I wrote this for a story contest to write a story that had to do with Call of The Wild at my school and I won first place, (amazingly. :-P) and decided to upload it on fanfic. Hope you all enjoy it!
I coughed, making my throat ache with the utter force of it, and heard Mama sigh. Mama had been sighing a lot lately, but she would never tell me why. I sat up straighter on my chair and continued shaking my jar of cream. Mama said if I shook it a for long time, I would be helping fix supper by making butter to put on the bread she was making. The door squeaked open and Papa came in the kitchen, carrying a big box.
"How is Mister Periwinkle?" I asked, wanting to know about Papa's acquaintance at the post office who always sent me a card on my birthday.
"His name is Mister Perrault, Ali, and he is doing just fine."
"That is good."
He sat the box on the table and looked at me, "Alina, what is it that you have been pestering me about for the past few months?"
"I wanted a sled dog." I said, looking at Papa. He smiled and reached into his box and pulled a fluffy, long-legged, black and white thing out of the box. I set my jar on the table, momentarily forgetting about my job and held out my bony arms to take the puppy, "Aww! It is cute." I set it on the ground and it stumbled and started limping around in circles around me, "Is it okay?"
"It is in good health, but he is like you, Alina, he has a poor leg." I scratched my leg above the brace I always had to wear to keep my leg in the right position, "What should his name be?"
"Buck."
"Alina, that is the name of Mister Perrault's old dog that he had to leave behind at a trading post."
"I want him to be named Buck." I said, being as obstinate as possible. Papa held up his hands in a motion of surrender, "Buck, come here Buck." I held out my hands and clapped to him. He limped over to me and licked my hand as I struggled to pick him up. Papa picked him up and placed him in my lap as he started shaking my butter jar. Mama sighed as I started coughing again and handed Papa a slip of paper.
"Doctor said she needs this now."
"Alina, go into the sitting room with the puppy."
"Buck." I said, getting up, "Come on Buck." I led the puppy to the living room.
"I can not stand seeing or hearing her cough anymore and the doctor says this should work, but the nearest place to get it from is in the middle of the states."
"I know, Fern, I know." I sat with Buck next to the fireplace in the living room and stroked his soft fur. The door squeaked and Buck sprung to his feet with a soft growl.
"Hallo? I 'ave sumting for Miss Alina." I saw the figure who was coming in and felt a smile creep over my face.
"Mister Periwinkle!" I smiled, "Does this look like Buck to you?" I pointed at the puppy in my lap.
"Perrault." Papa whispered to me, "Not Periwinkle."
"I do not mind if chee calls me Periweenkle." He said, "Zee puppy rezembles Buck in ev'ry way. And here," Mister Perrault paused for a breath and a smile in my direction, "Eez a card for you, Miss Alina."
"Thank you Mister Periwinkle." I said, "Can you stay to watch me open it?"
"I believe I can. Oui, I can stay." I wriggled a fingernail under the edge of the envelope flap and peeled it open.
"'Happy Birthday to a special little one.'" I read off the card, "'I hope you enjoy tomorrow. It is the start of your twelfth year, so you should have fun. Ask your parents to take you and your puppy for a walk.'"
"Zee child does not dezerve to bee, 'ow do zey say, kept inside when zere eez no snow on zee ground." Mister Perrault said to Mama and Papa.
"No. I will not have her go out and get any sicker. Now, Mister Perrault, if you will excuse us; I have butter that needs to be made and a loaf of bread dough needs to be put in the oven. Alina, come to the kitchen." Mama got up and I was forced to follow her. I listened to Papa and Mister Perrault's discussion as I shook the butter jar.
"Alina can git better, at least her leg can. I do not know about her breazing problemz, but her leg weell get better if she walks on eet."
"I know, but Fern does not think so. Her father had this problem back in the Netherlands, and he never walked after she was born."
"Fern'z fazer refuzed to walk on his poor leg. If Alina walks around, she may get better."
"Okay, thank you Perrault." Papa escorted Mister Perrault to the door.
"Farewell Mister Periwinkle." I called to them. Papa smiled and waved to his friend as he walked to his house.
"Mama, is it butter yet?" I held the jar up to her. She opened the jar and tasted the stuff inside.
"Yes. Go wash up." Mama said, motioning for me to leave the room. I went to the restroom and splashed water on my hands. The puppy came in and I dripped water on his paws.
"You have to be clean to eat, Buck." I said, and we both limped into the kitchen. Mama set my plate at the table and I struggled into my chair, "What about Buck?" Papa looked at Buck as I asked my question.
"I forgot about the poor dog. Here Buck, we have a meal for you." Buck happily barked and started eating his meal. I smiled and started eating my meal. Papa finished at the same time I did and took my dishes to the sink so he could wash them while Mama, Buck, and I went to the living room. Mama picked up her sewing and I sat with Buck in my lap, combing his fur with my fingers.
"Well, I am tuckered out." Papa asked as he came in and sat down.
"Fine. Fine." Papa smiled and leaned back in his chair, "Once upon a time, there was a dog team. A marvelous dog team that had a big strong half-wolf as its lead dog. It had been through many, many trips across the ice. He was very old, but very strong in the traces." I closed my eyes, laying on the floor with Buck curled against my stomach.
I continued listening to Papa's story, "The old dog knew the ice, but his master, a fool hardy man, did not. The foolish man thought he could force the old dog to go across the ice. The dog realized there was only one way he could save himself, and that was to not go with the man, stopped in his traces." I did not hear the rest of Papa's story, but I knew how it ended.
The man cut the dog from the traces and left him behind on the riverbank while he forced the other dogs to cross the river. Halfway across the river the ice breaks and the other dogs break loose from the sled. The foolish man, however, refuses to let go of the sled and vanishes with it.
