Chapter 10.1

Sara had decided to eat breakfast regardless of the guilt she felt after reading Herschel’s journal.  Starving herself would not help the men she had become so fond of as she had read about them. After she finished eating, she went about doing a few chores before going back to reading.

Sara set the pot just outside the door to collect water. The tarp she had strung between trees and the cabin to use as a makeshift funnel worked better than she had anticipated. That was partly due to the heavy rain falling almost continuously since she had found the cabin.

While she waited for the water to finish filling the pot, Sara went about reorganizing her pack and sorting her food supply. She concluded that her food would last for a minimum of two more weeks of staying in the cabin, which she did not want to do. She quickly finished the rest of her chores and changed clothes before bringing the water inside.

When she went to the door to bring in the water, Sara slowly cracked it open a few inches so she could peek out and look for the enormous white-tailed buck she called Ted. With the deer nowhere in sight, she picked up the cast iron cauldron and brought it inside, placing it on her camp stove. 

Sara had left the door open for some fresh air while moving the pot of water. She turned around to close the door and saw the deer coming toward it. She hurried to shut it before the deer came inside. As soon as the door closed, the cabin felt stuffy and confined again. Sara thought for a moment before she opened the door a little and grabbed the paracord to tie it so air would still come inside.

“I like you, Ted, but I do not need a housemate. Especially one with antlers, who tried to kill me,” Sara told the deer as she tied the door.

She went back to the table and sat down. She checked the wound on her leg and was delighted that it had healed enough to leave the dressing off. Her other injuries had healed enough that the only thing keeping her in that cabin now were the storms. She felt a weight lift off of her at that revelation.  She hoped she would be able to keep that mood as she picked up the journal and continued to read.

December 9, 1879

Jim woke up this morning feeling better still. He finally talked me into letting him look at my shoulder. He took one look at it, grabbed my wrist, and yanked it as hard as he could. My shoulder gave a big pop, I let out a scream, and Jim scolded me for hiding how bad I was hurt. My shoulder is hurting less now than it has since the accident. Unfortunately, now Jim is favoring some of his ribs like he hurt them again when he fixed my shoulder.

After Jim got through torturing me, we made a little fry bread to go with our pot of soup. We talked as we ate and have decided to cook what is left of our venison before it goes bad. It is not what we wanted to do, but we have little choice. 

Jim is feeling well enough that he thinks he will be able to set some snares for rabbits soon. If we can dig our way out of this cabin and he can get us some rabbits, we will do fine. If something happens and we can’t get out of here and can’t get more food, we will be in trouble. 

December 9, 1879

Second entry. We began to dig more at the snow blocking the door. We managed to break through the top and see that more snow is falling again. It might be a losing battle, but we are still going to keep at it. With some luck, we will be able to dig a path out of here. 

We ate a good lunch, mostly our remaining venison, and after we rest a little more, we will go back to digging out the snow. I want Jim to take it easy and continue to heal. He is dead set against that and wants to keep working on digging out. I keep telling Jim that I can do much of the digging while he continues to rest. That way, he will be fit to set the snares. 

When Jim is ready, I think we need to start packing the snow down to make steps in the snowpack so we can climb out. We have melted as much as we can for drinking water, so packing it down needs to be the next step. It is not the first time that I have had to do this, but this is the worst I have ever seen. Never have I seen this much snow fall from the sky.

Jim said he saw it like this once when he was a small boy, still living with his tribe. He said during that year, many in his village died by freezing or starving to death. He told me that it was also the winter when he heard the wendigo, and that is why he knows what that thing is that keeps stalking about outside this cabin. The talk of that thing makes my hair stand on end. Maybe someday, I will be able to recount what Jim has told me about it here in these pages. 

Sara stopped reading so she could make her coffee. She thought about the journal passage she had just finished as she stirred her cup. She might be able to find out more about someone named Herschel Allen, who was from Missouri. But someone who went by Jim Smith would be far more complex.  Especially considering Jim was from the Ojibwa tribe. That would mean fewer records. 

Sara let out a sigh as she thought about the hours she knew she would be spending as she tried to find out more about the men and their families. That thought made her need chocolate. She pulled a chocolate protein bar out of her bag and smiled. That was perfect to go with her coffee and journal reading.

December 9, 1879

Third entry. We worked on digging our way out for most of the day. Jim seems to think that as long as the snow stops falling, we should be able to make enough of a path out that he can go set snares the day after tomorrow. I cannot tell you the joy that brings me right now. I feel like we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. This season began so well, and then it turned into an utter disaster.

We ate dinner, and now Jim is resting. I worry that he did too much today. The last thing we need is for him to take a turn for the worse just as he is starting to feel better. Now that he worked my shoulder over, we might just be okay and make it through this. I feel so much better. I might be able to get the first good night's sleep since all this mess started.

Tonight I am going to drink some willow bark tea before I go to bed. I had been saving it for Jim, but now that he is doing so much better, I feel like I can go back to using it and not need to worry if he will have it if he needs it. My arthritis is hurting something fierce. I won’t be any use tomorrow if I am hurting as much as I am now.

A scrape on the door behind her made Sara freeze. Sitting motionless, she heard more scraping followed by sniffing. Sara could picture a bear trying to get inside with her. Holding her breath, she turned as quietly as possible to look at the door. What she saw made her laugh. The buck she called Ted had his nose stuck in the tiny space of the door opening.

“Morning Ted!” Sara said to the deer. “That right there, my friend, is why that door is tied shut. Now, will you please get your nose out of my door?”

The large buck snorted before withdrawing from the doorway. Sara shook her head at his response to her. That deer was another thing she wanted to learn more about. He did not act like a normal deer, and there had to be a reason for that. Sara tried to ignore the strange deer and forget about his behavior as she went back to reading.

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