In the meantime, I nearly starved. Only by raiding the trash at night was I able to find anything to eat. I'd be well on my way to death by the time she ever left on a vacation. She was keeping her word. I never doubted that she would.
Occasionally, I'd find tidbits of food left under the sofa for me. Strange, through the scent of the food, I could smell Victor’s odor. A couple of nights, I awoke to a scratching sound, but was too weak to investigate. Once I felt as if I were being petted by my old master, a wishful hallucination.
Then, about a month after Victor's murder, I woke to Amy screaming in the darkness. Her bedroom door was partially open, but I didn't want to use the energy to see what was happening. She wasn't worth the effort.
Awaking very late the next morning, I was surprised that she hadn't risen as usual. Too weak to take a chance on her catching me, I gave her until later that day before gathering up the courage to check it out. Though surprised at what I saw, I was extremely grateful.
After another week, her absence was beginning to be noticed by the neighbors. They'd left her alone to grieve, but not seeing her out, they were concerned as to her well-being. The postman, dealing with an overflowing mailbox, stopped by the police department, and asked if they'd check things out.
I recall my surprise as the door burst open. Their hollering “Is anyone in here” was only met with silence. I would have gotten up to greet them but had a full stomach from just having eaten and only wanted to sleep. That was going to be an impossibility.
I should have known things would get hectic once they entered her bedroom. Finding Amy’s body had to be a shock. I’m not sure if finding Victor’s rotting hand around her neck or part of her body having been eaten away shocked them more.
Yes, Victor had kept his promise. His practices of Black Magic had allowed a part of him to have its revenge on her. All those nights in the basement, chanting and practicing spells, had been worth it in the end.
And, I’d had my vengeance, too. Although she promised I'd starve, I'd found Amy to be mighty tasty, although a bit ripe during those final days. She had indeed fed me—maybe not as one would expect—but still, food is food.
After all, a girl's gotta eat. Right?
* * * * *
I could think of only one thing to say, “That was kind of weak. You got anything better. Otherwise, I need to get back to my other project.”
“Well, it wasn’t my best one, but I thought you’d want to hear about my lives in chronological order. It was bad enough to send me to Hell to await being reborn. I guess eating flesh is frowned upon in Heaven.”
“It would be worse if you were human,” I responded, thinking how I could change the story to reflect that, but coming up with nothing. “How about a scary one that you heard in line while waiting for your next life? You know, something besides a cheating wife killing her husband plot?”
“Okay, you asked for it. I told a few friends this one and they couldn’t sleep for days. Kept checking their beds for visitors…”
Snake, Rattle, and Roll
“Damn, one of these days someone will figure out a way to get water into the house without having to draw it up from a well and carry bucket after bucket.”
“Don't let Mama hear you using that word, Daniel. She'll whip the tar out of you. I don't know what you're complaining about, anyway. I'm the one that has to carry it in all the way inside. You're just pulling up the buckets.”
“Wait until you're big enough to do it, Joshua. You'll find out it's not as easy as you think. Carrying them buckets just builds up your muscles for when you have to pull them up filled with water.”
At least the weather was cool. Fall had arrived a few weeks back and left the scorching days of Summer behind. Didn't have to worry as much about snakes, either. Most had found a den to survive the cold months. Pa checked out the barn and got rid of one or two that tried to nest there. That was before he'd headed off to war to fight the Rebels.
He was in charge of the farm now, well, except for Mama, and she'd taken ill of late, spending most of her time sleeping. It was up to him to see things got done and they all got fed, and he took his responsibility seriously. His thirteen years had been tough ones on the prairie. Not a lot of fun. He mostly helped his father maintain the sod house, plant a few crops, and take care of the livestock. Last year, he’d found he wasn't yet big enough to handle the plow and the horse team at the same time. Couldn't use that as an excuse next Spring. With Pa gone, there wasn't anyone else to do it.
