Black Woods, Blue Sky

Emaleen drives all night and sleeps in her car to avoid camping again. After washing her face in a waterfall, Emaleen notices the flowers and remembers all their scientific names. When she was still a child, Liz encouraged her love of plant identification, which she learned from Arthur, and now Emaleen wants to become a botanist.

Emaleen recalls a memory from before she left Washington. She searched through Liz’s photos to help her remember her mother. Each time she looked at the images, she was wracked with guilt over leaving her mother in the woods. As she probed her memories to make sense of her childhood, Emaleen couldn’t conjure an image of Arthur, and Liz had no photos of him. Emaleen heard a story about a woman whose dogs were reportedly killed, and it was later discovered that her husband killed her and fed her remains to the dogs; this led Emaleen to conclude that Arthur killed her mother. Liz showed Emaleen the coroner’s report along with the police records, which all confirmed that Birdie had died from injuries congruent with a bear attack. Emaleen conceded that all her memories of that time, including Arthur’s shape-shifting, were “nothing but childish imagination” (256).

The Wolverine Lodge isn’t as Emaleen pictured; it is run-down, old, and seemingly deserted. She follows the sound of people and music to the bar, where she finds Della. Overjoyed to see Emaleen, Della shuts off the music and introduces her as “Birdie’s girl” to the crowd. That night, Emaleen sleeps in the bunkhouse where she and her mother stayed and remembers staying alone while Birdie worked.

The following day, Emaleen walks to Syd’s place, where he has a bountiful garden and greenhouse. Syd asks her to name the plants in Latin. He is proud of her education and plans to become a botanist. Emaleen is looking for jobs in Alaska but doesn’t want to be stationed where she must live outdoors. The inside of Syd’s house resembles a natural history museum full of pelts and bones, including a bear skull that Syd claims he found on the North Fork. They go outside so that Syd can smoke, and he says that it’s strange how many cultures have folklore surrounding bears. Syd regrets encouraging Birdie to move to the mountains. He encourages Emaleen to ask Warren to fly her to the cabin, as he still goes there regularly. He says that she deserves to know the truth about what happened there.

Warren has maintained correspondence with Liz throughout the years to keep up with Emaleen. He carries the guilt of what happened like “a kind of chronic illness” (271), but it helps to know that Liz has cared for Emaleen well. He sent savings bonds to help with her college tuition. Since his stroke, Warren hasn’t gotten around as well as he once did, but he still goes to the lodge every Sunday morning for breakfast with Spinner. When he arrives, Della says that Emaleen is there and that she’s asking to be flown to the North Fork. Warren reminds her that he can’t take Emaleen, and Della says that she thinks Emaleen will find another pilot if he won’t go.

Emaleen arrives at Warren’s house, introduces herself, and thanks him for sending money to help with her schooling. She says that she wants to fly to the North Fork and that Della has already told her that he won’t go even though Syd said he should. Warren says little, and just as Emaleen stands up to leave, he leads her out to a shed and gives her Birdie’s rifle. Using a target that he has set up in the backyard, Warren teaches Emaleen to shoot because she will need to know how if she’s going to the North Fork.

Emaleen plans to visit the old homestead at Grandma Jo’s, but Della surprises her by saying that Warren is taking her to the North Fork. When Warren arrives on the plane, Della loads bags of dog food and scraps from the lodge, including animal bones.

When they arrive at the cabin, Emaleen is surprised at how different it looks from how she remembered it as a child. The cabin seems small, and the cache is not nearly as tall as she remembered. She climbs into the cache and finds Thimbelina, but the thimble is tarnished and no longer fits her finger. Emaleen carries her gun and sees a fence. Inside is Arthur, as a bear, looking old and frail. Warren and Syd built the electrified fence to keep Arthur from being a danger. They feed him the food and scraps, but Emaleen is overwhelmed and runs to the creek. She returns to the pen alone and considers shooting Arthur but doesn’t. Warren hasn’t seen Arthur as a human since Birdie died. The pen is dirty and needs maintenance, and Emaleen offers to help Warren with the task since he isn’t as strong as he used to be.

Warren and Emaleen return home for supplies, and Emaleen calls her aunt to tell her that she’s staying in Alaska for a bit longer. At the North Fork, Warren realizes that he needs more supplies for the fence repair, and Emaleen offers to stay and continue working while he flies home. She thinks that this might be her last chance to shoot the bear.

After Warren leaves, Emaleen enters the fenced area and tries to antagonize the bear, but it seems uninterested in her. She unlatches the gate and lets the bear free, following it on the game trail. The bear leads her to the beaver pond, and Emaleen remembers swimming there with Arthur. The bear enters the water and swims. She calls out “Arthur,” and the bear walks toward and past her, close enough for her to look into its eyes, but it doesn’t attack. She can’t determine if the bear’s passivity is from old age or if it’s Arthur’s way of saying sorry. The bear pads back into the fence without protest.

Emaleen confesses to Warren that she let the bear out because she felt sorry for it. Warren thinks that it could have been disastrous but isn’t angry with her when he sees how content the bear is after swimming. They repair the enclosure, and Emaleen asks if they could extend it so that the bear can access the pond. Emaleen says that Arthur taught her how to swim. Warren isn’t opposed to the idea but knows it will take the entire summer to complete. Warren invites Emaleen to stay at his house, and she excitedly accepts.

Warren cooks for them, and Emaleen replaces a burned-out lightbulb that he had neglected since he’s too feeble to climb a ladder. He then shows Emaleen photos of the cabin when he and Carol first built it. Warren also confesses that he never had the courage to put down the bear, and Emaleen understands since she feels pity for it. She also feels guilty for running away from her mother instead of trying to save her. Warren reminds her that when he found her as a child, she was hiking to get help, “one of the bravest acts [he’s] ever witnessed in a child” (299). This makes Emaleen see herself in a new way.

Emaleen and Arthur return to finish the repairs, but they can tell that something is wrong with the bear. He is weak and can barely stand. Emaleen sets him free, and he begins walking toward the mountain. She races to follow, but Warren can’t keep up. Emaleen assures him that she will be fine since she has her rifle. She follows the bear to the high place where he once took her and her mother, where they can see the Wolverine Lodge in the distance. The bear lays down, and Emaleen moves closer. She touches its paw as its breathing slows. Warren flies overheard, and Emaleen signals that she is okay. She stays with Arthur until he dies. With his final breath, Emaleen recognizes how much he and her mother are a part of her.