We arrived in New Jersey right before night fall. The waters glittered with the golden glow of the setting horizon. Crutchie and I snuck off the boat when the men were about to unload it on the docks. The New Jersey dock was different from the Brooklyn dock. New Jersey was surrounded by trees and wildlife. I could hear and smell farms that were close and also in the distance. Crutchie and I casually walked onto the walk way of the dock. We passed other people who worked there or were there for a visit. We blended in with the people who had just gotten off the ferry and were headed towards the dirt roads. Crutchie and I hit the dirt path and he sat down on a rock.
“Where’s this cabin the woods Spot was talking about?” I said.
“He said it was a small ways from the dock,” Crutchie panted out of breath, “That way.” He pointed behind him to the trees.
“It’s getting dark. We’ll never be able to find our way through those trees in the dark.”
“Well he gotta try. We ain’t gonna stay all night right here.”
“So we’re going to go die in the woods? Crutchie, you can barely walk.”
“I ain’t stoppin’. I just needed to catch my breath. Now let’s go.”
I helped him up and we started to walk through the trees. It was diffuclut to navigate through the thick trees and bushes. I was worried about Crutchie falling over something and then we would really be stuck. The sun started to set fast and still we couldn’t find the cabin. Too soon, it was dark and I could barely see two feet in front of me. I sat down next to a tree. Crutchie leaned up against it.
“This is pointless,” I said, “It’s too dark.”
“Maybe we should just stay out her for da night,” Crutchie said, “It bets tryin’ to find our way in the pitch black.”
“We’ll get eaten out here. There’s wolfs and bears all around these woods.”
“Den what do you wanna do?”
“I don’t know.” I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin on my knees. “Maybe I should have just stayed at home and let my aunt take me.”
“No. You don’ want that life. And I don’ want ya ta leave.”
“I know. I just keep thinking about my dad and what he would want me to do. I can’t come up with anything.”
Crutchie sighed. He started to walk a little further when he fell down a hill he didn’t see. I got up and started slid down the hill so I wouldn’t fall. I reached the bottom where Crutchie laid on his back. I knelt down next to him. His arm now had a huge bloody scratch on it where his shirt had ripped.
“Are you ok?” I asked.
“I’ll be fine,” Crutchie said, “It just stings a little.”
“A little? Crutchie, you’re bleeding buckets.”
“I’m fine.”
I looked up to see a wooden cabin with little windows and a door. We had found the cabin. I smiled and helped Crutchie up. I grabbed his crutch for him as I helped him into the cabin. I sat him down on a chair that was by the door. The house was still furnished. Everything was a little dusty and had cobwebs on it, but it was still intact. I found a pack of matches and started to light the lamps around the house so we could have light. I went back to Crutchie as I put out the match. I looked at his arm.
“It looks bad,” I said.
“It don’t hurt no more,” Crutchie said, “I think my arm went numb.”
I ripped the bottom of my skirt and wrapped the cloth around Crutchie’s arm. He flinched in pain a little while I tied it tight. It wasn’t much, but it would stop the bleeding.
“There’s a bedroom down there,” I said pointing to a door at the end of the hallway.
“It’s a nice little place,” Crutchie said, “Wonder what happened to the people that used to life here.”
“Oh well, it’s our place now.”
“Yeah, our place.”
YOU ARE READING
Crippled Words (A Crutchie Love Story)
FanfictionSadie Harrison lives a normal life in New York. Her father is a research doctor for the poor families of New York. Her mother died when she was just a baby and she never got to know her. Sadie doesn’t have that many friends, but she’s content with t...
