King of the Woods, or Trivial Pursuit

Part 10 - Tongue

"He's breathing," Byron said. "He's lucky we came out right after it happened. Lucky that you saw him."

"I didn't," Ray said. "I must have walked past him three or four times."

Ray knelt by the fallen jackhammer. A pink slug-shape lay there in a splatter of blood.

"Is that-" Ray said.

"He bit right through," Byron said. "Better get some ice."

-

The jackhammer operator wore a cervical collar and lay on a backboard. A few Forest Service employees gathered around to watch him being loaded into an ambulance. Byron was in his truck with Steve on the passenger side. Steve held a bowl of ice water in his lap. The bowl held a plastic bag, and the plastic bag held something wrapped in gauze.

"Should I come too?" Ray said.

"We've got this," Byron said.

Ray said, "Will they be able to reattach his tongue?"

Byron shrugged and said, "I just stabilize people. It should help that we got to him so fast."

"How can you tell when he was hurt?" Ray said.

Byron stuck his arms out like a fencer and said, "You only do this for a few seconds after you get hit."

"But I haven't heard that jackhammer for hours," Ray said.

Steve banged on the side of the truck and said, "Let's go!" The ambulance was pulling out of the driveway.

"Don't worry about it," Byron said. "You probably saved his life."

-

The remaining Forest Service employees dispersed, leaving Ray alone in the parking lot. He picked up a crushed cardboard box that had been marked by a tire tread. Crumbs and rainbow sprinkles poured from the torn container.

"Oh, come on." Ray said.

The wind scattered multicolored dust across the broken asphalt. A dog barked nearby, and Ray smelled white fringetree and honeysuckle.

"You look like a faery," Dread Girl said from across the lot. She was carrying the same basket, but Ray could not see its contents or Rex.

"I can't help it," Ray said. "It's my cheekbones." She rubbed her thumb against her index and middle finger as though sprinkling magic powder.

"Oh," Ray said. "You mean like Tinkerbell."

"You say the strangest things," she said.

"I haven't eaten lunch," Ray said. "It makes me dumber than usual."

"Why are you here, Ray?" she said.

"I work here." Ray said.

"I see," she said. A flicker of sadness. Ray was becoming a student of her facial expressions.

"Why are you here?" Ray said.

She took the crushed box from his hands and said, "May I have this? My friend would enjoy it."

"Who, Rex?" Ray said.

"Rex only eats what he kills," she said. "But Wilson can't get enough sugar. What nourishes you?"

"You mean food?" Ray said. "Um, salmon skin hand rolls. I like Satchel's Pizza, but mostly for the salads. And I've always liked broccoli even when I was a kid. But not with cheese sauce, that's disgusting."

She said, "I want to show you something while there is still sun. Then I want you to show me something. Deal?"

"Deal," Ray said.