Free Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

headmaster’s advice to me when I’d first arrived at Morton Hill Academy. If you want to sit with a group in the lunchroom, they’ll probably let you. If you want to go off and sit by yourself, they’ll probably let you do that, too .
    I had positioned myself apart from the table, apart from the group, and I let myself drift away as Early told his story.

Citizen of the World

 
    A S P I CONTINUED HIS JOURNEY , he respected the power of the sea and always kept the Great Bear in his sight to guide him. His journey took him to many distant shores, where he encountered the people of the world.
    The members of the light-skinned tribe on the cold, rocky shore were small and meek. They set out baskets of food in front of their huts of animal hide but would not look at him.
    On the shores of the bluest waters, he found houses built of clay and brick instead of branches and leaves. The villagers wore tunics and sandals and engaged him in great dialogues and debates. They asked him questions he had never thought of: What is more important, the soul or the mind? Are we responsible for each other or only ourselves? Is there such a thing as mystery, or only that which is not yet understood? Pi enjoyed his time with these great philosophers—the Thinkers, he called them—but the food was not good,and after a time, his head began to ache. He was relieved to say his farewells and enjoy the solitude of his boat.
    His shortest stay was on an island in the choppy waters to the west, where the sun beat down on hot sand and left so little moisture that nothing could grow. Pi realized that water must be essential not only for life but for happiness as well, because while he was met with open arms, those arms were throwing spears and rocks. He made a hasty retreat and took away only bruises and cuts as mementos of his visit.
    His favorite people were those of the lush region off the calm coastal waters. They were big, loud, and boisterous, and after welcoming him into their village with a banquet of savory meats, sweet fruits, and spiced ales, they celebrated his friendship for weeks and nearly refused to let him leave.
    But he did leave. After all, he was not looking for a new home. He already had a home. He was a voyager. A navigator. One who keeps plotting a course and finding his way. He was still finding his way.

11
 
    O ne night in the workshop, as we were making some final adjustments to the seat track and rigger bolts, Early said, “I’m going on a trip for fall break. Do you want to come with me, Jackie?”
    I was surprised. He never went anywhere and seemed to enjoy being alone. On days when all the boys were given day passes to go into town, Early never went along. For the most part, he did what he wanted at school, and I figured that, since he showed up for meals and Sunday chapel, no one really felt the need to keep tabs on him. I couldn’t figure out who he would be taking a trip with, but I didn’t have any interest in going along.
    “Um, sorry, my dad’s taking shore leave, and he’s coming to visit.” I hadn’t realized until I said it how much I’d been looking forward to seeing my dad. Maybe he was missing me too. “He’s coming to watch the fall regatta, and then we’re going to Portland.”
    “Okay,” said Early.
    “Where are you going?”
    “I’m going on a quest.”
    “Oh, you are?” I said, humoring him like he was a little kid instead of a boy the same age as me. “A quest for what?”
    “For Pi. That Professor Stanton thinks he’s dead, but he’s just missing. I’m going to find him, and then Professor Stanton will quit saying he’s dead. He’s not dead.”
    I didn’t know what to say. I knew that Early had his story of Pi and that it upset him to hear the mathematician’s claims. But how could a story change the outcome of the mathematician’s theory?
    “Early, I think Professor Stanton is just talking about the number pi. He’s not saying that the character Pi is dead. He’s