[He lies awake until the candle flickers on, too distracted and distraught to fall asleep. The dark is frightening for him as always, but finally there's a light in the room. The first thing he does is take out England's letter and read it again, especially the very end:
Watch out for the hunters. They'll be going after you now that I'm not around. Live. Be happy. Don't forget me, but don't be afraid of moving on either. You were never one made to wallow in grief. You're young yet, you still have so many experiences ahead of you; I want you to live them all to the fullest, with nothing holding you back. As long as I know you're at peace, I will be as well.
All my best,
England
PS: If I'm right about us meeting again once this game is over...
He has to believe this is all really true, and that means believing that last line, believing that this doesn't have to really be the end. He doesn't understand how to stop Critter or to bring England back, but he knows he has to fight harder than he's ever fought if he wants a chance at any of this, and that means not becoming angry or bitter. He has to live.
After what he said, after what he told everyone earlier...if the hunters really want to kill him like England warned, they'll know this is their best and possibly only chance. If he did this wrong, tomorrow someone will be dead and everyone will hate him, but their opinions of him matter much less than they normally do. It's fine if they hate him, but if he did this right, the hunters will target him tonight.
Which is why he strikes off his own name decisively. If he did this right, no one has to die.]
America
He has to believe this is all really true, and that means believing that last line, believing that this doesn't have to really be the end. He doesn't understand how to stop Critter or to bring England back, but he knows he has to fight harder than he's ever fought if he wants a chance at any of this, and that means not becoming angry or bitter. He has to live.
After what he said, after what he told everyone earlier...if the hunters really want to kill him like England warned, they'll know this is their best and possibly only chance. If he did this wrong, tomorrow someone will be dead and everyone will hate him, but their opinions of him matter much less than they normally do. It's fine if they hate him, but if he did this right, the hunters will target him tonight.
Which is why he strikes off his own name decisively. If he did this right, no one has to die.]