Aviak lay down on the cool grass and tucked her trinket blanket under her head.

“You Chevy Bass’s grandkid? I knew about that guy.”

“Yep. Chevy Bass was my grandpa. I’ll always miss him.”

“I heard he got killed by that group of white hunters. Was that true?”

“I heard so many stories about that time he took that one bunch of white guys out. No one ever knew what happened to him. Never found his body. Never found a piece of his clothes. Never found any blood or any trace of him. It was like he just disappeared. It was like he just walked away from me.”

“My old gran said it was the Evil Ones. A guy like him doesn’t just disappear on the land that he knows better than his own face. She said they got him and got him good. What they do to you when they’re hungry is really pretty awful.”

“Can you just stop with that shit? Just stop.”

Kunak lay back down beside Aviak and closed his eyes. The sound of the kids playing in the schoolyard made his body relax. The sound of children can do that.

“What happened to you after all that stuff?”

“I left town and went south and then west and then north. Used to make a pile of money, but that all dried up. Now I do this. I beg on the street corners of Edmonton. I try to never stay in the same place for too long. Cops will come after you if you do.”

“Those fuckers come after us no matter what. Where’s the bottle of SoCo?”

Kunak reached into his back pocket and handed Aviak the mickey. She took a long swig and passed it over to him.

“No thanks. Not right now for me.” Kunak handed the bottle back to Aviak.

“More for me, the merrier I’ll be!” Aviak burst into a laugh. Kunak giggled with her.

“Come on, woman. We better head down the hill. There’s a shortcut through the golf course close to the river and then we can cross the blue bridge and be in time for dinner at The Hope.”

The Hope—what hope? Grandpa Chevy was sitting in the middle of the school field listening to their conversation. Neither of them could stick to the same subject for more than two sentences. That’s what happens when booze gets you, Grandpa thought.

He stood up when they did. How do I get Kunak away from that waste of humanity? he wondered. Chevy didn’t like to call favours in from the other spirits, but there came a time when you had to rely on others to get the work done. Chevy placed his tongue between his front teeth and let loose a sharp whistle.

Ubluriaq stood before Chevy. She smiled an inviting smile and whispered, “Yes?”