Ross Raisin - Gods Own Country

I took Dracula out the pocket and propped him up aside me so we could spy down together at them. He looked proper dapper, in his pointed shoes and glishy black coat-tails, a sly grin on him, his mind up to some kind of devilry. One of the females stood up and paraded up down the line of them, something that was clear very funny because I heard the dag-ends of their laughter float up to me. Fucking ramblers, they got everywhere, they’d be pestering at the fishermen next — tell me, is it true, do some fish have feelings, can they fall in love? I marked Dracula had his eye elsewhere — on a scattering of rocks nearby us. I gave him a smile, understanding him, and went over to gather a few of them up, rolling them back to my spot in a collection, huddled together like a group of heads.

The female was still on her feet talking, I bided until she sat back down before I pushed the first rock off the edge. It bounced twice against the cliff face, small explosions of stone and soil busting showers into the air, and it came down with a great clobber on the sand a few yards off. They were rooted to their seats shuffling about in dafflement, what was that, what was that? I aimed another, and this one was better directed, it was dropping right on to them. There was a clump of yellow flowers halfway down growing out the cliff face, I had to smile at that — you could’ve picked a cosier place to live than there, couldn’t you? Well, we could’ve, yes, but, what with house prices round here these days, and anyhow, it’s a princely view. I was lost thinking what sound would it make, but near the bottom the rock hit a juf on the cliff face and bounced forward, over their heads, landing in front of them. They were up sharp enough now, it was an avalanche, run, run for your lives! I rolled another, but I rushed it and it ended in a rock pool. By then it was too late, they were long gone, fleeing down the beach with their anoraks fluttering behind them.

When I got back in the cavern, she was snoozing, laid up against the far wall. I watched her a while, but I didn’t want to disturb her, so I just left the bracelet on the sand by the fish box, so she’d see it when she woke.

She was mighty lagged out. She slept into the afternoon, and I started getting stalled waiting so I took off on a walk. Further down the beach, after I’d been going a while, there were two sprogs playing in the surf, splashing each other and running away from the waterline as it chased toward them. It was hard to believe there were so many bastards in the world, looking at them sprogs. Their father looked like one, mind. He chided them as they scuttled back to him, sod knows why, they were only larking about. I watched the three of them as they walked away toward Whitby, the sprogs staying obedient at heel a long time, until finally one of them made a bolt for it and the other ran after, ignoring the father waving his arms calling them back.

She was awake, sat up, the bracelet still on the floor where I’d left it. She hardly marked me crouch up to her, she hadn’t touched her food, neither, far as I could tell. I held the bracelet up in front of her. Just for a second, her eyes fixed on it, then she went blank again. It’s buffed up and all, look, she put a shine on it for you; Good as new. Better. She was away with the clouds, though, I didn’t know what was the problem with her. Someone come in and stole your brain while I was gone, have they? I know who it was. It was bloody Greengrass, wasn’t it? Up to his old tricks. Greengrass! Greengrass! But she didn’t think old Greengrass was so funny these days, she didn’t even tweak a smile. I tilted her forward, unsnecking the cord off her wrists. Now, let’s have a see if it looks bonny on you, shall we? I twisted the bracelet on to her good wrist, pressing her fingers together so I could squeeze it past the bunched flesh of her hand. She sparked up then, wriggling in my grasp, oh, so you’ve still a bit of buck about you, then, good, I was starting to worry you’d turned into a gawby while I was out. I had to tie her hands behind her again, mind, and she quieted straight away when I’d done, the eyes blank again, you wouldn’t guess anything had happened except for she was breathing heavy after the effort. I knew I had to try getting her talking quick before her mind drufted away. Do you like it, then? It’s better than new now. She looked straight at me, no expression on her. Thank you so much . And that moment, never mind it was half-dark, never mind her sobbing, never mind she was mucky and scratched all over, I’d never seen anything so beautiful as her face looking at me. It was no bother, I said, it was no bother at all. I felt like I was going to gip, she was that beautiful. I bent forward and we kissed. My body clocked off then, all parts of me stopped aflunters like the blood had forgot which way to flow. It didn’t matter we’d waited so long, it was all worth it now, her soft hair flooding through my fingers as I pressed her toward me. I’d never leave her, she wouldn’t always need the rope, that was just for the time, we’d move out of the boggle-hole soon, we’d go to bleeding Europe.

I didn’t know how she did it, she bust out of the wrist cord somehow. I’must’ve put it on aslew when I retied it, she was sudden a hubbleshoo of thrashing arms and shrieks echoing round the cavern near deafening us both. I held her down and fastened her tight. She wouldn’t stop crying. Her face was covered in sand glued on with tears, and I didn’t feel angry at her, I felt my gizzern tighten looking at her like that. I’d never leave her, she knew I’d never do that. We pressed us mouths together, hot and slubbery, the four eyes streaming tears, and it was queer but the first thing I thought was, she must’ve ate something, for I could taste vinegar on her mouth. The thin slice of pale flesh widened as her jeans pulled down, baring her thighs and her knees and the muscles on her calves straining taut. She wouldn’t do it again, she promised me, as I untied her hands again so she could take off her shirt, stretching her arms above her head, a tang of sweat coming off her body as I held into her, careful I didn’t press against the bracelet — I couldn’t likely go back to the shop tomorrow as well, you should tell that girlfriend of yours to be more careful, Lankenstein, I can’t keep doing this for free, you know. She had to keep still, I told her, but she wouldn’t listen, she never listened. You’re stubborn as a sheep to dip, you are, and I laughed, come here, give me your hands again. It was getting daft, all this tying, untying, tying, untying. She lay writhing on her back with her arms under her, rigwelted, struggling to get up. I had to smile then, for there was a picture of Popeye’s wife on her underwear. She had these giant eyelashes and a ringlet of hair curled on her forehead, and she was giving the wink with one big eye — I know what’s under here, she was saying. I had a fair idea, myself, but I wasn’t going to find that out yet, it wasn’t time, so we just laid down listening to the waves and I held her tight, I told her I’d find out tomorrow where we’d steal the boat, we wouldn’t have to stay there much longer, I’d have everything fettled up soon enough.

In the morning there was a small splattering of sick in the sand by her head. Not a mighty amount, a dribbling. I scooped it up and threw it outdoors, then I dressed her back up, which was no easy job as she wasn’t mooded for helping, she was someplace limp between asleep and awake and her body was heavy as stone.

I sped along the cliff top. Wait until I told Hobble-Hop about all this that’d happened. He’d pop his clogs. The sea was calm today, all the grim weather had disappeared over the Moors and I could see small black dots in the distant ocean, trawlers out netting cod for me and Hobble-Hop’s dinner. He wasn’t there, though, when I got to the pier. I collected up some food and sat on the railing dangling my legs waiting for him. I was there almost an hour and I near gave up and left, until finally he appeared, he must’ve slept in. I wasn’t riled, mind. It was good to see him. At first, he didn’t look much familiar, he flew in so smooth and graceful, it was only when he dumped down on the rim and near fell into the dustbin I knew certain who it was.