Three against the North by Dorisi Winget Dianna

Author:Dorisi Winget, Dianna [Dorisi Winget, Dianna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-06-27T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

M oonlight spilled through the clouds to reveal a muddy shore draped with slimy seaweed and kelp. Patsy Ann stopped to examine a clump of shiny black mussels, and Penny paused to get her bearings. She was sure they must be near where the Aleutian had docked, but the darkness made it hard to judge distance.

She studied the hill of rock before them. “You didn’t tell me we’d be rock climbing,” she joked.

“It’s not much farther,” Bitty said, carefully picking a path through the drift wood and icy debris. “Just stay close and watch your footing.”

“Oh, I am,” Penny said, so determined not to trip she barely noticed when the glossy stones near the water gave way to sharp and jagged ones. She wished she had her own lantern. “Are we almost there?” she asked a few moments later. “It’s so hard to see.”

“Almost,” Bitty said. She and Patsy Ann clamored another twenty or thirty feet before they disappeared into the black, gaping mouth of a cave.

Penny hesitated, shivering. The entrance wasn’t quite high enough to enter without stooping. What if there was some vicious wild animal inside? Didn’t Alaska have wolves and polar bears?

Bitty stuck her head back out. “Don’t worry, it’s safe,” she promised. “Plus, the rocks soak up the sun so it’s a bit warmer inside. Come on.” She raised her lamp so Penny could see. The cave was only about ten feet wide and deep, and the smallness was comforting.

“I’m not worried,” Penny said, ducking inside. There wasn’t any increase in warmth, but it was good to be out of the chilling wind. Penny blinked around the cave as her eyes adjusted. Two paisley cushions were stacked near a Saturday Evening Post, and a copy of By the Shores of Silver Lake. “ Hey, I read that book,” Penny said. “I love Laura Ingalls Wilder.”

Bitty flashed a guilty look. “Me too. But that one actually belongs to my teacher. I forgot to return it before school let out. Don’t tell anybody.”

Penny giggled. “Your secret’s safe with me.” Her eyes swept across the few other items in the cave—a boot box with a lid and a small metal tin of Pilot crackers. “You must come here pretty often.”

Bitty pried the lid from the crackers and handed one to Patsy Ann, who gave an appreciative wag of her tail as she crunched. “Not really,” she said. “Things are too busy at the boarding house.” She eased down cross legged onto one of the cushions and pushed the other toward Penny. “Here, have a seat. It’s nice, don’t you think?”

Penny lowered herself onto the cold cushion. So this was the secret spot? She’d been expecting something a little more exciting than a freezing, dark cave. She wrapped her arms around her knees for warmth. “Very nice. How did you find it?”

Patsy Ann lay between them and Bitty lovingly rubbed her head. “Just exploring. My father and I used to do that sometimes.” She offered Penny a cracker before removing the top from the boot box and lifting out a lovely cranberry colored glass ball.

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