Story: On My Honor
Chapter 3
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Jed recruited Leo to watch over a sick Abbey while he chaperoned Ellie's camping trip
Summary: Jed makes an impression on the Girl Scouts; Ellie's eagerness to prove her father right leads to trouble
The New Hampshire sky lit up under the steady flame of a crackling bonfire. It shaded the faces of the eight Girl Scouts sitting before it with streaks of orange and red while a sparkling array of stars shined above them and the whistle of a cool breeze mingled with the sound of the burning embers.
The usual howls and chirps that normally echoed through the air took on a more sinister tone on this night. The girls tightened their circle and wrapped themselves secure in their jackets and throw blankets as they listened closely to a story told by one of their own.
"Just as they walked through the windy path, they heard the growling behind the trees. First Laurie screamed, then Jane and then they both ran as fast as they could over a pile of leaves..."
Seven-year-old Susie Perkins had a knack for storytelling. Limited by her elementary school vocabulary, she frequently compensated by dragging out her words and trembling as she spoke, spooking the audience even more than her wild hand gestures and wicked facial expressions.
"...and when they got to the end of the path, they screamed even louder because the bear they heard growling at them through the trees was actually standing in front of them with sharpened claws. He raised up his hand and then a drop of blood fell from the face of one of the girls..."
She trailed off as a round of shrieking screams buzzed over the campfire and her fellow scouts buried their heads in their hands and embraced one another.
"Okay, okay!" Miss Shelly immediately interrupted them. "I think that's enough of that story."
"Nooooo!" a few of the girls whined.
"We have to know what happened!" another added.
Jed, along with two other parent chaperones, sat behind them. "I'm sure the girls made it back to their campsite under the guidance of the North Star. Right, Susie?"
"No, Mr. Bartlet. They were killed and eaten by the bear," Susie answered, obviously missing the subtle hint in Jed's question.
"That's a BAD story!" six-year-old Samantha protested, her blanket draped around her head and shoulders, leaving only her eyes peeking through. "I didn't like that AT ALL!"
"I did," eight-year-old Angela countered. "Tell us another, Susie. A ghost story!"
"No, I don't think we need a ghost story tonight," Miss Shelly replied.
"Me neither!" Samantha agreed.
"Mr. Bartlet, what is the North Star?" Amanda asked. "And how would they have found their way to the campsite with it?"
Jed smiled proudly at the curious six-year-old. Before beginning, he looked to Shelly for an approving nod. "May I?"
"Please do. Astronomy is not my forte."
He rose from his chair and made himself part of the circle, kneeling on the ground beside the girls. Ellie moved over to make room for her father, her hand reaching up to grab his fingers and yank him onto his rear.
"Okay, okay, hold your horses," he teased his daughter. "What's your hurry? You already know this."
Ellie shrugged. She had heard this story before during a family trip to Yellowstone, but at the time, she was four years old - a little young to really appreciate it "I wanna hear it again."
Jed returned her warm glance and shifted slightly to get comfortable when facing the other girls. "The North Star is the only star that remains perfectly still. And because it remains perfectly still, if you can find it, you can rely on it to find your way if you're ever lost at night."
"Tell us why, Daddy," Ellie prodded.
"Miss Eleanor wants me to tell you all why. There's a fascinating myth about why the North Star doesn't move. Do you girls want to hear it?"
Always ready for a story, they shouted in unison. "YES!"
Jed chuckled at their enthusiasm. "Have you heard the legend of Na-Gah?" The girls shook their heads. "Na-Gah was the son of a loving Native American man who once told him that the way to achieve greatness is through courage and bravery. So Na-Gah wanted to make his father proud, he wanted to impress him with such a spectacular show of bravery that nothing else could compare. He searched day and night until he found this cliff, the tallest one around, and he decided that he would climb it. He thought that only then would his father see how brave he really was because Na-Gah was actually afraid of heights."
"Did he do it?"
"Yeah. He swallowed his fear and he went all the way to the top, struggling but not backing down because he knew that if he made it, his father would be so proud of him. Unfortunately, it was only when he reached the very top of the mountain that he realized there was no way down. There was no path and the rocks were very loose so he couldn't travel the side of the cliff."
