~ Phoenix Farm ~

by

Olga V. Button

“He just tried to drag me off Clover. But I couldn’t listen to his excuses--his lies!” Then he yelled, ‘Honey, come back’,” she attempted to mimic Ace.

What else did he say?” Amber smiled.

“He said I was the kind of woman he could spend the rest of his life with. I was really warming up to him until I saw what he did to the trees. Men will tell women all kinds of lies just so they can get them in bed.”

“Maybe it is, Sis, and you just haven’t gotten yourself together enough to find out. Anyway, why don’t you go take a nice, hot bath, while I fix us something to eat.”

“Thanks, I’m chilled to the bone.”

Krystal finished off the scotch and took her tea to the tub, and set it on a nearby table. She ran warm water in the tub, adding scented bath-bubbles, and climbed in. Rolling a towel up for a neck rest, she covered her eyes with a wet washcloth, then leaned back to enjoy the soothing, and stimulating experience of a long hot bath.

As she stretched out in the steamy water, her mind began to replay all that had happened: Ace’s words about love; his hands touching her body; his husky voice singing, humming, teasing her, whispering in her ear. She was trying to forget how angry he could make her.

Boom!’

Without warning the window rattled as thunder seemed to roll across the trailer’s roof. Krystal looked up toward the window seeing the quick, bright flashes of lightning crackling--slicing through a darkened sky.

She climbed out of the bathtub, dried off and slipped on her terry cloth robe. She joined Amber for a bite of food as she listened to the storm pound the trailer endlessly before slowly move off toward the east.

~ * ~

Ace stopped to get his wind next to an outcropping of granite and sandstone, flanked on both sides by patches of thorny scrubs and gourd vines. He sat down on one of the protruding ledges hoping to get a moment’s respite from the storm while trying to catch a moment’s rest.

He leaned close to the rock ignoring the grit under his bare thighs. Suddenly something struck the back of his leg just above the knee. Pain immediately shot up his leg.

He instinctively jerked his leg away from the ledge and moved a short distance anyway. He looked under the ledge and saw a fair sized snake curled up, staring straight at him flicking its tongue.

“A cottonmouth, shit!” Ace cursed. Standing bit by bit, he cautiously backed away from the snake. As soon as he got out of striking range, limped as far as he could to make certain he was safe then sat down in the mud to look at his leg. The wound was bleeding. There was no doubt about the two punctures. It was definitely a snakebite. Damn, he knew he needed help in a hurry.

He fought his instinct to tie a tourniquet onto his leg. He knew such an action would slow the venom’s journey through his body, but the damage done to his leg from denying his limb blood, then reintroducing that “stale” blood back into his bloodstream could not only possibly cause him to lose his leg, but do as much damage as the venom. He pressed his damp jeans on the wound appreciating the coolness. Fear bit into him stinging almost as much as the bite. “I have to make it out of here.”

By now the storm had lost some of its force and the winds had calmed a bit. Rain continued to beat down on Ace.

He had to get to the hospital.

His leg throbbed with pain. Even the slightest amount of weight on the leg caused him enough pain that he had to grit his teeth to keep from crying out. But, in spite of the pain, he forced himself on and slowly made his way along the narrow trail. Ace moved much slower now, each step sent shooting pain up his leg.

The trailer house has to be close by, Ace reasoned, considering how far he had gone. “Got to keep awake,” he said, repeating it again and again to himself. Suddenly his foot snagged on some underbrush. He tried to keep from falling but couldn’t and, as he hit the ground, he yelled out from the excruciating pain that surged through his leg and lost consciousness for a time.

Ace woke and found himself lying near a fence. He knew he must be near the burned out homestead but between moments of nausea, excruciating pain and confusion, he couldn’t figure out how he had gotten there. His legs did not seem to work and, when he tried to use them, he was overcome by pain. His head was spinning and he felt cold and sweaty at the same time. He raised his hand to his forehead--it was hot to the touch. The vision of Krystal, the ripped out trees and the snakebite flooded back to him. He concluded the venom was beginning to affect his thought processes. His fever began to rise and he knew he had to find help quick.

Who could come? Who would hear him?

Help!” He called. “Help.” Again and again, he yelled as loud as he could. “Oh, my God! Chang!” Ace whistled. “Here Boy. Here Boy!…Help!…Help!