Free Strange Seed by Stephen Mark Rainey Page A

fucking obvious!”
    “Isn’t what obvious?”
    “His face, for God’s sake!   Look at his face!”
    “Jesus, Rachel, I did look at his face.”   He looked at it again, then at Rachel.   “I don’t understand…”
    “You don’t understand ?   Are you blind?   Can’t you see ?”
    “What in hell are you talking about.”   He stood and tried to take the lantern from her, but she backed away from him, hesitated, then ran into the kitchen.
    Paul followed a moment later.
    *****
    She had seated herself at the kitchen table, face buried in her hands.   The lantern was on the table in front of her; in its light, Paul saw that she was trembling.
    “Rachel, please…”   He pulled a chair away from the table and sat beside her.   “Please, darling…   Are you crying?”
    Silence.
    “There’s no reason to cry, Rachel.”
    “Go and find Mr. Lumas,” she said, her voice a hoarse whisper.   “He’ll know what to do.”   She laid her hands flat on the table, the lamp between them.   Paul could see tears on her cheeks.   “He’ll know what to do.”
    “No,” Paul said softly, and stroked her cheek.   “I think what we need is a doctor, both for the child…”   He hesitated.   “And for you.   You’ve gotten yourself all worked up, and apparently for no better reason than we’ve found this poor, lost boy—“
    She gave a short, hollow chuckle.   “You don’t understand, do you?”   She pushed herself away from the table.   “Well, if you’re not going to do anything, then I guess I’ll have to!”   She prepared to stand.   Paul put a hand on her arm.
    “No!” he said.   “I don’t understand any of this, Rachel.   And I fail to see what Lumas has to do with it.   It’s none of his business, as far as I can see, and even if it were, I wouldn’t go prowling around in those woods now.   It’ll be dark in half an hour.”
    Rachel stood abruptly and went to the back door.   “Then you’ll have to be quick about it, won’t you!”   She pulled on the doorknob; the door opened an inch.   She closed it, unlatched it, pulled it open again.   “Goddammit, Paul, I’m serious about this!”
    “Paul’s jaw dropped.   “Jesus,” he muttered.   “What a fool I’ve been.”   Finally, it had come to him:   Lumas’ door had been locked from the inside; it had opened only slightly in reaction to his heavy knocking.   “Throw me my boots, okay,” he said.   “Quickly!”
    Rachel, surprised by his sudden change of mood, did as he’d asked.
    “There’s no time to explain, darling,” Paul said, slipped his boots on, stood and retrieved his coat from the coat tree near the table.   “Just keep your eye on that child.   I don’t know when I’ll be back.”   He pushed the screen door open and took the back steps three at a time.
    *****
    Henry Lumas grinned.   It was happening, and even more quickly than when the Newmans lived at the house.   Only days now, not weeks.   By Saturday or Sunday, at the latest, the earth would set free what she had been clutching to her bosom these past five years.   And, in the few days remaining to him, perhaps he would be able to prepare the Griffins for the inevitable, get their thinking turned around, show them that creation meant more than cars and movies and TVs.   He’d be dead before they understood fully, he knew that; he’d been months trying to make the Newmans understand and, at last, it hadn’t worked.   Their fears had been too strong, their ideas of what should be, and of what can be, greater than their ability to accept what was.
    Paul and Rachel might react the same way, but it was more   likely they wouldn’t.   Rachel possessed a special kind of awareness,; with effort, she could pass it on to her husband.   And if he—Lumas—were there to help…
    He doubled over, pain ripping sideways across his stomach and chest, and went down on his knees.   In the next moment, he sensed he was falling