Читать книгу Echoes of Newtown - Blake Fite - Страница 14

Dear Ma and Pa,

People wonder how I can miss my Ma having never known her. Honestly, I don’t have an answer for them, but I sure know I miss you. And, Pa, I best apologize for my anger. Sometimes, I miss you so hard I just want to punch a picket that God took you away from me. Now, I know that fence picket didn’t do no harm to me, but I guess sadness just comes out like that every so often.

You taught me to be kind, and I’m tryin’. Good ‘ol Rascal keeps me honest when I get a hot head.

The way I remember it, you never threw a punch at no one ‘less they were being unmannerly toward a woman or some such. Uncle John tells me you were human just like the rest of us, so I guess he remembers you as you were, while I’ve prettied up all the rough parts.

When I see you again, I want to hear about your friends and the trouble you got into. Oh! And how’d you meet my Ma?

With love,

Billy

The Map says “Go North!”

The next morning, Billy woke up with a fiery zest. First, I better tell Rascal, he thought. A loud racket downstairs reminded Billy that he needed to consider how to get around his Uncle John. Guess he’s stumblin’ inside after another long night on the porch, he thought.

He leapt off the bed and flipped around to face it. Lifting up his quilt, he reached into the darkness underneath the bed frame and pulled out an old army box that belonged to his Pa. Let’s see what we got here. He rummaged a bit tempering his excitement with restraint so as not to damage any of his Pa’s old things. Just what I need—a map!

Billy looked over the map to find his current location. So, we’re … here, Billy thought as he found Ladd on the map. And, Aunt Sunny is … HERE, Billy thought, putting his right index finger on the black dot marked “Harrisonburg”—a few inches due north of Ladd on the map. Billy inched his index finger along the map, measuring about 40 miles between the two cities. That ain’t bad, he thought.

“We’re going north!” Billy exclaimed with satisfaction, slapping his hand down on the map. Realizing his outburst, he quieted himself to keep from exposing his plan to his Uncle John and re-folded the map along its well-worn creases.

“I gotta tell Rascal!” Billy muttered as he rummaged through the rest of the contents of his Pa’s old army box. “A canteen! Perfect!” Billy exclaimed as he shuffled through other items: a few slices of old army soap, a partially used roll of medical tape, and a tin cup.

What am I going to do with a Bible? Billy thought, as he moved his Pa’s worn Bible to the side to grab hold of what looked like fishing line. “Yes!” Billy whispered, “Line and tackle! Fish it is!” Billy continued as he imagined himself slapping a fresh young Bluegill onto a blazing fire.

“That’ll do it for now,” Billy said, as he closed up the box and slid it back under the bed. “I’d better finish this later, or I’ll miss Rascal.”

Without even so much as a creaking floorboard, Billy snuck out past his Uncle John and bolted toward the general store, where the boys had a habit of meeting over the summer months. Billy tried to suppress his hopes as he ran. Rascal has it good here. Maybe he won’t want any part of this. But by the time the general store was in view, all of Billy’s doubts gave way to excitement, and he almost shouted ahead of himself, “PACK A BAG, RASCAL! WE’RE GETTING OUT OF HERE!” Before he could, the clerk called out, “Whatcha up to, Billy?” Billy stopped and attempted to force his smile into one of those adult expression’s grownups make when they talk about the clouds moving in.

“Oh, good morning, Sir. Good day for fishing, I reckon,” Billy responded.

The interaction reminded Billy that he’d better keep his plan secret if he didn’t want to get sent right back to his Uncle John’s for a whoopin’. Rascal and I best get somewhere private, he thought.

“That’ll be nine cents, son,” the clerk said to Billy—now with a handful of worms wriggling through his fingers.

Just then, Rascal entered the general store, “Mornin’, Sir.”

“Morning, boy,” the clerk responded. “You heading out for a fish, too?”

“Uhhmm—” Rascal began before Billy grabbed his arm and answered for him.

“Yeah, Rasc. I was just tellin’ the gentleman here how we were stocking up for a good long fish out at Mr. Pickett’s Pond.” Billy shot Rascal a long obvious wink. Rascal was always good at picking up secret messages, but the important messages still needed a wink just in case. “I got the worms right here. Let’s go!” Without hesitation, the boys ran down the front steps.

“Them boys are up to no good,” the clerk said, shaking his head. Then, he hollered after them, “Ain’tcha gonna need a pole?!”

The Plan

“Okay, so what was that?!” Rascal asked out of breath at the edge of the pond. “You some kind of outlaw fisherman now? What’s the emergency?”

“Rascal. We’re going to Harrisonburg!”

