The Endless Forest
Page 132
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In the cool of the woods, surrounded once again by growing things in every shade of green, she tried to imprint it on her mind so that she would be able to look back at this short time and remember the feel of it, no matter how old she might grow.
It wasn’t until she heard the waterfalls that Martha realized Daniel had taken her by a roundabout way to Lake in the Clouds. She had thought they might spend the rest of the day alone, but to her own surprise she realized she was glad to be here. And it was right to have come; these people were Daniel’s family too.
The falls kicked up a cool breeze as they came into the clearing; the sun played off the water and cast rainbows into the clouds of mist. The horses trotted forward and Hopper, who had slept for much of the ride, began to squirm in his basket. Daniel leaned over and lifted the pup out as he dismounted. Hopper wiggled out of Daniel’s grasp and galloped off toward the lake, skidding right over the edge and landing with a splash.
“He’s got the idea,” Daniel said, helping Martha dismount. But then doors were opening and people were coming out to greet them. Runs-from-Bears, Susanna and Blue-Jay, Annie and Gabriel. To Martha it seemed as if they were expected, and when she looked at Daniel he nodded.
“Annie wanted it to be a surprise,” he said. “They wanted to give us a wedding supper too.”
Martha struggled for a moment with a flash of discomfort—she had never liked being the center of attention—and with regret that she would not be able to follow Hopper into the lake.
The pup climbed out of the water and shook himself.
Daniel said, “You’ll get your turn, girl, and soon.”
Watching her for the next half hour, Daniel saw that Martha was pleased and touched and terribly embarrassed. Somehow her shyness stirred him. She could stand up to cruelty and keep her composure—her upbringing had taught her that skill—but she found it hard to believe that these people would simply accept her as one of their own. She would learn to trust in time, and he was looking forward to proving it to her.
It wasn’t individuals who put her off. She didn’t hesitate when Runs-from-Bears took her hands and leaned over to talk to her. Bears frightened a lot of people; he was a big man, battle-scarred, his face and arms tattooed; Daniel had seen men go pale when Bears looked at them in a certain way. But with his own people—with Martha, now—there was nothing of that in him. His manner was almost courtly.
Blue-Jay was saying, “Good thing he was smart enough to get you in front of a judge before you had time to reconsider.”
“What he did,” Gabriel said, “was inspired, I have to admit it. Kept her walking after the ice-out party until she could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. At some point she was so desperate to sit down she just gave in and said yes.” He elbowed Annie, but she elbowed him right back so that he jumped.
“Don’t pay them any mind,” Susanna said to Martha. “They must have their fun at Daniel’s expense, but if they know what’s good for them, they will leave thee out of it. Now Annie and I have work to do.”
“I’ll come help,” Martha said, and Susanna caught Daniel’s eye.
“What?” Martha said, looking between them. Gabriel was trying not to smile, and not succeeding very well.
“We’ve got something to do before we eat, you and me,” Daniel said. “We’ll be back in an hour.”
She followed Daniel out of the clearing, back into the forest and uphill, but what she really wanted to do was very different. Martha wanted to sit down just where she was and go to sleep.
In Manhattan she had had a reputation for restlessness, and it was true that she disliked sitting in one place for very long. She was a great walker, and did as much of it as the weather and common sense allowed. Her friends saw this habit as odd, but not unexpected, given the fact that Martha had grown up on the edge of the endless forests where things were not exactly civilized.
But in the last few days her stamina had been tested, and she wondered how much longer she could hold up. So the question was very simple: If she were simply to sit down exactly where she stood, if she demanded a slower pace or refused the walk altogether, what then?
Daniel might laugh at her, or listen to her, or try to persuade her that yes, she really did want to be trudging up Hidden Wolf in the heat of the late afternoon, after three days of monumental upheaval. She had no doubt that he would find it very easy to talk her into any number of things she had never considered before. It had something to do with his voice and the way he used it.
They were passing through plantations of beech and maple, yew and wild cherry. There was still enough mud to give her pause now and then, but she was determined to manage on her own.
They came out onto a rocky plateau and the world opened itself like a gift. The sky was so bright that Martha had to squint until her eyes would focus.
She had grown up here, but still the view took her breath. The endless forests stretched out as far as the eye could see, a world of trees too large to comprehend. The mountains marched off toward the horizon, and while she knew that there was indeed something on the other side of them—Canada, to be exact—at this moment that seemed improbable.
The sound of the falls was quite distinct, and suddenly Martha knew where they were going. The caves under the falls, of course. Where, according to Jennet, sooner or later all Bonner women fell. It was an odd turn of phrase, one that could mean many different things. She tried to convince herself of that fact. The effort kept her occupied while they made their way along the ridge and came finally to a great outcropping of rock.
