Word had come from on high about the wreckage in Section Nine. They were finally ready to clear it, the last of what the war left.

After so long, and in such a remote place, nobody wanted to touch it. That’s when the pay got bumped up and suddenly everyone was raring to go. But we were the first ones to book tickets.

Niecy knew it was the payout we needed, so she couldn’t say no. I don’t think she wanted to, either. It was a lot of money for only a year’s worth of work in this tundra, scrapping away at these frozen, old ships. We had both done worse for less. Still, that didn’t make it easier.

“Ashe!” I heard Mr. Engall roar on his way from the trailer.

“Yes sir?” I cut the power to my saw, turned toward him, and lifted my goggles. Facing the wind now, I felt the cold stab at my cheeks.

“Niecy on the line for you. You can take it in the trailer. Just be quick.” Engall played the part of a hard man, but all the workers knew that he was big-hearted and soft to the touch.

I packed my saw carefully and responded, “Thanks sir, will do.” I started the trudge towards the trailer, then heard Engall call out once again.

“Hey, tell her to come in a half hour early, Johnson wanted her to see about the aero-plate in the systems’ bay.” Engall threw his request out like Niecy might not desperately want that now-extra half hour, but they had already signed up for the whole gamut, and he knew it had to get done.

“I’ll let her know, Boss.”

***

I opened the door to the trailer, shook the snow from my feet before walking in, and pressed the button for the blinking receiver on the wall.

“Hey, Ni, it’s me. What’s up?” I began to de-Velcro, then unzip my reddish-orange snow jumper, feeling warm under its insulated layers.

“Hey, so Arno’s feeling a little feverish and I gave him medicine and food, but it didn’t really help much. So I called the doctor in town and they said they would see him, but their soonest availability is during my next shift, so you’ll have to take him in.” I felt the heavy weight of silence and expectation in those fleeting moments between her last words and my response. The toughness of Section Nine’s literal never-ending days. Nothing ever fully stopped here, not while the sun was out. I held in a sigh.

“Alright, just leave me the address before you go. Is he okay now?”

“Yeah, he fell asleep a while ago, trying to sleep it off probably.”

“Alright, that’s good, I guess. Oh, Engall wants you to come in a half hour early to see about… the aero-plate, I think?” She knew exactly what I was talking about as soon as I said it, and I felt her squirm across space. Maybe she had felt me do the same seconds before.

“Ugh, that idiot Johnson doesn’t know what he’s doing. You’re lucky Engall’s your supervisor.” I smirked, then let out a chuckle.

“Yeah, I’d have to agree. Listen, I gotta get back. I’ll see you later, give Arno a kiss for me.”

“Will do.” I zipped and Velcro’d myself up before stepping back out into the cold. I steadied myself, took a breath, and opened the door.

***

I worked the remaining hours of my shift as I usually did, uneventfully, listening to music or joking with the few workers I got along with. When the day was done, I hopped in our rented red snowcat, and headed into town.

I picked up some treats for Arno, hoping it might make him feel a bit more comfortable before the doctor visit, and some meat from the butchery for us. I had a seared steak with onions planned. Once I was done shopping, I headed back to the snowy village where all the season’s workers were housed.

As I parked and got out of the cat, groceries in hand, I stared up into the never ending daylight. Hard to tell the time, here, I thought.

I turned the key and fumbled into our round, igloo-shaped condo. I began to place the groceries down in the kitchen, half waiting for a welcome, but none came. Making my way to the living room, I saw our family sleeping without me, Arno in his undersized bed, and Niecy on the couch, sprawled so to nearly be falling off of it, but not, as if gravity didn’t effect her. I smiled and tried to fix her before being unconsciously whacked away, and decided to head back into the kitchen.

I put music on low and started cooking, a gentle acoustic rhythm for a worn man. Arno must have woken, smelled the food, and liked it, because our bear of a dog, sick and all, could not have idled any harder if he had perched up on my head. I fed him some treats, and, seemingly satiated, he wearily returned to his bed in the living room.

I ate alone, letting Niecy have her few hours rest before work. Exhausted, and with more still to be done, I wandered upstairs to the low, second floor bedroom and collapsed. Light peered through the second story windows, but it wasn’t enough to bother me. I was already halfway to sleep.

***

I woke to the heavy licks of Arno’s dense tongue. I checked the time. Niecy was already on her shift. I used the bathroom, went downstairs, and cleaned the kitchen, including Niecy’s cleared plate. No leftovers.

When I checked the time again, it was already closing in on Arno’s appointment. I showered quickly and rushed to get dressed. I put on my work jumper last. Nothing better than insulated layers in the cold. As I leashed Arno and stomped on my boots, I looked to the front door and saw a post-it left there by Niecy.

‘Woke up late. In a rush. Thanks for food!’

— Ni

Yeah, ‘no problem for food,’ I thought, pulling it off the door. I would’ve liked to see her eat it, though. I turned to Arno, flashing the note with a grin.

“What do you think, Arno? You think she liked it?” Arno barked loudly for a sick dog that didn’t bark much. I crumpled the note and threw it away.

“Yeah, me too, bud. Now c’mon. Let’s get you to the doctor.” I opened the door and a harsh cold bared down on us like a wintery spirit with a grudge. But as Arno and I stepped into the sunny, frosted air of Section Nine, the chilling breeze didn’t seem so cold as other days.