Shards by Shane Jiraiya Cummings Read Free Book Online Page A

near-deserted. Every street in
the town was lined with trees that stood naked against the grey
autumn sky. The blanket of leaves covered the town in rich shades
of auburn, amber, and brown.
    "Hey, check that out," Brian
pointed to a huge mass of leaves.
    Where Brian pointed, Hayden saw
a roughly circular clump of sodden leaves spilled out onto the
road.
    "Can you see that stuff above
the leaves?" Brian asked.
    "I don't get it. What
stuff?"
    "The black stuff," said Brian.
"Like a whole swarm of flies or somethin'. They're jumping in and
out of those leaves."
    Hayden concentrated hard as he
studied the clump of leaves; Brian had tricked him before. The
leaves were darker than normal, almost the shade of rust, and
wet-looking. The clump was especially dense and wide, having seeped
from the gutter to cover about a third of the street in a ragged
circular pattern.
    "I just see some old leaves,"
he said.
    "What about that?" Brian
challenged, pointing at the leaves again.
    "Stop foolin' around," Hayden
eyed his friend suspiciously. A knot formed in his stomach.
    "Come on!" said Brian. "You're
tellin' me you can't see those gold bits? Could be coins. Might be
worth somethin'."
    "Sorry. I just see leaves,"
Hayden edged away. "Maybe we should get going."
    "No. Not until you tell me you
see it too!"
    "Forget it. Let's go."
    "But the flies look so weird.
I'm gonna catch one to take home and scare my sister."
    "Brian, let's go," Hayden
grabbed him by the arm.
    "No! I'm at least gonna get
some of those coins," Brian shook off the restraining hand.
    He stopped at the edge of the
leaves and bent down. Awe was obvious on his face as he reached
toward the rust-coloured mass.
    "Don't!" Hayden called.
    Brian's eyes widened as his
fingers delved into the slimy leaves.
    In a terrible blur, he
disappeared, sucked by the arm into the clump of leaves. Barely a
leaf rustled or fluttered to mark his passing.
    "Brian!" Hayden screamed.
    For long seconds he stood
dumfounded, reaching a hand toward the leaves before snatching it
back.
    The wind funnelled through the
street behind him. It swept up the crimson mass of leaves,
scattering the pile to desolation. Only solid, naked road lay
beneath. Hayden stared at the bare asphalt, trembling, amid the
rustle of autumnal leaves.
    * * *
    Cruel Summer: Surf
    "Come on!" called Todd.
    Jamie paddled against the
breaking white-water, struggling to reach him. He disappeared from
view with the swell of every wave.
    The safety flags were tiny,
fluttering streamers in the distance. Colourful smudges marked the
timid people as they clung to the shore. No one, except him and
Jamie, was more than waist-deep in the water.
    Then he saw it. Them. Seething
masses of seaweed, flowing with the tide.
    The first, careless brush
burned like acid.
    Floundering, legs afire, he
tried to paddle ashore. With his throat constricting and muscles
convulsing, his last sight as he sank was of Jamie, swimming
towards the weeds.
    * * *
    Dread Seasons Quartet: Pallid Wisps of
Snow
    Sara muttered to herself as she
trudged through the snow and plunged between sagging, ancient
pines. "That bastard should be out here instead of me. Maybe the
cold might shut down that ego of his."
    Like a vast collapsed spider
web, the blanket of snow coated everything within its reach.
Charcoal-grey clouds choked the sky with their pregnant burden of
ice and water.
    Sara's jump suit and the
matching mitts and boots were the best money could buy. Stylish and
warm. Even so, the cold leached through into her bones. The angry
trudging only kept the worst of the chill at bay.
    "How dare he fool around with
that tramp. We've only been here two days! Two days!"
    The image of Paul and that
slutty ski instructor together, naked, replayed ad nauseam through
her mind. She marched blindly along the trail, beyond the highest
ski field. The resort dwindled into the distance.
    "Getting old! Not as
beautiful!" she spat, fighting his painful, lingering words. "We'll
see, pig! Even