Undertow Page #3

Mexican ferryman, all dressed in rags...

pays him a nickel, crosses over,

doesn't think much of it.

When he gets home,

he reaches his hand in his pocket...

and pulls out a gold coin

that hadn't been there before.

But my dad couldn't stop thinking

about that poor man.

How much food that coin would buy.

So the next day, he crosses the river again.

He gives the man a gold coin.

The man thanks him

and takes him across the river.

But when he got home, he reaches in...

and now he's got two gold coins.

Same thing happened the next day,

and the day after:

Five coins.

Then 10, and 20 and 40. On and on.

His pockets grew fat.

Then one day, the river dried up...

the ferryman was gone

and never came back.

My dad said he thought that was Charon.

And that he was paying the living...

what he kept from the dead.

That's why I saved them all this time.

Those coins are cursed.

They're the debt the dead had to pay.

If they're worth so much, why don't you

just sell them so we can get rich?

I pawned one off last year

to buy that station wagon.

You see what a pain in the ass that's been,

it went to prove my point.

There are demons.

And they got a sick sense of humor.

Go on, now. Get washed up, you sculp.

Dad, why was Deel in jail?

Before our parents died...

he got some bad news that upset him.

It was something I did.

I let my brother down.

But I'm not proud of it.

He came to find me for a reason.

What are you doing?

Dressing up in your clothes.

Pretending I'm you.

Your boots are a little

too big, though, honestly.

- I thought things were good between us.

- You lied to me, John. I knew it.

Always twisting things around

so you come out on top.

I show up and you got a second chance?

Well, I never had a first chance.

You and the old man saw to that.

First my girl, now my money.

Everything that belongs to me is here.

Don't bring Audrey into this.

You brought her into it.

When I was pinned down.

When I walk into my own bedroom

and see you with my girl.

Seen you with her, John!

That's right.

She's an old case and you won, John.

But Chris is my son

and you've always known that.

Get out of my house.

I can't let this go, John.

- I'm not gonna stand here and listen to this.

- That's because you never listen.

You never listen to me.

As for what I did, we were young.

I'm sorry. Is that what you want me to say?

I want my money.

Put those coins down.

You think that's gonna make it better?

Those coins are greed, Deel.

It's your own greed

you're trying to disguise.

You're scared of this world.

You think if you hide everything,

it'll be easy.

Don't ever hit me again. You hear me?

Son of a b*tch!

No!

Open it.

Come here.

What's happening?

Is it Uncle Deel?

Let's move.

What about Dad?

He's out there...

somewhere.

Go.

Let's go out the back.

Dad!

Hell!

- Out the window! Come on!

- I can't, Chris. It's too high.

Yes, you can! It's in your head. Quick.

Climb down the ladder. Come on. Get down.

- Are you coming?

- Just go.

I can't!

This is how it looks.

Nobody knows I'm here.

The law already has an opinion of you.

And it's your knife...

that killed my brother.

It's a pity, too.

You and I was friends.

Chris!

Get in!

I can't drive stick.

The coins!

Give me those.

Get out. Move!

His keys.

Come on!

Are we gonna tell the police?

He's got my knife and my fingerprints.

Cops will think I did it.

Everybody's looking for a reason

to put me away.

You okay?

Did he hurt you?

No.

We got nobody.

Where are we gonna go?

We'll shave our heads...

grow beards and only speak Apache.

I don't know.

We should go to Mexico.

Gold's good there.

We can't sell them. It's bad luck.

I'll take all the luck I can get.

I got an idea.

Come on.

Excuse us!

If you need any work done,

we'll give you a hand for a bite to eat.

Nice hat.

Boys!

Lunch is ready.

Okay, y'all. Eat some of this sh*t.

You want to hear a joke?

It's a Mexican weather joke.

What's the weather like in Mexico?

Chili today, hot tamale.

- Aw, come on...

- You and your jokes!

It's a damn funny joke.

There's some damn fine food up in here.

Really? Think so?

It's been a long time

since somebody treated us so good.

Thank you.

It's been a long time

since we had some young people...

sit with us.

We're unable to have children.

We had us a little one for a while.

A little baby boy.

But he wouldn't take my milk.

I tried and tried, but my breasts

were strangers to him.

What we do now is

we count the blessings that we do have.

My baby.

Amen.

Praise Jesus.

Little man, eat.

Because you don't eat,

you won't be able to grow up like this.

Hello.

You know what Wadsworth did?

What?

Pulled a nickel out of my armpit.

Can't buy much with a nickel.

I like this goat.

You don't look so good

and you didn't hardly eat.

You don't like my cooking?

Now, you boys look exhausted.

Why don't you stay here and rest a while?

My shoulder hurt.

That little one looks so sick.

What about my pain?

He said keep an eye on them...

that he'd be here soon.

I hope I done the right thing.

Be all right.

They probably just lost and hungry,

forgot where their home was.

I done that myself.

Where they at, anyway?

- They're in a hammock, resting.

- Out back?

I told him they would be there.

Howdy.

Mr. Pela?

Nice place.

It's a damn nice place you got.

Them boys is pretty smooth.

I ain't surprised

they got one over on you, either.

Didn't take me over.

They ran out this morning when they seen

the workload I had for them.

Really?

- What's wrong?

- Howdy, ma'am. How're you doing?

They're gone. They disappeared.

They ran off.

What you mean, they're gone?

When's the last time you seen them?

- I don't know.

- Did they tell you where they're going?

They said they were

going down to Watertown...

working on the water.

We should call the sheriff.

Get a couple of cars out looking for them.

- They couldn't have got far.

- Don't be calling the sheriff, damn it!

- Tim.

- Yeah?

- Guess what?

- What?

- There's a cow.

- I know.

I want to milk the hell out of it.

Get them up!

I miss Dad...

and the hogs...

and my books...

and my shower cap.

I know.

When Dad died,

you think he got across the river?

We should keep the coins.

Dad might need them

for the ferryman and come back.

I think you might have chiggers.

They're too small to see,

so it's just from the bites.

The bites are really big.

You know, chiggers...

they're, like, the smallest animals on earth

to have such a harmful bite.

They hurt a lot and it's like poison ivy.

I read a book about them...

but it was a long time ago...

and I forget now.

But I do remember that they don't

bite your skin, they just...

Well, they bite your skin,

they don't feed off of it.

They just bite it,

and that's where their nest is...

that little red dot.

And if you smush them, they die.

They're all red, but in the middle,

it's even redder...

like flowers, you know, with the thorns.

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