"He was stuck?"
"That's right. He was stuck on the tallest mountain. One so tall, it nearly reached the sky. And when his father came looking for him, he found Na-Gah helpless and afraid. He reached up to him, but that only made Na-Gah more upset because no matter how much he tried, he couldn't touch his father. He couldn't get down."
"That's sad," Ellie muttered.
"Yes, it is. But his father looked at his son and told him how proud he was at the courage that Na-Gah showed in climbing that mountain. How brave he was to overcome his fear. He couldn't bring him down, but he couldn't stand to see his son suffer either, so he twisted his hands and chanted a rhyme only he and Na-Gah could hear. That chant transformed Na-Gah from a little boy into a star way up in the sky, a star free from fear and suffering, one that can be seen and honored by all of us for the rest of time."
"So he never made it down?" Susie asked matter-of-factly.
"He didn't have to. There he is." Jed directed her attention to the stars. "Right up there."
Amanda tilted her head to look up at the sky. "Where is he? Which one?"
"Okay, everyone, stand up." The girls quickly followed Jed's instruction as he moved around them to pull them in closer. "Look up at all those stars. Have you learned about the Big Dipper yet?"
A chorus of "nos" and "yeses" ran through the campsite as he was reminded of the difference in ages of the group he was addressing. He kneeled back down to their level, his arm elevated slightly and his fingers aimed at the sky. He followed the cluster of stars that shaped the bowl and handle of a dipper and attentively guided them through tracing an imaginary line towards Polaris.
"It's like connect-the-dots," Susie observed.
"That's it? That's Na-Gah?" Samantha was surprised by how small and insignificant it seemed when enclosed by the dazzling stars around it.
"That's it," Jed confirmed. "But we call it the North Star."
"But why isn't it brighter than the others?"
"That's just how it is. There are many stars brighter than it, but it's importance isn't in how bright it is. It's in its location. In addition, it's also the furthest point on the handle of the Little Dipper so now you can find that as well." He stood back and admired the inquisitive stares. Even the older girls, the ones who had already been introduced to astronomy, looked up in awe and wonder.
"So it can help us find our way?"
"That's right, Monica. For instance, if we were take a hiking path to the East and we wanted to get back to the campsite, we would find the North Star and if it was directly in front of us, we'd know that we have to go to the left. Can you tell me why?"
"Because West is left of North!" Ellie quickly answered.
"That's absolutely right."
Her eyes glowed with joy only momentarily. Then, as if a sharp jolt had ruptured her spirit, she hung her head. "But it's still sad that Na-Gah never got to go home. He was lost forever."
Jed always knew of his daughter's big heart, but even he was a little surprised by how personally she took the legend of Na-Gah. "It's all right, Sweetheart. Being up in the sky and living among the stars, why, it means you can live for eternity. Long after all of us go to Heaven, Na-Gah will be shining down on Earth."
"But did Na-Gah get to see his father?" Samantha asked, taking a cue from Ellie's somber reaction.
"Absolutely he did. Stars are simply spirits that guide you through life. Na-Gah's spirit stayed with his father until the day he died and then, they were reunited up in the sky."
"Yeah?" A glimmer of happiness returned in Ellie's tone.
"Yeah," Jed confirmed as he stroked Ellie's hair and gave a reassuring smile to Samantha.
Several minutes later, Shelly intruded on the tender scene in hopes of lightening the mood. She approached from behind and placed her hand on Jed's shoulder. "I think Mr. Bartlet would be a great candidate to lead you girls towards your Space Exploration Badge. What do you say?"
"YEAH!" Once again, they squealed in unison.
"I don't know if I should be pissed that you recruited me without asking or thrilled that they're so excited about astronomy," Jed joked.
"Thrilled," Shelly replied with a chuckle. "Always thrilled. I don't know how they're going to get to sleep tonight."
During her years as a troop leader, Shelly had learned that a group of girls as young as these never wanted to sleep while camping. Instead, one rebel would wake the rest and they'd gather around inside the tent to continue their night of storytelling, only a sparkle of a single flashlight saving them from pitch-black darkness.
