Crane Fields
Twelve hours later and David is sitting next to Gahein on an airplane. Above in the storage compartment is the luggage he managed to scrape together at the last moment; a change of clothing, a coat, and what ever toiletries he could find. His camera bag rests underneath the seat. He spends the length of the plane ride listening to Gahein talk about his book. He feels obligated to listen, a free trip to Greenland couldn't have come at a better time. Gahein is practically his savior. The chance to escape to a foreign land, given at the pinnacle of madness. A special brand of contentment settles in; the normally frothing sea of thought in David's brain has quieted to the tune of jet engines soaring over an ocean of clouds. There is magic abound in the air.
Gahein's book is about an industrial worker who endures the harsh weather conditions of a northern climate. The purpose of the writing itself is to investigate the relationship between human and nature, and the adaptive qualities of the spirit under duress. David can't help but think such extremes exist in urban life as well, and suddenly considers the logistics of his trip. Cornered by circumstance and desperation, the choice to leave with Gahein was, at the time, the only viable option, but now he wonders if it'll be worth it, what it will accomplish. He absent mindedly toys with his camera. It will be his reason for adventure, his purpose in the field, the golden ticket that got him here in the first place.
His thoughts are interrupted by Gahein.
"I suppose I should tell you what the actual schedule is. We're being picked up from the airport by two old friends of mine, Averna and Thalia. Thalia's the one who told me about the abandoned power plant and got us permission to look at a coal yard. Both of these places sound fantastic by the way they were described over the phone. I'm going to want to spend as much time as possible in the both of them, which is why you're on dedicated camera duty. We need tons of photographs for reference. Were hiking from town to the power plant, that'll be the longer trip of the two. We can drive to the coal yard easily enough though."
David decides that he's going to ask for the window seat on the flight back, Gahein isn't even looking outside.
A rough plane landing wakes David up from his sleep. The two of them step out onto the tarmac with bags in hand. A man is staring at them, ushering them with hand motions towards a door in the airport. David stares back at him, not moving, squinting in the sunlight. Greenland is melting, great patches of brown and green can be seen through the snow, dotting the hills beyond the fence of the landing track. The man waving his hands shouts, "Come on, lets go, we've got to get you inside." David shuffles after Gahein. The wind nips at his face and smells oddly like a mojito, melting ice cubes and blueberries. As he pushes through the door, the air goes flat and still, but remains just as chilly. The hallway opens onto a reception lobby full of plastic chairs set up in rows. There are small crowds gathering wherever they can find room, and further back, people are dispersed, following other hallways to other lobbies. Gahein waves for David's attention. He's standing close to two women near the windows.
Averna and Thalia both greet him with handshakes and welcomes. They have a car outside in the parking lot, and both have a respective job to return to, so they leave the airport immediately, apologizing for not having the time to catch a drink. Greenland passes outside of their windows as they drive to the apartment. The landscape seems much dirtier than it was near the airport, most noticeably in the build up of black snow lining every curb side. Salt has been spread over every surface, as they would if they were sterilizing fertile ground, to kill the crops and prevent new growth. The air smells like salt. Maybe salt is what they thought they needed. A bland soup gets salt, a bland town, full of bland people and buildings gets salt as well. They used too much.
Today, it's a chance to tour, to sleep, to prepare for tomorrow's adventure. David and Gahein are left in the apartment with a spare key and a fridge full of condiments and milk. David sits at the kitchen table, smoking a cigarette, taking in his new surroundings. The floor is made up of thin strips of wood that creak in protest to any amount of weight. The sink is brass, framed by a windowsill lined with blue painted wood and no curtains. A few knobs are missing from the cabinetry. The fridge has rounded edges and large handles. There are a few pictures under magnet. Averna, Thalia, and someone unknown live here, roommates who are letting him and Gahein sleep on the couch in order to observe the scenes of an industrial worker who lives in his coat like a second layer of skin.
