Blood Red Road

green glass in the landfill an threaded it on a piece of leather. I gave it to him fer our eighteen year birthday an he ain’t took it off since.
    What did he give me? Nuthin. Like always.
    Okay I got a good one, he calls.
    I go runnin over to take a look. Not as good as mine, I says.
    I’m gonna skip eight today, he says. I feel it in my bones.
    In yer dreams, I says. I’m callin a seven.
    I whip my arm back an send the stone skimmin over the water. It skips once, twice, three times. Four, five, six …
    Seven! I says. Seven! Didya see that?
    I cain’t hardly believe it. I ain’t never done more’n five before.
    Sorry, Lugh says. I warn’t lookin. Guess you’ll hafta do it agin.
    What! My best ever an you didn’t … you rat! You did see! Yer jest sick with jealousy. I fold my arms over my chest. Go on. Let’s see you do eight. Betcha cain’t.
    He does seven. Then I do my usual five. He’s jest pullin his arm back fer another try when, outta nowhere, Nero comes swoopin down at us, cawin his head off.
    Damn bird, says Lugh, he made me drop my stone. He gits on his knees to look fer it.
    Go away! I says, flappin my hands at Nero. Shoo, you bad boy! Go find somebody else to—
    A dustcloud’s jest appeared on the horizon. A billowin orange mountain of dust. It’s so tall, it scrapes aginst the sun. It’s movin fast. Headed straight at us.
    Uh … Lugh, I says.
    There must be somethin in my voice. He looks up sharpish. Drops the stone in his hand. Gits slowly to his feet.
    Holy crap, he says.
    We jest stand there. Stand an stare. We git all kinda weather here. Hotwinds, firestorms, tornadoes, an once or twice we even had snow in high summer. So I seen plenty of dust storms. But never one like this.
    That’s one bastard of a cloud, I says.
    We better git outta here, says Lugh.
    We start to back away slow, still starin. Then, Run, Saba! Lugh yells.
    He grabs my hand, yankin at me till my feet move, an then we’re runnin. Runnin fer home, fast as wolfdogs on the hunt.
    I look over my shoulder an git a shock. The dustcloud’s halfways across the lake. I never seen one move so fast. We got a minute, two at most, before it’s on us.
    We cain’t outrun it! I yell at Lugh. It’s comin too fast!
    The shanty comes into view an we start to shout an wave our arms.
    Emmi’s still ridin around on her two-wheeler.
    Pa! we scream. Pa! Emmi! Dust storm!
    Pa appears in the doorway. Shades his eyes with his hand. Then he makes a dash fer Emmi, snatches her an runs full pelt fer the unnerground storm cellar.
    The cellar ain’t more’n fifty paces from the shanty. He hauls up the wooden door set into the ground an drops Emmi inside. He waves his arms at us, frantic.
    I look back. Gasp. The great mountain of orange dust races towards us with a roar. Like a ravenous beast, gobblin the ground as it goes.
    Faster, Saba! Lugh yells. He rips off his shirt an starts wrappin it around his face.
    Nero! I says. I stop, look all around. Where’s Nero?
    No time! Lugh grabs my wrist, pulls at me.
    Pa yells somethin I cain’t hear. He climbs into the storm cellar an pulls the door to.
    I cain’t leave him out here! I pull myself free. Nero! I yell. Nero!
    It’s too late! Lugh says. He’ll save hisself! C’mon!
    A fork of lightnin slashes down an lands with a almighty crack an hiss.
    One Missus Ippi, two Missus Ippi, three—
    There’s a sullen rumble of thunder.
    Less’n a league! Lugh says.
    Everythin goes black. The cloud’s on us. I cain’t see a thing.
    Lugh! I scream.
    Hang on! he yells. Don’t let go!
    The next thing I know, a tingle runs across my skin. I gasp. Lugh must feel it too because he lets go my hand like he’s bin scalded.
    Lightnin’s comin! he yells. Git down!
    We hunker down, some ways apart. We crouch as low to the ground as we can git. My heart’s stuck in my throat.
    One more time, Saba. If lightnin catches you out in the open, whaddya do?
    Crouch down, head down, feet together, hands on knees. Don’t let my hands or knees touch the ground. That’s right, ain’t it, Pa?
    An never lie down. Don’t ferget that, Saba, never lie down .
    I hear Pa’s voice loud an clear in my head. He got struck by lightnin as a boy. Nearly got killed from not knowin the right thing to do, so he’s made damn sure we all know what to—
    Crack! The darkness splits open with a bright flash an a slam boom. It sends me flyin. I bang my head aginst the ground—hard. Try to pull myself up but fall back. Dizzy.