AN UNRELENTING BLIZZARD ENGULFED THE BIRCHTOWN settlement bringing a frightful amount of snow, six feet deep in places. Every available hand turned out to shovel.
The sod roof on Reece Johnson’s shack had collapsed through the centre. He stretched long poles across the gaping hole and piled the last of the spruce boughs over the poles. When he finished, he sat on a tree stump and finished off a chunk of salt deer meat as he took a much-needed break. He focused on a pair of noisy woodpeckers drilling relentlessly for moth larva. He was thinking how the birds had such a convenient supply of winter food and the tools they needed to find it, unlike many of the Loyalists, who were fending off starvation with little more than their will.
Sarah, who was on her way to Cecil’s store, spotted Reece and slowly crept up from behind until she was close enough to reach out and place a hand on his shoulder. Reece jumped, then stood and turned about sharply. She giggled and was about to say, “A good wife would make you a nice lunch,” but checked herself, as finding even a morsel these days would be hard. Reece looked into Sarah’s sparkling eyes and said, “You should have on a heavier coat. This weather can make you sick if you are not dressed for it.”
“I’m warm enough. I have a ton of clothes piled on.”
“A good thing. So what are you doing out on such a day, Miss Sarah?”
“Cato came by with a message from Mr. MacLeod. He said that Grandmother took a dizzy spell on her way back from Port Roseway. She made it as far as the store and Mr. MacLeod has asked that I come and see that she makes it home safely.” She squatted on a stump opposite Reece. “I only have a minute. I’m worried. Grandmother has never gotten sick, not that I can remember.”
“Why didn’t Cato help her back?”
“I didn’t ask, but you never know his condition! He always smells of brew.”
“Fortune could have gone.”
“He left early this morning because Cecil asked him to do some carpentry work at the store. Nothing would stop Papa from a day’s work. It’s too hard to come by.”
“True, but it’s a poor day for outside work and a long walk in the cold. It is not safe for you to be out alone. I heard about your run-in with Boll weevil. I’d feel better if I went with you.” He reached inside the door and grabbed a heavy coat.
“Thanks. I don’t like being out alone, but I try to be careful. It’s the cold I hate more than anything.”
When they had gone some distance, Reece turned to her and said, “It’s a bitter winter, just as bad as the first. I was hoping this one would be better. The winters last so long up here … they seem to last forever.”
“I try not to think about it. There’s something nice about the snow. It’s so pure and fluffy; it reminds me of the cotton fields!” Sarah picked up a handful of snow and threw it at Reece.
“Missed!” he said, ducking fast.
“I hope Grandmother is alright. She’s old and she’s had a lot of worries lately.”
Reece was quiet. The snow was heavy and walking was difficult. He was thinking that Sarah was strong and determined, like her grandmother. Now that they had settled into a friendship, they were nearly inseparable. He frowned at Sarah’s insistence that they keep their friendship from her grandmother, agreeing only because she assured him it was for the best. He supposed there was no need for trouble.
They came to a place where the snow had filled in the path and they climbed over huge banks of snow. Beyond the drifts, they took a shortcut through a part of the arm Sarah had not seen before. A long rock wall stretched for about a mile and there were ruins: dilapidated buildings and piles of rocks outlining foundations where the wind scattered the snow—the homes of the French before their expulsion.
“It’s hard to believe people were here before us,” Sarah remarked.
“People move on, but they leave their mark.”
Suddenly, without warning, Sarah let out a loud scream. She found herself sinking down into a wide hole. For a moment, Reece panicked. He approached the hole and managed to pull her out, but Sarah was shaken. She gathered her wits while Reece asked her if she was hurt.
Sarah straightened her bonnet, brushed herself off and said, “I’m alright.”
“That’s a relief. You must have stumbled into an old well. The snow’s light, you went right through it.”
“It gave me a fright. We better hope nothing else happens. Grandmother must be worried.”
