Marysvale (16 page)

Seeing my curiosity piqued, Hannah
continued, “And she had to walk all the way here without
them.”

Turning red, Jane snapped, “It wasn’t
like that. You’re making it sound much worse than it
was.”

Sarah, hiding a grin behind her cup of
tea, suggested, “Why don’t you tell about your escape,
Jane?”

Jane grunted, “I might as well, since
Hannah will tell you about it anyway—and she has a tendency to
stretch the truth.”

“
I don’t lie,” said Hannah
defensively.

Jane ignored her.

“
You see, Sarah and our
family had an arrangement…”

Jane glanced at Sarah as if asking her
permission. Sarah simply nodded.

“
We’d bring Sarah supplies:
tools, buckets, things like that; and in return, she gave us
food.”

“
Until those awful men put a
stop to it,” said Hannah, cutting in. “
Only concerned about the
welfare of those lovely girls—have to protect them, you know
,”
she quoted, with dripping sarcasm.

“
Will you please let me
finish,” pleaded Jane.

“
Sorry, I won’t interrupt
again.”

“
Thank you.”

“
But can you believe they
are getting fatter when the town is starving? Oh…sorry again,
Jane.”

“
As I was saying…I was
younger then, and not as careful as I am now.”

She said this with a glance at Hannah,
who didn’t seem to notice her implication.

“
It was before the town
council put a stop to our trades. Father was ill and Hannah—well,
she was just too young.”

“
Was not! It’s just that
Father was too terrified to send both of us.”

“
Will you please?” said Jane
irritably.

Hannah closed her mouth.

“
It had been a long time
since any attacks or sightings, so Father let me make the trip here
alone. He was ever so worried. Nevertheless, I pestered him for
days, and he finally relented. He warned me to come straight here
as quick as I could. But he always said that no matter where I
went, so I paid little attention.”

Hannah was fidgeting in her chair,
wanting to say something, but Jane gave her a look that kept her
quiet.

“
It’s not very often we get
to leave the safety of the town. Imagine how it is, seeing the same
things over and over again without change….So, instead of coming
straight here, I used my freedom and rode a trail along the shore
of the lake. There is a nice overlook atop some cliffs, and I
decided to stretch my legs. I tied Sam (that was the name of our
horse) to a tree and walked over to the edge. It was a bright,
beautiful summer day. The sun was warm and the sky a clear blue. I
sat under the shade of a tree and listened to the sound of the
waves gently washing ashore; it made me sleepy. I think I may have
dozed off…it was so stupid of me! How could I fall asleep like
that, unarmed and alone, in the middle of the day?” She sighed and
continued, “I woke to the sound of Sam whinnying. I tried to see
what caused it, but there was nothing there to see. No movement…no
sound…other than Sam working himself into a frenzy and straining to
break free. Of course I knew there was something, I could feel it;
and I was scared. I hid behind a tree not sure what to do. It’s
strange what you think about at a time like that. I remember
thinking how disappointed Father would be over the loss of Sam.
Poor Sam, he was nearly free, but…”

She looked pale, and hesitated, trying
to find the words.

“
It was so fast and
powerful! It came out of nowhere—like it simply melted out of the
forest! It slashed Sam’s neck with its claws and teeth, while at
the same time throwing him to the ground. Blood sprayed everywhere.
I couldn’t believe what I saw and how quickly it happened. I’d
never seen one before so close. I ducked behind a tree trunk before
it saw me; but it knew I was there. I shook so hard I thought it
would hear me; I couldn’t control it! It was terrifying—the way it
sniffed the air to find me—I knew it was the end. Every time it
stopped and sniffed, it was a little closer. My heart was pounding
so hard, I couldn’t think.”

She stopped again. “Sarah did you feel
that way?”

Sarah nodded and put her arm around
Jane.

I thought about my own experience and
supposed I didn’t have time to be afraid; plus, I was mounted and
armed, not alone and defenseless like Jane.

She continued, “I prayed silently that
it wouldn’t end this way, or if I was going to die that it would be
quick and painless. That’s when I remembered Sarah’s experience of
jumping into the lake to escape. I thought about jumping in as
well; but I didn’t think I could swim very far, and drowning didn’t
seem to be a better way of dying. Then a thought came to me so
strongly that I didn’t even question the absurdity. As quickly and
quietly as I could—which was near to impossible with my shaking
body and pounding heart—I removed my clothes, wrapped them around a
rock and tried to throw the whole bundle into the lake. It landed
near the edge, rolled once, and fell over the cliff and into the
water. When the Brean heard the splash, it ran to the edge and
crouched down. I assumed it was trying to figure out if I’d jumped.
Then, I ran at it and, with all of my might, I shoved it. I hit it
so hard I nearly went over myself, but it worked. The smelly beast
fell over, its arms and legs flailing, trying to grasp anything it
could on the way down. It couldn’t swim—it tried, but it just
sank—and in seconds, it was out of sight. The rock must have fallen
out of my clothes when it hit the water, because they were still
there, gradually sinking through a stream of bubbles where the
Brean had disappeared.”

“
That’s why you had to walk
here without clothes,” I muttered quietly, still taking in what
she’d said.

Jane heard and, misreading my
expression, exclaimed haughtily, “You can wipe that look off your
face, because it wasn’t like that. I wasn’t completely naked; I
still had my undergarments on.”

“
No…It’s not that,” I said
blushing. “It’s just—I think it was brilliant.”

“
You do?” asked Jane and
Hannah in unison, both slightly bewildered.

“
Yes, I do. If you had just
thrown a rock, it probably wouldn’t have been fooled. But with your
scent going over the edge and your clothes floating in the water,
it was confused just long enough for you to push it off. I don’t
think anything else would have worked, except for throwing yourself
over; but like Sarah, you may have been forced to swim quite a
distance and parts of that lake look very deep and
wide.”

