I’m sorry you had to put up with all of that.  I hope the crew makes sure the guy that arranged the flight knows exactly what those guys were like.”

“I think Captain Jack is going to report it to the owners of the jet.  I was just happy to learn that you guys had booked this flight, because I knew it would be a lot better than the last one.”

“Yeah, we try not to do stuff like that,” I concurred.

Shortly after Jan finished telling us her story, Devin returned and I went up to take my turn in the co-pilot’s chair.  Captain Jack asked how things were going with Jan, so I told him that she explained about the rowdy frat guys on their previous trip.

“Yes, I felt badly that she had to put up with all of that,” he followed, “so I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“I’m going to advise the owners of this jet to only allow people to book flights for business related purposes.”

“Yes, that should make a difference,” I agreed, even though our trip wasn’t exactly business related either, but he didn’t know that.

“Now, how would you like to try flying the jet?”

After telling him that I didn’t know how to fly a plane, let alone a jet, he told me that he’d explain everything that I’d need to do.  Since I was fairly certain that he’d be able to take over control of the jet if I did anything wrong, I agreed.  Besides, Tony was standing directly behind me, and I was sure he’d be able to jump in if I got into trouble. 

“Did you let Devin do this?”

“Yes, we gave him the same opportunity that we’re giving you, and he seemed more eager to do it.”

“I’m sure he was thrilled that you were offering to let him do it.  Did he tell you that he’s taking a dual major in mechanical and aerospace engineering and wants to design the spaceships that will go to Mars and maybe some other places as well.”

“Yes, he told us all about his majors and his hopes for the future,” Captain Jack confirmed.  “What’s your major?”

“I have a dual major as well, but mine is mathematics and software engineering.”

“You two are very ambitious, since you’re both taking a dual major in subjects that aren’t exactly easy.”

“It’s what we were interested in and what we want to do.”

I eventually had to go back and rejoin the others before we landed, because Tony needed to be sitting in the co-pilot’s chair.  It was another smooth touchdown on the tarmac, and before we exited the jet, we said goodbye to the crew and reminded them that we’d see them again on the return trip.  While they were taking care of the things they needed to do before they left the plane, we went to get our gear that had been placed in the cargo hold.  As soon as we had everything, Devin asked Gramps a question. 

“Where’s the SUV you rented for us to use?  The last time it was parked right over there, kinda where that van and trailer are parked now.”

“Actually, that’s what we’ll be using this year.”

“You rented a van?” Devin asked in disbelief. 

“Yes, and it’s not merely a van!  It’s a Winnebago Solis Class B Camper Van,” Gramps responded.  “Since we’ll be doing this as ourselves this summer, I’ve arranged for us to have a few more comforts.  The camper van sleeps four, has a toilet and two places where we can shower, one inside and the other outside the van, and a two-burner stove where we can fix our meals.”

“I’m glad to hear that!” Devin responded.

“I knew you would be.  You see, while you boys were on the trip with Mac’s parents, I took a commercial flight here so I could make the arrangements for everything that you see, and even what you don’t see yet.  I purchased all of the items we’d need and loaded them inside the trailer myself, because I thought we’d be leaving to come here as soon as you boys returned.  I just didn’t realize at the time that we’d be going to the reservation first, so we’d be arriving her later than I first thought.”

“So, you’re having to rent the van and trailer longer because we went to the reservation first?”

“Yes, but that’s not a big deal.  What concerned me was whether the rental company here carried the Winnebago or if I’d have to rent some other type of van.”

“Aren’t they all pretty much the same?” Devin asked.

“Some are better than others, but what concerned me is that when I was doing research on RVs, I discovered that many of them had a portable induction cooktop, rather than any actual burners.  I didn’t know what an induction cooktop was, so I had to do even more research to find out more about it.” 

“It doesn’t surprise me, because I’d never heard of them either,” I confirmed.

“Eventually, I discovered they were different than the propane stove that I was used to.  They would cook the meals faster, and that would be an advantage, but I’d have to learn a whole new way of doing things.  That’s because the articles said that using an induction cooktop requires you to develop a rhythm and pace of cooking that I wasn’t used to.  I was afraid that I couldn’t learn in time and would ruin our meals, so I brought the propane stove that I used on our fishing trip with me when I came here.  And since I have the propane stove here as well, if I decide not to use the two-burner stove in the van, then we can always take the propane stove outside and cook our meals there.”

“Ok, so what’s with the trailer that’s hooked up behind the van?” Devin followed.

“I arranged for the 4x6 foot (1.2x1.8 m) enclosed cargo trailer as well, rather than taking up a lot of the space inside the camper van.”

“Do we really need a trailer?” 

