Wonderland Creek

by Lynn Austin

  “You were so crabby that day. As if I had awakened you from hibernation.”

  “I had no idea what to do with you. And now look how well you’re getting along.”

  He sounded condescending, as if he was patting me on the head. My temper flared. “Well, I might have a greater appreciation for your praise right now if you had asked me to stay instead of forcing me to stay.” I hadn’t climbed off Belle, so I was able to make a swift exit. Later, I was sorry I had snapped at Mack when he was trying to be complimentary, but he always brought out the worst in me.

  By the time I arrived at the library, I felt so weary that I could barely lift the saddle off Belle and drag myself up to the house. I had forgotten all about Ike and the bat until he came bounding down the stairs from the second floor. Had he been here all day?

  “Hey there, beautiful! I found the hole and plugged it for you, like you wanted. I checked the attic, too, and fixed a few holes up there. I don’t think you’ll be bothered by bats anymore.”

  “Thank you, Ike. I really appreciate it.”

  “How about showing me how grateful you are?” He pointed to his lips and puckered up. I stood on tiptoes and gave him a peck on the cheek.

  “That will have to do until another time.” I gestured with my head to where the other packhorse ladies were dismounting outside.

  “Okay, but don’t forget. And let me know if you see that bat again.” Ike grinned and waved good-bye.

  I could barely wait until everyone left and I could go upstairs and talk to Lillie about June Ann.

  “I’m so worried about her and Feather,” I told Lillie as I sat on the edge of her bed. “The tonics don’t seem to be working.”

  “Give them time, honey.”

  “She shouldn’t be all alone up there. I offered to talk to her family, but she wouldn’t tell me where her parents live. Do you know who they are?”

  “Of course I know them.”

  “Where do they live? I want to go talk to her mother and explain—”

  “No, honey. Don’t you go getting mixed up in this.”

  “But June Ann is afraid that she’ll hurt the baby—and so am I. She says she feels like shaking her sometimes, or drowning her in the creek when she gets frustrated. I’ll never forgive myself if something terrible happens.”

  “Why? This ain’t your fault. That feud is more than sixty years in the making and there ain’t nothing you can do about it. June Ann’s mama ain’t gonna go against her husband, and her husband ain’t gonna go against his kin.”

  “Do those families really believe that Feather cries all the time because the two families are fighting inside her? That’s what she told me.”

  “People believe all kinds of crazy things. But listen to me now. I’m gonna tell you the same thing that June Ann and everyone else is telling you. Mind your own business.”

  That didn’t sound like the charitable thing to do. Maybe Ike would tell me where to find June Ann’s mother. I would ask him the next time I saw him.

  As I was getting ready for bed that night, I had a brilliant idea. If I could find the treasure map, I could give it to Wayne and June Ann. They could dig up the treasure together and divide it between their families and end the feud. Both clans would finally accept baby Feather. She was the only person in town who could rightfully claim to be related to both great-granddaddies. Finding the treasure would solve everything.

  I was in bed and about ready to blow out the lamp before I took a good look at my bedroom. Everything in the room looked just a bit . . . disheveled. I saw dust trails everywhere, as if furniture had been moved. It looked like Ike had even peered under the bed, and bats didn’t hide under beds. The closet door stood open and I always kept it shut. One of Mack’s bureau drawers was closed crookedly too, and it had been neatly closed when I left. I can’t stand to see a drawer that isn’t closed properly. I suppose Ike could have been looking for bats in the closet, but not in the dresser drawers.

  Then I saw Freddy’s letter on my nightstand, the one that I’d never mailed to her. I had described my date with Ike to her, and his kisses. I was quite sure I hadn’t left it hanging halfway out of the envelope like that. Would Ike read my personal correspondence? Maybe, if he was truly smitten with me.

  I asked Miss Lillie about Ike’s activities the next morning. “It seemed like Ike was here for a very long time yesterday,” I said when I brought her breakfast to her. “What was he doing all day?”

