RAVSQ
For seven days straight that damn flip phone never stopped going off. Seven days of pretending like I knew how to work a fire pit or change the temperature in a hot tub. It was not worth the 6.50 an hour I was getting paid.
I'd also gotten
maybe 20 hours of sleep the entire week thanks to my bug infested nightmares. I was a fucking entomphobiac so this was the fucking last
place I could sleep.
"What ", I say picking up the phone. It's ringing for the fifth time this afternoon and I had already lost it when a spider crawled in my bed that morning.
"Whoa", Logan's drawn out voice crackles over the phone, "That's not the kind of O'Conner camping tone you should have."
"What", I say again.
"I was going to ask you to take a break get lunch for Jerry and I but--"
"From Ty's ?"
"Yeah, but you sound a little busi--"
"No", I cut in, "It's fine"
"That's what I thought", he said and I could practically see his smug face from he phone.
I'd been wanting to get off the campground all week so I could chat up Blondie and learn her name.
I shut the work phone off and grab Jerry's car keys from him. He's taking a nap in the backroom with an episode of I Love Lucy blaring in the background. I feel like I should wake him up or say something to him but it would just be awkward.
When I pull into the lot in front of Ty's the pink neon sign is turned off. There are a few cars parked on the road but most people are eating outside where dozens of picnic tables are set up.
Ty's inside behind the bar, she has her head down and is talking into an ear piece, she's shaking her head and looks concerned. I want to back out but she looks up when I close the door her smile makes me feel like I'm at home.
" Is Jerry hungry for lunch ?", she asks. Her accent still throws me, "The usual, I suppose."
"Yeah and Logan.", I say scanning the menu which seems to have everything on it,"I'll have a burger and fries."
"Fryers broken.", she says coming out from behind the counter in a jean miniskirt and tight flannel, "How about a side salad ?"
I nod my head even though I hadn't had anything fried in two fucking years. I walk back outside cause I hate being the only one inside the empty restaurant. Someone might accuse me of stealing or something.
I walk near the edge of the forest away from all the families, when I catch the scent of frosting and cookies. A few feet into the forest. I see a small stone house sitting awkwardly in the middle of the trees. Something about it seems off.
It's an odd place to put a house.
Then from the window I see a flash of blonde hair and forget about anything else.
"Hello.", a sing-song voice comes from the front door and I see Blondie's sister. She waves me over.
I follow her inside the house, which is completely empty. Except for Blondie who is sitting on the floor dressed up like a ballerina with a light blue sheer skirt. she has flat toed ballet shoes on and is sitting on the floor with her toes touching and messing with her iPod.
"Hey.", I say to both girls, "I was--
"I'm Tirney." says Blondie's sister
At this Blondie shoots her a look and the shrugs it off.
"Not as protective of your name as your. . . sister ?", I say skeptically taking in their different skin tones. I realize I could have offended them.
"We have different fathers.", Tirney says. Which I guess makes sense.
"Sorry there is no place to sit, We still have unpacking to do.", Blondie says gracefully getting up from the floor and placing a long perfectly shaped leg on the bannister.
"I should go." I remember that I'm supposed to be getting lunch.
"Stay." Tirney says in a bright voice, "I'm trying a new cookie recipe for the restaurant. I want your opinion."
"Yeah, stay/" says Blondie while she is slowly bending her body towards her foot on the bannister. I can see the way every muscle in her body works underneath her tight leotard. This girl had to be a runner.
Tirney sprints gracefully off to the kitchen and Blondie keeps her eye on me.
"Come here." she says turning her body so her foot leaves the bannister, but it's still elevated, "I need to stretch"
She indicates for me to take her ankle and I do, partially because I don't want to be rude. The whole time her blue eyes are trained on me.
"So, Cillian what brings you to Cascade Falls ?"
"Needed a job. Gramps owns O'Conners."
She motions for me to lift her ankle higher, I'm almost afraid I'm going to break her.
"You?", I say, "What do you do ?"
"Thanks to my mother. . . Tirney and I can do whatever we want.", she says with a smile.
"Which is to be a waitress ?"
"It's a summer job at my mom's restaurant", she says with a laugh slowly bringing her leg down and doing a smooth spin, "I start at American Ballet with Tirney this fall."
"That's something", I say. It's more than me anyway, but I don't want this girl to know what a big loser I am. She seems classy.
Blondie steps slowly around me on her toes, her hand grazing my shoulder. Automatically my eyes follow her and she knows it.
Tirney comes back in with a glass cookie jar full of sugar cookies. She stops a few inches away from me and then looks over to Blondie concerned. .
"It'll get better Cillian", Blondie says, "Being here. It always does."
Tirney leads me to the door and before I know it I'm outside.
"See you around." Tirney says closing the door.
I jog back down the road and find a big brown bag with my name on it near the counter. There is a note attached.
Threw in extra mozzarella sticks.
It'll get better
- Ty
+++
By the time I crawl into bed, I’d never felt so Goddamn exhausted for doing so little.
The shower water in the outhouse was cold and murky. In the dark I could hear the chirping and rustling. Not even the double dose of anxiety medication could make the nerves go away. I had gotten lucky so far that no 6 legged bastard has crawled in yet.
I climb into bed with my boxers still sticking to my still wet skin.
Against my will I began to yawn and drift to sleep.
When I open my eyes I am in my old bedroom. I can see the crack in the ceiling I stared at for 17 years an the air is thick with my mother’s burned cooking.From the crack at a tiny spider on a clear thread flicks its tiny legs coming closer and closer finally landing on my face.
I can’t breathe I try to scream, I want to run. . . I have to run but I can’t.
Another one follows, followed by another an another.
They dance across my skin.
I’m going to die of fear, I know it.
My heart beats hard inside my chest, so hard I can feel a bruise coming on .
Finally I scream, loud and long until I’m violently thrust out of my dream. I remind myself it’s just a dream. A nightmare.
+2+
I can't sleep. I can't fucking sleep.
From the open window a big black moth flutters over to the electric lantern.
My adrenaline kicks in. I grab the playboy calendar off the floor, roll it up and hit the moth with brutal force.
I wished it was a grasshopper.
I hated bastards with wings the most.
I sit in the corner wiping tears from my eyes. Thinking maybe if my dad had been around I wouldn’t be so weak.
Afraid of a fucking moth.
Slipping on garden gloves I make my way over to the dead moth.
I can’t sleep with that thing in here. Knowing it might get up and attack me.I pick up the lantern and choke on my own fear realizing the moth is still alive. My eyes water at the way it’s crooked black wings attempts to move.
As I get closer I nearly drop my lantern, The thin black wings continue to move. Underneath the wing is a tiny spot of blood, followed by something pale and dark.
And familiar.
It’s a tiny leg.
Two human legs connected to what looks like a tiny human. . . with broken wings.
Its leg is twisted at an awkward angle, it tries to stand I hear what sounds like a soft hiss as it closes its eyes and goes still. I can see the creatures chest rising and falling.
I swear the benzos must be kicking in.
I empty out Tirney's glass cookie jar off the counter
and closing my eyes I place the jar over the creature
turning it over and placing the lid on the jar. I avert my eyes and stash it in the closet.
“Wake up Cillian”, I tell myself, “Wake up Cillian, wake up.”
1155
