Chapter 15

(It’s nighttime. Amy and Ellie are in their sleeping bag lying awake, facing away from each other or on their backs. )

Amy: Ellie, what am I going to do about Phil?

Ellie: You mean how he likes you?

Amy: Yeah.

Ellie: Mmm…that’s a problem.

Amy: I wish I knew what to do…

(Ellie rolls over and faces Amy. Ellie props her head on her hand.)

Ellie: Let’s see, we have to start somewhere… do you like him?

Amy: Yes! Of course!

Ellie: But I mean…

Amy: I know what you mean! Yes, I think I do. Yes, I do. I didn’t at school. But honestly, he was such a moron there. If anyone had said to me then that I’d end up liking him… I mean, he was so immature!

Ellie: Yea, do you remember that water fight at the Halloween Party?

Amy: Oh, don’t remind me!

Ellie: So if you like him, what’s stopping you?

Amy: I don’t know. Thatl’s the hard part. I don’t know if I like him as much as he likes me, that’s one thing. I’d hate to get into a relationship with him where he assumed I felt as stronglu as he does. I don’t think I ever could like him that much.

Ellie: So that is the only thing stopping you, that you don’t feel as strongly as he does?

Amy: Sort of. I feel like I have to keep him at arm’s length or he’ll just take over. It’s like you build a dam upstream to stop the town from being wiped out. I’m the town, and I build a dam by keeping cool and casual with him.

Ellie: That might make him like you more.

Amy: Oh, do you think so? I never thought of that. Oh, its so complicated! (She yawns.) What would you do in my place?

Ellie: (After brief pause.) Don’t lead him on forever. Phil likes excitement. He gets bored easy, and he will quickly lose patience.

Amy: (Sleepy) Do you think I should go for it?

Ellie: ‘Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.’ Go for it, what have you got to lose? Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering what might have been.

(Amy and Ellie drift off into sleep. It’s the next day at lunch. Lee and Ellie are talking off by themselves.)

Lee: Hey, Ellie, do you think you could show me the Hermit’s place this afternoon?

Ellie: (startled) But yesterday, when the other two came… your leg…

Lee: Yes, I know. But it feels good, and I’ve used it a lot lately. I was in a bad mood with you lately.

Ellie: (grinning) OK, I’ll take you. And I’ll pull a Robin by carrying you on my back.

(Later, Ellie and Lee are walking in front of the Hermit’s.)

Lee: It’s the perfect path because we don’t leave any tracks.

Ellie: Mmmm….you know, on the other side of this place there are a couple of rivers. It’d be interesting if we could find them by following the creek.

(Lee sits on a log outside the hut.)

Lee: I’m just giving my leg a rest.

Ellie: Is it hurting?

Lee: A little, from being used again. I think the exercise is helping it. (Brief pause.) Y’know Ellie, I didn’t ever thank you for rescuing. You guys were heroes. Seriously, I’m not going to forget that for the rest of my life.

Ellie: (Ackwardly) That’s OK. You did thank me before, and you would have done the same for me.

Lee: I’m sorry about yesterday.

Ellie: Don’t be. You spoke your mind, more than I did.

Lee: What did you want to say?

Ellie: All right, I’ll say what I think I think. (Dramatic pause.) Lee, I do like you. Very much. I think you’re interesting, funny, smart, and you have the best eyes. I’m just not sure I like you in that way, y’know? There’s something about you that makes me a little nervious, I’m not sure what. I’ve never met anyone like you. Suppose we would go out, and it didn’t work out. Here we are, the eight of us, our lives out of whack, but we mostly get along with each other. I wouldn’t want us to destroy it by being embarrassed to be together.

Lee: Oh, Ellie, why do you have to think through everything? The future will take care of itself. If you sit guessing, you will have missed living.

Ellie: That’s not true! When I rescued you, I didn’t stop and think it all through. We didn’t have time to go through the possibilities.

Lee: But I remember you saying that you changed the plan along the way. I think you should go with your gut more often.

Ellie: Like I’m all head, no heart, like I’m heartless!! Like I’ll end up like this hermit, alone in the wilderness, living in a shack with no friends, eating worms.

Lee: No, not like that. I’m saying when you like someone, you are too careful. Your feelings come out, but your brain messes them up. (Pause, smiles.) Ellie, I love you for your mind. I really do.

(Pause)

Ellie: C’mon cripple, let’s look in the hut.

(They go inside)

Lee: Wow, this is really well made. These joints have metal in them.

(Ellie walks over to Lee, by a window joint.)

Lee: See, look. (Lee takes out the sill.) What? (He finds a box and lifts it out.)

