Eva’S Journey

CHAPTER ONE

Forest Home

Early Days

S even year old Eva didn’t think about it as unusual where she was or how she lived. The world she knew were these woods, and meadows and ponds that shared her every experience and heard her every dream. Laughter and hard work filled every day. She didn’t ask ‘why?’ She wouldn’t think to do so. This was simply the life she and her brother Andy knew. Her father was Travis, but she sometimes called him dad, and her mother was Mary. She usually called her Mary because Mary like that better.

The house was constructed mostly of wood from around the area. Mary told her the hardest part was when Travis was making the house. It took him nearly the whole first summer to build enough for them to live in for the winter, but with just the one baby, they didn’t need as much space. Some materials didn’t come from the forest. They brought them on their backs with all their other possessions. Among these were the shiny metal sheets which were on top of the house that help warm it in the winter.

In addition, some of the things he brought were his own inventions and he knew they could not be bought or made with materials he would have available to him. For example, he brought with him a solid resin-like material that that he designed which was stronger than glass but just as clear for the windows. He brought materials to light the cabin, including little light-giving objects called crystal refractors he had designed before coming here. He said he used to make a lot of things like these as an inventor. In the coldest parts of the winter, they sometimes put the wood coverings on the windows to save the heat inside. The crystal refractors hung from the ceiling illuminating the cabin in the day and evening. In the summer the light from the sun always poured through the windows and one of them on Eva’s bed. She liked that.

In her earliest memories the house was the same as it is now that she is seven. The shiny metal things outside on the roof that made the house warm were there as long as she could remember. They also had the fireplace, which is situated right in the middle of the wall warming a large part of the house and during the coldest parts of the winter, mom let Eva, and later Andy after he came, cuddle closer to the fireplace instead of their beds some nights. Eva didn’t like the cold, but she loved to snuggle with her family in front of the fire. Eva remembered when Andy was born and dad made another bed frame like Eva’s except with walls so the baby wouldn’t fall on to the floor. When he was older, they took off the walls.

The earth provided much of what they needed. What they couldn’t get from the forest or garden dad could often get through the trading post. It wasn’t a store, but a family with a son. They mostly traded with a native settlement that was located a few miles in the other direction of the cabin during parts of the year, and lived in nature like Eva’s family. Travis could get some basic supplies there once or twice a year. He also had requested and received a few custom things, like the animals they have. The family who ran the trading post got them as they could locate them on their treks to a larger town many miles away where Eva’s family never would go. Here mother told Eva she was only there once, when she was a baby and the family was first moving here.

The trading post is from where the pots and utensils had come. That is where they also got matches, lamps, kerosene, nails, tack for the horse, and special gifts. He once got Eva a new doll which she loved. To compensate them, her dad traded things such as furs of small animals he hunted, wood they gathered, wood he whittled into sculptures, or even sometimes new simple innovative inventions he would make using what materials he had in the forest.

As Eva and Andy grew some things changed and evolved. Though their routines were the same, gradually the one room shack became a three room cabin. In the cold months, they all slept and stayed mostly in the one room which had the fireplace. Then dad started on the vegetable and meat cellar and the shelter for Blue dad’s horse, and Geo the burro. The burro entered the family to Eva’s great delight when she was seven. Everyone in the family worked very hard. Their lives were a steady balance. They needed to work efficiently as a team to accumulate enough food and fuel for the winter, as well as sustaining each day as it came. Their father had to do enough to be able to both provide for the family’s needs and have extra to trade. More renovations followed, and with the four of them working as hard as they did, they were able to add many other little additions which made the seasonal routines a little less difficult.

Eva was thrilled when taking care of and working with Geo became one of her chores. At first it was a struggle to learn how to care for a burro. Getting kicked and stepped on was part of it. However, as she learned the ways of the burro, she knew the do’s and don’ts and it grew more harmonious. Geo led well and sometimes she would assist in the work carrying loads on her back. As dad got more innovative, he designed a cart with wheels made of wood that could be loaded with things like brush, wood, or game. The man at the trading post liked the cart so well he asked my father to build him a couple and they would accept them as trade for supplies.

