A Trail to Call Home

The Announcement

"Announcement I gotta make!" Adam Smith called in his booming voice, getting the attention of his many family members. Even the baby triplets Louise, Harry, and Rebecca went quiet from their hungry cries. "After long, careful consideration," he made extra emphasis on 'careful', "I have decided that we're movin' to the West!" He exclaimed, smiling proudly.

The family erupted in cheers (the babies going back to crying), except for Ana Smith, the youngest child of Adam Smith. She stayed quiet, dazed as the world fell into slow motion. She stared at her father in an indifferent manner. The news came as no shock to her. For a week, all she heard Adam speak about to her mother, Lydia Smith, about was the West. That was all the existed in her father's mind.

But still, she couldn't help but hurt inside. She and her family had lived in Virginia her whole life, and parting with her dear home broke her heart. As things seemed to speed up again, her father noticed her dismayed expression as the rest of the family continued cheering.

"What's wrong, hun?" He whispered. "Imma miss home..." She mumbled. "Aw, hun, you don't worry yer lil' head. It'll be a better life. Hey, an' if we're lucky 'nuf, we might just see Henry." Adam responded.. "Oh, Henry..." She trailed off and looked back at her plate, remembering her brother leaving 4 years ago.

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"I don't think you's old 'nuf to be goin' alone." Ana said to her older brother, Henry, as he mounted the family's prized steed. Even though he was only 14, Henry felt her was grown enough to leave home to find a new life in the West. He smirked at his sister's subtle pleads for him to stay. "Since when was you such a little lady?" He teased. "Since when was YOU such a grown up?" The 12-year-old responded, crossing her arms. "Well, Miss-Little-Lady," he beamed, "wish me luck on my quest." He finished dramatically. Ana chuckled softly as her brother rode on his way.

As soon as he was out of sight, the young one turned to her father and cried into his shirt.

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As soon as she went back to reality, the others were still cheering. Her uncle James raised his whiskey glass and shouted, "A toast to the West!" The others raised the cups and downed their drinks. Ana watched her uncle chug down his whiskey in one gulp. "S'more please." He requested to his wife, Aunt Catherine. "Ain't' got no more." She stated blankly. "Aw, Goddamnit!" He complained, throwing hands up. This, to which his oldest son William smacked his arm, and his oldest daughter Mary told her youngest sister Jill to get the Holy Bible to scold him.

Catherine sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Our wagons'll be arrivin' early in the mornin'. I want everyone to pack their possessions in the crates." Adam finally finished, after Jill had misunderstood and almost hit her father over to head with God's Word. The family nodded, and when dinner was soon finished and the babies were fed.

The family headed to their room; the adults to their first-floor bedrooms, and all of Ana's cousins and her older sister clogging the stairway to get to their rooms on the second floor. Once they all managed to get to the top floor, Ana at the back, they scattered to their rooms. Mary, Jill, and Agnes (James and Catherine's middle daughter) went to their room; William and Charlie (James and Catherine's youngest son) went to their room; Elizabeth, Ana's older sister who was 7 years Ana's senior, went off to her room, pushing Ana out of her way.

Ana sighed, dazily drifting to her own room and shutting the door behind her. She looked at her room, then the crates to the side. "Ain't no stoppin' 'em now..." She mumbled softly. She brought out a crate and packed dolls, teddy bears, marbles, her Bible, a few other books her mother had taught her how to read, sewing supplies, a letter from her friends, pencils and stationary, dresses, stockings, bonnets, and all her other possessions. She had filled up three trunks. She looked at her work and sighed, wiping her brow with her cotton sleeve. "That should justa 'bout do it..." She sad, sitting down on her bed.

She heard a soft rattling and squeaking, and turned to her window. On the sill was a wire cage with Ana's pet mouse in it. The brown rodent with white speckles had been with Ana since he was a baby. She'd taken care of the mouse since it was abandoned and hurt a few years ago; in return, he remained a loyal pet and never bit her. She loved her little pet with her whole heart, keeping him away from Jill's cat Oscar, Charlie's dog Bonnie, and Elizabeth's horse Beau. All of which might've posed a threat to the tiny fragile Basil.

She took out an apple from her pinafore's pocket and broke off a piece. She handed it to Basil thought the wires of his containment. She watched as the world began to darken with night. The sky turned from blue, to orange, to yellow, to purple, to black. She sighed again, feeling sorry for herself, and changed into her nightgown. She turned off her lanterns, and with a dimming candle in hand, crept down the stairs.

Her black locks tumbled down her shoulders with each step, and her brown eyes were only illuminated by the glow of her candle's faint ember. She hid at the side of her parents' door, listening to them. "Adam, ya thinkin' Henry ever got to the West?" Lydia asked gently. "If I've gotta be honest, Lydde, I don't think so..." Adam responded. "Why?" Lydia asked in confusion.

"That path to Oregon is right dangerous. We'd be the luckiest lovers of God for all of us to make it. Luckily, when we get there, the Homestead and Morrill Acts will take good care of us. But I ain't sure even the half of us'll survive. All we can do is pray the Good Lord will protect us. And His Will's the right way." He finished.

With that, the house was silent.

"Ana Smith, git yerself to bed; we could smell that ember from 'ere." Lydia suddenly said, making Ana jumped out of her skin. She raced down the hall and up the stairs. He father called after her, "An' don't you mind what we'd been sayin'!" Her father called after her. She quickly shut her door and blew out her candle with shaky hands, making some hot wax spill onto her hand. Ana then jumped into bed.

She was even more anxious than before.