A houseboat. Finegan Fine

again in ernest, moving in the direction of shore. Finegan is standing

with his arms folded over his chest now, openly showing his suspicions.

Joey pedals a bit to stay alongside the cannibal. The cannibal once

again stops, out of breath, and glances up at Finegan.

So after a couple weeks some that were thin to

begin with went blank, ya know. . . in a coma.

. . The rest of us were starving, cramps. . .

There was a guy who used to be a butcher. . .

The picture he paints if of the raft city at night, a man slithering

across a raft to slip onto another raft where a thin man is lying on

his back.

One night we heard him go over there, and in

the morning we saw what he was about. That guy

in a coma had his throat slit, blood

everywhere. . . Pieces were missing.

The cannibal is still trying to catch his breath.

He had a knife. Said anyone wants a piece is

welcome, but if they try to take him down he’d

eat them too.

At this the cannibal starts kicking for another few minutes. Finegan

turns his back on the cannibalL to speak quietly to Joey during the

splashing.

We’re not taking him aboard, just so’s you

know.

The cannibal is again out of breath.

Long story short, that butcher fed well while

the rest of us got faint. Next we knew another

and another went into a coma, no food and

little water. It’d get dark, and by dawn, he’d

be on another raft, fresh meat. . . After

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awhile I saw that I’d be among ‘em, if I didn’t

get something to eat, some blood to drink.

He paints a picture of a decimated raft city, down to a half dozen

people.

I ain’t proud of it, but I ain’t the one slit

anyone’s throat.

Finegan asks,

So why are you here, the butcher gone?

The cannibal turns to splash away again, kicking furiously. He is

trying to maximize his progress, while still hoping to get a lift in

the houseboat. He’s also trying to buy time to concoct his story.

Finegan again uses the opportunity to speak to Joey over his shoulder,

in a quiet voice.

I’ll bet he’s the damn butcher!

Suddenly the splashing stops, the cannibal gasping for breath again.

Then all is silent. Finegan turns to look again to the side of the

houseboat in the direction of the cannibal. He sees the cannibal no

longer clinging to the floating insulation piece, but swimming in long

strokes toward the houseboat, closing the 50-foot gap. Finegan motions

for Joey to turn the houseboat away from the swimmer. He jumps down to

grab a long pole.

The houseboat is now churning away from the swimming cannibal, who is

only a foot or so from grabbing the paddles on the water wheel at the

back. This distance is increased to several feet. The cannibal sees

that he has lost this gamble and treads water now. Finegan says,

The butcher ate and you starved, yet you’re

here and he’s not?

The cannibal defends himself, saying,

We were running out of people to eat! It was

gonna be me, next. He had to sleep sometime.

There was a leg bone from the last carcass. . .

Jumping rafts makes a lot of noise, slapping

the water, so I slipped into the water and went

under him, tipped his raft so he slid. Then I

was up top, and had the leg bone. Every time he

popped his head up, I’d club him again.

Finegan glances toward the floating insulation piece, seeing it still

nearby.

You made good progress toward land. You keep it

up, you’ll make it. We’re not taking you

aboard.

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The cannibal goes into a backstroke toward his floatation piece,

glowering at Finegan as he does so, clearly enraged. As the distance

between the cannibal and the houseboat increases, Finegan motions to

Joey to get out of the bike seat and let him pedal.

Let’s put some distance between us. I wanna be

waaaaay down the coast. . . Watch my back,

will ya?

Finegan shakes his head, pondering the story as he vigorously pedals

away from the swimming cannibal.

126

Kudzu Canyons

The houseboat is peddling along a coastline where kudzu vines, covering

everything in sight, are cascading into the shoreline. Mist is rising

from the water, so the scene is seen through the mist, a magical view.