Swing Low: Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

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Installment #17 of:Sing Low: The Hangman of the WoodsBy B.C. Crow (Chapter 16Daddy Smiling is not a criminal. He may be a form of vigilante. But if our fuzzy law permits bribery and corruption in all levels of government and law enforcement, what right do they have to condemn this man? For years now they’ve turned a blind eye to murder of the youngest and most innocent. Their deliberate ignorance created the hangman. He hunts down the cruelest of our society, adopting their young into his band. Only with Daddy Smiling do they stand a chance at life. Live they do, and wonderfully too.I walked for the better part of the day. Normally I would have been a little concerned, but some of that light optimism stubbornly clung to my mood. While I had a general idea what direction to pursue, I was also aware that I had a lot of jungle to navigate, and no clear path. I hadn’t thought to bring any food for my journey, as escaping Laidy had been my only goal. Maybe I should've thought things through a little. Of course, if I’d done that, I wouldn't have attempted it. Even still, while my mind told me to worry, my heart assured me that all would be well.Toward late afternoon I stopped to rest. My heart might be light, but my stomach had no problem voicing its complaints with constant grumblings. A quick survey told me that none of the trees or plants held anything worth eating. At least nothing that I knew could be eaten.There was nothing else to be done. I stood up to continue my hike. I looked up at the sun to check my bearing. My shoulders fell, pulling my heart with them. Now that the sun was drifting more to one side of the sky, I saw that for the last couple hours I’d been going the wrong direction. I wasn't backtracking, but I’d gone a little perpendicular to where I wanted to be heading.A twig snapped in the distance. Someone or something was out here. Could that be Laidy, or one of her animals? I hoped I hadn’t gone in a large circle! I couldn’t risk walking on like before if someone was following me. I needed to know who or what was out there.Slowly and quietly I crept toward where the twig had snapped. It was probably just a rodent on a dry branch. There were no more noises and nothing living to be seen. By the time I figured that I’d gone beyond the snapped twig, I gave up. There was nothing out here. I turned around, determined to be back on my way—then froze.Before me on the ground was the distinct imprint of a shoeless foot. Did Laidy wear shoes? I think she did. At least sandals. Judging from the size, it could've been her foot. I walked a little further and found another print. This one was smaller but clearly human. A smile touched the corner of my lips. I sped up, nearly running along the tracks. A charlie horse brought me back to a crawl and I had to limp along until the pain faded.At times, the tracks were hard to follow. After an hour, I had no problem. The tracks were joined by others, until eventually there was a nearly packed-down trail leading to their camp. I walked into the clearing just before sunset. A few heads turned my way, but I kept on going until I found Midnight. She was eating alone.For the last hour, I'd forgotten much of my hunger. Not all, but enough to let my mind think about her. Now, as I stood in place and watched her gracefully dine on her humble meal, I couldn't help but lose all the confidence I'd acquired over this incredible day.My heart thudded, dragging my heavy nerves with each pounding beat. Why was I so nervous to walk up to her? And where was Chirp-chirp and Grub? At least they could help make this easier on me. Slowly, she found herself aware of the attention directed at her. Her eyes lifted to meet mine. Her head raised, followed quickly by her smile. She stood as I approached. She looked more beautiful than I remembered, stunning me anew. Before I knew it, we were in each other’s arms. We held each other close for several seconds. How had that just happened?“You came back. I knew you would, yes I did,” she said as she let go of me.My chest was pounding and I couldn’t think of how to answer. I hadn’t ever planned to come back; it had just kind of worked out that way. Yes, I might have daydreamed about it a little, but fantasizing about it wasn't the same as actually doing anything about it. But I was glad to see her!My heart palpitations weren’t quite settled when I asked, “Chirp-chirp? Grub? Where are they?”Her gaze dropped to the ground. Was it because I asked of them instead of telling her that I’d missed her? “Grub is Daddy Grub now. He helps Mommy Flor with new baby.”“Grub is raising a baby now?” I was shocked. Not just because Midnight held a small grudge against Flor, but he was just a little kid himself. I knew that these kids were given high responsibility early on, but it was hard to fully assimilate.“Daddy Chirp-chirp is with Mommy Darling. They have new baby, too, yes they do.”“What about you?” I asked. “Are you going to get another baby and find a boy to help you raise him?”She looked at me for a long minute, her eyes probing mine before my belly interrupted the moment with a gurgle of hunger. She laughed. “Big tummy needs big food.” She stood and jogged over to the cooking area. My eyes never strayed as she went. She didn’t have any of her own food left, but there was plenty of food left over from other pots that she was able to scrape together. It wasn’t great, but it sure eased the pain in my stomach.That night we walked and talked for hours. I told her of the witch, my schooling, and my work. She told of how Daddy Smiling was bringing in so many babies that some kids were even adopting two. If there was that many new babies, I wondered why Midnight hadn’t taken on another one herself. But every time I raised the question, she deflected it. I think we were the last ones to go to sleep that night.I hadn’t meant to stay long. My mother was probably worried sick. I’d only planned on staying for a meal or two. The normal Iddo would have been right on my way home to ease my mother's concern. But a meal or two turned into a day or two. Then that turned into weeks. Each night I would tell myself it was time to go home. Then