and it ain’t long
before I got us a nice flame burning, chasing away some of the
shadows, keeping them at bay. Finn joins me at the fire, hands me a
waterskin. It’s almost empty. With the three of us drinking now the
water is being used up a lot faster but there ain’t no way I’m
tapping any of those trees for water. The thought of drinking from
something so sickly, it don’t feel right. We cain’t chance getting
sick. We’ll just keep looking for a water supply. I figure there
has to be something here.
I pull the remaining crow we cooked
last evening from my slingbag and share it between us. Cat ain’t
nowhere to be seen. I reckon she can fend for herself tonight. Finn
takes his and starts chewing, staring into the flames.
“ How much longer you think
these woods will last Tara?” he asks eventually.
“ Dunno,” I say, biting into
my own crow meat. It’s tough and hard to chew, but it’s all we got.
Finn keeps eating, all quiet like, then he asks “How long you think
it’s gonna take us to get to Littlepass?”
“ I dunno that either,” I
say. Why’s he asking me questions I don’t know the answers to I
wonder.
“ What do you think we’re
gonna find when we get there?”
“ Do I look like some kind of
seer?” I snap at him. “I dunno. Maybe we won’t find nuthin or
nobody ‘cause sickness done took ‘em all! Or maybe the monster men
came and killed all of them too!”
Don’t know why his questions were
bothering me so. Maybe it’s the frustrating endless walking, the
endless heat, the little food, the even less water. The not
knowing. Everything I guess. But his questions are getting to me
and I don’t know how to answer them!
Then I look at his face. His eyes have
gone all big and round at my cruel words, and his mouth is hanging
open so as I can see his half chewed food. I feel real ashamed at
my actions and I think to myself, ‘He’s just a little boy Tara. A
scared little boy just looking for some comfort.”
“ Or maybe,” I say, a little
gentler this time. “We’ll find a magical place where food grows on
the trees, and the animals all talk and….and the people live in
buildings that touch the sky. And they keep their mouths closed
when eating crow.”
I poke him in the ribs and he starts
giggling.
“ Now you’re just being
foolish,” he says, but I feel much better at hearing him laugh. I
poke him again, then start tickling his ribs, making him shriek in
glee.
“ Stop Tara!
Stop!”
I don’t see Cat approaching ‘til she’s
almost on top of us. She’s so black she blends right in with the
evening shadows. Silently, she pads up to Finn and drops whatever
she has caught tonight between us.
Shizen!
I fall backwards on my elbows and
shimmy away in fright at the rather large, still moving
critter.
“ What is that?” I say, a
little more loudly then I mean it to be. Finn, unlike me, is all
excited and grabs the creature’s head….no wait, heads! There are
two of ‘em attached to its long writhing body. He gets to his feet
and the critter is about as tall as he is!
“ Ain’t you ever seen a tree
snake before?” he asks, grinning like he’s got the moon in his
hands.
Feeling a little foolish now for
showing the boy my fright, my answer comes out a bit cross
like.
“ If I did then I wouldn’t
have to ask now would I?” I say, sniffing and wiping my hands on my
trousers, embarrassed by my reaction.
“Don’t look like something we should be eating,” I say.
The boy shakes his head, disagreeing.
“Nah, tree snakes are good to eat and real tender too. I cain’t
believe you never seen one before.”
He is truly tickled to be one up on me.
I give him my best irritating look.
“ Aye.... well if you’re such
an expert then you can clean it and cook it,” I say holding out my
knife. He just shrugs and takes it from me.
“ Okay. I’d be better at it
anyways since you don’t even know what it is!” he says and cracks
up laughing at his own
before I got us a nice flame burning, chasing away some of the
shadows, keeping them at bay. Finn joins me at the fire, hands me a
waterskin. It’s almost empty. With the three of us drinking now the
water is being used up a lot faster but there ain’t no way I’m
tapping any of those trees for water. The thought of drinking from
something so sickly, it don’t feel right. We cain’t chance getting
sick. We’ll just keep looking for a water supply. I figure there
has to be something here.
I pull the remaining crow we cooked
last evening from my slingbag and share it between us. Cat ain’t
nowhere to be seen. I reckon she can fend for herself tonight. Finn
takes his and starts chewing, staring into the flames.
“ How much longer you think
these woods will last Tara?” he asks eventually.
“ Dunno,” I say, biting into
my own crow meat. It’s tough and hard to chew, but it’s all we got.
Finn keeps eating, all quiet like, then he asks “How long you think
it’s gonna take us to get to Littlepass?”
“ I dunno that either,” I
say. Why’s he asking me questions I don’t know the answers to I
wonder.
“ What do you think we’re
gonna find when we get there?”
“ Do I look like some kind of
seer?” I snap at him. “I dunno. Maybe we won’t find nuthin or
nobody ‘cause sickness done took ‘em all! Or maybe the monster men
came and killed all of them too!”
Don’t know why his questions were
bothering me so. Maybe it’s the frustrating endless walking, the
endless heat, the little food, the even less water. The not
knowing. Everything I guess. But his questions are getting to me
and I don’t know how to answer them!
Then I look at his face. His eyes have
gone all big and round at my cruel words, and his mouth is hanging
open so as I can see his half chewed food. I feel real ashamed at
my actions and I think to myself, ‘He’s just a little boy Tara. A
scared little boy just looking for some comfort.”
“ Or maybe,” I say, a little
gentler this time. “We’ll find a magical place where food grows on
the trees, and the animals all talk and….and the people live in
buildings that touch the sky. And they keep their mouths closed
when eating crow.”
I poke him in the ribs and he starts
giggling.
“ Now you’re just being
foolish,” he says, but I feel much better at hearing him laugh. I
poke him again, then start tickling his ribs, making him shriek in
glee.
“ Stop Tara!
Stop!”
I don’t see Cat approaching ‘til she’s
almost on top of us. She’s so black she blends right in with the
evening shadows. Silently, she pads up to Finn and drops whatever
she has caught tonight between us.
Shizen!
I fall backwards on my elbows and
shimmy away in fright at the rather large, still moving
critter.
“ What is that?” I say, a
little more loudly then I mean it to be. Finn, unlike me, is all
excited and grabs the creature’s head….no wait, heads! There are
two of ‘em attached to its long writhing body. He gets to his feet
and the critter is about as tall as he is!
“ Ain’t you ever seen a tree
snake before?” he asks, grinning like he’s got the moon in his
hands.
Feeling a little foolish now for
showing the boy my fright, my answer comes out a bit cross
like.
“ If I did then I wouldn’t
have to ask now would I?” I say, sniffing and wiping my hands on my
trousers, embarrassed by my reaction.
“Don’t look like something we should be eating,” I say.
The boy shakes his head, disagreeing.
“Nah, tree snakes are good to eat and real tender too. I cain’t
believe you never seen one before.”
He is truly tickled to be one up on me.
I give him my best irritating look.
“ Aye.... well if you’re such
an expert then you can clean it and cook it,” I say holding out my
knife. He just shrugs and takes it from me.
“ Okay. I’d be better at it
anyways since you don’t even know what it is!” he says and cracks
up laughing at his own
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