Contraption

He came into the kitchen and they sat at the table, facing him, waiting for him, with the lamplight on their faces, and their faces were so hard that they looked like graven stone.

Uncle Eb stood up, towering toward the ceiling, and you could see the muscles stand out on his arms, with the sleeves rolled to the elbow.

He reached for Joh

“I’ll teach you,” Uncle Eb was saying through clenched teeth. “I’ll teach you. I’ll teach you…

Something fell upon the floor and rolled toward the corner, leaving a trail of fire as it rolled along the floor.

Uncle Eb stopped shaking him and just stood there holding him for an instant, then dropped him to the floor.

“That fell out of your pocket,” said Uncle Eb. “What is it?” Joh

He wouldn’t tell what it was. He’d never tell. No matter what Uncle Eb might do to him, he’d never tell. Not even if he killed him.

Uncle Eli stalked the jewel, bent swiftly and picked it up. He carried it back to the table and dropped it there and bent over, looking at it as it sparkled in the light.

Aunt Em leaned forward in her chair to look at it. “What in the world!” she said.

They bent there for a moment, staring at the jewel, their eyes bright and shining, their bodies tense, their breath rasping in the silence. The world could have come to an end right then and there and they’d never have noticed.

Then they straightened up and turned to look at Joh

“You must be starved,” Aunt Em said to Joh

Joh

Uncle Eb sat down, not paying any attention to the jewel at all. “You know,” he said, “I saw a jackknife uptown the other day. Just the kind you want…”

Joh