Chapter Five: Good Things Come in Cold Packages

"Alice J.! Can you come on over and help me untie these fishing lines?" Alice's dad said.

Alice's eyes darted open, looking back and forth. Her heart raced and she could feel cold sweets covering her body.

"Alice J.?" Cara whispered,"Alice J.? Can you hear me? You awake honey?"

Alice sat up and turned herself toward her roommate. The woman had lit a candle and they could see each other faintly in the low light.

"I uh, I had a nightmare," Alice replied.

"I figured. You look like you ran a marathon in your sleep," Cara said, adjusting herself on the bed she lay in.

Alice lay back down, pulling the covers over herself and closed her eyes shut once more. Before she could drift back to bed, she forced herself to ask the question that had been eating her curiosity for weeks now.

"Tell me how you met him," She said.

"Your dad? You want me to tell you now? At like, 3'o'clock in the morning?"

"Please. Tell me something about him. Anything."

Cara sighed, realizing she wouldn't get to sleep again any time soon.

"Well, we went to school together, for one. Saw him my first day of kindergarten. He pulled my braid, although he claimed it was an accident and that he was only curious. I still think to this day that he was dared to by his brother Vince."

"My dad had a brother?" Alice said, surprised.

"You didn't know that? Your dad must've kept a lot from you. Guess I can't blame him, he probably shoved it all deep down after the s**t everyone's been through."

"He never told me anything about him. He was fine when I asked general questions, like what movie theaters were like or what ice cream tasted like."

"You want some ice cream?" Cara asked.

"What? Really?" Alice sat up in her bed, eager for Cara's reply.

"Really." Cara sat up too, pulling the covers off her legs.

"How?" Alice followed Cara to the door. She opened it ever so slightly and started tiptoeing down the hall.

Cara led Alice to the kitchen,"We've got a bunch of milk. Remember the door the guys went through? That goes to the courtyard. We've got two cows and 8 chickens."

"How'd you get them out here?" Alice asked, like a child in awe.

"Honey, we've been living here for years. It took time, but we managed."

The refrigerator was one of the few things they kept hooked up to the generator. Terry explained that to Alice yesterday, as they began packing most of the fresh meat to one side of it. Cara opened it up, a little light at the top illuminating the space around them. She pulled a beat-up old plastic jug of white stuff out and set it on the counter.

"You ever even have milk?" She asked, pulling various other supplies out.

"A few times, when we found a cow," Alice said. She sat on the stool at the counter and watched as Cara prepared the concoction.

"The trick to good vanilla ice cream is to shake it real good. It doesn't taste as good as the stuff we used to be able to get, but it's a nice treat every now and again for after dinner. Usually make it for birthdays and the like." Cara sealed the first container, which she'd put some milk and vanilla flavoring in, and set it in a bigger container that had a bit of rock salt on the bottom.

"The salt creates a chemical reaction with ice, making it even colder than ice normally is. Now, start shaking!" Cara said, taping the lid to the outer container on.

"Just...shake it?" Alice asked, grabbing the container off the counter.

"Yep. That's all there is to it. In about 20 minutes, you'll hopefully have something sold and not a milkshake. Shake it real good!"

Alice shook as Cara took her time cleaning everything back up. Her arms began to get tired and she wondered if it was worth it to be wasting energy like this.

"Keep going," Cara said, when Alice began to slow down.

After a short while, Cara finally said,"Stop! It should be done. Let's see," She grabbed the container from Alice, unbinding it and pulling the smaller one out. When she opened the second lid, there it was, the milky white wonderful aroma of plain vanilla ice cream.

"I think we've got some sprinkles left, if you want," Cara said, heading for the cabinet again. Without replying, Alice dug her spoon into the frozen goodness and slowly lifted it to her tongue. The blissful taste of it sent chills down her spine and she just wanted more.

"Whoa now tiger. Slow, before you get-"

"Agh! My head! My head, make it stop!"

"-Brain freeze," Cara laughed.

As soon as the pain passed, Alice took another scoop and Cara soon joined in, having a little bit every few bites that Alice took.

They finished the whole jar in a few minutes and returned to their cozy beds down the hall.

Alice made note to remember exactly how it tasted, and decided that one day she'd learn to make it herself.