Read Online Halloween Candy by Douglas Clegg - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Douglas Clegg
Ads: Link
the bathtub and shower nozzle. 98
Paul closed his eyes, remembering the woman’s bloody torso in the tub.
Remembering Marie in the pink water.
When he opened his eyes, he said, “All right. You have me. You took Marie. What is it you want?”
He sat on the edge of the tub, waiting for something. He laughed to himself, thinking of how stupid this was, how he was old enough to know better...how Fazzo the Fabulous had butchered some woman up here, and that was all. How Marie had killed herself at their home, and that was all.
There was no heaven.
He laughed for awhile, to himself. Reached in his pocket and drew out a pack of cigarettes. Lit one up, and inhaled. The night came as he sat there, and with it darkness.
Sometime, just after midnight, he heard the humming of the flies, and the drip drop of rusty water as it splashed into the tub.
In a moment, he saw the light come up, from the edge of the forest, near the great tree, and two iguanas scuttled across the moss-covered 99
rocks. It came in flashes at first, as if the skin of the world were being stripped away layer by layer, until the white bone of life came through, and then the green of a deep wood. The boy was there, and Paul recognized him without ever having seen his picture.
“You’ve finally come to join us, then,” the boy said. “Marie told me all about you.”
“Marie? Is she here?” Paul’s tongue dried in his mouth, knowing that this was pure hallucination, but wanting it to be true.
The boy--and it was Joey, Fazzo’s friend--nodded, holding his hand out.
The world had turned liquid around him, and for a moment he felt he was refocusing a camera in his mind, as the world solidified again. The great white birds stood like sentries off at some distance. A deer in the wood glanced up at the new intruder. Through them, as if they were translucent, he saw something else--like a veil through which he could see another person, or a thin curtain, someone watching him from the other side of the gossamer fabric. Lightning flashed across the green sky. A face emerged in the forest--the trees and the fern and the birds 100
and the lizards all seemed part of it. A face that was neither kind or cruel.
And then, he saw her, running towards him so fast it took his breath away. She was still twenty, but she had none of the deformities of body, and the machines no longer purred beside her. “Paul! You’ve come! I knew you would!”
She grabbed his hand, squeezing it. “I’ve waited forever for you, you should’ve come earlier.”
Joey nodded. “See? I told you he’d come eventually.”
Paul grabbed his sister in his arms, pressing as close to her as he could. Tears burst from his eyes, and he felt the warmth of her skin, the smell of her hair, the smell of her--the fragrance of his beautiful, vibrant sister. He no longer cared what illusion had produced this, he did not ever want to let go of her.
But she pulled back, finally. “Paul, you’re crying. Don’t.” She reached up and touched the edge of his cheek.
“I thought I’d never see you again, I thought--” he said, but covered his face to stop the tears.
101
“Yes, you did,” Marie said. “You believed in 265 all along. They told me you did. They knew you did.”
“Who are they?” he asked.
Marie glanced at Joey. “I can’t tell you.”
“No names,” Joey whispered a warning.
The rain splintered through the forest cover like slivers of glass, all around them, and the puddles that formed were small mirror shards reflecting the sky.
Marie grasped Paul’s hand.
He could not get over her warmth. “How...how did you get here?”
She put a finger to her lips. “Shh. Isn’t it enough that we’re here now, together?”
Paul nodded his head.
“It won’t last long,” Marie said, curiously looking up at the glassy rain as it poured around them.
“The rain?” he asked, feeling that this was better than any heaven he could imagine.
Paul closed his eyes, remembering the woman’s bloody torso in the tub.
Remembering Marie in the pink water.
When he opened his eyes, he said, “All right. You have me. You took Marie. What is it you want?”
He sat on the edge of the tub, waiting for something. He laughed to himself, thinking of how stupid this was, how he was old enough to know better...how Fazzo the Fabulous had butchered some woman up here, and that was all. How Marie had killed herself at their home, and that was all.
There was no heaven.
He laughed for awhile, to himself. Reached in his pocket and drew out a pack of cigarettes. Lit one up, and inhaled. The night came as he sat there, and with it darkness.
Sometime, just after midnight, he heard the humming of the flies, and the drip drop of rusty water as it splashed into the tub.
In a moment, he saw the light come up, from the edge of the forest, near the great tree, and two iguanas scuttled across the moss-covered 99
rocks. It came in flashes at first, as if the skin of the world were being stripped away layer by layer, until the white bone of life came through, and then the green of a deep wood. The boy was there, and Paul recognized him without ever having seen his picture.
“You’ve finally come to join us, then,” the boy said. “Marie told me all about you.”
“Marie? Is she here?” Paul’s tongue dried in his mouth, knowing that this was pure hallucination, but wanting it to be true.
The boy--and it was Joey, Fazzo’s friend--nodded, holding his hand out.
The world had turned liquid around him, and for a moment he felt he was refocusing a camera in his mind, as the world solidified again. The great white birds stood like sentries off at some distance. A deer in the wood glanced up at the new intruder. Through them, as if they were translucent, he saw something else--like a veil through which he could see another person, or a thin curtain, someone watching him from the other side of the gossamer fabric. Lightning flashed across the green sky. A face emerged in the forest--the trees and the fern and the birds 100
and the lizards all seemed part of it. A face that was neither kind or cruel.
And then, he saw her, running towards him so fast it took his breath away. She was still twenty, but she had none of the deformities of body, and the machines no longer purred beside her. “Paul! You’ve come! I knew you would!”
She grabbed his hand, squeezing it. “I’ve waited forever for you, you should’ve come earlier.”
Joey nodded. “See? I told you he’d come eventually.”
Paul grabbed his sister in his arms, pressing as close to her as he could. Tears burst from his eyes, and he felt the warmth of her skin, the smell of her hair, the smell of her--the fragrance of his beautiful, vibrant sister. He no longer cared what illusion had produced this, he did not ever want to let go of her.
But she pulled back, finally. “Paul, you’re crying. Don’t.” She reached up and touched the edge of his cheek.
“I thought I’d never see you again, I thought--” he said, but covered his face to stop the tears.
101
“Yes, you did,” Marie said. “You believed in 265 all along. They told me you did. They knew you did.”
“Who are they?” he asked.
Marie glanced at Joey. “I can’t tell you.”
“No names,” Joey whispered a warning.
The rain splintered through the forest cover like slivers of glass, all around them, and the puddles that formed were small mirror shards reflecting the sky.
Marie grasped Paul’s hand.
He could not get over her warmth. “How...how did you get here?”
She put a finger to her lips. “Shh. Isn’t it enough that we’re here now, together?”
Paul nodded his head.
“It won’t last long,” Marie said, curiously looking up at the glassy rain as it poured around them.
“The rain?” he asked, feeling that this was better than any heaven he could imagine.
Similar Books
