Richard Brautigan - The Hawkline Monster - A Gothic Western

“Yes,” Greer said.

“There are ice caves under this house,” Miss Hawkline said. “That’s why it’s cold.”

They went into the house. It was filled with beautiful Victorian furniture and very cold.

“This way to the kitchen,” Miss Hawkline said. “I’ll cook up some breakfast. You boys look as if you could use some ham and eggs.”

“I’m going upstairs to change,” Magic Child said. She vanished up a curved mahogany staircase into the upper reaches of the house. Greer and Cameron watched after her until she was gone. Then they followed Miss Hawkline into the kitchen. It was very pleasant trailing after her. She had taken her coat off and she was wearing a long white dress with a high lace collar.

She had exactly the same kind of body that Magic Child had. Greer and Cameron could imagine her without any clothes on, looking exactly like Magic Child which was a very good way to look.

“I’ll cook some breakfast and then tell you what we want done. It’s a long trip here from Portland. I’m glad that you came. I think we’ll all turn out to be friends.”

The kitchen was immense. There was a large window and you could look out and see the snow and the frost on the ground. A hot fire was burning in the stove and it was warm and comfortable in the kitchen.

Greer and Cameron sat down in chairs at the table and Miss Hawkline poured them cups of strong black coffee from a huge pot on the stove.

Then she got a ham and sliced off some big pieces and got them cooking on the stove. Some biscuits were made very quickly and put into the oven to bake. Greer and Cameron couldn’t remember anybody making biscuits that fast and getting them into the oven so quickly.

Miss Hawkline was very skillful with her kitchen as she was with all the things of her life. She didn’t say much as she went about cooking breakfast. Once she asked them if they liked Portland and they said that they did.

Greer and Cameron watched her very carefully, thinking about her every move, wondering what was going to happen next, knowing that this was all the beginning of some pretty strange adventures.

They looked casual, relaxed, not in a hurry at all, as if what had happened so far and this strange house perched over some ice caves with frost on the ground in summer were every day occurrences with them.

Cameron had brought the trunk full of guns into the house with them. He had left the trunk in the front hall next to a large elephant foot full of black umbrellas.

Just about the time breakfast was ready, Magic Child came into the kitchen. She was wearing exactly the same clothes that Miss Hawkline was wearing. Her hair was also combed the same way and she wore patent leather shoes that shined like coal. You could not tell the difference between Magic Child and Miss Hawkline.

They were the same person.

“How do I look?” Magic Child said.

“Fine,” Greer said.

“You sure are a pretty girl,” Cameron said.

“I’m so glad you’re back,” Miss Hawkline said, suddenly stopping breakfast to rush over and throw her arms around Magic Child again.

Greer and Cameron sat there, staring at these two identical visions of beautiful womanhood.

Miss Hawkline went back to the few minutes that took care of cooking breakfast and putting the food on the table where soon they were all gathered eating the first of many meals that they would eat together.

“Is anybody else going to have breakfast with us?” Greer said as he prepared to take his first bite of food. He was thinking about the flash of light he had seen in an upstairs window. He thought that the light was caused by a person.

“No,” Miss Hawkline said. “There’s nobody else in the house except us.”

Cameron stared at his fork. It lay beside a plate that had a delicate Chinese pattern on it. He looked over at Greer. Then he picked up his fork and started eating.

“What do you want done?” Greer said. He had just finished swallowing a big mouthful of carefully chewed ham. Greer was a slow eater. He liked to enjoy his food.

“5,000,” Cameron said. He still had some food in his mouth, so his words sounded a little bit lumpy.

“You have to kill a monster that lives under the house in the ice caves.” Miss Hawkline said, looking over at Cameron.

“A monster?” Greer said.

“Yes, a monster,” Magic Child said. “The monster lives in the caves. We want him dead. There’s a basement with a laboratory in it above the caves. An iron door separates the laboratory from the caves and there’s another iron door that separates the laboratory from the house. They’re thick doors but we’re afraid someday he’ll break the doors down and get upstairs into the house. We don’t want the monster running around the house.”

“I can see that,” Greer said. “Nobody likes monsters running around their house.” He was smiling softly.

“What kind of a monster is this?” Cameron said.

“We don’t know,” Miss Hawkline said.

“We’ve never seen him,” Magic Child said.

Ever since they had arrived at the house, Magic Child’s personality had been changing. She was rapidly becoming more and more like Miss Hawkline. Her voice had been changing and the expressions on her face had been changing. She was growing closer and closer toward Miss Hawkline’s way of talking and moving and doing things.

“But we can hear him howling in the ice caves and banging on the iron door with what sounds like a tail,” Magic Child said, in a very Miss Hawkline manner.

Magic Child was becoming Miss Hawkline right in front of Greer and Cameron’s eyes. By the time breakfast was over they were not able to tell the difference between them. Only their places at the table could tell who was Magic Child and who was Miss Hawkline.

“It’s a terrible sound and we’re afraid,” Magic Child said.

Greer was thinking that as soon as they both stood up and you took your eyes off them for a second, you would not be able to tell which one was Magic Child and who was Miss Hawkline. He suddenly realized that Magic Child was going to die shortly in that kitchen and a second Miss Hawkline would be born and then there would be two Miss Hawklines and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between them.

Greer felt a little sad. He liked Magic Child.

A few moments later, while they were all talking about the monster, both of the women got up and started moving around the kitchen, cleaning up after breakfast.

Greer kept his eye on the one that was Magic Child. He didn’t want to lose her.

“We’ve never killed a monster before,” Cameron said.

Greer took his eyes accidentally off the women to listen to Cameron. Then he realized in horror what he had done and turned instantly back to the women but it was too late. He couldn’t tell the difference between them.

Magic Child was dead.

“Which one of you is Magic Child?” Greer said.

The Hawkline women stopped their after-breakfast-kitchen-clean-up and turned toward Greer.

“Magic Child is dead,” one of the women said.

“Why?” Greer said. “She was a nice person. I liked her.”

“I liked her, too,” Cameron said. “But that’s the way it goes.” Cameron had the kind of mentality that could accept anything.

“You die when you’ve lived long enough,” one of the Hawkline women said. “Magic Child lived as long as she was supposed to live. Don’t feel sad. It was a painless and needed death.”

They were both smiling gently at Greer and Cameron. You could not tell the difference between the women now. Everything about them was the same.