I STOOD BESIDE the creek, clinging to a tree and watching a water moccasin slither through the leaves and muck at the edge. The snake moved with the gentle current and slipped under a fallen branch mired in the water. A snapping turtle sunned itself on a log and water bugs skated across the water’s surface to escape hungry fish from below. I looked around and listened before I went into the open. The man wasn’t there. He hadn’t seen me and doubled back. I stepped onto the narrow gravel bank and felt the full force of the summer sun on my torn skin.
I balled up my fists, forcing down the urge to cry.
Guys don’t cry about stuff. All I did was get a little lost. Don’t be a pussy. Don’t cry.
I took deep breaths and the fear settled back into a safe spot in my stomach. The creek was beautiful with its rippling water winking at me in the sun. I looked up the creek and saw a wide bend. It was the deepest spot in the creek on our property, forty yards across with a large sandbar in the middle. We never went farther down the river than that spot. It was at the western edge of Ernest’s land.
I’d run a long way, all the way off the property. Something really could have happened. I’d been off Ernest’s land. Worse than that, the man came from the northwest, he’d definitely been on our property. If something had happened, it would’ve been very bad. The fear popped back out of my stomach and I had to work hard to push it back down.
I stepped into the cold water and gasped as it touched my torn feet. After the initial shock, the water soothed and then numbed the pain. I walked against the current. The smooth rocks on the creek bed didn’t bother my feet and I made good time. Remnants of past summers were all around me. Old ropes hung from sturdy branches, and blackened fire pits remained long after we’d left them. The more evidence I saw of my world, of Ernest, the smaller the pocket of fear became, and by the time I reached the last bend in the creek, it disappeared.
The path from the house snaked its way through the woods down the hill. I paused ten feet from the bank to decide whether to cut through the woods or continue up the creek to the path and then it happened. The attack came from the left, hitting me so hard I tumbled into the water face first.
I burst out of the water, gasping and flailing my arms. Once I got my feet under me, I saw Beatrice standing partially concealed by bushes, chewing her cud and looking bored.
“You worthless piece of crap. Look what you did, you goddamn worthless stupid piece of shit llama crap. I’m gonna kill you and beat you to death!” I screamed.
“Puppy! Puppy!” A woman’s voice fought its way through my rant. I wasn’t sure if it was Mom or Aunt Calla, but behind it came other voices, a symphony of concern reaching into my chest, slathering it with relief and comfort.
I moved out of Beatrice’s radius and shouted, “Mom! Mom!”
“I hear him!” yelled the voice.
Seconds later, Aunt Calla crashed through the bushes onto the bank. She took one look at me, raised her eyes and palms to heaven. “Thank you.”
I waded through the water towards her, my eyes watering. She lifted the hem of her nightgown and stepped into the water. We met halfway. She dropped her nightgown and pulled me into her arms. Wet fabric wrapped around my legs and made me feel heavy and tired. I blinked furiously and tried to swallow the hot red ball forming in my throat.
“Jeez, Pup. You’re a mess. What happened?” Aunt Calla held me by the shoulders. “You didn’t get off Ernest’s land, did you?”
I swallowed and in a microsecond considered my options, none of which were good. I should tell about the man in the woods, but if Mom found out I’d been off Ernest’s land, she might send me back to town. I decided to follow Caleb’s advice. When in doubt, lie.
“No,” I said. “Beatrice chased me, but I stayed here.”
“Thank goodness. Who knows what could’ve happened if you got off the property. We got worried when you didn’t show up to eat breakfast and Luke found the basket. You’ve been gone for hours. Let’s get back to the house and fix up those cuts. Did you run through a sticker bush or what?”
“No, just a lot of trees,” I said.
Voices shouted from up the creek. Mom and my cousins appeared twenty yards down on the path leading to the gravel bar. Mom made the same gesture of thankfulness as Aunt Calla. In a few minutes, I’d be pelted with a million questions and insulted, but I didn’t mind. Everything was fine and I’d never go off Ernest’s land again. I washed the remains of Beatrice’s triumph off my body and walked towards them.