The Blue Between the Clouds by Stephen Wunderli

Author:Stephen Wunderli
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781466885929
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

7

MAN WITH NO EYES

All the way home I thought about old Simmons. He was trapped, tethered to this town like an old dog. He spent every day layin’ in the sun, waitin’ for his boy to come back and lead him away. I just had to find a way to get into the air, fly away from this place.

Anyway, it was awful dark when we got home. No moon that night, and some storm clouds rolled in so there weren’t any stars, either. You could hardly see your hand in front of your face. When we got back to the house, the bats were out. More than we had ever seen. They were flyin’ all around the barn and down by the holdin’ pond. Now, me and Two Moons love to play baseball. And with the weather turned the way it was we should’ve been playin’ every evenin’ after school. But we got to thinkin’ about flyin’, and we had us a plane, so we didn’t even consider some baseball. That is, until we saw the bats.

“Two Moons,” I said. “Be a good night for some hittin’ practice, don’t you think?”

Two Moons smiled. He knows a good idea when he hears one.

“I’ll go fetch a lantern,” I said. “You go find a good board.”

It wasn’t long before we were standin’ on the bank of the holdin’ pond. I stood ready with the board, like a batter waitin’ for a pitch. Two Moons was ready with a handful of pebbles.

“Okay,” I said. “Give me the first pitch.”

Two Moons lobbed a pebble toward me. A small bat swooped down and went after the pebble like it was a box elder bug. I swung madly, but the bat was too high.

“Strike one,” Two Moons said.

I tapped the side of my shoe with the board, waiting for the next pitch.

Two Moons eyed me, then lobbed another pebble. A bat swooped down and I swung hard. Just before I was about to knock that bat deep into center field, he moved. I hit nothin’ but air.

“Strike two!” Two Moons hollered.

“I can count,” I said, straightenin’ my shoulders and tappin’ my shoe again. I stood with one foot out of the batter’s box, glarin’ at the pitcher.

Two Moons lobbed another pebble. It was going to drop right next to me. Inside pitch, I thought. Out of nowhere a bat flew right into my chest and fluttered in my face. I swung madly and backed out of the batter’s box. I stumbled in the loose sod and fell down.

“Brush-back pitch!” I yelled. I don’t think Two Moons heard me, though. He was laughin’ too hard. He kneeled down on one knee and tried to catch his breath.

I got up and stood in the batter’s box again.

“Get up,” I said.

Two Moons brushed himself off and delivered another pitch. I waited, but no bat went after it.

“Ball,” I said.

Two Moons pitched again and I watched a big, gray bat swoop down out of the sky and go after the pebble.

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