The Case of the Missing Auntie

by Michael Hutchinson

  “That was kind of mean.” Chickadee and Otter laughed at Atim.

  “I was just giving us a chance to talk, you know, about the case.” Atim sounded defensive.

  “Mm-hmm.” Chickadee shook her head at him.

  “There has to be some kind of government office somewhere,” Sam suggested.

  “Could you do a search on the computer, Chickadee?” Otter rubbed his cousin’s shoulder as he asked her.

  “Sure. I bet Auntie Sadie has a computer around here somewhere.”

  “Once we have that, we’ll have a starting point.” Sam smiled.

  “In the meantime, it shouldn’t take us long to get Otter’s tickets.” Once Atim decided he was going to do something, he was like a dog with a bone. He just couldn’t stop chewing at it.

  Nitanis appeared with a huge smile and arms full of chip bags.

  “Snack time!” David followed his sister carrying a selection of drink boxes in his stretched-out T-shirt. The Muskrats thanked their younger cousins and quickly doled out the goodies.

  Samuel finally put down his reading. “We should go to the ticket booth in the mall tomorrow. We can get Otter’s tickets there.”

  “The mall?” Chickadee’s mind filled with a flood of TV images.

  Nitanis squeezed her arm. “I love the mall. There is so much stuff there.”

  “Star Stores has a lot of cool video games, toys, and stuff. It’s the best store at the mall,” David advised.

  Atim looked for the TV remote as he spoke. “The mall is cool. We can get the tickets there. If the concert’s not sold out….”

  Otter stopped strumming Auntie Sadie’s guitar, concerned. “What do you mean, ‘sold out?’”

  The oldest Muskrat shook his head and sighed. “The stadium is only so big. There’re only so many seats.”

  “So, I might not get in?” Otter was surprised at how sad the thought made him. His cousins could hear the worry in his voice. Nitanis and David frowned in sympathy.

  Atim patted Otter on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, cuz, we’ll get you the tickets. If they’re all sold, we’ll figure something out.”

  Samuel pursed his lips. “I wouldn’t promise. The concert is in just a couple of days.”

  Atim straightened himself out and pointed to the sky. “I promise I’ll get you tickets, Otter. There’s always other ways in the city. It’s who you know.”

  Samuel laughed. “You don’t know nobody!”

  Atim threw a pillow at his brother. Samuel deflected, but the fluffy projectile hit David, who threw it back at Atim. Chickadee and Nitanis grabbed the pillows off the bed and launched them in the air.

  Chapter 3

  An Old Friend Found

  “It’s easy. Just get on, drop your change in the slot, and take a seat,” Samuel assured Chickadee and Otter as the bus pulled up. The doors opened, Samuel stepped on, slowly dropped his coins into the cache, and walked toward the back. Otter followed but dropped his coins in a rush. Two of them jammed in the slot. Those that followed bounced off and hit the floor.

  Giggling, Atim and Chickadee joined in the scramble for the fleeing bus fare. Chickadee looked up to see the bus driver watching them disapprovingly. She smiled up at him.

  Eventually, they gathered all the wayward coins and joined Samuel at the tail of the almost-empty bus.

  “Welcome to my big, orange limousine.” Sam stretched his arms out across the back of the seat. Chickadee slipped into a seat by a window. Atim, the oldest and tallest Muskrat, smacked the ceiling of the bus before he sat down beside her. Otter slid in beside Samuel.

  “It won’t take us long to get there. This bus goes directly downtown.” Atim rubbed his belly. “I can’t wait to hit the food court.”

  Samuel snickered at his brother. “I like the food court because of all the different kinds of people there. It’s not only cultures, but rich and poor people too. Downtown is where all the office crowd is, but it’s also where homeless people and panhandlers hang out.”

  Atim thumped his chest. “And freaks…. You gotta be tough in the city.”

  The other Muskrats rolled their eyes.

  Chickadee was watching the city slide by. The repetition of the suburbs had given way to a layer of older buildings as they passed through the Old Town neighborhood. The office buildings of City Center were newer and had stores and restaurants filling their lower floors. Chickadee saw a man sitting on the sidewalk. The bus moved past so fast she didn’t get a chance to get a good look. She wondered if she had just seen her first homeless person.

