Seeds of Deception: A Kate Burkholder Short Story Read Online Free PDF

She remembered because before the boys came along Mattie had gotten too warm and hung it on a branch and they’d laughed because it looked so silly, like a headless scarecrow.
    Was the lighter Mattie’s? Was it significant? Did Billy drop it into her pocket so he could blame her for setting the fire? Even as the questions formed, a new and uncomfortable doubt reared its head. Katie loved Mattie; she didn’t want to believe the worst about her. But she knew in her heart that sometimes her friend bent the truth to suit her own needs. And for the first time, Katie considered the possibility that Mattie had lied to her. Is it possible Mattie is, indeed, guilty of setting the fire? Was she trying to get back at Billy for getting her fired? Katie didn’t like the answers coming back at her.
    Katie slept little that night. By the time Mamm peeked into her room at 5:30 A.M. to rouse her for chores, Katie was already dressed. Mamm looked at her a little oddly, going so far as to press her wrist against Katie’s forehead to check for a fever. “You look peaked,” she said.
    “Couldn’t sleep,” Katie muttered.
    “I hope you’re not coming down with something.”
    Just a bad case of worry , Katie thought.
    She rushed through morning chores, feeding and watering the old draft horse. She tossed cracked corn to the chickens, dodging the rooster and stealing fourteen eggs while the hens were busy pecking at the ground. Mamm would be happy about the eggs. She saw Jacob mucking the buggy horse’s stall, but she didn’t pause to speak with him. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about Mattie, especially after finding the lighter. Her brother knew her too well. One look at her, and he would know something was wrong.
    She spent most of the day in the kitchen with Mamm, helping her can the last of the season’s tomatoes and green beans. All the while, Katie agonized over how to handle her doubts about Mattie.
    Finally, at three o’clock, Mamm asked Katie if she wanted to ride with her to pick up Sarah, who’d taken on a part-time job at one of the tourist shops in town. Usually Katie was anxious to get out; anything to break up the incessant work and monotony of the farm. This afternoon, though, she had other plans. While Jacob harnessed the horse and pulled the buggy around for Mamm, Katie waited. Once the buggy had disappeared down the lane, she sprang into action.
    Keeping an eye on the barn where Jacob was repairing a hayrack in one of the stalls, Katie went to the shed and pushed Jacob’s bicycle to the gravel area. Mamm would be gone at least an hour. Datt wasn’t due back from the auction in Millersburg until later. She should be able to make the trip to Mattie’s house and get back before anyone noticed she was gone. A final glance over her shoulder at the barn, and she was off and pedaling hard down the lane.
    It took her ten minutes to reach the Erb farm. Katie barely slowed the bike to make the turn into the long gravel lane. She passed by the old milk barn in need of paint, and then the lane curled right, taking her toward the house on the hill. She stopped just off the gravel and set the bike on its side beneath the shade of the maple tree outside the front window. Mr. Erb stood in the doorway of the barn and waved when he saw her. Katie waved back, but she didn’t stop to chat.
    The kitchen window was open, the blue curtains billowing out. Katie saw Mattie standing at the sink, washing dishes. When she spotted Katie, she stuck out her tongue and then disappeared inside. Katie ran past the clothesline, around the front of the house and vaulted the stairs to the porch. The two girls were moving so fast they nearly collided.
    “Katie!”
    “Hey,” Katie said, realizing for the first time how out of breath she was from the physical exertion of the bike ride.
    “What are you doing here?” Mattie stepped back and put her hands on her hips. “My goodness, you’re all sweaty and breathless. Do you want