Finally, after nearly three hours in the car, she arrived. A wave of excitement washed over her as she turned right into the entrance of the park and paid the three dollar admission fee. The phrase “worth the price of admission” came to her mind but then so did “you get what you pay for” and she hoped for the former more than the latter. As soon as she found a place to park, she put Milo on the leash and together they made a B-line to the restrooms. She had been holding it since Crawfordsville and it was getting painful. Finally, after that sweet release she was able to look at the program. She unfolded and opened it up and it read: Turkey Run State Park in bold brown letters, all caps, and underlined at the top. She wasn’t interested in finding a specific trail to walk, she just wanted to get started - the map she would use to navigate out of the park. She found her location on the map and made a mental note of it. “Good enough” she said to herself aloud. Then she and Milo turned towards the trailhead and began. The day was extraordinarily beautiful. What a perfect day to get away and do this, she thought. There was a clear, blue sky, a light breeze, and newly leaved trees and blossoms all around. She looked at her watch and saw that it was a pleasant 73 degrees, high of 78. Another wave of excitement had come and this time it brought a friend: a feeling of perfection. Her attention shifted briefly to what she could hear. Birds chirping, people talking among themselves, the subtle roar of the breeze through the trees. Then she could smell the clean, earthy air. She took a giant breath in and let it go, along with it the remainder of whatever stress there was. Sweet freedom. A few of the trails, including the one she was one, collected into one downhill path that reached towards steps made of rock. As she approached she could see a suspension bridge stretched over a river. On the other side were majestic rock formations lining the river where the bridge terminated. As she and Milo crossed the wobbly bridge, she watched people in kayaks and tubes floating casually beneath her. There were people nodding and saying, “hi” as they passed her on the bridge, occasionally including Milo in thir greetings. They both reached the end of the bridge where the trail markers indicated that a left-hand turn would take them to Rocky Hollow. Milo, who had already turned left and was ahead by a few feet due to a long leash, stood waiting with an attentive face that only pugs can give. It was as if he was saying, “Are you coming, mommy?” “Yes, boo boo, I’m coming.” Rocky Hollow cool and damp and the Punch Bowl cold and wet. The Ice Box, Bear Hollow, and Falls Canyon, all spectacular and inspiring. She noticed that the day had whizzed by, and yet, full of beauty and experiences no screen could provide. She was tired but content. She and Milo found their way back to the suspension bridge and back across Sugar Creek. Up the hill where the trails splayed out like an alluvial fan and finally back to her car. All she had to do was drive to the hotel that was a mere half-hour away, take a shower, order a pizza, and cuddle up with Milo and a good book then the day would be complete.
The End
Andy took his messenger bag off, hung it on the hook under the bar and then had a seat. As he sat and waited to get the bartender’s attention, he noticed Phil across the way drinking a three-fingered dram of something dark. Seeing this asshole felt par-for-the-course as far as day went. Phil noticed Andy sitting across from him and nodded his head to him, acknowledging him. Andy nodded back. “What can I get you today?” the bartender asked. “Ah, just a Guinness, please.” “You got it.” Andy looked up at the three screens in his field of view. MMA fighting, commercials, and horse racing. The fuck? Horse racing? Where are we, Donegal? Discontent lead him to pull his copy of Bag of Bones by Stephen King out of his bag. He had never really been the type to read in a public setting such as this, but given the choices, this was worth a shot. He started reading and was quickly immersed into the novel. He was surprised at how easily he was able to do so and entertained an idea that this could become a new habit. A new nuance in self-discovery to help break up the monotony of his life. His newly poured but not yet settled Guinness arrived. He glanced at it and watched the churning foam develop from the body to the head. It reminded him about how he read that fish guts were traditionally used to make Guinness so smooth. That was enough to churn him from his body to his head. Sláinte. He glanced up towards where he last saw Phil and saw that he wasn’t there and the glass was empty except for a few ice cubes. He supposed that he probably went to the pisser. Just as he was returning to his immersion he heard his full name being slowly pronounced to his right. “Andy Berman” the voice said. Andy looked towards the voice and it was Phil. God damn it, it was Phil. “Hey, Phil. How’s it going?” “Saw you pulled out that King novel. You a big fan of his?” “Yeah, I’ve read a fair share,” Andy said dryly. “Bag of Bones. Don’t think I got that one. I just finished Insomnia. Pet Sematary before that.” Phil continued, “I think Salem’s Lot is my favorite so far.” “That’s quite a couple of name drops, Phil. I honestly didn’t take you to be the literary type.” “Well, since my mom passed away I got all her books. She had a ginormous collection of his. One day, I just started reading some of ‘em. You read any of those?” “Yeah, all of those. I enjoyed them.” Andy was becoming more engaged but remained mindful to who he was talking to. The last time Phil had this much to say to Andy was the night they both nearly got kicked out of McGann’s. Andy was on the verge of confronting Phil about that night when Phil chimed in, “Hey, I really just wanted to talk to you about the other night at McGann’s. Look man, I’m sorry about losing my shit and getting in your face. I guess I’m a little messed up with my ma passing away and stuff. Anne got me appointment with a therapist and all.” “Yeah, that was a messed up night. I didn’t know your were dealing with that, Phil. I’m sorry to hear it.” “I just never dealt with anything like this before and I just wanted to say that I am sorry, bro.” “I appreciate that. I’m sorry too.” There was silence between them. The discomfort got to Phil first and shifted his attention to Andy’s book. “I don’t think ma had that one.” “Want to borrow this one? I’ve already read it. This is my second go.” “Nah, you’re reading it. Maybe after you’re done?” “You got it.” Andy grabbed his now settled Guinness and took a sip. He then turned back to Phil and said, “What are ya drinking? It’s on me.”
