Blog#57--Cowboy: Chapter Five--

Five

Mariette awoke sharply, her body covered in sweat. She sat and patted the sheets around her. She was in her bed. Nothing... nothing had happened.
She breathed and tried to recall everything, but... she knew it was all false. She knew it. There was no such thing as a demon and she had never gone out last night. It was a relief. She sat at the side of her bed and caressed her nude body. Her skin was dry; she wished she had some cream. Wasn’t there some downstairs? She put on a small shift that arrived at her thighs and exited her room. She paused before going down the stairs, she tilted her head toward her sister’s room. She opened the door and found her sprawled on her bed, her shift rolled high above her thighs.

She had returned safely, or so it seemed. Her cheeks were flushed, but no petechia were found. She went downstairs and opened the cooler door to get the jug of water. She frowned when she found the weight of it extremely light. Was it already empty? She went to the reservoir in the cupboard and opened the lid. She dunked the jar in the large tank and gasped as she did not feel the resistance of the water. Panic struck and she jumped on her tiptoes to take a peek inside. There was no water. Someone... someone had stolen their water, or, it had leaked out. But that was impossible!

She started the hyperventilate, and moaned sweetly as her knees buckled and she held herself to the wall. She heard footsteps and found Lucibelle, looking worried. She ran to her sister and held her up, seeing the empty jug puzzled.

“The water’s gone,” said Mariette, her eyes ready to be blown out of their sockets. Lucibelle shook her head and bit her lower lip as she checked the tank herself. She put her hand to her mouth and closed her eyes shut.

“You know something!” Mariette exclaimed. Belle frowned. “You do! You do know something!”

Belle shook her head once more, this time, determined. “If you’re talking about Chief...” she whispered.

Mariette gaped. “He did not... he convinced you to speak again. Son of a bitch, that’s all we needed.”

Belle kept her mouth shut after that. She spoke with her eyes. Mariette read that Chief was innocent, that she’d been with him for most of the night, doing God knows what, but it wasn’t important. Anyways, she probably wanted this... Why did this all sound so real, and at once, jaded? It was like she already knew all this, and clearly as well.

“Where were you last night?” asked Mariette exigently.

Belle frowned and looked to the right.

“Were you at the Cannings’ barn?”

She gaped and frowned, before grinding her teeth.

“Ah come on you can speak, you spoke to him I bet. You moaned for him, right? I can’t believe you, Lucibelle. If mother was here right now, she would scold you for carnal knowledge before marriage.”

“Mom’s dead, Mariette!” exclaimed Lucibelle. “Mom’s dead! She died! Her ashes are in the lounge! The one you’re always in! Chief did not do this and you know nothing of what I’ve done! Call me a harlot if you fucking dare!”

“Luci...” said a male voice. Their father was tying his bathrobe, at the foot of the stairs. He was staring at his second-born, at her open mouth, her heavily lyrical breathing. She gasped and ran out of the room, into their mother’s lounge. Mariette dropped the jug, and it fell with a thump on the wooden floor. It was heavy enough not to break.

“What is it?” he asked.

“The water’s gone,” she answered stoically, her head spinning. She did not want to recall the dream, last night’s awkward sequence of images, of people she did not know, of stress. It was like déjà vu now, in an odd sense that she had already done what she had dreamt of. But it couldn’t be.

I sleep nude, she thought, blushing slightly, I was nude this morning. Unless I dressed and undressed again, and brought myself to sleep again. Impossible, I dreamt it all. But... Belle and Chief had been at the Canning’s Barn!

“Mariette! Are you listening? Where were you last night?” asked Hamsfield, controlled but nearing rage.

“I was in bed. I stayed in bed the whole night, and I dreamt. I remember the dream.”

“Do you remember any noise?”

“Father, please, I don’t know anything! I would have beaten whomever it was. Unless, is there a hole somewhere?”

“No hole. Someone stole it. It must have been a pump. The window... they must have opened it. What if... no, they couldn’t have... they’re here to give us water!”

“I thought this too, but Chief was out with Lucibelle and there is no one to guard the tank at night.” She gasped. “What if they stole the tank too?”

They were dressed and outside in no time. To their surprise, everyone was going about going their daily things. Mariette followed her father toward the town centre and put her hands to her hips as he asked Chief where he was last night.

“Sir, I was with your daughter. Now, I didn’t violate her or anything, I swear to you. Is... is she all right?”

“It’s not about my daughter, this is about our water reservoir being empty. I had filled it yesterday, you saw how many times I came to you. I was wondering... if you were out with my daughter, then who was here, guarding the water tank?”

“A cowboy,” he responded.

“Whom? Give me a name, boy.”

“A cowboy without a name. If you want to speak to him, he’ll be out tonight, after sunset. He gets night shifts.”

“Where is he now?”

“Sleeping. Can’t you leave him be, sir? He’s tired.”

“All right, well I am concerned, as we awoke this morning with no water in our reservoir and we were wondering if you could have heard anything suspicious last night.”

