“I immediately stopped talking, the wound from his blatant disrespect bringing an abrupt end to my story.
“Grandpa was obviously pained by my most recent hurt, and greatly annoyed by my older brother’s rudeness. ‘I’d like to know what you find so damned funny, Jeremy??’ he demanded. ‘You can be one insensitive horse’s ass, you know?? Well?? What’s up with that crap, son??’
“Not the least bit disturbed by Grandpa’s rebuke, Jeremy continued to laugh until his face turned beet red. With the icy stares of Grandpa and myself upon him, he managed to regain his composure and soon told us both what he’d found so amusing. ‘So, Jackie, you’re telling us that you saw a lizard that looked like a miniature dragon??’ he said. ‘Ple-e-e-ase!!!’ He slapped his hand open-faced upon the kitchen table, rattling the plates and dishes as he did so. Again, he laughed uncontrollably until he struggled to keep his breath and tears formed in his eyes.
“‘Are you sure it wasn’t Barney or Puff the Magic Dragon out there in the backyard?’ he taunted me. ‘Maybe it was one of the Palmer kids’ stuffed-animals being pulled on a string or something. Oo-o-o-oh!’ He held his hands out in front of himself in mock fright, all the while ignoring my indignant pleas and Grandpa’s growing anger, which was evident in the sullen redness spreading rapidly across his face.
“‘I’m telling you the truth, Jeremy!! It was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen around here!’ I cried. ‘I wish you’d seen it yourself, because then you’d quit being such an asshole about it!’
“Both Jeremy and Grandpa eyed me sharply, for up until that time I’d never cursed in their presence.
“‘The truth??’ Jeremy mocked, and then stood up from the dinner table, walking over to his cigarettes and ashtray still sitting next to the kitchen sink. ‘You’re telling me the truth, Jackie?? Let me state here and now what likely is the truth!’ He tapped out a smoke from the cigarette package and lit it before going on, signaling to Grandpa he was done with dinner.
“‘Here’s what I think happened,’ he continued. ‘I don’t think there was any ’dragon-lizard’ at any point or anywhere in the backyard, Jackie. I think this little story was no more than a lame cover-up of yours. It’s just an excuse for getting caught jacking off by that sphere out back. Hell, Grandpa says he found you holding something just below your waist while you were standing out there in the rain. I’d bet a hundred dollars against a stale doughnut that the thing in your hands was just your ‘pre-pube’ tool!’
“Grandpa was now completely mortified for me, and was about to severely upbraid Jeremy once again. But, I stood up to him before Grandpa had a chance.
“‘I’m not the one with the sticky-paged porn magazines stashed underneath his bed!’ I said, daring him with a look to come over and shut me up.
“‘Fuck you, you little dweeb!!” he shouted at me. Jeremy was about to come after me, and likely would’ve punched my lights out if it hadn’t been for Grandpa’s bear-like grip restraining him. As it was, he nearly knocked the remaining spaghetti and meatballs to the floor while trying to get me.
“‘Boys!’ Grandpa shouted. ‘I’ve had enough of this shit! Both of you sit down—nowww!!’ He eyed us both evenly, but soon focused his attention on Jeremy alone. The weight of his icy stare forced my brother back down into his seat at the kitchen table. He then motioned for me to sit down as well.
“A tense and uncomfortable silence settled upon the kitchen. None of us were hungry any longer. I fidgeted nervously while looking down at the half-eaten meal on my plate, as I waited for the horrible silence to end. Unwilling to look up, I could feel the searing heat of Jeremy’s stare as he attempted to melt me into a molten puddle right where I sat. My story, which I’d hoped would impress my grandfather and especially my brother, had failed miserably.
“‘What were you doing, standing in the rain over by the sphere anyway, Jack?’ Grandpa finally asked.
“I looked up slowly, cautiously peering at both of them. The perturbed and angry looks from a moment ago had changed into more pliable and open looks of guarded curiosity. I took this as the perfect opportunity to play my ‘ace in the hole’ and reveal my hand to them. I stood up and carefully removed the golden object from my pocket.