“Ok, what do you want from me?” “Your life” “It isn’t going to work that way. I-“ “I will determine how this is going to work,” he said. Pensively he leaned forward in his seat before standing. “I am in control. Me. You are but a small...insect beneath my foot. And I will...eliminate you as soon as I desire.” He took a few steps forward and paused. “There seems to be something you do not understand. See, I don’t think you fully comprehend the situation you find yourself in, Sean Patrick Howard. Your time is running short and you need to simply come to terms with that. I know it can be confusion and most certainly you are feeling a bit of denial. This is normal, in my experience. But believe me, the sooner you accept your reality the easier this will be for you. You must simply accept...your...fate.”
“You are fucking insane, dude. You need serious help.”
Sean felt his heart pounding like he had just run a new PR for a 5K, his breath just barely under control as sweat gathered on his brow and upper lip. He clasped his hands together behind the chair to which he was bound.
“You are not in your right mind at all,” his voice quivered.
“I am in control...completely.” He took a medium-sized knife from the table beside Sean and held it up to the light and directed its reflection onto Sean’s face.
It was at this moment that Sean turned his attention to the duct tape that was tightly gripping his wrists together. He began to twist and pull with what limiting range of motion he had while also trying to limit the appearance of his effort.
“You can try all you want, Sean. You’ll be dead before you free yourself. How does that feel, huh? How does it feel to be so near to your own death? From my point of view, I find it rather exhilarating.” Sean sensed the light on his right cheek and then it disappeared. He looked at the man as he made his final approach, proudly holding the blade upright. His face tightened and looked focused.
“I know I am near death, and I am scared. That is for sure. Have you ever felt such a level of terror?” “I’ll ask the que-“ “But I am not dead yet. In fact, I am beginning to wonder what it feels like to be on your side of that knife.” Sean felt a spark of confidence as he spoke. “Have you ever been on the other side of the knife? I can only imagine the thrill you are having right now. Look, you’ve got me. There isn’t anything I can do. I’m bound to this chair and am helpless. You got me. I concede it all. You’ve won. All that is left is for you to do away with me as you wish, to garner any thrill that you seek from it. Then what? Indulge me as my last request - what are you going to do after you are done with me?
He stood there quietly, listening to Sean. No one had ever confronted him in this way before. He found the challenge intriguing and even intellectual. As far as cold-blooded killers go, he was still very amateur.
“How many times have you done this?” He smiled glibly. “Enough.” “I am getting the sense that you haven’t done this very much, sir,” Sean finally declared. “I said enough!” “I think you are scared.” You shut your fucking mouth, you shut your goddam fucking mouth!”
Sean relented. The confidence was receding, but still felt he had a foot in the proverbial door.
Sean had nothing to lose. “I think you are scared,” he mumbled. “I don’t give a fuck what you think.” “Yes you goddam do! The reason we are both here is that you have some fetish about what I am thinking in this moment! You just told me that!” You care what I think right now and you are scared because you know that I am on to you! Dude, you aren’t good at this.”
Let me go and trust that I won’t squeal. Now there is a thrill for you.”
He paused, walked behind Sean, and cut him loose.