Ellie: Wow!

(Lee takes out papers and documents)

Lee: Fascinating! He must have been a war hero.

(He takes out a picture)

Ellie: Those must be the ones he killed.

Lee: Odd… why would he keep the picture of the people he killed?

(He takes out a newspaper article and begins reading.)

Lee: A small group of mourners were in attendance at the Luthern Church on Monday, where Rev. Joseph Green conducted a service for Burial of the Dead. Laid to rest were Elizabeth Mary Christie, of [TOWN], and her infant child Alexander John Christie, aged three.
The Christie family were not well known, being newly arrived, living on a small farm away from town. Although the family was reclusive, the tradegdy caused considerable sentiment in the area, which was touched on by Rev. Green in his address, which included the text ‘Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live and is full of misery; he cometh up and is cut down like a flower.’
The deceased were then interred in the Lakeside Cemetary.
A public meeting will be held in Central School on Monday next, under the chairmanship of Dr Louis McDonald, to discuss the possibility of obtaining services of a medical practitioner for the district. The Christie Tragedy has led to agitation for a provision of local medical services.
An inquest into the deaths of Mrs. Christie and her child will take place at the next visit of the physician to the district, on April 15th. In the meantime Sheriff Johnson has cautioned against idle tongues making loose speculation upon the facts of the case; a sentiment most earnestly shared by his correspondant.

Ellie: That makes more questions than answers. (She picks up a stiff formal card.)
In conveying his fellow-soldier safely back to his own private lines Private Christie engendered his own life and displayed conspicuous gallantry, for which the United States Army is pleased to honor Private Bruce Christie with this honorable award.

Lee: Odd…very odd.

(They search through the documents some more. They at last come to a formal document. Lee and Ellie sit down. Ellie starts reading.)

Ellie: Be it known by all persons that I, HARRY ADAM DOUGLAS BENNY, being duly appointed Coroner of the District, make the following findings and recommendations with respect to the deaths of ELIZABETH MARY CHRISTIE, aged 24, married woman of this parish, and ALEXANDER JOHN CHRISTIE, aged 3, infant of this parish, both residing at 675 90th Street, [number of miles] south of [town]:
1. That both deceased met their deaths on or about July 24th, at the hands of BRUCE HAROLD CHRISTIE, as a result of bullet wounds to the head.
2. That both deceased lived with BRUCE HAROLD CHRISTIE, farmer, in the relationships respectively of wife and son to the said BRUCE HAROLD CHRISTIE, in a wooden cottage at the above address, this being a particularly remote part of the district.
3. That there is no evidence of marital disharmony between BRUCE HAROLD CHRISTIE and ELIZABETH MARY CHRISTIE, and that on the contrary BRUCE HAROLD CHRISTIE was a loving husband and father, ELIZABETH MARY CHRISTIE was a dutiful and even-tempered wife, and the child ALEXANDER JOHN CHRISTIE a sweet child of good disposition, and that is the testimony of WILSON JAMES POTTER, farmer, and neighbor to the deceased, and MARTHA JANE MALLERY, married woman and neighbor to the deceased.
4. That the nearest medical practitioner or nursing sister to the Christies was at [town], being a day and a half’s ride away, and further
5. That severe prairie fires occurred around the local area, which isolated the Christie property, and that this information is known to BRUCE HAROLD CHRISTIE.
6. That both deceased met their deaths EITHER as a result of fire consuming the Christie residence, during which both were terribly burnt, and that BRUCE HAROLD CHRISTIE, believing their injuries to be mortal and unable to to bear their suffering, and knowing also that medical aid was beyond immediate reach, killed both deceased with single shots to the head from a rifle owned by BRUCE HAROLD CHRISTIE; and that is the testimony of BRUCE HAROLD CHRISTIE.
OR that both deceased were willfully and feloniously murdered by BRUCE HAROLD CHRISTIE with the aforesaid rifle, and the bodies deliberately burned in an attempt to conceal the facts of the case.
7. That medical science connot as to which came first, the bullets or the burning, and that is the testimony of Dr JACKSON WALTER MURFIELD, medical practitioner and forensic scientist of the district.
8. That police inquiries have been unable to locate any other persons with evidence bearing upon the deaths of ELIZABETH MARY CHRISTIE or ALEXANDER JOHN CHRISTIE, and that is the testimony of Sheriff FREDRICK JAMES JOHNSON of the police station.

RECOMMENDED:
1. That urgent consideration be given to the provision of medical services of the district.
2. That the Chairman of Public Prosecutions lays an information of WILFUL AND FELONIOUS MURDER against BRUCE HAROLD CHRISTIE.