Travis would remind her in the morning and evening if she didn’t remember to take Geo out and tether her where she could get fresh grass. Sometimes she would stay with Geo brush her and pet her soft fur, or rub grease onto her hooves as her dad had taught her so the hooves wouldn’t crack. Dad had to trim her hooves though. Eva couldn’t do that. Eva and dad spent time teaching her to be ridden. Eva would sit on her, and dad would lead her around. Never once did Geo try to throw her off, but sometimes she wouldn’t move. It took a lot of time and patience but eventually, Travis and Eva got her to go and stop just like Blue when Eva gave her the signals. Once Eva reached this point she was delighted. Mom made sure Eva stayed focused on the rest of her chores though and didn’t spend the entire day riding Geo.

The following year, also from the trading post, some chickens arrived Travis had been requesting ever since they moved there. Eva had not seen her mother so happy. They built a pen for them and as Andy grew old enough, taking care of the chickens became one of his jobs. However, with each new addition, came a lot more work in order for the four humans to survive the winter, and also the animals too. All of them worked very hard for everything to be done in the available time they had in the summer and fall. Once the snows came, temperature dropped and the grounds froze, all of the work needed to be done.

Eva’s favorite time was spring. The pressure of an approaching winter was not upon them, and the grasses were green and meadows beautiful. There were wildflowers everywhere, and it was like heaven to run with Andy through the meadows and play after they got their chores done. Sometimes she brought Geo, but only dad worked with Blue. He said that Blue was his strength. With Blue’s help, dad could cut down the time of wood gathering, and the entire family did not have to go with him to gather like before. He would ride Blue hunting and cover much more ground. He told Eva he had to get used to hunting. He’d never hunted before, and always had bought his meat from the stores like the trading post in the place they lived before. He said they had to adapt to a lot of things.

Each year there also was more variety in what they could eat during the winter. At first, mom said they really had to ration and even so, toward the end of the winter, they only had grain to make porridge and some dried meat from dad’s deer. By that time, what little vegetables their small garden had produced had been used up. Now there are more to feed, but the collective work of all four of them has paid off. Going into the winter they have a variety of vegetables, meats, and grains for the humans, and grains and enough harvested rye grass for the animals.

Blue and Geo grazed in the warmer seasons. The year they got the two animals from the trading post, dad built in addition to the shelter, a shed where they loaded as much rye grass as they could harvest. They worked as hard in the fields to fill the shed than they did in the garden for the humans. Toward the end of the summer and early fall life became more difficult. Eva and Andy were not allowed to play as often because so much had to be done to prepare for winter. As dad brought home large game such as deer, and other animals like rabbits, they all played a role in creating blankets or garments, and drying or smoking the meat. As the vegetables became ready for harvest, they all had a role in that too under mom’s close supervision. In addition, mom liked a large supply of certain herbs they might need. In later years she had most varieties growing in her garden. Others were close by in shady or moist areas. In the early years however, she would hunt for all of them and it would take time to gather all she felt they needed to stay well.

The skins lasted so well they gradually replaced the original blankets that traveled with them to this life. He also got Eva and Andy some nails and tools along with boards he had split himself from a nearby tree. He showed them how to build little things like boxes, shelves and even a bird house. Eva’s dad was great with a pocket knife. He could whittle very precise wood pieces which is why Carlos at the trading post liked the wheeled carts he crafted so well. One spring, he carved a beautiful mantel for the fireplace. The day he presented them to Mary, on her birthday, Eva had never seen her so excited. Eva could tell she missed a lot of things from her old life, and when her father gave her gifts like this, it made her feel like she had something from the other life. He installed them with rock lining facing the interior of the fireplace. They made the wall with the fireplace look nice. He also made a lot of carvings for Andy and Eva. Andy’s favorite was a carving of a deer, and Eva’s favorite was a horse.

