quaked in my direction.
The lump returned to my throat.
“ Me?”
He nodded. I backed
away a step and whispered to Piper.
“ Ah,
a little help here?”
I didn’t look
at her—didn't want to take my eye off the wizened man—but
felt her gaze. Its effect didn’t match her touch, but it
brought goose bumps to my neck and courage I wouldn’t have
found on my own.
“ Give
him what he wants.”
I didn’t want
to look away from the ferryman for fear it would be the last thing I
ever did, so I clenched my teeth instead of giving her the
disbelieving look her statement deserved.
I raised my hand
tentatively toward him. Our hands drew closer and I felt an
uncomfortable warmth radiating from his flesh. Then, with enough
speed to make a mongoose jealous, his fingers encircled my wrist.
As soon as his
flesh touched mine, I saw it wasn’t really a man stooped in
front of me, but a wolf-shaped beast—the huge, misshapen
werewolf from ‘An American Werewolf in London’ come to
life. Terror froze me. The wolf-beast jerked me toward him and
lurched forward; its jaws found my shoulder, fangs dug into muscle.
I screamed.
The thing shook its
head once, rending my flesh. It reared back, a chunk of me in its
teeth, my blood running between its jaws. A wave of nausea overtook
me, spinning my head, dizzying me. I stumbled away and the beast
released its hold on my wrist. My feet tangled and my tail bone
struck the raft’s deck hard enough to click my teeth together.
A second later, Piper knelt beside me.
“ Are
you alright?”
My lips moved but
no sound emerged. I registered the concern in her eyes, then
returned my gaze to the man-wolf.
Gone.
The stooped
ferryman stood at the back of the raft working his pole as he guided
us across the stream. I jerked my head around expecting to find the
beast behind me, but the raft held only the three of us.
“ Did
you see what happened?” I asked, breathless.
“ Yes.
You asked him what it would cost to cross, shook his hand, then you
stumbled. Did you hurt yourself?”
I shook my head and
brought my hand up to the shoulder where the beast took a chunk out
of me. No pain. When I looked at my fingers, they were free of
blood.
What the fuck?
“ You
didn’t see it?”
Piper shrugged.
“See what?”
I opened my mouth
to tell her about the wolf-thing, its bite, but the instant my lips
moved, my cheeks burned with embarrassment.
I
must have imagined it .
I couldn’t
admit to this beautiful woman—angel—that a mirage made
me panic.
“ Nothing.
Never mind.”
She offered her
hand to help me up off my ass but I chose again to do it without the
aid of her skin against mine. I climbed to my feet, head feeling
like the Hindenburg—lighter than air but about to explode.
“ Are
you sure you’re alright?”
I nodded, then
promptly vomited over the side of the raft. A group of huge goldfish
like the one I’d seen earlier gathered and made a meal of my
spew. The sight made me gag again but I retained the rest of the
contents of my stomach and stood on unsteady legs.
The ferryman stared
straight ahead, his one bulging eye fixed on his goal of the other
shore. Over his shoulder I saw the bank we’d left receding.
Good.
I wanted to get off
this raft as quickly as possible, leave the man with his craggy face
and long pole behind. And whatever-the-hell-it-was that bit me.
Pivoting on my heel, I faced Piper. An amused smirk had usurped her
expression. I wanted to tell her how it’s not polite to laugh
at the folly of others, but the far bank caught my eye.
It was no closer.
“ What
the...?”
I spun back toward
the spot we’d left, saw it was farther away, then looked back
to our destination which looked the same distance as before.
“ What’s
going on, Piper?”
She shrugged. “It’s
Hell,” she said, unconcerned. “We’ll get there
eventually.”
I slouched down
onto the deck of the raft, sitting cross-legged—what Trevor’s
kindergarten teacher called
The lump returned to my throat.
“ Me?”
He nodded. I backed
away a step and whispered to Piper.
“ Ah,
a little help here?”
I didn’t look
at her—didn't want to take my eye off the wizened man—but
felt her gaze. Its effect didn’t match her touch, but it
brought goose bumps to my neck and courage I wouldn’t have
found on my own.
“ Give
him what he wants.”
I didn’t want
to look away from the ferryman for fear it would be the last thing I
ever did, so I clenched my teeth instead of giving her the
disbelieving look her statement deserved.
I raised my hand
tentatively toward him. Our hands drew closer and I felt an
uncomfortable warmth radiating from his flesh. Then, with enough
speed to make a mongoose jealous, his fingers encircled my wrist.
As soon as his
flesh touched mine, I saw it wasn’t really a man stooped in
front of me, but a wolf-shaped beast—the huge, misshapen
werewolf from ‘An American Werewolf in London’ come to
life. Terror froze me. The wolf-beast jerked me toward him and
lurched forward; its jaws found my shoulder, fangs dug into muscle.
I screamed.
The thing shook its
head once, rending my flesh. It reared back, a chunk of me in its
teeth, my blood running between its jaws. A wave of nausea overtook
me, spinning my head, dizzying me. I stumbled away and the beast
released its hold on my wrist. My feet tangled and my tail bone
struck the raft’s deck hard enough to click my teeth together.
A second later, Piper knelt beside me.
“ Are
you alright?”
My lips moved but
no sound emerged. I registered the concern in her eyes, then
returned my gaze to the man-wolf.
Gone.
The stooped
ferryman stood at the back of the raft working his pole as he guided
us across the stream. I jerked my head around expecting to find the
beast behind me, but the raft held only the three of us.
“ Did
you see what happened?” I asked, breathless.
“ Yes.
You asked him what it would cost to cross, shook his hand, then you
stumbled. Did you hurt yourself?”
I shook my head and
brought my hand up to the shoulder where the beast took a chunk out
of me. No pain. When I looked at my fingers, they were free of
blood.
What the fuck?
“ You
didn’t see it?”
Piper shrugged.
“See what?”
I opened my mouth
to tell her about the wolf-thing, its bite, but the instant my lips
moved, my cheeks burned with embarrassment.
I
must have imagined it .
I couldn’t
admit to this beautiful woman—angel—that a mirage made
me panic.
“ Nothing.
Never mind.”
She offered her
hand to help me up off my ass but I chose again to do it without the
aid of her skin against mine. I climbed to my feet, head feeling
like the Hindenburg—lighter than air but about to explode.
“ Are
you sure you’re alright?”
I nodded, then
promptly vomited over the side of the raft. A group of huge goldfish
like the one I’d seen earlier gathered and made a meal of my
spew. The sight made me gag again but I retained the rest of the
contents of my stomach and stood on unsteady legs.
The ferryman stared
straight ahead, his one bulging eye fixed on his goal of the other
shore. Over his shoulder I saw the bank we’d left receding.
Good.
I wanted to get off
this raft as quickly as possible, leave the man with his craggy face
and long pole behind. And whatever-the-hell-it-was that bit me.
Pivoting on my heel, I faced Piper. An amused smirk had usurped her
expression. I wanted to tell her how it’s not polite to laugh
at the folly of others, but the far bank caught my eye.
It was no closer.
“ What
the...?”
I spun back toward
the spot we’d left, saw it was farther away, then looked back
to our destination which looked the same distance as before.
“ What’s
going on, Piper?”
She shrugged. “It’s
Hell,” she said, unconcerned. “We’ll get there
eventually.”
I slouched down
onto the deck of the raft, sitting cross-legged—what Trevor’s
kindergarten teacher called
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