Will the Sun Ever Come Out Again?

by Nate Southard

  “Floor looks dry,” Jimmy said, voice echoing with anxiety.

  “Take her easy.” He shook his head. At this rate, the guy was gonna have a heart attack before the water pulled back into the river. That wouldn’t do anybody a lick of good.

  “I’m just saying.”

  “Well, just stop. What is it, Jimmy? You don’t trust me or something?”

  “I trust you fine. It’s the damn river I’m not too keen on.”

  “Pussy.” He shook his head, hiding the smirk plastered across his mug, and pushed through the door into the dining room.

  A shimmering green shadow filled the small room, clinging to the four booths that lined either wall and draping over the old juke box pressed against the lunch counter. What light made it through the swollen river felt thick and oppressive, like an imitation of the Ohio herself. You could swim through the dining room just the same as you could swim through the polluted water, only one was nowhere near as dangerous as the other.

  Charlie eyed the door, the floor beneath it. Not a drop of water had pushed through the entry. Good to know he still had the mojo working full bore.

  “Good work,” Jimmy said.

  “No thing.” He let a healthy amount of ego creep into his voice. Why not?

  “Not sure I would’ve trusted anybody else in town to get it done.”

  “Please. It’s an old trick, Jimmy, and just about everybody in Sulfer knows it. Not like I invented grave ash or some shit.”

  “Nah, but you’re part of the river.”

  That did drag a laugh out of him.

  “What?” Jimmy asked. The word was all but lost beneath Charlie’s guffaws and the creaks and groans of water against brick and glass. “Seriously, Charlie. What?”

  “Part of the river? What the hell you talking about?”

  A twist of annoyance appeared in Jimmy’s eyes. “Don’t play dumb on me, man. Everybody knows. You were conceived in the Ohio. The river’s part of you, and you’re part of it.”

  “You’re half-right, Jimmy. My parents were in the Ohio when my daddy was balls-deep in my mama, and if that’s when I was conceived, then there mighta been some greasy river water up in there with me. Don’t make me anything other than a man who knows a few tricks, though. You’ve lived here all your life. You know everybody’s got at least one good trick in ‘em. Hell, man, you know a trick or two.”

  Jimmy shook his head. “Not like you, though.”

  Charlie’s smile showed his teeth, a dull yellow brought on by years of coffee and smokes. He slapped The Spot’s owner across the shoulder. “I wouldn’t be too sure, my friend. I think you got some surprises in store. Yup, think you got at least one good turn in ya.”

  He fished a hand into his pocket, and it returned with a pack of Marlboro’s. He screwed one into his lips and lit it. He let the first puff hang in his lungs before blowing it back into Jimmy’s face.

  “Probably shouldn’t be smoking that right now.”

  “Probably not,” he said through grinning lips. “Might piss off the other customers.” He swung his arms wide, blew another plume of smoke through a shit-eating grin.

  Jimmy watched, his face blank.

  He shrugged and pinched the smoke out between two fingers. “How about a burger, Jimmy? I’m damn hungry after making you safe as houses.”

  “Sure. I’ll get on it. Can’t do fries, though. Only used enough magic to keep the grill going.”

  “I’m sure I’ll just weather through and somehow find the strength to survive.”

  “Fine.”

  “Tell me how much you love me, Charlie.”

  “More than a little. Almost as much as a fifty-dollar lapdance.”

  He smiled as Tammie punched his arm and called him a rotten prick. The girl had a way with words, and it always pulled a grin across his lips.

  “You always gonna treat me so bad?” she asked through a pout.

  He touched his fingers to her cheek. “I’ll make you a deal. If I ever start treating you bad, you just let me know and I’ll take it out of my own hide.”

  Her smile was a candle along the darkness of the riverbank.

  Charlie jerked awake, hating himself more than a little.

  A sour grimace hung over Charlie’s face as he listened to the sizzling of ground beef on hot metal. Getting the grill to fire up when the town was under seven feet of water was about as close as Jimmy got to having a talent. Time would tell if the man held any further value. Charlie figured if anybody could wring it out of the man, it was him.

