Prometheus by Marieta Maglas (i can read book club txt) 📕

right at you, try to say something," laughed Michael.

"The firearms can discharge themselves unexpectedly. I'm serious," said Victor.

"When the safety device is not engaged, they can discharge this way. The most of the shooting accidents are not caused by a dark demon hiding in the forest," said Brandon.

"Nothing will happen if you follow the standard procedure," said John.

It was in the morning and they were greeted with a beautiful sunrise. The sun's rays gave to the granite face of the mountain an orange sheen. The colors changed as the sun climbed into the sky until they reached their blue granite hue. Everything seemed to be so beautiful like a visual symphony of colors.

"Too many idiots with guns and no proper training," said Klaus.

"Wonder how many people waited the hunting season to kill their neighbor?" David laughed, trying to overcome his fear.

"Hey, this is too much," said John.

"I have never killed anything until now, not even a single bird," said David.

"Let me explain. You can place a lime stick so as to form a natural perch among the tree.The warbler can land on the branch and it can remain, fluttering, until you,the great hunter,will tear it off," said Jeff, smiling with indulgence.

"It's very interesting," said Daniel, "I didn't know this."

"The real hunters are trying to look like the surrounding vegetation," said Michael.

"The hunter really hopes that the deer will come to him," said John.

"A mature deer's nose can smell one thousand times better than a human nose," said Jeff.

"They lick their nose to moisten the scent," said Michael.

"You can play the wind to fool the old wary deer," said Klaus.

"Being downwind of the deer with a steady stiff breeze, you can get closer to it," said Jeff.

"Or you can sit in a stand when the wind is blowing the wrong way and you can have all the chances to ruin the shooting of the buck," said Michael, laughing.

"Did you use the scent neutralizing spray, David?" Victor asked him.

"No. What should I spray?" David was somewhat scared.

"The clothes, the fanny packs and the equipment," said Victor.

"When you are in the wood, you must smell like the wood," said Michael, laughing again.

"The secret is to search for the places, where the other hunters don't go to hunt. Those places are the places, where the deer usually go. Try to call it, Michael," said Jeff.

"I can't now, maybe you can try instead of me," said Michael.

"You know that my voice is not good. I call them too loud," said Jeff.

"Okay," said Michael.

The hunters crouched behind the trees to inspect the area through their weapon sights and they waited the deer to appear. They set up their firing positions..

"Look," said Daniel.

"Wait for the deer to step out from behind that bush first. When it steps out, we can shoot," said Jeff.

"Now," said Klaus.

"Help!!!!"

'What happened?"David looked around, visibly surprised.

"The deer is dead,"said Klaus.

They turned around searching for Alexander. A bullet from a strange unknown rifle fizzed past his right ear. Alexander was sitting at the bottom of a muddy mound. It bounced off a tree trunk and spiraled into the air before coming to rest two yards to his left. He sprinted behind a tree, his body bent and launched himself into some kind of ditch on the other side of the tree.

"I moved my head to get a better view and a split second later I felt a bullet fizz past my ear. I felt the heat brushing my ear," said Alexander.

"That shoot came at the same time with our shoots. Someone else was shooting at us,'' said Brandon.

"Maybe someone tried to murder you, Alexander," said Victor.

Everyone around understood that Alexander felt a violent emotion. They gazed at him with respect.

"Call the police!" Jeff told Michael, visibly nervous.

Into the silence of the atmosphere, the wail of the siren came with the shock of a thunderclap. The policemen leaped to their feet and rushed out. They reached the forest within three minutes.

The hunters have been interviewed by the police. The police also inspected their weapons.

The cops said that it looked like an accident in the beginning, but they discovered that the bullet didn't belong to any gun used by the hunters.

"The shot was fired from the east, about forty yards away," said the policeman.

"Maybe it was a hunter belonging to another group, shooting in a wrong direction," said Victor, visibly shocked.

"The shooter used a high-powered rifle, which was illegal for the deer hunting," said the policeman.

"Then, maybe it was a poaching man," said John

"The shooting is very suspicious, but I can't say whether it was a hunting accident or something sinister," said the policeman.

"Someone fired the weapon, anyway, against him. I'm really very scared. It could happen to anyone of us," said John, being visible very scared.

"Generally, the fear of crime is far greater than the crime itself,"said Victor.

"A hunter can shoot accidentally another hunter, when he is trying to hit a passing deer. Sometimes, some several more shots were fired than deer killed, and in some cases, the hunters were out in the woods with their firearms and never got a shot at all. There were some incidents, in which the bullet graze was simply not reported.All these can happen accidentally. But the caliber used for this shooting didn't belong to the guns, generally used for hunting,"said the policeman and he continued,"How do you feel, Alexander?"

"I'm okay now,"said Alexander.

"Did you see any person around?" The policeman asked him.

"No," said Alexander.

"Do you have an enemy?"

"I don't know," continued Alexander.

"We couldn't make any headway in finding the guilty person. This is very strange," said the policeman. Yet, he continued, "Maybe you know the reason why he tried to shoot you."

