cascading hair - red cascading hair.
The woman in the window.
“Hi.” Andy squinted. The woman spun slightly. He put his hand to his head. “I think I’m okay.”
The woman offered her hand. Andy grabbed it and was hoisted to a standing position. His legs felt shaky. The world swam, the trees revolving about him as if horses in a carousel, Andy at the center.
The woman’s laugh warbled through the air into Andy’s ears. “Sorry if I scared you.”
“No, that’s all right.” Andy looked at his feet, concentrating on them, trying to calm the spinning world down. He shut his eyes, relaxed, and opened them again. The earth finally fell still and silent.
The woman said, “I just thought I’d warn you about the glass. There’s still some bits of it around the edges.”
Andy’s face flushed.
“Oh, geez - I think you’re bleeding.”
Andy looked at his hands and saw a long red gash in one of them.
“It looks bad.” She grabbed his injured hand and examined it. “I’ve got some bandages I can wrap that up in.”
“No, I – ”
“It’s no problem. Really.” She lightly shook his injured hand in greeting. “My name’s Natalie. Natalie Plant. I live past those trees.” She nodded towards her house.
“I’m Andy.” He couldn’t look too closely at her eyes, feeling guilty about spying on her. What if she'd seen him?
“Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”
Andy looked up, realizing how ridiculous his thoughts had been.
“No, I'm fine. It’s just that I didn’t notice the cut until you mentioned it.”
“Oh, well - I’m sorry.” She laughed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”
A drop of blood dripped from Andy’s hand and disappeared into the grass at his feet.
Natalie looked toward the shed. “Did you lose something in there?”
A second drop issued from his wound and landed on his shoe, leaving a dime-size splatter stain. He clenched his hand into a fist. “No. Just curious.”
“It’s empty.” Natalie squinted from the climbing sun. “Got any relatives here?”
Two more drops of blood trickled between Andy’s clenched fingers, landing on his pants. He pretended not to notice. “Sure,” he said.
“Me, too.” She held a fistful of daisies and walked over to the granite figure of Apollo, the grave Andy had noticed the night before.
Andy watched another drop of blood fall into the grass. A dull ache spread across his palm.
Natalie placed the daisies in front of the headstone. “My mother died a long time ago. I didn’t even know her. Dad’s in a wheelchair and has trouble maneuvering through the trail. I put most of the flowers here for him. I sometimes drive him over here on the road.” She lifted her chin slightly toward the gateway, with the gravel road leading off to the highway.
Andy walked over to the headstone. The cut in his hand throbbed, as if it had a pulse of its own. He opened his hand to take another look at his wound, and released a thin stream of blood, which fell onto the dull granite of the marker. He pulled his hand away quickly. “Oh, Jesus - I’m sorry.”
Natalie bent down to wipe off the redness with her hand, but a light pink stain remained.
“It’s all right. I should be the one who’s sorry. Why don’t we go get a bandage before you bleed all over everything.”
“I don’t want to be a bother.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I insist.”
Andy shrugged.
Natalie asked, “By the way - which are your relatives?”
Andy used his good hand to point. “These two are my grandparents.”
“You’re a Stone?”
“My last name’s Byrd, but yeah, these are my grandparents.”
Natalie looked carefully at Andy, studying his face. She turned away and walked towards the trail that led to her house. Without looking back, she said, “Coming?”
“I really don’t want to be - “
“Hush!”
The sun slipped behind a thin white cloud.
Andy followed.
SEVEN
“Mae? Can you help me with this?
The woman in the window.
“Hi.” Andy squinted. The woman spun slightly. He put his hand to his head. “I think I’m okay.”
The woman offered her hand. Andy grabbed it and was hoisted to a standing position. His legs felt shaky. The world swam, the trees revolving about him as if horses in a carousel, Andy at the center.
The woman’s laugh warbled through the air into Andy’s ears. “Sorry if I scared you.”
“No, that’s all right.” Andy looked at his feet, concentrating on them, trying to calm the spinning world down. He shut his eyes, relaxed, and opened them again. The earth finally fell still and silent.
The woman said, “I just thought I’d warn you about the glass. There’s still some bits of it around the edges.”
Andy’s face flushed.
“Oh, geez - I think you’re bleeding.”
Andy looked at his hands and saw a long red gash in one of them.
“It looks bad.” She grabbed his injured hand and examined it. “I’ve got some bandages I can wrap that up in.”
“No, I – ”
“It’s no problem. Really.” She lightly shook his injured hand in greeting. “My name’s Natalie. Natalie Plant. I live past those trees.” She nodded towards her house.
“I’m Andy.” He couldn’t look too closely at her eyes, feeling guilty about spying on her. What if she'd seen him?
“Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”
Andy looked up, realizing how ridiculous his thoughts had been.
“No, I'm fine. It’s just that I didn’t notice the cut until you mentioned it.”
“Oh, well - I’m sorry.” She laughed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”
A drop of blood dripped from Andy’s hand and disappeared into the grass at his feet.
Natalie looked toward the shed. “Did you lose something in there?”
A second drop issued from his wound and landed on his shoe, leaving a dime-size splatter stain. He clenched his hand into a fist. “No. Just curious.”
“It’s empty.” Natalie squinted from the climbing sun. “Got any relatives here?”
Two more drops of blood trickled between Andy’s clenched fingers, landing on his pants. He pretended not to notice. “Sure,” he said.
“Me, too.” She held a fistful of daisies and walked over to the granite figure of Apollo, the grave Andy had noticed the night before.
Andy watched another drop of blood fall into the grass. A dull ache spread across his palm.
Natalie placed the daisies in front of the headstone. “My mother died a long time ago. I didn’t even know her. Dad’s in a wheelchair and has trouble maneuvering through the trail. I put most of the flowers here for him. I sometimes drive him over here on the road.” She lifted her chin slightly toward the gateway, with the gravel road leading off to the highway.
Andy walked over to the headstone. The cut in his hand throbbed, as if it had a pulse of its own. He opened his hand to take another look at his wound, and released a thin stream of blood, which fell onto the dull granite of the marker. He pulled his hand away quickly. “Oh, Jesus - I’m sorry.”
Natalie bent down to wipe off the redness with her hand, but a light pink stain remained.
“It’s all right. I should be the one who’s sorry. Why don’t we go get a bandage before you bleed all over everything.”
“I don’t want to be a bother.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I insist.”
Andy shrugged.
Natalie asked, “By the way - which are your relatives?”
Andy used his good hand to point. “These two are my grandparents.”
“You’re a Stone?”
“My last name’s Byrd, but yeah, these are my grandparents.”
Natalie looked carefully at Andy, studying his face. She turned away and walked towards the trail that led to her house. Without looking back, she said, “Coming?”
“I really don’t want to be - “
“Hush!”
The sun slipped behind a thin white cloud.
Andy followed.
SEVEN
“Mae? Can you help me with this?
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