Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey

Author:Eowyn Ivey [Ivey, Eowyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2025-02-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

“Birdie. Birdie.” Arthur was sitting on the edge of the bed with his hand on her hip, jostling her. “Are you waking up?” he whispered. “You are going now.”

“What? Going?” Birdie lifted her head to look around, confused. It felt earlier than she normally woke up.

“You are going now,” he said.

“Where?”

“Wherever you want.”

Birdie sat up. “What are you talking about?”

“You say you want to go for a long walk?”

She blinked her eyes hard and yawned. “Yeah, okay.”

“So, you are going.” He stood up, took her hands and pulled her to her feet.

“You mean right now?”

“Yes. You go, and you come back when you want.” He was gently pushing her toward the door.

“Wait. I can’t leave like this. I need my pants and my shoes at least,” Birdie said with a laugh, and then she looked over at sleeping Emaleen. “But what about her?” she whispered.

“I am staying with her.”

“Do you know how to take care of her?” She was getting dressed while she talked. “Like, you’ve got to make lunch for her. And make sure she is safe.”

“Yes, I am making peanut-butter sandwiches.”

He had thought it out, and it made Birdie smile. “Actually, she’d like that. But you can’t leave her alone. You have to stay with her all day.”

“I am staying with her always, as long as you are gone.”

He was offering this to her. Like that odd clump of tundra he’d brought down from the mountain. A gift no one else had ever given her.

“But where would I go?” Birdie went out onto the porch and looked around. The forest made it difficult to see anything except the very tops of the mountains in all directions, but her mind was opening up to the idea. She could hike up the ridge to that snowdrift where they’d played. It would have melted away by now, though, and it seemed like the safe, easy choice, to go somewhere she’d already been.

She looked down the creek valley and out to the North Fork. Summer was fading, and along the alpine slopes, the green was turning to gold and rust. She could walk up into those mountains, someplace she’d never gone before, and she’d probably be able to keep the cabin in sight. Back inside, she filled her canteen and put the binoculars, warm clothes, and a few snacks in her backpack. Then she loaded the rifle and got Syd’s hat from the hook by the door.

“Maybe I’ll hike across the North Fork. Just to see someplace new. I’ll be back before dark.”

“You are coming and going as you please,” he said.

“Yeah, but what if something happens to me? You’ve got to come look for me.”

“I am finding you if you need me. But you aren’t.”

“How long do you think it will take, for me to get over there and up on the mountainside?”

“It depends.”

“Well sure, but do you think I can do it?”

“Of course,” he said.

“But seriously—” Emaleen stirred on her bunk, and Birdie lowered her voice. “I don’t want to break my ankle and be laying out there for days.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.