“Yes, we do,” Gramps replied.  “Even though the camper van has a lot of storage space, there were a lot of items that I planned on bringing with us, and I didn’t want the camper van to get too crowded.”

“So, the cargo trailer already has all that stuff inside?” I asked.

“Yes!  I purchased those things while I was here and packed nearly everything in the trailer myself and locked it up.”

“But will you be able to get the camper van and trailer close enough to the cave so we’ll be able to use those things you just told us about?”

“Yes, because the van sits on a Ram chassis, so it’s capable of off-roading and perfect for what we need.  While I was here, I did a lot more than just renting the van and trailer and buying the things we’d need.  I went back to the cave and recorded the GPS coordinates for its location, so we won’t have to search for it.  I even checked out some utility roads when I got there to find a suitable parking spot close to the cave so this would work for us, and I found a location about a mile from the cave.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Devin responded. 

“Doesn’t sound too bad?” Gramps challenged.  “I think it sounds pretty damn good.”  

“Ok, but was this the only color the van came in?”

“No, it also comes in bright white, bright silver, and cherry red, but I decided this color wouldn’t stand out where we’ll be going.  This color is called ceramic grey and I felt it would blend into the background and shadows better.”

“Ok, it seems that you thought all of this out.”

“Thank you, and since we won’t have much time to do anything at the cave today, I’ll use the time to give you a tour of the van and explain the various features that you might be interested in.”

“Sounds good to me,” I agreed, and then he showed us where we’d sit while we were traveling. 

Gramps and Pops each had a Captain’s chair that would swivel around when Gramps wasn’t driving.  Devin and I were going to sit in two jump seats that were located behind the driver’s chair and the gap between the passenger’s chair, and our seats were equipped with three-point safety belts as well.  There was also a table we could hook up between all of our of seats that we could use when we were eating our meals or if we wanted to play cards or a game. 

“I’m going to drive out to the location now, so take your seats and fasten your safety belts.  I’ll explain the other features to you when we reach our destination.”

“Damn, with all the screens and dials to help you drive, you might have as much technology as Captain Jack has on the jet,” Devin stated when Gramps started the van.  

“Yes, and that’s why this area in an RV is called the cockpit and where I’m sitting is referred to as the pilot seat and my dad is sitting in the co-pilot seat.  I’ll try to show you what some of these dials and gadgets do as we make our way to the cave.”

I was surprised that Devin’s and my seats turned out to be so comfortable, even when we got off the paved roads and started taking dirt utility roads to get closer to the cave.  We bounced around a bit, but it left no bruises, so all was good. 

Eventually, Gramps reached the area he’d told us about, and it was fairly flat area just off the dirt trail that he’d been following.  The location was large enough to accommodate the van and trailer, so after he pulled over, parked, and turned off the ignition, he turned to us and spoke. 

“As I said earlier, the cave is about a mile away, in that direction,” and then he pointed so we’d know which direction we’d have to go when heading there.  “For now, however, I want to show you the various features on the van. 

“First of all, there’s plenty of storage areas, such as the drawers and various cubbyholes,” and as he mentioned those items he would open them so we could see what they were like.  “There are also several overhead storage bins as well, and the neat thing about these areas is that the doors are magnetic and will temporarily fasten to the roof of the van until you’re ready to lower it.”   

“That is neat,” Devin and I agreed as he’d demonstrated that point for us to observe.

“There are also USB ports so we can charge our phones and you can charge your laptop,” he informed us as he pointed out a few of those areas as well.  “And if you look on the floor in front of where you were sitting earlier, you’ll notice the hatch for a padded storage area where you can keep your laptop when it’s not in use.”

“That’s great, but Is there any reception out here and will we have time to use our phones or the laptop while we’re here?”

“Yes, there is some reception out here, but you might want to use your phones at night to play games or music, and you might also want to use your laptop for other reasons as well.”

“Maybe, if we’re not too tired,” Devin mumbled.

“And this is the toilet and indoor shower area,” Gramps stated while ignoring Devin’s comment.  

“Oh, yeah.  You said there was an outdoor shower hook up as well,” I stated. 

“Yes, there is,” and then he showed us where that was located.

“What’s this ladder for?” I asked after I spotted an aluminum ladder stored along the floor and fastened against the interior with bungy cords. 

“It’s a 16-foot (4.9 m) extension ladder.  I plan on using it on the rubble pile in the cave when I need to get to the top of that area to open up a path to get to the other side.”

“I don’t get it.  How will this ladder help you do that?”

“It’s because you’re not mechanically oriented, but I’m sure Devin has figured it out.  Do you remember last year when I climbed up that pile and almost immediately caused a lot of debris to start cascading down to the bottom?”

“Yeah, so what’s that got to do with the ladder?”

“If I lay the ladder over that mess and then use the rungs to walk up to where I need to work, the ladder will disperse my weight so it won’t cause the loose debris to slide down the pile again.”

