“You don’t rightly know, and it’s prolly yourself you smell. We’re lost.”
“We ain’t lost. You have no faith, Marcus.”
“I do have faith, though not in this journey. Hardly remember why I agreed to come.”
We sat quiet and bewildered. The only sound in the night was the foraging of horses who nickered while digging at sparse desert plants. I rose to investigate. The sand around the hole they dug felt moist. The horses had broken through the land, releasing water from an underground spring. Liquid purled up and formed a dark pool in which the reflection of my spirit-rider appeared.
“Please, girl, take my hand.”
I reached into the placid water, only to watch her dissolve at my touch.
“Don’t leave me again.”
“Who you jabberin’ at, Marcus?”
“Look at this.”
“I told you the sea’s close,” he said.
“’Tisn’t a salt-lick. Water’s fresh.”
“It’s all the same and you oughta admit I’m right.”
The crystalline water tasted clean and sweet. We filled our canteens and let the horses drink.
“See, Marcus. Gotta have faith. I’ll make us some strong coffee first thing in the morning.”
“If morning ever comes,” I muttered.
We returned to our blankets, myself set on dreaming of the spirit girl. Wasn’t a moment after stretching out when large birds like we saw at the commencement of our journey perched themselves near us and began yawping, cursing our good fortune. Little Brother fired his pistol into the air. They squawked once in defiance, then took flight. The night fell silent.
“Too bad you didn’t kill them buzzards. They’d be the first decent meal since who knows when.”
“Not interested in eatin’ anything that considers me carrion. Wish we had them smithy flapjacks and bacon.”
“They couldn’t always have been like that, I mean the birds. Wonder why the notion of death gets them so wound up.”
“See it for what it is, Marcus—the hunger in all creatures. Least you know where you stand with ’em. Anyway, time for some shuteye.”
“Damned if I know why Mater sent Pa to his reward, then helped herself to a share of it right after,” I said.
Well written fable. Thoughtful ideas about man search for things of lesser value that hide more important issues. Do we suffer little deaths while searching for the unattainable? What should we be doing instead? What is living all about? Thoroughly enjoyable and thoughtful read.
Beautifully written