John van Dijk - THE ZOO

Anxiously, Sam looked up at him with remembered grief etched upon her face.

"I don’t rightly know, Sam." Happy replied uncomfortably, "They put something in one of my eyes. It didn’t hurt." He rushed to reassure Sam at her look of alarm.

"This is the thing they stuck in me."

Happy retrieved his rumpled handkerchief from his back pocket and carefully unfolded it. Gingerly, Sam took the odd looking disc out of the material. She’d never seen anything like it before.

"How did you find it?" she asked Happy as she turned the round object over in her hand.

"Damn thing fell out." He replied. "Guess I wouldn’t ever have known it was even there if it hadn’t. What do you make of it, Sammy?"

Sam was thoroughly perplexed. "I don’t know, Hap. But I’d like to have someone I know in Boston take a look at ii, if that’s okay with you. Can I keep it for a day or two?"

"Be my guest." Happy responded. He sat quietly for a bit staring off into space.

"There’s one more thing that I need to tell you about that night, Sammy." He took a deep breath before continuing. "They talked to me for a long time when I was in that ..... ship ...... with them." Here he snorted a quick chuckle. "Doesn’t make any sense, does it, Sam? I mean, how can you talk if you don’t have a face?"

Happy absently kneaded his forehead, which had started to ache.

"It’s what they had to say, though, that really scared the shit out of me. Sammy, they told me all about the end."

Sam stayed huddled in the same spot on the porch long after Happy had gone home with a hungry Spike eager at his heels. She desperately wished she could have a cigarette. But she was determined not to give in to the temptation. The silence that surrounded her was comforting to her tired mind. She worked the strange disc in her hand like a worry stone. There was a great deal to think about.

Martha had been looking for the boys for almost an hour now. Where could they be?

She was just starting to feel the first twinches of worry when she realized that she hadn’t checked Nana’s apartment. They seemed to be spending more and more time with their Great-Grandmother these days.

Quickly, she opened the door to the main hall and crossed it into the small apartment attatched to the back of the house. As soon as Martha opened the door, she could hear their voices. Immediately filled with relief, she alowed herself a moment to rest against the door frame.

"But Nana," Kevin Jr. was saying, "why can’t Gluskabe try to save everyone?

Doesn’t he want to?"

His Nana answered him quietly. Martha had to strain to hear her words. "Of course he would like to be able to save everyone, child. But no one can do that now. Gluskabe tells us that all the people of this world needed to change their ways a long time ago in order to protect our earth. But mankind was not able to do this. It is because of this that Gluskabe tells us that the time has come for the prophesy to be fullfilled. No one will be immune from the Great Purification."

Martha, who had heard enough, loudly interrrupted the older woman’s sentence. "What are all you guys doing in here on such a beautiful day? We wait all winter long for a day just like this and you’re going to spend it cooped up inside? Get out there and get the stink blown off you, go on."

She waited paitently, with her arms folded across her chest, as the kids quickly filed outside. She didn’t speak until the screen door had slammed shut for the last time.

"Nana, what am I going to do with you? I asked you to stop filling their heads with that nonsense. You are scaring the younger ones. Why are you doing this?"

"Gluskabe is counting on me to help spread the warning, I told you that, Martha.

People deserve to know what’s coming." Wanda stopped at the look in her grand-daughter’s eyes, sighing heavily. "You think I’m just a silly, old fool, don’t you girl?

Think your old Nana’s gotten soft in the head from age?" She continued with conviction at Martha’s lack of response. "Well, you think whatever you like about me. It doesn’t matter now anyway.

But you listen to me, girl. The time Gluskabe spoke of is almost here. There will be no where to hide from it. Not for any of us."

It was the damp chill in the early evening air that finally forced Sam inside the house hours later. She hurried through to the kitchen, flipping on lights as she went, unconsciously wanting to delay the impending onset of night. In the kitchen, she put the kettle on for tea. She went ahead to the study and turned the TV on before going back to the kitchen to prepare a tray for herself.

Ten minutes later she was comfortably settled in the old tapestried wing chair munching cheese and crackers, sipping her tea and watching the NBC Evening News.

Tom was giving the latest, up-to-date developments surrounding Pakistan’s game of brinksmanship with India over who had the biggest and best nuclear weapon.

The next news story was yet another grammar school shooting. This time in a sleepy little town somewhere in Pennsylvania. Children killing children .....

what does that mean?

As the news went drearily on with assorted murders, wife beatings and political faux pax’s, Sam lost what little appetite she had and put the tray aside. She was cold. She grabbed up the knitted afghan that rested on the hassock at her feet and wrapped her shoulders in it. It didn’t do much good. Her iciness was generated, not from the weather outside, but from the growing fear deep inside of her.

It was going to rain very soon. Per could almost taste it. He stood silently only a few yards away from the house watching Sam. Partially hidden behind the massive trunk of an old maple tree, he remained absolutely still. Like an unmoving sentinel, he was content to quietly observe Sam as she intently watched the television.

Surreal, her face and hair constantly changes hues and tones from the flickering light of the screen in front of her. Per was reminded of the paintings of an artist named Klimt he had seen while in Vienna.

But despite the ever shifting shades, the very essence of her face continued to display what Samantha was. She was a good and loving person. Per found her to have an uncommonly high sense of both honesty and honor ....... two traits he found lacking in many humans. Per realized, much to his surprise, that he thoroughly enjoyed her company. He found Samantha Coley to be refreshing.

It started to rain softly, just a light, summer shower. The maple leaves directly over his head began to drip fat raindrops onto his hair and shoulders.

Either unaware or uncaring, Per remained motionless.

He was fully intent on watching Sam.

At last, only after Sam darkened and left the study, did Per silently slip away.

Had there been anyone there to have seen him, it would have been impossible to tell if the wetness running down his face was rain or tears.

The next day started out shimmering with heat. It promised to be a true scorcher.

Sam awoke to the now familiar sounds of the house painters setting up for the day’s work. 7 AM by the digital. Right on schedule today, she thought as she tugged on old jeans and a T-shirt.

She made a cup of coffee for herself and then, on second thought, filled a large thermos with the steaming beverage and grabbed two mugs off the shelf. She made her way around to the back of the house, savoring the feel of the morning dew under her bare feet. Although still early, the morning sun singed her skin with heat. The rain showers throughout the night had left a fresh feeling on everything. Off in the distance Jericho Bay radiated blue under the wide expanse of sky devoid of any clouds.