The Floatplane Notebooks by Clyde Edgerton Page A

I said.
    The fire truck drove up. We could hear the loud idle of the engine. The fireman hit the siren for a low growl.
    â€œWe don’t need no fire truck,” said Meredith.
    I walked out onto the back doorsteps and saw the firetruck headlights shining on Papa, sitting on the ground beside the well house, spotlighted, his head in his hands. The firemen, a tall one and a short one, walked up to him. Papa pointed to the kitchen, and they came on in and dropped the rope ladder down the well, hooked the end to the well curb, and in aminute out climbed Meredith, his pajamas dripping water. A red bump was on his hairline in front. Served him right.
    Bliss thinks there is no end to his cuteness.
    â€œWhere’s Papa?” he said.
    â€œHe’s out in the backyard,” I said.
    Mama says, “Go on to the bathroom, Noralee.” Then she went to get a towel for Meredith.
    â€œY’all didn’t have to come,” says Meredith to the firemen. “I could have got out.”
    â€œThen jump back down there and climb out,” I said.
    He gave me his go-to-hell look, then followed the firemen out. He stood on the back doorsteps. Me and Bliss stood on the porch. Papa was still out in the yard.
    â€œWhat do we owe you?” Papa said to the firemen.
    â€œNot a thing.”
    â€œWhat about that ‘natural suspension,’ Papa?” said Meredith. “In the kitchen floor?”
    Papa walked over to the base of the steps. Meredith was on the second step. The backdoor light shined in Papa’s eyes. “Don’t talk to me about ‘natural thuthpension’ becauthe you don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know nothing about building bridgeth, and Joe Ray Hoover don’t neither.
    â€œWhy don’t you write
this
up in the notebook?” I said.
    â€œI ain’t studying no notebook,” he said, sort of digging his hand down in his overall pocket.
    â€œGo put your teeth in,” says Mama.

THE VINE
    The leg belonged to Timothy Cook who worked at the mill.
    Timothy’s mother Delphi came the morning after the explosion and sitting in her buggy talked first to Caroline. I just don’t feel right about burying his leg in the same graveyard with Thadeus you know at the same time and all she said. It just don’t seem right somehow. And that’s such a nice little graveyard out there.
    It’s fine with us I’m sure said Caroline.
    I favor a small ceremony. Timothy of course won’t be able to come. If I could just get a body to holp me a bit.
    We will Mrs Cook. One of us. Where is the leg now?
    Well they brought it wropped up and put it in our smokehouse. It’s from his knee down. It’s just awful but gracious sakes it can’t stay out there.
    We’ll send Ross after it and build a box for it. Then after supper about sundown we’ll have a little service. You come on over and bring whoever you want to.
    Walker came up.
    We’re going to bury Timothy’s leg out here in our graveyard said Caroline.
    Leg?
    Why sure. It’ll give him great pain if we don’t dispose of it rightly.
    Well we got room.
    I’d be mighty obliged said Mrs Cook. It is a nice little graveyard with the babies and all and I want to dispose of his leg rightly. I told him what I had in mind and he seemed agreeable. I certainly appreciate it. She drove away in her buggy.
    A few minutes later Walker said to Ross You need to build a coffin for Timothy Cook’s leg. Then you’ll have to go get the leg. It’s in their smokehouse. We’re going to bury it out here this evening.
    A coffin?
    A coffin. A leg coffin.
    I got to go get his leg.
    That’s right.
    How much of it got blowed off?
    It was at his knee. Make it a infant coffin like the others. A little longer maybe. Walker held his hands showing the length. That’ll be plenty long. No need for nothing fancy. And the grave needn’t be deep. I’ll dig