The Endless Forest
Page 190
He would have set off in another direction but for the voices that told him there was somebody on the rock. Somebody who shouldn’t be there. His da would want to know about this and Daniel should run straight home to tell him, but first he needed to find out who was trespassing.
He crept up until he could see over the edge, and then he stayed longer than he meant to, trying to make sense of what he was seeing: two people rolling around on the ground, one of them a woman, her skirts rucked up so that her legs were bare to the sun. The other a man, on top of her, his breeches down around his knees.
Daniel dropped back down, eased himself down all the way until he was crouched under the ledge. He could still hear them, hear the noises they made. They were fucking, a word he had learned not so long ago from the boys in the village. Fucking on Eagle Rock in broad daylight, and who would take such a chance?
But he knew the answer. He had heard enough to recognize their voices.
Then Lily was there. He had almost forgot about her. She stood heaving for breath, and before she could make a single noise he pulled her down next to him and put a hand over her mouth. If she hadn’t been struggling to breathe she would have bit him, he was sure of that.
The voices were louder now, an argument so bitter that the taste of bile was in the air. Daniel tightened his grip on his sister, feeling the jump in her pulse and his own.
Will you be quiet?
When she nodded he took his hand away.
It’s all right, he whispered. They’ll go soon.
Who?
Even whispered the names made her jump. Jemima was shouting now: I’ll swear a rape.
The sound of a hard slap, and her laughter in response. It gave Daniel a sick feeling to hear that laugh, and still worse was what came next. They were struggling and the whole business started again, Jemima Southern and Liam Kirby fucking on Eagle Rock like snarling dogs.
Lily didn’t know yet about fucking, and he wasn’t going to tell her. He pressed her arm hard to keep her quiet.
It seemed to go on forever and then the sound of Jemima’s laugh came again, sharper and shriller, like the hunting cry of a falcon. Then silence. It seemed that one of them must have gone away, but there was no way to be sure. Daniel wondered how long they should wait, when it would be safe, and with that thought came the rattle of scree.
Jemima stood in the sunlight looking at them where they crouched under the ledge. Her lower lip was bloody and her breasts free. Daniel looked away and Lily took that as permission to fling herself at Jemima.
And from there things went from bad to worse.
Daniel’s story took no more than ten minutes. When he had finished he took Martha by the hand and they went into the woods. She allowed herself to be led to a fallen tree, and she sat there beside him.
After a while she said, “I was conceived that day.”
“I think so, yes.”
“She threatened you.”
Daniel nodded. “But none of that came to anything. There was no real harm done.”
She turned to look at him. “Why did you tell me this?”
“I haven’t told you all of it, yet,” Daniel said. “There was one more thing. Something I haven’t told anyone, not Lily or my parents. Not anyone.”
“Do I want to hear this?”
“Most likely not, but I have to tell it.”
She closed her eyes and nodded.
“Lily’s ankle looked to be broke, and so I set off to get help and I ran as hard as I could. You know the beaver pond where the stream drops real sudden about six feet? The little waterfall, we used to call it, about halfway between here and Lake in the Clouds. When I got that far I caught my foot on a root and I fell so hard I knocked the breath out of me. Took me a couple minutes to get moving again, but before I could go I heard her. Jemima. She had climbed down to sit on the edge of the pond, and she was weeping. The sound of it surprised me so that I couldn’t help myself; I went around to the side where I could see her better, and she was sitting there, bent over for weeping. It was like her heart was being torn out of her, she was shaking and crying so hard.”
“What did you do?”
“I am ashamed to say that the first thought that went through my head was to chunk a rock at her, I was that mad. But I was too worried about Lily, so I ran on home and got Runs-from-Bears. And still I couldn’t get it out of my mind, Jemima weeping like that. It got all mixed up in my head with the things she said about Hannah.”
They sat there in an awkward silence for a while, and then she let out a sigh. “I always had the idea that maybe there was something once between Jemima and Liam Kirby that wasn’t ugly. Just for a day or even an hour. I don’t know how I held on to that idea all these years.” And then, a little sharper: “What were you thinking, that I’d forgive her everything because she shed tears?”
“No,” Daniel said. “I’m just hoping you won’t hold it against me that I was there that day.”
By the time they got home the first fireflies had begun to float over the meadow. The smell of ripening strawberries was in the air, and Martha thought of the bears that would soon come to eat their fill. She would have to keep Hopper on a line for fear he would try to chase them away.
Daniel said, “What are you thinking about?”
“Hopper.” And: “We left him with the little people. Should we—”
“They’ll bring him by tomorrow,” Daniel said.