Daniel watched as Joshua struggled to keep his balance toting the two buckets, once full of water. He hoped his younger brother wouldn't spill more than had already sloshed out along the way. Shaking his head, he tossed another bucket down into the well, jerked the rope around to let the bucket sink, and began pulling it up. Two more buckets ought to do it. With two already inside and the two Joshua carried, it would give them plenty for making dinner, washing up, and taking care of the supper dishes. He'd almost pulled the bucket to the top when he heard a scream.
“Daniel, help!” Joshua screamed. “I'm not kidding, help!”
“You better not be,” hollered Daniel. Off and running, he saw his brother had almost made it to the house. He'd dropped both buckets and was standing still, staring at something between him and the sod home. Almost to Joshua's side, he spied the problem—three rattlers were coiled and ready to strike just a couple of feet from the young boy.
“Stand still,” he ordered. “I'm going to the barn and get the hoe. If you move they'll bite, so don't twitch a muscle.”
Working his way around Joshua, he noticed the closest one following his movements, while the others kept the young boy targeted. Once out of strike range, Daniel sprinted off. Reaching the barn door, he lifted the drop board out of its slot and pulled back. Scraping along the dirt, it slowly opened. He rushed in, grabbed a hoe, and turned to leave. A couple of yards ahead of him was the largest rattler he'd ever seen, crawling right toward him!
“Now, that don't make a lick of sense,” he exclaimed. “Snakes don't crawl at people, they usually scoot away from them.” He raised the hoe high above his head, aimed, and brought it down hard. He'd been fast, but the snake had been faster. It avoided the iron blade and pulled itself back. Raising its head high, it used its coils to inch backward to a pile of loose boards close to the door. The reptile then did something Daniel had never witnessed—it crawled in reverse and worked its way under the boards.
I'll be, it's almost like it knows I can't get to it there. Pa always said snakes couldn’t crawl backward. Guess this one proved him wrong.
“Daniel!”
It was Joshua. Knowing he had to get to him, Daniel did his best to get out without getting bitten by the rattler hiding close by. The buzzing of its rattle hadn't stopped, but it had chosen a good hiding place. No matter how hard he searched to see it, the boards provided no observation. Reaching the doorway, he turned and bolted toward his brother, leaving the barn wide open.
Joshua still stood where he'd been left, but the snakes had grown bold and gotten well within a foot of his brother. Daniel moved forward, respecting the fact they could strike his brother any time they wanted, and tried to get their attention. He knew if he could get close enough, he might be able to use the hoe and pull them away. That would give Joshua a chance to run around them and get inside.
Slowly, he slid the hoe along the dirt toward the first. Raising its head above the top coil, it struck the iron blade with unbelievable speed. The other two joined the first and announced their anger at his intrusion, buzzing their rattles at top speed. Daniel raised the head of the hoe about six inches and brought it close to the same snake a second time. Again, it struck, but this time, Daniel dropped the blade, pinning the snake against the rough terrain. Jerking the hoe back, he dragged the serpent away from Joshua. Once clear, Daniel raised the blade and slammed it down several times, leaving the wounded animal writhing in pain. One final slice and the head was severed from its bod
y. Only two more to go!
Yet, unlike their common behavior, one of the snakes kept its head aimed at Daniel and the one furthest away turned and eyed Joshua. The youngster turned away in fear and stepped back. The triangular head blurred forward as it shot itself at the target and sank its fangs into the young child’s calf.
Daniel jumped forward and brought the hoe down on the second. Pushing Joshua out of further harm's way, he swung the hoe at the second, catching the snake in mid-strike and sending it yards in the other direction. Rushing to his brother, he took hold of his arm and yanked him to the house, keeping the hoe ready in case they came upon another rattler along the way.
Once inside, the door securely fastened shut, Daniel set Joshua on the table and pulled up his pant leg. Two dots of blood confirmed the fangs had made contact and injected their deadly venom. Grabbing a knife, Daniel made a deep slice over the marks and tried to suck out the venom.(1) Wrapping a clean rag around the wound, he lay Joshua upon his bed.
“You're gonna get real sick,” he told the youngster. “And, your leg is gonna swell up big. But, I think you'll live. You gotta lay still, though. Otherwise, the poison will spread to the rest of your body.”
