Face of death

“What will we do now, asked jesse?”

“Bury him,” said JD.

The two boys looked down close to their toes where the body lied. The face was blue, open black eyes stared at the sky. Right above them was a windy sound just like a train speeding past. On the top of the hill was a the company of Boston’s guns & ammo. Someone was firing measured volleys.

“Don’t you think it would be better” began Jesse, JD cut in and said. “We’re going to leave him until tomorrow.”

“No,” said Jesse. “I can’t think about this a day longer. I’ve got to go home, after we bury willy.”

“Of course,” said the JD, let’s go. “You got digging tools?”

Jesse shouted back to him “Yes”, and the two got ready to dig a grave. They started in the direction of the sharp-shooters booth. Bullets cracked near their ears. “Dig here,” said Jesse snapping. Then JD started to dig. thus they had to lower their glances to the ground, they became hurried and frightened because they could not look to see where the bullets was coming from. The dull beat of the pick striking the earth sounded swift, the snap of close bullets came to often. Presently Jesse began to shovel, while JD picked.

“I suppose,” said the JD, slowly, “we’d better search his clothes for--things, like money.”

Jesse nodded. Together curious they looked at the body shrugged, and began serching. Then JD shrugged his shoulders suddenly, amusing himself.

“Yes,” he said, “we’d better see what he’s got.” He dropped to his knees, and his hands approached the body of the dead boy. But his hands wavered over the buttons of the jacket. The first button was red with drying blood, and he did not want to touch it.

“Go on,” said the Jesse, harshly.

JD put his hand in the jacket, and his fingers sliding through the blood on the jacket, and buttons. At last he rose with a look on his face. He had gathered a watch, a whistle, a pipe, some weed. A handkerchief, a little pint of liquor. He looked at Jesse. There was a silence. That Jesse was feeling, he had been a coward to make JD do all the hard work.

“Well,” said JD, “that’s all, I think. You have his revolver?”

“Yes,” said Jesse, and then he burst out in a sudden strange fury at JD. “Why don’t you hurry up with that grave? What are you doing, anyhow? Hurry, do want someone to see us?

Even as he cried out from his muscles hurting, JD was laboring for their lives. overhead the bullets were spitting.

The grave was finished, It was not a masterpiece, a poor little shallow thing. JD and Jesse again looked at each other in a curious silent communication.

Suddenly Jesse let out a weird laugh. It was a terrible laugh, which had its origin in that part of the mind which is the nerves that tells you your in pain. “Well,” he said, humorously to JD, “I suppose we had best toss him in.”

“Yes,” said JD. The two boys stood waiting, bent over their mistake. “I suppose,” said JD, “it would be better if we laid him in.” Jesse said “the hell with that”.

“Ok”. Then apparently remembering that he had made JD search the body, he stooped and took hold of the dead boys clothing. Jd joined him. Both were definitely not letting their fingers feel the corpse. They tugged at it pulled and then the corpse lifted, heaved, toppled, flopped into the grave, and the two boys, straightening, looked again at each other, they were always looking at each other. They sighed with relief, and laughed.

Jesse said, “I suppose we should........ we should say something right. Do you know anything from the Bible, JD?”

“They don’t read from the Bible until the grave is filled in,” said Jesse, pressing his lips to an comical expression.

“Don’t they?” said Jesse, shocked that he had made the mistake of even asking about saying anything.

“Oh, well,” he cried, suddenly, “let us.....let us say something....while he can hear us lol.”

“All right,” said Lean. “Do you know what you’ll say?”

“I can’t remember a line of it,” said JD.

JD was extremely dubious. “I can repeat two lines, but--”

“Well, do it,” said Jesse. ” Say what you can. That’s better than nothing”.

JD looked at the boy. Jesse lowered his head to the boy. JD, he stood over the grave, and started.

“Oh, Father, our friend has sunk in the deep waters of death, but his spirit has leaped toward Thee as the bubbles arises from the lips of the drowning. Perceive, and shelter him, O Father, the little flying bubbles, and--“. Jesse laughed, bubbles what are you talking about. JD struggling not too laugh as well.

Jd, although husky and big for his age, had suffered no hesitation up to this point, but he stopped with the look of hopeless. Feeling agony as he looked at the corpse.

Jesse moved uneasily. From The superb height he began to say something, and then he came to his senses and smiled.

Jesse suddenly remembered a phrase in the back part of the Bible, and he exploited it with the triumphant manner of a boy who has recalled everything, and can do everything. So he said.

“Oh, God, have mercy--”

“Oh, God, have mercy--” said JD.

“Mercy,” repeated jesse.

“Mercy,” said JD. Then he sensed some violence, as the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Quickly he turned, suddenly upon them was headlights. Jesse said, “Throw the dirt in fast.”

The headlights of the cop car was coming fast. Accurate and continuous. Holding their breathing, and then the cop car just past as if they weren’t even there. So they looked at each other and shrugged, as they filled the grave.

The boys came forward with shovels. lifting the first shovel-load of earth, and for a moment of inexplicable hesitation it was held above this corpse, which from its blue face looked keenly out from the grave. Then the boys emptied the shovel-loads on and on the feet to the head, covering every inch.

JD felt as if tons had been lifted from his body. He had felt that perhaps he might empty the shovel the face so it will stop staring at him. There was a point gained here, ha, ha!

Jesse began to babble. “Well, of course the boy we’ve messed with all these years is really gone. It’s impossible to leave your friend rotting in a shallow grave. Go on, for God’s sake, and shovel will you!” JD shouted out.

Jesse with the shovel suddenly ducked, grabbed JDs left arm with his right hand, and looked at him. JD picked up his shovel from the ground. “Go for it,” he said to jesse. He also addressed the fact that there was all ready one dead body out here. Then at the same time, both started laughing “You crazy bro” lets finish this business.” Jesse said

This is merely the start, of the longest night of their lives

JD filled the shovel, hesitated, and then in a movement which was like a gesture he flung the dirt into the grave, and as it landed it made a sound--plop! JD suddenly stopped and mopped his brow, he was tired. So Jesse hoped in to take his turn filling the grave.

" Maybe we have been wrong about this,” said Jesse. His glance wavered stupidly. “It might have been better if we hadn’t buried him at this time of night. If we waited till tomorrow the body would have been hard as a rock and we could’ve tossed him in the lake”. “Get it he would have been hard as a rock. Rocks sink, no digging, am I the only one that thinks that funny”.

“Damn you,” said JD “shut your mouth!” He was our friend.

He again filled the shovel and flung the dirt. Always the dirt made that sound plop! For the space they had to work in they moved frantically, like dogs digging themselves out of the yard.

Soon there was nothing to be seen but the blue face. JD filled his shovel. “Good God,” he cried to Jesse. “Why didn’t you turn him somehow when you put him in so we didn’t have to see his face?

Jesse understood. He was pale to the lips. “Go on, man,” he cried, almost in a shout let’s finish. JD swung back the shovel. It went forward then curved. When the dirt landed it made a sound plop! Little did they know they were digging on a Navaho barrial ground, and the boy would not be dead long.

He would want his revenge, his soul can not rest till its satisfied with the blood of all the town’s people.

As JD and Jesse was about to leave they was stopped by a sound coming from the grave. They got closer and closer and listened. It sounded like it was saying look me in the eyes one more time. Look at my face, you’ll see it again tonight.

They looked at each other and shrugged, laughed and ran home for dinner. Boys will be boys, and the dead will be dead, so they think.