went inside.
When he entered, two men looked up from their work. Aaron recognized them as the insulators Bill and Joel. Those two often worked later than the rest and Aaron was familiar with them.
“Boys,” he said.
“Hey, Aaron,” Bill said. He stopped what he was doing and walked over to him. Joel stayed on the ground where he was working but he waved to Aaron.
“How are you guys doing?”
Bill shrugged. “Well enough, considering,” he said. “Still not used to not having Andrew around. Sometimes I still expect to see him working when I turn a corner.”
“Have you found a replacement yet?”
“No,” he said. “No one yet. This is a good town. Lots of employment. No one wants to work here.”
Aaron motioned to Bill and they walked toward the entrance of the house. He lowered his voice to a whisper as they looked out into the night.
“How’s Joel doing?”
“Oh, you can imagine,” said Bill. “He plays it off like it doesn’t bother him as much as it does but I can tell. He’s been in bad shape.”
“Can’t say I blame him. Vanished just like that, didn’t he?”
“Didn’t leave a trace.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Joel said from where he crouched. He stood up and joined them.
“We were just wondering about that Steven Marks,” Bill said. “You ever talk to him?”
Joel shook his head.
“Me neither,” Bill said. “He was a—what did he do again?”
“Heavy machinery,” Aaron said. “I read up on him a little bit when I came here and also on… uh, your friend.”
“That’s funny,” Bill said. “He was an older guy, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah, he was.”
Joel sat down on the steps and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He took one out of the pack and lit it with a cheap plastic lighter.
“Those things will kill you, man,” Aaron said.
Joel nodded sadly. “I know,” he said.
“I used to smoke,” Aaron continued. “Try chewing gum instead. Worked for me.”
A silence followed and then Aaron told them that he had to get back to his rounds. He walked around Joel and down the steps to where Oliver waited. The dog stood up and followed him deeper into the construction site.
Aaron hadn’t walked twenty paces when the soft sound of music drifted to him in the night air. Oliver perked up.
“It’s alright, Ollie,” Aaron said to him and leaned down to pet him.
They walked together briskly until they passed the boundaries of the site and entered the forest. Aaron paused just inside the cover of the trees, feeling that he had forgotten something, that maybe he should’ve called someone before venturing in after a mysterious music. There was an idle thought in the back of his mind as well, a detail about Andrew Milligan’s story that he couldn’t put his finger on. He thought that Bill and Joel could probably tell him what he had forgotten since they had been the man’s friends. He turned to go back but, as if his thoughts had summoned them, he saw the two insulation installers walking up the gentle slope toward him and the forest.
They arrived beside him. Bill was a little out of breath.
“The music,” Bill said in between pulls of air. “It’s Andrew’s music.”
“What are we waiting for?” Joel said. “Come on.”
Aaron shook his head. Something was wrong but he couldn’t think clearly. The music was filling his head and drowning his thoughts. He tried to argue but he couldn’t think of the right words to say. When Joel led the way into the forest, there was nothing he could do but follow.
The night snuck up on them and the darkness that surrounded them was a deep kind of darkness that seemed to shut out the rest of the world. Aaron had his flashlight, and it was all the light that they had with which to illuminate their path, but they found the going easy. Aaron thought that it was as though an orchestra was hidden somewhere deep behind the trees and it was guiding them along the way.
It didn’t take long for them
When he entered, two men looked up from their work. Aaron recognized them as the insulators Bill and Joel. Those two often worked later than the rest and Aaron was familiar with them.
“Boys,” he said.
“Hey, Aaron,” Bill said. He stopped what he was doing and walked over to him. Joel stayed on the ground where he was working but he waved to Aaron.
“How are you guys doing?”
Bill shrugged. “Well enough, considering,” he said. “Still not used to not having Andrew around. Sometimes I still expect to see him working when I turn a corner.”
“Have you found a replacement yet?”
“No,” he said. “No one yet. This is a good town. Lots of employment. No one wants to work here.”
Aaron motioned to Bill and they walked toward the entrance of the house. He lowered his voice to a whisper as they looked out into the night.
“How’s Joel doing?”
“Oh, you can imagine,” said Bill. “He plays it off like it doesn’t bother him as much as it does but I can tell. He’s been in bad shape.”
“Can’t say I blame him. Vanished just like that, didn’t he?”
“Didn’t leave a trace.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Joel said from where he crouched. He stood up and joined them.
“We were just wondering about that Steven Marks,” Bill said. “You ever talk to him?”
Joel shook his head.
“Me neither,” Bill said. “He was a—what did he do again?”
“Heavy machinery,” Aaron said. “I read up on him a little bit when I came here and also on… uh, your friend.”
“That’s funny,” Bill said. “He was an older guy, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah, he was.”
Joel sat down on the steps and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He took one out of the pack and lit it with a cheap plastic lighter.
“Those things will kill you, man,” Aaron said.
Joel nodded sadly. “I know,” he said.
“I used to smoke,” Aaron continued. “Try chewing gum instead. Worked for me.”
A silence followed and then Aaron told them that he had to get back to his rounds. He walked around Joel and down the steps to where Oliver waited. The dog stood up and followed him deeper into the construction site.
Aaron hadn’t walked twenty paces when the soft sound of music drifted to him in the night air. Oliver perked up.
“It’s alright, Ollie,” Aaron said to him and leaned down to pet him.
They walked together briskly until they passed the boundaries of the site and entered the forest. Aaron paused just inside the cover of the trees, feeling that he had forgotten something, that maybe he should’ve called someone before venturing in after a mysterious music. There was an idle thought in the back of his mind as well, a detail about Andrew Milligan’s story that he couldn’t put his finger on. He thought that Bill and Joel could probably tell him what he had forgotten since they had been the man’s friends. He turned to go back but, as if his thoughts had summoned them, he saw the two insulation installers walking up the gentle slope toward him and the forest.
They arrived beside him. Bill was a little out of breath.
“The music,” Bill said in between pulls of air. “It’s Andrew’s music.”
“What are we waiting for?” Joel said. “Come on.”
Aaron shook his head. Something was wrong but he couldn’t think clearly. The music was filling his head and drowning his thoughts. He tried to argue but he couldn’t think of the right words to say. When Joel led the way into the forest, there was nothing he could do but follow.
The night snuck up on them and the darkness that surrounded them was a deep kind of darkness that seemed to shut out the rest of the world. Aaron had his flashlight, and it was all the light that they had with which to illuminate their path, but they found the going easy. Aaron thought that it was as though an orchestra was hidden somewhere deep behind the trees and it was guiding them along the way.
It didn’t take long for them
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