Nodding through tears, Joshua took hold of his pillow and put it over his face. He'd been around long enough to know men didn't cry. Still, since he couldn't stop, he had to muffle his sobbing.
Brave young kid, Daniel thought, I pray he makes it. That snake got him good. None of this makes any sense, though. First, the weather is too cold for the snakes to be out. Second, snakes don't gather like those three did unless they're around their den. If there was a den around, we'd have found more snakes around during the warmer weather. Third, that big one in the barn wasn't afraid of me at first. Snakes crawl away if you leave them alone, not at you. That one wanted to attack me. And, the way it had crawled backward—that just doesn't happen. Fourth, those three snakes seemed like they'd teamed up together. Snakes don't form packs or ever work together. Fact is, unless they're mating, you don't ever see more than one at a time. These three had positioned themselves strategically around Joshua, moved closer to him all at once, and while I went after one of them, another kept his eyes on me and the third attacked Joshua. It was like they each had a job to do. Nope, don't make any sense at all.
“Daniel, what's going on? You were making a lot of noise a while ago.” Finally awake, his mother had come out from behind the blanket hanging from the ceiling, making her bedroom in the one room dwelling. “What's Joshua doing in bed?”
“Rattler got him. I cut it and tried to suck out the poison. I think he's asleep. You might want to take a look at him.”
“Why didn't you wake me? You know I am the adult around here,” she replied.
“I took care of it. Thought it better to let you sleep. You ain't been right since Pa left. What's wrong with your leg? You're limping.”
“Ain't figured it out, yet, she said looking up from Joshua's side. “Leg hurts like the devil, mouth tastes bad, and I'm pretty dizzy. Had a sweating spell a little while ago. May go back to bed. Looks like you took care of Joshua just fine. Ain't much more we can do right now.”
“Let's look at it. You might have cut it on something and it's got infected.”
Raising up her gown, Daniel saw some dried blood that had run down her leg. Higher up her thigh, swollen to twice its normal size, blood blisters circled a six-inch area of black skin. “Mama, this looks like a snake bite!”
“Can't be. I've been in bed all afternoon. It's been cold in here. Joshua kept leaving the door open when he brought in water.
Daniel hurried to the hoe he'd leaned against the wall and walked to his mother's bed. Using the hoe, he snagged the blankets and pulled them back. Coiled by the foot of the mattress was a two-foot rattler. Maneuvering the hoe handle under the snake, he lifted it off the bed. Dropping to the floor, it assumed strike position just in time to feel the blade slice it in half. Daniel picked up a bucket by the door and used the hoe blade to pick up the half with the head. Even cut in half, the mouth opened, and half inch fangs hit the iron, leaving a trail of venom behind. Setting the hoe aside, he picked up the bottom half by the rattle and dropped it in the bucket with the top half.
“Mama, we should bleed out that bite on your leg.”
“No, I'll be okay,” she replied, a strange tone to her voice. “I just need a little rest.”
“Mama, you know better. That snake bite is a bad one. You could die.”
“Look after your brother, Daniel. I need to lie down. I'm feeling poorly.”
He kept trying to get her to let him bleed the bite area, but she ignored his request regardless of what he said. Daniel watched as she put her robe on the chair next to her bed and climbed back in. Within moments she was asleep. That's how the snake got into her bed. He entered when Joshua had left the door open and used the chair to climb up high enough to stretch over onto the mattress.
This is too strange, his mind repeated over and over. It was like the rattler planned an attack and carried through with it! What in the world was going on?
“Daniel, Daniel are you there?”
Joshua was moaning out his name. Sitting on the side of his cot, Daniel reached up to feel his forehead. He was burning up! Rushing to the table, he grabbed a towel off the back of a chair and dampened it in a wash tub of water. Laying it across Joshua's temple, he couldn't help but see the youngster, grimacing in pain.
“It hurts so bad, Daniel,” he whispered, gritting his teeth. “So bad.”
“You're gonna be okay. I promise, the pain won't go on much longer.”
