Bad Moon

chapter four

 Nathan stopped pressing my shoulders to the ground and sat up, folding his arms around his legs. 'You aint gonna want to hear this, Annie. You still got time to change your mind.'

   The strange look in his eyes had gone, he didn't want to do it no more, he was gonna let me go. Teasing him the way I'd just done, I wouldn't have been able to stop him if he'd really wanted to take me, and I don't know why it felt like he'd just done something nice, when he shouldn't have been wanting it in the first place, but I did.

   I slid towards Nathan and said his name real soft to let him know I weren't angry with him. 'I'm hungry and it's getting cold, Nathan.' I was pleased that we didn't have to go back in the water to get our clothes.

   Nathan kept his back to me while we dressed and when we sat down to eat; he was real slow to start talking. He kept looking at me in a way that made me wish I didn't want to know the truth about Pa. I ate some of Ma's chicken, not thinking Nathan was gonna say nothing half as bad as he did.

   'Pa's killed two of Ma's men; it's all her fault they're talkin' about him in town.'

   I almost swallowed the bone I was chewing on, 'Nathan, Pa wouldn't just kill a man he caught in Ma's bed, I've seen him whop them and they run off like wounded cats.'

   'I seen it too, Annie, but Pa don't know his own strength sometimes. The first time, you weren't home from school. You remember Mr Peters?'

   'They say he went missing on a hunting trip.'

   'Aint so, Pa killed him. He came home early and caught him with Ma. Pa whopped him good and I don't think he meant to kill him, but he weren't strong like Pa. Pa kept on hittin' him 'til there weren't no life in him. Mr Peters looked like a rag doll when Pa done with him...'

   Nathan stopped talking and I couldn't think straight. We were both shaking, but it weren't that cold now we had our clothes on. I didn't know if I wanted to hear any more but Nathan looked at me and started to speak again. I think he needed to tell someone.

   'Pa didn't know what to do so Ma dragged Mr Peters body into the barn, I reckoned she was gonna get Pa to bury it in the woods when he got his mind back. I didn't reckon on Pa doin' it again, but about a year after Mr Peters he did.'

   My insides were screaming. But it was no good; I just couldn't believe any of it. Although I was sick to my stomach, I was dumbstruck by the way Nathan was talking. He'd never had more than two words to say before. Now he'd started, it didn't look as if he would stop.

   He went on. 'Pa don't want you knowin' nothin' about it and you shouldn't go doin' nothin' that's gonna get him all riled up. Ma's the only one who can calm him down some and I know what I'm talkin' about. Pa's been gettin' in more and more fights lately. Finding work's getting harder, they don't want Pa back most places we've been when he's nigh on killed someone. I think Pa's lookin' for someone to put his lights out; I reckon he's had enough. He's been talkin' about going back to the hills, but Ma won't have none of it and talks him around. He don't know what he wants no more. He can't keep doin' it, Annie. The first time was an accident, you think anyone's gonna believe that now he's done it again? He's gonna get found out sooner or later, but Ma won't let him stop.'

   'What you sayin' now, Nathan?'

   'Aint you been listenin'? Pa don't get so mad any more when he finds someone with Ma. When she's had her fun, she works Pa up so he don't know what he's thinkin'. Hurts his head, Annie. The only way for him to feel better is beatin' on someone.'

   I couldn't believe what I was hearing and reckoned that Nathan must be having some kind of brainstorm; I knew Ma was a bit of a floosy, but she couldn't make Pa kill no one, especially men. She liked them too much.