Mother's Boys by Bernard Taylor

Author:Bernard Taylor [Taylor, Bernard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, General
ISBN: 9780312014766
Google: jUqkAQAACAAJ
Amazon: 0312014767
Publisher: St Martins Pr
Published: 1988-02-14T23:00:00+00:00

TEN

Within the room there was a sudden silence. Even the breathing of its occupants seemed stilled. The atmosphere had become increasingly humid and the air was heavy. Into the stillness Ben gave an involuntary little laugh of nervousness and incomprehension. Daisy giggled while Michael let out his breath in a drawn out sigh. The eyes of all the children were fixed on Netta. A moth flew in through the open window and fluttered above the sofa. Daisy let out a shriek and covered her head with her hands. No one else moved. The moth fluttered about for a few moments and then settled on the shade of the lamp. There was silence again and Daisy raised her head and fixed her gaze on Netta once more. Netta, unaware of their glances, sat staring at Kester, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly open.

‘What - what’s happening here?’ she said at last, frowning. ‘What’s - ?’

Kester’s voice broke into her words.

‘Silence!’ he snapped, and rapped loudly on the table top with his knuckles. In the ensuing stillness he moved from the table over to the fireplace where he stooped and took up a small piece of wood - kindling that Robert had cut some days before when they had had a fire.

‘Silence,’ Kester said again, although there was not a sound in the room. Moving back behind the table he stood and coldly eyed Netta’s horrified expression. ‘You’ll have a chance to speak in your defence,’ he added. ‘If you have any defence, that is.’

In the silence Netta could hear the sound of her own breathing. She could feel too the beating of her heart as it began to pound against her ribs. Under Kester’s gaze she found herself wilting and, angry with herself, made an effort to thrust aside her weakness and face him squarely.

‘Kester,’ she said, forcing an awkward smile to her stiff lips, ‘I’m afraid you’re taking a joke a little too far. Come on now, I think it’s time we stopped all this.’ She gave a hollow little laugh. ‘I don’t think I like this particular game.’

As she finished speaking she made an effort to rise, but in the same instant realized that she was unable to move. She struggled futilely for some moments against the strength of the cords and then, giving up, said softly: ‘Kester - untie me, please.’

Her words were met with silence, the three younger children looking from one to the other and then back to her, while Kester’s gaze, unmoving, stayed fixed upon her helplessness. She laughed again, as if still intent on trying to make a joke of the whole thing. ‘Hey, now,’ she said, ‘you tied these a bit too tightly.’

Kester still didn’t move, but continued to look at her. There was a strange light in his eyes, and she found herself shrinking a little under his gaze. She laughed hollowly again, at the same time frowning, and then looked away, turning towards the other children. As she did so she

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