THE REAPER

The corn stalks covered the farm as far as the eye could see. They rattled in the wind from the dark gray masses moving in from the eastern sky. The rains approached and the field called to the man to harvest. The man's machine, the savior, was the only thing that could handle such a torturous work load. Every farm in Demmond was a slave to machines. Machines were like soles on shoes, a necessity.

The marsh green house lay quiet in the darkness. Under a willow tree just a few feet down a path from the house slept Wane Washburn. He awoke and found a moon lit sky covered with clouds that rippled like infinite sand dunes. Wane threw the empty bottle of Bull's Juice Whisky to the ground and shrugged off his drunkenness. He finished hooking the tractor's engine to the crane and started for home.

Jimmy sat on his bed looking out the window at the magnificent sky. His day had gone well. He had finished his chores early and because his father was busy fixing the tractor he had the rest of the day to himself. Jimmy looked down and spotted Wane approaching from the path. He felt a cold chill run across his body. He got up and locked his bedroom door. He knew his father had been drinking all day, but he wasn't sure how the old man would be. Somedays he just fell on his bed and died straight to sleep but others nights left scars.

Wane's heavy boots made a thump that echoed through the house. The floors creaked as he searched in the darkness for some sign of light. "Jimmy, where are you boy?" Jimmy heard his father's call but didn't answer. He knew the tone of his father's voice and it was far from inviting. Jimmy heard his father coming up the stairs. Wane, still spiritually blessed from the whisky, swayed in the hallway as if he were dancing with ghosts.

"Jimmy, where you at...little bastard." Wane pushed on Jimmy's bedroom door but it wouldn't open. He rammed his body hard against it and the door thundered. Jimmy ran to the window and looked down. It was a long way down.

"Don't look down...don't look down," he said to himself. Jimmy put his leg over the sill and stepped out onto the ledge. He looked at the door and saw it giving. Finally the door broke open and Wane charged the room.

"Where you going little bastard." Wane pulled Jimmy back inside.

"No, daddy, no."

"I'll teach you not to come when your called." Wane grabbed his switch and whipped Jimmy raw. The rod cut into Jimmy's back and legs. The pain was so great that Jimmy screamed but no sound came out as his lungs were stuck in exhalation and his mouth remained wide open. Jimmy finally sucked in air and let out a cry. Wane finished his vengeance on the boy and collapsed onto Jimmy's bed exhausted.

Jimmy laid on the floor for some time. His body quivered from the bites of the wooden snake. He stood up slowly and wiped his tears. Jimmy looked at the old man on his bed. He was a big man. A hard man. A strong man, too strong for Jimmy to ever to beat. Jimmy had very few good memories with him. The few became harder to remember with each beating.

"I hate you," Jimmy said, trembling. Jimmy scraped the back of his throat for phlegm and when he was satisfied with the consistency he spat the mucous on Wane's wrinkled face. "I wish you died, old nigger." Jimmy limped out of the room and went to the barn where he cried himself to sleep.

The day came with a scant amount of light. The sun was no match for the was coming. Wane shivered back to consciousness without a faint memory of the night. He looked out the window to the storm approaching his farm. "Jesus." One good day was all he had before the storm would hit. One good day was all he needed to harvest enough to get by but first he would have to fix the tractor. "Jimmy!" Wane looked around but there was no sign of the boy. "Jimmy, where are you son." The house was empty. Wane ran out of the house and down the path to the tractor where he found the empty bottle of Bull's Juice Whisky and slowly things became clear. "Damn it." He shook his head and went to work.

Jimmy's eyes slowly focused as sleep left them. His body was stiff and numb. When he finally moved an inch he felt the scars of the night. His left leg was bruised and he hobbled when he walked. He went to the window and looked out to the farm. He looked at the house wondering if the man was still sleeping in his bed. Wondering about breakfast. Wondering if things would be different if his mother were here. Jimmy closed his eyes and took a deep breath and smelled the bacon she use to cook for him. Jimmy opened his eyes and looked up to the sky. "I miss you, Mama."

Jimmy sneaked back into the house. He didn't want to take a chance the man would still be after him. He made it to the kitchen through the back door and found the house empty. He looked at the table and there was no bacon, no breakfast. Jimmy got a piece of bread from the pantry, smeared it with butter, and settled down to feast.

