We had to fade and freeze a few times. The kid, for being so young, moved well. He also didn't try talking to me which was good. Even more surprising he understood basic hand signs. Maybe two hours later we were back to where we had dropped the dogs. We could of been there quicker but I took a roundabout path to get there and approached from the other side. Instead of going to the exact spot I stopped about 500 yards from it and settled down behind a downed tree. I told the kid I would watch for a bit. Of course he told me he wasn't tired and then went to sleep about three minutes later.
I looked at him as he slept and saw the parts of Carol in him. His skin was her color, ivory pale, but it tanned easy instead of burned. The hair was brown with streaks of gold like hers. He had Max's face. The eyes were all Max too. Not a bad combination if he hadn't been too damaged along the way. Then I fell asleep. It was one of those dreams that were totally life like, in color, and I could feel every emotion at twice the power of what I would feel awake.
I was back in time, another world ago, high school. I was looking for Carol. It was the day of graduation practice and I knew I had to find her and talk to her or I would never see her again. The thought of that almost made me sick. I kept running into people who wanted to talk but I either brushed them off or asked them if they had seen her. A couple of girls laughed and told me where they had seen her last but she wasn't there. I would run up to groups of people, search each ones face for her, but she was nowhere to be found. Even her the group she should have been in -- she wasn't. She was gone. Gone for ever. I wandered away, found a private place, and I sat there and cried and cried.
In the dream it seemed like I cried for ever but at some point a hot wind began to blow into my face. My tears stopped, then dried up. In my dream I realized the breeze had changed. It stunk now of rotten meat and drops of rain were falling on my face.. I woke up with a start, my brain shrieking "Oh my god! I fell a sleep on watch!" Jeebus, the adrenaline kicked in then. It didn't help that I bolted straight up and bumped noses with Woof who standing over me. He had a wet nose too. I told him "Jeebus Woof...get off me." and wiped the drool he had dropped on my face off with my hand. I was going need to wash my face. Woof's saliva smelt like his breath. Foul.
Gardener falling asleep on watch, dreaming of Carol? Something's up. I can't wait to find out what happens next.
ReplyDeleteaaah,just what I needed after a long day,thanks NoVa.
ReplyDeleteG needs to purge Carol from every part of his mind because Night Will Know - Night Always Knows.
ReplyDeleteCarol is a symbol for G of a world and time that he caught a brief glimpse of before his life went to hell. She is the only who knows and uses his real name.
ReplyDeleteFor G to let go of her is to let go of his past. He also honors her for providing him with the hope that when his life began to fall apart that he was still human and someone cared enough to give him the time of day.
Plus G is someone who has rarely loved. When he does it is never given lightly nor is it ever forgotten. He also realizes that life has moved on. That there was nothing there and will never be anything there. He may swim with Night, but Carol, when he was dying of thirst, gave him a drink of water. No one worth a shit ever forgets that.
Waking up to doggy breath is a nightmare in and of itself, lol.
ReplyDelete