he walked in through a screen door onto a naked trafficked wood floor bar to the left baitshop at the back a few hardwood tables and chairs to the right he stood for a bit taking in the atmosphere listened to the music playing overhead
he nodded to the barkeep
she smiled gave him her hardwhite pearlies
Afternoon he said
Good afternoon.
Coudja tell me what Im listenin to
It hasn't chased you out.
Has not
How about this, you tell me how I can help you, and then I'll tell you who you're listening to.
Awright bottle of M G D shot of house whiskeywell whiskey if it aint bottom shelf
My house shots aren't bottom shelf, mister, I decide, it's up to me depending upon how you strike me; if you're going to be nice, or not she leaned forward handsomely on the scarred circlestained cigaretteburnt bar fit her breasts between her elbows they swelled at the pressure proportionately a gorgeous enhancementGADS though not necessary
he smiled Born an bred here he asked
Wisconsin. Yes. Generations.
Yer name
Morcant, although too Celtic for my
taste. I go by Morgan.
le Fay Enchantress Fay the Witch Of Arthurian legend fame fable allegory parable an on anon
What are you rambling about?
Rambling nice are ya gonna pour me swillcast a
spellmake me think Im enjoyin a whiskey thats actually pisspoor
Aw,sweetheart . .
. . Joe
Joe. Sweetheart. For your crazy witch
lesson you tell me what youll have as the house shot.
Eagle Rareif ya got it Not outrageous I dont wanna take advantage of you
she smiled wickedly milled her breasts between her elbows ifya
thought rubbing two sticks together makes fire yer out of yer fuckin mind heat rose in his pants she was a witch
wolfishly she licked her lips Nobody takes
advantage of me . . . unless I want them to.
Pencil me in on yer dance cardwoudja
Look at you, Joe, cocksure.
Well . . Im sure I got a cock sure I got a tongue too a surly unrelenting pair if I may say so
Unrelenting? Got a business card?
Dark Train.
Whahuh
An intellectual, huh? Dark Train was
playing when you walked in.
Now Joy Division. Atmosphere.
Man Very esoteric
My bar. If I gotta be here
serving locals, a few errant strangers who manage to find their way in, like
yourself; I’m listening to what I want to listen to. Most everyone shuts up and
takes it . .
.
. For obvious reasons he said not
glancing at her tits but enjoying them rather their swelling in his 20/20 periphery
Then Eagle Rare?
Please. One for me an you if Im allowed to buy the bar a drink
You’re allowed to buy me a drink.
May I buy you a drink
Maybe later; it’s early.
Awright I dig the ambience youve made I expect I'll be here
awhile see if I dig your soundtrack or not
Ambience? That’s not a word you
hear around here often; or ever.
But you know it witchy one
she smiledliked his reference I do.
Then were talking the same
language
If I cant buy you a shot howbout tempting you with something else a mixed drink
A mixed drink?
Please
Lemon drop martini?
Miss le Fay May I buy you a lemon drop
You may.
Look how we sociable we are
Seems we are.
Now . . when you make your
martini is it shaken or stirred
Shaken.
If you wouldnt mind might you shake itmake it in front of me if that
aint out of the questionout of the realm of possibility
Possibly. You a glutton for punishment?
I am a glutton
Im an optimistcross my fingers An I think you like me like I like you
You are optimistic.
Better I could be a conjurer
Conjurer? A petty conjurer to compete
with a witch . .
. . So you admit it
Maybe.
Nice
This trip the Wisconsin River a
lark may not be as boring or quiet as I
made it out I my head to be
Don’t get ahead of yourself.
Ahead
See I like where things are going
Morgan le Fay whipped up the most
enticing Lemon Drop he ever witnessed in his life
later that evening a little stiff in one more way than one
she asked if he might want to hang out with her after she closed the bar
I gotta to
confess, you have something I could really use
he might have dismissed her remark
as a tease but after she asked coyly she
held a bright red Maraschino cherry by the stem to her lips licked it a drip off the cherry fell on the
counter between them she took the cherry in her mouth
sucked it still holding the stem then opening her mouth she laid it on her
tonguepulled it forward catching it between her white teeth she bit it in half then slowly lasciviously chewing with her
mouth open she offered the halfcherry remaining on the stem to him which
was hot he
smiled opened his mouth accepting her
offering and chewed it slowly openedmouth too in concert with her she swallowed hers licked her lips again It’s closing time, locking up; then I’m going
to change.
