Use Your Brain...

On the second day, we saw Pa. We all knew that Pa was dead, but there he was, just as I had saw him before, but this time, I wasn't alone. This time, like the last, he spoke to us and gave us a clue. He said, "use your brain, and see the number that I carved on 24 stones!"

So, we looked and looked in the deepest, darkest corner in the dungeon and we saw them. The numbers 1 through 24 all scrambled up like. We pushed them in one at a time, in the 1, 2, order and we were astonished.

Free at last...

The desert was before us. Dust blew wildly over the sand dunes. The sky was gray, for it was filled with dust and grains of sand. It was a muggy day. It was not hot, nor was it cold. But yet, we shivered at the sight.

"Yippee!!" We yelled, until silence fell upon us. For we had t' be quiet, so as the guards wouldn't hear us a yellin' and a screamin'. Carefully, we's escaped of the dungeon through a window Ma had been prying at for years and we's crept into the desert. Then I had a plan. We used our coats that were soaked with the dampness of the dungeon. Then we buried 'em in the desert sand. We's put 'em on an' crawled through the desert. We was movin' quickly. Pretty soon we was free! Free at last!

First, we went to the Indian village and introduced Ma to Bethany and the whole tribe. Everybody was very happy. The Indians made Ma some moccasins and a shawl. Bethany had her own moccasins, leggings, and front piece. The tribe did a reunion dance, and my "two mothers," (Little Deer and Ma) exchanged notes about me and Ma taught Little Deer to make quilts. They started making one. Altogether, we stayed one month at the Indian camp.

Chief Red Feather, Little Feather, and Little Deer took us all on a canoeing trip down the Mississippi River. It was quite pretty in the night time, the moon shinin' bright, the stars winkin'.

A Sand Crab...

We were sad to leave, but the time had come to return to our home. Our shadows stretched across the forest. A stream gurgled happily, as if to say "Hello, welcome back!" Then, we's came to our cabin. It was as good as we had left it, four months ago.

Once inside, Ma sat down and said "Bill - I've been thinkin', maybe, well maybe I should live wit' t' Injuns, ya know, fer jest awhile." "I understand, Ma" I said.