“We’re what?!” Rascal said.

“We’re hopping a train and getting out of here. Remember, today is the first—”

“Yeah, yeah, the first day of the rest of our lives. I know, I know,” Rascal finished.

“Right!” Billy said, pleased that Rascal had been listening. “So, whattya say we go to HARRISONBURG!”

“What’s in Harrisonburg?”

“My Aunt Sunny,” Billy said. “She has a piece of my story that just isn’t here. I can’t get anywhere else. Last I heard, she was in Harrisonburg”

“But what’s the Shenandoah Valley got to do with me?” Rascal asked, still trying to keep up to Billy’s big idea.

“Now, Rascal.” Billy began. “I know you don’t like it much at the orphana—err … the dormitory,” Billy corrected himself, “but they do feed ya’ right, so I understand you not wanting to get up and leave. But, see, well …” Billy struggled for words, “I need my best friend with me … to fight the dragons.”

“Yeah, I’m a real dragon warrior,” Rascal interrupted with a scoff and a chuckle.

“—but if you don’t want to give up your hot meals for me, I understand” Billy finished.

“Listen, Billy. I ain’t got no family here. I ain’t got nothin’ at all but a beating every few days on the ball field and some slop called dinner at the dormitory. Sounds like you’re asking me to miss a meal or two, but by God, I’d miss more than that if you take off without me. I’m going.”

“Really?”

Something about the surprise in Billy’s voice shot a bolt of nervousness straight through Rascal’s unusually confident heart, so he responded, “You know what you’re doin’, right?”

“Course I do,” Billy said with a false confidence that set them both at ease.

“Course you do,” Rascal echoed. “Then, I’m goin’.

The boys sat down at the edge of the pond and looked out at the ducks zigzagging across the surface of the waters.

“Now, tell me.” Rascal said. “What’re we doin’ with all these worms?”

Heading Out

After a few hours of throwing worms into the pond, Billy got back to business. “Today is Tuesday. We’ll leave Saturday. You got supplies?”

“Supplies? I have a blanket,” Rascal answered.

“Great. Bring it. But we’re gonna need more than that,” Billy said, as he scratched a list into the dirt in front of them.

Canteen

“We can use Uncle John’s. That’s just about the only thing from the war that he doesn’t curse, that canteen.”

Food

“Uncle John says an army marches on its stomach. I’ll get rice, potatoes, onions and a jar of molasses. You get hardtack for making corncakes and some salt meat. The rest—like berries and fish—we’ll find on the way.”

Blanket

“Now, you say you got one of those, eh Rascal? Wye, I got one, too. If we can keep those dry, they’ll be good for the summer.”

Pocket knife

Rope

“I’d say about 20 feet of rope should do it.”

Train tickets

“I suppose we’ll get those when the time is right” Billy said. “… and medicine!” he added, finishing the list. “Adding this to all of my Pa’s old supplies should give us everything we need.”

“How do you suppose we’re going to get medicine?” Rascal asked.

“What’s that, Rascal?” Billy said with a sickly voice. “I can’t hear you on account of my bum ear. I must have an infection in there pretty good—so much pain. Ohhh, the pain!!”

Rascal laughed, “We’ll see if that works with the doc.”

The boys spent the last few days rounding up the items on their list.

“So, what did you come up with, Rascal? Get us a few steaks for the road?” Billy said with a laugh.

“Well, it’s not steak, but it’s about the best I could pilfer without getting my backside in trouble. They don’t take kindly to pilferers at the dormitory,” Rascal answered.

“There must be five pounds of salt meat here, Rasc!” Billy shouted. “How’d you ever find this much.”

“Well, the truth is I’ve been savin’ food just about as long as I’ve been eatin’ it. You know … just in case,” Rascal said.

“In case’ uh what?” Billy asked, still sifting through Rascal’s sack of goods.

“I don’t so much know exactly. You know, it’s good to think ahead, and …” Rascal struggled for words. “So, it seemed if anyone should be thinking about my tomorrow, it should be me,” Rascal said.

As Rascal continued, Billy remembered a handful of days when Rascal missed breakfast to keep away from the bullies in the dining hall, and a wave of compassion swelled. He really is all alone at that place, he thought. For a moment, he let go of Rascal’s pack and looked right into Rascal’s eyes with one of those glances that lets a person know you hear what they’re really trying to say. Rascal took a breath and stopped struggling to explain himself. Then, Billy broke the silence. “You sure are scared of it all, aren’t you?” Billy said with a laugh.

“Tell that to your stomach when it’s nice and full on the road to wherever we’re going,” Rascal said.

