Jose Martin

Maelstrom
2002-08-09 18:24:05 (UTC)

The Beard (iii)

We stayed in his room for awhile and then went out onto the front
porch. We sat there, looking up at the stars. Finally, after what
seemed like ages my father got up and headed for our tool shed. I
followed wondering what he was doing. We went in and he grabbed an old
gas lantern. He said, "we'd better not risk running into anything and
making some noise."
"But you drugged Jack to sleep," I said confused, "he's not going
to wake up."
"I didn't give anything to your grandma though," he said, "if she
catches us then we'll be in big trouble. Come on, let's go."
We crept out of the shed and headed across the yard to my
grandma's house. My father touched the doorknob, hesitated and then
opened the door and we went in. When we were both in my father struck
a match and lit the lamp. The flickering light gave off a slight glow
and we started toward the stairs. We climbed up them, then walked down
the hall and we were standing in front of Uncle Jack's door.
My father covered the lamp with a towel and opened the door.
Slowly we went in. Dad uncovered the lamp a little and a sliver of
light shone on the floor. He tilted the lamp and moved the light up
and onto Uncle Jack's bed. He moved it more until it finally shone on
Jack himself.
We hadnt thought that someone who kept their beard tucked under
their overalls would keep it under their covers too. But Jack did. My
father sighed, "we've come too far to stop now."
He reached out and drew back the covers. We both stalled, not
believing how bad our luck was.
Uncle Jack slept in his overalls.
My father sighed again, reached again, and unbuttoned the top of
the overalls. He pulled down the top, and we both just stared. We
weren't dissapointed. Well, not exactly. His beard was huge, we
couldnt even see his chest under it. But, we couldn't see the end of
his beard either. We got an answer to a question though. Uncle Jack
put his beard down both pants legs. We would have to completely
undress him to get to see the end of that beard.
We never got the chance to. I gasped as I saw Uncle Jack's beard
begin to move. I looked again to be sure and it wasn't moving anymore.
I thought that I must have imagined it until I saw the look on my dad's
face. He had obviously seen it also. I looked once more and had to
grab a bedpole to keep from falling. It was moving again and this time
I was sure of it. It flowed over his chest and out onto the covers of
his bed. It kept coming out, reaching the edge of the bed and starting
down the sides. And still it kept coming.
"My god," my father whispered. It flowed on and on. It was like
a waterdfall flowing over the sides of the bed. We stared in
amazement. As we stared we saw something come out from under the
covers and head towards the edge of the bed. It was an indian in a
canoe. It paddled towards the edge of the "waterfall" its feather
headdress bobbing up and down. It shot over the edge screaming a war
cry and dissapearing in the pool of hair collecting at our feet. I
swatted at some tiny insects flying around my face. After closer
inspection though I realized I was attacking minituare hawks circling
above the bed. And the beard... it just kept coming out.
"My god," my father said. The beard was now swirling around our
ankles. As we watched more and more activity was obvious around the
beard. A deer bounded out from around Jack's head and bowing it's head
started drinking from the river. The beard was now almost up to our
knees, but we couldn't stop staring. Parts of the beard now were
swirling up into thick pillars. Then the pillars would branch out at
the top and turn into giant trees. Smaller thicker clumps were forming
into bushes. More kept coming.
"MY GOD!" my father shouted. He pointed at three triangular fins
on the other side of the bed. They were circling around towards our
side. I realized that Jack's beard was shark infested.
"Let's get out of here!" I shouted back, starting through the hip
high ocean towards the door. My father followed quickly. We struggled
to the door, and for a minute we thought we were trapped; we couldnt
open the door. Finally, Dad forced it open. We stepped out of the
room and into the hall. The beard was spilling out of the room behind
us. We made our way to the stairs and then had to stop.
"We can't go down these," my father said. He was right, it would
be too dangerous with the beard covering each step. As we stood there
the beard hit the bottom of the stairs and started pooling there.
"We'll have to go down the bannister," I said. My father nodded
and handing me the lantern climbed onto the bannister. He let go of
the pole at the top and slid down. When he reached the end though he
tripped over and fell face down into the beard.
I suddenly realized that he was going to suffocate. I jumped on
the bannister and slid down still clutching the laten. I landed on my
feet and ran to my father. I grabbed his head and pulled it out of the
beard.
"Thanks son," He gasped out, "let's keep going."
We rushed out of the house as fast as we could. We went out the
front door and turned around. All the windows of the top story were
blocked by white flowing hair.
"The door!" my father shouted. He rushed back and slammed it
shut, "we cant let that thing get out.
I nodded in agreement. If that got out of grandma's house who
knows how big it may get. Wait a minute, I thought, grandma's house.
My grandma was still in there.
"Grandma!" I shouted.
My father stared at me, "we have to go back in and get her."
"No need," a voice said. We whirled around and my grandma was
standing there wrapped tightly in her robe.
"What are you boys doing out so late?" she asked, sounding amused,
"I hope your having fun. You want to see anymore of that beard?"
My dad lowered his head thouroughly cowed. Then he began to
chuckle softly. My grandma and I looked at him confused. Through his
laughter he managed to get out,"No ma'am, I've had a pleasant
sufficiency, anymore would be a superfluity."




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