Broken Branch Read Online Free PDF Page A

blood down the sides of his cheeks and into the thick white mat of his long beard. All of this, and still none of these things were the most striking aspect of the man. What struck Trudy the most were the old scars on his chest. He wore no undershirt under the loose overalls, and the marks were visible from far away. Trudy couldn’t imagine what had done such a thing to him, except that whatever it was must have been seeking to tear out his very heart.
    â€œHowdy,” he said, tipping an imaginary hat. “I come a long way.”
    That was clearly an understatement. Here was a man that looked like he’d been walking his entire life.
    Eugenia, Ben’s wife, spoke first. “You don’t look well. Come with us for some lunch and we’ll take care of your wounds.”
    He grinned the most ghastly grin Trudy had ever seen. All of his teeth were gone except for two on the top. One of those had turned a deep shade of purple and the other seemed covered in a film of translucent yellow grime. But the smile was a happy one, full of genuine pleasure and delight. Trudy found herself smiling back.
    â€œThat’s kind of you, ma’am, but I’ve got to get to the swamp directly.”
    â€œThe swamp?” Trudy said.
    â€œYes, ma’am. There’s a gator there that I owe a good licking to.” He grinned and pulled back a gnarled thumb into his scarred chest.
    â€œAn alligator did that to you?” Trudy said.
    â€œI reckon I wasn’t born this ugly,” he said. “It got at me when I was just a boy, right here in this swamp. I fought for everything I was worth, but a boy ain’t no match for an alligator.” He pointed up to a patch of blue sky. “I reckon the Lord pulled me out of there before it took my heart. A gator, you know, will go for the heart. They like to eat them while they’re still beating. Once a man or boy is dead, the gator don’t like to eat them half as much. That’s what I’ve heard anyway.”
    â€œExcuse me,” Rachel said. “Did you say the alligator attacked you here?” Rachel belonged to Otto—and normally Trudy didn’t like such phrases, saying that women “belonged” to their men—but in Rachel’s case, she thought it was the truth. He owned her like an object, and for Rachel’s part, that seemed to be exactly what she wanted.
    â€œSure did. I wasn’t more than a boy, though. This was way back.” He grinned. “I’m older than I look. Born in 1833, the night the stars fell.”
    Trudy had heard her mother speak of this night as a child. It was just a story, Trudy knew, but it had held a powerful fascination for her. In many ways, Trudy had spent her whole life hoping to experience something like that, something that went beyond the ordinary, something that proved there was more to this world than flesh and bone, rock and wood.
    It was a great story, but Trudy couldn’t help but think he was lying about his birthday. Either that or he was just too far gone to know better. He was clearly very old, but being born in 1833 would make him one hundred. As much as she might want to, she couldn’t believe that.
    â€œBut there are no gators here,” Rachel said. “There’s no swamp here either. You’ve come to the wrong place.”
    The man looked hurt. “Well, I don’t reckon I have. I’d remember this place in my sleep.” He leaned forward, as if telling them a secret. “You folks don’t know about the change?”
    â€œWhat change?” Trudy said.
    The man grinned. “Oh, this place has got two personalities. One of them is just the normal world, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that, at least for most people. But there’s some who need more. Some who need to touch a piece of God. That’s what the swamp’s for.”
    Rachel looked worried. “Maybe you should come with us. Meet my husband.