Epilogues (An Alaskan Bush People Story)

Bear and Charlotte Brown

Charlotte POV

Bear and I had considered moving out of the bush the hauling jobs have stopped. All of the other communities were disappearing by the day. Hoonah was one of the few remaining ones left. Food was coming hard to find, and the vegetables were not growing. The grocery store in Hoonah didn't have much of anything left. Grace and Lacy were already trying to find jobs to leave the bush too. It was just our three families left. The kids were already asleep for the night and I was cleaning up the kitchen. Bear was collecting some wood from outside for the fire. He walked through the door and some snow came in with him. "Man, the snow is really coming down." "Come in and try to get warm." I folded the wet washcloth and laid it in the sink. I turned to look and see he was putting the wood in the fire. "I have an idea." He pulled something out of his pocket and laid it on the kitchen table. "Pick." "Is there any place in the world that you wanted to go and that is where we will go." "What about the bush?" "I need to provide for my family, and I can't do that here." I looked over the map and I saw a layout of the United States. I was silent for a few moments. "What is your pretty mind thinking?" I smiled at him. "I was thinking about moving to Colorado or Montana. You could study the land and become a trail guide. You love the outdoors and they are like Alaska." "I would love that but what would you do?" "I've wanted to become a librarian. That's what I was doing when you met me." "We can try it." I walked around the table and I put my arms around his neck. "I think we've got a plan Mr. Brown." I think we do too, Mrs. Brown." He kissed my forehead. "Do you think that you will be able to leave your parents?" "It won't be easy, but I know that they would want us to go where we can provide for our families." "What about Ana?"

Bear POV

"What about Ana?" That sentence stopped me in my tracks." "It would be hard to leave her too. She would want me to do what's right for Anastasia. I try to help her when I can, but I know she will never know her mother. She just has that picture in her room." "You are an amazing dad." "Thank you for saying that." "Daddy." We both turned to see Anastasia in the hallway. "Yes, sweetie." "Were leaving the bush?" "Yes, we are." "Mom is here." "I know." She started to cry. I pulled her in my arms as she cried in my chest. I kissed the top of her head. "She will always be with us. No matter what."

Bear and Charlotte worked over the next few months until they saved enough to buy a small cabin outside of Denver, Colorado. Noah and Gabe were planning on leaving within the next few weeks. They were in the process of taking down all the houses and selling the land. We would all get a cut. That would help Bear and Charlotte as they are trying to start over.

Charlotte POV

We had just arrived at our small cabin. Bear had gotten a job as a hired hand for one of the major ranches in the area. It honestly looked worse than the cabin we had in back in Alaska. I started walking up the steps when my foot went through the board. "Oh my god." Bear helped to release my ankle. "I guess we have a lot of work to do." Bear started working outside to repair anything that he could find. I walked inside to see that it hadn't been cleaned I a long time. There was furniture in the cabin but I didn't know if it could be used. I found a closet and I opened it slowly. Two big rats ran out and out the front door. I noticed some cleaning supplies as Luna and Anastasia started helping me. Ross was trying to help Bear outside. We spent the entire day trying to get the place ready just for us to sleep there tonight. He fixed as much as he could. It would take us three days to have the place ready. We cleaned all the furniture and it was starting to feel like home. Bear was starting his new job tomorrow and I was starting at the library tomorrow as well. The kids would also be starting school or going into daycare. "I was cleaning up the dinner as Anastasia was writing in her journal. She has been writing in a journal since before she was a teenager. I never asked her about her writings because I didn't think it my place to ask. I knew she loved writing.