A Letter to the Giftmaker - Chapter 21

Jo stared at his friend, the orange light from the fallen lantern lighting him from below in a ghoulish, unnatural way. Edwin's mouth hung open and his eyes opened wide. He was frozen as the flakes fell past him. They both stared into the dark woods into which Harriet had run.

"She... She..." Edwin's mouth opened and shut, but the words were not coming to him.

Jo could hear his own heart beating like a marching drum accelerating towards a sprint. She'd taken Edwin's letter. Clearly she was going to take it to the Giftmaker on her own regardless of the danger.

"We need to find her," Edwin growled. His eyes were hard and glinted in the lantern light.

"Yes, because she might get lost."

"She took what was rightfully mine." His voice was eerily calm. "I won't let her ruin this for me again."

He strode off into the forest, leaving Jo standing alone by the gate.

"Wait!" Jo grabbed the lantern. His fingers were stiff and he could barely grasp the handle. He held the cold metal in his fingers and dashed after Edwin.

The snow was nearly knee deep. As they slogged through the snow, their passage left a wake like the barges on the river. He had no idea how Harriet had moved so quickly. He could already feel the muscles in his legs ache.

"When I find her, I'm gonna..." Edwin's jaw was clenched and his nostrils flared.

Jo closed his eyes, trying to calm his breathing. This was going wrong. They were all supposed to be friends and help one another, not betray and punish each other. If he could just talk with Harriet alone, he could fix this.

"Hey, we're all friends now, right?" Jo tried to keep his voice upbeat.

"No. She apologized. I thought she'd changed. But then she betrayed me!" His arms jerked as he drove himself faster through the snow.

A rut in the snow curved off to the left, heading into what looked like a clearing. Edwin, so focused on his revenge, had tramped right past it. Jo slowed and let his friend disappear between the trunks of the pines before following the trail.

He pushed through a knot of bare branches and broke into a clearing. At the far end, Harriet sat against a tree. Even from a distance he could see her chest rising and falling with heavy breathing.

"Hey, Harriet?" he said softly. "It's Jo."

"I need to deliver this letter. Please," she pleaded. The letter was clutched in her twitching fingers and her eyes darted around, looking for Edwin.

"It's just me," Jo said. "Now, why can't we deliver this letter together?"

"I need to save my career." Her voice trembled. "This is the only way."

Jo stepped closer. "Hey, let's just talk. Can I sit next to you?"

She nodded fitfully. "O-okay."

He pushed away the snow with his shoe to make a small hollow, almost like a nest. The snow was cold through his clothes, but they were out of the wind now.

"Can we have a conversation as friends?"

"You still want to be my friend?"

"Of course." Jo meant it. "I've wanted to be friends since we met on the train. Even if you made mistakes."

"You actually mean it." Her voice is thick and teary.

"Yes, I want to help you." He nodded to the letter in her hands. "So, this is the only way?"

Harriet nodded again, her neck stiff. "I can't lose this. The only thing I've ever wanted in life is to be a letter carrier. If I don't deliver this letter, fix my mistake, I'll... I'll never be one."

"If we delivered it together, it would still get there. Edwin would still get his wishes. He's the only one that would report you, right?"

"What if he told the postmaster in Whitbury? He was evasive when I asked. I might already have lost everything."

"But we don't know, right? Why don't we return and ask him what he said?"

"Because what if he did? Then... then it's real." Harriet looked around. "Out here..."

"Out here, it's only a possibility, right?" Jo asked. "You can pretend that everything is okay. But that's just denial."

Harriet wiped a cold tear from her cheek. "I'm so afraid. What will I do with my life now?"

"First off, we don't know what's going to happen to you. Maybe Edwin didn't tell the postmaster and he'll be satisfied once the letter is delivered."

"No, he'll hate me now." She looked at the glossy parchment in her hands, a gloved finger tracing one of the holes. "I took this, the only thing he cares about."

"Then let's return it. Both of us together. He'll forgive you again." He stood up and brushed the snow from his pants.

"What if he doesn't?"

Jo paused. "Then... then I'll be there to help you with whatever comes next. That's what friends do."

She stared at the letter in her hands. He could see her eyes jerking back and forth as she considered it. She looked so small, huddled in the depression of snow and overshadowed by the massive pine.

"Harriet?" he asked softly.

She looked up, eyes shimmering with held-back tears.

"This is the right thing to do." He held out a hand. "You don't have to face this alone."

She swallowed and took his hand, the rough glove rubbing against his hand. He pulled her up. Her legs quivered briefly before she steadied herself. He held an arm out, ready to steady her if she needed it.

A moment passed. Jo raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"You're right." She nodded. "Let's find Edwin and deliver this letter together."