The Country of Ice Cream Star Read Online Free PDF Page A

roo or sleeper. Found it in a sleeper house.’
    ‘Sleepers dead. Yo why you bring it here?’ Crow grin, except the grin be angry.
    ‘Can be living sleepers,’ I say sharp. ‘Be science that they know.’
    ‘You bring this here,’ say Crow, and half his face be grinning teeth. ‘Ain’t want no roos nor sleepers. Going to eat it?’
    Keepers suck her cigarette, and speak a blast of smoke: ‘My roo go eat your head with sauce. Crow head with crow sauce.’
    Then Driver step towards the fire, and everybody ease. Yo, soon as Driver speak, it be like no one spoke before. We heed. He talk to Crow in quiet friendship, tell about the fire and roo. Crow noddinglike a thoughtful horse; he love my brother yet, despite his ruin heart. Only when Driver telling how I take the gun, Crow look at me and his black prettieuse eyes go wide.
    Then Driver talking on, but Crow ain’t listen. And when my Driver finish, Crow say vicious, ‘Expect the girls will save a handsome male. Yo, Ice Cream got eyes for this.’
    Inside my stomach and my head, my hatred scratch. Crow look at me, Crow look away. My animose, he know my evil, but forgot my good. My skin be hot and thin with being known.
    Keepers say, ‘This roo be mine. Ice Cream be here nor there.’
    Then Driver laugh the most of all. Jermaine and Asha Badmouth hoot and call to me, while Keepers looking strict. She keep one hand upon the roo his shoulder. Shake her head while every person laughing through her pride. Roo look far-off with frosten eyes and grief on his pale mouth.
    When people quiet, Crow look to my belt. He say, ‘I like to see the gun.’
    I give the gun like Sengle give to Sengle. Give for asking. Driver there, it never worry me what happen next. Crow take my pistol. Lay her blackish nose across his palm.
    Crow’s evils be: vain, blame others, liar, make plans, ain’t worry if somebody hurt. Give Mari’s Ghost a baby when she only twelve, she hurt each morning of her life from this. Crow never care for Mari’s Ghost, he ruin her without no heart. Crow’s good I ain’t recall, his good be doubt and mist. One day Crow brought a trout and say, ‘Fish got a diamond in his gut.’ I ain’t believe him, so he throw the trout back in Blind Caution Pond. We watch for it to float up, but it never come. His good be like that diamond lost.
    Now my mood fall in with Crow’s. The jolie gun lie to his palm, warm from my belly. His fingers curl to grip it and his other hand slide out the magazine. That sliding click, delicieuse exact. He free a bullet, hold it to the firelight. Crow and I smile. (Crow a locken door in winter, Crow a poison well. Crow lost. I call him in my mind: Crow Ruin.) Behind me, Driver cough.
    I say whispern, ‘Be one prettieuse gun. Ain’t try yet if she shoot. What you believing, Crow?’
    Then be silence. ABC look to my face and wag, but Crow ain’t look at me. He narrow on that bullet. Then his fingers shut on it and his eyes go to Driver.
    ‘You be oldest,’ Crow say.
    Driver say, ‘Is truth. And so?’
    ‘Oldest choose his weapon.’
    ‘I be oldest, got a gun already.’ Driver give his nod to me.
    ‘Second oldest be myself,’ Crow say. ‘My gun ain’t working.’
    ‘Villa second oldest,’ I say. ‘She deserve this gun. She shoot your legs and drag you to her hammock, greedy.’
    Jermaine and Asha Badmouth laugh hard. Villa live for males and nothing else. She cannot hunt her foot if someone tie it down. Cannot hunt a roasten fish.
    Crow say, ‘Driver favoring his sister, all it is. Gun should be mine.’
    Jermaine say, ‘Damn, you wasn’t there.’
    ‘Villa need that pistol, Crow,’ say Asha Badmouth, laughing yet. ‘She hunt your meat, be sure.’
    ‘I give the gun to Ice Cream,’ Driver say. ‘Can finish with this talk.’
    Then the fire dip and darken. The forest seem to grow and lean towards us, angry dark. ABC make noise inside her throat.
    Crow slip the bullet back into the magazine. He fit the magazine into the