The Orphans in the Woods

While Rohan was in the living room sorting through various supplies in the wheelbarrow, Gertrude was in the kitchen straining spaghetti noodles. She opened a can of tomato sauce and found a jar of parmesan cheese in the refrigerator. She set the table for her and her brother the way she had always done every night for her mother. They had chores. Her chores included setting the table, clearing the table of the dishes, putting the clean dry dishes back in the cabinet, and sweeping. Her brothers chores included taking the garbage out, helping Mom bring groceries in and put them away, cleaning the bathroom, and general maintenance when Dad wasn't around like changing light bulbs or making sure the grass or snow wasn't blocking the driveway. They were good obedient children. They believed in God and they loved their parents. They had been taught well at home and in school even though Rohan had only begun 4th grade and Gertrude had just started 2nd grade. They were intelligent children, excelling in their school studies without complaining about the various disciplines they were being taught.

Gertrude walked to the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room/living room where she could see Rohan looking over tools thinking.

"Ro, I made spaghetti," she told him.

Rohan looked up from his heap of supplies to see his sister standing in the doorway at her short height of not even reaching 4 feet yet. She was a frail petite girl with chubby pink cheeks and boney pale legs.

"Good job sis," Rohan commended her, "I'm starving."

Gertrude put the pot of spaghetti on a pot holder on the table in the middle of the table setting with the remaining loaf of bread, a tub of butter, and the parmesan cheese. Then she and Rohan sat down at the table like they had every night since they could remember. Rohan quickly filled his plate with spaghetti and began to butter a slice of bread, but Gertrude just froze. She was hungry and wanted to eat, but she felt all choked up. Looking at the empty seat where her mother ought to be sitting was too disturbing. She couldn't shake the image of blood out of her mind and she knew that her mother and father were dead on the floor behind that closed bedroom door in the back. She started weeping again.

"I know this is rough," Rohan said stuffing a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth, "but we're going to get through this. Dad has prepared me for survival in many ways. I know more than you think."

"That's great," Gertrude said trying to push away her tears, "I am... " she couldn't find the right word to describe her emotions, "I'm... this is the most horrible day of my life. Shouldn't we call the police or someone to tell them about mom and dad?"

"I thought about that," Rohan said. "Maybe, but I'm not sure yet. If we don't do this right, it could all go badly for both of us."

"What do you mean by badly Ro?" Gertrude asked and finally began to eat.

"Think about it, Sis. Somebody murdered our parents. They shot mom and dad right here in our house. They didn't break in. It had to be someone who knew them."

"That's terrible Rohan. How could anyone do this to us?"

"I don't know, but if we call the police the chances are that we will get separated. They'll put us in some orphanage or foster home and it's very unlikely that we will get to stay together."

"What about if we call Auntie Velma?" Gertrude suggested.

"Aunt Velma lives in Alabama. What the hell is she going to do? Do you really think she's going to come up here from Alabama or that she's going to take us in? Do you want to go live with her in Alabama?" Rohan replied.

"I don't know," Gertrude whined upset and confused, "I've never been to Alabama. But Mom and Dad need to have a funeral or something. We can't just leave them there like that."

"Yeah, I know. The bodies are going to rot pretty quick. And you're not strong enough to help me," Rohan was thinking and kept eating. "Let me worry about that. I've got a lot of stuff I need to tell you, but I've got to know that you're calm and ready. If you want to go to stay with Aunt Velma, then let me get ready and I'll leave without you. But if you want to stay with me, then you'll need to go along with my plan. Fair enough?"

"Leave without me?" Gertrude gasped horrified, "No! I don't want you to leave without me. I hardly know Aunt Velma, it was just an idea. I'm scared."

"I know, Gretch, I know," he said. Their mother always called Gertrude "Gretch" and lately Rohan had been calling her that also. Only their father called Gertrude by her name or sometimes "Trudy". Rohan kept eating, silently thinking more about his plan and the supplies. Then he began to tell his sister what was on his mind.

"Look, I need you to go around the house and see if mom hid any money anywhere. I already got Dad's stash from the basement. I had $50 in my room. Do you have any?"

"Um... I can check my piggy bank, but I doubt it's much," Gertrude told him.

"Alright, check every corner of the house and gather anything you can find. Start packing a suitcase of clothes that you need for a camping trip. Good winter clothes. We need to stay here for as long as we can before we leave. I need to make sure we have everything we can possibly take when we go."

"What?" Gertrude said confused as she sprinkled some more parmesan cheese on top of her spaghetti. "Go where? When?"

"Last summer Dad took me to a cabin that he built with his friends in the woods. I know how to get there. We can stay there," Rohan explained.

"Why can't we stay here?" Gertrude whined in protest, "This is our home!"

"Yeah, I know," Rohan agreed, "But the police won't let us stay here without mom and dad. We're just kids. They'll send us to stay with some grown ups whether we like them or not."

"That's not fair!" Gertrude cried, "Why do we have to be punished when somebody murdered our parents?"

"None of this is fair," Rohan said solemnly, then added, "I know you need to cry Sis, and I might cry sometimes too. I'm going to miss Mom and Dad. They're not even going to be here for my 10th birthday next month. But I know now why Dad taught me what he taught me last summer. I guess he wanted me to be prepared just in case something bad happened -- and something bad has happened."

"How long can we stay here before we have to leave?" Gertrude asked.

"Probably not that long. You know our teachers are going to be calling once we stop showing up for school. Eventually, people are going to wonder where we are. I'm not sure how much time we have, but we've got to get ready with whatever time we have. Don't answer the phone if it rings. Don't answer it. And we need to stay inside and keep the door locked. We should only go outside when it's absolutely necessary until we're ready to leave. Understand?"

Gertrude nodded. She understood her brother and she appreciated how he was explaining the way things could or would go. She finished eating her spaghetti and when he was done eating, she cleared the table and put the dishes in the sink.