Read Online Carol of the Bellskis by Astrid Amara - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Astrid Amara
Ads: Link
sore and
his throat locked in that terrible way.
Carol of the Bellskis
49
He hoped Lars would be gone when he woke up, but he never actually slept, and of course,
he didn't really want Lars to leave. That was the worst part. He was a hypocrite. He hated the fact
that, when he heard Lars's low voice downstairs, relief washed through him at the same level as
his anger.
But there were other voices downstairs, growing in volume. It got dark outside, time for
Shabbat to end and the third candle to be lit. He forced himself out of his room and downstairs to
meet his guests, who paced the living room, debating whether they should break the rules of
Shabbat and call the police or wait until it was completely dark.
“What's happened now?” Seth complained, rubbing his temples. He couldn't take much
more of this.
“It's Mendel!” Rita Rosenbaum cried. “I can't find him!”
In her panic, she couldn't explain the situation very well. Sharon and Heidi Neidlich
translated, however.
“They had a fight,” Sharon told him. “And Mendel stormed out toward the woods, but he
hasn't come back.”
“Sometimes people just want to be alone after an argument,” Seth said testily as he looked
over to where Lars stood silently by the dining-room table. He had set it for dinner, Seth noticed.
Lars looked upset but didn't say a word.
“He's been gone for four hours,” Sharon said. “Rita doesn't think it's normal.”
Rita was too busy crying in front of the fireplace to answer.
“For God's sake, do we have a vortex hidden in the basement here? Where are all these
missing people going?” Seth grabbed his coat.
“Hold on. I'll come with you,” Lars said.
Seth nearly shouted, Don't bother , but Sharon grabbed her coat as well. “We can help too.”
Heidi ran up to their room to fetch her jacket and returned, bundled as if a single snowflake
touching her skin would kill her instantly.
Outside, the snow started to fall again, but it did so lazily, in swirly, halfhearted circles.
“If you two follow this path,” Seth told the sisters, pointing to the left, “it will eventually
circle back and spit you out behind the garage over there. Do you have phones on you?”
50
Astrid Amara
Heidi nodded and held up her cell phone. It looked minuscule inside her skiing mitten.
They exchanged numbers, and then Seth led Lars in the other direction.
The trail was partly obscured by the heavy snow, but before long Seth made out footsteps,
although they looked to be hours old.
Lars didn't say anything at first, and Seth was glad. He was still too angry to speak, and if
Lars said the wrong word, Seth feared he would actually hit him.
“You sure you know where you're going?” Lars asked finally, breaking the icy silence.
Seth nodded. “I've walked these trails for years now. Besides, you can see his footsteps
here.”
Lars squinted in the dark. “Where?”
Seth waved at the outline with his flashlight.
Lars straightened and gave Seth an odd look.
“What?” Seth asked.
Lars shrugged. A few steps later, he kicked at the snow. “That's pretty cool.”
“What is?”
“You. Tracking someone in the dark.”
Seth snorted. “It's not like I'm reading scat in the wilderness for a rare species of bird. I'm
following large footprints in fresh snow.”
“Still. I'm impressed.” Lars sounded humbled. He moved a little closer.
Seth smiled to himself. “You don't think much of me, do you?”
“Eh?” Lars scowled at him. “What do you mean?”
“I'm just your paralegal,” Seth said. “You don't respect that, and so in a way, you don't
respect me.”
“That's not true. I have no idea how you organized that filing system.” Lars smiled as he
said it.
But Seth just sighed. “You think I'm a chump.”
Lars scoffed. “Come on. You know I have too much ego to be with a chump. I can only be
with someone I think is smarter than me.”
Carol of the Bellskis
51
Seth snorted.
his throat locked in that terrible way.
Carol of the Bellskis
49
He hoped Lars would be gone when he woke up, but he never actually slept, and of course,
he didn't really want Lars to leave. That was the worst part. He was a hypocrite. He hated the fact
that, when he heard Lars's low voice downstairs, relief washed through him at the same level as
his anger.
But there were other voices downstairs, growing in volume. It got dark outside, time for
Shabbat to end and the third candle to be lit. He forced himself out of his room and downstairs to
meet his guests, who paced the living room, debating whether they should break the rules of
Shabbat and call the police or wait until it was completely dark.
“What's happened now?” Seth complained, rubbing his temples. He couldn't take much
more of this.
“It's Mendel!” Rita Rosenbaum cried. “I can't find him!”
In her panic, she couldn't explain the situation very well. Sharon and Heidi Neidlich
translated, however.
“They had a fight,” Sharon told him. “And Mendel stormed out toward the woods, but he
hasn't come back.”
“Sometimes people just want to be alone after an argument,” Seth said testily as he looked
over to where Lars stood silently by the dining-room table. He had set it for dinner, Seth noticed.
Lars looked upset but didn't say a word.
“He's been gone for four hours,” Sharon said. “Rita doesn't think it's normal.”
Rita was too busy crying in front of the fireplace to answer.
“For God's sake, do we have a vortex hidden in the basement here? Where are all these
missing people going?” Seth grabbed his coat.
“Hold on. I'll come with you,” Lars said.
Seth nearly shouted, Don't bother , but Sharon grabbed her coat as well. “We can help too.”
Heidi ran up to their room to fetch her jacket and returned, bundled as if a single snowflake
touching her skin would kill her instantly.
Outside, the snow started to fall again, but it did so lazily, in swirly, halfhearted circles.
“If you two follow this path,” Seth told the sisters, pointing to the left, “it will eventually
circle back and spit you out behind the garage over there. Do you have phones on you?”
50
Astrid Amara
Heidi nodded and held up her cell phone. It looked minuscule inside her skiing mitten.
They exchanged numbers, and then Seth led Lars in the other direction.
The trail was partly obscured by the heavy snow, but before long Seth made out footsteps,
although they looked to be hours old.
Lars didn't say anything at first, and Seth was glad. He was still too angry to speak, and if
Lars said the wrong word, Seth feared he would actually hit him.
“You sure you know where you're going?” Lars asked finally, breaking the icy silence.
Seth nodded. “I've walked these trails for years now. Besides, you can see his footsteps
here.”
Lars squinted in the dark. “Where?”
Seth waved at the outline with his flashlight.
Lars straightened and gave Seth an odd look.
“What?” Seth asked.
Lars shrugged. A few steps later, he kicked at the snow. “That's pretty cool.”
“What is?”
“You. Tracking someone in the dark.”
Seth snorted. “It's not like I'm reading scat in the wilderness for a rare species of bird. I'm
following large footprints in fresh snow.”
“Still. I'm impressed.” Lars sounded humbled. He moved a little closer.
Seth smiled to himself. “You don't think much of me, do you?”
“Eh?” Lars scowled at him. “What do you mean?”
“I'm just your paralegal,” Seth said. “You don't respect that, and so in a way, you don't
respect me.”
“That's not true. I have no idea how you organized that filing system.” Lars smiled as he
said it.
But Seth just sighed. “You think I'm a chump.”
Lars scoffed. “Come on. You know I have too much ego to be with a chump. I can only be
with someone I think is smarter than me.”
Carol of the Bellskis
51
Seth snorted.
Similar Books