  He turned up his nose and sniffed a few times. He caught the faintest whiff of seasoned meat, but he smelled something else underneath--something raw and sick. Bad shit in the air. Nothing new, really. Sulfer wasn’t exactly Disney World. Nasty things happened all the damn time in the four street by four street Indiana burg. Some would say it was their stock in trade. Some folks even believed it, too, but there was a word for those folks: fucking stupid. Anybody who bought a dollar of their own bullshit deserved to drown in a puddle of it, and Charlie Crawdad had seen just such an occurrence on at least four separate occasions.

  Just one benefit to being a magician.

  He turned to look over his shoulder. The water flowed slowly past the glass storefront. He watched clumps of plants and muck tumble along on the lazy, pulsing current. Probably wouldn’t be too long until some of the other river inhabitants made themselves known. Hell, there were already a few river cats swishing along, their whiskers trailing behind them.

  Charlie wondered if Jimmy Mills had ever seen the fish’s big brothers. He couldn’t wait to see how the sad bastard would react. Probably piss himself without taking a breath.

  “Here ya go.”

  Charlie made a good show out of jumping like he’d received the shock of his life. He even let out a gasp and jerked one hand up to his chest. He hoped it wasn’t too obvious, but he had faith that Mills wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer.

  “Sorry ‘bout that,” Jimmy said. He slid a mostly-clean plate containing a hamburger that was only burned around the edges across the counter. “Enjoy, Charlie.”

  “You’re not eating?” He pinched a morsel of beef from the burger and popped it into his mouth, giving Jimmy a smile as he chewed.

  “Not really hungry.”

  “Still worried?”

  “Nah.”

  “Jimmy, don’t try to fuck with me.”

  The cook shrugged. “Sure. I’m still a little freaked. Why not? The fuckin’ river’s almost ten feet high!”

  Charlie gave the storefront another glance. A discarded shoe drifted past the glass.

  “More like eight, I think.”

  “Well, what the fuck ever! You ever seen something like this before?”

  “Sure. I’m part of the river, remember?”

  “So you’re fucking with me now?”

  “C’mon! I like to think you know me a little better than that. Fuckin’ with you? That ain’t gonna happen, Jimmy. Not when you’re paying me to be here.”

  Mills appeared to calm down at the remark. He nodded slowly, his eyes hovering somewhere in the vicinity of the burger and fries.

  “That mean you’re trusting me again?”

  “I guess so,” Jimmy answered. “Not like I got a choice, right? We’re stuck together for at least a few more days.”

  Charlie spun on his barstool until he was facing the tall glass storefront. He leaned back, resting his elbows on the lunch counter.

  “Got that shit right, Jimmy. Nobody here but us.” He felt the man stiffen behind him. Weird. He knew Mills was worried, but it almost felt like the guy was scared. He fought the urge to shrug. Let the man stew a bit. It was more than a little funny.

  “Think I’m gonna head upstairs,” Jimmy said. “Creeping me out down here.”

  “You still think the water’s gonna get through?”

  “I don’t. I’m just . . . Shit, I don’t know. Maybe. I don’t like lookin’ at the fucking river. That o
kay with you?”

  “Sure thing, Jimmy. I’ll just finish my burger. Might curl up in a booth and have myself a nap afterward. That okay?”

  “Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?”

  He tore a bite off of the burger and chewed. Not bad. Not as dry as sawdust and tastier than your average lump of charcoal. Jimmy had really outdone himself.

  He motioned at his throat with one hand. Mills read the gesture well, and a second later Charlie had a room temperature Coke sitting in front of him. He pulled a swig off the bottle and washed down the burger. He took another sip before speaking.

  “Don’t know. Maybe you need me to hold your hand some more?”

  “You’re a real asshole, Charlie. Know that?”

  “Ever since my mama told me. Thanks for verifying it, though. Means a lot.”

  “Whatever.” Jimmy left the dining room, grumbling under his breath. Nothing terribly original.

