Silver Scream

Chapter 2

Eyes widening, heart thumping, the child could not understand why she felt panic. He stared back at her lazily. Screaming suddenly seemed more desirable to her.

Breathing in, she opened her mouth…only for the stranger to cover her mouth with his hand.

He was disturbingly fast.

He decided that they needed a private, secluded place to talk. The tree house from earlier seemed viable.

The narrator shut his metaphorical mouth (to avoid further retorts) as the stranger began to speak, “Little girl, don’t scream.”

“What d’ya mean ‘don’t scream’? Ah’ve every reason to scream!”

“Look at me. I do not really care what you think. I am just here to finish a task I should have completed a long time ago.”

The girl was shocked but surprisingly steeled herself to rebuke him, “Ya’ve no right. As soon as ah scream, mah brother’ll come here and stop ya.”

“Harsh words for a child.”

“Weak words for a murderer.”

The man was nonplussed, “What makes you say that?”

“Ya don’t look like no one who wants ta do nothing.”

“I guess I honestly do not care. But the clacking insists that I must do it.”

“Well, ah don’t hear no sounds, so maybe ya shouldn’t. In fact, why don’t ya just let me go.”

“If you are really going to manipulate me, try harder.”

“Look. Ya don’t look like ya really inta…hurting me. Maybe ya shouldn’t be doing this. Also, what’s ya’r talent?”

“I have to do this. And my talent? What? I–doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter! Ah’ve been trying to figure mah’n out for a while. Even you should know how ta help me.”

“I believe that that is a most pathetic attempt to use a red herring to stop this conversation.”

“Well, frankly, ya are making the most pathetic excuses to…hurt me.”

“Clearly, this is going nowhere.”

“Ah concur.”

“…”

“What? So, ah learn words from mah sister’s friends. Doesn’t mean Ah’m stupid.”

“I say you are.”

“Why so?”

“Easy. Your friends and you are trying to do so many activities with little merit.”

“They totally have merit!”

“No, they do not. They do not have any merit to you. I will concede that all people who work with animals have jobs with no merit.”

“Mah sister’s friend would resent that last statement. Honestly, Ah do too. All though, what do ya mean those activities have no merit to me?”

“My dear, you have potential, a potential to do all those activities. You just do not invest any reasonable time into those activities to develop that skill.”

“All right then, then how much?”

“Seriously, you are having me quantify the time it takes to be talented at something.”

“Eeyep.”

“An eternity for you is the truth.”

“What!”

“You asked me a stupid question, so I gave you the stupid answer.”

“That’s no fair. Ah want a better answer!”

“Look. For example, I hurt people. Hurting people takes a lot of practice. It is meaningful practice to me because I know what it is. I see it. I feel it. I smell it. It takes time.

“You, on the other hand, just put in an iota of effort, scraping a surface that has no meaning unless you put in an effort to understand it. Imitation is the first step. But, toe dipping is not the first step.

“That is why it will take a lifetime for you to develop your talent. Because, nothing you have done has meaning. You develop no memories! No memories! Nothing! Nada! Zippo!”

The girl was rather struck by the passionate response. It is uncommon when our protagonist is genuinely passionate.

“…Ah didn’t think ya cared ‘bout anything.”

“Maybe not,” he began to grab at his bags, “but it will not–”

“Well, how ‘bout ya help me?”

“What? You sure have some obsession problems.”

“No ah don’t.”

“You do”

“Ah don’t”

“Your arguing with your future murderer for help on finding your talent.”

“Ah don’t think so. It’s perfectly normal.”

“I am not getting back into that argument. Besides, I proved my point.”

“So, whadya want ta talk about.”

“You know, you are making this feel pointless and poorly done.”

“Well, it is. For a person who hurts other people, ya are reasonable.”

“You know that that is a compliment.”

“Ah guess, but it is true. Why, try not practicing for a change. You know. Take a break? Do something nice.”

“Killing you would be nice.”

“Ah just mentioned not to do that.”

“Point taken, but I cannot leave you out of my sight.”

I realized that we were both at an impasse with the circular conversation. I just stared at her. She stared at me with those orange eyes tinged with red.