He brought Andy a pocket knife and showed him how to carve things from wood. He showed him how to make a wood spoon. Andy ran off for the rest of the day and when he came home he had made two spoons and two crude but useable forks. He came into the cabin with them and showed Mary. No one expected what happened next. She started crying. Not little tears but great big ones. They were all shocked. It took several minutes for her to stop enough to explain to everyone that the good silverware they had brought with them were starting to rust and she thought that was the end of civilization if they had no silverware to use. Now she has her son’s beautiful wooden spoons and forks. Andy lit up the sky with his smile of pride that mom liked them so much. For days after he whittled more spoons and more forks. He started to get very good at it. The spoons looked like real ones only a little thicker, and the forks were shorter so they looked more like spoons. mom poured herself with joy over everything he did, and the more she did, the more he wanted to create them. Soon he switched to whittling cups, then plates. It took a long time to create one thing, but when Andy puts his mind on something he does it a lot. Honey, I could have ordered more metal silverware, dad said, but Eva had a feeling maybe it wasn’t just about the silverware.

He ordered a thick piece of glass to replace the resin of one of the windows which had broken. The glass was as close as they had to dad’s more insulating resin which was another invention he’d made a long time ago. They had to leave the wood cover down and locked until he could get the window fixed. Eva was very happy the day he brought it home because it was the window which was closest to her bed and it was too dark with the board there. Dad tried to explain at the trading post about the shiny metal things on the roof that heated the house and the things he would need to repair them but the man didn’t understand. That made dad sad. He knew then he couldn’t replace them and the family would have to do without those shiny things.

When they were young, she and Andy couldn’t go when dad went to the trading post. Dad went alone. He said one day when Eva was older she could go too. Mom said she would love to see somewhere other than the cabin and that they should all go to the trading post sometime as a whole family. Dad responded he didn’t think that was a very good idea. He said he didn’t want the person at the trading post to know there was a whole family. Mom asked why? But then she said to skip it, she already knew. Eva wished she hadn’t said that because she was wondering what he would have said.

Eva’s favorite chore was getting berries with her mom. Eva and Andy would be able to eat some but mom would only let them have a few. She said it would give them a tummy ache to eat too many. Eva liked picking them. She also liked when her mother took her on long walks. He mother was looking at the plants carrying a basket all the time and when they got home it would be filled. She knew which ones they could eat, and which ones she could use in tea to help heal different ailments. Eva thought some tasted pretty good, but others tasted pretty yucky. They also spent a lot of time in the garden in the back. Eva loved potatoes. They also had carrots, chard, beets, pinto beans, quinoa and green beans. These were the best days in the cabin. Thank God injuries have been minimal, and the occasional cuts, and bruises were nothing mom and dad couldn’t handle since before they moved there. It helped that their dad had been a doctor before in addition to doing his inventions. In this setting however, what equipment and drugs he would have access to was limited. Even when Andy stepped wrong on a log going across the creek and fell breaking his arm, dad knew how to set it. The hardest part was getting Andy to stop trying to use it, but when it healed, he was right back out there exploring.

Cycles and Seasons

E va is now eleven. Now that Geo was Eva’s responsibility, it had given her a dimension of freedom she had never experienced. However, days with her weren’t very predictable. Around the cabin Geo was fine, but this particular day, Eva decided to go a little farther. Come on Geo, get your head up, quit trying to eat, Eva said pulling on the reins.

Geo stretched her neck as far as she could reach, to relieve pressure of the halter Eva used as a bridle, took a few steps, then munched a couple more chomps of rye grass. Eva pulled on just one of the reins with force to pull Geo’s head up. The awkward pressure of the rein on just one side forced Geo to lift her head again.

Eva groaned, and pulled gently but with more force this time. Geo snatched one more tuft of grass, lifted her head and continued down the path. Come on Geo, we need to get to the other side, sighed Eva. Geo planted her hooves firmly on the path leading to the river crossing. Geo hated to cross the river. Eva sat astride Geo keeping her steady, wondering what to do. This was the mildest crossing of the river, where the bank was gradual and soft, and the water was relatively shallow and slow moving. Geo would barely feel the water up past her knees as she crossed. That is, if Eva could get her to cross.

Each time Eva went out with Geo she explored farther than she had before, careful to keep her eye on landmarks to find her way back. That was a trick that Travis had taught her. On the return trip, Geo gave her trouble when they got back to the river. She didn’t want to cross, and usually it didn’t take as long. It was getting dark and it was time to get back to the cabin. Even Geo’s sure-footedness doesn’t help if she is walking in the dark and can’t see.