  “I don’t know. Rummaging around. He closed my bedroom door for me. Said he’d let me rest.”

  “Do you think he was up to something, Lillie?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know. Everyone in town seems to be up to something. Ike keeps offering to go through Mack’s things, and he spent a lot of time up here once before, looking for that hunting jacket.”

  “I told him he could have it.”

  “You know what else Ike said? He said he didn’t believe that Mack had shot himself. He said Mack had always been careful when he went hunting. Ike thinks someone from the mining company shot him.”

  “As long as he don’t start guessing that Mack’s alive, we’ll be okay. If he starts blabbing that all over town, he’ll ruin everything. You need to keep that boy’s mind on other things, honey. Pretend you’re sweet on him.”

  My face grew warm. I wouldn’t have to pretend. “Ike has also been talking about the treasure map. He says that Mack was looking for it, too. Maybe he was searching through Mack’s things because he was looking for the map.”

  “Or maybe he was just chasing the bat away like you asked him to. Tell me, did you see that bat flying around your room last night?”

  I looked at her in surprise. “No. It was gone.”

  “Well, then?”

  All too soon, that fateful moonless Tuesday arrived. Tonight I would ride up into the woods, alone. Tonight Mack would break into the mine office to look for evidence that Hank Coots had been murdered. The moment I opened my eyes that Tuesday morning, my stomach began to writhe with dread.

  “I don’t think I should ride my route today,” I told Miss Lillie at breakfast. “We should let Belle rest up for later.” Lillie knew what Mack planned to do that night.

  “What reason are you gonna give them others when they ask why you ain’t working?”

  “I don’t know. Can’t you tell them I’m sick or something?” I didn’t like to lie, but Lillie had never seemed to have a problem with it. And I did feel sick.

  “You gonna make everybody suspicious if you do that. First thing you know, they be up in your bedroom seeing what’s wrong with you. Then that handsome Ike fella will be over here, worried about you. One lie’s gonna lead to another until you’re all tangled up in them. Best thing you can do is get on that horse today just like you always do.”

  She was right. I didn’t need Ike coming up to my bedroom to bring me get-well flowers and hold my hand. Besides, if I went about the day as usual, maybe it would take my mind off my fears.

  June Ann was sitting on her porch in the sunshine when I arrived at her cabin, holding Feather on her lap and talking baby talk to her. Maybe the tonics were finally working. Both she and Feather seemed happy and content. I sat beside them as we visited, watching June Ann kiss the baby’s tiny hands and her bare kicking feet and stroke her soft red hair. I could have danced with relief.

  At my next stop, the Sawyer children wouldn’t let me leave until I read two chapters of Treasure Island to them. I agreed, willing to do anything to forget about what I had to do that night. When I finally stood to go, the oldest boy tugged on my hand.

  “Want to see the pirate ship we built, Miss Alice? We make-believe we’re pirates, sailing in it.” I let them drag me over to have a look. It was just a pile of old wood and scraps of metal, but in their imagination it was a schooner that could sail all over the world searching for buried treasure. I marveled at the power of books to carry us far away to another time and place.

&nbs
p; “There’s buried treasure in Acorn, you know,” one of the boys told me.

  “You mean the treasure from Isaac Larkin and Wilbur Arnett?”

  “Yeah. Whoever finds the map will be rich!”

  “Tell me what you know about it.” I listened as they all began talking at once, hoping I could unearth the treasure for Wayne and June Ann’s sakes. But in spite of the children’s enthusiasm for the subject, I didn’t learn anything new. “I have to go,” I finally told them.

  “Can’t you read just one more chapter?”

  “You may read it yourself when I’m not here, you know.”

  “No, it’s more fun when you read it to us.”

  I realized as I rode farther up into the hills that the children enjoyed the suspense of waiting nearly as much as they enjoyed the story. Mystery and suspense were what kept life from becoming boring. How exciting to have something to look forward to, a break from the daily routine of a hardscrabble life. My life back home had been an easy one but a boring one. I loved my job at the library, but aside from that, I had nothing else to look forward to day after day. Even my relationship with Gordon had become routine—not to mention my relationship with God.

