Day 6

[This evening the writting went pretty quickly. Also, I think that Chapter 13 is the longest chapter that I have ever written. Cheers!]

Chapter 13

The rain had stopped. Even the breeze had died. He took his time walking down to Astor’s, breathing in the fresh autumn air. The leaves were wet, and so his sock became soaked, but he didn’t mind. The stars peeked out in the east, just over the foothills. Mars rose, and orange globe amongst the twinkling stars.
As he walked, Hugo thought of the days events. Well, mostly just the one event: having a look at Dr. Bonanza’s sheep. The books he had found on his shelf hadn’t helped much, and he didn’t know what to do next. He splashed through a puddle in a street as he stepped off the curb. The last of the leaves fluttered off of a sweet gum as the breeze came up. Hugo buttoned up his collar. Putting his head down, he strode toward the bar.
Astor’s sat on the corner of Seventeenth and Main, on the north side, the river side. From the patio, one could see the river, slowly winding its way to the ocean, where the surf becomes ever so treacherous. The mouth of the Columbia had drowned many sailors, experienced and not. Hugo had traveled to the mouth once with his parents. He stood on the point, watching the current from the Columbia clash with the waves of the Pacific. Even the, at five years old, he understood that a great battle went on; great energy released itself in the form of thirty foot waves. The green of the upstream Columbia, the McLoughlin Columbia, turned into the churned up silty brown of the mouth. Hugo had stood on the point and marveled at the sheer power that nature displayed for him. He walked back to the campsite, holding hands with his father. All he could do, all he could think of was the mighty Columbia crashing into the ocean.
The sign for Astor’s glowed red, reflecting in the wet on the street. Beside the name, danced a jaunty man holding a beer. Hugo stopped and looked at the man. He had noticed him before, but never really had thought about it. The man wore a fedora, cocked at an angle, danced a jig (or at least kicked his heels up), and toasted anyone and everyone with a mug of beer. He wore a brown vest, and pants, and his shoes were black and shiny. Hugo felt a fear that he didn’t understand. At first, he thought that he feared little Astor, dancing on the sign, but then realized that something in the air had brought on his fear. A taste of metal, tin, in his mouth.
He shook his head as the rain began again, an ducked into Astor’s.
Dr. Bonanza sat at the horseshoe bar. He had a plate of hors d’oeuvers beside his beer on the bar. A different bartender made drinks behind the bar. Her name was Florence, Flo, he was almost certain. He would wait for someone else to confirm his beliefs before he shouted her name, however, and would assume that she didn’t know that he wanted his usual, a pint of lager, not a bottle.
A waitress hustled up to him and asked if he would like to be seated for dinner. He declined and made his way to the bar. That had been one of the changes that Astor’s had made recently, seating arrangements.
I suppose it isn’t that much different, he thought. And it really isn’t that bad. I don’t know. I guess that I can get used to it, but I do miss the carpet.
He walked to Dr. Bonanza, pulling up a stool to Bonanza’s left where he could look outside and see anyone coming in. Usually, he didn’t care, but tonight he wanted to keep an eye on things.
“Hey, de Naranhas,” Dr. Bonanza said with a mouth full of food, possibly meatballs.
“Hello, Dr. Bonanza,”
“Shirley,” Bonanza called to the bartender. “Get this man a pint of piss.” She went to one of the taps and pulled a pint for Hugo.
“Hello, Hugo,’ she said as she placed a coaster on the bar in front of him, and then the lager on top of .
“Hi…Shirley,” he said, a little uncertain.
“Put that on my tab,” Bonanza said, indicating Hugo’s beer.
“Thanks,” Hugo said. Shirley smiled at Hugo, then left. Well, he thought, another strike. Why can’t I remember names lately? “Are you sure that her name is Shirley,” he asked Dr. Bonanza.
“Sure I’m sure,” Bonanza said, shoveling in another meatball. “She’s worked her for years, now. Say, did you find anything in your books?”
“No,” Hugo replied. “Not really.” He sipped his lager and looked at the back bar. The mirrors were in the backs of cupboards that held wine, sake, and the like, as well as the related glasses. Hugo wondered about sake, thinking that he might like to try some sometime.
“Get yourself some food, it’s free on Fridays, you know.”
Hugo looked at Dr. Bonanza’s plate. “I will,” he said. “Have you heard anything more?”
Dr. Bonanza shrugged his shoulders. “I talked with Olaf and he said that his goat was too tore up to make heads nor tails of it. I don’t think that there’s any clues there.”
It has become a mystery, Hugo thought. And we have become the unwilling detectives. “I saw in the paper that a mountain lion was found dead up by Two Rabbit Lake,” Hugo suggested.
“Yes. I saw that too.” Dr. Bonanza put another meatball in. Now he stared at the back bar.
The bells on the door jangled and Hugo looked up. Shargugh came in and walked to the far side of the bar from the door, to Hugo’s left. He muttered something that sounded like “bad stuff going on” as he walked past. Shirley immediately started to pour him a hefeweizen. Hugo followed him with his eyes and listened as Shirley brought the beer.