That wasn't going to happen this time.
As the night started to wind down, the girls retreated to their tents to change into their pajamas. Because of the next day's morning hike, they were promised a final bonfire celebration they would never forget, under the condition of a full night's slumber. As a safety precaution, each was paired with another and they were prohibited from leaving the immediate campsite for any reason other than a trip to the restrooms a few feet away.
Well after 2 a.m., Angela began to stir. She sluggishly lifted herself up and tapped her partner on the shoulder. "Ellie? Ellie, wake up."
"Hmm?" A groggy Ellie rolled to her back. Her fingers curled into fists to rub her eyes.
"Wake up. I have to go to the bathroom."
"Oh." Ellie stretched for another few seconds then sat up to unzip her sleeping bag. She pulled her legs out from the pad and reached for a jacket and a nearby flashlight.
"Come on," Angela encouraged as she grabbed her own flashlight, as well as a sweater, and opened the flaps of the tent so they could tiptoe past their fellow scouts.
The girls walked shoulder-to-shoulder through the path that led to the red brick building that housed a few latrines and shower stalls. Ellie immediately noticed the dark and gloomy atmosphere. The formerly clear night was now cloudy and the twinkling points of light they were able to see earlier were hidden behind a mist of fog, only appearing every once in a while through a clearing in the haze.
Still mesmerized by the stargazing before bed, her eyes focused on the sky. "Look at them."
"I can't see them."
"I can. Sort of."
"Do you think if we got lost, we could really find our way back by using the North Star?"
"Yeah. My dad said we could." Jed was her king. If he said it, it had to be true. Ellie never looked at the path in front of her. Instead, she spent the entire stroll searching for the Big Dipper.
Astronomy was nothing new to her. Jed and Abbey eagerly shared their love of the great outdoors with all their children, but it wasn't until now that Ellie felt an inkling of fascination for the importance of space. She was intrigued by the celestial body hovering above, yet bewildered by its relevance to Earth, and by extension, to her. Amazed that there actually was a pattern of glittering dots, yet still saddened by her young interpretation of the reason.
When Angela emerged from the bathroom, she followed Ellie to their familiar route, but Ellie took an unexpected turn and Angela curiously stopped. "What are you doing?"
"I wanna show you."
"Show me what?"
"That my dad was right," she said as she continued walking. "We can find our way back by using the North Star."
Angela reluctantly tagged along, skipping a few steps in order to keep up with her determined partner. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"
"This way." She shined her light straight ahead.
"What's that way though?"
"East..." It was a confident response.
"That's east?" Angela questioned.
"I think," Ellie whispered, a little less sure as the dense forest that outlined the permitter of the camp closed around them.
They stumbled over roots and ducked under an obstacl course of thick branches on their way through the many twists and turns of a path that was pretty well hidden by the dark, moonless night. With every step, Ellie slowed down, cautiously inspecting her surroundings before taking another. They both gasped when Angela shined her light around them.
"Okay, maybe we went far enough." Ellie's confidence began to waver as she realized she didn't recognize anything.
"Now what?" Startled that the ominous clouds had entirely blocked their vision of the stars, Angela's tiny pink lips quivered with her words.
"I can't see it at all."
"Lets just go back to camp."
After a small pause, Ellie agreed. "Okay."
It was a reasonable plan, going back to camp and never mumbling a word of their short escapade to anyone. But it wouldn't be that easy.
The pair came to an abrupt stop only seconds later. They looked to each other for answers then circled around themselves, confronted by a blur of branches, leaves, and three rocky paths that curved beyond their sight. Angela turned once more while Ellie looked at the sky in hopes of a brief glimpse at the stars that could navigate the way. Instead, the wind picked up speed and a cold September raindrop stung her eye. She blinked it away, her vision coming into focus to see Angela gesturing towards the three similar trails.
"Which one?"
Ellie swallowed the lump in her throat and, in her best effort to disguise her frightened state of mind, she strengthened her voice. "I don't know."
TBC