“Maybe we should jump back to school now,” Zack suggested. “Sacagawea just quit. She says she has no dream. And this stupid uniform is giving me a rash.” Zack scratched at his arm.
“Maybe you could stop scratching for a second and we can help Sacagawea find her dream,” Jacob replied. “If she had a dream of her own, maybe she wouldn’t quit.”
Mr. C was right. This adventure was way more difficult than any of our others. Usually, the people we visited were quitting their dreams. How could we help Sacagawea follow her dream if she didn’t have one? And what if her dream was something she wanted to do without Lewis and Clark?
“I don’t know how you get someone a dream,” I said. “Isn’t a dream something people think up on their own? It’s what they really want and what they hope and—”
Suddenly, Bo interrupted. “Maps!” he said so loudly, I jumped in surprise. “How could I have forgotten it’s all about maps? I hate to say it,” he admitted, “but it kind of doesn’t matter if Sacagawea has her own dream. For history to stay on track, we need to convince her to stay and help Lewis and Clark finish their map.”
We all agreed to try. Still, in my heart, I hoped that while we were convincing Sacagawea to stay with the expedition, she’d also find a dream of her own.
I went over to Sacagawea and begged her to take the bear stone, saying, “Please, we can’t talk to you if you don’t hold the stone.” I had to repeat myself a few times before she finally took back the rock.
Bo looked at Sacagawea and said seriously, “Lewis and Clark wouldn’t have made it this far without you.” Sacagawea was just a teenager, not quite a real adult, but it was still tough for shy Bo to talk to her.
“Yes, they would have,” Sacagawea claimed. She was only half-listening, playing with the beads on her dress. “They don’t need me.”
“Yes, they do,” Bo insisted. I heard him mutter the word “maps” under his breath as he built up the courage to go on.
“A few months ago, some of the boats overturned on the river,” he reminded her. “It was kind of like what happened today, only the water was colder and deeper. Many of the men were too afraid to go into the rushing water, but you risked your life to help save the expedition’s mapping journals and supplies.”
I gave Bo a big thumbs-up. Sacagawea might not be convinced, but she’d stopped looking at her beads. She was definitely listening.
Bo continued: “Later, when you were so sick, everyone thought you’d die, Captain Lewis took care of you, giving you medicine until you got healthy.”
“See?” I said, helping Bo. “Lewis wouldn’t have spent so much time nursing you if you weren’t important.”
Jacob chimed in, telling Sacagawea, “After you got healthy, you traveled to a place where two rivers came together. You knew the correct river to take. You led the Corps of Discovery to the Shoshone lands and to Camp Fortunate. Without you, they might have gotten lost.” He smiled at me and whispered, “That’s part of the computer game.”
“Are you convinced how important you are?” I asked her. “Without your translation, Lewis and Clark cannot make their map. They’ll never reach the ocean.” I couldn’t believe I was honestly trying to convince Sacagawea to help make a map. My, how things had changed!
A light glinted in her eyes at the word “ocean,” but it passed so quickly, I wasn’t sure if it was real or if I’d imagined it.
“Don’t forget about Chief Cameahwait,” Zack added, scratching at his arms. “It’s also important that you convince your brother to stay at Camp Fortunate awhile longer. Even though the trade is complete, Chief Cameahwait still needs to help Lewis and Clark find a route over the mountains.” He winked and said, “It’s all about the map, right?”