Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? by Leslie Connor

Author:Leslie Connor
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2021-12-06T00:00:00+00:00

Aurora

My Quick Stop in the Barrens

I hike faster than normal today on my way up to Sundrop Meadow. I talk the same way I always do—even though I am alone. Usually, I have Frenchie walking beside me, never answering, of course. But his pants always swish together, and I know all the different ways he breathes. And what his burps sound like. There’s that whisper of breath he takes in before he tweets like he does. Today, there is a whole lot of silence coming back at me. It’s different than not hearing answers from my friend. My person. The person who chose me to be his person. It’s bigger.

I hold the bottom hem of the orange vest as I go. If only Frenchie was wearing one, he’d be easier to spot.

At the top of the meadow I turn in a slow circle, looking and looking hard as I can. I think about the math of it, and I tell myself, he’ll be along this radius, or this next one. But as I come around, I haven’t spotted him, so I go round again.

I look west toward Anzie’s farm, south toward home. Then I head into the East Woods. But I am not going to be a dope about this. I won’t go deep. I have not forgotten that I was a little bit lost here a few weeks ago, following that piebald deer. I’ve still got scars from crashing through the puckabrush to get to Cedar that day. That would be a bad thing to repeat, and besides, if I get lost, well, I’m one less person to go searching for Frenchie.

That makes me stop still.

“Frenchie!” I call out. “Frenchie, can you hear me? Give me a tweet! Or come on out.” I wait. Nothing. “If you’re hiding, stop it! If you’re crouching, quit it! Stand up! Now!” First, I’m mad. Then I’m brilliant. “Hey, want to go to Anzie’s and read the poem off the barn? You know the one.” At the top of my lungs I holler. “‘SUN RAIN WIND SWEPT BUD BLOSSOM BERRY SWEET EARTH ROOTS KEPT . . .’” I stop to take a breath. It doesn’t seem right to go on and holler out the next part: MAKE A SOUL MERRY. There’s nothing merry about this. I tilt my head back, push my shoulders forward. I call, “Fren-CHEE! I’ll read you the rest, but you have to come with me!” I wait. I breathe again and again.

He doesn’t come.

I can’t stay any longer. Mom and Pop will worry. They could be at Anzie’s by now. I jam my hand into the pocket of my shorts and wrap my fingers around my geode for a second. “Come on, Frenchie,” I whisper.

I scan the woods one more time. Then I turn and sprint toward Anzie’s farm.

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