Saturday, October 17, 2009

Chapter 2, Part 3

Clemsy's Refusal

Clemsy eyed the ribbon of thickening cloud cover between the old growth trees lining the Road . No one was around to notice, so he indulged himself and pouted. What am I doing? Where am I going? Wherever I'm going and whatever I'm doing why am I doing it and why am I going there? She knows.

"Just go," she'd said.

What? Where?

"Don't worry about what. Just go. West."

West? Just go West? Dang, Ma! Why?

"Don't worry about why. Just go."

Jes' go? No, dang it! Ma, I got a job! The rains'r comin' then snow an I'm th'one keeps the roads clear and lamps lit! I cain't jes up'n leave! I got responsibilities!

"Watch how you talk to your Ma, boy," rumbled Pa, suddenly standing behind Ma. "But you have to trust us, Clemsy. You have to. We can't tell you any more now. Trust us, son. You know we wouldn't ask this if we didn't have reason."

No, no, NO!

That last No! had been shouted into the darkness of Clemsy's room at the boarding house. He'd sat up trying to remember the dream that had his heart pounding. He closed his eyes and saw his mother sitting at the dining room table back home. She winked, smiled and the image faded like smoke.

Then it all came back to him.

"Oh no," he moaned, head in hands.

He'd left home to start his own life. He may have stumbled and bumbled his way to a place in this town, but he'd done it. He was valued. Well, there was that incident with the black powder when he turned some rocks at a bend in the river into perfect number three drainage stone but had overestimated the charge. He'd promised the mayor not to play with explosives anymore, and Mr. Tanner was back on his feet within a few days with no hard feelings at all.

How could he just up and leave?

He couldn't and that was that.

"Dang, but Ma wouldn'ta done this without there bein' something dang important goin on. Shoot." He didn't get back to sleep that night.

Now here he was, three days out, heading West. His weather sense told him that cloud ceiling was deciding between a really cold rain or a heavy, wet snow. Sidetrack was not pleased. In fact, Clemsy had the distinct impression that the horse was not talking to him in a decidedly human, "I'm very angry with you at the moment" sort of way.

Runt had followed him out of town, but was nowhere to be seen.

Clemsy had done everything he could to not leave. But the world conspired against him from the moment he went into town the morning after Ma's little "visitation." The town's tool shed was locked. No one knew who locked it. It was never locked anyway, the key having been lost at some time no one could even recall. After practically destroying the shed trying to get the door open, Sidetrack threw a shoe and the blacksmith was nowhere to be found.

So, of course, Sidetrack wandered off to find him himself.

By this time, Clemsy's pale complexion was a beet red and everyone gave him a wide berth. Not because he was a bomb about to go off, but because accidents seemed to follow the boy like the plague on the best of days. His was the sort of personality that gave a town character, but you didn't want to get too close when his temper was up and he was mumbling to himself. That would have been tempting fate.

Clemsy made his way to the Post Office and ignored the workers repairing the window. (They, however, noticed him and acted like the glass would shatter all on its own just to be over and done with it with Clemsy so close.) He collected the mail for the Boarding House and came up short at a letter addressed to himself in his Ma's strong hand. His red face paled after opening the envelope and reading the short note:

You think today has been bad? Wait til tomorrow. Love, Ma

He gave up and, talking to himself, walked across the street to the Mayor's office to tell her he'd be leaving for an indefinite period of time. "'Why,'" she'll ask? 'Cuz my Ma says so,' I'll answer. 'In a dream.'"

"Dang embarrassin'," he grumbled.

But the mayor was very understanding. Unnaturally understanding. And everything after that went as smoothly and effortlessly as could be. Even Sidetrack was back in his stall in the boarding house barn... with his shoe replaced.

But now, the first cold drop smacked him on the back of his left hand. Clemsy growled low and turned Sidetrack off the road to find a campsite while there was still dry wood to be found.

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