Espírito da Noite: Installment 2

© Annette Maxwell 2000 All Rights Reserved

Two hours had passed since the child had bit me and already the wound, which had thankfully slowed its furious bleeding, had turned an angry, infected shade of red.  I cradled the hand close to my body, looking at the cotton rag Fong had wrapped it in- then charged me for.  I could feel the cotton tighten as the tissue on my hand swelled.  I felt the dull throbs of pain in the damaged nerves and knew I needed a doctor or I’d most likely loose a few fingers or even the entire appendage. I turned my head and looked squarely at the girl.  I guessed her age was close to nine.  She was small, delicate looking.  Yet for as small and petite as she appeared, she fought with the strength of a grown man, fueled by hysteria.  I had spent a good amount of time speaking quietly, softly, reassuringly to her, thinking if I could calm here I could somehow make her understand that I was a good guy.  Tremors racked her body as she cowered in the corner, as far from me as she could possibly get.  When talking hadn’t work, I’d had a brilliant idea that perhaps scolding would. At first I had thought that if I were stern to her, such as a fatherly figure ought to be, I could order her out of the corner and back to the hotel with me.  Hindsight told me it was a terrible thought to begin with.  As I raised my voice, the trembling stopped and I was sure I’d made some headway.  Then she attached me, using her fingernails as claws.  I felt a bit of skin peel away from my face about a quarter of an inch from my right eye.  Miraculously, it did not bleed, although it was deep.  Fong had been watching from across the room and quickly stepped in with a small leather sap.  He whacked her soundly across the face with the sap and down she sank into the mattress.  A small trickle of blood seeped from her nose. “Jesus Christ!”  I screamed at him, enraged. “You want her to take out an eye?  It’s not good enough that she almost bit off your thumb?”  Fong grinned smugly. He acted as if his intent was to protect me.  Sick bastard.  I gripped his thin wrist in my good hand and applied my fingers to the pressure points located there.  The sap fell to the floor and Fong lost his grin in an instant.  “I thought you said you hadn’t even touched her?”  My voice rasped with anger. “I didn’t, that was the first time.  You’re the ass that keeps getting close to her.  You don’t learn so well from your mistakes, but I do.  After she bit me, I stay away.” I released his hand and turned my back to him.  The child had returned to the corner, face hidden in the thick masses of her tangled hair.  At that point I was utterly defeated.  It seemed that Fong wanted to redeem himself for he came forward bearing a thick blanket made of strong burlap.  He tilted his head toward the girl and made a heaving motion in her direction.  I nodded my head in agreement.  Fong threw the blanket.

Continue Installment 2

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