Echoes of Newtown. Blake Fite
that, Rascal?” Billy said with a sickly voice. “I can’t hear you on account of my bum ear. I must have an infection in there pretty good—so much pain. Ohhh, the pain!!”
Rascal laughed, “We’ll see if that works with the doc.”
The boys spent the last few days rounding up the items on their list.
“So, what did you come up with, Rascal? Get us a few steaks for the road?” Billy said with a laugh.
“Well, it’s not steak, but it’s about the best I could pilfer without getting my backside in trouble. They don’t take kindly to pilferers at the dormitory,” Rascal answered.
“There must be five pounds of salt meat here, Rasc!” Billy shouted. “How’d you ever find this much.”
“Well, the truth is I’ve been savin’ food just about as long as I’ve been eatin’ it. You know … just in case,” Rascal said.
“In case’ uh what?” Billy asked, still sifting through Rascal’s sack of goods.
“I don’t so much know exactly. You know, it’s good to think ahead, and …” Rascal struggled for words. “So, it seemed if anyone should be thinking about my tomorrow, it should be me,” Rascal said.
As Rascal continued, Billy remembered a handful of days when Rascal missed breakfast to keep away from the bullies in the dining hall, and a wave of compassion swelled. He really is all alone at that place, he thought. For a moment, he let go of Rascal’s pack and looked right into Rascal’s eyes with one of those glances that lets a person know you hear what they’re really trying to say. Rascal took a breath and stopped struggling to explain himself. Then, Billy broke the silence. “You sure are scared of it all, aren’t you?” Billy said with a laugh.
“Tell that to your stomach when it’s nice and full on the road to wherever we’re going,” Rascal said.
Dr. Phillips
“We’re all set! Everything is packed and ready for tomorrow.” Billy said to Rascal as they met up in front of the general store.
“Not hardly,” Rascal replied. “You said we still need medicine.”
“Yeah, but that’s easy,” Billy said. “Once I get a look around that pharmacy, I’ll tell you exactly what to say.”
“EASY?!” Rascal said. “You call fraud easy? Maybe for you it is.”
“It’s not fraud. It’s simple story tellin’—like in school. It’s basically schoolwork, and you’re a natural at schoolwork,” Billy said.
The two crossed the street and walked to the sign that read: AUGUSTA COUNTY PHARMACY, DR. C. PHILLIPS AT YOUR SERVICE. As they entered, they collided with a tall man in a black coat, knocking his black bag to the ground.
“Oh, no worry at all,” the doctor said as he reclaimed his bag from the ground. “Good day, lads” the doctor said on his way out the door.
Stunned, the boys stammered an incoherent response. Then, Rascal felt a sharp elbow in his side.
“YOWWuuuu know about … coughs, sir?” Rascal said urgently, trying to camouflage his outburst.
“Coughs,” the doctor responded. “Well, there must be one hundred kinds of coughs.” The doctor looked at the boys for a moment. “Do you mean to tell me you boys have a cough?” The boys looked at each other with murmurings of a terrible fever but couldn’t string together a coordinated response.
“It seems we’ve caused quite a scene here diagnosing you two on the front stoop. Why don’t you join me in my office?” the doctor said.
A sudden guilt crept into the boys’ hearts, but they followed the doctor to his office and sat down.
“So, boys,” the doctor said, “when did it begin?”
The boys sat frozen.
“Has your cough gone away and taken your voice with it?”
“Sorry, Sir. You’re right. We ain’t the sick ones. Our Ma just sent us to fetch some medicine for the winter,” Billy said.
“That is sound thinking. And who is your mother?” the doctor inquired.
Proud of his quick thinking, Billy answered without missing a beat, “Mrs. Sunny Vogt!”
“Sunny Vogt? You must be quite tired traveling all the way down here from Harrisonburg.” the doctor said.
“You know Sunny Vogt?” Billy asked.
“Son, Miss Sunny and I worked side by side in the infirmary during the war, but I didn’t know her to be a mother?
“Did I say ‘Ma’? She’s my aunt, Sir.” Billy corrected.
“And she needs medicine?” Dr. Phillips asked.
“Not exactly, Sir,” said Billy.
Sensing a scheme, the doctor changed the subject. “You know, I remember the day your Aunt Sunny said you’d been born.
Billy’s eyes examined Dr. Phillips. Does he really know my Aunt Sunny, or is he playing games with us?
“She must have been so happy.” Billy said, trying to buy time until he could figure out just how much Dr. Phillips knew about his birth.
“Lad,” the doctor replied, “If there is one thing harder than grieving in the face of joy, it’s rejoicing in the face of grief.” The comment struck Billy’s heart like a two-edged sword—straight to the core—and brought a strange and curious peace. Seconds passed and the doctor said, “Now, boys, I’m afraid I’ve left a patient waiting much too long for my house call. If you’ll please excuse me.”
Dr. Phillips opened a black bag the size of a large cat and pulled from it a bottle marked “willow bark.”
“Here, if that fever comes back, sip this 4 times a day, but if you find yourself in a mess of ivy or with a scratch that becomes red, apply this.” The doctor pulled out a small glass bottle stopped up with a cork. “This is camphor,” he said.
The doctor was out of the office and through the door before the boys had the composure to thank him. “I’m feeling much better, Doctor!” Billy shouted from the front step. “No need to mention this to Uncle John.”
The doctor slowed and glanced back at the two boys standing tall at the threshold of the office. He looked pleased, even honored, to have equipped them for their journey. “God’s blessings,” he said with a nod that let them know their secret was safe with him. And, off he trod.
Ask Yourself
1 1.What items would you pack for an adventure? What are your top three things? Top ten?
2 2.What natural resources around you (i.e. streams, berry trees, fish, etc.) can you use to find or make food on your adventure?
3 3.What do you think Dr. Phillip meant about finding joy in the face of grief?
4 4.Have you ever felt two feelings at the same time (like joy and grief, or sadness and anger)?
Outdoor Survival Tips: Supplies
Carry enough food, clothing and gear to support your entire journey. Bring a handheld filter, so when you encounter a freshwater source, you can drink it without ingesting bacteria. At least one extra pair of socks is helpful. That way you have one to wear and one to wash. Dry, clean socks help you maintain healthy feet—a must-have for long journeys.
Follow Billy’s Journey