I’ve been hearing this bird song at every stop, but I can’t seem to track it down. Sometimes it’s close to our car, and other times it seems to be coming from whatever gas station we’re stopped at. It’s so familiar! I just can’t put my noodle on where I’ve heard it.

The song is like: hi, mid, lo… hi, lo, off-key mid. Does that ring a bell, Dad? Ah!! I can almost think of what it is. I feel like I have seen a show about that bird.

Fledge looked down at the ground for a long moment, trying to decide what to do. Buzzy impatiently tapped her claw on the ground and said, “Well, what is it? What aren’t you telling me?”

Fledge hesitantly revealed the broken compass. Buzzy audibly gasped, realizing the weight of the situation. It would be much harder to get home now and they may never find their way back to their gentle Bell Buckle home.

Fledge try apologizing, but Buzzy Interrupted. “We need to get home before this gets worse. Just follow me. I remember the way we came in.“ They took off into the gathering darkness, not realizing they were moving further from home with every beat of their wings.

Now mom won’t let either of us sit in the front seat. It’s like she’s punishing me for Charlie’s bad attitude. I tried to explain to her what Charlie just did to my binoculars, but she wouldn’t listen. She said she is fed up with us having a problem with each other.

Now Charlie has her headphones on (big surprise!) and refuses to look over at me. If that’s her way of punishing me for yelling at her, good luck. I would rather her be miles away then on the other side of this seat. I’m pretty bored, though. I have finished every single page of every single activity book I brought. I guess it’s time to nap… again.

Our eyes did the talking.

I’m sorry for tormenting you on this trip. I thought you were the bad guy, but it was me.

It’s okay. I haven’t been a good sister. I know you’ve needed me, and I’ve been hiding.

I did need you! I still need you! I want to show you all the fantastic stuff that Dad has shown me… even though I know he didn’t really place all the birds out here for me to find.

I’ll try to be open to it, but it’s really difficult for me to hear about anything to do with Dad. I’m not ready.

I understand. It can wait.

Dad, I’m freaking out! I admit that it was dumb to leave our campsite alone, but Charlie was getting on my nerves!! I can’t take it when she smirks at me after I ask her a question or say something directly to her. It’s like she’s holding on to what I want and won’t give it up and instead spits on it.

Okay, so Charlie was intentionally ignoring me, and I left her at the car/campsite. I yelled back, “I’m going to get a shower!” and heard no reply. Now I’m lost on whatever trail, and it’s getting dark… and I’m pretty sure I just heard a “moo”… 😬

Whoa. That was weird. I had a dream just now that I was riding down the highway in the backseat of our car. Charlie was asleep in the passenger seat. She had my binoculars clutched in her arms. I tried to wake her up, but she just kept sleeping and holding onto the binoculars.

I looked over toward Mom in the driver’s seat, but no one was driving! The car started to swerve back-and-forth on the highway, and Charlie just kept sleeping. I yelled for help, but no one was there to help me. Dad, I need you here.

Dad, Charlie has been ignoring me this whole ride!! I tried to share the birds with her multiple times, and she just acts like she’s too cool for me. I’m not positive what aloof means, but it feels like it fits Charlie. She just listens to her headphones and tunes out the world. Ugh!!!!

Dad, I wish you were here. I feel small and insecure without you. Sam is so loud, and I just want a little, tiny space from all this noise in my head. I feel pressure form all sides. Mom wants me to be this perfect child, Sam wants me to be the playmate that I can’t be anymore, and my friends want me to always be available to chat. I can’t do it, Dad.

Dad, I just realized it’s been Charlie the whole time!! Remember when I couldn’t find the bird in the gas station parking lot that sounded like lasers? That was Charlie! And when I couldn’t find the chirping that sounded like a bird that burned its little wing? That was Charlie, too! Maybe you already knew that Charlie was an amazing whistler, but I had no idea. I bet that’s what y’all were doing in the mornings on the back deck when I slept in so many days last summer. I really can’t believe that Charlie has a talent that I didn’t know about. Wow…

Dad, I swear this wasn’t my plan. You have to believe me. I never meant for Charlie’s door to open when we were driving 60 miles an hour down the highway.

I told you about how I had put all of my stuff near me so that Charlie wouldn’t mess with any of it, right? Well, I had my binoculars… my broken binoculars (because of Charlie) in between us so that she would have to see what she had done. But then I started to get really sleepy.

When I woke up, everything seemed quiet. The only sounds were the hum of the tires on the road and some wind. I remember that it was really hot in the car, too. I looked around to see what Charlie was doing, and I saw that she was asleep against the door. It felt like something was off, though.

I felt in the floorboard for my backpack. It was there, and everything seemed to be in it. None of my magazines were missing. Then I realized it… my binoculars were gone.

Dad, I feel like Mom isn’t listening to anything I’m saying! She just literally said, “Sam, Sam, Sam! I cannot listen to you right now. I’m trying to get us packed and on the road in ten minutes. I love you, and I’m going to have to listen to what you’re saying in the car. Go get in the car now!”

What am I supposed to do when Charlie is getting a jerk and Mom won’t listen to me???!!!! Gah. It’s making me not want to go on this trip. Well… that’s not true. I do want to see the Grand Canyon, but it’s hurting me that you’re not here to help me translate with Mom and Charlie. Also, WE NEED YOU TO COME WITH US. This stinks. Nobody listens.