Chapter Nineteen

A month later, Meredith woke up early one morning. The sun was streaming through the open door of the mud hut which had been constructed for herself and Katrin. It was warm, and outside the birds were singing in exultant chorus. Meredith decided to get up and take a stroll. She threw back the edge of the patchwork cover, slipped her feet into a pair of sandals and stood up. Then she tip-toed softly out of the mud hut, taking care not to waken her sister.

Outside, the world was just as beautiful as it had appeared through the door. Not many people were up; a couple of women were on their way to the river to get in some early-morning washing, three men were drinking coffee around an open fire, another was tending to his horse; that was all. The men grunted their good-mornings as Meredith slipped by them. She kept her eyes to the ground as was the custom of all Chinukee women when they were spoken to. It was funny to think of herself as a Chinukee woman now. But she was, and she even had the Chinukee mark on her forehead to prove it. It had been a painful operation, but now she and her sister were branded forever as belonging to the Chinukee. They could never return to their own people.

Meredith walked slowly, drinking in the fresh, summer-morning air. The sky was a beautiful blue, the grass a dazzling green. She kept on walking until she came to the well. She liked coming here. It was quite out of the way of the village, and no-one tended to visit it, except at evening to replenish water supplies. She took a long, slow drink from the bucket and sat down to catch her breath.

In the distance she could see the edge of the forest which she and her sister had come through, and beyond that, in the far, far distance, the peak of the mountain that they had been heading towards, before everything had happened. Although she still missed her parents- and Simon- dreadfully, and cried herself to sleep every night with the pain of it, she had learned to accept the distance between them, and was content to have Katrin as her constant companion now. Somehow, all that they had been through had brought them closer together.

As Meredith peered into the horizon, something drew her attention. Something very small at first, but getting larger with every second; it appeared to be moving in this direction. She wondered if it was some men on horseback. Should she run back and alert some of the Chinukee warriors?

But it soon became apparent that the moving object was not men on horses, but rather, something which was accompanied by a distinct roaring noise, and something on wheels. It was a Land Rover. As it sped nearer and nearer, Meredith’s heart pounded. Could it be...?

The Land Rover pulled up by the well. Meredith felt like she was in a dream as the doors opened and her parents came rushing out to meet her. No, she wasn’t dreaming; she really felt her mother’s warm embrace, she really smelt the familiar aroma of her perfume, she really saw the tears in her father’s large, dark eyes as he stooped to kiss her head...

“Mum, Dad!” cried Meredith, embracing them both. She could hardly speak- so intense was the joy she felt at that moment.

“Your sister, is she alright?” asked her mum, anxiously.

“Yes, yes, Mum. Katrin’s fine.” Tears were streaming down Meredith’s face.

“My little girl,” said her father, taking her hand. “We’re so glad we’ve found you at last- we’d almost given up hope...”

“What’s happened, Meredith?” asked her mum, stroking her long, auburn hair. “You look so... different.”

Meredith felt a stab of pain. Yes, she was different now. She belonged to the Chinukee.

“Mum, Dad,” said Meredith, dropping her gaze, “you’d better get away as fast as you can. If the Indians see you, they’ll kill you.”

“Indians?” asked her father, in disbelief. “But I didn’t think there were any in these parts...”

“Dad, Mum, please! You’ve seen that I’m alright, and Katrin is fine. I promise. Go back now. Hurry, before it’s too late.”

“Meredith, I’m not leaving you again,” said her mum, resolutely. “And besides, we brought...”

Before she had a chance to finish, a man came out of the Land Rover. A smallish man with a blonde goatee, freckles and pale skin. It was Simon.

“Simon!” gasped Meredith. Her heart skipped a beat. “What are you doing here?”

“When you’re parents told me you’d gone missing, I couldn’t sit around in Scotland doing nothing,” said Simon, smiling. He held out his arms and Meredith ran into them, the tears pouring freely down her face.

“But how did you get here?” asked Meredith, between sobs. “The trip out here is so expensive, and you’re just a poor bus-driver... That’s why I was going to fly back to Scotland for the...”

“For the wedding, I know,” said Simon, scuffing his toe in the dirt like a nervous school-boy. “Meredith, I... I sold my football collection. Just... just for you!”

“What?” cried Meredith, aghast. “Not your footballs!”

“Every last one,” said Simon, turning a little beetroot. “Meredith- what’s- what’s that? On your face?”

“I’m a Chinukee now,” said Meredith, solemnly.

“A Chinukee? What’s that? It sounds like... like some kind of small bird!”

“I’m an Indian, Simon,” said Meredith, with even more solemnity.

Simon laughed. “An Indian? C’mon, pull the other leg! You’re just... dressed a bit funny. That’s all. What’ve you been doing with yourself the last month or so, anyway?”

“Simon,” said Meredith, quietly but resolutely. “I’m a Chinukee now, and I can’t ever return to my own people. I mean, to Mum and Dad, and you...”

“What are you trying to say?” asked Simon, catching her hand. “Meredith, I’m not leaving you!”

“Simon, you’ve got to go! If the Indians find you, they’ll kill you, or make you their prisoner.”

“Then let them find me,” said Simon, with a determined glint in his eye. “I’d rather die her with you than return without you.”

Meredith shook her head, sadly.

No sooner had Simon said this, than there came the sound of pounding feet and gruff voices, and three Chinukee men came into view. They were armed with bows and arrows, and their expressions were terrible.

One of the men rushed at Meredith and grabbed her. A torrent of harsh words poured from his mouth as he pushed her back towards the well. She knew enough of the Chinukee language already to know that he was very angry. Very angry.

Simon tried to go after her, but a second man hit him over the head with his bow. He stumbled back and fell to the ground. Meredith let out a shriek.

The third man raised his bow at Meredith’s dad. The arrow was poised, he was ready to realise it the minute the first man gave the word...

Meredith ran up to the first man and tried to explain to him, in English as well as in broken Chinukee, that these were her parents and fiancé. But he merely shook his head and pushed her away.

Then, not a minute too soon, Katrin and White Bear came on to the scene. White Bear held up his hand as Katrin ran to her parents, tears pouring down her face. The other Chinukee men lowered their bows and watched in bewilderment.

“Mum, Dad!” cried Katrin, running into her father’s arms. “They said that there were white men outside the camp... and a white woman... and I hoped, oh, I hoped it would be you!”

“My baby!” cried Katrin’s mum, taking her face in both hands. “Oh, my baby!”

White Bear turned to Meredith. “You know that although I can spare their lives, I will not be able to allow them to return to their own land.”

Meredith looked at the boy who had become almost like a brother to her. He was kind and good and fair- he had even risked his own like for herself and Katrin- but he would never break a single Chinukee law. Not even for them.

“I understand,” said Meredith, meekly. “I just hope my parents will, and Simon...”

“Meredith, didn’t I say I wasn’t leaving you?” Meredith whirled round to find that Simon had been standing right behind her the whole time. He put his arm around her. “I’ll gladly stay here with you for the rest of my life.”

Meredith looked up at him and smiled. Then her eyes sought for Katrin. They found her busy introducing White Bear to her parents as ‘the boy who saved my life’. Meredith’s instinct told her that perhaps someday he might become part of the family...

It was funny, thought Meredith. In many ways they had both got what they wanted. Meredith had Simon, and Katrin would be able to live in the wilderness for the rest of her life...

And besides, they would always have each other.

Katrin’s eyes met Meredith’s, and she smiled.

THE END