Yet another chapter of my continuing blog fiction...
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DARKENING
STURGEONS
by John L. Harmon
Chapter Twenty
Two
questions hang in Stickler Woods unsatisfactorily unanswered. “What yearbook?” from Clyde and “Seriously,
who is Old Man Stickler?” from Christine.
Samuel, nudging up his black frames and holding the equally black
gadget, simply suggests they walk while they talk.
Sheriff
Benjamin Straker, for the sake of the out-of-county scientific duo leading the
way, begins with who is Old Man Stickler.
He explains that the Stickler clan was one of the first settlers in the
area. The fact they settled in these
woods barely needs touching upon, but Ben doesn’t want to neglect this
information. While he cannot run through
the extensive and wealthy Stickler family tree, he can name the last known
branch.
“Eugene
Raymond Stickler.”
“Our local
boogeyman,” Clyde interjects his previously stated opinion in a disgruntled
tone, “that no one has seen hide nor hair of in decades.”
Ben,
admitting he never really paid attention to the outlandish stories concerning
Old Man Stickler, gives what possible facts he knows. That Eugene Stickler was a genius in his
youth. That after losing his parents in
a car accident, Eugene Stickler spent less and less time in town and more time
in his home in the woods. And that Clyde
is right; no one has seen Eugene Stickler in at least two decades.
“Probably
dead,” Christine theorizes practically.
“Hopefully
dead,” Clyde states, giving his childhood fears a voice.
The Chief
Deputy goes on to explain how parents and other authority figures use Old Man
Stickler as a warning to make children behave.
He purposely neglects any personal insight into such trauma. There doesn’t seem to be any point of
dredging up his drunken father’s threat of Old
Man Stickler will get you, boy, or how then young Clyde would be forced to
listen to precisely what Old Man Stickler would do to a short, chubby brat like him.
“As far as
I know, there has never been an official death report,” Ben mentions, unaware
of Clyde’s childhood emotional abuse, “which means Eugene Stickler may still be
alive.”
After a
few feet of silent contemplation, Clyde asks about the yearbook again. Ben describes the empty house of
Lawrence. Empty, except for an old
yearbook and the note to Ben. Then the
Sheriff explains how he flipped through the pages last night and saw a spread
about that year’s science fair, and how first prize was awarded to Eugene
Raymond Stickler.
“What was
his project?” Samuel inquires, curiosity peaked.
“According
to the yearbook, he physically changed the color of a sturgeon.”
The
scientific duo stop dead in their tracks and turn, nearly causing a bodily
crash with the law enforcement duo.
Nothing is said as the four stand, facing one another, digesting this
odd piece of information.
Suddenly,
and quite loudly, Ben’s cell rings, making them all jump.
________________________
JLH
