The River's Edge by Tina Sears Page A

and the night air was hot and humid. I felt perspiration bead down
my back. It was hard to breathe. Julie, who was walking next to Tommy, didn’t
seem to sweat like I did, she glistened. But Wendy looked as hot as I felt, and
the guys all had wet spots under their arms and down their backs.
    Freckles pulled a flashlight out of his backpack and led the way.
After a few minutes, we reached the top of the path and started down single
file.
    “Snake,” Freckles said.
    I jumped back, my happy feeling gone. “What? I hate snakes!” I
looked down the path and sure enough, there it was in the middle of the path,
its head reared up, warning us to keep back. “I’m not going down there.”
    My eyes adjusted in the moonlight. Reds walked
toward it.
    “Chris, it won’t hurt you, it’s just a harmless little snake.” He
gently grabbed it around the head and held it up, its body curling around his
arm. He was a magic snake charmer, and he carefully placed the snake off to the
side of the path. It quickly disappeared into the brush. “It’s not even
poisonous.” He was gentle with the snake and I knew I could trust him, just
like I instinctively knew I could trust Crazy Mary.
    “What did you do that for?” Freckles asked, producing a pocket
knife from his jeans. “We could have cut its head off and watched it squirm.”
    I furrowed my brow at him.
    “Put that knife away before you cut yourself,” Julie said.
    “Come on,” Reds said to me.
    “I don’t know. How do I know it’s safe?” I asked.
    Wendy locked elbows with me. “It’s safe. You
can tell a poisonous snake by the shape of its head. If it has a round head
like the snake on the path, it’s not poisonous. But if it has a pointed head,
watch out, it’s poisonous. My dad taught me that.”
    I felt better, but I was still freaked out and didn’t move. “Is
that true?”
    “Actually, yes,” Reds said. “But a venomous
snake will also have a small depression between the eye and the nostril. That’s
called a pit, which is used to sense heat in their prey.”
    He came up to me and hooked his elbow around
my free one. “I’ll protect you. Besides there’s something I want you to see.”
That made me move further down the path, but I was cautious.
    At the river’s edge, there was a chorus of frogs, crickets, and
katydids singing their summer song. The moon was floating above the trees, and
the lightning bugs glowed like candles on a cake. The muddy air felt soft
against my skin.
    I looked around cautiously for more snakes. When I was sure there
weren’t any, I sat down on a log and Reds sat next to me, our bodies touching.
I felt the thrill of it, thirsty for his attention.
    Reds leaned into my shoulder and talked low so
no one else would hear. He seemed nervous but I didn’t know why. He reached for
my hand. His hand was sweaty and his nervousness made me nervous. Finally he
pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me. “I made this for you.”
    It was a macramé bracelet with hemp twine knotted around blue
beads. “Thank you,” I said.
    “I hope you like it.”
    “It’s beautiful.” He took the bracelet from my hand and tied it
around my right wrist.
    Julie twirled in the moonlight in front of Tommy. Owl was standing
by Wendy with his arm on her shoulder. Freckles picked up a stone and skipped
it across the water. It was peaceful for a long while, until an unfamiliar
voice disrupted the night.
    “What are you kids doing down there?”
    We were all quiet.
    “Answer me.” It was a man’s voice, deep and authoritative.
    I stood up, stepping on a twig.
    “I can hear you.” We heard the man getting closer. Finally, we saw
the face that went with the voice. He was a broad man with a crew cut and a
square jaw.
    “Dad, what are you doing down here?” Freckles asked.
    “I knew you were up to no good, boy. Get your ass over here right
now!”
    Freckles got within arm’s reach, and his dad struck him on the
back of his head and shoved