David A. Robertson - The Great Bear

Morgan raised a crude, homemade slingshot she had made herself. She pulled back the round stone, the elastic stretching all the way to her face, and took aim at a prairie chicken. The orange-throated bird, with its striped, round body, was pecking at the ground for seeds and insects. It was completely oblivious to the presence of Morgan, Eli, and Arik, who was usually a rather loud squirrel but managed to stay quiet when on the hunt. Morgans hands were trembling. It made her cheek tremble, her vision shaky. She lowered the slingshot.

She whispered to Eli, Didnt you kill the exact same kind of bird, with this exact weapon, but when you were, like, in kindergarten?

I did it when I was learning, Eli whispered in response. Age doesnt matter.

That doesnt answer my question.

If I can interject, Arik said, also whispering. If I couldnt just sprint after the bird and kill it, I would totally use a slingshot.

I feel like kids use slingshots because they arent old enough to use an actual weapon, Morgan said. Like Bart Simpson. He uses a slingshot, doesnt he?

Whos Bart Simpson? Arik asked.

Hes a cartoon character on earth, Eli explained, rolling his eyes at Morgan.

Whats a cartoon character?

Heeere we go. Morgan sat down, and the others sat with her, in the woods just south of Misewa, in the middle of summer. Eli and Morgan were wearing Misewa clothing, made for them by villagers after their first journey to the North Country. When not on Ask, they stashed them in a sack that they hung from a tiny burl on the Great Tree, which contained the portal through which they always came to the Barren Grounds. The sack held two options for each siblinga warm outfit and a cool oneto clothe them for all seasons.

You know how Eli draws stuff? Morgan began.

Yes, of course. Arik nodded. Thats how you travel here.

Right, okay. They were getting somewhere. So, on earth, people can make drawings seem alive. Like, they move and stuff. They become animated.

Sooosome people can make drawings walk around on earth? Like, if the drawings on the Council Hut jumped off the walls and started dancing around? Arik asked. Wizards!

No! Then Morgan clapped a hand over her mouth and glanced over at the prairie chicken to see if it was still there. It was pecking away. No, she corrected herself, whispering once more. They dont She rubbed her face out of frustration. They dont come alive. They justmove around on a screen. A screen thats kind of like, I dont know, glass paper. Morgan had tried to think of a way to explain it without complicating the matter. She wasnt certain shed succeeded. And theyre in made-up stories. Theyre fake.

After a moment of thought, Arik shrugged. That sounds dumb.

Some of them are dumb, Eli said. But anyway, slingshots arent just for kids.

Yeah, well Morgan got up on her knees and turned towards the prairie chicken again. She raised the slingshot and took aim. Lets just call it learning and pretend that we never had this conversation. Im cool with using a slingshot.

She took a deep, calming breath, trying her best to ward off shaky hands, shaky cheeks, and shaky vision. She would never hit the bird like that. She had the leather pocket pinched firmly between her thumb and index finger, ready to let the stone fly towards the target.