I woke up in my bed with Buck asleep next to me, keeping my side warm. I wrapped my arms around him and smiled. Papa came in and shook my leg, "Alina? It is time to get up." I slowly sat up and yawned. Papa smiled and handed me a card. I opened it and read it aloud, while Buck rolled over as Papa scratched his belly. Papa picked me up and carried me to the kitchen where mama had breakfast ready for us. She set my plate down and I dug into my pancakes hungrily. Buck had a small bowl of bacon sitting next to my chair that he could eat and I looked at Mama.
"Can I go outside today Mama?"
"No. You might get sicker." Mama closed her eyes.
"But it looks so nice outside, Mama, and I have only been outside a few times when there is snow on the ground."
"No. You can not go outside." Mama stood up, "Go play with Buck in your room."
"But Mama-"
"No more buts. Go play with Buck."
"Fine." I left the kitchen and sat on the stairs with Buck.
"See what that man has put in her head? What if she gets sicker? What if she catches what the neighbors' girls had? That could kill her."
"Staying at the post office will not kill her."
"It might." Mama's voice dropped so I could barely hear her, "I do not want to take that risk."
"Well, too bad for you, Alina wants to go outside she can go outside for a few minutes to walk to the post office will not kill her, in fact it may help her breathing."
"Fine, kill Alina if you want. Just know it will be on your head if she dies." Papa left the kitchen and caught sight of me sitting on the stairs.
"Alina, would you like to come stay at the post office with me?"
"Yes, Papa. But, what about Mama?"
"She'll understand someday."
"Buck, come on, we can go outside today." Buck happily trotted to the door and Papa helped me get my boots and coat on so I could go outside.
"Hurry up." Papa held out a hand to me as I slid on the ice, "Take it one step at a time." I found myself laughing as I slid across the street next to Papa and Buck clawed his way across behind me.
I sat on a stool next to Papa in the Post office, wearing a miniature apron and a hat that refused to stay on my head. Papa showed me how he greeted the dog sled people that were showing up and dropping off mail bags. I waved to some of them if they looked at me and Buck played with the strings on some of the bags.
"Buck, you cannot eat those. They do not taste good." I scolded, climbing down. I felt a coughing fit coming up my throat and hid my face in Buck's fur as I choked. Mister Perrault came in and rubbed my back as my coughs slowly subsided. I looked up, swallowed a couple times before smiling to him, "Hello Mister Periwinkle."
"Hallo Alina."
"How are you today, Mister Periwinkle?"
"Very good, Alina, and you?"
"Good." I climbed back on my stool, "Twelve years old." I said, "I like it so far."
"That is alwaeez good, Alina." Mister Perrault said. I spent the rest of the day with Papa as he sorted mail into the compartments for everyone in town and then helped him deliver the letter to our house. I stayed with Mama and helped out with getting supper set out on the table. Papa came home soon after we finished setting the table. We all sat down and I decided to bring up the subject of going outside again.
"Mama, can I please go outside when the snow melts?"
"Must we talk about this now?" Mama asked, glaring at me, "No. You can never go outside. You will get sicker, and you will probably die." Mama snapped at me, "I do not want you to ever go outside again." Mama stood up and left the table.
"Papa, can I go outside?"
"Once the snow melts."
"Okay." I finished my supper and looked out the window at the steady rain that was falling.
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ Two months later~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~
"Papa, look! My limp is almost gone!" I looked up at Papa's approving eyes and clapped for Buck to come down and join me, "Papa, watch Buck. Come here, boy, come to me Buck!"
"Alina, get inside now!" Mama's voice rang over the garden as I looked up.
"Sorry Mama, I am coming." I led Buck, whose limp had now entirely disappeared with the daily half mile walks we had been going on from the house to the edge of town and back since the snow had melted. I skidded on the floor, freshly cleaned by Mama, and smiled to her, "I have no more limp, Mama."
"If you stay outside too long you will cough yourself to death."
"I have not coughed for over a month now. I do not think I have the breathing problem anymore." I said, "Are you still mad at me for going outside so often?"
"Yes, now help me dry the floor off. And get your dog off the floor. His paws are filthy." Mama glared at Buck and I shooed him out the door. Mama wiped water off the floor and I slid my foot, wrapped in a drying rag, across the floor.
"Mama, why are you mad? I am all better."
"You are not 'all better.'" Mama's tone was mean-sounding.
"Mama, do you love me still?"
"Yes, Alina, I do. Now help me clean the floor." I stopped wiping the floor.
"Are you sure? Mister Perrault said that if you really loved me, you would be happy with how I am getting better."
"I am not happy Alina baecause I feel as if I am losing my baby girl."
"But you are not losing me, Mama; I will always going to be right here."
"No, now you will want to go to school, and to college, and then you will want to move to the states." Mama started crying, "I do not want you to go." I found myself hugging Mama's thin shoulders, noticing for once how skinny she was, compared to how I was now.
"I will not leave Mama, I will go to a nearby college or I will do apprenticeship with the trading post or the blacksmith. But I really wanted to become a guide or a mail carrier."
"I would be able to deal with an apprentice ship, but those mail carriers lead very dangerous lives."
"I know the dangers in their lives. I have listened to the stories at the post office." I said, "I think I can avoid a lot of them."
"I will take her down to the trading post today to get her an apprenticeship, Fern, do not worry." Papa said as he came in after cleaning Buck's paws, "She will have a job by the end of tonight and she can talk to the dog-sledders as she get supplies for them." Papa said as he helped Mama up off her hands and knees.
He hugged her and I wrapped my arms around them, happy that my family was not arguing for once. Buck joined the hug too for a brief moment before sliding to the floor clumsily. I smiled and picked his front legs up and joined the family hug once again.