Free Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper Page A

his truck, Russell opened the map he’d bought in the gas station shop. MANITOBA AND WESTERN ONTARIO (to scale)—(Including Bike Routes and National Parks). What a lot of lakes Manitoba had. And Ontario even more. This country got bluer, wetter, the further east you went. Assuming Etta knew this, or had amap, she would stay south, below most of the water. How far could she have walked in a day? Twenty kilometers? The days were pretty long now. Russell stared at the map a little bit more, calculating, then placed it on the passenger’s seat, still unfolded. He went back into the shop and bought an OK MANITOBA! backpack, five packets of salted peanuts, six bottles of juice, a family pack of crackers, two large chocolate bars, and a flashlight. He had a plan. He’d drive twenty more kilometers east along the fields adjacent the diner, and then he’d get out and walk. He’d tracked deer before. He knew how to find footsteps, how to follow.
    From the window of the diner’s kitchen, Monty and Cordelia watched him drive away. Monty waved with a soapy hand.

E tta and James had just finished eating lunch. Hot dog buns with peanut butter and wild berries for Etta, a caught mouse and a sleeping moth for James. They were resting in the shade until the sun calmed down a bit. Etta had out her papers, her pen.
    What are you doing? said James.
    I’m writing a letter.
    To who?
    To Otto. But you don’t know him.
    I might.
    He lives far from here. A long, long way, even for a coyote.
    But not for you?
    A long way for me too.
    Where?
    Back in Saskatchewan. On the other side of the long lake. And then some.
    But, said James, then you’re going the wrong way. We’re going the wrong way.
    Etta thought about this for a moment. And then, It’s a loop, James, I’m going out this way, then coming back that way.
    I see , said James. A long loop.
    Have you seen the ocean, James?
    No.
    Me neither.
    But we will.
    Yes, we will.
    Etta put away her papers and pen, brushed the hot dog bun crumbs off her lap for the birds, and they started walking again, away from the sun. They sang “Johnny Appleseed” and “A Fair Lady of the Plains” as they went. Sometimes Etta did harmony.
    After a few hours, a forested lake began to come into view in front of them, to the north.
    We’ll have to stay south, said Etta.
    Yeah, said James. I’ll bet we’ll be coming into Ontario soon. Another day or so, I bet.
    That’s good, said Etta, that’s very good. Her feet weren’t even hurting today.
    Yeah, it is, but, Etta, said James, Ontario is not like the prairies . Things are bigger there.
    I’m used to big things, our big sky, big fields.
    Other big things, though. Rocks, bigger rocks. And lakes and trees.
    How do you know all this?
    The skunks . They move around a lot. They tell stories.
    It will be fine, said Etta. Rocks are negotiable, and trees are friendly, and lakes, well, perhaps we’ll get a boat. One of the little inflatable ones, easy to carry. Can you go in boats?
    I don’t know. I’ve never tried.
    Well. We’ll see. I hope so. We’ll just have to be careful of your claws. It will be fine. Ontario will be fine.
    Okay. It will. But, also, Etta, there is rain, there, more rain. Even in springtime and summer. You have to think about sleeping in rain .
    But you said the skunks said there were big rocks and trees?
    Yes.
    Well that’s shelter for night. And maybe we’ll get to cool down somewhat in the day. Rain is good, James, when we open our mouths to sing it will be like drinking.

Dear Etta,
    I guess it’s worse to keep a secret from you than to spread a secret you’ve given me. What do you think? In any case, I’ve already done the latter, so I’m not going to do the former. I told Russell, Etta. I told him about what you’re doing and, as rough as I know, where you are. I’m sorry. It’s hard to keep closed-up to Russell. You know this. Now he’s upset, a bit, with me, and has left, gone east, to try and find you. He’s in his