Sleeping Dogs Lie

Chapter Five

Light wakes me again. Streaming through dirty windows. Light and the smell of hundred and ten year-old steaks grilling over the fire.

Freya and I are still curled into a comma in our corner of the cabin, but Daniel has gone. I allow myself plenty of time to wake before I roll over to see what the morning has made out of our group.

A few, like me, are milking the morning for all it's worth. Most everyone else is awake, though, and neatly repacking bags that were too hastily thrown together in the middle of the night at the Blood Flea House. Daniel must've already repacked, because his bag is shoved between Freya and the wall, though I don't see him anywhere in the cabin. Don't see Sander, either. Likely, they're outside together with their heads under the hood of that yellow thing.

We all eat and pack quickly, piecemeal. Gemma winks and grins as she throws the leftovers into a container. There's a ton of foil-broiled meat to take on our trip. No gross engine block beef for lunch today!

As we're all climbing into our vehicles to leave, the old man comes trekking through the veil of the blizzard, looking ghostly. Hauling a small, red knapsack with him, he approaches Sander at the Hummer, and after a brief conversation, they wave me over. Confused, I leave the shelter of the CAT and hustle over to them.

"Hey there, girl!" the old man calls out, his eyes twinkling at me. "I brought somethin' for yer little friend you got with ya. Don't think she's yer little sister, is she? But I can tell she's special to ya, all the same."

I nod uncertainly and look to Sander for guidance. This old man keeps on giving us stuff. It doesn't seem right to me, and I don't understand it one bit. What does he want from us? He must want something; everybody does. Whatever it is, I know he's going to up and take it from us before we leave. I wish he'd get it over with, already!

Sander smiles at me in encouragement, though, and gives me a gentle nudge toward the old man, who reaches into his knapsack and pulls out a ziploc baggie, which he hands to me. It's full of crooked, red- and white-swirled peppermint sticks. His eyes shine, sparkly and blue through the seething snow.

He turns back to Sander. "Broughtcha a whole mess of venison jerky, too. Better for eatin' while yer all cooped up in yer cars." He hands Sander the whole red knapsack. Like he must have a red knapsack farm where he grows them on trees somewhere in the big house over yonder.

"I don't know how to thank you," Sander says. "We don't run into others very often, let alone someone who offers us the sort of hospitality you have. It's refreshing."

"Aww, yer welcome," the old man smiles. "Got plenty for myself. Gotta share with others while I still got the chance."

He turns to me. "Here's one more thing for you, little girl." From one of his deep pockets, he pulls out a silver necklace and pendant. "You strike me as the kinda girl who prob'ly hasn't had a lotta people around to give you softness. Hard life like yers ain't kind to a young girl. I want you to have this here." He reaches for my hand, and before I can hide it away from him, he tucks his necklace into it, closing my fist tightly around it with his own leathery hands. "Don't seem like much, I know, but it's special to me. Belonged to the missus when she was still alive, then my own girl had it. She's been gone a good five years now. Figure I only got so long left, so I best hand it on down now before I got no choice who it goes to. Now, you need to know, only people who ever wore this were people who knew love. Loved and been loved. Now you got it to remind you of that. Things're hard, girl, but there's still good people around. Whenever you feel like you want to forget it, you just give this a squeeze, and it'll help you remember."