Out in the fields…

A child sat, sobbing in the car seat. She was hot, overheating, slowly slipping. Her life was a single string that was nearly a razor blade by the minute. The river gurgled in torment. It seemed that the cool water would relieve the heat, but she was only a foot away from the edge. The bushes tickled her cheek. The small child held the stuffed giraffe tighter to her, as if she could squeeze the pain away.

A figure approached the child carrier and passenger. The shadow seemed to stretch for miles, cloaking the land in a peaceful coolness. The man wasn’t miles tall, but his presence seemed to ease the heat off the landscape. He approached the whimpering child, frowning at her pain. He could feel it as if it was his own.

“That asshole.” Another woman stamped her foot. She sent the clouds rumbling. A thunderstorm would start soon if she didn’t calm down.

“Calm yourself, Mrs. Croft. A thunderstorm won’t help the dogs find her scent.” The man soothed the angry woman.

“Can’t I care for my grandchild, Mitch!? Fine, fine.” She eventually relented. The clouds seemed slightly less angry. The man standing over the child carrier smiled a little. The woman had a tendency to react harshly to these things. A child splashed in the water.

“Look, Mitch! I found a cool rock!” He cheered and picked up the quartz stone. It glistened, but was marred with flecks of dirt embedded in the rough surface of the murky white. The child’s wings fluttered wildly. They sent little specks of water fluttering up from the river.

“Keep it safe, Jacey-Boy.” Mitch murmured. The child giggled at his nickname. It was something the Lucker man had come up for his friend. Beth continued to cry. The man with the tattoos and stormy wings reached down and took the child in his arms, unstrapping her from the restraints. In the distance, the three older woman talked. A grandmother, a mother of a dying man, and a mother of a sobbing wife all talked quietly. They were the man’s friends and liked to follow him and take bets of the shipping of their different offspring. I believe that Austin’s mother had ten bucks that the ginger boy and Lily-Pearl would create a lovechild within the next couple of years. LP’s mom was betting fifteen in seven years or more. The grandmother just had fun chucking popcorn at everyone on earth.

The crying child relaxed in the arms of the man. He sighed as she stopped crying. Gently rocking her in his hold, he sang softly to her. She was wide with wonder and was yawning now. JC walked up to him.

“Bets.” He whispered.

“Yes, it’s Beth.”

“Bets.” JC patted her hand softly and went back to play in the river. When Beth had finally fallen asleep, Mitch set her back in the carrier and strapped her back in. He sat down on the ground, promising to keep watch until the dogs showed up.

And by the rumbling trucks that were quickly approaching, he predicted that it would only be in a few minutes.

Notes

Awww...another cute little scene for you all :) The story is ending soon! The entire series is ending! The world is ending! (Just kidding...not the world!)