The Oshkosh Trilogy 01 - The Dark Lake by Carson Anthea

Author:Carson, Anthea [Carson, Anthea]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, azw3, epub
Published: 2012-02-27T06:00:00+00:00

12

"Have you seen Dad?" I asked my mom, coming into the kitchen, soaking wet, after a long, two-mile walk home in the rain. Fortunately, Oshkosh was a compact, little town.

"No, why?"

"He took me down to the police station, wouldn't go in with me, and then disappeared."

"Oh, well, I'm sure he just forgot about some work he had to do or something."

"Yeah, but why would he leave me like that … unless something happened. He wouldn't just leave me there. That's not like him."

"He'll turn up,” she said.

And sure enough, I relaxed about it and within a few days I saw him mowing the lawn again, this time in long pants because summer was nearly fall and there were cool days ahead.

Late at night, while flipping the channels with the remote I thought about going to the Gazette office and asking about the article. I imagined myself there doing it, standing at the desk asking questions. The desk was very tall though, or the counter was, so that just the top of my head could be seen by whoever was on the other side. They answered me with scornful reproaches. Why should I bother?

I dialed Krishna's phone number. No answer. I decided to just let it ring. I put the phone under my head like a pillow. It sounded soothing—like waves lapping against a shore, ring…ring…ring, endless ringing. If I let it ring long enough, I know she will answer.

The machine not picking up was a little strange, but I didn't think about it too much. I was watching an old rerun of Leave it to Beaver. It too was comforting. I felt myself drifting peacefully off, barely aware when she said, "Hello … hello?"

"Hi Krishna. It's me, and I am calling to tell you about the car."

"I like to live in the past," she mocked, "please join me."

"No really, I need to tell you about the car."

"Where are you now?” she asked.

"Asleep on the couch."

"Ironic."

"Yes,” I acknowledged, "it is."

"You will never stop pushing this rock up the hill. It's my dream, remember? You are Sisyphus, and the question is…"

"The question,” I continued as if I were a robot on autopilot, "is, is it worth it?"

"I'm not on the other end of this phone," she said.

"About the car, I saw something but then you said that couldn't be true."

"Wait, who are you talking to? There's no one here."

"No, just listen."

She gave that really annoyed, loud sigh that she used when she really wanted something to cease.

"Just, hear me out. The car window, was it rolled up?” I asked. "Or down?"

The room looked different than it had when I had fallen asleep here. A different show was on TV.

"What difference does it make?” she said and hung up.

I tried to call back, but this time no more answer and I went upstairs to bed.

***

I had gripped the keys so tight in my hand no one could get them, no matter how hard they tried. It was impossible to get me to unclench my fist, but they did manage to pry it open.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.