“Well, I did hear something strange. Cowboy told me that Mariette had come out looking for her sister. She seemed out of it, distraught.”

“What? I didn’t... that was...”

It WAS real, Mariette. You didn’t dream it.

Her heart hammered and blood rushed to her head. She could not think anymore, she had a hard time to breathe. Few words were found, there was nothing to decipher, but letters and numbers in her woken eyes.

“Who was that man? Show me that man! Show me to the cowboy! I don’t give a damn if I wake him!”

“No,” responded Chief. “I’m sorry.”

“NOW!” she squealed at the top of her lungs.

“Mariette calm yourself,” said Hamsfield. “This will be solved. We’ll wait until sunset to see the man. For now, I’ll go ahead and speak to Anderson and the deputies. You keep to your sister, and please, don’t scream at a man like that.”

“I’m sorry,” she responded, embarrassment finding her and reddening her cheeks. Chief smiled at her a little, but also sneered oddly, raising his top lip up, making his nose curl lightly. She scowled at this and was pushed toward her home by her father.

“Go,” he told her. “Belle needs you.”

“What does she have?” asked Chief. “I hope I didn’t make her sad...”

“I don’t know,” Hamsfield said, “girls at her age...”

Chief nodded understandingly and leaned on the buggy, crossing his arms. Mariette watched his casualness, the laid-back atmosphere around him. At once, he did not squint in the passing sandy wind. He did not keep his arms covered from the sun, but rolled his sleeves high to catch the deadly rays. He was special, this boy, in one way she almost appreciated, and recognized.

She knocked on the door of the lounge and called out:

“Belle? I spoke to Chief. I’m sorry about what I said earlier. You didn’t fornicate with him, okay, I’m... just curious though... please, can we talk?”

The door was opened and Belle was wiping her eyes with her dress. Mariette quickly embraced her younger sister and kissed her forehead.

“Oh I’m sorry...” Belle took her sister’s hand and brought her inside the room. It was cooler than its usual extreme heat. Mariette sat by the window and Belle sat on a small chair by the bookcase. “Yesternight, I went out looking for you. I know, I shouldn’t have, but I was curious. I talked to a cowboy, he knew Chief. He told me where you were.” Belle was giving her a sour face. She crossed her arms, but kept calm eyes.

“I know you disapprove and all, but when I went over to the barn, I left you with him. I don’t know what you were doing.”

“I showed him... our...”

“You didn’t! What did he say?”

“He liked them,” Belle answered. “He said they were nice. He also told me other things, but... I don’t... can’t...”

“Don’t speak, I know what you’re thinking. I know your eyes, I’ve learned to read them. First of all, it’s none of my business what you do. Second, Belle you haven’t spoken in so long, so many questions I’ve wanted you to answer, and now... I feel like it would be sin to ask you.”

“Ask me, Mariette, I feel better now.”

“Better? Then when?”

“Chief told me a lot. He’s really a good boy, and his touch is soft, his body warm, but... he... told me I wasn’t his true love. He told me I had to understand this, that we could be together at night, but that I wasn’t to fall in love with him. I understand, and it’s difficult because he’s so perfect, but he told me to see him as a cousin, you know, in a sense. That’s weird though...”

“A whole paragraph, wow, Belle, you’re coming out again.”

“To you, Mariette, because I know that we are the same. Whatever it is that we have that others don’t, well, it might be nothing, but it might also be something and well, you are like me in that way.”

“Did Chief tell you something about it?”

“No,” responded Lucibelle, rubbing her hands together softly. “He told me that he had never seen that, but he has seen other things. Mariette, there are creatures on this earth different than regular mammals. They are not human.”

“Ghosts?” asked Mariette, wondering now about Chief’s mind. He seemed quite superstitious. Then again, she had always worried about her mother and what she had passed on to her and her sister. In might be nothing, but it also could be important. Was the arrival of Chief more important than she had thought? Did her body know? Had that been why she had been worried about his arrival? Worried, but also excited in a way she had not comprehended.

“More than that. They walk the earth, like we do, and they’re not like us at all.”

“Are we like them?” Mariette asked, looking out of the window. It was dry and dusty and the hopeful clouds were gone. When would it rain. Whenever would the air become humid again?

“I don’t know. I don’t think so. We just have... mother’s traits.”

“Was mother... Belle what did mother tell you. You were there! You couldn’t have forgotten!”

“I couldn’t speak Mariette. She died in front of me and I could no longer speak.”

“Are you saying she did this to you?”

“I don’t know, but I’m speaking now. I spoke silently to myself at times during all this, but I... think I forgot. If she told me something...”

“...it must have been so traumatizing you lost your voice.”

“I don’t know,” Belle moaned, enclosing her eyes with her hands. “I’m sorry, all right? I’m sorry.”

Mariette smiled and went over to her sister. She embraced her gently and patted her thighs.

