A Kinder City by Peter Taylor-Gooby

Author:Peter Taylor-Gooby
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
Published: 2022-02-09T00:00:00+00:00

Jeb slams the axe into the round of wood and splits it neatly in half. His breath comes harsh. He doesn’t look at David.

‘Put the half-round on the block.’

He raises the axe and sunlight flashes from the blade. David stands back, arms folded.

‘Will you put that axe down and listen to me?’

The older man slams the axe into the block. It bites and jumps and skids sideways and falls on the ground.

‘Don’t disturb a man when he’s working with an axe. Don’t you know that?’

‘Jeb, listen to me. The woman’s dead.’

Jeb grunts. He leans forward, one arm on the block, and twists his body and sits on it. David kicks the axe to one side.

‘You know where she came from don’t you?’

‘Who knows where they come from? They come out the forest. She was starving, that’s why she died. Nothing more to it.’

He wants to shake him. He bends forward and rests his hand on the old man’s shoulder. Jeb looks up at him. Tears track down the grizzled face into the beard.

‘Tell me. Where do they come from?’

‘They’re from the valley beyond the forest. The Secret Valley. Something bad happened, people don’t like to talk about it. The people wander in the forest. Sometimes they come here and they die. They say there are armed men, like devils, that come in the night.’

‘Does Sarah know about this?’

Jeb feels for the axe-haft. He can’t find it. He gets to his feet.

‘Give me my axe.’

‘You need to eat something. Does Sarah know? Why didn’t anyone say anything yesterday?’

‘I told you, half of them don’t believe it and no-one’ll talk about it, they’re too scared. They think Franklin will save them.’

‘Don’t you?’

‘Trust that jackanapes? I been around a long time. Bring the axe.’

The old man stumps off towards the cabin.

‘Wait.’

David takes something wrapped in a piece of cloth out from under his arm.

‘The woman – she had this with her.’

It’s an empty flask, made of a tough, transparent, slightly flexible material he hasn’t seen before. The top is red and screws on and the label reads ‘Top quality milk for babies, from Franklin’s dairy.’ The image shows a cow with impossible udders.

The old man grunts and shakes his head. David clutches his arm.

‘You have seen it before, haven’t you? It’s what kept the baby alive.’

‘What if I have? They just come. Most of them die in the forest, the others say things that don’t make sense.’

He wrenches his arm away and stumps off towards the hut. David picks up the axe, checks that the blade is turned away from him, and follows.

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