feet down–legs and arms splayed like a broken doll. Then he moved.
"Tara, help…I'm sorry." The rain slowed. His voice carried up to her.
She stared down at him, willing him to die.
He twisted his head to look up.
"Please, don't leave me. It was just a game…I did like you. I do like you. God…why did you have to stab me. Oh, man. I'm bleeding. A lot. I think my leg and arm are broken too."
Tara held onto the cliff's edge, watching in silence. The moon slid out from its hideaway illuminating Jonah's crooked body. The rain had stopped. She didn't feel cold anymore. She was caked in drying mud, but gladness surged through her, listening to Jonah's pleas. Empowerment consumed her. No one could hurt her again.
"Tara!" Jonah sobbed and she felt giddy.
She giggled. What was wrong with her?
His cries grew weaker. They tapered off.
Die you bastard.
Jonah was motionless .
Better make sure .
She picked up a rock and threw it down. It plunked off him and fell further. He didn't move. She threw another. Then another. In a gleeful rage, she howled as she pummeled him with rocks until there were none left. Her satisfaction spent, she crawled back into the woods and stood up.
The moon glowed soft through the trees, lighting the way.
She strolled back, enjoying the spring night.
The Tree of Sheltered Secrets
A Coopersville Tale
I saw the house standing there. The clouds rushed over it like a roaring river tumbling along to the sea. This house I had only seen in my mind for ten years. Now abandoned. The paint peeled from it in layers. The sky was an act of violence above the still and silent house. This house that made me. It was now as lifeless as I felt.
Then I saw the empty space behind it. An act of violence had happened here too. My favorite apple tree was gone. Like the grandfather of trees, its craggy arms once reached out to me in a snarling embrace. It had watched over me. In summer I stood on the rock wall and hid myself in its fruit-filled drapes. I would dance under it with fireflies on searing summer nights when I couldn't breathe in my stifling bedroom.
I tightened my stomach. It hurt. It felt good to hurt. And I wanted to hurt the one who had hurt my old friend.
This tree had been my summer, my winter, my fall, and spring. I walked toward the empty space my friend had occupied near the rock wall it once hugged. I couldn't hide anymore. The rest of the orchard stood behind the wall, full and strong as always.
I sat down beside the rock wall. I tried to hide into it like I did my comforting tree, but it was cold and lifeless. I wanted to disappear, as I had often wanted to disappear growing up in that house across from my tree. I had hurt there, although not of my own doing.
"Hilary!" My name rose over the wind and my uncle came around the side of the house.
I shrunk into the jagged rock and hugged my knees to my chest. I wiped my face on my muddy jeans.
"Hilary, what the hell are you doing?" My uncle hovered, hands on his hips.
"Nothing."
"You're filthy." He sighed and grabbed my arm, pulling me up. "We've got to go. I said we could only stop in Coopersville for a minute."
I shook my arm off and walked ahead of him. Perhaps he was my guardian now but he couldn't control me.
"Wait, I want you to get that mud off before you get in the car."
I kept walking.
"You wanted to see your tree didn't you?" I turned to stare at him. "I could have told you it wasn't here."
"Why?"
"I was the one who cut it down."
I glared at him and crossed my arms.
"So it couldn't hide you anymore."
My uncle strode ahead of me and opened the back of the car. He pulled out some rags and threw them at me.
"Wipe your pants off and your face too. We never should have stopped here. It's been ten years since your parents died. You're seventeen now. This place doesn't matter anymore."
I stared at the rags on the ground. Today, I cried inside–not for my parents but for a tree.
My uncle half smiled
"Tara, help…I'm sorry." The rain slowed. His voice carried up to her.
She stared down at him, willing him to die.
He twisted his head to look up.
"Please, don't leave me. It was just a game…I did like you. I do like you. God…why did you have to stab me. Oh, man. I'm bleeding. A lot. I think my leg and arm are broken too."
Tara held onto the cliff's edge, watching in silence. The moon slid out from its hideaway illuminating Jonah's crooked body. The rain had stopped. She didn't feel cold anymore. She was caked in drying mud, but gladness surged through her, listening to Jonah's pleas. Empowerment consumed her. No one could hurt her again.
"Tara!" Jonah sobbed and she felt giddy.
She giggled. What was wrong with her?
His cries grew weaker. They tapered off.
Die you bastard.
Jonah was motionless .
Better make sure .
She picked up a rock and threw it down. It plunked off him and fell further. He didn't move. She threw another. Then another. In a gleeful rage, she howled as she pummeled him with rocks until there were none left. Her satisfaction spent, she crawled back into the woods and stood up.
The moon glowed soft through the trees, lighting the way.
She strolled back, enjoying the spring night.
The Tree of Sheltered Secrets
A Coopersville Tale
I saw the house standing there. The clouds rushed over it like a roaring river tumbling along to the sea. This house I had only seen in my mind for ten years. Now abandoned. The paint peeled from it in layers. The sky was an act of violence above the still and silent house. This house that made me. It was now as lifeless as I felt.
Then I saw the empty space behind it. An act of violence had happened here too. My favorite apple tree was gone. Like the grandfather of trees, its craggy arms once reached out to me in a snarling embrace. It had watched over me. In summer I stood on the rock wall and hid myself in its fruit-filled drapes. I would dance under it with fireflies on searing summer nights when I couldn't breathe in my stifling bedroom.
I tightened my stomach. It hurt. It felt good to hurt. And I wanted to hurt the one who had hurt my old friend.
This tree had been my summer, my winter, my fall, and spring. I walked toward the empty space my friend had occupied near the rock wall it once hugged. I couldn't hide anymore. The rest of the orchard stood behind the wall, full and strong as always.
I sat down beside the rock wall. I tried to hide into it like I did my comforting tree, but it was cold and lifeless. I wanted to disappear, as I had often wanted to disappear growing up in that house across from my tree. I had hurt there, although not of my own doing.
"Hilary!" My name rose over the wind and my uncle came around the side of the house.
I shrunk into the jagged rock and hugged my knees to my chest. I wiped my face on my muddy jeans.
"Hilary, what the hell are you doing?" My uncle hovered, hands on his hips.
"Nothing."
"You're filthy." He sighed and grabbed my arm, pulling me up. "We've got to go. I said we could only stop in Coopersville for a minute."
I shook my arm off and walked ahead of him. Perhaps he was my guardian now but he couldn't control me.
"Wait, I want you to get that mud off before you get in the car."
I kept walking.
"You wanted to see your tree didn't you?" I turned to stare at him. "I could have told you it wasn't here."
"Why?"
"I was the one who cut it down."
I glared at him and crossed my arms.
"So it couldn't hide you anymore."
My uncle strode ahead of me and opened the back of the car. He pulled out some rags and threw them at me.
"Wipe your pants off and your face too. We never should have stopped here. It's been ten years since your parents died. You're seventeen now. This place doesn't matter anymore."
I stared at the rags on the ground. Today, I cried inside–not for my parents but for a tree.
My uncle half smiled
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