All of us felt a little in shock at how our lives and futures had so artfully been cared for and in a daze the process of settling the survivors of Paradise into their new home was begun.
*****
The sun was starting to set over the one side of the crater's rim and finding a moment to take a break from the hard work we'd been engaged in all day I found myself paired off with Kim and Keturah. Admiring the sunset together we noticed the fading sun glint brightly off of the windows of one of the resorts located along the rim.
As if speaking to herself Kim said, "I wonder if they left any chocolate bars lying around."
Seconding her comment I added, "And ice cream."
"What is this chocolate and ice cream you speak of?" Keturah asked curiously.
Both Kim and I looked at her sympathetically as she stood between the two of us completely clueless as to what she was missing out on in life.
"What?" She asked, questioningly glancing from one to the other of us.
All of a sudden a lightbulb seemed to flash in both Kim and I. Kim leaned forward to peer around Keturah to look at me as I did likewise, "Do you think they left the electricity on?"
"If they didn't I bet I can figure out how to turn it back on. I just hope all the ice cream hasn't melted." I responded back with in earnest sincerity.
"Those commercial freezers are pretty well insulated. I bet stuff would stay frozen in there for days regardless of how hot it was outside." Kim responded with helpfully.
"You're right!" I breathed out.
Both of us then sadly came back to reality as our eyes fell along and traced the expansive distance that separated us from our desired culinary nirvanas. The resort was a very long way away.
Morosely we all three leaned back against the wall of the ranger outpost.
"Dessert aside it would be worth it just to have a hot shower right now with a set of clean linens to sleep on for about a week straight." I said mournfully.
Kim groaned and said, "There might even be some left behind clothing with which to make some decent clothes out of."
"Now I could go for even that!" Keturah commented with in emphasis.
Kim's husband had come up unnoticed by the three of us and upon clearing his throat all of us looked over to him. Wearing a bit of a mischievous look about him he asked, "Any of you ladies interested in getting a bath and maybe something cleaner to wear?"