  Eventually, they were downtown, and Chickadee was delighted to see the big signs, neon adverts, and colorful posters plastered everywhere. The bus pulled up to a stop in front of the mall. The Muskrats tumbled out into a press of people.

  “Stay together!” Atim shouted at his smaller cousins. It didn’t take them long to get out of the crowd around the bus stop and into the mall. Atim quickly led them to the food court and found them a table. As they settled, he took off to line up for his favorite fast food. The other Muskrats chuckled at their perpetually hungry cousin.

  Chickadee had a moment to look around her. She was surprised at the sheer variety of people. The food court was the most multi-cultural place she had ever been to. Groups of old men from every corner of the globe were chatting and laughing amongst themselves. She was grateful to see a group of First Nations Elders also had their place. Chickadee was comforted to find brown faces in the city, even if they belonged to people she didn’t know.

  Samuel noticed her gaze. “Lots of First Nations from up north come down here to shop and, this week, go to the Ex.” Sam hitched up the hand-me-down jeans on his slim frame.

  Suddenly, Atim’s voice broke through the hubbub. “Hey guys! Look who I found!”

  The cousins turned to see Atim, with a tray piled with food, and a boy who had moved from Windy Lake a few years before. Brett had been a leader back on the rez. He was from an older age group, so the Muskrats had always looked up to him.

  Chickadee’s face turned red as she saw Brett. It wasn’t until after he left their community that she realized she had a crush on him.

  “Hey, gang!” Brett’s clothes looked brand new and fashionable. “I haven’t seen you guys for, like, two summers.” He hugged Otter and Samuel. Atim sat down and began to eat.

  Brett slid into the seat across from Chickadee. Otter was across from Atim and stole the occasional fry from his plate.

  “How do you like the city, Brett?” Samuel was pinching his chin.

  “S’alright.” Brett stretched his legs out into the aisle. “Started out hangin’, like, at the mall more, once I was old enough not to need my parents along.”

  “Atim is our guardian.” Samuel chuckled as he pointed his thumb at his brother.

  “Ouv nemer meen no naiff!” Atim said with a mouth full of food. The others laughed.

  “I said…” he found a final morsel hidden in his cheek, “…you’ve never been so safe.”

  Choking and laughing, Atim wiped his chin as he finished chewing.

  Otter feigned seriousness and slapped Atim on the back. “Don’t forget to breathe, cousin.”

  “I missed you guys. We laughed so much back home.” Brett chuckled.

  “Who you hangin’ with now?” Samuel stole a fry from his brother’s tray.

  “I don’t know. Just some guys who live in the neighborhood.” Brett rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the floor. “To be honest, not really sure they’re friends.”

  “Well, we’re your friends,” Chickadee said and meant it.

  “No doubt about that.” Atim was almost finished his tray of food.

  “For now!” Brett laughed, but his eyes were serious. “Everyone forgets about me once they get back home.”

  “I won’t,” Chickadee declared.

&n
bsp; Her cousins were quiet for a moment and then broke out in giggles.

  “Eeewww, so deep!” Atim teased. Samuel hid a big smile behind his hand.

  Chickadee scowled at the boys. She picked up Atim’s dirty napkin from the tray, scrunched it into a ball, and threw it at him. Then she launched a half-hearted kick at Samuel’s leg. On the outside she laughed and accepted the teasing, but inside she was mad at herself for being so open and was a little upset that the other Muskrats had belittled her feelings. She wasn’t sure what these feelings were, but she did know her cousins had bruised them.

  When she looked back at Brett, he seemed to be absorbed with his phone.

  “I’m sorry, guys. I gotta go. My friends just texted me, they need me to…run an errand.” Brett got up quickly and put his phone in his pocket.

  “Really?” Chickadee’s voice held a touch of disappointment.

  “Your friends have you doing stuff for them?” Otter smirked as he said it.

