singillatim | Young Bill — A Final Letter

Young Bill — A Final Letter

Following the death of Young Bill at the hands of Old Bear, and the end of Old Bear's reign over the Northern Territories — Young Bill's final requests are found.

WHEN: Late April/Early May.
WHERE: Young Bill's Cabin, Lakeside.
CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A

YOUNG BILL

The cabin is quiet. A usually warm, rustic and inviting place is cold and still. A tomb, a time capsule. Cluttered, but everything has its place: pelts hang to dry, traps and nets and fishing tackle. There are two lifetimes worth of items in this place.

Its owner, Young Bill, is now dead.

Interlopers who joined him on the final hunting party, where he met his end and saw the end of Old Bear from the Northern Territories may be the first to arrive here in the immediate aftermath. Perhaps they thought it to be the first place to come to, to bring back his body.

On his desk in his room, there is a letter. It is addressed to 'The New Occupants of Milton', for lack of a better way of addressing the Interlopers:

If you’re reading this: fuck you for snooping.

In truth, I guess if you’re reading this then it means I’m not around any more since I know for a fact I’d catch you if you tried to go through my stuff.

I’m writing this because Old Bear is back. And I figured I better have something, just in case.

If I’m dead and you’ve found me, I have only two requests: I don’t care if you burn me or bury me, but put whatever’s left of me with my old man. I’ve enclosed directions to where I buried him. The man had his failings and he went mad with our family’s history in this place but he still loved me, and I still loved him. I knew I’d die in this place, just as he did.

My second request: look after my dogs. I’ve had Scout since she was a pup and trained her well. Nova’s still getting there, but she’s come far. Keep them safe.

The stuff in this place is free for all of you. Take what you need. Keep the cabin as a place for folks needing shelter from the cold. God knows after the Forest Talkers, Lakeside is lacking a little in secure and warm places to say.

Enclosed in this letter are blueprints to make Travois. They're usually put on horses, but these ones are smaller which makes them easy enough to haul. I figure you might make good use of them for hunts, or for getting the hell out of this place. You won't be driving to the coast, that's for sure. Any strong wood would do, but I suggest cured maple. Feel free to use any cured hides in here to build them.

I’m sorry I dragged you into all that shit with the Forest Talkers. I’m sorry I brought the fight to your doorsteps. It was a shit and stupid plan, and I was desperate. I guess maybe they were always gonna have it out for you after what went down, but I know I didn’t help things.

I know me saying sorry doesn’t count for shit, either. But it has to be said.

My old man always said it wasn’t the Darkwalker who’d catch him but Old Bear. I think he was right, and I think maybe it would come for me too. My own personal boogieman. Maybe my family’s cursed for fucking around with a creature just trying to live its life in its own land.

Maybe this place has always had weird magic shit going on and we’ve always just thought it was some kind of fairytale stuff. But whatever’s going on in this place over the last couple of years is proof that it’s real. I don’t know.

I hope you get out of this place. I hope you get to go home. I hope you get answers.

May the Darkwalker never catch you.

Bill

Interlopers are free to take what they need from this cabin and the cabin can be used as a public shelter for all Interlopers seeking shelter from the cold and dark. Following Young Bill's instructions will lead to his father's grave — where he requests his remains be buried. Interlopers can choose to burn his body, he simply requests that he is laid to rest with his father.