Installment 2
When he sensed the mood was getting too somber, Ray splashed in and out of the small stream. He loved the bite and sting of the cold water as it wet his sweaty back and forearms. He kicked a spray of water at Ed, soaking him. To Ray’s amazement, Ed laughed uproariously. Then Ed tackled Ray, driving him into the deeper middle channel of the Creek where both boys, and their sack of dead birds, were drenched through and through.
It was from this middle channel, not a quarter of a mile from Gene Haley’s place, that the boys saw the pig. Ray spotted it first as he was making his way back to the banks of the stream. It was the rotting carcass of a pig, its sullied pink skin gleaming mutely in the sunshine. Ray could see the remnants of a crude rope lead or collar wrapped around the width of its neck.
“Look, Ed, one of Gene’s pigs musta gotten out and wandered down here. It looks pretty ripe.”
Ed stopped in his tracks, the small hairs on the back of his neck rising up unwarranted. He squinted at the bloated thing that was half-floating, half-sunken in the sandy gravel of the bank. The body was pretty far gone, the tissue looking more like melted pink taffy than like skin, but still something wasn’t quite right. Even though it was bloated up with gases and water from the Creek, this dead pig was scrawny. Ed could tell from ten yards away that the thing hadn’t had barely any meat to it’s bones. The sight bothered Ed.
“And it smells pretty damn ripe, too. Hurry up, before I loose my appetite for lunch.” Ray called to Ed, crossing to the opposite bank of the Creek so that twenty or more feet distanced him from the dead pig and it’s rotten putrid stench.
Once again, Ed followed his brother’s lead and they hurried away from the pig and towards Gene Haley’s farm. For a few minutes the two traveled in silence, but eventually Ray tried to bring back the banter they’d been enjoying. But the moment was lost on Ed. Ray could tell that his brother was deep in thought and the only way to fix that was to have Ed talk about it.
“What’s wrong, Ed? What you got on your mind?” Ray asked, genuinely interested.
Ed looked at Ray and shook his head slowly. “I dunno, I was just thinkin’ bout something.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t want to tell you, Ray.”
“Why’s that, Ed?”
“You’re gunna think it’s stupid, is all.”
“Just tell me. Even if it is stupid, well, shame on me, not you, because I’m the ass that asked. So what’re you thinking about?”
“That pig. I was thinking about the dead pig back there in the Creek.” Ed seemed a little agitated.
When Ray asked just what it was about the dead pig that was causing Ed the trouble, Ed wasn’t quite sure how to answer. In fact, he started to answer twice but stopped before he got past the first word. Finally the words came out in a rush, as if Ed wanted them to be lost in a jumble so Ray wouldn’t think any less of him for his worries.
“Ray, something just ain’t right about that pig back there. It can’t be Gene Haley’s pig, because Gene already took all his pigs to the slaughter. Remember? We was there the week before last and Gene was talking about how he just loaded ‘em up and sent ‘em off.” The shallow creased lines of Ed’s forehead crinkled up like that of an old man.
“That’s right, Ed. I’d forgotten all about that! Well, so it’s not Gene’s pig.” Ray shrugged his shoulders. “That it?”
“No. That’s not it at all. Didn’t you see it? Didn’t you even look at it? Something ain’t right, there was something wrong with that pig.” Ed was agitated.
“What’re you trying to get at? You wanna go back?”
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