  Charlie waited until he heard Mills’s clunky footsteps on the stairs before stuffing another bite of hamburger into his mouth. Yeah, a nap would be good right about now. He didn’t like that he’d dozed off. It wasn’t a good sign. Maybe an hour of good sleep would keep him up, alert.

  Hell, maybe his dreams would take a better turn.

  Tammie looked into his eyes, and he saw love there. He saw sanity and eternity wrapped in a lover’s embrace. He could spend the rest of his life with this woman, this beauty with black hair that fell to her shoulders and eyes like Absinthe. He could leave the craziness of Sulfer, the terror of his destiny.

  She would save him.

  They lay on a blanket on the banks of the Ohio. Their bodies lingered against each other. Slowly, their muscles relaxed as their lovemaking came to an end.

  “What are you thinking?” she said. Her voice was a whisper that carried promises so beautiful they almost hurt.

  “Thinkin’ about you,” he answered. “About us.”

  “And?”

  “And I like thinkin’ that way.”

  He climbed off of her sweat-slicked body and rested beside her. The old blanket felt too warm against his skin. It clung to him, dragged at him. The heat of July had spent the day punishing them both, and it wasn’t so quick to let go.

  But the heat had begun to retreat as the sun dipped below the horizon. Cool air began to dance through the tall grass that covered the sloped bank. It found the lovers and kissed their flesh. Charlie watched goosebumps rise on Tammie’s arms and legs. He’d be ready again soon. He couldn’t resist her beauty, hadn’t been capable of such a feat since they’d met. If she wanted, he’d provide.

  She smiled. “You are so full of shit, Charlie Crawford.”

  “That what you think?”

  “You bet your ass it is.”

  “Now, why in hell—”

  “Because you don’t like thinkin’.”

  “What?”

  “Your brain isn’t the sunniest place, Charlie. We both know that’s a fact. You got shadows up there, and you’ve always had ‘em. They’re always gonna be there. They’re a part of you.”

  He nodded, but his eyes stayed locked on hers. “You ain’t lying. I won’t pretend for a second that you are. And you know what? Those shadows aren’t going away anytime soon.

  “You light ‘em up a little, though. They’re thinner when I think about you, and sometimes I can even ignore them for awhile.”

  She looked worried. “You shouldn’t—”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “Yes it does, Charlie! You know how important you are. When it comes down, you’ll need to be there. You have to be ready. You’ve known that your entire life.”

  “We all got parts to play, right. At least most of us do. I haven’t forgotten, and I can’t, not ever. Doesn’t matter how hard I try. It just feels farther away when you’re here. That’s all. I think about you, and sometimes I even wonder if everything’ll be okay in the end.”

  She gave him a grin. “You don’t think it will?”

  “How should I know? The end hasn’t shown up yet.”

  He leaned in close and pressed his lips to hers. She breathed slow and sweet, her soft breeze teasing him. He felt her pull away, and every inch of him screamed in protest.

  “Don’t be so eager,” she said. “You and me, we got all kinds of time.”

  “That we do,” he answered. And he meant it. Something about Tammie calmed him even as it kicked his body into high gear. He could take his time with her, and he somehow knew it would all be okay. They had all the time in the world.

  She pushed herself to her feet. Her pale skin caught the last of the day’s light and glowed like a cooling ember. Charlie found himself struck.

  “Where you going?” he asked. “You thinkin’ about leaving me?”

  “Not a bit.” She turned and stepped toward the river. “I’ll be back for you before you know it.”

  He watched her go. He admired her smooth skin and the way it moved with each step, pulling tight over muscle. So beautiful.

  He smiled as she took her first confident steps into the Ohio.

  Judging by Jimmy’s screams, things had picked up nicely.

  Charlie didn’t bother jumping awake this time. He kept his shit far too together for something like that. Instead he took his time, letting out a good yawn and giving his limbs a quality stretch as he stood up from the booth. He probably should have been stiff as a board after catching a nap on the uncomfortable seat, but he was used to sleeping in awkward places.

  Jimmy kept going off like some hillbilly fire alarm. Pigs died without making so much goddamn noise.

