A Small Town

Chapter Nine\ Scream

Bax stumbled into the small bathroom and splashed water on his face. He grabbed the tall tumbler next to the sink, filled it to the top and drank it all down in one long gulp. He filled it again and this time sipped it slowly. He was parched and the room seemed sweltering.

He walked to the window, unbolted it and cranked it open as far as it would go. A cold breeze rushed into the room, bringing gooseflesh to his arms. Bax pulled off his sweat-soaked shirt and stood still, letting the gusts cool him and dry his damp skin.

He checked his watch, it was almost midnight and the road below his window was deserted. The town of Primacy was asleep, again he marvelled that there were no lights in any of the windows. A twinkling spray of stars and a huge glowing full moon lit the scene amazingly well and he looked up the street towards the bookstore, the home of the barn owl.

Why had he dreamed of her? He knew damn well why he had dreamed of Sara Massie, he was becoming obsessed with Sara Massie. But the barn owl was plain, a mousy librarian of a girl, not his type at all. She was sweet, that much was true, but Sara was sexy, alluring. Sara had curves and stockings with seams up the back and that Marilyn Monroe sensuality.

A scream jolted him from his musings. It was a woman's scream, a scream of pain and terror. Bax had no idea where it had come from and he pressed his hands against the window looking up and down the street.

The scream came again and this time he knew it was coming from the direction of the bookstore. An image of Lisa 'barn owl' Turner in trouble sent the adrenalin to his legs and he grabbed his sweaty shirt and tugged it on as he ran out of room fifteen and bounded down the stairs two at a time. The lobby was empty and he ran out through the double doors onto the deserted street.

Bax turned west and sprinted up the sidewalk past the Town Hall to Paige Turners Bookstore. The window was dark and he banged his flat palm on the locked door.

"Lisa! Lisa are you alright!"

Another scream cut through the night – it was behind him back the way he had come. He turned and bolted back down the sidewalk. The scream hung in the air and he crossed the street blindly headed for its source... the wishing well.

He slammed into the side of it his breath coming in ragged gasps and stared down into its depths. There was a movement down there in the darkness. He saw something... a hand... a flash of white... and he leaned down into the opening craning to see into the inky blackness.

"Hang on! Hang on... I'm here!" He called down into the well, his voice echoing back hollowly.

A hand this time he was sure... a hand was waving... reaching towards him. He reached towards it, stretching, and felt his feet leave the ground. He overbalanced and began to topple into the gaping black maw of the well. He realized with terror he was going to fall in and his hands clawed for purchase on the stone rim. He slid five inches, then ten. It was like being eaten by a giant snake buried vertically in the ground. He was slipping down its throat. His nails broke as he tried to dig them into the rock as he fell.

Bax dropped a foot and a half down into the well and then stopped. Someone had a hold of his legs. Then a hand grabbed his belt and began to heave him backwards out of the dank murky hole. His hips crested the rim of stone and the weight of his legs brought him back to solid ground.

Bax was shaking all over, he had never been so frightened. He knew with grim certainty that he had almost died... would have died if not for... he looked up now to see his rescuer.

The barn owl stood staring down at him. She too was shaking and there were tears in her eyes.

She was panting and she spoke in a hoarse whisper between deep whooping breaths.

"Are... you... okay?"

Bax nodded, not trusting his own voice just yet. She had saved his life. The barn owl had saved his life. She was bent over trying to catch her breath with her hands on her knees. Lisa wore a short nightgown, white with tiny black dots and with the moonlight behind her it was vaguely see through. He could see the turn of her breast and the curve of her hips. She was so slight, he wondered how she had been able to catch him and pull him out.

He looked away from the see-through nighty feeling lousy for ogling her. He stared at the ground and saw she had no shoes on, her bare feet were covered in mud and dirt. She must have been in the bookstore. He had banged on the door before he ran to the well.

Lisa put a hand on his shoulder. She had her breathing back under control and asked, "What on earth were you doing?"

He looked up and told her about the scream – about the person in the well.

She looked dubious. "Are you sure? I didn't hear anything."

Bax nodded grimly. "I'm sure of it... there's someone down there..." He rose unsteadily to his feet. "We should call the cops or the fire department!"

Lisa turned without a word and ran back to the bookstore. Bax took a step towards the well and then decided he was close enough. A moment later Lisa returned with a lantern. She lit it and dropped it in the bucket attached to the hand crank of the well. She began to lower it into the darkness and Bax watched feeling stupid. Why hadn't he thought of this? The lantern would prove there was someone down the well. Maybe they could even pull them out if they weren't hurt too badly.

He smiled at Lisa, "Good idea! How long will it take the cops to get here?" He asked.

She didn't look at him. "We only have chief Brady, and he won't come out unless there's really someone down there." She said flatly.

Bax was appalled. "What do you..."

She cut him off before he could finish, "This is a small town, Bax. Things are different here. The chief will come if we need him."

Bax watched the last of the rope play out in silent disbelief.

When the bucket hit the bottom there was no splash. The well was dry, but somehow he had known it was. Bax held his breath as he leaned to look down into the tunnel of rock expecting to see a bloody woman lying at the bottom. In his mind's eye, he saw the white gleam of broken bones, poking luridly through stretched bloody skin. Stomach burst and slopping out onto the dirt floor.

Instead, there was nothing. Just a bucket with a flickering lantern inside standing a long, long way down a well. There was no blood... no body... nothing at all.

He felt foolish, but he knew he had heard the scream. He told Lisa and she gave him a wan smile.

"It's the wind, Bax. It blows across the top of the well and makes a sound. To me, it always sounds like the hooting of an owl."

"An owl..." he repeated dully. A barn owl he thought and then she had him by the arm and they walked back to the hotel.

He lay in bed, reliving the craziness that had just occurred. It was the closest he had ever come to dying. He didn't want to be alone. He had thought of asking Lisa to stay with him, but he just wasn't that kind of guy. He had hoped as they came into the lobby that Sara would be there, had imagined her asking what had happened. She would put her hand over her mouth in horror and rush to him. Instead, the lobby was empty and the barn owl had left him at the door of room fifteen with a light pat on the shoulder and a look of sympathy.

Now he was alone, listening for screams and wishing he had a match to light the lantern by the bedside.

"Thank God I'm getting out of here tomorrow." He whispered.