  Was that why I spent so much time reading books, because I had nothing else? I used to love the suspense of a stack of novels waiting to be read, the promise of something new in each story. I would live vicariously through the characters and share their adventures. Here in Acorn, people like Lillie and Mack and June Ann and Maggie were all very real, and so were the intrigues and heartaches in their lives. Maybe that was why I hadn’t finished reading a single novel in the nearly six weeks I had been here. Why read a mystery when you’re living one? Or two?

  I visited Gladys and Clint, then rode straight back to the library. I would see Mack later and had no desire to talk with him before then. My stomach squeezed like clothes through the wringer as I passed his cabin.

  I tried to work in the library for a while when I got home, carding books and putting them away. I couldn’t seem to think straight. When I found myself forgetting the alphabet, I decided to give up. I was sitting at the desk, staring into space when Ike came in. He tossed his library book onto the desk and stood grinning like a boy with a secret.

  “Hey, beautiful! I think I figured out a way we can see each other without anyone snooping.”

  “How?” My reply lacked his enthusiasm. The last thing on my mind was going off someplace and kissing Ike.

  “I’ll sneak back here after dark tonight and we can go for a walk.”

  “Tonight? But there’s no moon tonight. It’ll be pitch-dark!”

  “I know. That’s the point. And how’d you know about the moon?”

  “Um . . . the Almanac.”

  “So what do you say?” He reached for my hands and held them in his, but I was too nervous about what lay ahead of me tonight to feel a thrill at his touch.

  “I’m sorry, Ike, but I rode my book route today. I’m exhausted. I plan to go to bed early. How about some other time?”

  His smile wavered and I could see his disappointment. “We don’t have to walk far.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t.” I wished in vain for a movie theater or some other place of entertainment here in Acorn where a couple could go for a date. I liked being with Ike—maybe a little too much—but I didn’t think it would be a good idea to be alone in the dark with him. “Do you want another book while you’re here?” I asked, hoping I hadn’t hurt his feelings.

  “Sure,” he said. “What do you recommend?”

  He followed me into the non-fiction section, and I did let him steal a few kisses while we searched for a book. But I breathed a sigh of relief when he left, whistling a tune.

  “Ain’t you hungry?” Lillie asked as she watched me play with my dinner that evening. I finally pushed the plate away.

  “I can’t eat. I’m too scared.”

  “What are you scared of, honey?”

  “Everything! Riding alone in the woods at night, meeting up with the wildcat, getting arrested by the sheriff, being shot at by whoever tried to kill Mack—all of it.”

  “Want me to pray for you, honey?”

  I remembered her last bone-crushing prayer and didn’t know if I could stand another one. But Lillie didn’t give me a chance to refuse. She rose from her chair and clamped her hands on my shoulders and shouted out her prayer, loud enough for all of Acorn to hear, let alone the Good Lord way up in heaven.

  “Jesus, you know who is on your side and who ain’t. This little gal just wants to do what’s right, Lord. Give her strength and courage. Make her as strong as Deborah was when she fought against your enemies. Give her the faith of Queen Esther to face all those people who would do her harm. Watch over her tonight, Lord, and bring her back here safely, I pray. Amen.”

  If I expected something magical to happen, and that I would instantly get a dose or two of courage, I was disappointed. My hands still trembled just as much after the prayer as before. My knees still threatened to buckle when I stood up and tried to walk. We waited for it to get dark outside, then we waited some more. Lillie had helped me find the miner’s hat that Mack had asked for, and I watched as she filled it with fuel. It was time to go. She was about to load Mack’s rifle when I stopped her.

  “Wait. Don’t put the bullets in it yet. I don’t want to ride up there with a loaded gun on my lap.”

  “I thought you was worried about that wildcat?”

  “I am. But I don’t know how to use a rifle. I would probably end up shooting myself or Belle or some other innocent creature.”

