acquaintance, but Tom’s a stranger. I giggle at that thought and
immediately blush when I realize that the man beside me heard me.
“What’s so funny?” Of course, he couldn’t just let it go .
I shrug one shoulder and focus on looking for the path we’re supposed to be
following to get to his cabin. Maybe we should have waited until the sun was
actually up.
I know that we’re nearing the cabin when I hear persistent
whining ahead of me, and I pick up the pace. I’m pretty sure that May wasn’t
hurt when she jumped from the window, but there’s no telling what might have
attacked her on her way up here. My heart is stammering in my chest as I
clamber through the brush and catch my sleeve on a bush. It rips right off, but
I keep going.
May’s waiting for us on the steps of the cabin with her side
pressed to the door. Her eyes are wild, and her breathing is heavy, so I advance
on her slowly. An injured dog can be a dangerous dog, and I haven’t known May
for very long. In fact, before I came here I had very few dealings with dogs,
cats, or anything else for that matter. I’m not much of a pet person. When
they’re outside it’s fine, but when they’re inside it becomes my responsibility
to feed them, care for them, and wash the deer shit out of their fur when they
decide to be childish.
I hear a crunch behind me and turn to tell Jonah to stay
back, but it’s not Jonah making the noise. He’s turned around to, and I slowly inch
the flashlight over to the left a bit so that he’s not blocking my line of
sight. In the gray of dawn, my eyes try to adjust as I sweep the flashlight
over the area where there was the sound. For a few seconds, I think that I
might have imagined it, and Jonah turned because I did. And then a possum comes
lumbering out of the bushes with singed hair. At least the poor thing made
it out alive , I think to myself.
Then I turn my attention back to the dog and slowly advance.
She’s quivering all over, but I don’t find any singe marks or bloody spots in
her fur. “You’re just a big baby.” I whisper to her as I open up the cabin door
to let her inside.
I don’t feel right waltzing right into Jonah’s home, so I
stay out at the bottom of the steps. He walks past me and turns on an interior
light, and then he turns around to look at me. I can’t see his eyes, so I have
no idea who I’m dealing with right now. Whoever it is, he motions for me to
come inside, so I do. I don’t want to walk down that hill by myself even though
the sun is starting to rise.
“Let me just gather a few things and then we’ll head back
down to the house. I think I have a leash for May somewhere.” It has to be
Jonah because Tom’s voice is gruffer. I never thought I’d be trying to discern
which person was talking to me at the time when only one body is in front of
me.
“Alright.” I make myself comfortable and wait for him to
gather up his belongings. I’m not sure if he’s planning on leaving, or if he’s
actually planning on staying in my home. Right now I don’t want to ask him. I
just want to go back to my father’s old house, and take a long, hot shower.
Then I want to get in the car and have the reading of his Will done and over
with. I don’t think my father had much to leave me. It doesn’t matter though.
I never cared about the money. The entire reason I came down
here to take care of everything consisted of pure guilt. I just wanted to see
my father’s belongings for the last time, and I wanted to remember him as he
was. Whatever he left behind that might be valuable of is no concern to me. But
apparently it’s a concern of someone.
“I’m going to stay with you in the farmhouse if that’s
alright. I think it’ll be best if we’re together. That way if someone tries to
break in it’ll be two against one.” There is a lot wrong with that statement.
Jonah could be the one who killed my father, and apparently he wasn’t much of a
help to him either in his time
immediately blush when I realize that the man beside me heard me.
“What’s so funny?” Of course, he couldn’t just let it go .
I shrug one shoulder and focus on looking for the path we’re supposed to be
following to get to his cabin. Maybe we should have waited until the sun was
actually up.
I know that we’re nearing the cabin when I hear persistent
whining ahead of me, and I pick up the pace. I’m pretty sure that May wasn’t
hurt when she jumped from the window, but there’s no telling what might have
attacked her on her way up here. My heart is stammering in my chest as I
clamber through the brush and catch my sleeve on a bush. It rips right off, but
I keep going.
May’s waiting for us on the steps of the cabin with her side
pressed to the door. Her eyes are wild, and her breathing is heavy, so I advance
on her slowly. An injured dog can be a dangerous dog, and I haven’t known May
for very long. In fact, before I came here I had very few dealings with dogs,
cats, or anything else for that matter. I’m not much of a pet person. When
they’re outside it’s fine, but when they’re inside it becomes my responsibility
to feed them, care for them, and wash the deer shit out of their fur when they
decide to be childish.
I hear a crunch behind me and turn to tell Jonah to stay
back, but it’s not Jonah making the noise. He’s turned around to, and I slowly inch
the flashlight over to the left a bit so that he’s not blocking my line of
sight. In the gray of dawn, my eyes try to adjust as I sweep the flashlight
over the area where there was the sound. For a few seconds, I think that I
might have imagined it, and Jonah turned because I did. And then a possum comes
lumbering out of the bushes with singed hair. At least the poor thing made
it out alive , I think to myself.
Then I turn my attention back to the dog and slowly advance.
She’s quivering all over, but I don’t find any singe marks or bloody spots in
her fur. “You’re just a big baby.” I whisper to her as I open up the cabin door
to let her inside.
I don’t feel right waltzing right into Jonah’s home, so I
stay out at the bottom of the steps. He walks past me and turns on an interior
light, and then he turns around to look at me. I can’t see his eyes, so I have
no idea who I’m dealing with right now. Whoever it is, he motions for me to
come inside, so I do. I don’t want to walk down that hill by myself even though
the sun is starting to rise.
“Let me just gather a few things and then we’ll head back
down to the house. I think I have a leash for May somewhere.” It has to be
Jonah because Tom’s voice is gruffer. I never thought I’d be trying to discern
which person was talking to me at the time when only one body is in front of
me.
“Alright.” I make myself comfortable and wait for him to
gather up his belongings. I’m not sure if he’s planning on leaving, or if he’s
actually planning on staying in my home. Right now I don’t want to ask him. I
just want to go back to my father’s old house, and take a long, hot shower.
Then I want to get in the car and have the reading of his Will done and over
with. I don’t think my father had much to leave me. It doesn’t matter though.
I never cared about the money. The entire reason I came down
here to take care of everything consisted of pure guilt. I just wanted to see
my father’s belongings for the last time, and I wanted to remember him as he
was. Whatever he left behind that might be valuable of is no concern to me. But
apparently it’s a concern of someone.
“I’m going to stay with you in the farmhouse if that’s
alright. I think it’ll be best if we’re together. That way if someone tries to
break in it’ll be two against one.” There is a lot wrong with that statement.
Jonah could be the one who killed my father, and apparently he wasn’t much of a
help to him either in his time
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