Joshua attempted a smile but scrunched up his face as another wave passed through his body. Daniel tried to hold his hand, but his brother's fingers were clenched, tight enough that the fingernails were cutting into his palm and drawing blood. His sweating had been replaced with shivering. Daniel pulled up the blanket and climbed into bed. Lying next to his brother, he realized that it was cold in the room. Glancing to the fireplace, he saw only dying embers.
Getting up to throw a log on, sparks scattered as something dropped into the ashes. It happened again, but this time, he saw what had caused the fireworks.
Two rattlers had fallen down the chimney!
Grabbing the hoe once more, he ran to the fireplace as both exited the ashes. Crawling at full speed toward him, the reptiles were on a mission—one that he couldn't let them succeed. Bringing the hoe down on the closest one, the reptile's life ended. Yet, the second one continued forward—too close to swing the weapon. Daniel sprang to his right and back several steps, changing direction before the snake could build an attack. He grabbed the tub of water as he slipped by the table and brought it down atop the snake. As it struggled to free itself from the weight of the tub, Daniel brought the blade down and the head separated from the body, flopping in a circle as it bit at the air.
Rushing to the fireplace, Daniel threw some dried corn husks on the embers. Within seconds they'd ignited. Tossing some wood chips atop the husks to get the fire blazing, he then added a couple of logs as a finally topping. Standing with his hoe, he kept guard until the fire was roaring, knowing anything that attempted to enter this way would now be roasted trying.
As darkness replaced the light of day, Daniel cut up a potato, added some smoked pork, and used the last bucket of water to make some soup. The fire was almost too high to cook over it, but a few minor burns and some patience proved to be a good price for the meal it made. Fixing a bowl for his mother, Daniel found her impossible to wake. The same held true with Joshua. Neither responded to his voice efforts, and when he shook their shoulders, both cried out in pain and begged to be left alone.
The fumes from the oil lamps, after a few hours, were suffocating. Plus, the fireplace flue didn't seem to be working properly. A lot of smoke was coming back into the room. Daniel worked the lever, but it would only partially move. Waiting until the fire died down some, he picked up the iron rod they used to unclog it and st
uck it up the chimney. He hit something soft and used the rod to work it loose. Into the fire fell the bodies of several rattlers, burnt to a crisp. Quickly, he grabbed another log and threw it on the fire and returned to his watch post to ensure no live serpents followed the others down.
As night continued, Daniel's breathing grew more difficult. Fresh air wasn't just wished for, it was becoming his only option to dying from the poisonous fumes. Surely, with the lower temperatures, the snakes outside would be too cold to move, let alone try to attack. He placed his hand on the one window they had. Cold, not enough to frost, but close. There was no way the snakes could be active.
Not knowing what to expect the next morning, Daniel put on his jacket, grabbed the hoe, and latched hold of the handles of two buckets. He figured it would be a good time to go to the well and get some water for the next day without having to worry about snakes. He turned, making sure the fire was going strong, and then opened the door.
The buckets fell from his hand. In the doorway was a three-foot-high pile of rattlers. The ones that had been against the door had stayed warm by the door's warmth, as well as being insulated from the cold by the others exposed to the elements. Working their way free of the pile, several crossed the door sill and entered before Daniel could get the door shut. The house was under attack!
Wildly swinging, the boy got two of them with one hit. Their side by side entrance, meant to overwhelm, provided an easy target. Four others, splitting in different directions, made Daniel's task of protecting his family much more difficult. Taking another swing, he took out one that had made biting Daniel its goal. Another died as it sped around him vying for a rear attack.
The boy rushed over to the bed Joshua was lying upon and barely saved his brother from being bitten again as the snake wrapped its body around a bedpost and climbed up. Daniel spun around in time to see the rattle of the last disappear under the hanging blanket that provided his mother privacy from the boys. Rushing over, he was shocked to see that the speed of the rattler had already placed it on her pillow. Before he could stop it, its fangs penetrated the side of her neck once, and then a second. In rage, the boy hooked it with the hoe and repeatedly separated parts of its body with the blade, returning the brutality of the reptile's attack.
Gabriela_Tales from a Demon Cat Page 3
