Bad Moon

chapter five...

  

   Ma was cooking at the stove when me and Nathan reached the house. She was in a good mood and it was almost a shame to put a spoke in her wheel. Pa was still in the barn and I reckoned to get it over with before he came into the house. That way, Ma could tell him later. She'd make a better job of it than I could.

   I was half way through telling Ma what I knew, when I looked over to Nathan. He looked as though he could kill me. I'd forgotten all about getting him in trouble. Ma would never believe he hadn't said something, not after seeing that look on his face. But Ma just carried on like I was talking about the weather, putting meat on my plate even when I told her I weren't gonna touch it.

   Nathan looked like he was about to do a runner, 'til Ma told him to get to the table. Calm as you please, she said she'd go to the school in the morning and tell Miss Fuller I was needed up in the hills to look after Gran. She told me to get on with my tea while she went to fetch Pa. I thought I'd gotten away with it too lightly.

   Ma was gone long enough for us to have finished eating, but I couldn't touch the food. Pa came in behind Ma with not a spot of blood on him. He was all cleaned up like he'd had a bath and didn't say a word. He just sat at the table and started on his food, then looked across at me.

   This was it, I thought, but all he wanted was the meat on my plate. 'No use it goin' to waste,' was all he said and I had to figure that Ma hadn't said anything to him. I watched him eat, my belly running up and down my insides like a trapped animal.

   Nathan ate most of what was on his plate and slipped off out the minute Ma's back was turned. I couldn't eat a thing even though I was starving. It weren't no use looking at Ma's carrots; I knew what she'd been feeding them too.

   I suddenly realised I was gonna have to rely on what Pa had taught me about living alone in the woods if I weren't to starve. So I'd have to remember all the herbs Pa told me about and what they were good for. I knew what to eat and what to leave alone, so I reckoned I could do without Ma's meat.

   I left the table and went looking for Nathan. I had half a mind to sneak back into the house, see if I could overhear something that might be helpful, but I didn't reckon it much. Spying on Pa was bad enough, but Ma had always told us to say right up if there was something on your mind. Thing is, I knew it weren't always easy to do. I couldn't say nothing to Pa, even though I wanted to.

   I found Nathan in the field, throwing stones at the crows. He stopped when he heard me coming and didn't look too pleased to see me. 'Reckon you done it now, Annie. Things aint gonna be the same from now on.'

   'How come?' I asked. It seemed all right so far.

   'It aint no use saying it all in one go. Just when I think I got it all worked out, Ma goes and changes it all again.'

   I didn't have a clue what he was on about and couldn't get him to say it no plainer, so I tried getting him to tell me more about the caves.

   All he said was, 'There aint no way to put words to it, it's something you find out for yourself. It won't be the same for you, Annie; everyone feels it their own way. But I will warn you ... it don't do no good to keep going there.'

   'Why, what harm can a bunch of caves do anyone?'

   'It aint the caves, Annie. It's the ghosts you gotta watch out for.'

   'Nathan, there aint no such thing as ghosts.'

   'Maybe there is and maybe there aint, but you'll find out if you go there once too often.'