Black Woods, Blue Sky

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, animal death, and substance use. 

After her mother’s death, Emaleen lives with Birdie’s sister, Aunt Liz, in Washington state. For the rest of her childhood, nightmares and residual trauma from her experiences plague Emaleen. She often dreams of bears, urinates in the front yard, and hides food inside the house. She asks Liz to buy her a cap gun at the store and keeps it under her pillow with a butter knife in case the bear returns. Eventually, Emaleen assimilates to life in Washington, though Della keeps in touch and often invites her to visit Wolverine Lodge.

After graduating from college, Emaleen decides to take a road trip to Alaska. She wants to visit Della but mostly wants to return to the cabin and see if her memories are accurate. Emaleen travels through Canada, camping along the way. She calls Della to tell her that she will arrive soon and asks if Warren still flies his bush plane. Della confirms that he still flies but says that it may not be a good idea for Emaleen to return to the cabin. When she arrives in Alaska, the vastness of the landscape surprises her.