"Steve Perry - Black Bottom Bayou" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Steven)

STEVE PERRY

A FEW MINUTES IN GRANDDADDY'S OLD HOUSE ON BLACK BOTTOM BAYOU

THE THUNDERSTORM washed its way closer. The rain pounded on the roof, lightning
flashed, thunder grumbled in the night and the dark, damp wind moaned softly at
the edges of the big old two-story house.

"A f**king frog-drowner out there," Granddaddy Bill said.

Granddaddy Bill was sick again -- though Grandma Annabelle said it was only a
hangover -- so Harold and Johnny decided to tell him a story to make him feel
better.

Harold, nine, usually took the lead, while Johnny, six, mostly did chorus.

Even though it was past their bedtime, Grandma Annabelle let them stay up to
visit with Granddaddy Bill because he didn't feel good. plus they were going
back to their house on Monday, since school started in a few days.

It had been a pretty boring summer so far.

The boys perched on the foot of the old man's musty old bed and waited for
Granddaddy Bill to sip more of his toddy. Southern Comfort and lemon juice and
honey, Granddaddy Bill said, good for colds, flu, consumption and the rheumariz.
Granddaddy Bill's bedroom always smelled like pipe tobacco, Southern Comfort and
Old Spice. And mold. Grandma Annabelle's bedroom smelled like perfume.

"So, what story are you going to tell me?" he said. He put the toddy down.

"How about the Creature from Black Bottom Bayou?" Harold said.

"The Creature is o-kkkay ..." Johnny drawled. "Though it's not as good as
Jurassic Park. Those dinosaurs were cool!"

Granddaddy Bill sneezed, used a tissue to blow his nose. Threw the soggy clump
of tissue on the floor next to the bed where another dozen wads of it already
lay. "Where'd you hear this Creature story?"

Johnny bounced up and down on the bed, said, "You told it to us, Granddaddy!"

The old man smiled. "So I did. But you know us old people, we forget things.
Okay. How does it go?"

Harold took a deep breath and started. "Once upon a time, in Lafayette,
Louisiana, in this very house, many, many, many years ago, there were two
brothers who carne to visit their Grandma."
"Yeah, yeah, that was you and Great-Uncle-Richie, right, Granddaddy? And you
were visiting Great-Great Grandma Phyllis."