“All right. Let’s solve this water mystery, and do a raindance at the festival coming up.”

“Mariette, you know where we need to go. I believe in you, in the idea, and I’m not afraid of them. If we ask them to help us...”

“The Iowa? You want to go see them with me?”

Belle nodded. “And with Chief. Chief says he’s almost a part of them. He even has a fang around his neck to show them. Let this be a small quest for us.”

“I don’t know, we need to stay with father and help him get more water.”

“We’ll do that today. Then, we’ll leave,” Belle said. “We need to help the town and get it to rain. Mariette, I know the pain, I know the desire. I’ve longed for a good bath for weeks. Please, do this with us.”

“Is this an idea you’re picking up at the moment? Have you planned this before, with him?”

“No. It’s a present thought. What about it?”

“I’ll see, Belle. It’s not crazy, but Father needs help too. We’ll go once the tank gets emptied.”

***

Hamsfield went up to the Sheriff’s office and entered. Anderson was glad to see him, smiling broadly. Nothing seemed suspicious about him.

“Sheriff, I’ve got a small dilemma, well, it’s not too small...”

“What’s hap’ning, doc?” he asked.

“My water tank was emptied yesterday, mysteriously. I’m wondering if it could be a some bandits that have come into town, then again,  I didn’t hear anything, and I’m a light sleeper.”

“Sounds like somthin’ local...” said Anderson, lifting his rounded body from his chair and going over to Rutt, who was picking his nails. He slapped his hand and said,

“That cowboy who’s sleeping above the bank, he was out last night. He must know somethin’. You go wake ‘im up, tell ‘im it’s an ‘mergency.”

Rutt nodded and quickly dashed out into the sun. Hamsfield did not want to impose his own opinion on the Sheriff’s orders, but he had heard from Chief not to disturb him. The man had been up all night watching over the water tank. Hamsfield decided to go after Anderson simply to see this cowboy, at least what he looked like.

Anderson went walking into the sandy road, the wind blowing hard once more. He could perceive a few clouds in the far distance, small cirrus that could one day grow, if God would be willing enough. Hadn’t they had enough? The earth would die if there would be no more rain! Still, he couldn’t understand why the well had emptied itself so quickly. All these years, there had never been a severe drought and now, the water had almost evaporated itself away. The sun was bright, and he squinted as he tilted his head up toward the right side of the bank. A wooden staircase had been mounted toward a door on the second floor. He walked up and took a deep breath before knocking on it.

There was no answer. Hamsfield, who was still on the ground, saw that Anderson was shifty, that he wanted to either get out of there, or have a shotgun with him. They waited, but nothing happened. Anderson leaned his ear near the door and knocked again. He backed away, as he had heard a violent draw and then a loud sound as if something had been thrown at the door.

“Sheriff leave him be. He probably doesn’t want to be disturbed!” Hamsfield offered, and Anderson seemed to row with that, since he quickly descended the stairs and sighed as he touched the ground.

“Up there... there was a feelin’, I didn’t know what it was, but I didn’t like it.”

“You know his name?” asked Hamsfield.

“No. He’s a cowboy, I don’t know, maybe he’s wanted. I’m a ‘lil worried now, I gottad’mit. I’ll see Chief, go home, Ulysses.”

Hamsfield nodded and followed orders, going home to his daughters. Everyone was shaken, and he knew that Anderson would find nothing. There was no culprit to this case, and Ulysses was the only one who knew why.

Mariette watched through the window as the Sheriff made his way toward Chief. He didn’t seem happy, but his stride wasn’t necessarily ardent either. Chief stood nonchalantly and Belle tilted her head to peek in the window and watch the scene. Hamsfield was home and he entered the lounge with a sigh.

“Well ladies... Belle, did you see anything last night?”

She shook her head, her lips pressed together, her golden locks curving all the while. She looked up at Mariette, who asked,

“What about the cowboy? Did you do anything about it? He must have seen something,” she said. It was all so bizarre. She could not believe that it hadn’t been a dream... She had been clothed, and this morning... she was nude. “Father?” she posed quietly. “Something... last night...” She could not find her words. She did not want her father to diagnose something for her either. She knew he would have told her if it had come to this. But then again, maybe there were things about her father she did not know.

“You know something, about mother?” she asked her father. Hamsfield raised his head and listened to her breathing, and the thrashing of his heart.

“You’re mother was a wonderful woman, full of beauty and virtue.”

“What was she, apart from that?” asked Mariette, standing.

“Human,” responded Hamsfield. “What else? Belle what have you been telling your sister?”

“Nothing!” Belle responded. “Father, leave us alone!”

He nodded and promptly left, closing the door softly behind him. Lucibelle turned to her sister and nodded once, determined.

“We’ll find out who stole the water, and we’ll see the cowboy tonight.”

“I’ll go see him. You try to talk to Chief,” Mariette suggested. Belle nodded and extended her pinkie finger in the pouring sun. Mariette smiled and entwined her own in oath.