“‘Like I said, I wasn’t playing with my privates out there,’ I told them, and glanced coolly toward Jeremy before continuing. ‘I was looking at this thing.’ I cleared a spot amid the dishes of cold spaghetti and rapidly congealing tomato sauce, and set the object within the open space on the table.
“They both slowly stood up and leaned down toward it, a look of shocked fascination on Jeremy’s face and one of surprised horror on Grandpa’s. The object glowed softly on the table, surrounded by the remains of our foregone dinner. Its brightness seemed to slightly increase as the two of them leaned in closer to get a better look.
“Jeremy reached for the object, his hand wavering as if he expected it to disappear at any moment. It did. Just as he reached for it, Grandpa snatched it up off the table. He brought it close to his face as if to confirm and then reconfirm the reality of what he held in his hand. Jeremy stood dumbfounded, scarcely believing the old man’s reflexes were that quick.
“I felt vindicated to some degree, although my grandfather’s behavior was making me nervous. He kept turning the thing over and over in his hands while muttering under his breath. Before long, the crimson color returned to his face, deepening steadily until the veins in his neck began to throb.
“Both Jeremy and myself prepared ourselves for the rising anger we could see simmering to a boil within him, though he rarely got upset unless Jeremy purposely pushed him into a rage. There was something different about his demeanor this time, and it took us a minute or two to identify what it was.
“Grandpa began pacing aimlessly back and forth across the kitchen floor, whispering to himself as he wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. He seemed momentarily to have forgotten our very presence. That’s when we recognized what we’d never seen in him before: fear. He was truly frightened.
“‘Oh, my God. M-my God! Oh-h, m-my God!!’ he stammered, gingerly passing the object from hand to hand as if trying to avoid any contamination from it.
“‘What’s wrong, Grandpa?’ Jeremy asked him, moving ever so close as he tried to take the glowing object out of his hands.
“‘That’s close enough, Jeremy!’ he warned. ‘You have no idea what you’re dealing with, son!’ He tightened his grip on the thing, which seemed to make it glow even brighter.
“‘Come on, Grandpa!’ Jeremy pleaded, a slight adolescent whine creeping into his tough guy persona. ‘I just want to look at it, that’s all!’
“‘I’m sorry, son, but whatever look you’ve gotten of it is going to have to suffice!’ Grandpa told him.’ This thing’s an abomination, and I’ll be damned for sure if I allow it to remain in our house for another minute!’
“The veins on the side of his neck truly looked like they were ready to explode. Suddenly, he turned toward the kitchen door and ran over to it. Just before opening the door he turned to face me. ‘Where exactly did you find this thing, Jack?’ he asked. ‘If you’ve got it in your mind to tell me anything but the truth, don’t do it! I need to know the specific spot where you found it.’
“‘It was lying in the dirt, Grandpa, just in front of the sphere,’ I replied. Although he strongly discouraged us from going near the sphere, it was far too late to lie about it. After all, he’d found me standing next to it while I was clutching the mysterious object in the rain.
“A deep dark cloud of sadness settled upon him as he heard these words. For a moment, he just stood where he was near the back door as if reconsidering his reaction to the situation at hand. He started to say something, but suddenly the rage returned to his face in full force. He threw open the kitchen door and stormed out onto the back porch. The screened door slammed behind him, the sharp crack of wood on wood piercing the air around us. Before either Jeremy or I could react, we heard his heav
y footsteps going down the porch steps and out into the backyard. Alarmed, we ran outside in pursuit of him, the old screened door slamming again—twice this time—to announce our intentions.
“‘Stay right where you are, boys!!’ he yelled back to us. He’d already reached the trunk of the majestic oak and was about to disappear from our view. He motioned angrily for us to go back inside, yet without waiting to see if we obeyed him he continued on over to the sphere.
“Jeremy and I ignored his orders and followed him out into the backyard, where we pursued him from a safe distance. Moving as quietly as possible, we soon were able to close the gap between our agitated grandfather and ourselves. We came around the base of the oak in time to see him stoop down to set the strange object directly in front of the sphere in the fresh mud.
