say. “Where’s Christopher?”
“There!” He points into the middle of the lake.
“Huh?” I grab the binoculars from him, and focus them. Christopher’s broad shoulders and thick head of hair jump into my view. He’s in a canoe and paddling hard. But…but…
“But he’s going away! He’s going
away
from us!”
I’m really upset. All this time we were hungry and alone in the woods, I figured Christopher couldn’t be too far away. The sight of him now…way out in the middle of the lake…getting farther and farther away….
A grown-up leaving me is hard to take. Especially a grown-up
guy.
I know it doesn’t make much sense, since I never liked Old Leech, but I can’t help it. I feel like I’vebeen kicked in the stomach. I keep staring at his broad stupid backside. I shout at him to come get us. I know he can’t hear me, but I shout anyway.
“What’s going on?” asks Doris. “What’s wrong?”
“Our grown-up,” I say. “Christopher. My … my mom’s…” I can’t say it.
“He’s paddling away without us!” says Victor.
“Where’d he get the canoe?” I ask. “Did he steal it?”
“It’s our canoe,” says Victor. “I recognize it. He must have found it back in the swamp.”
“But then he
knows
we’re still here,” I say. “That makes it worse!”
“He must be going to the summer camp for help,” says the lady. “Oh, dear.”
She explains about the camp. It’s on the other side of the lake. “A long paddle,” she says. “I go over myself, for groceries, every other week. I should have gone yesterday, in fact, because there’s nothing to eat now except those health bars.”
She starts rummaging around the room. I focus the binoculars over Christopher’s head. I see buildings on the far shore of the lake.
“What’ll he do at the camp?” I ask.
“He’ll use their phone,” she says. “There’s a ranger station near Kawartha. They’ll put out an alert.”
Victor gulps, embarrassed at the thought of all that attention.
“They’ll send helicopters and searchers after you.”
Victor shakes his head.
“They’ll phone your parents.”
“My parents? My mom?” I can’t tell how Victor feels about his parents finding out. His face is twisted up.
“They’ll disrupt my routine,” the lady says. “I have only another week up here, and then I have to go back to the city. I do not want my last days of peace ruined by noise and alarms and rude people asking questions.
Ahh!
There’s my purse.”
It’s a big hairy sack, a cross between a pillowcase and a Pekinese dog. She reaches inside and finds a cell phone. Victor relaxes. I relax. A symbol of civilization, of normalcy. Everything will be fine now.
Or will it? She punches the number, waits. “Hello?” she says. “Hello? Hello?” She peers at the front of the phone.“Drat,” she says. “Drat drat drat!”
“Low battery?” I say. I have a cell phone myself – a gift from my dad – and it’s always running low.
She nods. Puts away the phone. Goes over to a hook on the wall and puts on a life jacket.
“What’s going on?” I say.
She fastens the belt up, puts on a helmet, and turns around to face us. I try not to look at her boots.
“Because the stupid cell phone has run down,” she explains, “I can’t phone the camp to tell them about you. So I’ll have to go over myself. Two hours hard paddling.”
“Can we come too?” says Victor.
“It’s a kayak,” she says. “There’s only room for one.”
“Don’t you have a motor boat?”
She shakes her head. “This is a protected lake. No power boats allowed.”
“I still don’t understand,” I say. “Why not charge up your phone? That’ll be easier than paddling across the lake.”
“How, Alan?” She grabs a paddle from the floor. And drops it. It falls with a clatter. She swears, and bends down again. “I’m always doing that,” she says.
It’s not like a canoe paddle. It has two blades, one on each end. She
“There!” He points into the middle of the lake.
“Huh?” I grab the binoculars from him, and focus them. Christopher’s broad shoulders and thick head of hair jump into my view. He’s in a canoe and paddling hard. But…but…
“But he’s going away! He’s going
away
from us!”
I’m really upset. All this time we were hungry and alone in the woods, I figured Christopher couldn’t be too far away. The sight of him now…way out in the middle of the lake…getting farther and farther away….
A grown-up leaving me is hard to take. Especially a grown-up
guy.
I know it doesn’t make much sense, since I never liked Old Leech, but I can’t help it. I feel like I’vebeen kicked in the stomach. I keep staring at his broad stupid backside. I shout at him to come get us. I know he can’t hear me, but I shout anyway.
“What’s going on?” asks Doris. “What’s wrong?”
“Our grown-up,” I say. “Christopher. My … my mom’s…” I can’t say it.
“He’s paddling away without us!” says Victor.
“Where’d he get the canoe?” I ask. “Did he steal it?”
“It’s our canoe,” says Victor. “I recognize it. He must have found it back in the swamp.”
“But then he
knows
we’re still here,” I say. “That makes it worse!”
“He must be going to the summer camp for help,” says the lady. “Oh, dear.”
She explains about the camp. It’s on the other side of the lake. “A long paddle,” she says. “I go over myself, for groceries, every other week. I should have gone yesterday, in fact, because there’s nothing to eat now except those health bars.”
She starts rummaging around the room. I focus the binoculars over Christopher’s head. I see buildings on the far shore of the lake.
“What’ll he do at the camp?” I ask.
“He’ll use their phone,” she says. “There’s a ranger station near Kawartha. They’ll put out an alert.”
Victor gulps, embarrassed at the thought of all that attention.
“They’ll send helicopters and searchers after you.”
Victor shakes his head.
“They’ll phone your parents.”
“My parents? My mom?” I can’t tell how Victor feels about his parents finding out. His face is twisted up.
“They’ll disrupt my routine,” the lady says. “I have only another week up here, and then I have to go back to the city. I do not want my last days of peace ruined by noise and alarms and rude people asking questions.
Ahh!
There’s my purse.”
It’s a big hairy sack, a cross between a pillowcase and a Pekinese dog. She reaches inside and finds a cell phone. Victor relaxes. I relax. A symbol of civilization, of normalcy. Everything will be fine now.
Or will it? She punches the number, waits. “Hello?” she says. “Hello? Hello?” She peers at the front of the phone.“Drat,” she says. “Drat drat drat!”
“Low battery?” I say. I have a cell phone myself – a gift from my dad – and it’s always running low.
She nods. Puts away the phone. Goes over to a hook on the wall and puts on a life jacket.
“What’s going on?” I say.
She fastens the belt up, puts on a helmet, and turns around to face us. I try not to look at her boots.
“Because the stupid cell phone has run down,” she explains, “I can’t phone the camp to tell them about you. So I’ll have to go over myself. Two hours hard paddling.”
“Can we come too?” says Victor.
“It’s a kayak,” she says. “There’s only room for one.”
“Don’t you have a motor boat?”
She shakes her head. “This is a protected lake. No power boats allowed.”
“I still don’t understand,” I say. “Why not charge up your phone? That’ll be easier than paddling across the lake.”
“How, Alan?” She grabs a paddle from the floor. And drops it. It falls with a clatter. She swears, and bends down again. “I’m always doing that,” she says.
It’s not like a canoe paddle. It has two blades, one on each end. She
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