Read Online The Satyr's Head: Tales of Terror by Brian Lumley, Ramsey Campbell, David A. Riley - Free Book Online Page A
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there was nothing. I sobbed.
‘Can’t find me,’ said the voice, ‘Can’t catch me, ’ whispered the voice, spiraling into oblivion!
PROVISIONING by David Campton
TWO ROCKING CHAIRS creaked slowly on the old porch. Adam’s chair creaked more slowly than Keziah’s, but Adam was the elder brother—by a good ten minutes. There was a noticeable bald patch in Adam’s foxy hair, whereas there were mere streaks of grey in his brother’s thatch. ‘Pepper n’ salt,’ giggled Kez when he thought about it. Kez enjoyed a joke, and would often giggle for as long as a week after a good one. Kez was the thrifty one: he liked things to last, even a joke.
The boards of the porch groaned in sympathy as the chairs swayed lazily backwards and forwards.
‘Been a thinkin’,’ said Kez.
Adam’s eyes opened, then closed momentarily as he yawned. He settled his great hands behind his head and stared at a cloud as it leisurely crossed the bright sky. The cloud passed.
‘Uh-huh?’ said Adam.
‘Been thinkin’ ’bout things we should’ve been doin’,’ went on Kez. Kez was the active one. He had ideas, and would sometimes talk about them on and off for days as he rocked on the porch in summer, or by the stove in winter. Kez was the one who thought about getting things done. Adam was more easily satisfied.
‘The Lord provides,’ said Adam.
‘The Lord provides,’ echoed Kez, ‘But there’s still things need to be done. The shingle needs fixin’.’
Needed fixin’ these five years,’ agreed Adam.
‘I guess a hammer and a few nails would fix it,’ said Kez.
‘Sure would,’ said Adam. He rocked for a few minutes. ‘But the Lord will provide. Don’t you go aflyin’ in the face of the Lord. There’s a good spring o’ clear water out back, praise the Lord.’
‘Praise the Lord,’ responded Kez.
‘All we need is that good spring o’ clear water out back,’ said Adam. He crossed his hands over his belly and closed his eyes, as though exhausted by the conversation.
But Kez was in the mood for talk.
‘Worsen a dawg at the moon,’ grumbled Adam when his twin persisted.
‘There’s things,’ insisted Kez.
Adam watched a great bird making slow circles in the sky. Had something disturbed it? He pushed the problem to the back of his mind to await a more auspicious moment for rumination.
‘Like Betsey,’ went on Kez. ‘I keep thinkin’ ’bout Betsey.’
‘I think ’bout Betsey, too, agreed Adam. A great sigh stirred his red, chest-length beard. ‘Sometimes I wonder if she thinks ’bout us.’
‘We oughta’ve buried her,’ said Kez.
‘Yep, we shoulda buried her,’ sighed Adam. ‘She’s been waitin’ fer it fer long enough.’
‘Her bein’ our sister,’ continued Kez. ‘A sister has a call on a body.’
‘S’funny,’ murmured Adam. ‘As the days go by, I don’t seem to notice Betsey so much.’
‘Must be nigh on two years.’
‘Ain’t much left on Betsey now, Hardly worth disturbin’ the ground for,’
The rocking continued. Adam watched the trees in the far distance shimmering in the heat haze. The Indian Summer this year seemed to last and last, and there could be no better place than the old porch for soaking up what was left of the sun.
‘Pity we had to hit her with the axe.’
Wasn’t that just like Kez, gnawing at a topic that had no meat left on it. ‘She wouldn’t see reason,’ said Adam firmly, hoping to kill a conversation that threatened to go on and on.
‘Perhaps us hitting Herb Tindy with the axe first had sumpn’ to do with it,’ mused Kez, ‘’Specially with him lyin’ on top of her at the time.’
‘She wouldn’t see reason,’ repeated Adam. ‘Screamin’ an’ screamin’. Botherin’ a body. Never could ’bide noise. Herb Tindy never said a word.’
‘Guess I took his head near off at the first chop,’ went on Kez. ‘Guess Betsey was took bad at the blood.’
