Hiding Out

Billy had it all figured out. He'd run away and live in the lean-to he and his friend Verny had built on the rock slide way up on Vlimey Ridge. He'd hunt squirrels and rabbits for food; he'd fish; Verny could bring him food; in the fall they could harvest stuff from gardens. Being on his own would be a lot better than staying home—now that his mother was marrying Mr. Wilson.
He left the day before the wedding, wading up a stream so that nobody could follow him. He shot his first meal and cooked it over an open fire, rolled up in his blankets, and went to sleep. But in the middle of the night he woke. The scrabbling on the rock slide could be anything—a bear, a wolf? Billy lit a torch...