She didn’t like that idea. Hopper belonged here with them, tonight especially. Tonight she wanted to close the shutters and bar the doors to the rest of the world. It was a childish thought, but she could not shake herself free of it.
He crept up until he could see over the edge, and then he stayed longer than he meant to, trying to make sense of what he was seeing: two people rolling around on the ground, one of them a woman, her skirts rucked up so that her legs were bare to the sun. The other a man, on top of her, his breeches down around his knees.
Daniel dropped back down, eased himself down all the way until he was crouched under the ledge. He could still hear them, hear the noises they made. They were fucking, a word he had learned not so long ago from the boys in the village. Fucking on Eagle Rock in broad daylight, and who would take such a chance?
But he knew the answer. He had heard enough to recognize their voices.
Then Lily was there. He had almost forgot about her. She stood heaving for breath, and before she could make a single noise he pulled her down next to him and put a hand over her mouth. If she hadn’t been struggling to breathe she would have bit him, he was sure of that.
The voices were louder now, an argument so bitter that the taste of bile was in the air. Daniel tightened his grip on his sister, feeling the jump in her pulse and his own.
Will you be quiet?
When she nodded he took his hand away.
It’s all right, he whispered. They’ll go soon.
Who?
Even whispered the names made her jump. Jemima was shouting now: I’ll swear a rape.
The sound of a hard slap, and her laughter in response. It gave Daniel a sick feeling to hear that laugh, and still worse was what came next. They were struggling and the whole business started again, Jemima Southern and Liam Kirby fucking on Eagle Rock like snarling dogs.
Lily didn’t know yet about fucking, and he wasn’t going to tell her. He pressed her arm hard to keep her quiet.
It seemed to go on forever and then the sound of Jemima’s laugh came again, sharper and shriller, like the hunting cry of a falcon. Then silence. It seemed that one of them must have gone away, but there was no way to be sure. Daniel wondered how long they should wait, when it would be safe, and with that thought came the rattle of scree.
Jemima stood in the sunlight looking at them where they crouched under the ledge. Her lower lip was bloody and her breasts free. Daniel looked away and Lily took that as permission to fling herself at Jemima.
And from there things went from bad to worse.
Daniel’s story took no more than ten minutes. When he had finished he took Martha by the hand and they went into the woods. She allowed herself to be led to a fallen tree, and she sat there beside him.
After a while she said, “I was conceived that day.”
“I think so, yes.”
“She threatened you.”
Daniel nodded. “But none of that came to anything. There was no real harm done.”
She turned to look at him. “Why did you tell me this?”
“I haven’t told you all of it, yet,” Daniel said. “There was one more thing. Something I haven’t told anyone, not Lily or my parents. Not anyone.”
“Do I want to hear this?”
“Most likely not, but I have to tell it.”
She closed her eyes and nodded.
“Lily’s ankle looked to be broke, and so I set off to get help and I ran as hard as I could. You know the beaver pond where the stream drops real sudden about six feet? The little waterfall, we used to call it, about halfway between here and Lake in the Clouds. When I got that far I caught my foot on a root and I fell so hard I knocked the breath out of me. Took me a couple minutes to get moving again, but before I could go I heard her. Jemima. She had climbed down to sit on the edge of the pond, and she was weeping. The sound of it surprised me so that I couldn’t help myself; I went around to the side where I could see her better, and she was sitting there, bent over for weeping. It was like her heart was being torn out of her, she was shaking and crying so hard.”
“What did you do?”
“I am ashamed to say that the first thought that went through my head was to chunk a rock at her, I was that mad. But I was too worried about Lily, so I ran on home and got Runs-from-Bears. And still I couldn’t get it out of my mind, Jemima weeping like that. It got all mixed up in my head with the things she said about Hannah.”
They sat there in an awkward silence for a while, and then she let out a sigh. “I always had the idea that maybe there was something once between Jemima and Liam Kirby that wasn’t ugly. Just for a day or even an hour. I don’t know how I held on to that idea all these years.” And then, a little sharper: “What were you thinking, that I’d forgive her everything because she shed tears?”
“No,” Daniel said. “I’m just hoping you won’t hold it against me that I was there that day.”
By the time they got home the first fireflies had begun to float over the meadow. The smell of ripening strawberries was in the air, and Martha thought of the bears that would soon come to eat their fill. She would have to keep Hopper on a line for fear he would try to chase them away.
Daniel said, “What are you thinking about?”
“Hopper.” And: “We left him with the little people. Should we—”
“They’ll bring him by tomorrow,” Daniel said.
She didn’t like that idea. Hopper belonged here with them, tonight especially. Tonight she wanted to close the shutters and bar the doors to the rest of the world. It was a childish thought, but she could not shake herself free of it.