“Once he finished doing this, he stood back up and turned toward the farmhouse. The fading sunset formed a bizarre silhouette that I’ll never forget, with the sphere and the glowing object before it. He took a step or two away from the sphere, but then suddenly stopped and whirled around to face it once more. In the next instant, he went back to the object and scooped it up out of the mud, hurling it over the stone wall toward the woods across the way while shouting something like ‘Stay the hell away from here!’
“Neither myself or Jeremy wished to face any more of his wrath at this point, so before he turned around again we both bolted back toward the porch. We didn’t stop running until we were safely inside the house.
“The stifling heat inside the kitchen had cooled down considerably during our short absence. Jeremy immediately moved over to the kitchen window and peered through it in order to gauge Grandpa’s progress. I stood on the tip of my toes to get a clearer look over Jeremy’s shoulder just as Grandpa climbed the last step leading up to the back porch. He swung open the screened door as he pushed his way into the kitchen, the door swinging back with another loud ‘snap’ as it slammed against the door frame again. He was obviously still very upset about this situation, but instead of encountering his anger, we were greeted only by his tears as they streamed down his face.
“‘What’s wrong, Grandpa?’ I asked, alarmed but trying to broach the subject as tenderly as possible. I was shocked and saddened to see him crying, and could tell by the appalled look on Jeremy’s face that he was just as surprised to see this. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d seen anything like this, although I imagine he privately shed some tears from time to time when no one else was around.
“In answer to my question, Grandpa could only shake his head as he continued weeping. He momentarily looked away from us as he closed the storm door for the first time that day, turning the latch and dead bolt until they clicked into place as he glanced through the door’s window to the backyard. He seemed apprehensive as he did this, as if expecting something to come out of its hiding place outside. I even wondered if he’d seen the lizard or one like it at some previous point in time, because it certainly appeared he was looking for something out there.
“I stood motionless next to my brother, watching Grandpa as he gazed out the storm door window, wiping his face and eyes with his shirt’s sleeve. After a few agonizing minutes spent like this, he finally backed away from the door and looked over at us. ‘Jeremy, go get the Winchester from the living room,’ he instructed. ‘I’ll get the shotgun from my bedroom. We’ll need to bring them both out here in the kitchen.’
“‘What in the hell for, Grandpa?’ Jeremy asked.
“Grandpa eyed us both tenderly and then gently shook his head. For the moment, he refused to answer Jeremy.
“‘Well??’ persisted my brother. ‘Come on, Grandpa, you’re starting to freak me out with this shit!’
“‘Go upstairs, Jack, and close all the windows. Oh, and turn on the a.c. on your way back here,’ Grandpa told me, for the moment continuing to ignore my brother.
“‘Yes, sir.’ I obediently replied. I sensed apprehension in Grandpa’s voice, which only added to the growing exasperation threatening to overtake Jeremy. I alternated glances between the two before turning around to leave the kitchen. Jeremy reached out and grabbed my arm, preventing me from leaving just yet.
“‘What the hell’s going on here, Grandpa??’ he demanded. ‘Why do we have to close the windows, and what the fuck do you need a shotgun and rifle for, anyway??’
“Grandpa shook his head sadly from side to side before answering him. Likely only a minute or so passed while he did this, but it seemed like an eternity to me. When he tried to answer my brother, he seemed at a total loss for words. This only made the uncomfortable air around us thicken.
“He walked over to the sink where he reached out and closed the kitchen window, securely latching it. Then, he walked back over to the storm door and peered through the door’s window once more, carefully scanning the porch and backyard for a second time. ‘It’s the ‘Season’, boys,’ he finally said.
“Jeremy and I looked at each other for clarification as neither of us knew what he meant by this.
“‘The ‘Season’?’ Jeremy asked incredulously.
“‘Yeah, Grandpa,’ I chimed in. ‘What kind of ‘Season’ do you mean?’
