The Stone of Blood (13 page)

“La façon dont a été réglée!”

“
The way has been set
!”

Nine

Burning Embers

Our driveway became my fishin’ hole in my imagination when I was still little. As a kid I’d fish for hours in it as I sat in the shade of the two giant bushes that grew on its right hand side. The gravel rocks replaced the cool runnin’ waters of a gentle flowin’ stream. But my fishin’ pole didn’t notice the difference. It just didn’t pay it no never mind! I’d catch a few fishes every now and again too! But I’d have to throw em’ back, even though they were only in my imagination!

“
Imaginary fishes don’t make for a whole lot of good eatin’.
” My mama would say.

I’d rather have had a bologna sandwich anyways, with some potato chips and a cold soft drink to drink! Mama would always pack me a good picnic lunch to bring along with me too on my trips to the other side of the driveway.

Hot were the days of summer then, when havin’ air conditionin’ meant that we had our windows opened wide with fans sittin’ in em’! And I never could understand why our ancestors stopped here as they drove their wagon teams west! I mean, why build their homes in such a hot and humid place as this? It had to be cooler further on! Did they come in the cooler months and then just die out before movin’ on, leavin’ their children to fend for themselves?

That could explain it, either that or cause of space aliens or somethin’.

When I was little, I’d pretend that…

…I sat there in my fishin’ chair sippin’ soda though a straw. The wind was cool to my back as I cast out my line while my Candy dog lay by the river, both of us unaware of the dangerous peril that lurked beneath these waters!

Unbenounced to us, the Colby
Creek
Monster had awakened from its slumber! For over one hundred years it had rested, entombed inside its hidden limestone bed. Death followed it as it swam beneath the current. And shadows became screams as it searched for its masters who’d summoned it from its watery grave...

Colby was the first person to ever tell me of the monster. He was my cousin. And of course he’d waited until we were all alone in the dark, campin’ out under the full moon to tell me!

He had great timin’ that cousin of mine! So that’s why I named the monster after him.

My dog Candy would protect me from the imaginary monsters though! Cause she would go fishin’ with me sometimes too! She enjoyed lyin’ there on the cool grass by that imaginary river and jumpin’ in waters to eat the real bait on my fake fishin’ line!

Candy was a big part of our family. Mama even put her in charge of us when we got too rowdy! She would bark at us too if we did something that she knew we wasn’t supposed to do! And you’d better not cross over any imaginary fences when she was around! No sir! Cause she would tell on ya! She would too!

Candy was a solid white Jack Russell Terrier, at least right after she had been given a bath! And she hated baths! After she’d been given one of them things and she knew that our mama wasn’t watchin’, she’d run outside and roll around out there in every cow manure patch that she could find! Just so that she could get that clean smell off of her! And Mama would get so mad at her for doin’ that! Candy would have to stay outside all day long for doin’ that as a punishment!

When we first got Candy, I remember how much she liked to get her belly rubbed! No matter what happened, as long as she got her belly rubbed afterwards she was okay! She loved to be loved on that dog! And she loved it here in the country! She could run through the fields and herd the chickens. Her legs moved so fast underneath of her that sometimes you could hardly see em’ movin’! They looked like hummingbird wings!

We played outside in the shade all summer long, Anna, Candy and me. And on the hottest of days when playin’ in the shade was as hot as playin’ in the sun, Mama would make us lots of cool-aid or cold lemonade drinks so that we didn’t melt or die or anything!

We played on the swings, and we played on the front porch where the concrete would stay nice and cool. We played in the dirt when mama would let us and we built castles and forts out of gravel, rocks and dirt! The dirt always felt cool to the touch.

But as I grew older, I didn’t play in it all that much. I guess that the games I liked to play just kind of changed is all.

“Son, it’s time for supper! You need to get in here and get your hands washed!” Mama hollered through the front door screen.

So I got myself up from the swing and I went on inside to eat!

Mama was always cookin’ and stuff. And that was a good thing cause no matter how much or how many times we ate, we’d still get hungry again no matter what!

The one thing that I didn’t understand though was why we needed to be clean every time we ate! I mean, was a little dirt on your hands gonna kill ya? Didn’t the corn and the potatoes come from out of the dirt in the garden? It just didn’t seem natural is all? And I’d just get dirty again when I went back outside to play so I just never saw the point in it!

