Russel had been out shooting in Curtis’s woods again.
Curtis’s daughters, Cassie and Leia, told him about it, and the shivers in their voices told him that they were afraid and he had to do something. Curtis, who was a freelance copywriter working from home, had not heard the sound because he was listening to Lord Huron on headphones.
The two girls, twelve and eight, burst into his office so abruptly that Curtis nearly jumped out of his chair. He plucked the earbuds from his ears and turned to face them, his eyebrows ruffled with confusion and concern. “What’s going on, girls? Don’t surprise me like that. Are you OK?”
Cassie, suddenly embarrassed, apologized. “Sorry, Dad. Yeah, we’re fine.”
“There’s a man with a gun outside!” Leia blurted out, her round face touched with pink from the coldness outside and the excitement and the run to the house.
Curtis bolted out of his chair. “What the hell?!”
Cassie turned to her sister, her face slanted away. “Don’t say it like that, Leia.”
“What on earth is going on here? Where is he?” said Curtis, who was seriously regretting the fact that he did not own a gun. He stood in the middle of the room, a cold flame flickering in his eye. Leia’s lip drooped, and her eyes glittered. She felt that she had done something wrong.
Cassie turned back to her father and tried to speak in a relaxed tone. “It’s nothing bad, Dad. Just that guy next door. I think he’s out in the woods doing target practice or something.” But there was something not quite relaxed in her tone despite her best efforts.
“Russell?”
“Yeah, Russell.”
Curtis’s posture relaxed a little. He was no longer tilted forward on the balls of his feet, and the flame died in his eyes and was replaced with a glint. He placed his hands on his hips. “Well, for the luvva…Pete. So that’s why I’ve been hearing those gunshots. Man. I thought it was coming from the shooting range.”
The girls, thoroughly shaken, moved closer to one another, their long blond hair half covering their faces. Curtis, who did not have long blond hair, or really much hair at all, ran a hand over his forehead.
“Well, I guess I’ll have to have a talk with him.”
“No, Dad, don’t,” said Cassie brushing the bangs out of her face and taking a step toward him. “Please.”
“What do you mean? The guy’s trespassing and endangering you. Probably not on purpose, but it’s all the same.”
“How about we just don’t play out there anymore?” Leia suggested quietly.
“Absolutely not. I am not going to let some old lunatic prevent my daughters from playing in their own backyard. I’m going to have a talk with him.” Curtis took a step toward the door, but Cassie stepped in front of it with a swift, elfin movement.
“Don’t Dad. It’s not safe.”
Curtis’s mouth was a hard line. “Russell is perfectly harmless.”
“You just called him a lunatic!” Cassie cried.
“A harmless lunatic.” Curtis took another step toward the door.
“Dad.” An imploring look.
Curtis paused. She was serious. His face suddenly grew younger as he smiled and squatted down beside his two children. “You don’t need to be afraid. I’ve talked with Russell before. He’s actually pretty friendly. Just a little bit eccentric.”
“What’s eccentric mean?” Leia asked.
“It means, like, unique. Unusual. But not bad or dangerous.” He squeezed Cassie’s shoulder. “Trust me. I’ll be back soon.”
* * * *
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