Broken Things (7 page)

The sun shone down from almost straight above. The storm had
seemed to last forever, but with blacking out, he really didn’t know.
How
long can people survive in the woods
? What would get him first? Hunger? The
monster? Freezing to death in the night? Maybe his head would explode and solve
all the other problems. The crows he heard every morning were probably waiting
for him to die, and they would have to compete to eat him with the monsters and
bears.

I’m dying,
he thought,
if I don’t get back soon,
I’m going to die alone in the mountains
. His parents probably thought that
he wouldn’t make it back from this trip. Maybe they’d brought him here to die.
Wasn’t that what Will had suggested? Some kids never returned. He’d been asking
to go camping every summer for years and years and they’d never taken him. Now
suddenly, they’d jumped at the chance when he had asked. Who’d have thought
that the trip would suck so badly?

I don’t want to die.

He wouldn’t. He’d get better. They’d fix him when he got
back, and he’d show them that he was worth it. His parents would make
everything better. That’s what parents did.

Josh stopped. He heard something over the whining from his
head. A strange steady growl disturbed the wilderness, and was growing steadily
louder. It took a second for him to recognize it; he hadn’t heard a vehicle
engine for days. It was them, it had to be. They’d returned! The first thing he
planned to do was ask them what the heck they’d been thinking, trusting a kid
to camp all alone. He’d tell them about the monster too, but he knew they
didn’t believe in things like that.

But the lime green truck that came around the corner didn’t
belong to his parents. The driver saw him and pulled over and a man in uniform
peered out the window. He had a short brown beard, and wore a ball cap with the
forest service logo on it, which matched the logo on the side of the truck’s
door.

“Well you look a sight,” the man said, “Need a lift back to
camp?”

9

“So where’s your parents?” the ranger asked, “You look a
little young to be up here by yourself.”

Josh pulled the worn brown blanket tightly about himself. It
smelled like stale dust, like the attic when his parents would grab the
Christmas decorations. “I don’t know where they are. They disappeared. I’ve
been waiting for them for days now.”

“What’s your name?”

“Josh. Josh Norton.”

“Well, Josh Norton, let’s get you back to your family. Where
are you camping?”

“We were up this mountain, but we can’t go back there.”

The ranger flashed him a patronizing smile and said, “Sure
we can. There’s a campsite just down the road. We’ll be there in a minute.”

“They’re not there,” Josh replied futilely.

“Is everything all right? What’s that noise you’re making?”

“It’s nothing,” he said, “I just need to get home.”

The ranger shrugged and turned back to the road. It did only
take a few minutes to reach the camp, making Josh’s stomach sink. He’d hardly
walked far at all, it seemed as though he’d been walking for hours. From the
truck the place looked in horrible disarray. He’d left the tent collapsed and
the storm had filled it with water. He hadn’t bothered to remove his sleeping
bag either.

The ranger shook his head in disgust. “How long have your
parents been gone?”

“Three or four days. Maybe a week, I don’t know.”

“I’m going to take a quick look around.” The ranger opened
his door but Josh grabbed his arm.

“Wait, you don’t have to go out there. Can’t you just call
my parents?”

“In a bit. I’ll be back.” He pulled away from Josh, grabbed
his wide-brimmed hat off the dashboard and slid out. Josh hadn’t picked up
anything around the campsite, and he’d discarded his own garbage on the ground.
He slumped in his seat, watching the man, feeling like he was going to get in
trouble for the mess. It wasn’t his fault! It was his parents’. He wouldn’t
have made this mess if he weren’t so worried about them. He was just a kid,
anyway.

The man walked off into the trees and out of sight. Josh
wondered belatedly if he should’ve warned him about the monster. It was still
daytime so he was probably safe. If the monster got the ranger, he would lock
the truck.

A few minutes later the ranger returned and Josh sighed in relief.
But he didn’t get right back in. He went to the back and pulled out a large
duffel bag and a pair of leather gloves, and disappeared back out of sight.

Five minutes later he returned with the bag bulging.
Whatever he’d found must’ve been heavy, he had to drag it back to the truck. It
reminded Josh of TV shows when somebody was trying to hide a body.