Thats a loaded remark Ya gonna change into different clothing or
shape
I guess you’ll learn that when I
come out from back of the bar.
Morgan emerged in a white Vneck
tshirt braless in a pair of cutoff bluejeans Lil Abners Daisy Maeish shoeless
he almost swallowed his tongue
she smiled at the slight choke he
made
You might want to lose your
shoes. We’ll take them out back, leave them on the picnic table there.
Im game
You certainly are.
Any idea why I need you?
Im an optimistcrossing my fingers
we might be on par
I think your par’s on par with
the moon, or the cow that jumped over it.
The evenings young Im game Im
ambidexterious an Im keen on you
Thank you. Let’s see how keen.
out back of the bar she motioned
to the picnic table for him to place his shoes
the table was scarred with knife
cuts as much a cutting board as a table
she had continued walking down
towards the moonlit rivertowards a substantial locked wood storage chest
from her pocket she took out a
key unlocked the lock threw its weighty lid up leaning it against an old pine
immediately behind it
Here she said Help me.
walking over looking in he saw a
seine net Weah we seining for minnows
I wouldn’t have thought you knew
that; not as much a city boy as you look.
I read Got depth
Yes you do.
she began unrolling the net from one
end
he took up the trailing watersmoothed
2X4
when the net was unraveled they stretched it turned
it flat and walked out into the shallows
they left a sizable galvanised baitbox
in the water at the rivers edge
the water was refreshingthe river
sparkled in the white moonlight
the fries turned silverflashing
dull flashing leapt in the air before the
net as they returned up towards the sandy beach
he took her 2X4 from her holding
them togetherforming a cul de sac the fries darted about inside it
she returned with a hammer and
two seining pails
he took the pails from her This
is so much easier, quicker with two people she said as she pounded the 2X4s into place in
the sand
they scoopedfilling their pails quickly
emptied them into the baitbox
We’ll do this three, four more
times she said and in a moment that he
was concentrating on the minnows she splashed himshowered him with water a
quick chop of her hand
startledhe stood uprightwater
rolling off his face
she chopped again and hit him square in the chest
he said nothing
her chest was an ample target
her mouth formed a perfect Orealising
he was going to retaliate with extreme prejudice WAP WAP WAPWAP WAP
water rolled out of her hairoff her face
Dig your wet tshirt Cant say that Ive seen one that could compare
and they laughed
and laughingeverything
was gay boundaries happily crossed familiarity grown to knowing they seined three more timesdamn near filled
the baitbox to overflowing
they humped it up the beach to
a locked aerated tank behind the bar and dumped its shivering minnows in midgetlightning scarring the black water like tracer-rounds in the night
turning to retrieve the seine net
collapsed at the waters edge he saw a figure bent in its midst bent over catching
fries with their handspractised hands hed have to admit
Whadafuck
Ben. He’s got a place immediately
across the river from here. He’s on the cutbank, deep water, this is a dance we
do, have done since I was a little girl.
her wet tshirt clung to her
breastsher bodythe moonlight was strong enough to admire her aureolesher peaked
nipples through Yaint no little girl nomore
she looked down at her body laughed
looked him in the eyes laughed No I’m not.
And Bens doin wha
Bens an onagain offagain tweaker.
Suppose hes on now
Yes.
And tweaked he loves coming to this
side of the river evenings, catching minnows, let's say sushi.
Aint too much different than smelt
runs on Michigan except we bread an fry them Next time Ill try a few raw Ill Ben it
she smiled broadly Comover here, Joe.
he smiled back and walking towards
her Something else I can help ya withneed
me for
Why don’t you shaddup, or I’ll turn
you into a fry and let Ben eat you instead.
Instead
Sounds promising
Shaddup.
their cool wet kisses heated up quickly
1503, Day-between-Two-Ts, 19 6.
19
1252, Sunday, 23 6. 19
