“Wasn’t boring. Geez, Cricket. How many times do I have to correct your crappy grammar?”
“You don’t never need to correct it. I think I sound fine.”
“Ever. You sound like a peckerwood. You know what that word means, at least.” A strange whirring sound caught her attention. “Wait up, Harlan.”
She locked eyes with her brother who had also heard the sound. Harlan didn’t talk, but his hearing was second to none. After a full minute of straining his ears, he began signing to her. Not the usual signing he did with their mama, but the version they had created while still in diapers. Even Serena Jo didn’t understand much of what they said to each other when they used the twin talk. It was good to have a few secrets from her.
“I agree. Sounds like buzzing bees. But it’s mechanical, not natural. That’s a manmade noise.” She might have said monster, so dramatic was Cricket’s reaction.
“Holy moly, Willa. We gotta get. You know what we’re supposed to do if we ever hear people sounds.”
“Hush,” she hissed. “Don’t be such a scaredy cat. We’re fine as long as we stay hidden.”
She crouched low, gesturing for the boys to stay put, and then made her way to a clearing a dozen yards ahead. They had never ventured this far in the woods. She felt a little scared herself, but also excited.
She hunkered behind a giant sugar maple at the edge of the glade, watching the blue patch of sky above it. The whirring sound became louder. Would a small airplane appear in that blue patch or perhaps a helicopter? She had to pee, but it must wait. Her focus stayed glued to the sky. She wedged a hand between her legs, holding it in for a few more minutes.
The normal forest sounds continued as if nothing dangerous were imminent. She took comfort in that. If a fire-breathing dragon bore down on them, surely the wildlife would sense it. Finally, her patience and continence were rewarded.
What looked like a pudgy, white X with little whirling blades positioned at each point whizzed above the far tree line. She knew exactly what it was; she had seen drones on TV before the end came. They were used for filming aerial scenes in movies, and also for police work to catch fleeing criminals.
What streaked across that blue patch was nothing more than a glorified flying camera. She pulled her head back behind the sugar maple before it got any closer. The next moment, a noise from behind startled her for a half-second before she identified it. Stealth was not a talent Cricket could claim. He sounded like a crazed bear crashing through the woods. Before she could stop him, his foot caught on a fallen tree branch, and he took a header right into the glade. Grabbing him by a denim strap, she hauled him back.
“What the hell, Cricket?” she snapped.
“I was comin’ to save you, Willa. I thought you were about to get uh-ducted by aliens!”
“That’s abducted, you idiot! I hope that drone didn’t see you.”
“What’s a drone?”
“It’s a flying camera. You know who pilots them?”
Cricket scratched the top of his head. There were probably lice nestled among the dark, greasy locks. Just like stealth, Cricket wasn’t known for personal hygiene.
“People?” he said. His cheeks reddened with embarrassment.
Willa sighed. “It’s okay. I doubt it saw you.” She glanced at the flying X again. It hadn’t veered from its trajectory. The next moment it whizzed above the tree line to the right of the clearing, then disappeared. The whirring sound became fainter and fainter.
Surely if that camera had spotted Cricket, it would have paused. Would have hovered and zoomed in for a closer look.
“We gotta get home and tell your mama.”
She felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned, Harlan was signing emphatically.
“I know, I know,” she said to her brother.
She turned to the middle man. “Listen, Cricket, we have to swear a blood oath right now. We can’t tell anyone about this.” She reached for the Swiss Army knife always present in the front pocket of her threadbare jeans.
“Why not? She said we had to tell if we ever heard people sounds or saw people. I don’t wanna get in trouble.”
“And what do you think will happen if we tell?”
Harlan took a position next to her. With crossed arms, they glared at the hapless Cricket. It was intended to be a show of solidarity and it almost always intimidated the other holler children into submission. The twins were an indomitable pair.
Cricket thought for a moment before answering. “We won’t get to go on treasure hunts in the forest no more?”
“Exactly.” She smiled, letting him off the hook.
Harlan patted him on the shoulder.
“We three hereby swear never to tell anyone about what we just saw. Not the adults. Not the other kids. Not Mama. Especially not Mama. Swear it now.”
Three grubby palms extended toward each other. Willa didn’t cut deep with the blade. She didn’t have to. Only a drop or two was necessary to conduct a proper blood oath.
“What we gonna do now, Willa?” Cricket asked when the job was done.
“We’ll finish the hunt. We need to take home some truffles and mushrooms if we
