“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll remember that for next time when I shoot a cabbage.”
He grins. Our neighbor is a joker. Next time? What next time? I hope he hasn’t decided that we are ideal for his charitable look after a maiden in distress program for this year. He’s far from a knight in shining armor and we are far from a maiden in distress.
He turns and throws the limp rabbits into the back of his pickup truck. The thump of the cadavers causes an outcry of protest inside my head. He wouldn’t know, but man, it hurts like hell.
“You couldn’t know.”
“Anything you need help with?”
This is a question Luke and Ama should answer because I have no clue about these domestic matters. But I can’t reach them in their hiding place somewhere high up in the branches of our tree house.
“I’m good, thanks for asking.”
He appears impressed. “Looks like it. Did you have a crew, or something come over and clean up?”
“Nope, I’m stronger than I look. It’ll take another four to five days before we’re done. Why don’t you drop in then?”
I’m sure he knows I just sent him away. He laughs and holds up his hand as he turns back to his truck.
“I won’t hold you up. See ya.”
I watch him leave and when I’m sure he’s gone and not sneaking back; I’ll call Prince and head for the tree in the backyard.
Chapter Eleven
Sky: 19 November 2015, Late Afternoon, Wright’s Homestead
We are running out of time, and that fills me with fear.
Miss Marple calls me the Wise One. Right now, I don’t feel wise at all. I didn’t expect fleeing to Wright’s Homestead would bring up so much so quickly. I had my head in the clouds and filled with excitement about our escape and hope for a peaceful place where we can collect all our bits and pieces. What use is it being wise if you can’t use it to stop things from happening? I need to stop Lilly, but she doesn’t hear me.
“Please, Lilly, curb your curiosity and don’t go to the tree in the back.”
I shout as loud as I can. I hoped we would have had more time to settle in our new home. More time to detox from the tons of drugs Helen and her doctor pumped into us over the years. I hoped to have more time to get the Tribe working together with Elise. Lots of hopes, I know.
We are not ready yet to deal with the trauma of the past. We need more time… something we don’t have. The moment I saw the tree, I knew Maddie was in danger. She is so excited about finding her tree again. It won’t be long till she connects the dots and could flip into flashbacks and terrible nightmares again.
There is nothing I can do about it. Or can I? I focus my energy on Lilly. Perhaps I can help her lift her energy… but she’s already weakening. It won’t take much more than a soft nudge from Maddie to push Lilly aside. And nudge she will. Her excitement radiates from her slender form.
It’s Lilly rounding the house corner, but it’s Maddie inhabiting the body as soon as the tree comes into full view. Her little mouth forms a perfect O and she clutches Madeleine against her small, four-year-old body. It’s no surprise, because this tree belongs to her, more than to anybody else of the Tribe.
“Madeleine, look, our tree.” She hasn’t noticed that the doll’s dress is nothing more than strips of material, hanging together, or that dents and scratches cover its body. She runs toward the tree as fast as her little legs allow her. With the doll in one hand, she touches the bark with the other.
“It’s real, it’s not a dream.” She puts her head against the trunk and closes her eyes.
For a moment, Maddie is happy. I wish she could stay like that. But I can’t manipulate the memories other parts have, stem the bad ones and bring out the good ones. That’s not how it works. All I can do is hold together the fabric of the self. I’m like the warp of a loom, holding together the structure upon which members of the Tribe weave their individual pattern. At times, like now, I wish I had the ability to influence things rather than just witness how our life unfolds.
“Sky, where is auntie? I don’t see her.”
Maddie remembers staying with Auntie Amanda. She loved auntie so much she even took her name.
“Auntie Amanda doesn’t live here anymore. Remember, we lived with Horace and Helen?” I don’t dare to tell her that auntie is dead.
“I don’t understand.”
“But Prince lives with us now. Look, he wants you to scratch behind his ears. Isn’t he a lovely doggy?” Prince approaches her with caution as if he understands she’s fragile. He knows something is wrong because he doesn’t jump at her as he does with Luke or Elise.
Maddie stretches her hand out and lets Prince sniff at her. That’s the best she can do. Maddie doesn’t take well to strangers, and it looks like the same goes for dogs she doesn’t know. She shakes her head and puts a thumb into her mouth. The excited gleam in her eyes has vanished.
I’m getting desperate to find someone to be with Maddie in case she has a flashback. Where is Toby when you need him?
“Here I am. You don’t have to shout at me, Sky. I know Maddie needs me. I looked for her snuggle-blankie. Do you know where she put it?”
I shake my head and watch both kids climb on the rickety bench that leans against the tree trunk. My first impulse is to tell them to climb down from there. What if the rotten old thing collapses? We don’t need any more injuries. I’d like to avoid going to the Accident & Emergency clinic. The fewer people we know, the better we’ll be for it.
“Come. We play in
