The Deer, Amanda & other Short Stories, Page 3

  ~~**~~

  Miriam

  “Excuse us.” Talon reached over and tapped on the taller man’s shoulder. “We’re looking for Watertree Street.”

  The man turned allowing Talon to fully see his face. He had eyes set deep in his head which were surrounded by deep gray skin causing them to look like tunnels. Most of his face was covered by red splotches that also had found their way onto the backs of his hands. He smiled at Talon with a full set of blackened and stunted teeth. Talon tried not to stare at his black gaping mouth, but he couldn’t keep his eyes from them, until he saw the nose. The man’s nose spread from cheek to cheek and was broken in four different places. At each break there was a gap between the cartilage. The skin around the breaks were colored by purples, lavenders, and blacks in the center of the breaks. He shuffled forward and stood even with Talon.

  “Waterbush, you say?” He said scratching his head momentarily. ‘That would be about ten more miles on this here road. You need to take this-”

  “No, sir. We are looking for Watertree, not Waterbush.” Miriam said as she laced her fingers into Talons.

  “Right. Take this road for a few more miles to Oak St. and then look for the old oak tree near the deserted field.”

  “This is for Watertree, right?” Miriam put her sunglasses onto her head, burying them in a full head of auburn hair.

  “At the deserted field ya need to look real careful like for a broken truck stop sign. If ya don’t see it then you’re at the wrong deserted field.”

  Miriam dropped her head onto Talon’s shoulder. She took her other hand and quickly pinched his lower back.

  Talon nudged her head with his shoulder and grinned. “Ya getting dis honey?”

  “Yep, I sure yam!”