Read Online The Ghost Lights of Marfa by Maeve Alpin - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Maeve Alpin
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they keep famous art in it.”
“I want to go there.” Cody bounced on the backseat.
She turned the corner and parked the car in the lot. They jumped out and rushed toward the twenty-foot-tall horseshoe.
Her gaze scanned the rough, dark brown surface and locked on the huge, bent nail stuck through the shoe. Kristy understood how the nail felt.
“It’s so big, Mommy.” Cody’s eyes grew wide and his face beamed. “What kind of horse would that fit?”
She laughed aloud. It had been days since she’d done that. “A pretty big horse.” What would she do without Cody? He was the one bright light in her life. She had to find a way to support him.
“I’ve never seen a giant horse.” Cody wobbled his head.
“No, but you‘ve seen a giant horseshoe.”
“Yeah, I have. Wait ‘til I tell the kids at school.” He reached his tiny hand out and touched the end of the horseshoe where it rested on its aluminum stand.
“Come, let’s see the rest.” Kristy grabbed his hand and they skipped toward the field scattered with huge concrete cubes.
She hadn’t explained that he couldn’t go back to his old school, that they couldn’t go back to their old house. She couldn’t bear for him to be afraid or worried. He didn’t know anything was wrong and she was going to do her best to keep it that way as long as she could. Though time was running out. Right now she only had the car and the belongings in the trunk, nothing else.
“Mommy, they’re big boxes.”
“Yes . . . art.”
As Cody ran in and out of the square sculptures, brandishing his pirate sword, Kristy waded through knee-high grass, past a stand of green, prickly-pear cactus. Her eyes drank in the panorama of the mountains, sloping against ribbons of pink and amber, rippling across the vast sky. She tilted her head back, gazing at the sinking sun. As she breathed in the fresh desert air, the weight of a thousand tons pressed against the pit of her stomach, then vanished, leaving her refreshed and hopeful. Surely if there was any place where her luck could turn around, it was this tiny, enchanting town.
She glanced at Cody, sword-fighting with a cluster of juniper trees. “Look at the sunset, punkin.”
The glowing orb floated over the gentle curve of the distant tanzanite-tinted mountains. “I wish this day would last forever.” The clouds changed from white to bright pink, like clumps of cotton candy. “I love you, Cody.”
“I love you too, Mommy.”
“It's dark enough now. Let’s go see those lights. I’ll race you.”
He reached the car first. She was still panting as she buckled him in, then she drove toward the observation deck.
* * * * *
On the way to the observation deck, her son sang an original Cody tune. “We’re going to the lights. We’re going to see the lights. We’re going to see the magic lights, the magic lights of Marfa.”
She rubbed her teeth against her lower lip as she glanced at the gauge, so close to empty. Kristy hoped she’d make it to the observation deck and back into town. Getting stranded on Highway 90 could ruin this vacation or what she called a vacation. But as the road stretched out before her, the observation deck seemed farther away than she anticipated.
“Mommy, where are the lights? I don’t see them. Are they coming? I want to see the lights.”
“I promise you, Cody, you’ll see them. Bright, glowing lights in the sky. Like magic.”
Kristy’s body hummed with excitement. An orange light, the size of a basketball, appeared out of the darkness, then as if animated, the sphere zipped and zagged across the sky. “Cody, look.” Suddenly, another light popped up. It blinked away as quickly as it appeared.
"Mommy, the lights turned on!”
"Yes they did, Cody. They sure did.” Out of nowhere, multi-colored flashes of red, white, green, and yellow rollicked in the sky. “I don’t have to drive to the observation deck. We can see them right here.”
The glowing balls drew her
“I want to go there.” Cody bounced on the backseat.
She turned the corner and parked the car in the lot. They jumped out and rushed toward the twenty-foot-tall horseshoe.
Her gaze scanned the rough, dark brown surface and locked on the huge, bent nail stuck through the shoe. Kristy understood how the nail felt.
“It’s so big, Mommy.” Cody’s eyes grew wide and his face beamed. “What kind of horse would that fit?”
She laughed aloud. It had been days since she’d done that. “A pretty big horse.” What would she do without Cody? He was the one bright light in her life. She had to find a way to support him.
“I’ve never seen a giant horse.” Cody wobbled his head.
“No, but you‘ve seen a giant horseshoe.”
“Yeah, I have. Wait ‘til I tell the kids at school.” He reached his tiny hand out and touched the end of the horseshoe where it rested on its aluminum stand.
“Come, let’s see the rest.” Kristy grabbed his hand and they skipped toward the field scattered with huge concrete cubes.
She hadn’t explained that he couldn’t go back to his old school, that they couldn’t go back to their old house. She couldn’t bear for him to be afraid or worried. He didn’t know anything was wrong and she was going to do her best to keep it that way as long as she could. Though time was running out. Right now she only had the car and the belongings in the trunk, nothing else.
“Mommy, they’re big boxes.”
“Yes . . . art.”
As Cody ran in and out of the square sculptures, brandishing his pirate sword, Kristy waded through knee-high grass, past a stand of green, prickly-pear cactus. Her eyes drank in the panorama of the mountains, sloping against ribbons of pink and amber, rippling across the vast sky. She tilted her head back, gazing at the sinking sun. As she breathed in the fresh desert air, the weight of a thousand tons pressed against the pit of her stomach, then vanished, leaving her refreshed and hopeful. Surely if there was any place where her luck could turn around, it was this tiny, enchanting town.
She glanced at Cody, sword-fighting with a cluster of juniper trees. “Look at the sunset, punkin.”
The glowing orb floated over the gentle curve of the distant tanzanite-tinted mountains. “I wish this day would last forever.” The clouds changed from white to bright pink, like clumps of cotton candy. “I love you, Cody.”
“I love you too, Mommy.”
“It's dark enough now. Let’s go see those lights. I’ll race you.”
He reached the car first. She was still panting as she buckled him in, then she drove toward the observation deck.
* * * * *
On the way to the observation deck, her son sang an original Cody tune. “We’re going to the lights. We’re going to see the lights. We’re going to see the magic lights, the magic lights of Marfa.”
She rubbed her teeth against her lower lip as she glanced at the gauge, so close to empty. Kristy hoped she’d make it to the observation deck and back into town. Getting stranded on Highway 90 could ruin this vacation or what she called a vacation. But as the road stretched out before her, the observation deck seemed farther away than she anticipated.
“Mommy, where are the lights? I don’t see them. Are they coming? I want to see the lights.”
“I promise you, Cody, you’ll see them. Bright, glowing lights in the sky. Like magic.”
Kristy’s body hummed with excitement. An orange light, the size of a basketball, appeared out of the darkness, then as if animated, the sphere zipped and zagged across the sky. “Cody, look.” Suddenly, another light popped up. It blinked away as quickly as it appeared.
"Mommy, the lights turned on!”
"Yes they did, Cody. They sure did.” Out of nowhere, multi-colored flashes of red, white, green, and yellow rollicked in the sky. “I don’t have to drive to the observation deck. We can see them right here.”
The glowing balls drew her
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