(A sample chapter from novella, The Juniper Tree.)
© 2007 asotir.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.
7
It only got worse after that. Whenever you try to fix things they get worse. But nothing ever gets better by itself.
FALCO DIDN’T go back inside the house that night. He slept on the sand beneath the Juniper Tree. When morning came Rayn came unlocked the door and let him in without a word. Falco made his way upstairs to his room.
That Monday Dad went to work and Rayn fed Falco and Greta breakfast. Falco’s oatmeal didn’t taste right, though. He didn’t want to eat it, but Rayn pinched the back of his neck with one hand and with the other she took her big wooden spoon and scooped up a glop of oatmeal and shoved it into his mouth. Half of it went onto his face. He barely had a chance to gulp before she smushed another big glop in between his teeth. After that he was ready to eat it and he tried telling her, but she just went on shoving it in until he was almost choking and he fell out of the chair.
She laughed. ‘Well now little sir, how clumsy! And what a dirty smelly thing you are! Go outside now until the bus comes to take you to school.’
It was a cold morning. More storms were coming, blowing down off the water from far away where Rayn came from. Falco wished she’d go back there. But he didn’t really want her to go. He just wanted her to be nice to him.
A wind tossed the branches of the Juniper Tree. Greta was playing with Giorgio. She was putting dandelions in the curls behind his ears.
Falco don’t know why but that made him mad. He grabbed Giorgio away from Greta.
‘Don’t you play with him! He’s mine! Mine!’
‘Falco, don’t!’
He pushed her to the ground and dragged Giorgio away under the Juniper Tree.
Greta got up and brushed off her skirt. She started to cry. She ran back to the house.
He watched her go out of the corner of his eye. He pulled hard on Giorgio’s neck.
‘Didn’t I tell you? Didn’t I? So don’t start crying now!’
Rayn was watching through the window. At first Falco was scared she was going to come out and have to slap him. But she just went on watching him bending over Giorgio’s neck and hugging him.
He went to school. In the afternoon he came back. He stayed outside as long as he could but it started raining real hard so even under the Juniper Tree got wet. Dad came home and hollered for him, and he had to go back inside.
Inside there were decorations everywhere. Over the hall was a string of paper cut into a sign:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAYN!
Falco made it. He cut the pages out of magazines to make the letters. He did it at school so it’d be a surprise. She took it from him and said, in a cold damp little voice,
‘Thank you little sir.’
But it was like murder in her eyes. She was changed into her prettiest dress after cooking all day. The front of the dress was low and showed off her breasts underneath the web of diamonds. She smelled prettier than anything and her face and her lips were made up like a beautiful mask. But it was murder in her eyes and Falco knew it was all over now. She would hate him forever now. It was like war now and he didn’t even know why.
He excused himself and went upstairs. He hung over the rail and looked back down.
Dad sat her down in the Morris chair and carried in a big birthday cake, candles burning, and he and Greta sang Happy Birthday to Rayn.
Greta wore a party hat and laughed and clapped, but Rayn covered with presents in her throne only smiled a cold smile.
‘Now blow and make a wish.’
Falco wanted to go hide in his Mother’s room. He tried the door but it was still locked. He stared at it.
He looked downstairs. He heard the echoes of the party from below. Even from upstairs he could smell the cake and ice cream.
Rayn blew hard into the fire and all the candles died. Greta and Bjorn cheered and clapped.
‘And what did you wish for?’
‘You’ll learn later, little boy. If it comes true.’
‘I’ll drink to that.’
He downed his drink and went to the bottom of the stairs.
‘Where is the boy? Falco! Come down if you want cake!’
‘Oh, let him be, Bjorn. The boy simply has to learn that not everything will go his way. That is a lesson we all must learn.’
‘Falco! Falco!’
Falco trudged down the stairs.
‘At last! What’s the matter with you? You’d think you didn’t want cake at all.’
Rayn got up. ‘Well now I know it’s not proper to have the meal after the dessert, but now that our precious little sir has arrived, I’ll bring out your special treat for you, and I made it even though my grocery allowance has been cut.’
Rayn went into the kitchen and brought back out a fresh roasted lamb.
The head of the lamb lay on the server alongside the meat, and it had two dandelions tucked behind its ears. It was Giorgio, slaughtered and roasted for Rayn’s birthday feast.
GRETA’S eyes popped out.
‘There now, what do you say to that, are you all hungry? Who’s first to taste the meat?’
Falco tried to say something, but he couldn’t.
Rayn looked on him with her sweetest smile.
‘And what part of the carcass would the little sir like?’
He felt sick to his stomach. He ran out the terrace doors. Greta went after him.
‘Falco! Come back! Rayn, that was a nasty trick!’
‘Oh, Bjorn, don’t bother, the child will get over it. We all have to make sacrifices, Bjorn, you told me so yourself. Didn’t you?’
GRETA found Falco on the edge of the cliff. He was throwing stones into the sea.
‘Falco! Falco, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!’
He didn’t say a word. He didn’t cry one tear. It was war now. The murder-eyes told him so. He threw another rock.
‘That was a horrid thing to do to Giorgio, he was such a good lamb, I know you loved him very much.’
He turned to her ready to punch her, but Greta hugged him before he could do anything, squeezing as hard as her chubby little arms could hold. After that he couldn’t stand it any more and he sobbed and bawled.
‘It’s all right, Falco, It’s all right.’
‘Greta, I’m sorry I was mean to you.’
He took Greta to the Juniper Tree and sat her down on the roots. She shook her head.
‘No, I’m not allowed here, this is your place.’
‘From now on you’re allowed.’
They sat together on the Beak.
The sea birds soared and gathered on the Juniper Tree. Greta sniffled and sobbed and lay still. Falco smoothed her hair and petted her the way he petted Giorgio. His tears had stopped a long time since. He just sat quiet and looked out to sea.
But in his heart he was thinking, That’s Rayn’s birthday and mine comes next. It will happen before then.
What would happen?