  “Yeah, just stuff. I’m the new guy, so…” Brett shrugged.

  “Auntie Sadie gave me a phone to use while I’m babysitting in the big city.” Atim waved an older cell phone back and forth. “Give me your number. We’re probably going to the Ex tomorrow. I’ll text you and let you know if we change plans.” Atim stood and slapped Brett on the shoulder. As Brett gave him the number, he punched it into the borrowed phone.

  When Atim was done, Brett looked around the group. “I’ll see you all again before you go.”

  Chickadee and the boys nodded.

  There was a moment of silence.

  “Sheesh. Get out of here!” Samuel laughed. Otter and Atim each gave Brett one last slap on an arm, and then he turned to leave. The Muskrats watched him walk away.

  “You guys gonna eat?!” Atim suddenly broke the silence. “What are you going to share with me?”

  The other Muskrats groaned.

  After everyone had their fill of food-court fare, the Muskrats made their way to the ticket booth.

  “This is going to be amazing!” Otter couldn’t think of wanting anything more. He had followed the career of Wovoka’s Wail’s guitarist, Lolly Leach, and was really touched by their lyrics, which mixed their traditional Paiute language and English.

  “When they played the city on National Aboriginal Day, they were so loud!” Atim laughed and held his ears.

  “I can’t wait to see them. I hope Harold will be into it.” Otter put his hands together as if to pray.

  When they got to the front of the line, Otter asked Samuel to speak to the lady behind the glass.

  “Two tickets for Wovoka’s Wail, please.” Samuel laid Otter’s cash out on the counter.

  The lady pursed her lips and then her fingernails clicked against the keyboard.

  “That’s what I figured.” She leaned toward the glass. “Wovoka’s Wail was sold out just two days after it was announced. There may be some contests that still have tickets, but you’ll have a tough time finding some now. Of course, there are still VIP seats, but they’re twenty dollars more a ticket. Sorry.”

  Samuel gave Otter a look of disappointment. Otter’s jaw dropped and then shut. He looked at the floor, crushed. He didn’t have enough money for VIP tickets.

  The lady noticed. “You know, what usually happens for these big shows, is that the stadium guys don’t really know how large the stage is until they show up. So sometimes there can be some regular tickets released once they know how much space the show really needs. You never know…there’s still a chance.”

  Samuel turned back to the lady at the counter. “Thank you anyway. We’ll figure something out.”

  “Good luck,” the lady said sincerely. Then she looked beyond Samuel at the person behind him in line and yelled, “Next!”

  The Mighty Muskrats walked a short distance and then clustered around Otter. They put their hands on his shoulders.

  “That’s too bad, Otter.” Chickadee rubbed his back.

  “It’s okay.” Otter’s voice was dripping disappointment, but he was trying to soldier on.

  “This isn’t the end…” Atim was determined. “We’ll get you those tickets, I promise.”

  Otter looked at him, hopefully.

  “Atim, you shouldn’t…” Samuel warned and shook his head.

  “I promise!” Atim stated loudly.

  Samuel shrugged, but it was obvious he wanted to say more.

  Atim slapped Otter on the back. “Don’t worry,” he whispered in his ear.

  “I’ll help as much as I can.” Samuel was realistic about their chances but didn’t want to let Otter down either.

  Chapter 4

  Desperate Plans,

  Desperate Measures

  “We might as well go to the fair,” Otter announced the next day at the breakfast table. He awoke, resigned never to see Wovoka’s Wail. The Muskrats had emerged from the darkness of the basement and now sat in the brightly lit kitchen.

  “There are other ways to get tickets. We can do it!” Atim was adamant as he poured syrup on his Insta-waffles.

  “I don’t want us all to miss the Exhibition Fair just because of me.” Otter shook his head and then smiled. “I’m sure I’ll see the Wail when they’re old and wrinkled like the bands the aunties go see.”

  “I don’t think they’ve changed the records at the gas station on Windy Lake since my mom was a teenager.” Chickadee laughed.

  “The aunties! They might know a way to get tickets that we don’t!” Atim slapped his fist into the palm of his hand.

