Puck's heart had downshifted from overdrive by the time the two had tucked themselves inside the safe and cozy hearth of George's cabin. It was a nesty little place, tidy and welcoming. Old photographs were sprawled about the walls. An antique rocker sat near the fireplace. And Charlotte was at the stove stirring a pot of what smelled of stew. It was just as he'd imagined.

"That smells good, darling," George praised while removing his work boots. "We are famished."

"Then pull up a chair, uncle," she said while adding a final round of spices. "You, too, Puck."

"Yes, ma'am."

While cupping two bowls of her hearty creation, she approached the table. "This is piping hot, so don't try to scarf it down. And there's plenty where that came from."

Having taken her words to heart, Puck began eyeing the centerpiece basket of fruit as he waited for his stew to cool. George took notice.

"You can have as many as you like, son. Eat up."

"Oh, no, sir. They just reminded me of something."

"Of what?" asked Charlotte, now having joined the two men at the table.

"Of the orphanage where I used to live."

"The orphanage?"

The boy blushed a bit before explaining. "Yeap. I was always getting into trouble for snatching apples and oranges from the kitchen."

"And why did you do that, son? Didn't they feed you enough?"

"Oh, yes, sir. The fruit was for practicing."

"Practicing what?" the girl then asked.

"My juggling."

George began to smile. "You see, Charlotte, Puck here wants to join the circus as a juggler. That's why he's here in Alberta."

"I'm confused. There's no circus in Alberta."

"Yes, yes, you are right, darling. I guess I should have said that that's why he's passing through Alberta. He's hoping to make some money so he can continue his journey. We are much obliged to help as much as we can."

"Well, then, Puck, show us something."

"You mean right here, right now?"

"Sure, why not?"

"I don't know. It's been a while since I've had a chance to practice."

"Stop making excuses, boy. Get over there and start tossing them fruit."

The boy scooped up three apples and raised slowly from the table. As he began to juggle the fruit, he signaled Charlotte to toss him another apple then another, bringing his total to five. Not only was the boy rather skillful, he was also quite confident, tossing the fruit about for several minutes. It was not until he could endure the pangs of hunger no longer that he stopped.

Puck returned to his seat and eyed the medley of vegetables set before him before loading a mouthful. He savored that first bite as if it were to be his last. It was good stew.

Hoping to unravel the mysteries of his past, Charlotte eventually asked, "Aren't you being missed by the folks back at home?"

He shrugged. "Maybe."

George chimed in. "It seems rather peculiar, son, that you'd just up and hop a train like that. Someone must be missing you by now."

"What about your friends?"

"Doesn't matter now."

"Surely, it does. Look at me, boy. What's the real reason you're here?"

Puck looked at George briefly before lowering his eyes. "They were gonna bust us up. That's why I left."

"Okay, Puck, I didn't mean to upset you. We just want to help."

While he appreciated his new hosts and their concern, Puck really didn't want to hash anymore of this stuff up right now.

"May I be excused?"

"But you didn't finish your stew."

"I'm not very hungry anymore."

"Okay, son, it's the second bedroom on the left. You'll find fresh soap and towels. We'll see you in the morning."

Charlotte and George watched the young lad disappear into the spare bedroom. He was clearly upset.

"I feel so bad for him, Uncle George. He seems like a sweet kid."

"I know, child, that's why I'm gonna do some digging. Find out where he came from. They must be worried sick."

"You sure that's a good idea? He seemed hellbent on getting away from wherever he came."

"I don't know, but I'm willing to take a chance."

***

It was seven o'clock the following morning when Puck awoke to the smell of sizzling bacon and eggs. He was famished, he having gone to bed on a partially-emptied stomach. There was no way he'd excuse himself from the breakfast table this morning no matter what turn the conversation might take.

"How did you sleep?" George was already seated, coffee in hand.

"Pretty good."

"You must be starved?"

Puck nodded.

"Pull up a chair. There's plenty, and I promise no more talk about the orphanage."

"Are we going into the store today?"

