Read Online Magic City by Jewell Parker Rhodes - Free Book Online

it—his dreams, his brother dead . A spray of blood washed across his face. When had Gabe stopped fighting? Gabe’snose was draining red and his left eye was swelling, discoloring. Joe’s hands were bruised and bleeding. Forcing back his anger, fists still clenched, Joe rolled off Gabe’s chest.
    Gabe got up and found a clean rag and held it to his nose, head thrown back. “You fight mean, little brother. I thought that magic shit had made you soft.”
    â€œHow’d he die, Gabe? I want to know everything. How’d he get hit? Where? How’d it happen?”
    Gabe looked at him, arrested. “What could I possibly tell you that you don’t already know? I thought you knew everything. How to do magic. How to beat back the white man.”
    â€œStop it, Gabe.”
    Gabe cocked his head and squatted, the bloody rag dangling between his legs. Joe faced him, cross-legged, on the dirt.
    â€œYou know all about me, don’t you?” asked Gabe.
    Puzzled, Joe heard a soft threat behind the words. “No,” he said carefully. “But I think I can guess.”
    â€œDo tell.”
    â€œI’m your friend, Gabe.”
    Gabe waved his hand, dismissive. “What do you know?” he asked softly.
    Joe felt small again. He didn’t want to be fighting Gabe. “I already figured Henry was hurt bad. That’s why the closed coffin. I figured you told them government people to write that, knowing how vain Henry was about his looks. How upset Mother would be.”
    Gabe had his knife out, digging a hole. Joe looked at the small well Gabe was making—sloping and deep in the center.
    â€œI know war must be bad. Terrible things must happen. All you needed was to tell Mother Henry was calling for her. That’s all. But you never said a word. We—I wanted to know it wasn’t a lie.”
    Joe swallowed, staring at the triangle of dirt between Gabe’s legs. “I was only fourteen. I kept expecting the coffin to open and I was mad ’cause it wouldn’t. I was mad at you. Mad you had nothing to say. You wouldn’t even praise Henry. So I figured it was all a lie. Someone else in the coffin. Henry wasn’t dead. There was some trick like Houdini’s boxes. All I had to do was open the coffin, find the magic key—” He shook his head. “I tried it when folks were asleep. I went down to theviewing room and tried to pry open the coffin. Prove to everybody that Henry had disappeared. He wasn’t dead.”
    Joe remembered the haunting sounds of wood beneath his feet, moths beating at the window, and his own ragged breath. He’d stared at the gleaming coffin until dawn. He’d sworn he’d find a way to bring his brother back—some magic, some trick. He’d make his brother reappear .
    Joe looked up, realizing Gabe was staring at him.
    â€œI’ve grown up now. I realize Henry’s dead. I ain’t crazy. But we all would’ve believed it better if you’d been the one to tell us, Gabe. A government letter don’t mean nothing.”
    Joe let his head thump against the wall. “No one speaks of Henry anymore. Father won’t allow it. It’s like he never was.”
    Joe feared he’d always be less than his brother packed in a coffin under an avalanche of dirt. He needed a man’s recognition to find his place in the world. Houdini helped. Staring at his eyes could make Joe believe in anything, believe in himself. He could never see himself in his father’s eyes. He simply disappeared. Joe looked but he couldn’t find his reflection in Gabe’s blood swelling eye.
    â€œYour eye looks pretty bad. We should go to town, have Lying Man look at it.”
    Gabe said nothing.
    â€œCome on, man. I’ll even buy you a haircut.” Trying to coax a smile out of Gabe, Joe made a quarter appear.
    â€œRustle me up a dollar. A quarter won’t buy shit.”
    Joe dodged out