Full Speed Ahead: My Journey with Kit

Going house to house is exhausting, and I gain a grudging respect for Serena, who plods steadily up every hill. She isn’t as friendly as Buddy, but she’s steady and willing, mile after mile.

The Waste-Not, Want-Not Almanac works its magic again and again. After the McCorkles, an old woman named Granny Green trades soap-making directions for a book about bees. A man sketches a cornhusk broom and his wife shows us a cornhusk doll, and the couple borrows a book of stories for their children. Another woman trades baby-care advice for a book of fairy tales. By day’s end, the Almanac holds directions for ointments, medicines, and dyes, recipes, tips, and family stories, and sketches for everything from bed frames to whistles.

By the last hill, I’m dragging my feet, so Aunt Millie suggests I ride Serena now that the books are gone. I balk until Serena hee-haws and gives me a look that seems to say, Climb on! I do, and I feel like a queen on her back, swaying steadily toward home.

When we get home, Buddy and Miss Myrtle come out to greet us. Kit shows off the full Almanac and the empty saddlebags, and I tell Miss Myrtle that people felt better about borrowing books when they could give something back.

Miss Myrtle calls the Almanac a clever book, and Aunt Millie says we’re clever girls. Today, we stood up to the Depression and won.

That night I hear an owl hooting, and I think about how Mountain Hollow taught me the true meaning of dignity and generosity, Serena taught me stick-to-itiveness, and Kit taught me a new way to think about creativity, making the best of what you have can be fun, not just clever. I know it’s time to go home, and I’ll never forget our adventures together.

The next morning, a farmer stops by in his rickety truck. His mother, Granny Green, sent him to drive Kit and me to the depot as thanks for delivering the books.

Kit and I look at Aunt Millie and Miss Myrtle, and all four of us tear up. I stoop down, pick up Buddy, and ask if he can stay, since he loves Aunt Millie, Miss Myrtle, and even Serena. The women exchange a look and agree happily.

We hug goodbye, climb into the truck, and rattle down to the depot. Aunt Millie has given us money for tickets, and soon we’re on the train back to Union Station in Cincinnati. Kit starts to lead me outside, but I hold back.

I tell Kit I can find my way home from here, thank her for everything, and promise I’ll always remember her. Kit hugs me hard, whispers goodbye, and walks out into the sunshine. When she’s gone, I click the camera and go home.

When Mom comes into my room, she finds me on the floor cutting apart old clothes, some from secondhand stores and some I’ve outgrown, to make a patchwork quilt. When Mom asks if I know how to quilt, I shake my head, but it’ll be fun to figure out. Maybe the public library has a book that can teach me.

Mom smiles. That’s a clever idea.