‘She never made no fuss at hog-killin’.’
‘But
‘Can’t find me,’ said the voice, ‘Can’t catch me, ’ whispered the voice, spiraling into oblivion!
PROVISIONING by David Campton
TWO ROCKING CHAIRS creaked slowly on the old porch. Adam’s chair creaked more slowly than Keziah’s, but Adam was the elder brother—by a good ten minutes. There was a noticeable bald patch in Adam’s foxy hair, whereas there were mere streaks of grey in his brother’s thatch. ‘Pepper n’ salt,’ giggled Kez when he thought about it. Kez enjoyed a joke, and would often giggle for as long as a week after a good one. Kez was the thrifty one: he liked things to last, even a joke.
The boards of the porch groaned in sympathy as the chairs swayed lazily backwards and forwards.
‘Been a thinkin’,’ said Kez.
Adam’s eyes opened, then closed momentarily as he yawned. He settled his great hands behind his head and stared at a cloud as it leisurely crossed the bright sky. The cloud passed.
‘Uh-huh?’ said Adam.
‘Been thinkin’ ’bout things we should’ve been doin’,’ went on Kez. Kez was the active one. He had ideas, and would sometimes talk about them on and off for days as he rocked on the porch in summer, or by the stove in winter. Kez was the one who thought about getting things done. Adam was more easily satisfied.
‘The Lord provides,’ said Adam.
‘The Lord provides,’ echoed Kez, ‘But there’s still things need to be done. The shingle needs fixin’.’
Needed fixin’ these five years,’ agreed Adam.
‘I guess a hammer and a few nails would fix it,’ said Kez.
‘Sure would,’ said Adam. He rocked for a few minutes. ‘But the Lord will provide. Don’t you go aflyin’ in the face of the Lord. There’s a good spring o’ clear water out back, praise the Lord.’
‘Praise the Lord,’ responded Kez.
‘All we need is that good spring o’ clear water out back,’ said Adam. He crossed his hands over his belly and closed his eyes, as though exhausted by the conversation.
But Kez was in the mood for talk.
‘Worsen a dawg at the moon,’ grumbled Adam when his twin persisted.
‘There’s things,’ insisted Kez.
Adam watched a great bird making slow circles in the sky. Had something disturbed it? He pushed the problem to the back of his mind to await a more auspicious moment for rumination.
‘Like Betsey,’ went on Kez. ‘I keep thinkin’ ’bout Betsey.’
‘I think ’bout Betsey, too, agreed Adam. A great sigh stirred his red, chest-length beard. ‘Sometimes I wonder if she thinks ’bout us.’
‘We oughta’ve buried her,’ said Kez.
‘Yep, we shoulda buried her,’ sighed Adam. ‘She’s been waitin’ fer it fer long enough.’
‘Her bein’ our sister,’ continued Kez. ‘A sister has a call on a body.’
‘S’funny,’ murmured Adam. ‘As the days go by, I don’t seem to notice Betsey so much.’
‘Must be nigh on two years.’
‘Ain’t much left on Betsey now, Hardly worth disturbin’ the ground for,’
The rocking continued. Adam watched the trees in the far distance shimmering in the heat haze. The Indian Summer this year seemed to last and last, and there could be no better place than the old porch for soaking up what was left of the sun.
‘Pity we had to hit her with the axe.’
Wasn’t that just like Kez, gnawing at a topic that had no meat left on it. ‘She wouldn’t see reason,’ said Adam firmly, hoping to kill a conversation that threatened to go on and on.
‘Perhaps us hitting Herb Tindy with the axe first had sumpn’ to do with it,’ mused Kez, ‘’Specially with him lyin’ on top of her at the time.’
‘She wouldn’t see reason,’ repeated Adam. ‘Screamin’ an’ screamin’. Botherin’ a body. Never could ’bide noise. Herb Tindy never said a word.’
‘Guess I took his head near off at the first chop,’ went on Kez. ‘Guess Betsey was took bad at the blood.’
‘She never made no fuss at hog-killin’.’
‘But
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