“‘Just go close all the windows first and make sure the doors are locked upstairs, Jack. Jeremy, you and I will check everything down here on the main level. Once we’ve got the place completely secured, I’ll tell you both a little bit about the ‘Season’,’ he replied. ‘Oh, and Jeremy, remember about the Winchester. Make sure it’s loaded.’ As soon as he finished delivering these instructions, he motioned for us both to move on out of the kitchen. ‘We’ll all meet back here when we’re done. Jack, don’t forget about the a.c., now.’
“‘I won’t, Grandpa,’ I assured him.
“‘Jeremy, you be sure to check the windows on the north and west sides of the main floor,’ he reminded my brother. ‘I’ll check the windows on the south and east sides.’
“‘Got it, Grandpa,’ said Jeremy.
“The three of us left the kitchen to close the windows, with Jeremy shrugging his shoulders after I gave him a look that asked if he had any idea why we were doing this. Both he and I were very much bewildered by our grandfather’s peculiar behavior and strange request, though we both were relieved that the air conditioner would finally be allowed to run throughout the old house.
“I ran upstairs and moved swiftly from room to room in order to finish my task as quickly as possible, despite the ever present spookiness of the second floor. Meanwhile, Jeremy started in the dining room and steadily worked his way to the living room, where he grabbed the Winchester and ammunition from the gun case.
“Grandpa was waiting at the kitchen table with his shotgun when Jeremy joined him in the kitchen. He told my brother to set the rifle next to the back door after first confirming the weapon was loaded. About the same time, the air conditioner kicked on and I’m sure they heard me running down the hall toward the kitchen.
“‘All done, Grandpa!’ I proudly announced.
“‘Very good, son,’ he told me. ‘We’re all set to defend ourselves should we be needing to do so.’ Although always a handsome man, he looked like he’d aged ten years since dinner. His light gray eyes were still red from his recent tears, but the calm steadiness one could usually expect from him was rapidly returning.
“‘Defend ourselves? From what??’ Jeremy demanded again. He truly hated the vagueness of Grandpa’s responses and was in no mood for any more mysteries. He was ready for the facts, and only the ones that pertained to why we were sitting in the kitchen with a pair of loaded weapons and every door and window in the house closed and secured. He knew it had everything to do with the strange gleaming object I’d placed in front of them on that very table less than an hour before, but this alone wasn’t enough for him.
“‘Let me begin by saying I’m truly sorry for breaking down like I did in front of y’all,’ said Grandpa. ‘The events of this evening have truly upset me. I honestly don’t know what I’
d do if something bad happened to either of you boys.’ He paused for a moment to take a deep breath before continuing. ‘I’ll cut to the chase here boys, but first I’m asking that you both stay away from the woods. For the time being, this includes the backyard as well.’ He paused again and regarded us both very seriously.
“‘Grandpa, what in the hell are you talking about??’ asked Jeremy, disgusted by our grandfather’s behavior as much as he was confused by the strange events of that evening. ‘First of all, you go throwing that thing Jackie brought in here tonight out into the woods somewhere—and, it could’ve been worth a fucking fortune for all we know. Then, you bring up some shit about the ‘Season’ and whatever the hell that is. Now, you’re telling us to stay away from the woods—which, if you’d stop and think about it, you’d realize neither one of us has ever even visited the woods out back. I mean, you’ve never even taken us hunting back there, ain’t that right? We’re always going to some place or another near Tuscaloosa or Demopolis for that type of shit. And, what’s up with the backyard? Why in the hell do we have to stay out of there, too? Have the aliens finally come back for their fucking sphere, or something?? I mean, come on!!!’
“I remember Grandpa sat there glaring at Jeremy, sizing him up before responding to his barrage of insolent questions. After spending a moment sifting through his biting tirade, as well as recognizing the true worry underlying his questions and comments, he looked away from him and over at me. As for myself, I sat wide-eyed in my chair, still overwhelmed by the day’s wonderful events and ever hopeful he’d somehow help me make sense of all that’d happened so far. He smiled at me before turning his attention back to Jeremy.
The Golden Talisman Page 7
