snow dropped straight down, thick and unrelenting, like an endless army of white.
I stood there for a while, until I was sure I was alone, then I reached into the car and pulled the blanket away.
Syl’s eyes were closed. He’d slipped to the side, and his mouth hung half open. In the shadow, his lips looked purple and I could see his tongue pressing out from behind his teeth like a swollen dark worm.
I reached down and grabbed his legs then swung them around until his feet hung out the door, then I leaned in and took his arm and pulled him up to sitting. He was heavy, so I ducked low and draped his arm over my neck then lifted him across my shoulders and kicked the car door closed.
I’d seen enough war movies to know how to carry a man, but this was the first time I’d ever done it, and it was harder than it’d looked on the screen.
Syl must’ve outweighed me by fifty pounds, and by the time I’d made it halfway to the playground, my legs were burning under me. All I wanted was to stop and rest, but I knew if I put him down, picking him up again would be even harder.
I kept moving and tried my best to focus on anything other than the weight on my back.
When I got to the edge of the playground, I stopped and looked out at the field in the distance. There was a single cottonwood tree standing alone in the middle of the snow, and from where I stood, it looked miles away.
I considered dropping him closer, finding a hidden spot in the playground and hoping for the best, but that wasn’t an option. In order for things to work, Syl needed to stay hidden for as long as possible.
Under the tree, buried in snow.
The longer he was out of sight, the less chance of someone tracing him back to us. If that meant carrying him all the way through the field to the tree, then that’s what I was going to do. I didn’t think I’d make it without resting along the way, but I was determined to get past the playground first.
I didn’t make it.
Halfway through, I stopped walking and eased Syl to the ground. I knelt next to him and waited for the burn in my legs to pass. When it did, I looked around.
I was surrounded on all sides by snow-covered animal rides. Rabbits, chickens, pigs, and horses, all standing silent and still on thick black industrial springs. There were swings on one end of the playground, and a set of monkey bars on the other, and in the middle was a slide shaped like a giant turtle.
I’d been right after all.
The turtle’s legs were thick ladders leading to the top of his shell. His tail was the slide, and on the other end, his head stretched out from his body and hung low over the ground. The turtle’s face was scarred and dim, and the eyes were the size of Frisbees. I could tell at one time they’d been painted white, but now they were weatherworn and faded to gray, the color of storm clouds.
I stepped closer then reached out to touch the turtle’s face. As I did, a white light passed over the playground. I turned fast then dropped to the ground and pushed myself back, under the shell.
I saw a car pull in from the highway and stop next to the office. The headlights were aimed directly at the playground. I didn’t move. My heart was slamming against my ribs, and I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing and tried to stay calm.
Syl was where I’d left him, lying on his side in the snow. The light shone directly on him. All it would take was for someone to look our way, and they’d see him.
I eased myself down to my stomach then inched my way out from under the shell. When I got close to Syl, I reached for his leg and tried to pull him out of the light.
He was too heavy, and it didn’t work.
Instead, I pushed him onto his back so he wasn’t quite as visible, then I crawled back under the shell and waited.
A few minutes passed, then I heard a car door shut followed by the welcome bells above the office door.
There were several small slots cut along the plastic shell, but when I looked
I stood there for a while, until I was sure I was alone, then I reached into the car and pulled the blanket away.
Syl’s eyes were closed. He’d slipped to the side, and his mouth hung half open. In the shadow, his lips looked purple and I could see his tongue pressing out from behind his teeth like a swollen dark worm.
I reached down and grabbed his legs then swung them around until his feet hung out the door, then I leaned in and took his arm and pulled him up to sitting. He was heavy, so I ducked low and draped his arm over my neck then lifted him across my shoulders and kicked the car door closed.
I’d seen enough war movies to know how to carry a man, but this was the first time I’d ever done it, and it was harder than it’d looked on the screen.
Syl must’ve outweighed me by fifty pounds, and by the time I’d made it halfway to the playground, my legs were burning under me. All I wanted was to stop and rest, but I knew if I put him down, picking him up again would be even harder.
I kept moving and tried my best to focus on anything other than the weight on my back.
When I got to the edge of the playground, I stopped and looked out at the field in the distance. There was a single cottonwood tree standing alone in the middle of the snow, and from where I stood, it looked miles away.
I considered dropping him closer, finding a hidden spot in the playground and hoping for the best, but that wasn’t an option. In order for things to work, Syl needed to stay hidden for as long as possible.
Under the tree, buried in snow.
The longer he was out of sight, the less chance of someone tracing him back to us. If that meant carrying him all the way through the field to the tree, then that’s what I was going to do. I didn’t think I’d make it without resting along the way, but I was determined to get past the playground first.
I didn’t make it.
Halfway through, I stopped walking and eased Syl to the ground. I knelt next to him and waited for the burn in my legs to pass. When it did, I looked around.
I was surrounded on all sides by snow-covered animal rides. Rabbits, chickens, pigs, and horses, all standing silent and still on thick black industrial springs. There were swings on one end of the playground, and a set of monkey bars on the other, and in the middle was a slide shaped like a giant turtle.
I’d been right after all.
The turtle’s legs were thick ladders leading to the top of his shell. His tail was the slide, and on the other end, his head stretched out from his body and hung low over the ground. The turtle’s face was scarred and dim, and the eyes were the size of Frisbees. I could tell at one time they’d been painted white, but now they were weatherworn and faded to gray, the color of storm clouds.
I stepped closer then reached out to touch the turtle’s face. As I did, a white light passed over the playground. I turned fast then dropped to the ground and pushed myself back, under the shell.
I saw a car pull in from the highway and stop next to the office. The headlights were aimed directly at the playground. I didn’t move. My heart was slamming against my ribs, and I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing and tried to stay calm.
Syl was where I’d left him, lying on his side in the snow. The light shone directly on him. All it would take was for someone to look our way, and they’d see him.
I eased myself down to my stomach then inched my way out from under the shell. When I got close to Syl, I reached for his leg and tried to pull him out of the light.
He was too heavy, and it didn’t work.
Instead, I pushed him onto his back so he wasn’t quite as visible, then I crawled back under the shell and waited.
A few minutes passed, then I heard a car door shut followed by the welcome bells above the office door.
There were several small slots cut along the plastic shell, but when I looked
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