Cold November Page #4

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I could take her.

You don't have

to do that, Mia.

I want to.

I thought you weren't going

to stay here much longer.

I mean, are you

holding up okay?

Yeah. Just gotta push

through this, Amanda.

It's been really good

being up here.

And Flor's right.

I mean, she's just going to sit

around the house all day tomorrow?

Craig wants to stay

a day or two anyway.

Maybe I want

to be here for it.

I do! I-I do want

to be here for it.

[sighs]

If I could take off work,

I would, but I...

- [door opens]

- ...I can't.

[Mia] Well, you do

what you gotta do,

but you don't

take that out on her.

Flor's smart and she can sit

in the stand by herself,

and I can walk her out there

and Craig and I can make a push.

What do you think, hon, you want to

stay out there for a day or two more?

Yeah.

I mean, I'd be crushed

if I were her.

[Craig] Sure you're okay

with this, Amanda?

[Amanda]

Yeah, I guess.

Mia's got a point.

Yay, yay!

Thank you! Oh!

You spying on us?

[Florence]

Thank you, Mom.

I think you need to say thank

you to your aunt and uncle.

- [Florence] Thank you.

- [Craig] Oh, you're welcome!

Mwah!

- Yeah, yeah.

- [chuckles]

All right, we're losing light.

Get suited up!

Okay!

Okay, so Uncle Craig

is gonna walk you out

to your stand

on the way to his,

and I'm gonna leave

in about half an hour or so

and make a push towards you

on the way to mine.

You listening?

- Yeah. Sorry.

- [laughs]

All right.

I got everything.

- Let's go.

- Okay.

- You want that?

- Yeah. Oh.

- Yeah, I guess I need that.

- [laughs]

All right, I'll see you

in about an hour.

Okay. Bye.

How you doin'?

Good.

Haven't seen anything yet.

Yeah, me either.

I was thinking I was gonna

head on over to my stand.

- You holding up okay?

- Yep.

Okay.

Well, just blow that whistle

if you need anything,

and we'll come out as soon

as we can, all right?

I know, Auntie Mia.

Thanks.

Okay.

- [gunshot]

- [gasps]

[gunshot]

[shivering]

[grunts]

[Amanda] Now remember, you want

to take a deep breath in,

and then...

[Mia] I was just thinking

about Sweeney.

[Mr. Bill]

Be safe. Be proud.

[Craig] I wasn't going

to miss your first hunt.

[Georgia]

I shot once...

[Amanda] Don't be afraid

to shoot, Florence.

[gunshot echoes]

[deer crying out in pain]

[Florence]

Come on. Come on and die.

[deer crying out in pain]

[deer crying out in pain]

[deer crying out in pain]

[gunshot]

[blows whistle]

[blows whistle]

[twig snaps]

Mia?

Craig?

Is that you?

Craig?

Mia!

Craig?

[sighs]

[birds chirping]

[sighs]

[exhales]

[blows whistle]

[blows whistle]

[sighs]

[grunting]

[exhales]

[knuckles crack]

First the butthole,

then the chest,

ribs, windpipe,

pull out the rest.

First the butthole,

then the chest,

ribs, windpipe,

pull out the rest.

Okay.

[flesh squelching]

Ew.

Oh, God.

Okay.

[exhales]

[exhales]

[exhales]

[grunts]

[sighs]

Oh, my God.

[grunts]

Oh, my God.

Oh, sh*t!

[sniffles]

[exhales]

Okay.

[exhales]

Come on. Come on.

Aw, jeez.

Okay.

Oh, my God.

Oh, thank God.

[exhales]

[grunting]

[exhales]

[exhales]

Gaw!

Where the hell are you?!

[sighs]

[sighs]

[exhales]

Craig?

Mia?

Craig?

You said you'd come.

You said you'd come!

Sweeney?

Sweeney, come out.

I need you right now.

I need you.

[sniffles]

[crying]

[sniffles]

[crying]

[sniffles]

[continues crying]

[sniffles]

[sniffles]

- Hey, who is it? Who's there?

- [Craig] Flor, is that you?

It's us, it's Uncle Craig.

How you doing, kiddo?

- Why weren't you there?!

- [grunts]

Wait up. Careful!

I got a gun here!

I blew the whistle.

You didn't come!

- Where were you?!

- Settle down! Settle down!

- You know how hard it was?!

- Huh?

I was counting on you! I was counting

on you, and you weren't there!

We're sorry!

We're sorry!

Mia wounded a buck

and we had to track it.

We were tracking it

all afternoon, okay?

It's not true.

You're lying to me!

[Mia]

No, it is true, Flor.

I screwed up

and I wounded one!

I don't know what happened.

I couldn't shoot it right.

Come on, calm down!

Calm down.

[grunts]

What happened, huh?

You said you would come

if I blew the whistle.

You said you would come.

Yeah, I know, sweetheart.

- We're here now, okay?

- [Mia] What happened, sweetie?

Everything's

going to be okay.

Sweeney's gone.

[sniffles]

She didn't come

to help me.

We're here now.

We're here now.

[engine humming]

- [Craig] Wowee, look at that!

- [Mia] Yeah, nice one.

[Craig]

Holy cow, Flor!

- That's clean as whistle.

- [laughs]

Nice gut job.

Not bad for a first time.

[Mia grunts]

That's right.

[Craig] All right, I guess

you did enough work, huh.

[Mia chuckles]

[Craig] All right, here we go.

You got the legs?

- Yep.

- All right, I got these legs here. Okay.

Ready?

One, two, three!

[both grunt]

Okay, okay, okay.

Okay, put it down.

Put it down.

[exhales]

One, two,

almost there, three!

[exhales]

Oh, honey.

[sighs]

Come here.

[fire crackling]

Hey, kiddo.

How you holding up?

Okay, I guess.

You know it's not easy,

what you did today, Flor.

Shooting a deer

brings up a lot of emotions.

That must have sucked

to be doing that alone.

I'm glad you didn't

hold it in, though.

I'm sorry I wasn't there

sooner for you.

I killed two or three deer

before that feeling went away.

And even when I kill a deer now,

I still have it a little bit.

You know, I started doing

this thing that really helps.

After I shoot a deer,

I go up to it and I...

Oh... [chuckles]

I talk to it.

I-I say thanks

for letting me, you know,

take your life

and giving me a meal

and reminding me

that one day,

I'm going to be feeding

some creatures, too,

probably worms.

[chuckles]

It's a big realization.

Ew!

Really? After what you've

been through today?

You're grossed out

by worms?

[chuckles]

I want to show you

something.

See this?

I've been carrying this around

with me ever since she died.

It used to make me feel good

to look at it.

Now... it doesn't.

This reminds me of this story

my buddy told me.

He had just gotten back

from this thing where...

he went off

to this giant wooden temple

where people go to bring

memories that they want to leave

and get rid of.

He said the place is filled with all

these photos of people's friends

and family members

and lost loves,

and poems and stories,

and pictures,

and someone even left

their dissertation there once.

What's a dissertation?

It's like a book

people write

when they're finishing

their PhD in college.

That's a strange thing

to leave, isn't it?

Yeah.

I guess whoever

left it was, uh,

okay with never

seeing it again.

At least it felt good

to let it go.

You know what they do with

the building after a week?

What?

They burn it down.

They burn down

the whole building?

Yep.

And all of the memories

with it.

And everyone who left

something in the building

just stands in a big circle

and watches it as it burns.

Why?

Because I guess when there's

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