“yup … he got him that way”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“hmm, water can burn you I guess”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“… was he with alone or had he had the company earlier in the evening”
“huh?!”
“…”, an agreement.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“I’ve heard he fried of the anxiety before he got the burn’t.”
“huh!”
“…”, an agreement.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
They each then took some time to silence. No one spoke until the one finally had to acknowledge what that each one was afraid of:
“They say that the boiling water was carried in a aluminum pot”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“the arm carried it?”
“…”, an agreement.
“huh.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“did it drag upright, from its elbow, and that would be how it carried the pot of water!?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
Their fear is deterring the acknowledgment.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“The arm came floatin’.
“around the corner at up about 4 ½ foot…”
“… some say it could’ve been more alike 5 ½ or 6 foot up …”
“huh?!”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”, a good many of all ‘em gave an agreement.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“What he do when the arm went to dumpin’ that water into the tub”
“…nah, no one can know that for certain – I would’ve stood up quick as hell!”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“… that way the water would’ve only burnt your feet wouldn’t it have?!”
“…”
“Yeah”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Uh-huh - … … that’s most likely the best way to defend the arm’s water torture”
“most say that’s probably what he did do.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“- what - …… - ummm … … what about what happened to the rest of the man in the bathtub…”
“What abouT the rest of the man in the bathtub?!”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“ how? the rest of him fry ”
“…”
“…”
“…”
The dangerous question made everything tense again.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“… what! was he doin’ in the tub?”
“…”
“they say he was washin’ the dead skin off his soul…”
“then the arm fried him with boiling water?…”
“…his feet and ankles at least; his own anxiety might have fried the rest of him.”
The little boys screamed. And the campfire burned merrily merrily merrily all night long.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