At last they got over the river and rounded the last bend, and the light of the fireplace shined through the small windows on the cabin. Her mother, father and Andy were probably already in for the night and eating dinner. She put Geo in her stall and made sure she had plenty of rye grass and water, then headed to the cabin. Her mother was cross with her. She couldn’t take Geo out the next day, and was pretty angry she had gone so far when so much was still to be done before the approaching winter. That was as far as she would roam that season.

Andy went with dad to gather wood and Eva went gathering herbs with her mom. Eva watched as her mom slid down the embankment toward her.

No, it wasn’t the one I thought it was, she said as she slid. The leaves were right but the buds were smaller, she said, slapping the dirt off her hands from the bank. Let’s look further up the river, she said as she slipped gracefully past Eva and headed up the trail along side the river.

Eva watched the rhythm of her stride as she carried her basket full of herbs. She listened as her mom spoke of each of the plants on their path. Was there a single plant on this entire mountain she did not know? She was saying something about… the chemical compound shifts… when something was heated,… Eva didn’t quite catch what. She just kept catching key words and phases which gave her an occasional idea of about what her mom was talking. She wondered if she would ever know the herbs the way her mother did. They were out most of the day, because some of the harvesting took a while. Sometimes they gathered whole plants, other times just leaves, and sometimes, buds or seeds. When she arrived home, Andy and dad had already returned and Andy was splashing in the stream. She put her basket in the cabin then came out, sat down and watched him.

Andy was gathering water. The buckets were full and ready to take back to the cabin, but he paused to look into the glassy water. The cool air felt good on his face. He splashed in the water, allowing the cool current to bring his feet some comfort.

He noticed something dart into the brush, catching it only with the side of his eye. His curiosity was peaked. He jumped off of the rock, and whirled around to where it was. There were frogs by the side of the stream scattered as far as he could see. Time passed as he inched his way forward, slowly attempting to get close enough to a frog without startling it. Each time, the frog scurried away from his place of rest, into the cover of the rapidly running water just as Andy reached it. His eye fell on an especially large frog, up the river. Determined to catch this one, he looked around for anything that would assist him. Nothing was available, so he made a plan to startle the frog back onto the shore. He waded into the shallow water seemingly without notice, then inched his way toward the shore.

As if commanded, the frog leaped into the tall grass away from the river. Delighted, Andy leaped to the shore, and began his search through the tall grass, paying careful attention not to let the frog pass and make it back to the river. Up bounded the frog, and Andy right after.

Gotcha!, he exclaimed as his hands fell right on target as he cascaded to his knees.

Eva chuckled. He had a way of making her smile simply by his presence and the way he lived in the world. Even gathering water turned in to the highlight of the day.

Finally the work was coming to an end. The rye grass was stored, most of the garden was harvested and mom and dad were working on the meat. Andy and Eva had some rare and precious free time.

Eva, come look at this! exclaimed Andy. Out of ear’s reach of her brother, Eva was sitting up the shore of the creek, examining the root system of a plant she found. She was wondering if it was the same kind her mother had shown her the day before which was good to collect for their assortment of herbs. Eva! shouted Andy.

What, she said, as she stood satisfied it was not the same herb.

Look in the water, right over there, he said pointing to a spot on the bank. Eva walked over and looked out over the surface of the ripply river. I don’t see anything special.

Not out there he said, down there, as he pointed to a glassy still pool in the water just below her reflecting the sunlight. Eva squinted to scan all the detail of water against the foamy shore. She scanned the sandy bank with pebbles and tufts of grass. There was nothing special about the scene as she could see.

You can see yourself, he blurted impatiently.

With that Eva took her focus off of the shore and looked again at the surface of the water. Sure enough, the light was hitting the surface of the water just right. There was her reflection, her round face and eyes with no ripples in the water causing distortion. Andy was right. She could see herself there.

Aren’t you pretty?, he asked.

Eva turned and looked at her brother standing there and her eyes softened. His wholesome impish face seemed so wise and kind in moments, and she was grateful. Tears welled up in her eyes as she said softly to him, we are both pretty.

Andy’s eyes sparkled. His grin lit up the sky. He glanced at Eva then turned and ran down the bank to see if he could find a small animal to catch. Eva chuckled as she watched him.

Why Are We Here?

"E va, what are you thinking about so intensely?" her father said gently, as he stopped and sat on the flat part of a fallen tree on their way home. They had full buckets of water freshly drawn from the river.

