Читать книгу Hanky and the Thousandsleeper - Marvin Roth - Страница 11

The rabbit had reached the edge of the forest. It was looking around as if in search of something. A short while later, it hopped off in the direction of Prisco.

Jerry Prado’s farm was perched on a hilltop just above Prisco. Jerry’s property was small. He had only two workers who helped the farmer and his wife Lynn to take care of the animals and the fields. Today was a quiet day at the farm. The men had gone to the fields and Lynn was meeting with friends this afternoon. Only Max, the dog, was relaxing in the fall sun. He was a friendly dog who was happy to welcome any visitor. Flies were swarming through the air and the constant clucking of chickens traveled through the air from the hen house across the way. Max got up lazily, shook out his coat and trailed over to his water bowl. As he slobbered drinking the water, he noticed movement on the adjacent meadow. He immediately stopped drinking and took a closer look. Yes, indeed, a rabbit was just sitting there, staring at him. It did not appear to be frightened in the least. Max’s fur began to stand up and he snarled in a low, deep throated tone. The rabbit had to have heard him, but it continued to sit in the same spot. He had never seen anything like that in his life. Even the annoying farm cats took off when he snarled at them. Lowering his head he slowly moved across the yard.

At this precise moment, the farmer’s Ford rambled into the yard, with the new John Deer tractor pulling a fully loaded trailer in close pursuit. Jerry got out of the truck and directed the tractor manned by his two workers, Jack Binder and Walt Kessler.

“Put the trailer up in the barn for night, guys. We’ve done enough for one day. We ’ll unload tomorrow.”

Having said that, he disappeared in the house. He didn’t have any more time for farm work today. He wanted to clean up in a hurry before taking a drive over to New Bismarck. There he planned to meet his friends at Betty Sue’s Restaurant. Many of the farmers joined them for this get-together, because it gave them an opportunity to hear the latest gossip from the surrounding villages. Lynn did not want to come along today, at least she was not ready yet. As the evening drew closer, she would come to join him in New Bismarck and drive in straight from her friend’s house. He had just taken his shower when he happened to look out of the bathroom window on the first floor. What he saw really baffled him.

Max, the dog was trembling, standing in the yard with his neck hair standing up straight surveying the adjacent meadow. What he was watching was elusive to Jerry’s eyes. He saw Walt Kessler approaching from the barn carrying his gun. He always kept it in the truck of his car, in the hope to shoot some wild game. As far as Jerry knew, Walt had not been able to get any game on his hunts to date. The canine was still standing in the same spot, pointing at the meadow. In a soldier like manner Walt snuck up from the back. Once he was positioned in parallel to Max, he stood still, lifted the rifle and aimed. Now Jerry saw Walt’s target. A mere sixty feet away he spotted a rabbit that sat in the grass calmly and motionless, staring in the direction of the hunter.

“What a stupid animal,” Jerry thought, “ it doesn’t even try to run.”

However, that’s when something really peculiar happened. Walt peered across his rifle with great determination and tried to aim with absolute precision. Max, the dog, looked up at him briefly and then once again focused on the rabbit. Suddenly the bunny fell over as if it had been overcome by a stroke. A blink of an eye later, Walt pulled the trigger. He hit his target bull’s eye and the impact of the bullet slung it several feet across the meadow. For an instant, Walt stood completely still. He finally lowered his weapon and walked off in the direction of the barn. As he turned, one of his legs happened to touch Max, who flinched in shock and furiously bared his teeth. He watched Walt walk of and snarled in a voice so loud that Jerry could hear him up in the bathroom.

“Well, that’s strange,” Jerry mumbled, “I’ve never seen a rabbit fall out when confronted with a rifle. The boys will think I’m telling a fib - if I tell’em.”

He also could not figure out why Walt had decided not to pick up his hunting loot and why he had just walked off.

Walt had no clue why he did that either. Walt actually wasn’t sure he knew anything anymore. In fact, the real Walt had ceased to exist. At the very moment that Walt had aimed the tip of his gun at the rabbit, something had leapt at him and forced his spirit aside with great violence. For Walt, the world was drowned in darkness and he could no longer feel anything but an incredible fear. The thing that had attacked him - invisibly attacked him - immediately possessed his entire body. He observed as its former host, the rabbit, fell over. Almost simultaneously he bent his index finger and a bullet was catapulted across the meadow and killed the animal. All of this happened in a fraction of a second. The creature that Walt had suddenly become did not know what to do with the dead animal. So it simply followed the same trail its victim had taken just a short time earlier. The dog had immediately sensed the migration and when the thing touched the canine accidentally, Max was ready to jump out of his skin in a complete panic. The thing simply ignored the dog and began to walk. The thing used the few minutes it took to make its way to the barn to expunge all memories from Walt’s mind. Next, the thing silently exterminated Walt with a simple thought command. By the time it arrived at the barn, the thing saw Walt’s car. Jack Binder came out of the barn at the same time.

“Well, Walt, did you waste another shot?”

All he had heard while changing clothes in the barn was the cracking of the bullet. The thing simple nodded using Walt’s head, passed Jack without saying a word and got into his old Honda pickup truck. He dropped the weapon carelessly on the passenger seat. Next, he turned the key in the ignition, revved up the engine and drove past the flabbergasted Jack across the yard leaving the farm behind.

“Damn you, Walt,” Jack called after the truck, “You promised to give me a ride home.”