Scáth Powers

I woke to the girl gone. I wasn't too surprised; I knew it was coming, just not when it was coming. After-all Gina heard that Wop say he'd get her the next pick-up, which is still two days away. She's on the farm still somewhere, that much I'm sure of. She didn't take much with her, a couple dresses, some books (not surprising), and a quilt from the living-room. She's camping out somewhere. Do I go find her or wait until he comes and get them both together at the shack? I'd like to just deal with them both together, but if she's dumb enough to be waiting at the shack already or within sight, I might as well bring her a*s back now and just wait for him there myself.

I relay to Isaiah and Gina that she's flown the coop and tell them to search the farm with me; the barn, the fields, ask the neighbors, everything. I'll handle the shack though. When I walk out to the old shack, a strange feeling takes over. My feet climb the few and familiar steps to the door, then I find myself inside. Looking around the small space I used to inhabit so long ago, I'm standing in another time, in another world. When I lived here my brother was still alive, still breathing. I'm overcome with grief momentarily for my loss of Éadrom. Ages have passed since that tragedy and yet it hurts the same, if not worse. It quickly passes when I also remember that his wife was alive then too, and their daughter; all living happily together in that house with the old mule. Cold bitterness swiftly replaces what grief I felt seconds ago and I growl at my past.

I look around again and this time all I see is that Italian on top of her. Her on top of him, them smiling, them giggling, them happy. I growl again, louder, and it turns to a scream and the rage I feel explodes out of my fist and into the wall, through the rotted boards. No doubt in my mind now, they're both dead. I'll kill them in their bliss, when I see them here together, in two days time. I walk out of that s**t-hole and toward the house, my house. There will be no work today. My mind is on one thing, drinking. Drinking will take those images out of my mind and that's exactly how the rest of my day and surely tomorrow will go too.