Hazel saw no one, just two birch-bark canoes next to the river. One was filled with supplies. She could make out some manoomin and a small pile of blankets in one canoe. It was lashed to another canoe lined with cedar boughs. Job rushed ahead of her, over the sparkling ice-capped snow and toward the canoes. She overheard her husband's voice talking to the wind, but could not make out what was being said. As she caught up to Job he was struggling to free a canoe from the shore.
•  © 2005 Kathy Johnson