In the living room, he moves a few bags to the floor and lies down. He'll keep his eyes open until his cigarette is finished, then it's time for sleep. The whole apartment is filled with natural light. Every window seems to magnify the sun, casting enormous golden rays onto the furniture, along the surface of the television covered in dust, scattering beams across the floor, falling into the shadow of each individual crack of wood. David's eyes close, and his eyelids warm themselves in the light. His cigarette is extinguished, he rests easily, a smile on his face. This place will take care of him.
His eyes open. The light is exactly the same as when he closed them, but on the couch opposite of his, blankets are tossed aside as if someone had just gotten out of bed. There's stirring in the kitchen, the wood floors are creaking and the coffee pot is brewing. David rubs crust from his eyes, stirs his legs into motion, and peeks into the kitchen. Gahein is there, with notebooks scattered across the table. A day has passed already.
Over coffee, the two of them discuss plans. It'll be basic information gathering all day, stopping into town, doing a little bit of shopping, walking the fields around the apartment, and then they visit the coal yard at sundown. Tomorrow, Thalia will show them where the power plant is.
The day passes quickly. The salt isn't as bothersome as it was yesterday, and the air seems a bit healthier than back in the city. There are actual smells, scents of the melting snow, churned black dirt and gravel. Fewer cars fill the road, shorter buildings let the sun through onto the sidewalk, and the same thin wood floors seem to be everywhere, in every small trinket shop, bakery, and restaurant they visit. These places remind him of the apartment they're staying in, although it's hard to imagine an industrial worker frequenting somewhere so cozy and charming. It seems wrong to bring it up to Gahein, so he doesn't, afraid it would be like asking to go somewhere less inviting for the day.
As the sun sets, David is preparing his camera bag. It's started snowing heavily outside, but the temperature remains entirely bearable. If he didn't already know, it would seem impossible to determine whether it was late Fall, Winter, or early Spring, the way the sun was shining earlier, compared to the nasty blizzard now forming.
They all pile into the car, David, Gahein, Thalia and Averna. It's a short distance to the coal yard, but they have to drive very slowly through the snow. The headlights can see little but the mad zigzagging pattern of the blizzard. They come to a stop in a small parking lot. There's one van, covered in snow, and a path that leads to a gate.
"You'll want to head down that way, squeeze through the gate, and then you're in. There are a few loading cranes on site you can climb on, just follow the tracks. Call us if you need anything, or if you want to be picked up again, but I don't think you'll have any trouble walking back to our place."
Gahein leans forward from his seat. "I thought we had permission to be here, why are we squeezing through a gate?"
"No one said you can't be here, that should be permission enough. You'll have no trouble in the weather, I promise you that much."
With scarves up and bags saddled, David and Gahein watch the car drive off, and then make their way towards the fence. Standing under a single street lamp, they have their faces against the chain link, staring at the expanse of snow that lies before them. In the distance, there are clusters of orange light, gathered in strange patterns hovering above the ground. Multiple signs are labeled "No Trespassing." Some go into detail concerning the maximum punishment allowable by law for breaking this single rule. David slips through the gate with camera in hand, grabs Gahein's bag, and passes it back to him after he gets through.
They plod through the thickening snow, keeping an eye out for security, moving from one bit of cover to the next until they reach train tracks. The lights in the distance are beginning to take shape. They come in and out of focus as the snow swirls, settles, and spins back into the air again. They trust Averna and Thalia, but the ground behind them is covered in obvious foot prints, leading to the only exit they know of. They are exposed, standing in the middle of the yard, or where they imagine the middle must be. If the blizzard stops, they agree to run back to the gate as quickly as possible, although neither of them think it will.
A couple hundred yards out, and the lights come into full view. A massive loading crane is perched at the end of the tracks, glowing in the snow. David can make out ladders and stairs, a main deck, even a little control booth, and immediately wants nothing more in the world than to climb onto that monstrous beast. He sets up his camera and shields the lens with his body. This photo is his approach, along the tracks, staying low, finding someway onto the crane, and climbing as high as he can.
