Gray Skies

Chapter Five: Threats, Confusion and Fireside Chats

Chapter Five: Threats, Confusion and Fireside Chats

                Deniah saw her papa’s wagon approaching later that same day and nearly cried out with shock when Matthew’s arms gripped her wrist tightly. He grunted as he dragged her into the barn and out of sight.

                “What are you doing?” Deniah demanded, fear prickling up on the back of her neck as she remembered their encounter from the night before.

                Matthew’s eyes were still bloodshot and his complexion was ashen. He glared down at her and she could smell the whiskey still on his breath. She wondered if he’d been drinking already again that morning but did not dare to ask him.                

                “You better not tell him.” Matthew warned.

                “I better not tell who what?”

                “You better not tell papa about last night.”

                “You mean when you shot my crow? Or were you referring to bruising my arm?”

                “I didn’t bruise your damn arm.” Matthew countered.

                Deniah jerked her wrist from his iron grasp and raised the sleeve of her blouse to reveal the dark mark marring her pale skin. Matthew’s face paled yet more and he shoved his hand through his thick red hair. “Shit, sis, I didn’t mean to do that!”

                Deniah’s throat clogged. “But you meant to kill my crow?” Despite Gray Skies assurance that the crow would be fine and despite her own confusion over the gouge on his back, her crow was nowhere to be seen. It was nearly midday and he had yet to make an appearance.

                “That damn bird was attacking me! Have you seen my face?”

                Deniah saw the scratches along his cheek but could not manage to muster up even the smallest of sympathies. “It served you right for manhandling me that way.”

                Matthew scowled. “Just keep your mouth shut, Deniah. You tell pa my secret and I’ll tell him yours.”

                Without giving Deniah time to ask him what secret of hers that he could possibly know, Matthew strode from the barn and called out a meeting to their papa. Deniah took a few moments to compose herself.

                Matthew was frightening her. He had been falling deeper and deeper into darkness as of late and now he was nearly unrecognizable. The Matthew from her childhood would never have manhandled or threatened her. He would never have had such blind fury or rage in his eyes. Deniah shivered. The drink did bad things to a man.

                She let out a shaky breath and stepped into the sunshine. “Hi, papa.”