[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
road and into the trees, and when he couldn’t pull away from her, he stopped
moving his feet, as if he’d just remembered that he could do that.
Mary spun around, the shadows cast over her face masking desperation and
creating a ghostly appearance that had David once again attempting to pul
l away. “No, we have to keep moving!” she insisted. “David, walk! David.
David!”
But, he wasn’t hearing her now. He’d already dropped to his knees, uncooper
ative as she tried to pull him up. He was unaware of the slap to his face t
his time, oblivious to his mother’s tears as she went from acting out furio
usly to trying to reason with him because she knew he had to move before hi
s second dose of sedatives for the evening took effect. If that happened, s
he wouldn’t have a chance. Maybe if David had known what she was thinking h
e would have laughed at her, and outright laid down. But he couldn’t know,
because he was already somewhere else. In the same place... just a differen
t time, where it was light, and the air was warm, thick with humidity. Near
ly three years ago, when his brother accidentally found...
Oliver Martin shielded his eyes as he looked up at the tree his brother was
perched in, expertly holding a muzzle loader. The sun was behind him, maki
ng him seem nothing more than a shadow within the bright lights shining thr
ough the leaves, but Oliver could make out his posture, which was all busin
ess as he took aim at something in front of them. Oliver quickly turned his
head to see what it was, and frowned when he discovered that David’s targe
t happened to be their father, who wasn’t that far ahead of them with his f
avorite rifle.
“David!” Oliver started to scold, quickly turning back to his brother, but by
the time he met David’s eyes, David was already out of the tree, lazily lean
ing on the trunk and smirking at him.
“Relax, Oliver. I ain’t gonna shoot him with his back turned... I’d wait ‘till
he was lookin’ at me.”
Oliver cocked his head, obviously unsure of whether or not his brother was
teasing him. But, when David smiled, he smiled, even as David turned seri
ous a moment later.
“Come on,” David insisted. “We can’t fall too far behind or he’s gonna get
mad.”
At this, Oliver sighed. “Can we go home now, David? I don’t want to shoot an
ything. I don’t like it, David.”
“Well, people gotta do stuff they don’t like all the time, Oliver, now come o
n.”
David turned away, lifting his feet high as he trudged through the high, da
mp grass at his feet to catch up with his father. But he’d made it less tha
n ten feet before he stopped, and let out a breath. Oliver wasn’t following
. David didn’t have to turn around to know that. He could feel the distance
of each step he’d taken between them. It had always been like that for him
. Strange, perhaps, but he always knew when it was Oliver walking down a ha
llway towards him instead of his parents, and sometimes, when they weren’t
even in the same room; he didn’t have to get up and look to know which one
Oliver was in. Neither of them had ever really had much fun playing hide-an
d-seek for this very reason.
“Oliver,” David said quietly. “You don’t have to look. I’ll tell you when to
close your eyes.”
“I don’t want to close my eyes, David,” Oliver insisted. “I want to go home.”
David turned slowly, and Oliver could see the muscles in his brother’s jaw f
lex as he clenched his teeth. It was always a sure sign that David was becomi
ng irritated, but Oliver persisted, anyway. “Closing my eyes doesn’t work, Da
vid. It just makes it dark, and I can still hear it. I don’t like it, David.”
David closed his eyes, as if it would hide what he was feeling from his brot
her. Frustration. Exhaustion. But mostly, trepidation. He felt guilty for it
, too. He knew that if Oliver told their dad he wanted to go home, it wouldn
’t be a problem. Oliver knew his way back to the house, and their dad would
tell him they’d be home in time for dinner... Oliver would leave. He wouldn’
t have to see anything that he didn’t like. Simple. Except, when he left, Da
vid knew...
“Oliver, he’s been drinkin’,” David said. “I promise I won’t let you see nothin
g you don’t like, let’s just...”
“Hurry up, boys! Your mom’s looking forward to fresh meat tonight!” Brian
Martin suddenly shouted, and David raised questioning eyebrows towards h
is brother.
“Please don’t make it harder,” David whispered. “Just for a little while long
er, Oliver... then we’ll go home. I promise.”
Oliver sighed. It was obvious that he didn’t understand why he had to be ther
e at all. His dad liked hunting. David liked hunting. He didn’t. But, ultima
tely he shrugged, and started to move forward. “Only for a little while longe
r,” he agreed.
David allowed himself a small sigh; a moment of relief. Back then, he liked
to think that he would protect his brother when he could, but it was moment
s like these that reminded him that in a way, Oliver protected him, too. Jus [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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road and into the trees, and when he couldn’t pull away from her, he stopped
moving his feet, as if he’d just remembered that he could do that.
