moon_custafer (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
moon_custafer) wrote2013-03-17 05:54 pm
moon_custafer) wrote2013-03-17 05:54 pm
Entry tags:
Nine - the Enigmatic Ending
At last Bill raised his eyes from the table.
"She should have a proper burial. Someplace... someplace safe. It's a lot to ask, but would you be willing to have her under the lilac bush in your yard? She did like them, I remember." Nine's mother nodded:
"There's a shovel, round the back. I'll find something nicer to wrap her in." By morning Bill had managed a shallow grave. She brought him another cup of coffee, Nine padding after her with the coffee-pot. "I spent the night stitching up the best sheet into a shroud for Emma."
"I forgot -- you two were at school together, weren't you?" He took her hand. "The ground hadn't frozen yet, and I was careful to dig around the roots; the bush should be all right in the spring."
"What are we going to do about your brother?" The man looked down at the toes of his boots.
"I don't know yet. We should tell them in town, I suppose, but he's my brother, and I feel I should take care of this myself." He passed a mud-stained hand across his face. "I'm just so tired." Nine looked down at the grave, then up at him:
"Are you putting the lady's bones in there for later?"
"Later?"
"For safekeeping. In case she needs them again."
Bill walked up to the bound Jake and looked him in the eyes for a time. Then he stripped the gag from his brother's mouth.
"What have you got to say for yourself?"
"Those two show you some animal bones, and you go crazy?"
"No, you try to set their house on fire, and I go crazy. I never saw the bones till after."
"And he knows a human skull from an animal's jawbone; as do I." Nine's mother picked up the skull and held it in front of her. Jake stared into the eyeholes as a minute before he had looked into Bill's. The younger brother turned to her and took the skull, very gently. He, too, gazed at it for a while. Then he kissed the bony forehead and turned to Jake; with the skull in his right hand, he placed his left on his brother's head.
"Jake, I don't know why you did it, and I don't care any more. I'm going to untie you, and you can get out of here. If I were you, I'd get as far away from us as you can before night comes again. We'll give Emma a decent burial," (he glanced at Nine,) "but I can't guarantee as she'll stay put." He set Emma's skull on the table, then took up a knife and cut the ropes. Jake opened his mouth as if to argue; then something changed in his expression, and he stood up, rubbing his knees, and strode hastily from the place.
"He forgot his hat," said Nine, when the three of them took Emma's bones (now neatly wrapped in the sheet) out to the lilac bush. Indeed, Jake's battered hat was caught in the branches of the bush, seemingly blown there by the wind. Her mother tried to recall if he'd had the hat with him when he'd fled, and found she could not. Bill gingerly pulled the hat from the branches, and without quite knowing why he did, placed it on the bundle that had been his sweetheart. Then he said a prayer and filled the hole in with earth.
"May I have toast for breakfast, Mommy?" asked Nine. "There's jam left," she added.
"Make toast and jam for three," her mother answered.
"She should have a proper burial. Someplace... someplace safe. It's a lot to ask, but would you be willing to have her under the lilac bush in your yard? She did like them, I remember." Nine's mother nodded:
"There's a shovel, round the back. I'll find something nicer to wrap her in." By morning Bill had managed a shallow grave. She brought him another cup of coffee, Nine padding after her with the coffee-pot. "I spent the night stitching up the best sheet into a shroud for Emma."
"I forgot -- you two were at school together, weren't you?" He took her hand. "The ground hadn't frozen yet, and I was careful to dig around the roots; the bush should be all right in the spring."
"What are we going to do about your brother?" The man looked down at the toes of his boots.
"I don't know yet. We should tell them in town, I suppose, but he's my brother, and I feel I should take care of this myself." He passed a mud-stained hand across his face. "I'm just so tired." Nine looked down at the grave, then up at him:
"Are you putting the lady's bones in there for later?"
"Later?"
"For safekeeping. In case she needs them again."
Bill walked up to the bound Jake and looked him in the eyes for a time. Then he stripped the gag from his brother's mouth.
"What have you got to say for yourself?"
"Those two show you some animal bones, and you go crazy?"
"No, you try to set their house on fire, and I go crazy. I never saw the bones till after."
"And he knows a human skull from an animal's jawbone; as do I." Nine's mother picked up the skull and held it in front of her. Jake stared into the eyeholes as a minute before he had looked into Bill's. The younger brother turned to her and took the skull, very gently. He, too, gazed at it for a while. Then he kissed the bony forehead and turned to Jake; with the skull in his right hand, he placed his left on his brother's head.
"Jake, I don't know why you did it, and I don't care any more. I'm going to untie you, and you can get out of here. If I were you, I'd get as far away from us as you can before night comes again. We'll give Emma a decent burial," (he glanced at Nine,) "but I can't guarantee as she'll stay put." He set Emma's skull on the table, then took up a knife and cut the ropes. Jake opened his mouth as if to argue; then something changed in his expression, and he stood up, rubbing his knees, and strode hastily from the place.
"He forgot his hat," said Nine, when the three of them took Emma's bones (now neatly wrapped in the sheet) out to the lilac bush. Indeed, Jake's battered hat was caught in the branches of the bush, seemingly blown there by the wind. Her mother tried to recall if he'd had the hat with him when he'd fled, and found she could not. Bill gingerly pulled the hat from the branches, and without quite knowing why he did, placed it on the bundle that had been his sweetheart. Then he said a prayer and filled the hole in with earth.
"May I have toast for breakfast, Mommy?" asked Nine. "There's jam left," she added.
"Make toast and jam for three," her mother answered.
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"I am an animal: brave and strong and free!
I am not afraid of you.
I will eat you if I have to."