The Oyster Pirates by James Walker

Author:James Walker [Walker, James W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781441261953
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2012-07-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

The house in the fog seemed unusually quiet, then all of a sudden, the large black dog appeared, running from around the barn and barking.

“Whoa!” Dr. Page declared. “Hold on there, boy, it’s just us.”

The dog snarled, baring his teeth.

“Where are those people?” Mary asked.

“I don’t imagine they’d be out in the fields,” Page answered. “Not with all this fog.”

“Maybe they’re used to these conditions.”

The doctor lowered himself to the level of the dog and held out his hand in a nonthreatening manner.

“What are you doing?” Mary asked. “Giving him a sample?”

“Just trying to show him he has nothing to fear from us.”

“He seems to be the only one who doesn’t know that.”

Dr. Page stifled his fear and continued to try to coax the big dog to come to him. “I wish I had something to feed him,” he said.

“You’re offering him the only thing we’ve got—your flesh.”

Moments later, the door to the farmhouse cracked open slightly.

“Someone is there,” Mary said.

“I thought I saw some movement in the window,” Dr. Page replied. “I wonder why they don’t come out.” He yelled once more. “Hello the house. It’s us again.”

The door opened, and the Chinese woman stepped out onto the high porch. She began to yell at the dog in Chinese, sending a series of what could only be commands punctuated by curses. The dog whimpered slightly and backed away, still giving out mixed snarls.

Dr. Page got to his feet and took off his hat. “It’s us again, madam, the same ones who were here before.”

The woman backed up and looked inside the house, as if receiving instructions. Walking to the edge of the porch, she signaled them to come forward. “You, come then. Come in house.”

Mary and Dr. Page stepped forward. The doctor put his arm around Mary, helping her up the stairs. “Thank you, madam. We were hoping someone was here. We thought you might have been working.”

The woman was silent. It had been plain to see from their last visit that her knowledge of English was a basic one, one that she was uncomfortable with. She stepped aside, allowing Mary and the doctor to enter.

The woman bowed her head sharply and motioned toward a small, uncomfortable-looking settee. Dr. Page and Mary sat down, hesitantly, on the edge. Mary could see that this woman would not be able to give them the directions they required. She seemed uncomfortable as she backed away from them into the other room.

Mary looked around the room. A bright red oriental rug was spread before the fireplace that smoldered across from them. In the corner of the room a shrine sat under a picture that could only have been someone’s parents.

Moments later, the woman’s husband shuffled out from the back room.

Dr. Page got to his feet. “Oh, there you are. Thank you for letting us impose on you once again. We are still lost and need directions as to the best way back to Sacramento.”

The man spoke to his wife in Cantonese. It was a series of complicated phrases, punctuated by his wife’s obvious objections.

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