It wasn’t until she heard the waterfalls that Martha realized Daniel had taken her by a roundabout way to Lake in the Clouds. She had thought they might spend the rest of the day alone, but to her own surprise she realized she was glad to be here. And it was right to have come; these people were Daniel’s family too.
The falls kicked up a cool breeze as they came into the clearing; the sun played off the water and cast rainbows into the clouds of mist. The horses trotted forward and Hopper, who had slept for much of the ride, began to squirm in his basket. Daniel leaned over and lifted the pup out as he dismounted. Hopper wiggled out of Daniel’s grasp and galloped off toward the lake, skidding right over the edge and landing with a splash.
“He’s got the idea,” Daniel said, helping Martha dismount. But then doors were opening and people were coming out to greet them. Runs-from-Bears, Susanna and Blue-Jay, Annie and Gabriel. To Martha it seemed as if they were expected, and when she looked at Daniel he nodded.
“Annie wanted it to be a surprise,” he said. “They wanted to give us a wedding supper too.”
Martha struggled for a moment with a flash of discomfort—she had never liked being the center of attention—and with regret that she would not be able to follow Hopper into the lake.
The pup climbed out of the water and shook himself.
Daniel said, “You’ll get your turn, girl, and soon.”
Watching her for the next half hour, Daniel saw that Martha was pleased and touched and terribly embarrassed. Somehow her shyness stirred him. She could stand up to cruelty and keep her composure—her upbringing had taught her that skill—but she found it hard to believe that these people would simply accept her as one of their own. She would learn to trust in time, and he was looking forward to proving it to her.
It wasn’t individuals who put her off. She didn’t hesitate when Runs-from-Bears took her hands and leaned over to talk to her. Bears frightened a lot of people; he was a big man, battle-scarred, his face and arms tattooed; Daniel had seen men go pale when Bears looked at them in a certain way. But with his own people—with Martha, now—there was nothing of that in him. His manner was almost courtly.
Blue-Jay was saying, “Good thing he was smart enough to get you in front of a judge before you had time to reconsider.”
“What he did,” Gabriel said, “was inspired, I have to admit it. Kept her walking after the ice-out party until she could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. At some point she was so desperate to sit down she just gave in and said yes.” He elbowed Annie, but she elbowed him right back so that he jumped.
“Don’t pay them any mind,” Susanna said to Martha. “They must have their fun at Daniel’s expense, but if they know what’s good for them, they will leave thee out of it. Now Annie and I have work to do.”
“I’ll come help,” Martha said, and Susanna caught Daniel’s eye.
“What?” Martha said, looking between them. Gabriel was trying not to smile, and not succeeding very well.
“We’ve got something to do before we eat, you and me,” Daniel said. “We’ll be back in an hour.”
She followed Daniel out of the clearing, back into the forest and uphill, but what she really wanted to do was very different. Martha wanted to sit down just where she was and go to sleep.
In Manhattan she had had a reputation for restlessness, and it was true that she disliked sitting in one place for very long. She was a great walker, and did as much of it as the weather and common sense allowed. Her friends saw this habit as odd, but not unexpected, given the fact that Martha had grown up on the edge of the endless forests where things were not exactly civilized.
But in the last few days her stamina had been tested, and she wondered how much longer she could hold up. So the question was very simple: If she were simply to sit down exactly where she stood, if she demanded a slower pace or refused the walk altogether, what then?
Daniel might laugh at her, or listen to her, or try to persuade her that yes, she really did want to be trudging up Hidden Wolf in the heat of the late afternoon, after three days of monumental upheaval. She had no doubt that he would find it very easy to talk her into any number of things she had never considered before. It had something to do with his voice and the way he used it.
They were passing through plantations of beech and maple, yew and wild cherry. There was still enough mud to give her pause now and then, but she was determined to manage on her own.
They came out onto a rocky plateau and the world opened itself like a gift. The sky was so bright that Martha had to squint until her eyes would focus.
She had grown up here, but still the view took her breath. The endless forests stretched out as far as the eye could see, a world of trees too large to comprehend. The mountains marched off toward the horizon, and while she knew that there was indeed something on the other side of them—Canada, to be exact—at this moment that seemed improbable.
The sound of the falls was quite distinct, and suddenly Martha knew where they were going. The caves under the falls, of course. Where, according to Jennet, sooner or later all Bonner women fell. It was an odd turn of phrase, one that could mean many different things. She tried to convince herself of that fact. The effort kept her occupied while they made their way along the ridge and came finally to a great outcropping of rock.
