Opposites attract.
"Left a bit."
"No. My left."
"Perfect. Just one more left today and that's the lot finished."
Karen muttered under her breath - always the dogs' body. Even though they were the same sort of age, and had the same qualifications and experience, whenever Karen got paired up with Phil she always felt like the 'student'.
She picked up the last bird box, slung the ladder over her shoulder and stomped off up the steep hill behind the cabin.
To anyone watching, it would indeed seem a little strange to see the size 10, twenty year old woman doing the heavy lifting whilst the strapping, 6' 3", Rugby playing bloke stood supervising with a clipboard.
As Karen huffed and puffed her way to the small copse, she cursed the man again and decided she certainly wasn't going to admit to him she could actually do with some help.
Still, she thought, only 4 more days to go and then a full week off. Besides, it was a beautiful location in which to work, even if it was a totally isolated from civilization and there was a cold front coming in.
Nothing for it but to keep things friendly and if needs be, humour the git.
Thirty minutes later, just as they were finishing off testing the last camera, the snow started to fall. Within a quarter of an hour there was a thin even layer covering everything.
"Looks like it could be in for the night." Phil remarked as they stepped out of their overcoats and boots.
"Whose turn is it to cook tonight?" Phil teased.
"You know perfectly well it's mine." Karen answered a little too curtly.
"Okay, okay, only joking, Jeez..."
As Karen got the water boiling on the make shift stove, she heard the shower switch on and was oh so tempted to turn on the cold tap in the kitchen knowing full well the shower would turn ice cold.
"Now now, be nice Karen." She said quietly whilst chopping a pepper. "It's not his fault he's an oaf."
The shower was a fairly new addition to the cabin. Until recently the remote nature reserve post was manned by an older volunteer generation and a hot shower wasn't deemed a necessity by them. However the more recent youthful occupants thought six days straight without such a basic luxury wasn't an option.
Although a welcome addition, the ad-hoc shower cubical wasn't the most 'private' place in the cabin. Colleagues had to obey the unwritten rule of staying well away from the curtained off corner whilst it was in use. Not that Phil would worry about preserving his modesty, if allowed he would strut around the cabin of an evening in his tight boxers without a care in the world. Mind you, that was back in the summer shift rotations, with those barmy hot evenings, not two weeks before Christmas with Jack Frost rattling the windows...
Phil patted his tummy in the way men like to do after a decent meal and yawned openly.
"You'd better get yourself in the shower if we're going to finish this game tonight." Phil said indicating towards the chess board on the side.
There he goes again, Karen thought. Deep breath girl, think of your CV.
Five minuets later the hot water cascades over her natural dark locks and soft pale skin. Sadly there was an infinite amount of hot water available and one had no time for long lazy showers. Karen lathered herself up as quickly as she could. Just as she was reaching up from sponging her legs she was shocked to see Phil sat on the small sofa checking the monitors just in front of the cubical.
"Do you mind Phil?" She shouted loudly. "If I can see you, then you can obviously see me!"
"Don't flatter yourself love." Phil retorted. "Anyway, that last camera we put up is way off target; probably the bloody Pine Marten again. I'm going to reposition it." And with that he jumped up and strode to the door.
Karen was sure he took his time closing the door on purpose so that the icy wind filled the small cabin in seconds.
Arsehole, she thought as she dried herself off and got dressed.
Karen wasn't sure how long she had dozed off for but soon realised something was wrong. No Phil. Had she been asleep for 10min or 45? Shit.
Still cursing, Karen hurriedly changed into her wet weather gear and boots, grabbed the torch and left the cabin. By now the snow was coming down in huge flakes, a good six inches covered the ground.
"Phil!" She repeatedly shouted into the night. Where the hell are you she thought?
She staggered though the snow up the hill to the rear, her torch light was next to useless - the beam seemed to be just soaked up by the white out conditions.
"PHILIP!" she howled nearing their last position on the hill.
Squinting into the night, Karen could just see a dark mound lying under the large oak.
Karen slumped to her knees beside Phil. Shaking his broad shoulders as hard as she could and shouting his name again and again, he finally began to stir. She rubbed the snow from his face, he slowly opened his eyes.
"You've never called me Philip before." He said quizzically.
"Jesus, you scared the life out of me there, idiot."
Although immensely relieved, Karen soon realised Phil wasn't alright. He was now shaking uncontrollably and mumbling incoherently.
"We've got to get you back inside Phil." She said firmly, "Help me please."
