The Swallows by Kristen Clanton

Author:Kristen Clanton [Clanton, Kristen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Witch Way Publishing
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

When the Man Comes to Town

Pearl walked home with the dead mothers. In the late hours, the honky-tonk music had stopped playing from the bar down the street. Twangy guitars and pianos were replaced by the sharp and encompassing chirp of cricket wings. Porch lights and lamp lights clicked off one by one, each house falling into the sleepy grey shadows of recent darkness. With the curtains of artificial light extinguished, the stars came closer and took their places like fireflies between the bare branches of trees.

“This is the kind of night when everybody wants to sleep but nobody can,” Molly said. “If the moon were brighter— full or nearly so— this is the kind of night I would’ve driven out to Silver Lake for a swim because I knew I wasn’t going to bed.”

“Or we’d all go to Rose’s house. Stay up all night playing cards, then make a big breakfast at 3 a.m.” Kaia sighed.

“And hike up Bear Mountain with that giant picnic basket. Eat pancakes and watch the sunrise.” Maggie leaned on Kaia’s shoulder.

“I miss that,” Cindy said.

The moon was a thin grin, sheltered by the bright crowd of stars. Pearl imagined the Cheshire Cat taking form behind that grinning moon. Hundreds of teeth widened his mouth. The yellow stars clustered into yellow eyes. Tree branches bent into a wreath of horned ears; the brittle leaves his claws. Anything can happen now, Pearl thought. Anything at all.

“What was all that back there?” Pearl finally asked.

Cindy pulled a cigarette from the folds of her gown and put it to her lips. “You really want us to go first?”

Pearl nodded.

“Well, we heard you call. When we got to your house, the living room was dark, and you were walking out the door,” Cindy said.

“I didn’t call.”

“You thought about us,” Maggie answered.

“It must’ve been your photos in the newspaper. All of your pictures were printed in a row on the front page of the Black Mountain Daily. At the end of the row, there was a big question mark.”

“Who’s next? Like an assembly line.” Molly scoffed.

“Anyway,” Cindy took a drag off the unlit cigarette and crossed her arms. “We followed you. It didn’t look like you were just out for a walk, either. It looked like you knew exactly where you were going.”

“You were ‘late, late for a very important date’,” Molly sang.

“If anyone else could actually see us, we must’ve looked really spooky—all of us trailing right behind you in these get-ups.” Maggie pulled at her dress, adjusting the lacey sleeves.

“Like in those old Scooby-Doo episodes—all the bad guys dressed in sheets and floating around on roller skates.” Maggie grinned.

“My little brother loves that show,” said Pearl.

“Were you looking for John-Boy?” Karen asked.

“I guess so. I knew he’d be around. Wherever I’ve gone the last few days, if I listened for it, I could hear him whistling.” Pearl pulled the collar of her coat up around her ears and exhaled to watch her breath’s spirited escape and disappearance. The night had gone on too long.

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