  “If that’s what you want.” She shrugged and handed me the box of ammunition. I packed it in the saddlebags along with the miner’s hat.

  Belle was unhappy about getting saddled up and leaving her shed so late at night, and I didn’t blame her. She kept moving away from me as I tried to get her ready, and she wouldn’t stop stomping and snorting. I finally had to drag her out of the shed with both hands and tow her up to the back door so Lillie could have another talk with her to calm her down. Instead of talking, Lillie laid her hands on Belle’s shoulder and prayed for her—although in a much softer voice since we were standing outside late at night.

  “Oh, Lord! Keep that wildcat away from her tonight. Give her courage, I pray. Help her to see that justice needs to be done and that the right people should pay for what they done.”

  I thought it was asking a lot to expect a horse to be concerned about justice, but maybe Lillie had meant that part of her prayer for me. Belle did calm down after Lillie said, “Amen.” I was glad that one of us had.

  I climbed into the saddle, and Lillie handed me the rifle. I steered Belle toward the creek and up into the woods.

  The night was horribly dark. Not only was there no moon, but a cover of low-hanging clouds hid any stars from view. I didn’t know how Belle could see where she was going. I certainly couldn’t. I hung on tightly, ducking tree limbs, remembering the first night that she and I had ridden up this trail with Mack. At least I was accustomed to riding a horse by now.

  The woods were so black that I might have had my eyes closed. I knew this trail by heart in the daylight, but the familiar landmarks had disappeared in the darkness. Every sound, every hoot of an owl or whir of bat wings made me jump and flinch. The branches had leaves on them now and they made ominous noises when they rustled and swished and creaked in the wind.

  When Belle finally turned away from the creek and climbed the steep slope, it took me by surprise. We had arrived at the cabin. Mack was sitting on the porch, waiting for us. He looked relieved to see us. “I was starting to get worried. I was afraid you wouldn’t go through with it.”

  “Just hurry up,” I said as I slid to the ground. “The sooner this night is over, the better.”

  “Are you staying here?”

  I had been trying to decide what to do all day and still hadn’t made up my mind. “It’s so dark in these woods! Can’t I light a lamp inside the c
abin? Or even a candle?”

  “No. On a dark night like this it could be seen for miles.”

  I listened to the eerie, unfamiliar noises of the forest as Mack removed Belle’s bridle and replaced it with the halter. Even in daylight, Mack had been able to creep out of the bushes so stealthily that I’d never heard him, which meant anyone else could sneak up on me, too, including the wildcat. I knew if I sat alone in the cabin for hours and hours, every little noise would terrify me until my heart finally would give out. But did I want to ride up to the deserted mine with Mack? That was the more dangerous choice. The long night would seem endless while Mack searched the files. I suppose I could help him and make the work go faster. Or I could keep watch for him. Either way, it made me an accomplice. And what if the sheriff found me breaking in again? He wouldn’t let me off so easily the second time.

  “Well?” Mack asked. He had removed the saddlebags while waiting for my decision.

  “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Well, you’d better hurry up because I’m leaving in a minute.” He unbuckled the saddle, but didn’t slide it off her back. “Can you help me with the saddle? It’s heavy and I don’t want to drop it.”

  “Does your shoulder still bother you?”

  “A little. It’s going to take a while to heal right.” I remembered how the bullet had gone all the way through him, and shuddered.

  I helped him remove the saddle, and we carried it inside the cabin together. When we came out to the porch again, Mack stood looking at me with his hands on his hips, waiting for me to make up my mind. As I peered into the inky forest, a gust of wind lifted a pile of dried leaves and skittered them across the porch floor. The rattling, scraping sound startled me, and I let out a yelp, diving into Mack’s arms for protection. He pulled me tight and murmured, “Shhh . . . It’s okay.”

  I felt safe and protected in his embrace. I wanted to stay there. I also wanted to hold him back, beg him not to put himself in such danger. In spite of everything he’d put me through, I cared about him.