wasn’t eighteen, and she should be past this. And if he caught on, she’d be mortified. Or if the cameraman—Steve, she thought his name was—did. That might be even worse.
She pulled the rag from her head, saw with horror that it was dark with dirt and smeared with cobwebs. Shook it out and retied it hastily. “Um, stove tools. And kettles,” she realized, “to heat the water. That’ll do for now, but we’ll need kitchen stuff as soon as we get the cabin clean.”
“We’ll unpack everything and bring it in for you,” he promised. “Whatever you need.”
“Oh, good,” Zara said when Mira returned with the stove tools, Gabe following in her wake carrying the two heavy kettles. “Put them on the floor, please, Gabe. I’m going to have to scrub this stove down before I set anything on it. Thanks for bringing them in.”
“No problem,” he said, setting the kettles to one side of the stove. “Anything else you need, just send Mira out to me, and I’ll get it.”
“Mira, huh?” she said dryly.
A scream from overhead had them all looking up. They heard the clunk of Melody’s broom falling to the floor, her agonized yells.
“ Ack ! Ick! Spider!” she squealed. “Oh, my God! It’s on me!”
Zara sighed. “Go up and take over from her, Maria-Elena. Unless you’re scared of spiders too. We need to get them out of those logs, or they’re going to be falling on all of us, all night long. And don’t worry, I’ll find something equally nasty for Melody to do,” she added with a smirk.
Mira was already on her knees with the small shovel and brush, cleaning the ashes out of the stove and dumping them into her refuse bucket. “OK,” she said. “We can start a fire now.”
“Need any help?” Gabe asked.
“Nope. What we need is more firewood,” Zara said pointedly.
He laughed and turned to leave. “I’ll get to it, then.”
“Here, Melody.” Zara handed the bucket of ashes to the girl, coming down the ladder now, her face tear-streaked and as grubby as the rest of her. “Go dump this down the privy.”
“Why?”
Zara sighed. “Because it keeps the smell down, remember? Just go do it.”
“Why do we all have to do what you say?” Melody asked mutinously. “I don’t remember electing you the boss.”
Mira hadn’t thought of Zara as a celebrity since that first day, but now she saw the diva coming out as the older woman stared Melody haughtily down. “Do you want to take over?” Zara challenged. “You think you know what needs to get done?”
“Well, no, but I still don’t see why . . .” Melody began to argue.
“You choose, then,” Zara ordered. “Want to dump those ashes, or go back up and sweep spiders?”
Mira picked up the clean bucket. “I’ll go get some water,” she said, fleeing the scene.
By the time they saw Melody again, Zara had the stove scrubbed and a fire laid, and Mira had filled both kettles and set the water to heat. Even Maria-Elena had finished with her sweeping, and Zara had set her to work on scrubbing the grimy windows. Meanwhile, the ripping sound of the saw outside had given way to the thunk of the axe.
“That’s so disgusting,” Melody said, coming back with the empty bucket and a shudder.
“You must have taken the scenic route. That was the longest privy visit ever. And it’d get a lot more disgusting without the ashes,” Zara said. “Or going in the woods. Now that would start to get disgusting. Just be thankful they gave us a privy.”
“What about toilet paper, though?” Melody asked. “Shouldn’t we get that out of the wagon? I used some Kleenex I had in my pocket, but . . .”
Zara laughed. “I didn’t think you were listening much back there. You weren’t supposed to bring anything with you. And there’s no toilet paper.”
“What?” Melody looked even more horrified.
“That’s what that Montgomery Ward catalog is hanging there for,” Mira pointed out.
“I thought that was, like, reading
She pulled the rag from her head, saw with horror that it was dark with dirt and smeared with cobwebs. Shook it out and retied it hastily. “Um, stove tools. And kettles,” she realized, “to heat the water. That’ll do for now, but we’ll need kitchen stuff as soon as we get the cabin clean.”
“We’ll unpack everything and bring it in for you,” he promised. “Whatever you need.”
“Oh, good,” Zara said when Mira returned with the stove tools, Gabe following in her wake carrying the two heavy kettles. “Put them on the floor, please, Gabe. I’m going to have to scrub this stove down before I set anything on it. Thanks for bringing them in.”
“No problem,” he said, setting the kettles to one side of the stove. “Anything else you need, just send Mira out to me, and I’ll get it.”
“Mira, huh?” she said dryly.
A scream from overhead had them all looking up. They heard the clunk of Melody’s broom falling to the floor, her agonized yells.
“ Ack ! Ick! Spider!” she squealed. “Oh, my God! It’s on me!”
Zara sighed. “Go up and take over from her, Maria-Elena. Unless you’re scared of spiders too. We need to get them out of those logs, or they’re going to be falling on all of us, all night long. And don’t worry, I’ll find something equally nasty for Melody to do,” she added with a smirk.
Mira was already on her knees with the small shovel and brush, cleaning the ashes out of the stove and dumping them into her refuse bucket. “OK,” she said. “We can start a fire now.”
“Need any help?” Gabe asked.
“Nope. What we need is more firewood,” Zara said pointedly.
He laughed and turned to leave. “I’ll get to it, then.”
“Here, Melody.” Zara handed the bucket of ashes to the girl, coming down the ladder now, her face tear-streaked and as grubby as the rest of her. “Go dump this down the privy.”
“Why?”
Zara sighed. “Because it keeps the smell down, remember? Just go do it.”
“Why do we all have to do what you say?” Melody asked mutinously. “I don’t remember electing you the boss.”
Mira hadn’t thought of Zara as a celebrity since that first day, but now she saw the diva coming out as the older woman stared Melody haughtily down. “Do you want to take over?” Zara challenged. “You think you know what needs to get done?”
“Well, no, but I still don’t see why . . .” Melody began to argue.
“You choose, then,” Zara ordered. “Want to dump those ashes, or go back up and sweep spiders?”
Mira picked up the clean bucket. “I’ll go get some water,” she said, fleeing the scene.
By the time they saw Melody again, Zara had the stove scrubbed and a fire laid, and Mira had filled both kettles and set the water to heat. Even Maria-Elena had finished with her sweeping, and Zara had set her to work on scrubbing the grimy windows. Meanwhile, the ripping sound of the saw outside had given way to the thunk of the axe.
“That’s so disgusting,” Melody said, coming back with the empty bucket and a shudder.
“You must have taken the scenic route. That was the longest privy visit ever. And it’d get a lot more disgusting without the ashes,” Zara said. “Or going in the woods. Now that would start to get disgusting. Just be thankful they gave us a privy.”
“What about toilet paper, though?” Melody asked. “Shouldn’t we get that out of the wagon? I used some Kleenex I had in my pocket, but . . .”
Zara laughed. “I didn’t think you were listening much back there. You weren’t supposed to bring anything with you. And there’s no toilet paper.”
“What?” Melody looked even more horrified.
“That’s what that Montgomery Ward catalog is hanging there for,” Mira pointed out.
“I thought that was, like, reading
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