Sarah interjected, “Why are you so
surprised Jane? I’ve already told you that it was a smart thing to
do.”

“
I know,” said Jane. “But
you’re like our mother. What else would you say? I thought you were
just trying to comfort me.”

“
Of course I was trying to
comfort you; but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t true.”

“
Oh,” replied Jane
simply.

Sarah finished preparing the food and
placed it on the table. We said grace and I watched the girls eat.
I wonder if I looked that hungry when I got here?
I
thought. They had manners, but were obviously starving—their
enthusiasm over the food showed that.

Sarah took pride in her cooking. She
stated how bored and lonely she often felt; and how much she
enjoyed cooking for others. Silently, I agreed with her:
I like
others cooking for me.
It was delicious, as were all her
meals.

When we finished, I thanked her for the
food and teased, “The fish was well worth risking your life
for.”

She paused, tried to think of a reply,
couldn’t, and finally settled on ordering me out of the kitchen, so
she and the girls could clean up.

I retired to the front porch and did a
quick scan of the woods. Finding nothing, I relaxed on the swing.
Shortly thereafter, Sarah joined me. Sitting on the porch in the
evening, with a cup of tea, had quickly become our nightly ritual.
It was something I enjoyed very much. I had discovered the value of
simple pleasures, and this was something I’d miss.

“
Are the girls bathing?” I
asked.

She nodded.

Usually, Sarah just wanted to sit in
silence, at least until the tea was finished, which suited me fine;
but this time she talked.

“
We never finished our
conversation about the Brean.”

“
We’ve had a few of those.
Which one was it?”

“
The one about
Cain.”

“
You mean the one where the
townspeople think the monsters are the result of Cain’s
curse?”

“
Yes, that’s the
one.”

Already having made up my mind not to
go to Marysvale, I didn’t really care what nonsense they believed.
But, out of politeness, I responded, “Very well then, tell me
more.”

She got up, went inside the cabin, and
returned with the Bible.

“
After Cain was cursed, he
complained to the Lord.” She opened the Bible, handed it to me and
said, “Here, read this and tell me what you think.”

I read,
“And Cain said unto the
Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast
driven me out this day from the face of the earth: and from thy
face shall I be hid: and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in
the earth: and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth
me shall slay me.

“And the Lord said unto
him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on
him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding
him should kill him.”

I laid the book down and pondered its
meaning. Sarah sat quietly, waiting for my response. Slowly, I
began to understand…

“
If the townsfolk believe
that the monsters are related, or the offspring of Cain, then they
think if you kill one…”

“
That God will punish you
sevenfold,” finished Jane, who was standing in the
doorway.

Dressed in clean clothes, gone was the
dirt and grime; and with food in her stomach, the color had
returned to her face—though she was still too thin. Her eyes, if
possible, looked even a deeper green. Her hair was wet, and she
looked beautiful.

Not so inconspicuously, Sarah slid
over, making the place next to me the only place to sit. Jane took
it. With her side lightly pressed against mine, I found myself
having a hard time concentrating on anything; it sent shivers
through me, and I savored it. I’d never before been taken with a
woman. But now, with Jane, it was like I’d been waiting my entire
life for her. I found it unsettling and even a little irritating
that I was attracted to her so strongly.

“…
think, John?” asked
Jane.

“
What? Oh, uh, I’m
sorry….What did you ask?” I stammered, blushing.

Sarah suppressed a grin.

Jane sighed and re-asked the question,
“I was just wondering what you think about the curse?”

“
Of course it’s silly! You
and Sarah aren’t cursed for killing any of them,” I
replied.

“
If you want to know what I
think,” said Hannah emerging through the door. “I think someone is
controlling them.”

I was going to laugh, but noticed that
the others were taking her seriously.

“
I’ve thought the same
thing, Hannah,” confessed Sarah.

Jane nodded in agreement.

“
Why do you all think that?”
I asked.

Jane answered, “At first it didn’t make
sense, and I’m sure it doesn’t to you. There didn’t seem to be any
reason or logic as to why some people were attacked and others
weren’t; but after time, a pattern appeared. Of course it has taken
years to see it; but generally, their attacks are calculated to
keep the people trapped inside the city walls, and isolating
Marysvale.”

I thought for a moment and then asked
Sarah, “Is this what you meant when you said they are keener to
allow people into this country than to let them leave?”

She nodded. “A few strangers have made
it into Marysvale, but no one has ever left the territory and
survived.”

“
How would you know? Maybe
someone made it and never came back.”

“
It’s possible,” admitted
Jane. “But doubtful. They’ve found remains of those who’ve tried.
Sometimes the Brean bring back their heads and leave them at the
city gates.”

“
So they’ve killed everyone
who’s tried to escape,” I said absently to myself.

Almost imperceptibly, Sarah whispered,
“No.”

I looked at her and, for the first
time, saw fear in her eyes.

I quietly asked, “What do you
mean?”

She didn’t respond. Tears welled in her
eyes, and I decided I wouldn’t press it.

Presently, she answered
anyway.

“
I tried to get away from
here once, a long time ago. After I had been driven from the town,
I wanted to leave the territory. However, I didn’t make it far. One
of the Brean followed me for some time. I got off my horse, doubled
back quietly, found a good hiding spot, and waited. When it passed
by, I killed it. The sound of my gun must have alerted other Brean.
Almost instantly, more showed up. I couldn’t reload fast enough,
there were too many. It was amazing—I’d never seen anything like
it. One would lure while the others encircled me. I think I wounded
one or two, but I was promptly overpowered. I, too, hoped it would
end quickly, but they toyed with me. The one that captured me tore
my clothes off...”