Remember This

While trapped inside your own Pluto

The clock in the hallway chimes…

Ding…Ding…

Nothing changes in Sprague except the seasons. And even that is a predictable change: summer will fade, the days will darken and become colder, the water will freeze in the pasture pond. The sparrows will fly off, the frogs will sleep, the winter wind will pierce. Babies will arrive and Ancients will die or not die — depending on the kindness of our memories.

All that is remembered of Eliza Fullquartz Ekins is based on a local newspaper article from 1912, entitled…

Sprague Woman Found Dead in Barn.

First of all, Eliza is not dead — she’s just visiting Pluto. Second, this article would have irked Eliza. As the daughter of Oregon pioneers — to be called a “Sprague Woman” was an affront! The article goes on to insinuate Eliza was murdered by her teenage son who went on to become a periodontist in Wenatchee. Of that, we still know nothing.

Eliza knew all the stories of the night sky, so of course she named her barn Pluto after the furthest planet. It’s true, she was found on her back inside Pluto. Who knows how long she was unable to move with not a soul around for miles. But one thing is sure — it wasn’t typical: Eliza knew every square inch of her barn. After all, she…