Please read and comment! I know it's different, but please read it! Thanks!
John Putman sat on the uncomfortable chair next to the fire place and closed his eyes. He was so tired, and felt so devastated. There were still two months of winter left, and he could hardly wait for them to end. Will I survive? Or am I going to end up like my friends last year? The life was hard in the Plains, especially in this time of the year. There were very few beavers to hunt, the deer were also almost impossible to find and the bears were becoming especially dangerous. John Putman was old, or at least, that's how he felt. Living alone, freezing and starving at the age of fifty wasn't how he had planned his life when he first decided to move to the west, in search of a way to fulfil his Manifest Destiny. He had wanted to get married, had wanted children when he was younger. But all that had changed. All he wanted now was to live in peace, away from the Indians who would do anything to steal his food. Actually, he had changed so much in the past years that he couldn't even stand to be around white people anymore.
He was never happy, and couldn't find a way to be. Life was hard in 1845, but especially for him, he often thought. He liked being lonely, he was sure of that. He loved hunting animals and walking around the wilderness that always unfolded around him. He hated the snow though, but still loved the wonderful landscapes. He had all he wanted, but why did life seem to be so dark? He knew there was something missing and he didn't know what. But then again, that was the history of men. If they were rich, they still wanted more. Men were greedy and ambitious, and maybe he was too. But Mr Putman knew that money could bring him nothing, and didn't really want it. He also knew that he could live with little food, and that he could go through the coldest of nights only wearing a sleeveless shirt. So what was missing? Maybe the Indians worry me, he thought. And indeed, the Indians did worry him. Those barbarians could do anything to anybody, they were worse than beasts. He had heard that when they had nothing to eat, they became cannibals.
His own friends had been killed by them, and they were not far from his own hut. He knew this because he had seen their tipis that same morning, when he went hunting.
Suddenly a knock on the door made his thoughts evaporate. Who could possibly come to visit him on a day like that? The nearest village was a few miles away, and only the most experienced mountain men knew the way. Alarmed, he took his rifle and went to the door cautiously. A friend of his, Mr Thorn stood in front of him, shivering and desperate to get in.
"What are you doing here?" asked John confused. "Come in, quickly, or you'll freeze!"
"An urgent letter arrived last week, and it's for you." Said Mr Thorn once inside. "No one knew where you lived, so the asked me to bring it here. I was going to wait until spring, but I decided to read it and see how urgent it was. And that is why I am here, Mr Putman."
He handed John the letter, and waited. He looked at it with concern, unsure of what to do.
"It contains good news, and I'm sure you will be very happy to hear them" continued Mr Thorn expectantly.
Mr Thorn was a good man who loved making people happy. He considered himself everyone's friend, even if some people didn't think the same. John Putman was one of them. He looked at the man's long, messy grey hair, his excited brown eyes and wondered what this was about. Slowly, and still looking at the man suspiciously, he opened the letter and read it.
Awe, anger, surprise and an incredible frustration went through him as he read. How could Mr Thorn say this was good news! This was terribly unbelievable!
A young girl called Rosemary looked through her bedroom window, hoping the rain would stop soon. This was going to be her last week in England and she surely had to enjoy it. She felt a hot tear on her right cheek. Of all, she was going to miss her friends more than anything. She could hardly imagine what her life could have been like if it weren't for them, at least the last two years. She would have been consumed by her depressing little life and would have given herself to the darkness of her future. Her parents had already abandoned her when she was very young, about three years old, she was told. They had been killed one night, without an explanation, without realising that they were leaving a little girl behind that would grow up to become a failure. She should have died with them, Rosemary thought. However, what had happened to her two years ago had been even worse. Her aunt, who had taken care of her for all these years, had fallen very ill. It was so unfair! Her aunt was still too young to die! But she could do nothing to help her. And so, at the age of fourteen she had been left alone in the world.
But not all was over yet. The great quality Rosemary had was her ability to make friends. She could understand people very well and was very clever, so she always knew how to please everybody. One of her best friends had offered her a place to stay, and she had been going to college with her for the last two years. Now however, they had found her only family. A man called John Putman who lived in California, America, was supposed to be her uncle. She had never known her father had a brother, and even less, that he lived in California. That was so far away, and full of Indians! Why were they making her go there? She would probably get killed!
The thought of living in that wilderness terrified her. That world was so different from what she was used to, so different from London. But she had no choice.
"You will probably love it" said her friend Lucy trying to comfort her. "Imagine all the adventures you'll have! While you are having the time of your life there, I'll be here doing nothing and wondering what's like to know more about the rest of the world!"
"I don't think so. You'll probably be getting ready for your wedding," said Rosemary annoyed. "And don't tell me that Jack's not going to propose any time soon, because you know as well as I do that he will do it! If not this week, then the next."
"I really hope you are right" said Lucy, "but who knows? Maybe you will find someone in California as well!"
"I doubt it. That place is deserted!"
"You are so negative, Rosemary!"
"I am not! It's just that… I'll miss you all. And I want to stay."
"I know you do. But I promise I'll write every month."
They went to sleep, each of them with different thoughts, hopes and fears. Lucy knew very well that she would miss her friend, but she still thought that Rosemary should feel lucky to be able to do something like that. Not only she was going to experience the joy of travelling on a boat, but she also had a long journey awaiting her when she got to America! It was all so exciting that she secretly wished she could swap places with Rosemary. Lucy couldn't understand why she was so afraid, what was the matter with her?
The first week passed by extremely fast, and Rosemary's heart began to beat faster and faster. In one week, she would be getting on a boat, all alone, with no one to talk and no one to help her. The journey to America would last a month. She would have to spend one entire month on a boat! Was that even possible? Would she die of boredom? Would the boat sink? These thoughts made her shiver in fear. But she knew she had to be brave, for her friends' sake.
"Jack!" exclaimed Lucy suddenly, immersed in her deep thoughts, Rosemary had not noticed the knock on the door.
"Oh Lucy! I've missed you!" She heard Jack saying. He had only been gone for a week! That man really loved to exaggerate things to the limit, which annoyed Rosemary. But these days, everything seemed to annoy her. She went downstairs to greet him, and probably say goodbye forever. "Hello Rosemary, I am truly sorry you have to leave and I've come to say goodbye."
Rosemary felt even more annoyed now. Jack was her friend, and she knew his intentions were good, but reminding her that she had to leave was enough to put her in a bad temper. "Well, goodbye." She was preparing to go back to her room, when Lucy interrupted her.
"Please stay, Rose. We can have dinner together and forget that you'll be leaving soon. Please." She begged. "And think about it, this could be the last time you see Jack."
When Rosemary thought about it, she realised that her friend was right. She stayed and they had dinner together like they did every Friday. Then Jack wished her good luck and left. He was a good man, and he would surely make Lucy happy once they were married. She ought to feel good for her friend and not bad for herself, but she couldn't help it.
That night, Rosemary stayed awake afraid of her future. And like the first one, the next week seemed to disappear. When her final day arrived, she couldn't believe it. They both took a train to the nearest port, where a huge ship was expecting Rosemary. They stayed silent, their hearts beating fast and their sorrowful eyes saying all that had to be said.
Finally, the moment arrived. Lucy hugged her friend and wished her all the luck she deserved. Then, with teary eyes they said goodbye to each other and soon, Rosemary was aboard the Aphrodite, the ship that would take her to a new life, probably full of adventures and new dangers.