Twenty-Three: Badger Creek

The whole convoy was quiet, but no one was quieter than Caleb the Ortega guardsman. As they approached the crossroads to Badger Creek, the young man’s silence stood out, even amid all the other silences. . . .

Eighteen: Hawkeye Crossing

The inside of the assistant supervisor’s office was as much a jumble as the outside. The floor was bare creetrock. It was discolored but clean. . . .

Seventeen: The Great Eighty Road

The next morning began with a bath, for Ma wanted them to look presentable. They would soon begin following the Great Eighty Road westward, and Pa predicted that by that very afternoon they would reach Hawkeye Crossing. . . .

Thirteen: The Herald’s Shrine

Pa and Tobias Goatherd returned from the creek around midday. By then, Mary and Laura had recovered from their experience inside that eerie old building called the reptilsoo, and Laura felt a little foolish for getting so frightened of a silly old skull. . . .

Twelve: Happy Valley Orchards Restup and Reptilsoo

By the time Laura opened her eyes, morning had crept into the room. She sat up and worked her fingers through her hair. There, towards the back of her skull, she could feel a bump. It felt sore but only when Laura touched it. . . .

Ten: Yowa Country

The days that followed were warm. Laura didn’t need to wear her mittens or her wool cap any more. A few days later, when they stopped for a midday rest on a bluff overlooking a densely forested river valley, Ma let Laura unlace her traveling cloak. . . .

Nine: Iron Boxes

Pa left the handcar down by the riverbank. Then he climbed up to join them beside the earthen mound surrounded by birch trees where Ma had chosen to wait. . . .