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Authors: A. American
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considerably.
“How much longer till we can get clean?” I asked.
Thad lifted the stick he’d been stirring with, looking at the liquid as it ran off. “Might be there,” he said.
“How will you know?”
He smiled and plucked a chicken feather from the cupholder in the arm of the chair he was sitting in. Dropping it into the pot, he explained, “This is a little test you can do to see if the lye is strong enough.”
The feather hit the lye and the fine edges of it dissolved nearly immediately, then the quill slowly dissolved. After less than a minute there was nothing left of it.
“Holy shit! It just dissolved the entire thing!” I exclaimed.
Thad smiled. “Yeah, it’s some rough stuff, ain’t nothing to play with. But now we know it’s ready.”
“What do we do next?” The process was fascinating to me, way more than I’d expected.
“Now we add the fat and mix it up.”
“I’ll go get it,” I said and headed for the cabin. We had rendered a bunch of it and kept it in a five-gallon bucket with a lid hammered down on it.
As I headed for the cabin I looked around. Everyone was down at the picnic table talking. The older girls had made their way over to where Thad was. He was showing them the feather trick again.
Little Bit would like that
, I thought and looked for her. She wasn’t in the cabin either. I looked around the grounds for her as I carried the bucket back over to Thad.
“Hey, have you two seen your little sister?”
“Earlier. She was playing with the dogs,” Taylor said as she watched the feather melt. “That’s cool,” she said, looking up at Thad.
“Hey, Mel, where’s Ashley?” I called to her.
She and Bobbie both turned around. “Lee Ann, you were supposed to be watching her. Where is she?” she said as she looked around.
“I don’t know, she was running around with the dogs and I didn’t feel like following her,” Lee Ann said.
“Well, I don’t see her, and I don’t see the dogs either,” I said as I walked out toward the dirt road in front of the cabins. I looked back at Lee Ann. “You shouldn’t have left her alone.”
Quickly everyone was up and looking for her. With so many people in our group, we covered the area around the cabins in just a few minutes. She wasn’t anywhere, and neither were the dogs. Panic was quickly beginning to overtake me as my heart began to race.
“Where could she have gone?” Mel shouted as she ran from cabin to cabin.
“It’s not my fault!” Lee Ann cried.
“We’ll go check the road, you stay right here,” Ted said as he and Mike passed me.
I nodded at them and headed for the woods on the east side of the cabins, behind the chicken coop. The chickens were back there browsing through the scrub, but no Ashley. Hearing my name being called, I ran out of the woods.
“Go out to the road,” Mike said, pointing.
I turned and headed for the road as he ran past me. Ted was knelt down, looking at the dirt track.
“What is it?”
He was holding a small stick and began to describe what he saw, “Here’s her print, and the dogs’, of course.” Pointing with the stick, he rose up and moved in a crouch. “Then there is this,” he said, pointing to a much larger track from what appeared to be a full-grown man.
My heart sank.
Mike came wheeling up in the buggy with Jamie, Perez, and Mel. Danny was right behind them on his Polaris with Doc.
Ted looked at me. “Notice how it’s only this track that leaves, plus the dogs’?”
I nodded and said barely above a whisper, “He must have carried her off.”
Ted nodded. Then Mel shouted, “Morg? What’s the matter? Where is she?”
I stood up as she ran up. “Someone took her. All we have are tracks.”
“What do you mean someone took her?” she screamed. “How could someone take her from right here with everyone around?”
“I don’t know,” I said, fear gnawing the pit of my stomach.
“But we’re going to find out, Mel,” Ted said.
I climbed into
“How much longer till we can get clean?” I asked.
Thad lifted the stick he’d been stirring with, looking at the liquid as it ran off. “Might be there,” he said.
“How will you know?”
He smiled and plucked a chicken feather from the cupholder in the arm of the chair he was sitting in. Dropping it into the pot, he explained, “This is a little test you can do to see if the lye is strong enough.”
The feather hit the lye and the fine edges of it dissolved nearly immediately, then the quill slowly dissolved. After less than a minute there was nothing left of it.
“Holy shit! It just dissolved the entire thing!” I exclaimed.
Thad smiled. “Yeah, it’s some rough stuff, ain’t nothing to play with. But now we know it’s ready.”
“What do we do next?” The process was fascinating to me, way more than I’d expected.
“Now we add the fat and mix it up.”
“I’ll go get it,” I said and headed for the cabin. We had rendered a bunch of it and kept it in a five-gallon bucket with a lid hammered down on it.
As I headed for the cabin I looked around. Everyone was down at the picnic table talking. The older girls had made their way over to where Thad was. He was showing them the feather trick again.
Little Bit would like that
, I thought and looked for her. She wasn’t in the cabin either. I looked around the grounds for her as I carried the bucket back over to Thad.
“Hey, have you two seen your little sister?”
“Earlier. She was playing with the dogs,” Taylor said as she watched the feather melt. “That’s cool,” she said, looking up at Thad.
“Hey, Mel, where’s Ashley?” I called to her.
She and Bobbie both turned around. “Lee Ann, you were supposed to be watching her. Where is she?” she said as she looked around.
“I don’t know, she was running around with the dogs and I didn’t feel like following her,” Lee Ann said.
“Well, I don’t see her, and I don’t see the dogs either,” I said as I walked out toward the dirt road in front of the cabins. I looked back at Lee Ann. “You shouldn’t have left her alone.”
Quickly everyone was up and looking for her. With so many people in our group, we covered the area around the cabins in just a few minutes. She wasn’t anywhere, and neither were the dogs. Panic was quickly beginning to overtake me as my heart began to race.
“Where could she have gone?” Mel shouted as she ran from cabin to cabin.
“It’s not my fault!” Lee Ann cried.
“We’ll go check the road, you stay right here,” Ted said as he and Mike passed me.
I nodded at them and headed for the woods on the east side of the cabins, behind the chicken coop. The chickens were back there browsing through the scrub, but no Ashley. Hearing my name being called, I ran out of the woods.
“Go out to the road,” Mike said, pointing.
I turned and headed for the road as he ran past me. Ted was knelt down, looking at the dirt track.
“What is it?”
He was holding a small stick and began to describe what he saw, “Here’s her print, and the dogs’, of course.” Pointing with the stick, he rose up and moved in a crouch. “Then there is this,” he said, pointing to a much larger track from what appeared to be a full-grown man.
My heart sank.
Mike came wheeling up in the buggy with Jamie, Perez, and Mel. Danny was right behind them on his Polaris with Doc.
Ted looked at me. “Notice how it’s only this track that leaves, plus the dogs’?”
I nodded and said barely above a whisper, “He must have carried her off.”
Ted nodded. Then Mel shouted, “Morg? What’s the matter? Where is she?”
I stood up as she ran up. “Someone took her. All we have are tracks.”
“What do you mean someone took her?” she screamed. “How could someone take her from right here with everyone around?”
“I don’t know,” I said, fear gnawing the pit of my stomach.
“But we’re going to find out, Mel,” Ted said.
I climbed into
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