Why are we here dad? she replied thirteen year old Eva, trying to hold the water bucket steady so she wouldn’t slosh it out as she sat next to him. "This mountain I mean. Why can’t we live with other people? I get lonely sometimes.

With that he paused, his brow furled and he looked puzzled. You have me, and your mother and brother, he replied soothingly, knowing she had opened a topic that was one he rarely thought about. He loved their life.

It’s not the same, Dad. Sometimes I feel like… I don’t know, like I am missing something. Lonely I guess, even when I am with you, Mom and Andy I feel that way. With that, she picked up a stick and jammed it into the ground dragging the tip though the soft earth. As she stared blankly her lines began to form a circle. Why did you and mom choose to come here? Don’t you ever miss the city, and living among other people? She asked.

No Eva, I don’t miss those things. I love living here more than anywhere in the whole world. I love you, and Andy and your mom. I love this mountain, and the rivers, and clean air, he said in a soft voice. I love four people living together, treating each other with respect and dignity. I love living a lifestyle where the mind and heart are free to wander where they will unimpeded by the types of limitations people so often put on each other. I would never go back to the city after I have experienced this, not in a million years. I love it here Eva.

What was it like?… the city I mean, she said as she dropped her stick and slapped the bark off her hands.

Very fast, he said as he picked up her stick and began using it to fix the handle on the bucket he was carrying. The people move around very quickly in a city. To watch them, it’s like watching a herd of stampeding horses, but they are all going in different directions.

Where are they going? she asked.

I often wondered that myself, he said breaking into a chuckle. Let’s pack up Blue and Geo and take the entire family this time and head to the store for supplies this week. There are some gorgeous sights I would love for you to see. With that he hopped to his feet and brushed off his pants. Then he turned and said with one of his radiant grins, Maybe we can custom order some people for you.

With that Eva burst into laughter, as she trotted along beside him.

Eva was very tired and beginning to dose. The temperature of the cabin was cold without constant tending of the fire, and it was an especially cold night. Her mother was working on kindling the fire, while her father was still sleeping. She heard Andy’s rhythmic breathing as he continued to sleep also. It was still dark with just a slight cast through the room indicating the sun was slowly beginning to creep into the morning.

The chill hung in the air nipping her nose and cheeks. The fire had burned down to embers in the night. She watched as her mother worked, grabbing some logs and positioning them just how she wanted them on the fire with a straight stick. She quietly walked to the door, and slipped out to bring in more wood from a pile along the front of the house. Eva could see her face as she reached down to grab each log. Eva suddenly felt a wave of gratitude for this woman that she knew so intimately as she watched her in the stillness of the moment.

It must be a special time for her when there is no one to respond to or help, only herself, and the wood, and the fire. She reentered the cabin and walked quietly to the fireplace. Eva closed her eyes as if she was asleep to not distract her mother from her peaceful moment. Eva wanted the time to last, this time of seeing her mother in such a peaceful state.

Eva dosed off and began to dream.

She and her mother sat on the rocky edge, with their feet dangling over the side. Eva’s mother seemed distant and removed, as Eva glanced her way. Then she looked forward down to the river, and across the expanse of meadows and forests that were visible below. The two of them became immersed in the breath-taking view and in their own silence.

Eva.

Huh? replied Eva.

A day is coming when you will go away from here. I won’t be with you.

Eva swallowed hard, staring down at the expanse, wanting desperately to close her ears. Her mother scared her with talk like that. Eva remained silent.

After a long pause, Eva finally broke in, Why did you come here?

For the freedom, replied her mother. Your father and I were called to raise our family out here, in the wilderness. It is a very special lifestyle.

I want to stay here with you and dad, replied Eva softly.

It is not a question of want, Eva. We do what life calls us to do. Your dad and I were called to come here. This is our place. You need to make your own.

I choose to stay here with you and dad, said Eva promptly.

A day will come when you may choose differently. We each have a destiny, and sometimes we don’t even know what it is until we are right on top of it, and then often it isn’t what we expected.

Eva grabbed a blade of rye grass within an arm’s reach and started twirling the soft end between her fingers. The soft green tufts on the ends were so delicate and perfect.

"Isn’t