Chasing the Bear

Chapter 18

I wanted to go upstream, toward home. But I couldn't, against the current, with my one broken oar. I'd have to turn us around eventually, but right now panic was chasing me. All I could think of was to get us away from Luke and his bowie knife.

We stayed in the middle of the river, riding the current. Where the treetops didn't touch, the moonlight showed through and looked really nice reflecting on the surface of the river. It was quiet as it ever gets in the woods. The soft river sound. An occasional frog grunt. Now and then a night bird. And once, I heard a fox bark. Pearl stiffened and pricked her ears and stared at the fox bark for a long time. But no fox appeared and after a while she gave up on it.

"You came after me," Jeannie said.

"Yep."

She didn't say anything. The panic was slowly draining from me as we went downriver. I felt exhausted. And hungry. And thirsty.

"What's in the blanket roll?" I said.

"Some peanut butter," Jeannie said. "And some crackers, and I think a few bottles of Coke or something. I don't know if there's anything else."

"Let's unroll it," I said. "And see."

She did. It was the way she'd described it, plus a big box of Oreo cookies. I gave her my jackknife, and she made us a bunch of cracker and peanut butter sandwiches and handed me back my knife. We each drank a Coke with the crackers.

"Where'd you get the knife?" she said.

"My father gave it to me for my eighth birthday. He said it was a handy thing to carry."

"And you've carried it ever since?"

"Yeah," I said. "Sure."

"Are you scared?" she said.

"Yes."

"Me too," she said. "You don't seem scared."

"I'm trying not to let it run me," I said.

"My father is so awful," she said.

"Yes," I said.

"When I said ‘help' to you in the car, I was thinking maybe you'd get your father or one of your uncles."

"Wish I had," I said.

"Why didn't you?"

"No time," I said. "If I lost contact with you, I wouldn't have known where to look."

She nodded.

"I think you are very brave," she said.

"I'd feel braver if I wasn't so scared," I said.

"Maybe he won't follow us," Jeannie said. "Maybe he'll wake up and find me gone and say to hell with it. Or maybe he won't even remember I was with him. He forgets stuff a lot."

"Or maybe he'll come after us like a bat out of hell. My uncle Cash always says that you can hope for the best, but you need to be ready for the worst, you know?"

"Yes," she said.

I felt my eyes blink shut for a moment and my head drop. I jerked my head up and opened my eyes.

"We gotta sleep," I said.

"Okay," she said.

I worked us over to the shore with my broken oar and pulled the boat into a little cove.

"Can you carry the stuff?" I said.

Jeannie nodded and gathered the blanket roll into a kind of a sack. I bumped the rowboat against the bank. Pearl hopped out and began to sniff around. Jeannie climbed out carrying the blankets and stuff. I tied the rowboat to a bush that hung over the water. Then I climbed out and followed Pearl and Jeannie up the bank. It was dark under the trees. I could hear Pearl snuffling around in the darkness. We were in a small clearing under some high pine trees. I was so tired I could barely stand.

Jeannie took the food from the blankets. I gave Pearl some peanut butter and crackers. Then I took a blanket and gave the other one to Jeannie.

"Will you be able to sleep?" I asked.

"Maybe. What if he comes and spots the boat?" Jeannie said.

I took the rope and strung it about a foot off the ground across the area between us and the river.

"He won't see this in the dark, maybe trip on it. Might wake us up, or at least Pearl, and maybe we can get away. Right now, I gotta sleep."

The ground was covered with pine needles. I got rid of a couple of sticks and a rock and lay down with the blanket around me. The blanket didn't smell so good. But I was too tired to care. Jeannie lay down beside me, and Pearl burrowed between us.

"My father is afraid of dogs," Jeannie said. "Always was. Says it's 'cause somebody set their dogs on him when he was a kid."

"Good," I said, and fell asleep.