Full Speed Ahead: My Journey with Kit

The railroad bulls walk fast, pushing Mr. Birdseye, Kit, Buddy, and me in front of them. Soon, we come to a crossroads. The road leading downhill is labeled “To Lewis Falls.” The road leading uphill is labeled “To Mountain Hollow.” I ask Kit if Mountain Hollow is where she said her Aunt Millie lives. She nods and looks longingly up the Mountain Hollow road.

The bulls start to push us down the Lewis Falls road, and Mr. Birdseye asks if we can get let go to go to our kinfolk in Mountain Hollow. The tallest bull says no. We’re going to the Lewis Falls jail. Mr. Birdseye reminds the bulls that me and Kit and the dog will slow the adults down. We can’t move any faster than molasses in January. The shorter bull says it will be a nuisance to deal with us at hte jail. Maybe they should let us go.

The taller bull frowns, and then says that we can go. But he warns us not to be caught hopping the trains again. We say our thanks to the bulls and our goodbyes to Mr. Birdseye. And then we take off on a run up the hill to Mountain Hollow, with Buddy following on our heels.

But we don’t run for long. The hill is steep and it winds up the mountain, with a sharp drop-off down into deep woods on our left and a sharp incline up into the woods on our right. Dense pine branches meet overhead and shade the path, but they also block any breeze and hold in the steamy heat. Next time Mom invites me to go on a walk to get in shape, I’ll say yes. Thinking of Mom makes me realize I miss her. The camera is still hanging around my neck. I could go home, but I can’t leave Buddy and Kit.

I catch up with Kit and Buddy and Kit swipes at her forehead as she says Mountain Hollow can’t be much farther away. They drove last time she visited Aunt Millie, and they came by a different road. But we might as well see what’s around the next bend. So we start trudging up the road again.

After a little bit, I hear a rushing sound. It’s water! Although it’d be nice to splash cool water on our faces to cool down, I’m scared to leave the road into the woods. What if we get lost. But at the end, Buddy makes the decision for us and starts ot make his way down the hill through the woods.

Kit and I follow, slipping on loose leaves and stones and grabbing trees to steady ourselves. Soon, we can see the shiny pool of water. It’s fed from a waterfall that cascades over rocks in a smooth, silvery curtain of water. It’s like something out of a fairy tale. We kneel at the edge, dipping our cupped hands in icy water and splashing it on our faces. Kit takes off her socks and shoes and plunges her feet into the pool. Kit says I should, too.

I hesitate. At Camp Mosquito, I never even dunked a toe in the lake for fear of water bugs and nibbling fish. I’ve only ever swum in swimming pools. But it’s so hot, and the little mountain pool is crystal clear. So I slip off the camera, take off my shoes and socks, and tentatively lower one foot into the water, followed by the other. It feels so good.

Then, Kit stands up and wades into the water up to her knees. She turns to me, but I tell her I can’t. She holds out her hand and smiles. Finally, I realize that I can’t be a wimp when I’m with Kit. We wade into the pool together, and the next thing I know, we’re both whooping and splashing each other. After that, we sit in the shallow water and kick our legs. Then, we stand under the waterfall, tilting our heads back and letting the water shower us. Buddy paddles and frolics around us.

Finally, when we’re done, we put our shoes and socks back on and climb up the hill toward the road. I tell Kit that I’ve always thought of hiking as hard work for nothing. But I realize now that maybe it’s sometimes worth it.

But as we climb up the hill toward the road, it is most certainly hard work. Kit has to carry Buddy. But we’re relieved when we come to the path. Although we don’t really know where we are because of all the trees, we decide to follow the path and hope it’s headed in the right direction.

After a bit of time, Buddy stops walking. He sniffs the air. And then Kit and I smell it, too: smoke. I ask if it’s a forest fire, and Kit pauses. Finally, she shakes her head and says it could be smoke from a chimney. Maybe we’re near a cabin. If it was a forest fire, there’d be more smoke and noise.

Sure enough, after we walk a bit further, we come upon a clearing with a cabin in the middle. Tendrils of smoke curl out of the chimney. The cabin looks as if it’s trying very hard not to tumble down. The roof bows in, weighed down by moss and moisture. The front porch slopes forward, and the steps tilt every which way.

Although I feel hesitant at getting too close, we could really use the help; we’ve been walking a long time and don’t know where we are. So Kit, Buddy, and I carefully step up to the cabin door.

Inside, we can hear a pretty voice singing, high, clear, and fine. Kit bravely knocks on the door, and the singing stops. Then, a thin, young woman opens the door. She’s wearing a clean, but faded and patched, dress. She frowns at first, but when she sees it’s only us children and the dog, her face relaxes.

Kit introduces herself and us. She explains how we’re trying to get to Mountain Hollow, but we may be going the wrong way. The woman kindly says that we’re not going the wrong way, just the long way. She says her name is Mrs. Littlefield. She says she can show us a shortcut. But, we look tired. We can sit on the steps to rest a little.

We sit down while Mrs. Littlefield goes inside, and then brings back a bright-eyed, curly-haired baby. The baby’s clothes are clean, but old and frayed. They look ready to fall apart. Mrs. Littlefield says his name is Eli. Then, she hands us some dried apple slices. Kit immediately picks up a piece of apple and eats it. I’m a little slower. At home, I normally don’t eat anything that’s not wrapped in plastic. But I know it’d be rude to refuse the food. Mrs. Littlefield is so poor and has so little to spare, and yet she offers us a snack. So I eat an apple slice, and am surprised to find it delicious! It’s sweet and chewy. From now on, I’ll be more open-minded about food, especially healthy stuff like dried apple slices.

When she’s done eating, Kit explains we’re on our way to see her Aunt Millie. She lives with Myrtle Peabody. Mrs. Littlefield says she can lead us there. There’s not even a need to go all the way to Mountain Hollow!

She leads us up a skinny little path straight up the mountain. As we climb, Mrs. Littlefield sings, and pretty soon, Kit and I are singing right along with her. Singing makes my feet feel a little bit lighter somehow.