Food for the monster

A novel by a friend of mine…Louis is in the bayou, struggling to get up onto the pirogue where Harlan is, before the gator comes:

“Harlan stood on the pirogue, and looked all around. He wondered where the gator was; he wanted that gator so bad. He thought about sharp teeth sunk into Louis’s flesh, a wild tearing, the swift satisfying gush of blood. There was another turning in the water, and he thought he saw a dark shape: an animal, a branch, a trick of the light…Harlan stared at Louis’s hands. He considered lifting his foot and crushing the bones, watching Louis slide down and disappear forever. He wanted to send Louis back, food for the monster. He looked away instead…A profound stillness settled over Harlan then. And gradually, he felt a presence, something that lived just beneath the surface of things. His skin tingled all over with anticipation. He thought of the gator, seen only when its hunger allowed. But always there. He looked at the sky. A thin veil of clouds drifted, white over the blue, seen through thick trees. He thought of the moon in daylight, visible only when the heavens allowed. But always there. And the truth was always there…”

Comments

  1. Cubland Mystic says

    Nice piece of writing.

Speak Your Mind

*