Slowly the feast came to an end. The guests wipedtheir plates with their last bits of bread. Then theywiped their hands and faces with their napkins.
Jack and Annie stood up.
"We have to go home," Annie said to Priscilla.
"Ah, thou must go back to thine own communitynow," said Priscilla.
Annie nodded. Then she kissed Priscilla on thecheek.
17"Thanks for everything," Annie said.
Jack wanted to kiss Priscilla, too, but he was tooshy.
"Thanks, Priscilla," he said.
"I thank thee, Jack," she said. Then she leaned overand kissed his cheek.
Jack felt his face grow red.
"Excuse me, sir," Annie said to Governor Bradford.
"But we must leave now.""Oh, but we have not yet taught thee how to growcorn!" said the little girl Mary.
Squanto stood up.
"Come," he said. "I will walk Jack and Annie backto the forest. I will teach them.""Oh, thou does not have to do that," Jack saidquickly. He feared that once they were alone, Squantowould figure out they'd never met before.
But Squanto only smiled and waited for them tofollow.
"Bye, everyone!" said Annie, waving.
Jack waved, too. All the Pilgrims and Wampanoagwaved back at them. The skinny dog barked.
Squanto led Jack and Annie away from the villagetoward the autumn woods. As they passed thecornfield, the dried stalks swayed in the breeze. Theymade shushing sounds.
Squanto stopped walking. He pointed to the field.
"You must plant corn in the spring," he said. "Putthe seed in the ground when the oak-tree bud is assmall as a mouse's ear.""Oh, wait, please," said Jack. He slipped hisnotebook and pencil out of his bag. It was the firsttime he'd had a chance to take no all day. He wrote:
How to plant cornOak tree bud = mouse earThen he looked up at Squanto and nodded. "Digholes and put two rotting fish in each hole," saidSquanto.
"Rotting fish?" said Annie, making a face.
"Yes, rotting fish is good food for the soil," saidSquanto. "On top of the fish, place four corn seeds.
Then cover them with dirt."Jack quickly wrote:
2 rotting fish, 4 corn seeds, cover with dirt.
18"Got it," he said, looking up.
"I give you these corn seeds to take home," saidSquanto. He held up a small pouch.
"Thanks," said Annie, taking the pouch.
"Thanks a lot," said Jack. "Well, good--bye." Jackwas eager to get going--before Squanto could askthem questions about the past.
"Wait, I have a question," said Annie. "Squanto,why did you say you remembered us?"Squanto's dark eyes twinkled. "I did not say Iremembered you," he said. "I only said I remember ""What did you remember?" asked Annie.
"I remembered what it was like to be from adifferent world," said Squanto. "Long ago, I lived withmy people on this shore. But one day, men came inships. They took me to Europe as a slave. In that newland, I was a stranger. I felt different and afraid. I sawthe same fear in your eyes today. So I tried to helpyou."Annie smiled "We thank thee," she said.
"And now you must always be kind to those whofeel different and afraid," said Squanto. "Rememberwhat you felt today.""Indeed," said Jack.
Before closing his notebook, he added one lastthing:
Be kind to those who feel different and afraid.
Squanto bowed.
"Good day, Jack and Annie," he said.
"Good day!" they said.
Squanto turned and headed back to the village. Thesun was setting. All of Plymouth was lit with a fierylight.
"It really was a good day," said Annie.
"Yeah, it was," said Jack.
Annie sighed. "Ready to go home?" she asked.
"Indeed," Jack said.
They started running through the woods.
Their feet crunched through the red and yellowleaves. They scrambled up the rope ladder into thetree house.
From the distance came the sounds of the Pilgrimssinging a hymn and the Wampanoag beating theirdrums. Annie picked up the Pennsylvania book. Shepointed at a picture of the Frog Creek woods.
"I wish we could go home!" she said.
"Good-bye, Priscilla!" Jack called.
19"Good-bye, Squanto!" said Annie. "Good-bye,everyone!"The wind started to blow.
The wind blew harder.
The tree house started to spin.
It spun faster and faster.
Then everything was still.
Absolutely still. |