Crutchie and I stayed in that little cabin in the woods for weeks. We lived off of berries we found growing off of bushes. It seemed like everything was almost in a fantasy world. We were our own little family living in our own little house. I felt like I was a little girl again playing dress up.
I was sitting in one of the chairs in the cabin thinking about what was happening back home. I wondered if Aunt Caroline was looking for me. She probably was. She wasn’t one to just give up. Or maybe she figured I wasn’t worth her time and just left. Crutchie hobbled into the room and leaned against the door frame.
“This ain’t right,” he said, “We can’t just live off of fruit we find in da bushes. We need so meat.”
“How are we going to get meat?” I asked.
“We hunt of it of course. Dere’s plenty a animals walkin’ around out here. Ya just kill one.”
“I don’t like the idea of killing animals.”
“I found a shotgun in the closet. We could shoot one and cook it up.”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I can shoot it and skin it. All ya gotta do is cook it. Come on, Sadie. We gonna get sick if we don’t eat some meat soon.”
I sighed. “Fine. But don’t make it look like an animal when you skin it. I still don’t like the idea.” He smiled and hopped over to the closet to grab the shot gun. I walked over to him. “Are you sure you want to do this? Your leg looks like it’s been bothering you.”
“I’m fine, Sadie. Don’ worry about me so much.”
“I can’t help it. I love you.”
“I love you too. I’ll be back in a sec.”
He walked out the front door. It had been 30 minutes and Crutchie still wasn’t back. I was beginning to worry as sunset approached. I walked out the cabin and stood on the porch trying to look into the trees to see if Crutchie was on his way back. I started to walk through the trees pushing branches and leaves out of the way. I heard struggling coming from a little way where I was in the trees. I ran that way and found Crutchie’s bad leg caught in a bear trap. The struggling noise was him trying to open it, but it hurt too much for him to handle. I fell beside him.
“Oh my gosh,” I said frantically, “How did this happen?”
“I didn’ see it,” Crutchie said, “God, it hurts.”
I tried to open it, but I was too weak. The more I tried, the more Crutchie yelled in pain. I stopped trying to open it. “I have to go for help.”
“No, ya can’t. They’ll take us back ta New York.”
“I don’t care. I’m not going to watch you die out here bleeding to death.”
I stood up and started to walk back through the trees to find my way to town. I realized we weren’t as far away from it as I thought. I found the dirt path easily and ran towards the town a few miles down. I was exhausted when I got there. I didn’t know where I was so I ran into the store I was closest to. It was a merchant’s store. I went to the front counter.
“Can I help you?” the man at the counter said with a friendly smile.
“You have to help me,” I said, “My friend he’s in the woods. His leg is caught in a trap. He can’t move and he’s hurting really bad. He’s already handicapped. I need someone to help him.”
The man came from behind the counter to stand in his store. “Where is he? There’s a doctor here.”
I ran out the store and he followed me. I took him back to the dirt path and through the trees to where Crutchie was laying now passed out from the blood loss. The man opened the trap and freed Crutchie’s leg. I couldn’t even look at it. It was blood and swollen and looked like a dog had tried to chew it off. The man picked up Crutchie in his arms and we walked back to the town. All I could do was try not to cry once we got to the doctor’s office. The doctor said his leg would be fine, or at least back to the way it usually was in a few weeks. He wrapped up Crutchie’s leg with bandages. Crutchie was still unconscious.
“What were you kids doing in those woods in the first place?” the doctor asked.
“Looking for berries,” I lied.
“Well you’re a far ways from home aren’t you, Sadie?”
“How do you know my name?”
The doctor picked up a newspaper and showed me the front page that had my missing person’s ad on it with a small column below it explaining why it was there. “Every old person reads the newspaper. Don’t you know that?”
“Yes, I guess I am far from home.”
“Why would you run away? You’re just a little girl.”
“I’m not little anymore. I used to be, but not anymore. And I’m an orphan. I have no family. My parents are dead. I’m a street rat.”
“Well, obviously, you aren’t. A missing person’s ad wouldn’t be put out for a street rat which is I’m guessing this boy your with doesn’t have one.”
“He’s a newsie. My Aunt put that ad in the paper. She wants me to live with her, but I don’t want too. She’s my father’s sister and even he didn’t like her. I ran away so I wouldn’t have to be forced to live with her.”
“You can’t force someone to do anything. Not even a child.”
“Children are forced to do everything. They don’t have a say.”
“Now that’s not true. I’m sure if your friend was awake, he would tell you the same thing. Those Newsie boys are famous. They know better than anyone that children do have a choice in what happens to their future. You’re no different.”
“But…”
“I may be old, but I know that times are changing. Running away isn’t the answer. Taking action is. Action speaks louder than words, dear one. Maybe it’ll help with your problem.”
I smiled. “Thank you, mister. I think it will.”
“Well then, your friend should be waking up any minute. I believe you have a ferry to catch back to New York City.”
I nodded my head. “I believe we do.”
YOU ARE READING
Crippled Words (A Crutchie Love Story)
FanfictionSadie Harrison lives a normal life in New York. Her father is a research doctor for the poor families of New York. Her mother died when she was just a baby and she never got to know her. Sadie doesn’t have that many friends, but she’s content with t...