"Sure are, just as soon as we've had our breakfast. Did you need something from there?"

"No, sir. I was just thinking about our deal."

"Oh, I see. You mean you earning a bit of money in exchange for helping out?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, you can start earning today, okay, son? First, I've got to run an errand."

"Is that where Charlotte is? On an errand?"

George chuckled. "I'm afraid my niece doesn't roll out of bed at anytime before nine. I don't even bother anymore."

The boy smiled.

"Now eat up, we've got a busy day."

It took the pair about twenty minutes to arrive into town in front of the Sheriff's office. Would this be George making good on the conversation he'd had last night with his niece? Naturally, Puck knew nothing of their exchange, but he was extremely sensitive about his situation as a runaway, and could only be alarmed at the thought that this visit might have something to do with him.

"Why are we here? Am I in trouble?" asked the boy.

"What makes you think that?"

"My running away and all."

"Not to worry, son, this has nothing to do with you. Now let's get inside."

Sheriff Tanner was nestled comfortably behind his desk and watching something on his computer. Hearty laughter erupted from his belly. "Good god these YouTube kids are hilarious...stupid, but hilarious." After wiping the tears from his eyes, Sheriff finished collecting himself to address his visitors. "So, what can I do you for, Clemens, and who's this you got with you?"

Turns out things had been coming up missing at George's store warehouse. Started with small things but had escalated to items of more value.

"So, let me get this straight—this has been happening for a few weeks now, you say?"

"That's right, Sheriff. And I have my suspicious, but I can't be certain."

"You know, Clemens, if you're thinking it's an inside job, then that's probably the best start. You'll need to file a report, of course."

"Sure thing."

"Be sure to list all your missing items. As much detail as you can give."

After filing the report, the two headed to the George's store. As he swept the floors, a boy of about fourteen wearing a ratty old baseball cap walked in and moved about aimlessly until he wandered within the proximity of Puck.

"You new here?"

Puck looked around a bit confused. "You talking to me?"

"I don't see anybody else around here."

"First day. I'm Puck."

"I'm Jonah Tanner. My dad's the Sheriff."

"Oh yeah, I met him a while ago."

"So, Puck, how did you get Old Man Clemens to give you this job? He doesn't trust anybody, but his niece to tend to this place."

"George and I have an understanding, is all."

"Understanding? What kind of understanding?"

"I'm just passing through."

"Passing through. Well, Puck, you see this here baseball cap I'm wearing?" asked the boy, pointing towards his head. "This cap belonged to my grandfather. He passed it down to my dad who passed it down to me. You wanna know why?"

Puck nodded.

"Before my grandfather died, he reminded my dad that we're not here forever...that we're all just passing through, so before we go, we should pass along the things that we treasure the most to the ones we love. This way," he said, "we'll leave mementos. That's what this cap is to my family. So, you see, Puck, I don't believe you're ready to pass through just yet."

Puck shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess not."

"Anyway, what do you like to do besides sweep floors?"

"I juggle."

"Juggle. Hmm. Well, I fly RC planes. In fact, you should come with me to the Clearing later."

"What's the Clearing?"

"It's just a parcel of land outside of town. I go there sometimes to clear my head."

"I don't know, Jonah."

"Come on, it will be fun. I've got a new plane and want to break it in. I'll let you fly it, too."

"O-okay. I guess it'll be fine."

"I've gotta run, but I'll be back around 3 o'clock. We'll go then."

For the next few hours, Puck got very little work done. He was distracted by the clock mounted on the wall above the register, checking it often...even George noticed.

"Son, do you have somewhere to be? I swear you glare up at that thing every five minutes."

"It's Jonah."

"Jonah, who?"

"Jonah Tanner."

"Oh, Riley's boy. What about him?"

"He came into the store earlier and wants me to go fly planes with him. Are you okay with that?"

"Why shouldn't I be? It's good to make friends. Jonah's a good boy."

"He'll be here soon. I won't be too late."

"Make sure that you aren't. Charlotte hates folks to be late for supper. And be careful."