by Jesse Wiley
“Look, Pa.” You point to the glow. “Maybe we should ask them for directions.”
Pa turns his head. “Maybe we should. But we don’t know who it is. We need to be careful. Bandits all ’round these parts.”
You and Pa move cautiously through brambles to seek out the campfire. Dash follows. The trees part to reveal a small campsite. A family sits around a roaring campfire. You see three adults and three children.
Pa approaches cautiously. “Hello, there.”
A man wearing a colorful shirt decorated with woven ribbons rises to his feet. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“Terribly sorry to disturb you.” Pa takes off his hat and wipes his brow. “But you wouldn’t happen to know where we are, would you?”
The family exchanges glances.
“You’re lost?” The fire glows against the young boy’s face.
“Hush, Wahya.” The man puts his finger to his lips. “You are about twenty-five miles outside of Atlanta. Where are you trying to go?”
“Nashville, and then Saint Louis. We’re going on the Oregon Trail.”
“So are we!” Wahya stands up.
His older brother nudges him to be quiet.
The man in the vibrant shirt has a warm smile and motions for you and Pa to sit down at their campfire. You introduce yourselves.
“My name is Tsayoga,” says the man in the colorful shirt, “and this is my family. My wife, Tsula; her father, Oukonunaka; my daughter, Inola; and my sons, Atsadi and Wahya. We are journeying West too, avoiding as many crowded main roads as possible.”
Pa nods. “I understand.”
You find out more about the family. They’re of the Cherokee Nation, and they aren’t leaving their home by choice. Like so many before them, they’ve been forced to journey West.
“But we can help you get to Nashville.” Tsayoga places a log on the fire and rubs his hands together.
You lean into Pa’s ear. “What if we travel together?”
“Maybe.” Pa rubs his chin. “Though they might not want to come with us.”
Should you ask Tsayoga’s family if they want to travel with you, or continue on alone?
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