Mary spun around, the shadows cast over her face masking desperation and
creating a ghostly appearance that had David once again attempting to pul
l away. “No, we have to keep moving!” she insisted. “David, walk! David.
David!”
But, he wasn’t hearing her now. He’d already dropped to his knees, uncooper
ative as she tried to pull him up. He was unaware of the slap to his face t
his time, oblivious to his mother’s tears as she went from acting out furio
usly to trying to reason with him because she knew he had to move before hi
s second dose of sedatives for the evening took effect. If that happened, s
he wouldn’t have a chance. Maybe if David had known what she was thinking h
e would have laughed at her, and outright laid down. But he couldn’t know,
because he was already somewhere else. In the same place... just a differen
t time, where it was light, and the air was warm, thick with humidity. Near
ly three years ago, when his brother accidentally found...
Oliver Martin shielded his eyes as he looked up at the tree his brother was
perched in, expertly holding a muzzle loader. The sun was behind him, maki
ng him seem nothing more than a shadow within the bright lights shining thr
ough the leaves, but Oliver could make out his posture, which was all busin
ess as he took aim at something in front of them. Oliver quickly turned his
head to see what it was, and frowned when he discovered that David’s targe
t happened to be their father, who wasn’t that far ahead of them with his f
avorite rifle.
“David!” Oliver started to scold, quickly turning back to his brother, but by
the time he met David’s eyes, David was already out of the tree, lazily lean
ing on the trunk and smirking at him.
“Relax, Oliver. I ain’t gonna shoot him with his back turned... I’d wait ‘till
he was lookin’ at me.”
Oliver cocked his head, obviously unsure of whether or not his brother was
teasing him. But, when David smiled, he smiled, even as David turned seri
ous a moment later.
“Come on,” David insisted. “We can’t fall too far behind or he’s gonna get
mad.”
At this, Oliver sighed. “Can we go home now, David? I don’t want to shoot an
ything. I don’t like it, David.”
“Well, people gotta do stuff they don’t like all the time, Oliver, now come o
n.”
David turned away, lifting his feet high as he trudged through the high, da
mp grass at his feet to catch up with his father. But he’d made it less tha
n ten feet before he stopped, and let out a breath. Oliver wasn’t following
. David didn’t have to turn around to know that. He could feel the distance
of each step he’d taken between them. It had always been like that for him
. Strange, perhaps, but he always knew when it was Oliver walking down a ha
llway towards him instead of his parents, and sometimes, when they weren’t
even in the same room; he didn’t have to get up and look to know which one
Oliver was in. Neither of them had ever really had much fun playing hide-an
d-seek for this very reason.
“Oliver,” David said quietly. “You don’t have to look. I’ll tell you when to
close your eyes.”
“I don’t want to close my eyes, David,” Oliver insisted. “I want to go home.”
David turned slowly, and Oliver could see the muscles in his brother’s jaw f
lex as he clenched his teeth. It was always a sure sign that David was becomi
ng irritated, but Oliver persisted, anyway. “Closing my eyes doesn’t work, Da
vid. It just makes it dark, and I can still hear it. I don’t like it, David.”
David closed his eyes, as if it would hide what he was feeling from his brot
her. Frustration. Exhaustion. But mostly, trepidation. He felt guilty for it
, too. He knew that if Oliver told their dad he wanted to go home, it wouldn
’t be a problem. Oliver knew his way back to the house, and their dad would
tell him they’d be home in time for dinner... Oliver would leave. He wouldn’
t have to see anything that he didn’t like. Simple. Except, when he left, Da
vid knew...
“Oliver, he’s been drinkin’,” David said. “I promise I won’t let you see nothin
g you don’t like, let’s just...”
“Hurry up, boys! Your mom’s looking forward to fresh meat tonight!” Brian
Martin suddenly shouted, and David raised questioning eyebrows towards h
is brother.
“Please don’t make it harder,” David whispered. “Just for a little while long
er, Oliver... then we’ll go home. I promise.”
Oliver sighed. It was obvious that he didn’t understand why he had to be ther
e at all. His dad liked hunting. David liked hunting. He didn’t. But, ultima
tely he shrugged, and started to move forward. “Only for a little while longe
r,” he agreed.
David allowed himself a small sigh; a moment of relief. Back then, he liked
to think that he would protect his brother when he could, but it was moment
s like these that reminded him that in a way, Oliver protected him, too. Jus [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]