Year of the Big Thaw Read online

shinyand sort of stretchy and not wet from the water, like you'd expect, butdry and it felt like that silk and India-rubber stuff mixed together.And it was such a bright red that at first I didn't see the blood on it.When I did I knew he were a goner. His chest were all stove in, smashedto pieces. One of the old tree-roots must have jabbed him as the currentflung him down. I thought he were dead already, but then he opened uphis eyes.

  A funny color they were, greeny yellow. And I swear, Rev'rend, when heopened them eyes I _felt_ he was readin' my mind. I thought maybe hemight be one of them circus fellers in their flying contraptions thathang at the bottom of a balloon.

  He spoke to me in English, kind of choky and stiff, not like Joe thePortygee sailor or like those tarnal dumb Frenchies up Canady way,but--well, funny. He said, "My baby--in ship. Get--baby ..." He tried tosay more but his eyes went shut and he moaned hard.

  I yelped, "Godamighty!" 'Scuse me, Rev'rend, but I was so blame upsetthat's just what I did say, "Godamighty, man, you mean there's a baby inthat there dingfol contraption?" He just moaned so after spreadin' mycoat around the man a little bit I just plunged in that there riveragain.

  Rev'rend, I heard tell once about some tomfool idiot going over Niagaryin a barrel, and I tell you it was like that when I tried crossin' thatfreshet to reach the contraption.

  I went under and down, and was whacked by floating sticks and whirledaround in the freshet. But somehow, I d'no how except by the pure graceof God, I got across that raging torrent and clumb up to where the crazydingfol machine was sitting.

  Ship, he'd called it. But that were no ship, Rev'rend, it was someflying dragon kind of thing. It was a real scarey lookin' thing but Iclumb up to the little door and hauled myself inside it. And, sureenough, there was other people in the cabin, only they was all dead.

  There was a lady and a man and some kind of an animal looked like abobcat only smaller, with a funny-shaped rooster-comb thing on its head.They all--even the cat-thing--was wearing those shiny, stretchy clo'es.And they all was so battered and smashed I didn't even bother to huntfor their heartbeats. I could see by a look they was dead as a doornail.

  Then I heard a funny little whimper, like a kitten, and in a funny,rubber-cushioned thing there's a little boy baby, looked about sixmonths old. He was howling lusty enough, and when I lifted him out ofthe cradle kind of thing, I saw why. That boy baby, he was wet, and hislittle arm was twisted under him. That there flying contraption musthave smashed down awful hard, but that rubber hammock was so soft andcushiony all it did to him was jolt him good.

  I looked around but I couldn't find anything to wrap him in. And thebaby didn't have a stitch on him except a sort of spongy paper diaper,wet as sin. So I finally lifted up the lady, who had a long cape thingaround her, and I took the cape off her real gentle. I knew she was deadand she wouldn't be needin' it, and that boy baby would catch his deathif I took him out bare-naked like that. She was probably the baby's Ma;a right pretty woman she was but smashed up something shameful.

  So anyhow, to make a long story short, I got that baby boy back acrossthat Niagary falls somehow, and laid him down by his Pa. The man openedhis eyes kind, and said in a choky voice, "Take care--baby."

  I told him I would, and said I'd try to get him up to the house whereMarthy could doctor him. The man told me not to bother. "I dying," hesays. "We come from planet--star up there--crash here--" His voicetrailed off into a language I couldn't understand, and he looked like hewas praying.

  I bent over him and held his head on my knees real easy, and I said,"Don't worry, mister, I'll take care of your little fellow until yourfolks come after him. Before God I will."

  So the man closed his eyes and I said, _Our Father which art in Heaven_,and when I got through he was dead.

  I got him up on Kate, but he was cruel heavy for all he was such a tallskinny fellow. Then I wrapped that there baby up in the cape thing andtook him home and give him to Marthy. And the next day I buried thefellow in the south medder and next meetin' day we had the baby baptizedMatthew Daniel Emmett, and brung him up just like our own kids. That'sall.

  _All? Mr. Emmett, didn't you ever find out where that ship really camefrom?_

  Why, Rev'rend, he said it come from a star. Dying men don't lie, youknow that. I asked the Teacher about them planets he mentioned and shesays that on one of the planets--can't rightly remember the name, Marchor Mark or something like that--she says some big scientist feller witha telescope saw canals on that planet, and they'd hev to be pretty nearas big as this-here Erie canal to see them so far off. And if they couldbuild canals on that planet I d'no why they couldn't build a flyingmachine.

  I went back the next day when the water was down a little, to see if Icouldn't get the rest of them folks and bury them, but the flyingmachine had broke up and washed down the crick.

  Marthy's still got the cape thing. She's a powerful saving woman. Wenever did tell Matt, though. Might make him feel funny to think hedidn't really b'long to us.

  _But--but--Mr. Emmett, didn't anybody ask questions about thebaby--where you got it?_

  Well, now, I'll 'low they was curious, because Marthy hadn't been inthe family way and they knew it. But up here folks minds their ownbusiness pretty well, and I jest let them wonder. I told Liza Grace I'dfound her new little brother in the back pasture, and o'course it wasthe truth. When Liza Grace growed up she thought it was jest one ofthose yarns old folks tell the little shavers.

  _And has Matthew ever shown any differences from the other children thatyou could see?_

  Well, Rev'rend, not so's you could notice it. He's powerful smart, buthis real Pa and Ma must have been right smart too to build a flyingcontraption that could come so far.

  O'course, when he were about twelve years old he started reading folks'minds, which didn't seem exactly right. He'd tell Marthy what I wasthinkin' and things like that. He was just at the pesky age. Liza Graceand Minnie were both a-courtin' then, and he'd drive their boy friendscrazy telling them what Liza Grace and Minnie were a-thinking and teasethe gals by telling them what the boys were thinking about.

  There weren't no harm in the boy, though, it was all teasing. But itjust weren't decent, somehow. So I tuk him out behind the woodshed andgive his britches a good dusting just to remind him that that kind ofthing weren't polite nohow. And Rev'rend Doane, he ain't never done itsence.

  Transcriber's Note:

  This etext was produced from _Fantastic Universe_ May 1954. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.