I'd spend the evening talking with Midnight. There was something magical about this place.This camp was as primitive as could possibly be. Aside from the occasional sound of a distant airplane, this community was completely cut off from the rest of the world. I loved it. The air was cool and fresh. Down by the small lake, the canopy parted to show more stars in the heavens than I'd ever noticed before. Just like the witch's cottage, this place cast a spell of its own on me. And of course, there was Midnight.My nostalgia for this place and the children's way of life was great enough that after a day or two, I'd taken to waking early in the morning, then I'd follow the other boys out into the woods for a day of gathering food. The first few times, Chirp-chirp or Grub helped me learn what to look for. After a week, I was doing everything on my own.When I came back to the hangman’s camp each night, Midnight would be waiting with a warm smile to greet me. I was gathering for her and me. Some of the older kids teased us, calling us Mommy Midnight and Daddy Iddo, raising “Baby Nothing.” Normally, this might have bothered me. Now, as long as Midnight was by my side, I was invulnerable. I could talk to her about everything and anything. Well, anything that is, if the language barrier didn't get in our way. But we were both growing accustomed to each other's limits, and we were adapting remarkably.She even sympathized with my newfound feelings on Deity. I got the distinct impression that she had a deeper relationship with God, even if it was as primitive an understanding as my own.Daddy Smiling still went out every day, sometimes bringing back a young child or infant. Most days he came back alone. When he wasn’t doling out stewardships for the new arrivals or actually saving those children, he’d walk around the camp. He rarely said anything. With that huge toothy grin, he’d walk by, putting giant tender palm on each person’s shoulder. His expression hardly ever changed. But there was something in those eyes. They were often squinted, but when he laid his hand on my shoulder, they opened wide enough for me to see into his heart. What I saw was larger than life. Everything about this man was giant, especially his compassion for his children.I loved this place and I loved the hangman. I have to admit that I quickly grew to love Midnight, also. How she could love someone as unattractive as me was beyond my comprehension. But I knew that she loved me back. Every time we were with each other, we moved as close together as we could. Our shoulders or hands were always touching. My daily foraging was blissful, but even with the satisfaction of finding a living from the woods, my work was done in haste so I could return to be with Midnight.I hadn’t been keeping track of time very well. I'd allowed myself more distraction than I should have. I must have stayed for close to a month. What had I done to my mother?For the last couple of weeks, I'd thought more and more about this. I was being selfish and I knew it.I was on one of our evening walks when Midnight turned to me, "What's wrong? Are you Mad? Is my poor Iddo sad?"“Midnight--I,” I squeezed her hand, trying to think of how to say what needed to be said.She looked at me, her eyes wet. Somehow she knew what I was thinking. "You need go to Mommy Mother." That was what she called my mother, since I always referred to her simply as Mother.I nodded.“Daddy Smiling brings new babies. He needs new mommies, yes he does.”Where was she going with this? “Why haven’t you gotten a new baby yet?”“You came once, and I feel not same. You here now, and I am not same. I like not same. I want be Mommy Midnight with Daddy Iddo, but for always. I want be”—she struggled finding the right word—“Wife Midnight.”That caused my heart to skip more than a single beat. I pulled her close to me and hugged her. I inhaled the scent of her skin so close to mine. I wanted to hold her so tight that she would be a part of me, never to separate.“I want to be with you, too,” I whispered in her ear.“Stay,” she begged.“I can’t. I have to go.”“Then I go, too.”I thought for a minute. There was no way. Not at this time. I would need at least a year. I had school to go to. I had an apartment already reserved for that year. I had a busy job. I had no way of supporting this wonderful girl.“I have to go for a few days to visit my mother. I’ll then come back here for a few days. Then I’ll need to leave again for a year. Just like I did last time. But I will come back.”“Then you stay?”“Then I will take you with me, away from here. I will make you Wife Midnight.” My belly filled with butterflies as I said this and I knew that I wanted it to be so. She might lack my formal education, but there was nothing stupid about her. She would adapt quickly. Young as I was, I would have her for my wife.Her smile, glistening with teardrops, filled me with warmth. “I wait for you, yes I will. I—love you, yes I do.”“And I love you.” And for the first time for either of us, we kissed. Never was any moment so sweet as this. Never did I feel so weightless and happy. This was, without a doubt, the best day of my life.The next day, she packed me enough food for the remainder of my journey home. We walked together, just far enough to be alone. After all, while boys and girls paired up to raise a child in this camp, none had ever actually fallen in love, at least not to my knowledge. Their families were just a temporary arrangement to help raise babies to the bare minimal point where they could in turn take care of a baby. Midnight was among the oldest here, and her feelings were maturing beyond her peers. She wanted a real partner, with a real family. The others might not be able to understand. So we kissed one last time, away from their curious eyes.Turning to walk away was the hardest thing I’d ever done. I wanted her to come with me, but found comfort in my resolve to visit again on my way back to school.Click here to read Chapter 17Copyright 2017: While I encourage you to share this link with your friends and family, please keep in mind that this is copyrighted material. Under no circumstances do you have the right to re-publish any or part of this content without specific written permission from BC Crow and Blue House Publishing.