Three Day Road

Back in the present, Niska takes comfort in the fact that Xavier has smiled in response to one of her stories. This gives her hope. She decides to tell him another story as he is struggling with his pain. Though the story is not a happy one, Niska thinks the story’s medicine will help to heal Xavier. The story begins when another bush Indian visits Niska and Xavier when he is younger. The Indian informs her that there is a windigo in his tribe, and that she is needed to deal with it. The three set out for the village, though Niska is unsure of what she should do. The windigo brings back memories of her father, and though she would rather not bring Xavier, it is her duty to take care of the windigo, and she cannot afford to leave Xavier alone.

Niska learns that this windigo’s story is like the one from her tribe. This time, however, a young man went out and ate his wife when she died. When he returned, he attacked his uncle and had to be restrained. When they arrive at the encampment, Niska prays and tries to find answers, but nothing comes to her. She performs the ritual anyway, and at one point, the windigo almost overpowers her and the others who are holding him down, but Niska finally manages to kill him. Xavier witnesses the entire thing, just as Niska had when she was younger. Though she did not want to explain things to Xavier so soon, she tells him why some must die so that others might live.

One day Xavier asks Niska if he can have a friend. She finally agrees, and Xavier brings a boy to their home. He begins teaching the boy how to survive in the bush. The boy returns one day with a rifle he has stolen from the nuns, and it is revealed that the boy is Elijah.

At the beginning of the next chapter, “Snaring”, Niska and Xavier make camp again. Xavier takes more morphine, having decided that he will not take it all and kill himself. He does not know what he will do when it runs out, but tries not to think about it. He wonders again where Elijah is, and feels that if he can find Elijah, he can also beat his addiction, that they can beat their addictions together. He flashes back to the battlefields, and remembers when Elijah turned from killing for survival to killing for fun.

Xavier recalls a story Elijah told him of finding himself in a Hun trench, unsure of how he got there. He creates a rabbit run, and then watches as a young German soldier chokes to death on the slip-knot. Elijah also wants more and more to fly, but no one can tell him how. It is revealed one day that Elijah has trenchfoot, and after going to the medic and receiving morphine pills, is told that he must not be taking care of himself properly. Elijah laughs it off in his usual fashion. Elijah lives for battle; when others pray and worry, he smiles. When the battalion is forced on a major offensive near Lens, Elijah is in his element.

The trenches are taken, and both Elijah and Xavier scout a ruined town and take care of sniper fire. At one point, they are pinned down, but discover the whereabouts of the snipers and kill them. Xavier goes to bring up the reinforcements. When Graves and a new soldier try to walk into the building that Elijah thinks is secure, a German soldier emerges with a new weapon, shooting flames and killing Graves. The young soldier tries to get away and, in doing so, drops his own bomb into his battalion, killing others. Once the town is secured, they learn that other new weapons have been used against them.

The soldiers must wait before attacking Lens, and Elijah hates the boredom. While on missions, Elijah tries to figure out what is happening to him internally. Even Xavier is depressed, different. The two of them end up scouting and hunting for German officers, and on finding one they have been tracking, almost lose their lives when they kill the officer and Elijah continues to shoot instead of moving to another position. Elijah is hurt by Xavier’s anger, but the medicine makes him act foolishly.

At a pub one night, Xavier and Elijah spot another Indian whom they think is Peggy. The man claims he is not Peggy, but that he is a good shot. The three leave, and on their way out, the village is attacked by a plane. The pub where they were drinking only moments before is destroyed, and the men running from it gunned down. In the confusion, the Indian they have befriended confesses to Elijah that he has killed more than twice as many men as Elijah has. Elijah considers killing the man, but does not.

In “Writing”, Niska relates that Xavier’s medicine is almost gone, and after that, he will become difficult. She is saddened by his pain, and when she looks at his crippled body, feels anger towards those who harmed him. She feeds him broth, and though he tries to fight her, he eventually takes the broth that she feeds him from her own mouth. Xavier mentions Elijah’s name, but when Niska asks what has happened to Elijah, Xavier becomes defensive and tries to leave, falling. Niska tells Xavier a story to make him feel better. In the story, she relates how sad Xavier was when Elijah had to return to school. With Elijah gone, Xavier’s learning continued, and he was soon able to divine from moose bones.

Elijah returns in the summer, and announces that he will stay with them for good. The boys grow, and though Niska’s fits had abated, they now return. In them, she sees horrible visions of destruction. Soon after, they all learn that a war had started in Europe. With this revelation, Niska understands what her visions mean. Sure enough, Xavier approaches Niska one day and informs her that he and Elijah are going to fight in the war. She prays for them, and gives them medicine bags for protection. Niska notes that Xavier seems far less inclined to go off to war than Elijah. The boys leave, and Niska occasionally hears news about the war, none of it good.

An old Indian named Hookimaw suggests that Niska alleviate her concerns by going into town and asking the white men about the war. Niska does not want to go back into town, but decides to go anyway. She travels to the Company store and, though Old Man Ferguson tries to throw her out, others take pity on her and she is eventually allowed to stay. She makes a deal to provide furs for Ferguson in exchange for information. In this way, she learns where Elijah and Xavier are stationed, and eventually writes a letter to Elijah, which Joseph Netmaker composes and delivers in town. Though Joseph says he has written everything down as Niska wants it, she can tell he is uncertain of his skill in writing. Later, Niska has a bad feeling, but is unable to tell why.

Windigo Killer – Writing Analysis