“Ok, I get it now.”

“Good, then I’ll get back to telling you about the van and I’ll show you the sleeping areas next.  At the back of the van, above where that ladder is located, is the area where my dad and I will sleep.  There’s a semi-Murphy bed there that folds up out of the way when not in use.”  He then showed us how it folded down and where he and Pops would sleep. 

“That’s neat and it looks like it will be fairly comfortable for both of you as well.”

“That’s what we’re counting on.  Now, I’ll show you where you two will sleep.” 

He took us back to the front of the van, and as soon as we were just behind the cockpit, he reached up and pulled something down from a storage area located just above where Devin and I had been sitting.  It was a ladder that he quickly fastened into place.  He then stepped on one of the lower rungs of the ladder to help him reach up and released the pop top feature on the van. 

“This is what I like to call the pop-up tent that creates an additional sleeping area that you boys will use.  You’ll have plenty of ventilation up there and there are mesh coverings over all of the windows to keep the bugs out, if you choose to open them.  There are also a privacy covering on each of the windows that you can zip shut to block out the light or when you just want some privacy.  In fact, all of the windows in the van, except for the windshield, also have privacy coverings.  There’s even a large mesh covering just inside the rear doors, in case we want to open them for added ventilation.  Why don’t you head up the ladder so you can check out your sleeping area.”

Devin and I eagerly accepted his invitation and headed up the ladder.  I think we were both surprised by how roomy it was, and once we laid down on the mattress, we found that it was comfortable as well. 

“And there’s a great view through the mesh screen on the other side of where we climbed up here, as well as on either side of the mattress.”

“Yeah, so if it’s hot out we can open those windows and get plenty of fresh air and great ventilation.”

Now that we’d checked out our sleeping area, we went back to chat with Gramps and Pops.  “We love the pop-up tent,” I announced.  “It’s great up there.”

“Just don’t rock the van and keep us awake while you’re making love,” Pops warned with a smirk.

“Then don’t go to sleep too early, like old people tend to do,” Devin shot back. 

“Jacob, you should have arranged for a regular tent as well, so the boys could have slept in that whenever they wanted to have sex.”

“Sorry, I didn’t think of that,” Gramps replied.

“You still haven’t told us what things you stored in the cargo trailer,” I said before they kept it up about me and Devin having sex.

“There are cases of bottled water and all of the food and various tools that I purchased, along with some other supplies that we’ll need.  In fact, I just remembered that there should be a cooler in there with some perishable items.  That’s because I asked the guy that I rented the van and trailer from to place the cooler inside the trailer after it was delivered by the grocery store and before he dropped everything off at the airport.”  

“How long has he had the cooler?” Devin asked. 

“He probably received shortly before he drove them here.  I ordered those things online from the same store where I bought the rest of the food, and I had them deliver it to the rental place this morning.  I’m glad you reminded me about the cooler being in the trailer when you asked about what was in there, so let’s go get the cooler and bring it inside so we can put those items in the refrigerator and freezer.”

“Won’t using the refrigerator drain the batteries on the van, since it will be using power when the van’s not running?”

“No, because the van comes equipped with a solar panel that’s built into the roof of your sleeping area, and there’s also a gas generator that we can use to recharge the van’s batteries each evening.  That also means we’ll be able to have some better meals during the first couple of weeks, before we have to start using the dehydrated meals and canned food.” 

“Ok, then let’s go get that cooler,” Devin urged.

When Gramps started to unlock the trailer, I asked a question.  “How did you get the key back, if that guy had it when he put the cooler inside?”

“I left the key for the padlock on the key chain for the van when I was here before.  That way whoever had the keys for the van would also have the key for the trailer.”

“Ok, that was smart.”

Before we grabbed the cooler, Devin and I had an opportunity to look around at some of the things that were stored in the trailer first.  And before Gramps locked the trailer again, he and Pops each grabbed a couple of grocery bags, and then we carried all of those items to the van.

Once we were inside, we started taking the items out of the cooler and placed them in the fridge, starting with two dozen eggs, a couple of gallons of milk, and two packages of butter sticks.  There were also packages of ground beef, hot dogs, ham slices, chicken breasts, strip steaks, and fish fillets, and Gramps had us put some of those items in the freezer, so they’d keep longer. 

The grocery bags that Gramps and Pops had carried contained some muffins, sweet rolls, a couple of loaves of bread, and hamburger and hot dog buns.  It seemed as if we were all set now, so I asked a question. 

“Do we have time to go to the cave, because I want to see if anything has changed since last year?  Do you think anyone has been in there after we left?”

