The Kura by Mary Patterson Thornburg

Author:Mary Patterson Thornburg [Thornburg, Mary Patterson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Alternate world, Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Paranormal
ISBN: 9781601742025
Publisher: Uncial Press
Published: 2015-04-17T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

"Hang on a minute," Charlie Dodson yelled from behind the door. "Who's there?"

"It's me, Pop."

The door flew open. Her father, wearing cutoff jeans and a t-shirt with Mount Rushmore, but Beatles instead of presidents, had flour up to his elbows. A fan was running on high at one end of the room, the gas oven blazing away at the other. It was a muggy August day. Moisture dripped off the end of Charlie's nose.

"Sis!" He embraced her with a puff of flour and gave her a smacking, sweaty kiss. "Good Lord, you picked a hell of a day for a visit. A hundred degrees out there and these damned people want homemade Parker House rolls for their reunion dinner. Put that pack down. Here. Sit, sit. What a great surprise!" He kissed her again. "Iced tea. There's a pitcher in the fridge. Let me get some of this flour off me and I'll fix you a glass."

"I'll get it, Pop. You go on with what you're doing."

"Okay. I'm just about to put this last pan in. Pour me a glass, too, please."

She sat and watched as her father shaped bits of dough into a pan and brushed their tops with melted butter. "These'll bake fast and then I can turn off the stove. It might help some." He put the pan into the oven and set a timer, before washing his hands and coming to join her.

"So, Alyssha Pei, now. Or Pei Alyssha, which is it?" He sounded a bit flustered.

"Dodson. Children take the mother's name, and no one changes their name except for adoption. So I'd still be Alyssha Dodson even if I were married. But I'm not."

He frowned. "Sis?"

"We postponed it. We put it ahead to the fall equinox. But I'm not—" Unexpectedly, she began to cry. Charlie jumped up and came around the table to her.

"Aw, what is it, honey?"

She got control of herself and scrubbed her eyes furiously. "Sorry. This isn't a visit, Pop. I'm not going back."

"Well, well, well," he said, patting her. "Well, well, well. That's all right, baby. You just stay here with me till you feel better. It'll be all right, now. It has to be, so it will. You'll see."

Kardl's words. She started to cry again.

After a while Charlie went to look in the oven. When he came back, he said, "Okay now? Done crying for a while?"

"Yes, Pop." She sniffled. "I hope so."

"Well, any time you want to start up again, you go ahead." He studied her a moment. "What did your man say about it? Shan. Or do you want to talk about something else."

She shook her head. "I didn't tell him, Pop. Kala knows. She'll tell him."

Charlie poured more tea. "I bet I drank two gallons of this already today. Sweat it out fast as I drink it." He sat down. "That doesn't sound like you, Alyssha. Not to tell him yourself. I thought you had more gumption than that."

"I thought I did, too," she admitted. "But it was all too—too—oh, Pop.

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