"No," said again Alexander.

"So, the motive behind your bizarre accident is unknown," said the policeman.

"Maybe the bullet was for someone else," said Alexander

"Probably, it was someone who needed only targets around him and never a sport hunting," said John.

"Indeed," said the policeman. "Maybe he hid behind another smokescreen, but we will find the truth.This is a promise," continued the policeman.

 

Chapter 17

 

Michael and Lisa Decided to Live  Together

 

"If you continue this discussion, you must go because I do not deserve to be treated this way," said Jeff.

"If you continue, I must divorce," said Lisa.

"You are miserable. Try to correct your behavior. I don't believe that the divorce is a solution," said Jeff.

"I think you have a lot of emotional and spiritual issues, "said Lisa.

"It's a tense situation and we begin to live in a toxic relationship. Be careful," said Jeff.

"Staying together in these conditions is a very bad idea," said Lisa.

"You're right. Just go, I wish you good luck! If you return tomorrow, you will not find me here because I intend to leave the town for a week."

"I will never return," said Lisa.

Then, he pushed her onto the bed and forced her to make love with him.

"Tell me, he said softly, what do you want from me?" He was no longer teasing her. Earnestly, he forced her to choose.

He rubbed his chin back and forth over her sensitive skin, while he was waiting for her response.

"I want to divorce, Jeff. I'm pregnant," said Lisa.

"This is a stupidity!" Jeff exclaimed, looking into her eyes.

"I'm not pregnant with your baby," said Lisa.

"Just go," said Jeff, having tears in his eyes. He was exhausted." Who's the father?"

"Michael," said Lisa.

"It doesn't matter," said Jeff.

Nora went to Ella's house and knocked on the door. Alexander opened the door, invited her inside and offered her cookies and lemonade. Ella was sitting on the sofa, with the baby in her arms, feeding him.

"I love and understand my baby as he loves and understands me," said Ella.

"Look at his hair! It grew very well. You look very nice,'' said Nora.

"Yes, but I feel my bones tired," said Ella.

"Maybe you don't hold your baby in a way that is comfortable for you," said Nora.

"I am fatigue, but I am very happy at the same time, Nora."

"Of course.Can I hold him?" Nora wanted so much to hold the little baby.

"Yes."

Nora took the kid, kissing him.

"I have to do laundry, vacuuming and other tasks, which require bending and lifting. So, I understand that I'm a father. Moreover, I feel this," said Alexander, smiling.

"Sometimes, he cries too much. I don't know the cause," said Ella.

"Healthy babies can cry for a couple of hours each day, Ella, don't worry."

"Why did you come alone? Where is Michael?"

"I wanted to discuss with you. I want to divorce," said Nora.

"Why do you want to do this?"

"My marriage used to make me happy, but now, it just makes me to be sad. My marriage just doesn't work for me, anymore. I realized that I became very sarcastic and miserable. We had the same goals, at the beginning. Now, we want completely different things. I've been thinking that divorce can be a solution for our problems. I've been married for ten years.Now, I am contemplating the divorce," said Nora.

"When you had been married to Theodore, you worked in a village. After that, you married Michael and you came here in the town. Now, you're working with another kind of people. Michael changed you for the better," said Ella.

"You embraced this change in your life style. What's wrong now?" Alexander wanted to help her.

"I married him because I thought he was a gentleman. He has a love affair. He is very changed. Our relationship is almost nonexistent," said Nora. She stopped talking because she couldn't continue her conversation. She had tears in her eyes. Nora wasn't a very sensible person, but she suffered quite badly because she loved Michael. Nora has become very vulnerable.

"Didn't you try to change the things, did you make the things to work again?" Ella asked her, taking Emanuel in her arms.

"It would be a waste of time," said Nora.

"Why do you say this?"

"I can tell you that my husband doesn't understand the situation as clearly as I do."

Emanuel began to cry. Ella slowly scooped up the baby into her arms and began to cradle him, but the child continued to cry.

''He begin to cry again."

"He cries because this is the only way he can tell you something. He may be hungry, tired, he can have colic. Maybe he needs his diaper to be changed," said Nora.

"You're right, I must change his diaper." While changing her child's diaper, Ella was wondering to know how she could be able to understand her baby's needs. She felt helpless without her mother.

''Look at him.He is so cute now. He smiles." Nora has significantly looked into the eyes of Ella.

"Nora, I didn't know that having a kid involves so much attention," said Ella.

"It involves a lot of attention," said Alexander.

She went to the child's room with the baby in her arms. The baby was sleeping and he was breathing slowly. Ella began to smile. He truly was a child like no other. She knelt down to the sleeping baby and kissed him. When she returned back, Nora was talking with Alexander about the house.

"Maybe you should reconcile Theodore," said Ella, interrupting their discussion.

"I met him at Victor's house. We talked to each other,"said Nora.

"And what did he say?''

"We danced around the subject, rather than address it directly."

"If you don't give him the opportunity to know what you want, so in truth, he will have no idea about your feelings," said Ella.

"I think you're right.