“Not that I could tell, because it looked the same to me,” Gramps replied, “but we can go check it out, if you want.  It will be good for you to get to see how far away it is and have an idea about how to get there on your own.  We might as well take the ladder with us, so if you two don’t mind, would you carry it for me.”

“Yeah, it’s aluminum, so I’m sure it’s pretty light,” Devin agreed. 

After we unhooked the ladder and carried it outside, Gramps locked up the van.  I carried the front of the ladder while Devin carried the rear, and we followed Gramps and Pops to the cave.

“Just keep your eyes open and look for landmarks that can guide you back and forth in the future,” Pops suggested.  “There might be times when we have to send you back to the van to get something.”

“Yeah, that won’t be a problem,” Devin and I agreed.

As soon as we reached the cave, Gramps had us set the ladder on the debris pile, and then he walked up the rungs to see if it was going to work the way he’d planned.  Satisfied, he came back down to join us. 

“Tomorrow, we’ll bring the tools with us so I can start trying to open up a path through the top of the pile, so we’ll all be able to get through to the other side.”

“You should be able to do that, because we can all transitioned into mice, so it won’t have to be a very large opening,” Devin suggested.  I merely looked at him and grimaced, because he seemed to either be overlooking or ignoring an important fact.  

“Maybe not for us, but I’ve also prepared a bag that we’ll need to take through the opening as well.  It contains flashlights and flares that I put in there so we’ll be able to look around when we get to the other side, and the bag is considerably larger than a mouse.” 

“Oh, ok.  I wasn’t thinking about anything like that.”

“And if there is treasure on the other side,” Pops followed, “we’ll also need a larger opening so we can bring the treasure out.”

“Yeah, it appears I was only thinking about us getting through to the other side and not about taking things over there to use or bringing any treasure out.”

“But that’s the entire purpose of this little adventure, so those aren’t things we can overlook,” Gramps emphasized.  

“Yeah, I know and you got me there.  So, how big of a hole do you think you’ll need to make in order to get that bag through to the other side?”  

“I’d say the bag is about a foot (30.5 cm) square, so the opening will have to be slightly larger than that, so the bag doesn’t get caught on anything on the way through.”

“Then it would have to be a lot larger than a mouse hole,” I agreed. 

“And if the hole is larger than that, maybe we could go through there as a larger animal as well, like a gopher, a ferret, or even a house cat,” Devin followed. 

“Yes, but I’m still not sure that you’ll be able to transition into something that small, not with all that hardware in your shoulder,” Gramps pointed out. 

“Fuck, I forgot all about that, but I want to try, because I don’t want to miss out on finding the treasure.”

“If there is any treasure,” Pops pointed out.  “We think there might be, but we aren’t positive about that.”

“I know, but I don’t want to miss out on being there if there is treasure.”

“I know you’d prefer to be able to go into the other part of the cave if it was possible,” Gramps stated, “but it will all depend on whether or not you’re able to transition into one of the animals we just mentioned.”

“I’ll practice later, when we’re back at the van.  There must be some way I can do it.”

“Devin, the doctor showed me the plate before he used it to fix your shoulder and it was pretty large,” I pointed out, “so I can’t imagine any way you can work it into an animal as small as a gopher, ferret, or a house cat.”

“I’ve gotta try.”

“Devin, it’s going to be like trying to fit your size 10 feet into a pair of size 7 shoes.  It’s not going to work.”  I hated to be the one to rain on his parade, but someone had to convince him that he wouldn’t be able to do this.

“What am I supposed to do then?”

“I’m sure Gramps and Pops will find something for you to do that will be just as important as going into the other part of the cave.  If you want, I’ll even stay on this side with you.” 

“No, I’m not going to make you miss out on finding the treasure just because I can’t do it.” 

“Ok, then after we graduate, we’ll go look for another treasure that you’ll be able to do without transitioning into a small animal.”  

“Ok, but as soon as we get back to school, I’m going to go see the doctor that operated on me and tell him that he needs to remove all that metal out of my shoulder.” 

“He said he wouldn’t do it unless there was a medical reason for doing so.” 

“Then I’ll give him one.  I’ll tell him that the metal is irritating the muscles and other tissue in that area and it’s creating a constant burning and itching sensation.” 

“And how are you going to pull that off?”

“I’ll do it, you just wait and see.”

After we went back to the van, Gramps fixed something for us to eat, but Devin didn’t eat very much, at least not as much as he normally would.  That was a sure sign that he wasn’t acting like himself, but it wasn’t the only difference that I noticed.  Later that night when we went up to our sleeping area, I was planning for us to make love, but Devin said he wasn’t in the mood and rolled over on his side, turning away from me. 

That was definitely a troubling sign, so I was definitely going to have to figure a way to snap him out of this mood, because there was no way I’ll be able to deal with him if he’s going to be like this until we returned to Colorado.