  After they had eaten, Atim found Auntie Sadie in her bedroom getting ready for work.

  “Auntie Sadie, you wouldn’t know how to get tickets when a concert is already sold out, would you?” Atim leaned against the doorframe.

  His aunt laughed. “That’s a tall order.”

  “I know, but this is Otter’s first trip to the city, and I really want to be able to make sure he gets to the Wovoka’s Wail concert.”

  “Well…actually, under my credit card, I’m a preferred customer, so I would be first in line for any new tickets that come up. I’d need to use my card to buy the tickets, so you’d have to give me the money first.” Auntie Sadie sat down in front of her makeup table and started painting her face.

  “What does that mean?” Atim felt weird watching his aunt apply makeup.

  “It means, you have to promise to give me the money for the tickets. Then I could buy any new ones that might come up or get VIP tickets, if you have enough money for that.”

  “Really? That would be great!” Atim was ecstatic. “Thank you, Auntie!”

  “It’s a long shot, but you have to give me the money first. I’m willing to help, if you’ve got the cash.”

  “It’s another chance. We’ll get that extra money.”

  “Well, it’s nice you’re trying to do this for Otter. He hasn’t had it easy since his parents went on their final journey.”

  Atim gave his aunt a kiss on top of her head.

  She smiled at him in the mirror. “Listen, there’s a bowl full of change at the top of the stairs. If you guys need money for food and the bus, you can take it out of there, so you don’t have to spend your Exhibition and concert money.”

  “That’s awesome, Auntie. I’m going to go tell Otter we still have a chance.” Atim bounded out of her bedroom.

  His aunt called down the hall after him. “If you kids want a ride downtown, hurry up and be ready when I go.”

  Atim bounced back to the dining room to tell Otter and the others the news, and an hour later, the Muskrats were outside the mall, waving good-bye to their aunt.

  “So where are we going to get that extra money, smart guy?” Samuel sounded skeptical as he pinched his chin.

  “I don’t know. I’d chip in my Ex money, so Otter could go to the concert.” Atim raised his ey
ebrows waiting for others to follow suit.

  “No way!” Otter shook his head. “No way am I going to be the reason that Chickadee doesn’t get to go to the Exhibition Fair.”

  “I thought the Ex was mission number one,” Samuel said.

  “It was, but it’ll be there all week. We can go any day.” Atim flicked the hair out of his eyes. “But imagine if Otter could go to the Wail on his first visit to the city!”

  “And what about Auntie Charlotte?” Chickadee was a bit chagrined that she too had forgotten about their Grandpa’s request, but that didn’t stop her from giving her cousins heck.

  “Just a few more hours on Otter’s quest, and then we’ll get to the others. I’ll figure something out,” Atim insisted. Samuel raised his eyebrows expecting a response from Chickadee. She shook her head but didn’t push further.

  Disappointed in herself and her cousins, Chickadee began to walk slower, looking in the store windows, but only seeing memories from when her Elder had first told her about his missing little sister.

  ó

  “She was always a happy girl,” Grandpa said. “She had that sweet innocence kids have when they’re young.”

  Chickadee made tea while her grandpa spoke. She filled the kettle with water and placed it on the stove.

  “I remember once, when I was supposed to have been babysitting her, she disappeared. Maybe that was a sign….” He shook his head. “We all searched the house—everywhere. We searched the yard. We searched the sheds. You know where she was?” Grandpa chuckled.

  Chickadee shook her head.

  “She was in the garden.” He slapped his knee. “She was sitting in the garden, in the big leaves, so we couldn’t see her. But Charlotte could see us, and she had been sitting there watching us, as she was eating peas.

  “We laughed hard when we found her because we had all been so scared. She was very precious to us.” Grandpa got quiet for a moment. His chin tightened as he tried to keep his emotions in check. He looked at Chickadee with watery eyes. “Sometimes, when everyone thinks you’re lost, you’re really where you’re supposed to be. Sometimes, when everyone thinks you’re right where you’re supposed to be, you’re really lost.” He smiled sadly and wiped his eyes.