He dropped the tailgate and lifted it in. He tossed his
gloves in next to it, and got back in the cab. He looked at Josh curiously, as
though trying to read his expression. “Did you see anything in the woods?”

 “Did you see it? Did you capture the monster?”

“Monster? That there’s no monster.”

“What is it? What’d you get?”

“Josh,” the ranger said, “We’re going to the station and
calling your parents.”

“But what’s in the bag?”

“Something that doesn’t belong out here. Never you mind
that.”

“Okay,” Josh sighed. He supposed that’s what grown-ups did,
they had a responsibility to make the monsters disappear. Maybe it was just a
dead animal. Maybe his imagination had made something out of nothing. He stared
out the window, watching the forest pass by in a blur. He’d been saved. Now the
only things that mattered were food and warmth. He would be back in his own bed
tonight, safe from monsters.

10

The man led him into a well-kept, very clean building.
Stuffed and mounted dead animals decorated the walls and filled display cases.
Deer, bobcats, and even a large black bear stared at him through glassy marble
eyes, poised for eternity in mock ferociousness.

He noticed Josh studying them and said, “We’ve got a local
that does a hell of a job at taxidermy. They look alive, don’t they?”

He shrugged. “I guess so.”

The ranger shrugged back. “Well, let’s call your parents,
shall we?”

Josh flopped into a large chair with a soft yellow cushion
and gave him the number. His clothes were damp, and he’d kept the blanket
wrapped about his shoulders. He listened as the ranger introduced himself to
his parents. They were alive! They’d be so happy to see him. He wished he knew
what they were saying. The ranger nodded as he listened, eyebrows furrowed. He
hung up the phone and looked over at Josh.

“Plans have changed, kid,” he said, “I’ve got to make
another phone call in the other room.”

“Are they okay?” he asked.

“Yes, they’re fine. Aside from the littering ticket I’m
sending them.”

“What’s the change of plans?”

“Nothing you need to worry about. I’m taking care of
everything.” He disappeared for a few minutes and returned. “You’re all taken
care of,” he said, “Hang tight. You hungry?”

He nodded eagerly. “Animals ate my food,” he said.

“If you leave it where they can get to it they’ll do that.
Hold on, we’ve got some sandwiches. I’ll be right back.”

The man disappeared into the office again. He could hear him
talking to someone else, a woman, who glanced out to look at him curiously. She
wore the same forest uniform as the man. She had short curly blond hair and
bright red lips. Despite himself, he eavesdropped. The man was taking far too
long with those sandwiches.

“You should see that thing I found,” he said, “It looks like
it crawled into that log to die. It must’ve been hidden there for years.”

“How’d you find it?”

“I could smell it. I can’t help but wonder, based on the
markings, if the kid didn’t dig it up. He asked me if I’d found a monster.”

“So it’s in the back of your truck now?”

“Yup,” he replied, “I called up the Reclamation Department.
I’m going to have them take it back with them. Kill two birds with one stone.”

She laughed, a high pitched nasally sound. “That kid looks
like he’s been raised by wolves. And that noise! I can hear it clear in here.”

“He’s got some kind of damage. He wouldn’t talk about it.”

 That’s why I never wanted kids, they break too easy.
But I think someone had more money than sense, to just throw one away. I
wouldn’t have spent the money in the first place.”

“Me neither, not on this salary. The wife though, she brings
it up occasionally.”

“That’s why I settled for a dog,” the woman laughed again,
“Cheaper to feed and I can tie her up outside when I’m not home. You get in
trouble when you do that to a kid.”

“You just lock ‘em in a room, same thing, just more humane.”

“I guess. But it’s easier to clean up after them when
they’re outside.”

“Well I better get him fed. Where’s those sandwiches?” the
man asked.

“In the cooler. Don’t take the chicken one though, that’s
mine.”

Finally. They were going to feed him instead of just talk
about him. He didn’t like either one of them. He
hadn’t
been thrown
away. The ranger returned with a sandwich. Despite his hunger, he tore off the
crust, leaving it on the napkin. The ranger raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say
anything. He also handed him a soda, not one of his favorites, but he took it
anyway.