Mama didn’t care. She made me wash two or three times sometimes! You’d think once would be more than enough for anybody! But not my Mom! “
Oh well.
” I sighed and washed my hands real good anyway before I got hollered at!

“Let me see your hands.” Mama demanded of me as soon as I walked into the kitchen.

I guessed I passed her test this time cause she let me sit down at the table without washin’ again! She just looked at me all stern like was all.

Scootin’ chairs across the floor always made lots of noise as we all made our way up to the table to eat, with knives and forks, plates and cups’ all clangin’ together as our places were set in preparation for our meal.

We bowed our heads and held hands whenever we were gathered around like this. And we said prayers of thanks to our Heavenly Father for the food that He had placed before us and for our good health and family and other stuff like that.

“Thank you Father for this food that you have set before us and for this healthy family gathered around this table. In your son’s name Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.” My dad said. “Amen.” We followed with afterwards and proceeded to pass around the food bowls to one another.

Mama told me that we couldn’t see God with our own eyes or nothin’, but that we could feel him inside our hearts. “
God lives within us.
” My mama told me.

It seemed like a bunch of mushiness to me whenever somebody was lookin’ at me and stuff, but I guess I did feel Him in there sometimes. Just a little bit.

“Dad can I have some potato chips?” I asked.

“Eat your food first son, and then you can have some.” Mama interjected. I wanted to say “
Mom, I was talkin’ to Dad.
” all shaking back and forth and wigglin’ like, but I didn’t feel like gettin’ my face slapped off of my head right then so I just didn’t say nothin’.

“I don’t think you like those.” Dad said as he pointed to the diced tomatoes covered in gravy. “
That’ll leave more for me.
” You could tell he was thinkin’ by that kind of sly smile on his face.

Dad worked all day at his job, so if there was ever a cold soft drink in the house he got first dibs on it! I always got second dibs as long as nobody else was lookin’.

I took a few great big bites of food off my plate and I slurped down a big old drink of my milk.

“Can I have some potato chips now Mom?” I asked showin’ her that I had at least eaten
some
of my food. Mama just looked at me sternly. And I took her silence as my answer.

There was always a whole bunch of chatter around the kitchen table. Dad talked about his day and he ate. Mama told Dad about her day
and
about anything me and Anna might have done that we shouldn’t have, and she ate. Me and my sister talked about our days too I reckon, and we ate.

Of course, me and Anna also went through our normal “
slappin’ at each other
” and “
quit touchin’ me
” sessions …to the point where the overall enjoyment of the grown up population would reach an all time daily low!

Sometimes “
we would even break a record!
”
My mama would exclaim! “Toby!” Mama yelled and smacked at my hand! “Don’t be feeding Candy under the table! She has her own food! Your father works hard for that!” She continued.

“Okay Mom.” I said as I raised my plate back up and sat it on the table.

Now I know it wasn’t me. But somebody sittin’ at the table knocked over my milk! I wasn’t gonna say who it was mind you. Cause you know that I don’t like to start nothin’ or get anybody into trouble or anything. I just knew it wasn’t me is all. So for the next few minutes my mama cleaned up the milky mess that had fallen from my glass; that which
someone
had spilt. She lifted up bowls and wiped off the table. We even had to hold up our own plates while she wiped under em’! It was a very hard undertakin’ gettin’ that milk up from all over the place! It was exhaustin’!

And so there I sat. Mama was done cleanin’ and everybody was eatin’ again and yet my glass of milk had
somehow
managed to remain completely empty! I didn’t even have anythin’ whatsoever to drink!

“Can I have some more milk Mom?” I asked as politely and as innocently as I possibly could.

“No Son. I think you’ve had just about enough!” Mama answered as she scooted up to the table a little closer.

“Can I be excused then?” I asked all callus like.

“Not until you are done eating.” Dad replied as a kind of reinforcement for my mom.

“
But how could I possibly finish eatin’ without any milk to drink or nothin’?
” I thought to myself. “
This was absolutely unheard of! Me and Anna hadn’t even gotten to the ‘blamin’ the dog for stuff’ portion of the meal!”
I thought again.
“But since I didn’t have any more milk to drink, I considered myself done eatin’! We’d have to blame Candy for stuff some other time!
”

“But
I am
done, see?” I said as I showed my Mom and Dad my freshly cleaned dog licked plate.