Wyeth Tarn: The beginning of the beginning; it begins.

 "Usedta be a stow, money yeah ago.  The post holes for the hose rail is out frun, still" said Darnell.

Bobcat grinned, and did that silent laugh, where you couldn't even hear the breath.  It was like a happy little silent scream.

"Doug is building a deck on the back.  We'll get that ready, so you can get in and out."

"Is that frost on your window, there?"  Clyde tapped the glass.  It was condensation, like an ice-cold Pepsi.  "Yall have like a freezer room in this add-on to your house?"

"Nar, nar" said Darnell, face not changing expression, it looked like the ghost of something went across his face, but didn't register.

"This ma's room" said Bobcat.

"She alive in there?" said Clyde.

That soundless happy silent scream from Bobcat.

There was a thump within, behind the glass, a heavy thump, then a sliding sound.

----

Nicky was at the fence, finger in one ear, screwing her finger deeper and deeper, maybe hoping to touch her ear drum.  On the other side, an airplane engine was spooling-up as the airplane was about to take-off for flight, the pilot was going through the checklist.

When the plane took the air, Nicky walked away from her fence back to the green Chevy Silverado, an old square body 80s model Silverado.

----

Doug was almost at a sweat, if he ever sweat, lugging deckboard and nailing each one down individually.  The morning was clear and Bobcat was just as placid as anything to watch his brother work.  Ard was at play hitting at the edge of the woods with a plastic whiffle ball bat.  It made a hollow sound, like Doug and Bobcat's dreams made manifest.

"He was in the newspaper" said Bobcat.

"Ard?" said Doug.

"Clyde" said Bobcat.  "Plane crashed.  He was one of the only survivors.  Three thousand dollars worth of electronics in his bags were just gone, and he bitched all over.  Even his socks gone, and so forth.  Some sumbitch even wanted his socks. Think it was on WGON and WMKL, him belly-aching about somebody stealing his luggage."

"Heh heh" said Doug.  "Reckon he'll take a donation.  Oxnard family spent three grand on this stupid deck, wanting me to sit here, free labor, painting two-tone with masking and everything."

"Run-down old mess."

"Buncha crap, it is" said Doug.  "But I guess now he'll stay."

"Mamie wants him hear" said Bobcat.  "She's taken an interest in that weirdo."

"Oh" said Doug.

"But now, Clyde was talking about some stalker being after him" said Bobcat.

"More wetwork for good old Doug" said Doug, darkly.

"Could be good for a lark" said Bobcat.

And then that kind of wind-noise of a vehicle coming.

"Reckon he'll stay" said Doug.

Ard was still hacking and slashing at the bushes, and the noises intermingled, Ard at play and the vehicle coming, until finally they could hear the burble of the engine coming to idle.

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