Sarah looked back at the ghostly ruins. A sudden emptiness and feeling of sadness for lost souls caused her to say, “I don’t know what I would do without Grandmother. Death is funny. It comes unexpectedly most times, like a sudden fire alarm. Just go, get out, with little or no warning. I’ve seen so much of it.”
“Death is hard to deal with, I imagine. I can’t say that I’ve ever had to deal with it, really. I mentioned not knowing my parents. I feel like a ship adrift in the Atlantic. I have no idea who named me Reece. Reece who, I often wonder.”
“Reece is a wonderful name. You told me your name was Reece Johnson.”
“I did. It’s funny how that name came about. When the man who was recording names on the Inspection Roll asked for mine, I said ‘Reece.’ He asked if I had a surname. I didn’t think of myself as a slave or want to take on the Redmond name, so I said ‘Johnson.’ It was the first name that came into my head.”
The path was slippery in places. Reece took Sarah’s arm. “Careful,” he said, and helped her over a spot of ice.
“You weren’t alone. A lot of slaves just had one name.”
“They did, but I named myself! My free name is Reece Johnson.” He let go a roaring laugh that echoed throughout the woods.
“Well, at least you had the freedom to choose. This freedom is not all it was supposed to be. I’m indentured to the Cunninghams for now. Housework does not suit me. It’s shameful to trade our freedom and souls for a hand-out and a bite to eat.”
“In these hard times, we do what we have to do.” He squeezed her hand, pulled her to a standstill and looked into her eyes. “I have news. I received my notice to go sea.”
“When are you leaving?” There was sadness in her voice and she bit her lip and looked away, stepping faster, dreading the answer.
“In three days I will be heading up north on Cape Blomidon. I can’t turn down a job, much less a good-paying one like this.”
“And will you return to Birchtown?”
“I can’t say how long I’ll be gone for sure, perhaps a month or more. I suppose I’ll return here to home port. There’s no other place to call home.”
“Grandmother says we have to put down roots. It’s the only way to survive,” she said matter-of-factly.
“She’s right.” That was all he said, until a crow cawed. “Sometimes I feel like your grandmother is sizing me up. She looks at me in the oddest way …”
“I have my own mind and my own heart.”
“I have no doubt of that, Sarah Redmond. No doubt at all. We are almost there.” Reece grabbed Sarah’s hand. “You’re a strong and brave woman. I’d work my heart out for someone like you. Honestly, I would.”
Sarah smiled. “And what good would you be to me if you worked your heart out?”
Reece smiled a boyish smile. His eyes met hers. He felt manly now that he had a purpose and hope. He stopped and pulled Sarah forward and brushed the snow from her shoulders. The sound of Ackers Brook making its way under the icy covers filled the air. It was in that spot that Reece stopped and pulled Sarah close. Just as they were engaging in a gentle kiss, the sounds of fierce howling and panting jolted them apart. Suddenly a pack of wild dogs sprang from the woods and bared their sharp teeth. Their growls were vicious and their ribs bulged through their puny sides. Like lightning, Reece broke a spruce branch and waved it with much screaming until the dogs ran off through the thick snow.
Sarah’s fright had turned to amusement as she watched. “They’re starving,” Sarah said. “There’s nothing for them to eat in this snow.”
With that remark, it came to her that she was starving too. As they hurried on, Sarah turned her thoughts inward. What was she starving for? Food? Excitement? Happiness? There was nothing for a lively spirit in this empty place. A picture of New York came into her mind with its tall buildings, hustle and bustle, smells and people going about with purpose. She was tired of the heavy-hearted wayfarers and gloominess of Birchtown. She looked at Reece, another adventurer, and the very idea of getting married felt like a sentence to the House of Corrections. Such thoughts. It was all too much, too complicated on a morning like this.
She had other pressing concerns. She could see the roof of Cecil MacLeod’s store in the distance. Upon reaching the store, she and Reece parted company. She watched as he headed back to help other Birchtowners with their repairs. Knowing what had transpired between Mr. MacLeod and Grandmother, her fear of him transformed into a great lump in her stomach.