The road is more normal looking. The letters and number on the sines for instants. Beside the road there are posts with yellow reflecting things on the top. I didnt see those in the US. I shuld of known rite away that I wasnt in Canada. I must be even stupider than they say.
Theres nobody around—no cars or lites or houses. I totally can not find the north pointing star. I know its small and near the stars that look like a pail and I can not see that ether. I feel like I am looking thru the telly scope again and not seeing whatever it was Gally Layo saw. Moons? Moons. I dunno.
I am sick of carrying this crappy gym bag. One of the handles has broken and it is dangling from my hand. The wolf said to take care of the bag but hes not around. Hes probly not even real. Now that Ive escaped from Skrillex and Brady and Alex and Vi and Lubor and America—now that I am almost home—I figure I must of been dreaming when I talked to the wolf and thot he was Grampa. Dreaming or what do you call it—seeing things. So I dont need to do what he said.
Theres something heavy in the bag—like a stone or something. I feel it moving as the bag swings. A thot comes out of no place.
What if its money?
Now I go back to thinking that wolf Grampa is real. Maybe he led me to the gym bag so Id find money inside. I found a back pack full of money last summer. Thats 1 of the reasons I am in Creekside now—the money. Also the dead body. Dont ask—its a long story.
How much do you trust Grampa? Spencer wasnt talking about Grampa the wolf but its still a good question.
Anyway I dont throw away the gym bag. I keep skating and when I come to the next street lite I stop and open it. I am all ready thinking of what to do with the money. Spencer can have something for his camera and Benj at Creekside can have a poster of the Maple Leafs. He is a big fan. Id like to help Bet but I cant think how. And you cant help every body. Sorry Steve you cant. I shuld give some of the money to my cousins. Or maybe we shuld just split it since were all grandsons. Thinking of Grampa I want to find out if there is a wolf shelter or wolf fund or something. I bet there is. Some of the money shuld go there to say thank you.
By now I am almost sure about whats in the bag—the only question is how much. A hundred dollars? A thousand? A billion? All rite not a billion but it culd still be a lot. So I am pretty disappointed when I push aside the towelly things and a small clear plastic bag of cereal and find the sleeping baby.
Really? Yeah. Small and rinkly and curled up with a thum in its mouth. The gym bag is a baby bag. The towel things are some kind of diaper.
I look around half expecting to see Grampa so I can ask him what I am supposed to do now. Cause I have no idea. Im a kid—15 last birthday and not very smart. What do I know about babys? Nothing. I mean I know where they come from but thats all.
Who wants a baby? I would rather have money.
I can see the little sholders moving when the baby shivers. It turns its head and yawns and then goes back to sleep. It has a hat on and mitts and a scarf and bootys and all but its cold. Well of course it is. The bag was on the ice. The babys been outside a long time. An hour? 2 hours? A long time.
So the first thing I have to do is get the baby warm. I zip up the bag and hold it to me. I dont want the other handle to break now. I look around for head lites.
Nothing coming. Drat.
I skate care fully and think about ways to warm up the baby. There are no cars and no houses. Can I start a fire? No. What can I do? The warmest place I can reach rite now is—well—me. I cant give the baby my coat but I can put it inside my coat. I stop again. How to do this? My brain is working as fast as it can. The best way seems to be for me to wear the gym bag like a front pack with the handles around my sholders and the bag on my chest and my coat over everything. So I try that. Now my body heat will warm up the bag and the baby. The broken handle means the bag hangs off to my left. So what. I zip my coat back sup and go.
I skate care fully. Push left. Glide a bit. Push rite. Glide a bit more.
The road ends at a cross roads. Left wuld take me back to the river so I go rite for a change. Still no houses or farms. Canada is a big empty country. You forget that when you are driving around. Try skating and you will see it is full of no people. You will see how far it is between places.
The baby is awake. I can feel it move around and hear it breathing. And there is a car coming! Its behind me. A car with a reason to be out late at nite. Some body to save me and the baby. I turn and jump and wave both arms. Stop! I shout.
The car is not slowing down.
Please stop!
The car zooms past. Tail lights glow red for a minit and then disappear.
The baby starts crying.