Dr. Phillips

“We’re all set! Everything is packed and ready for tomorrow.” Billy said to Rascal as they met up in front of the general store.

“Not hardly,” Rascal replied. “You said we still need medicine.”

“Yeah, but that’s easy,” Billy said. “Once I get a look around that pharmacy, I’ll tell you exactly what to say.”

“EASY?!” Rascal said. “You call fraud easy? Maybe for you it is.”

“It’s not fraud. It’s simple story tellin’—like in school. It’s basically schoolwork, and you’re a natural at schoolwork,” Billy said.

The two crossed the street and walked to the sign that read: AUGUSTA COUNTY PHARMACY, DR. C. PHILLIPS AT YOUR SERVICE. As they entered, they collided with a tall man in a black coat, knocking his black bag to the ground.

“Oh, no worry at all,” the doctor said as he reclaimed his bag from the ground. “Good day, lads” the doctor said on his way out the door.

Stunned, the boys stammered an incoherent response. Then, Rascal felt a sharp elbow in his side.

“YOWWuuuu know about … coughs, sir?” Rascal said urgently, trying to camouflage his outburst.

“Coughs,” the doctor responded. “Well, there must be one hundred kinds of coughs.” The doctor looked at the boys for a moment. “Do you mean to tell me you boys have a cough?” The boys looked at each other with murmurings of a terrible fever but couldn’t string together a coordinated response.

“It seems we’ve caused quite a scene here diagnosing you two on the front stoop. Why don’t you join me in my office?” the doctor said.

A sudden guilt crept into the boys’ hearts, but they followed the doctor to his office and sat down.

“So, boys,” the doctor said, “when did it begin?”

The boys sat frozen.

“Has your cough gone away and taken your voice with it?”

“Sorry, Sir. You’re right. We ain’t the sick ones. Our Ma just sent us to fetch some medicine for the winter,” Billy said.

“That is sound thinking. And who is your mother?” the doctor inquired.

Proud of his quick thinking, Billy answered without missing a beat, “Mrs. Sunny Vogt!”

“Sunny Vogt? You must be quite tired traveling all the way down here from Harrisonburg.” the doctor said.

“You know Sunny Vogt?” Billy asked.

“Son, Miss Sunny and I worked side by side in the infirmary during the war, but I didn’t know her to be a mother?

“Did I say ‘Ma’? She’s my aunt, Sir.” Billy corrected.

“And she needs medicine?” Dr. Phillips asked.

“Not exactly, Sir,” said Billy.

Sensing a scheme, the doctor changed the subject. “You know, I remember the day your Aunt Sunny said you’d been born.

Billy’s eyes examined Dr. Phillips. Does he really know my Aunt Sunny, or is he playing games with us?

“She must have been so happy.” Billy said, trying to buy time until he could figure out just how much Dr. Phillips knew about his birth.

“Lad,” the doctor replied, “If there is one thing harder than grieving in the face of joy, it’s rejoicing in the face of grief.” The comment struck Billy’s heart like a two-edged sword—straight to the core—and brought a strange and curious peace. Seconds passed and the doctor said, “Now, boys, I’m afraid I’ve left a patient waiting much too long for my house call. If you’ll please excuse me.”

Dr. Phillips opened a black bag the size of a large cat and pulled from it a bottle marked “willow bark.”

“Here, if that fever comes back, sip this 4 times a day, but if you find yourself in a mess of ivy or with a scratch that becomes red, apply this.” The doctor pulled out a small glass bottle stopped up with a cork. “This is camphor,” he said.

The doctor was out of the office and through the door before the boys had the composure to thank him. “I’m feeling much better, Doctor!” Billy shouted from the front step. “No need to mention this to Uncle John.”

The doctor slowed and glanced back at the two boys standing tall at the threshold of the office. He looked pleased, even honored, to have equipped them for their journey. “God’s blessings,” he said with a nod that let them know their secret was safe with him. And, off he trod.

Ask Yourself

1 1.What items would you pack for an adventure? What are your top three things? Top ten?

2 2.What natural resources around you (i.e. streams, berry trees, fish, etc.) can you use to find or make food on your adventure?

3 3.What do you think Dr. Phillip meant about finding joy in the face of grief?

4 4.Have you ever felt two feelings at the same time (like joy and grief, or sadness and anger)?

Outdoor Survival Tips: Supplies

Carry enough food, clothing and gear to support your entire journey. Bring a handheld filter, so when you encounter a freshwater source, you can drink it without ingesting bacteria. At least one extra pair of socks is helpful. That way you have one to wear and one to wash. Dry, clean socks help you maintain healthy feet—a must-have for long journeys.

Follow Billy’s Journey