The Apparent Junction of Earth and Sky

The Apparent Junction of Earth and Sky, Part IV

There was a cool draft running through the spaces in the wall boards. It was a welcome breeze after the heat of the last few days. Those days were a blur now. Nothing but wet ground and emerald leaves and the sound of the boy's low sobs. The latter would come and go, tapering off whenever he grew hungry or had to go to the bathroom. This place was either a miracle or a trap, but he was so tired by that point that he didn't really care. He wanted to protect the boy, but he also needed to sleep. The forest began to spin around him and Brendan knew they needed to find a place to stay.

Water poured down in lines across the dirt floor. The slats above were shoddily put together. The bunk above them was soaked, but it was holding all of the water and their own bed was dry. Musty but dry. He watched as beads of rain rolled down the jagged edges of the wooden frame. He was actually able to sleep throughout the night. It was the first time that happened since Ciaran's mom was taken.

The boy stirred.

Brendan sat up. He gripped the bottom of the bed and twisted his torso. A series of cracks ran up his spine and he grimaced. When he stood, his knees rang out with shotgun pops. His body was worn out.

The boy mumbled something in his sleep.

Brendan wanted to find food before he woke up. It wouldn't be long now. He was getting restless. When he looked down at his own torso, Brendan saw ribs and a strangely flabby belly, not pronounced but certainly visible. His hips were thin, though, and his cargo shorts were sliding uncomfortably down his thighs.

He walked out into the rain. There wasn't much in the area but some edible berries and a dead bird. Even if he cooked it right, the bird would probably make them both sick. They couldn't afford to get sick anymore. Moving was the last important thing. Moving together. So, once again, he would fail the boy by bringing back nothing but some measly fruit.

When he got back to the dilapidated cabin, his clothes were soaked through. Ciaran was awake, twirling the tip of his pointer finger against one of the bed's wooden posts. He watched Brendan enter. A look of frustration and indifference danced quickly across his face.Brendan was used to it. It was the way the boy always looked at him now.

He took off his wet shirt and dropped the berries into it. It wrapped around them like a hobo's knapsack and he handed the package to Ciaran. The boy sat up and dropped the shirt in his lap. He picked at the berries one by one.

"Feeling okay?" he asked.

"Tired," Ciaran answered.

They sat in silence as Ciaran ate. He finished off the entire collection of berries. None were offered to Brendan.

The decision was made to stay in the shack one more night. Brendan sat outside the open front door, his back against the wall. Ciaran was mostly silent inside. Sometimes, Brendan could hear him singing songs to himself. Other times, he spoke to no one.

There was nothing visible beyond the forest. No sun, no sky. Just the pale gray sliver of cloud that he could see between the angled roof of the shack and the first trees. Years ago, this would have bored him. Now there was no time for boredom.

The boy stepped out of the shack and sat down against the wall across the open doorway.

"Do you want to play a game?" Ciaran asked.

"Sure."

"Tag?"

Brendan shook his head.

"Too much noise. We need to stay near here."

Ciaran sighed. They played a few games of tic-tac-toe on the dusty floorboards of the shack, the perpetual sound of rain now a background drone. When he got bored, Ciaran asked for a story.Brendan told him one he'd never heard before. It was about a young man from a desert planet who went on an amazing quest to rid the galaxy of an evil empire. There were electric swords and talking robots and spherical space stations. Brendan told as much as he could from memory, which was a lot, even if the dialogue wasn't spot-on.When he introduced a ruthless scoundrel of a character, he grew even more exaggerated and found that Ciaran was soon smiling wide. Hours later, Ciaran gasped when he learned that the big baddie was actually the father of the boy from the desert.

The rain continued past sunset. It lulled Ciaran back to sleep. Brendan stepped into the doorway, propping his elbow on the frame. He looked out at the green-hued shadows. Distant thunder rumbled.

 They knew that there were bad guys out there. He hoped that meant there were also some good ones left.