  Charlie only half-wondered what had set off Mills. Could be anything, the guy was such a high-strung piece of work, but he figured there was something particular inspiring Jimmy to sing so well.

  He rolled his shoulders and rocked his head back and forth. Couldn’t be anything in the building setting Jimmy off—at least not so soon—so there had to be something in the street. Feeling good and ready to get a move on, he turned to the storefront and looked at the water flowing past the windows.

  “Well, I’ll be,” he said. “Didn’t take you long at all, did it?” He stepped forward and touched his hands to the glass. He gazed out at the thing in the street, and a smile that was mostly awe appeared on his lips.

  “The others will be here soon, won’t they? Not much time?”

  He didn’t wait for an answer, but instead walked to the diner’s rear and started up the stairs. Might as well see how the bossman was doing. With any luck, the guy hadn’t crapped himself.

  Jimmy had stopped screaming, at least. Instead, he stood at the open windows, clinging to the frame with one white-knuckled hand and pointing down at the street with the other. His face was slack and pale, and he sucked in breath after breath with a rasping, croaking sound that made Charlie want to piss himself with laughter. This asshole was supposed to be a magician?

  “Beauty, ain’t she?”

  “It’s--” He fell back into his breathing again.

  “What’s the matter, Jimmy?” Charlie asked as he started across the floor. The second story of Jimmy’s building was a single loft with a high ceiling. A few boxes had been stacked near the back, but the rest was empty save a coat of chipped paint and a growing supply of dust and cobwebs. The wooden floor creaked under Charlie’s feet, but it was solid as a tank. Just about everything in town was, even the buildings that were falling apart.

  When he reached his temporary employer, he slapped a hand against the man’s shoulder. Jimmy let out a scream and almost jumped out the window.

  “You never see a catfish before, Jimmy?”

  The man’s eyes widened in a way about as close to comical as you could get and still be pathetic.

  “Catfish?”

  “Sure. What did you think it was?”

  “That’s a catfish?”

  “You didn’t listen to that last sentence at all, did ya?”

  Jimmy thrust his finger down at the water. “That f
uckin’ thing down there’s a goddamn monster, Charlie! It ain’t no catfish!”

  Charlie looked down at the creature. Just over ten feet long and probably a good five feet wide. Dull gray with muddy brown splotches. Its whiskers drifted back four feet or more on either side, and the thing’s tail looked like it could gut a man like Jimmy. The fish wasn’t trying to get anywhere. The journey onto Second Street had probably tuckered out the poor bastard enough. Still, its tail swished back and forth lazily. Its gills pumped in and out like bellows, marking time since well before the founding of Sulfer.

  What a beautiful fucking thing.

  “That, my friend, is one helluva catfish. Bottom dweller. They found a whole ton of ‘em down past Rising Sun when they were building Markland Dam. You hardly ever see ‘em up from the mud and such, but these are special times, Jimmy. Special times, indeed. Now, don’t be such a little girl.”

  “They found a ton of ‘em?”

  Jimmy’s mouth wasn’t closing, like it was broke or something. Charlie fought the urge to stick his finger in the gaping hole.

  “Well, that one down there might be a ton for all I know. Heard there’s some even bigger, and I don’t doubt it for a second. The Ohio’s got some real fucked up shit in her.” He fought hard to keep the shadows from his expression as he spoke.

  “But there was more than one?” True to form, the man’s jaw remained slack.

  “Dozens, at least. Look, Jimmy. You’ve spent most of your life in Sulfer, so you’re supposed to not get freaked out by this sort of thing. Something spooking ya?”

  Mills shook his head a little too fast. “Naw, Charlie. Fuck you; there ain’t nothin’.”

  “Good to hear. The important thing, though, is you gotta get your shit together, and I mean fast. That big bitch down there is just the beginning of what this flood’s gonna bring up from the mud and muck. Now, I’ve got a few of my tricks up, and they should keep us plenty safe, but there’s some shit I can’t prepare for. Some stuff you just gotta deal with as it comes. I’ll need your help, because you’re not some fly by night trickster, man. You been at magic for awhile, too, and you can help me out.”