Caleb sat behind the wheel of the old pick up with the map spread out in front of him. He circled Christmas Lake and traced the route from the rest stop to Christmas Lake with a pen. He neatly folded the map, setting it on the seat beside him, and then set out on the road. He followed a trail that led as far back into the heavily wooded area as possible, then stopped outside a cabin that looked uninhabited. No window coverings and empty minus a few cots and a wood stove. A table and four chairs sat in front of the window. He turned the knob, locked. He tried shimmying the window. It budged. He used more force and it went half way up. Perfect.
Once his gear was in the cabin, he returned to the truck and pulled the wood off the quilted , blue movers blanket. He placed the wood in the wood stove with kindling, but didn't light the fire. He then covered the window with the movers blanket. Once that was complete, the tarp was exposed. His priority this afternoon was to bury his angel Amanda and find his angel Julia. He hoisted the tarp over his shoulder, adjusting the weight evenly over his shoulder, then retrieved his shovel from the truck bed. He head out to the Lake.
Caleb threw the heavy, wrapped tarp on the ground. It hit with a thud, leaves and twigs snapping and crunching beneath its weight. He sat down a moment, taking a breather as he surveyed the forest around him. He could see his new angel Julia across the clearing. Did they think no one could see them? The boy was defiling Julia, removing her clothing, then after a short time having her take him in her mouth. Once they left the clearing, he began clearing the brush to reach the forest floor. It was then he began to dig.
He finished placing the dirt on top of Amanda angel. "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I." He then replaced the brush over the forest floor.
Time passed slowly, he stood far enough away from the cabin not to be seen, but close enough to see and hear. As the night wore on, he studied his raven haired angel, absorbing her features and admiring her warmth. He always sought the good girls. And with each girl he found in his transient life he was sure he moved closer to finding the angel, his one true angel.
When the fire pit area cleared of kids and men, Caleb advanced quickly and quietly to Julia's folding chair. He untied the pink bandana that she'd had in her hair and walked away. He felt the cloth, smelled the cloth, a fruity aroma that held his nostrils hostage. At that moment he wanted to go to her and remove her from that boy's arms and take her with him. Have her along side him where she belonged. He needed her at that moment. He decided that despite having been defiled by that boy and having no virginity for him to take, he would redeem her and he would make a good woman of her.
Caleb returned to the cabin that he had claimed. He lit the fire in the wood stove and allowed the warmth to invade the cabin. His LED lamp lit the table as he spread the map in front of him. He placed a red dot over Christmas Lake where he'd left Amanda's body, wrapped in a tarp in a shallow grave. He opened his marble notebook and detailed his day and officially scribed an end to his and Amanda's love story. He paper clipped a picture to mark the pages in the chapter of Amanda.
Trish, Beverly, Jenna, Meg, Andrea, Beth, Luna, Debra, Callie, Freda, Gia, Anna, and Amanda. His angels.
No comments:
Post a Comment