I woke up early this morning. I didn't sleep very well last night. I kept thinking about what Tony said to me yesterday. By the way, he is now avoiding me. I tried to talk to him this morning, but he wasn't interested in anything I had to say. To get my mind off things, I went to the plaza to see if I could find another pair of shoes. No shoes. But I did run into a kid with a very well-trained dog. They were doing some amazing tricks and entertaining the crowd. I can feel trouble in the air. The Central Bobcats continue to make life difficult. I heard they were recruiting goons. I need to organize a meeting with the town leaders to see if we can do something about Central. Unfortunately, people are getting more and more afraid. I have a feeling this is going to involve the whole town soon.

Madie

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I feel so bad. No one told Tony that Runt was missing. I was updating the bulletin board in the admin hall when Tony asked me where the Runt was. I just stood there and stared at him. I finally told him that I was sorry the Runt had been missing for days. I tried to explain to Tony why we think the Runt left. That he left to find medicine and that Jonas and Matt went looking for him.

Tony was so angry that he yelled at me for being irresponsible. He said that I should have been more reliable and that it’s my fault if the Runt is dead. I don’t blame him for yelling at me. We should have told Tony that the Runt was missing sooner. The Runt was not my primary responsibility. He just appeared on our doorstep one day, dirty and hungry. Tony became his friend. Tony is the one who took care of him. This is going to sound stupid, but I honestly didn’t realize that I should have been taking care of the Runts’ needs while Tony was ill. I just assumed that everyone took care of everyone. I have a tremendous amount of responsibility around here. I try to make sure that life around Bear Country runs smoothly. Most of the time it does.

Madie

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Journal Entry 11

The Journal Club has finished with the flyers for the up-and-coming festival. Evan and J.T. have done a wonderful job again. It amazes me how creative they can be. They will be distributing the flyers around town today. The festival is the one time of year when everyone gets together and has a good time. We forget about our sorrows and pain and enjoy ourselves. I am a little worried about the Central Bobcats. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they don't cause any trouble. Sheriff Pete is working on obtaining people for security. It's going to be a challenge for him. He's asking for help from everyone around the community.

I heard Lisa practicing her guitar this morning. She has such a beautiful voice. She usually tries to sing happy songs, but sometimes you can hear a little sadness in her voice. She keeps the sad songs to herself. No one bothers her when she goes to the roof to sing and play. I'm not sure if she knows that we can still hear her up there. It's her place of solitude, so we leave her alone.

Madie

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Journal Entry 10

It rained all night long. I love the rain. I seem to sleep well when it rains. It's going to be a busy day. I promised Casey I would watch the baby a little while so that she could take care of herself. She is the cutest baby. I hope Casey gets to enjoy her for a long time. I'm not so sure I would want to take on the responsibility of having a baby. There are so many things to worry about. Babies don't seem to do as well as they used to. No medicine. There are limited things you can do when they get ill. No one talks about the things that can go wrong. I wonder if Casey worries about the baby getting ill. I would worry. I saw Tony up walking around a little while ago. He was heading towards the showers. It's a good thing because he was starting to smell really bad. If he had been severely ill for much longer it was going to be a challenge to get people to sit with him.

Madie

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I forgot to take my journal with me yesterday. I went for a walk, a long walk. Went to my old home and someone was living there. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. It has a very homey feel. I wanted to run up to the people living there and say, “get out this is my home.” I didn’t, I just stood there. I stood there for a long time until my stomach said It was time to eat. I said goodbye to my home and went looking for food.

Update, Tony is getting better. He is still sore and bruised but he isn’t dead. This is a good thing because without him Bear Country just wouldn’t be the same. As for the Runt, he is still missing. I am beginning to think we will never see him again. It has been days and he is so little.

Madie

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It has been a long day. Matt and Jonas have still not returned with the Runt. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the Runt is doing fine and that the Central Bobcats didn’t catch him. Tony was his best friend, is his best friend. Speaking of Tony, he is still recovering. We are still taking turns looking after him. He is not taking in many fluids, but his color is improving slightly.

We held elections today for sheriff. Sherrif Pete will take over as the man in charge of security. He has started looking for people to fill the deputy sheriff positions. I need to put a Thank you in the Bear News for everyone that helped out in the middle of the night.

I suppose I should give you some good news. Casey finally delivered her baby. Her labor lasted for days. She was in labor, then she wasn’t, she was in labor then she wasn’t. I felt bad for her because she was in constant pain. Everything turned out fine in the end. Mom and baby are doing well. As soon as Casey is up to it, we are going to have a naming ceremony. The ceremony usually occurs about two weeks after the baby’s birth and that will put it around the end of the month.

Madie

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Tony is getting worse and the Runt is missing. I couldn’t find him anywhere this morning. He didn’t show for breakfast. His bike is also missing. He is too little to be out in the city alone. It would be disastrous if the Central Bobcats caught him.

Lisa took over sitting with Tony after the Runt. She said he was obviously upset and mentioned something about finding medicine to help. If I thought medicine was available, I would have been the first person to go and find some. Unfortunately, finding medicine for even the common cold is just not possible. Survivors emptied out the pharmacies long ago. You can occasionally come across something to barter but there is no guarantee that what you are bartering for is actually in the bottle. The only time medicine appears on the market is when some desperate soul is trying to save a dying loved one. People have been known to sell their soul for medicine, and it turn out to be nothing at all. Some awful concoction someone has put together. Matt and Jonas volunteered to go and look for the Runt. I would have gone but I have things that need my attention here.

Madie

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Journal Entry 6

We move Tony from the basement up to the admin hallway. He is not doing well. His eye seems to be better, but his stomach is extremely bloated and painful to the touch. He isn't holding any food down, but we are insisting that he drink water. People die from dehydration. Marty, Gretchen, and Cecilia have walked out to the main library to do some research on Tony's condition. With any luck, They will come back with some answers on what we should do to help him. In the meantime, the kids are taking turns sitting with Tony and trying to keep him comfortable.

Madie

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Journal Entry 5

I went to the market plaza today to see if I could find a pair of new shoes (old shoes). The ones I have are coming apart at the seams. My feet wouldn’t fit into any of the shoes. I guess I will wear these a little longer. While I was shopping, I overheard people discussing the Central Bobcats and their leader Xavier Boulder. The Central Goons are causing trouble all over town. I am not usually afraid of anything, but “the Boulder” seriously worries me. He is so evil. People say he is that way because his father was always beating on him, especially if he lost a tournament. I don’t know if this is true or not or if it is just a rumor kids spread around to explain his meanness. I do know that he never seems to have remorse about his actions. He actually enjoys hurting people.

Madie

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Journal Entry 4

I dreamt about being home again last night. I swear, I could almost feel and smell the clean sheets. It felt like a weekend. One of those mornings when you had a great night's sleep, a familiar smell wakes you. My mom was in the kitchen making her famous biscuits. I miss those biscuits. I miss the strawberries. Strawberry jam. I don't know what woke me.

Madie

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