Wane worked steadily under the tractor attempting to connect the heart back into the metal beast. The engine dangled on a chain from a small crane and rested ten inches from his chest. The bolts where rusted and stripped which made the job difficult. Wane pulled the engine to one side to connect it to the mount. The engine was heavy and it took every muscle in Wane's body to push it against the mounting cradle. Wane's face scrunched up like a raisin from the struggle. He finally felt the engine give and it slid into the cradle where he had been pushing to. The engine clanked against the side of the tractor. The chain slipped off and the engine began to fall. It fell fast and heavy onto Wane's chest pinning him to the ground. If not for the cradle holding the engine Wane would be dead. Wane struggled to breath and finally let out a cry. He panted and waved his arms and legs about like a roach on its back. He looked up tot he sky at the last bit of light beaming through the dark clouds and uttered, "Jesus." The light disappeared. A flock of crows shot out into the world from the corn field and Wane watched them fly away.

It came from the field with a faint ticking of thunder. Wane knew it could not be rain. Not yet. It came from the field, driven purely by instinct to feed and protect itself. It had sensed danger and was now side winding to shelter. It's long curved body slithered like a phantom over the dusty ground. It's eyes black as death and its tongue like a pitch fork guiding its way to safety. Wane looked in the direction of the ticking. He stared at the dirt and saw it move. He shook his head and closed his eyes in disbelief and when he opened them he believed.

"Jimmy!" Wane's heart raced and he struggled to free himself but there was no way out of the clutch of the iron maiden. "Jimmy where are you?"

Jimmy sat on the kitchen floor and devoured his third piece of bread. He heard his father's voice and froze with anticipation. He poked his head up from behind the counter and waited for the man to enter. When he saw no one enter he went back to eating. The man continued to call in a way Jimmy had never heard his father call. He hobbled to the screen door and looked out towards the tractor. He could see the man under it. The man called to him but he refused to go. Jimmy's heart began to race at the thought of the man hurting him again. He held himself back but the man's voice kept calling for him to help. Jimmy looked around the room and saw his father's gun. He picked it up. It was heavy, strong, and steal. It was strong enough to beat his father. Jimmy looked in his father direction and said, "He wont' hurt me now."

Jimmy made his way down to where the man laid under the machine. Jimmy was on the opposite side of the snake. At first Jimmy didn't' make himself known but he stepped on a patch of dry leaves and the man looked over and saw him.

"Jimmy," the man said in relief.

Jimmy stepped out of the bushes. Wane saw the gun.

"Thank god you got my gun."

"You aint' hurting me no more.," Jimmy said.

"I'm not going to."

"Liar!" Jimmy lifted the gun and pointed it at Wane.

"Jimmy, what are you doing. Give me the gun."

"No!"

"I need the gun."

"No."

"Jimmy, give me the fucking gun now or I'll..."

"Beat me?" Jimmy shook his head. "Not if I beat you first."

"No, Jimmy you can't." Wane looked over at the serpent. It was five feet away. "Jimmy, I'm sorry I hurt you, son, but I don't have control over it." The snake encountered Wane began to rattle loudly.

"Jimmy, you hear that?" Jimmy listened and heard the rattling of the snake on the other side. "There's a snake and you have to kill it."

Jimmy hobbled over to the other side and saw the long serpent When it saw Jimmy it coiled up and hissed. Jimmy jumped back and froze.

"Jimmy, you got to help me. I know I've done you wrong but we're family. Your mama's gone and now it's just you and me. We're all we've got. Family's got to protect each other. Family's got to be there for one another. Family don't hurt each other."

"But you hurt me," Jimmy said. He stood stiff in a daze as he watched the snake slide closer to the man who had tortured him for most of his life. Jimmy felt strong with the gun in his hands. He could beat the man. There was a flame in Jimmy that burned hot from all the misery the man had caused him. He could show him once and for all. He could beat him. Jimmy slowly raised the gun.

"Shoot it, Jimmy!" Wane said.

Jimmy thought about beatings the man had gave him night after night in his drunkenness. Today it could end.

"Jimmy, kill it."

Jimmy knew what he had to do. He knew what would happen if he let the man live or if he let the man die. Jimmy pulled the hammer back. .His face was cold and a darkness filled his eyes. The man noticed it and trembled. The snake moved in to attack and the man cried out.

"I'm sorry, Jimmy."

From where he stood he could have shot either one of them.

Jimmy pulled the trigger.