Guy--Part Eleven

Splog # 31

Eleven

   The woman looked back at her husband one more time as she stood in the doorway about to step through. As she had expected, he remained in the same position and showed no awareness of or response to her departure. She blew him a kiss, then stepped outside and shut the door. She took a deep breath before she started walking. She felt as though she were about to face an ordeal of some kind and she made a great effort to keep her mind calm and peaceful.

   She set off to walking rather quickly and then made herself slow down somewhat so that, although maintaining a good pace, she could keep herself as relaxed as possible. She tried to refrain from thinking by concentrating on the feel of the muscles in her legs and feet as they expanded and contracted in her striding walk. She made herself aware of everything around her, as it might provide clues to what was occurring. There wasn't much for her to observe. There was still an unnatural silence, except for the slight sounds her feet were making on the road and the rustle of her clothing as she moved. There was nothing to see in the sky - it was now a clear bright white with neither cloud nor sun, the earlier blue having faded away. Then she realized that she couldn't remember hearing any of the thunder-like rumbles since she had gotten her husband into the house. She wondered if she might not have registered them while she was ministering to her husband. She expected that it would have intruded on her mind but then decided that it really didn't make any difference. But if the rumbling had stopped, that might have some significance.

   As she was trying not to let this confusion worry her, she noticed someone perched on a rail fence some distance down the road on her right. She couldn't help walking a little faster until she recognized him as a man named Able, a carpenter who made and repaired furniture. The tables and chairs in her house had been made by him. When she reached him, she was unsurprised to find that he was sitting on the top rail of the fence with his hands on his knees, staring straight ahead of him. She stood in front of him and looked him in the face. He looked back at her but in no other way responded to her presence. "Able?" she said quietly. There was no reaction, either to the sound she made or to the mention of his name. Remembering her husband, she gently touched his cheek. He closed his eyes just as her husband had done. Then she took her hand away and, after a few moments, his eyes slowly opened. He looked straight at her and, as she backed away from him and again started moving toward the village, he followed her with his eyes but, after she had gone a few steps, he turned back to face forward. She watched him for a little while as she was walking away but soon turned and resumed her eager stride. When she looked back one last time, she was struck by his excessively rigid posture. He sat with his spine very erect, his shoulders wide and his arms straight out from his shoulders to his knees. His head and neck sat straight upon his spine. He looked as though he were holding himself in some kind of readiness for something that might happen at any moment. He looked alert and ready to spring into action. But if that were so, she reasoned, wouldn't he be standing up instead of sitting on a fence?

   One more question to hold in her mind yet try not to dwell upon while the important dilemma of her children's circumstances went unsolved. She couldn't help but wonder what she would do if she found the rest of the inhabitants of the village in the same unresponsive state as Will and Able. But whatever it was must be a temporary thing and should wear off in time. Then she stopped thinking and again concentrated on her muscles taking her to...what?

   The houses on the outskirts were quiet and there was no one in sight. She didn't stop to knock or ask because she wanted to get to the village green where there were bound to be people, responsive or not. But the green was deserted and there was no sign of anyone in the houses and shops that clustered around it.

   She stood, alone and desperate, and turned in every direction. There was no sign of any living thing. There were no people sitting on the benches or walking the paths. The doors of all the buildings around the green were closed and, while she could see open windows here and there, there were no people at any of them and no sounds drifting from them. In the absolute silence, she was sure that any activity on the inside would be audible to her.