“Hey Ted,” called the woman, “I think you took the chicken
one!”

The ranger, Ted, called back, “I didn’t see a chicken
sandwich in there. I don’t think you got chicken today.”

Josh quickly bit into the sandwich, hoping for chicken but
getting ham and cheese instead. He didn’t say anything, but ate it quickly,
before they had a mind to take it away from him to check for the woman’s
chicken.

As he ate, he glanced out the window. Beyond the parking lot
the trees pressed almost nearly to the concrete. Josh couldn’t see too far into
them but he knew the forest held secrets. Secrets like the thing in the bag in
the truck. He knew what the man had found. His curiosity wanted him to go look
while in the safety of the sunlight, to see what had attacked him. Could it
really be dead? He hoped so, but monsters always had a way of coming back at
night. He intended to be as far away from it as he could be when that happened.
A few more hours, and he’d be home.

11

Time passed slowly, and Josh had nothing to do but stare at
the dead animals. They stared back, impassively. It would be strange to
decorate in dead things. Back in the city, the only usable animals to decorate
with would be squirrels, cats, and dogs. Would his parents go for that? He
smiled at the thought of his mother hanging an angry squirrel on the wall.

The late morning turned to early afternoon and it too
slipped away. He began to think he’d die of boredom. He’d gotten up to look
around and maybe check out the animals but the woman had flown out of her
office as though he had just broken something. Just when he thought he couldn’t
take it anymore a black four-door sedan pulled up outside the station. He
watched curiously as a lone woman climbed out and walked purposefully to the
door.

Her looks screamed business and out of place for the
mountains. She wore a dark skirt, dark blazer, frighteningly high heels, and
hair pulled into a tight bun. Her dark eyes quickly took in the room, including
him as though he were one of the dead animals, and then approached the front
desk. The female ranger emerged from her office as soon as she heard the door
and greeted her.

From the breast of her blazer pocket, she pulled out a
business card and handed it to the woman.  “Hello,” she said, “I’m Tamara
Hart, from Kidsmith Reclamation.”

The woman flashed Tamara back a tight-lipped smile as they
exchanged false pleasantries. “I’m Cindy.”

“Where did you find him?”

“Ted found him up on the mountain,” the ranger Cindy said,
“We think his owners dumped him.”

The woman nodded. “Is Ted here? I’d like to ask him a few
questions.”

Cindy nodded. “He’s in the office.”

The woman, Tamara, disappeared into the office and closed
the door. The ranger, Cindy, flashed him that same fake smile that her eyes
didn’t match. Josh looked away. He’d rather stare at the marble eyes of a dead animal.
They were friendlier.

A few minutes later, Tamara exited the office, heels
clicking loudly on the tile floor with the ranger Ted following close behind
her. Josh watched as the ranger’s eyes remained on the lady’s butt when her
back was turned. She walked over to Josh while Ted broke his stare to walk
outside. “Hello there,” she said, “I’m Mrs. Hart. What can I call you?”

“Josh.”

She reached into her pocket and brought out a highlighter.
“Okay, Josh, I need to do a test. Can I see your hand please?”

He nodded and gave her his hand.
           

“My,” she said, “You look a mess. I think there’s more dirt
than boy here.”

With the highlighter, she drew a fast line across the back
of his hand. It instantly turned black. “I see,” she said, “Now we can proceed.
Come with me, I’m going to take you with me back to Boise.”

He stared at the mark for a moment and looked up at her.
“I’m not from Boise,” he said, “I’m from Twin Falls. I want to go home.”

 “Don’t you worry, I’m here to take care of you,” she
said. She turned toward the door as if expecting him to follow. He hopped up,
hurrying to catch up with her. Outside, Ted waited with the bag on the ground
behind her car. She popped the trunk, and he lifted it in with a grunt.

 “We’re taking that with us?” he asked, but he might as
well not even have spoken. Josh crossed his arms and chewed on his bottom lip.
Could adults just not hear him? If he ignored his dad he got thumped.