Capricorn Cell 1

Capricorn Cell.qxd 12.10.2012 00:26 Page 1 Capricorn Cell 1 Capricorn Cell.qxd 12.10.2012 00:26 Page 2 Copyright 2012 2 Capricorn Cell.qxd 12.10.2012 00:26 Page 3 David Hriblan Capricorn Cell Volume I Danubius Press 3 Capricorn Cell.qxd 12.10.2012 00:26 Page 4 Cover Art by David Dezzutti The names, characters, places of business and events depicted in Capricorn Cell are either fictitious or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to real-life events is coincidental. ISBN 973-98274-1-1 4 Capricorn Cell.qxd 12.10.2012 00:26 Page 5 Chapter I 5 Capricorn Cell.qxd 12.10.2012 00:26 Page 6 6 Capricorn Cell.qxd 12.10.2012 00:26 Page 7 Anna Eight years ago Anna Murphy harvested her first buck. It was a big deer with a smallish rack, though the size of the deer was unimportant to her father Gary. The eight year old with the pale blue eyes and long red hair had proven that she was a skilled archer. Gary still keeps the picture of the proud little huntress atop the bookshelf in the living room. In the photograph Anna kneels beside the vanquished creature, fallen leaves surrounding her and her trophy. She holds on to her bow with her right hand and smiles toward the photographer. The picture is flanked by two other framed photographs. To the left is a picture of Anna standing on the 1-meter springboard. Gary snapped it last year at the Pittsburgh Aquatic Center. To the right is a family portrait, with mother, father, and daughter. It is the last photograph ever taken with Anna and both her parents. That picture is almost fourteen years old. Today Anna is after a more substantial trophy from a sportsman’s point of view. She’s seen her prey before. In May, while scouting the For- bes State Forest, Anna and Gary spied the majestic beast. He is a huge non-typical stag and quite likely the largest deer Anna has ever seen in person. His rack is astonishing and his body, the part that most interests the Murphy’s, is larger than any of Anna’s previous kills. Gary parks his Jeep Liberty near Steve Coppersmith’s house. Steve and Gary both worked cat-eye shift at a Consol deep mine in Greene County, Pennsylvania, until Gary finally made it to day shift. When Anna steps out of the Liberty her tall black boots sink a little into the wet earth. It’s been a rainy autumn. Snow may fall tonight, but for now the sky is cloudy and temperatures are in the upper forties. “I’m gonna hunt where the tornado went through,” Anna says. Gary nods. Some days it strikes him how much she looks like her mother, in the face at least. As many expected, Anna has become a very beautiful young woman. She has her mother’s blue eyes and thick red 7 Capricorn Cell.qxd 12.10.2012 00:26 Page 8 hair. She even has the same cleft that runs down her chin. Once outside the Liberty, Anna takes a deep breath and exhales steam. She puts on her camouflaged hat, which matches her pants and jacket. She tucks her sil- ver crucifix under her shirt and rolls the sleeves down to her black gloves. A glint of light off of the cross or a glimpse of her pure white skin would scare off any potential prey. Anna takes her bow from the back seat and marches off into the woods. “Anna,” Gary says, “Be careful.” She glances back and smiles. Gary looks like a big camouflaged bear. A shuck of red hair pokes from under his hat. He’s not a great hunter. He just enjoys it as well as those who are. Anna has no difficulty moving through the woods. She’s spent much of her young life in the wild and knows how to move through brush and around pitfalls. While she inherited her mother’s beauty, ten years of springboard diving have given her a lovely and strong swimmer’s body. She climbs over great trunks and ancient stones, until she finds a spot that looks good and feels even better. It’s been two years since the F2 tornado ripped a four-mile path through the forest. The scars remain in the form of ancient oaks torn asunder and young maples splintered and twist- ed. It wasn’t far from this tangled mess that Anna caught a glimpse of the horned monster. Another hunter may have already harvested the animal, or it may have succumbed to age or injury. Regardless, Anna will wait until nightfall for a chance to place her arrow into the monster stag or another buck. Anna hunkers down among the smashed trees. The morning fog hasn’t yet lifted over the highest hills. The foliage has fallen, except for some deep red oak leaves. The forest is beautiful. It’s enough to bring her here whether she’s carrying a bow or not. One month has passed since Anna turned seventeen. Garret Fogar- ty told her that her birthday present would be a little late but he hoped it would be worth the wait. She told him its fine; she will enjoy it no matter what it is or when it arrives. Anna pours a cup of tea from her thermos bot- tle. She breathes the vapor and drinks the warm, cherry-infused liquid. The wind blows a little and the air is clean. There are several reasons why Anna has faith in this location. Around the area are black walnuts, hazel- nuts and hawthorns that are loaded with nuts and fruits. A small brook splashes down a gully to the left. She’s confident that the big monster passes through this area. Also, she enjoys the look of the trees and the earth. Around noon Anna takes an elderberry jelly sandwich out of her backpack. Together with a honeybell orange and some warm tea it makes 8 Capricorn Cell.qxd 12.10.2012 00:26 Page 9 for a passable lunch. The wind picks up again and the tree’s branches sing a sorrowful song. Anna could be at home in bed or watching an idi- otic film with a group of schoolmates, but the thought never crosses her mind. This is exactly where she wants to be. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, she thinks, but then thoughts of Garret cross her mind, Well, maybe one other place. Gary walks the section of the forest toward Linn Run. He sees a pair of does but no bucks. They were too far away for a shot anyway. Gary scouts the stream and imagines a fishing trip in the spring. Anna has many hobbies and fishing is just one of them. Gary can taste the trout, just off the grill and seasoned with tarragon. It’s one in the afternoon and he hasn’t had lunch yet; there’s no time like the present. Anna sees a small creature scurry through the ground clutter not far from her vantage point. When it jumps into a young hickory she can see it’s a fairydiddle. “Shit,” she thinks. If it sees her it will raise holy hell, killing any chance that the wily stag will make an appearance. Anna doesn’t move. She doesn’t even blink. Her breathing is deep and slow. The red squirrel looks around and flies up the tree. Soon it leaps from limb to limb and departs. Anna watches his insane acrobatics with amusement. Once he’s gone she goes back to waiting. An hour later a soft sound heralds the approach of something larger. Anna’s senses go from wide open to a sharp focus. She readies her bow but does not draw the arrow. The deer that steps into the tornado zone is a worthy trophy indeed. His rack is larger than any Anna has ever taken and his body is about as large as her largest kill. He is strong and in the peak of health. There is no doubt that he could win almost any doe’s attentions and has probably fa- thered several fawns over the past years. Anna examines this excellent specimen. It’s not the non-typical stag. Right now this virile stranger is in- truding on the monster’s territory. The big, ugly non-typical might have something to say about that. Too bad he won’t get the chance; their fight could have been epic. Anna draws her arrow and takes aim. It will be an easy shot. Perhaps the smell of the other male has made this one care- less. Perhaps he’s inexperienced. She looks over the buck. He really is beautiful. It’s a shame he won’t be around to father future generations of healthy young deer. Some of the scrawny deer she’s seen could have used his genetics. His rack is symmetrical and each of the eight points is sharp and pronounced. Anna does not fire. She relaxes and watches the vigorous buck cross the tornado’s path and disappear into the woods. Even if she leaves empty-handed she will feel better for not killing this one. Hopefully he’ll 9 Capricorn Cell.qxd 12.10.2012 00:26 Page 10 learn to be more wary so that he can pass on his seed for generations to come.

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