“How are you tonight, Shargugh,” Shirley asked as she set the beer down.
“Things are not good in my neighborhood,” he said. He dropped his H’s. Hugo thought of Scotland. Shirley gathered up the three one dollar bills that Shargugh had put on the bar.
“Oh?” she asked.
“Bad stuff is going on around here.”
Hugo nudged Bonanza and nodded his head toward Shargugh. They continued to listen to the conversation.
“What do you mean?” Shirley asked, becoming a concerned.
Shargugh drank down he beer and turned to go. He neared Hugo and Bonanza. Hugo had never spoken with Shargugh, considering him a bit of an anomaly. Also, Shargugh drank his beer so quickly, that no one really had time to say anything to him.
“Say, Shargugh,” Hugo said as he hopped down off his stool, blocking the way. He extended his hand. “We’ve never been introduced, but I’ve seen you around plenty. My name is Hugo.”
Shargugh looked at the hand, then slowly raised his own and shook it. Hugo noted how hard the hands were, but how lightly Shargugh grasped his hand. “I know who you are,” Shargugh said.
Hugo raised his eyebrows as he let his hand drop. “What sort of ‘bad’ things are going on?” he asked.
Shargugh stood only about five feet tall; he just came up to Hugo’s chin, but his hair, matted and in need of a washing, brought his height up another two or three inches. His beard looked as if it hadn’t been tended for quite some time. The backs of his hands were hairy.
Shargugh considered the question. Reluctance to answer showed on his face. Hugo felt that Shargugh might be in pain, as he struggled with whether or not to answer. He looked up into Hugo’s eyes. “I haven’t been taking very good care of my property, lately,” he said.
Hugo looked at Shargugh. What did that mean? He thought. Hugo didn’t know where Shargugh lived. He didn’t know anything about him really, only that he came in to Astor’s every now and then to have a beer which he drank amazingly quickly. Hugo glanced at Shargugh’s clothes: standard ranch attire, plaid shirt, jeans, boots. He wondered if the feet were as hairy as the hands.
“Say,” Hugo said, “do you know anything about these deer that have been killed lately? Down on the refuge?”
Shargugh looked at Dr. Bonanza, seeing him for the first time. He nodded his head slightly, then pushed his way past Hugo, hurrying out the door.
“Wait,” Hugo called. He ran to the door, intending to pursue Shargugh, but when he opened it, the street was empty. He strode to the corner and looked down the hill. Big leaf maples lined the sidewalk, chattering in the rain, and he could see the river in the distance, but no person on the sidewalk, and no cars on the street. He turned around and looked back up Main Street again: nothing. The rain fell harder now, forcing Hugo back inside.
When he sat back down, he was sure that Shirley gave him an uncharitable look as she pulled another beer. Bonanza said,” What was that all about?”
“I don’t know,” Hugo replied, finishing off his lager. “I don’t know why I even asked him, I just thought that maybe he knew something; he was so agitated.”
Bonanza caught Shirley’s eye and gave her the sign for more beer.
“What do you know about Shargugh?” Hugo asked.
Dr. Bonanza considered. “I know that he comes in here every day at 5:30 and has a quick beer.” Hugo looked at him, but Bonanza didn’t seem to notice. He continued, “I know that he lives out to the east, up in the hills. I don’t know where, exactly, but I know it is up where the trees get thick and older.” Dr. Bonanza had a wistful look in his eye as he spoke. “I know that he had some tragedy in his past, but he never speaks of it. And I know that he owes me a beer. I bought him one seven years ago. It was the only time that I ever saw him have more than one.” Bonanza grinned at Hugo, showing the gap between his front teeth.
Shirley brought the beers. Hugo could tell that she wanted to say something to him abou Shargugh, but when he indicated that he would pay for this round, she nodded her head and started a tab for him instead.
“I think that we ought to go out to Olaf’s place and take a look at his dead goat,” said Hugo.
“I think that we ought to do that too. I’ll pick you up in the morning. Do you want me to come to your house, or do you want me to meet you at the bridge again?”
Hugo thought for a moment, wondering when, the previous night, they had made plans to meet at the bridge, and why he hadn’t had Bonanza pick him up at his house. He remembered the panic from the morning, and felt a little of it now. What was that all about, he thought. Of course we made plans to meet there. Why else did I wake up and walk down there? That’s a good question, he thought. “Why don’t you pick me up at my house tomorrow,” he said.
They fished their beers, and were about to pay the bill when Mandy and The Duck walked in.


Chapter 14

Hugo had been in love with Mandy since they had attended McLoughlin Valley High together. She was a year older, and had had flowing brown hair. She looked much older now, and tired. She had her arm linked with The Duck as they slowly walked toward Dr. Bonanza and Hugo. She walked with delicate steps and an unhurried air. She had attended Hedlund at the same time as Hugo, and then had even taken some classes together. They had grown close, but not as close as Hugo would have wanted. She met The Duck in an upper level Physics lab, while Hugo had only taken the lecture, a regret that haunted him still, though he really understood that it hadn’t been about the lab.