11-24-2018, 07:09 PM
This place belonged to the earth, to the trees, to the wind that screamed at night. It belonged to things that had been here before the house and would be here after it. If Jude had any claim, it was only as an emmissary of the Things That Came Before and Would Come After. He just had power of attorney, the ability to sign in the stead of the great unnamed, the great unknown. Nothing belonged to him. He was not sure he belonged to him.
"Mmmm," Jude said, as if to mean, No, of course you wouldn't know, you were never there. "I never saw you here." Upon closer inspection, without the mystifying properties of mist and rain, it appeared they were not dissimilar in age. They could have known each other. They could have met. They simply -- hadn't, until now. "I just heard about you."
He came up behind the sofa, and folded his arms along the back of it, leaning over Near, peering down at him. The towel was likewise folded. "No, he didn't owe me anything." Jude sighed again. This -- this was the part the family always did for him, the explanations. Jude never did his own introductions. "I'm sorry, I've never had to talk about this before."
Another pause, and he remembered something else he had forgotten - another thing the family did for him. "I haven't told you my name." He extended his hand over and down, in the general direction of Near's chest. "I'm Jude."
"Mmmm," Jude said, as if to mean, No, of course you wouldn't know, you were never there. "I never saw you here." Upon closer inspection, without the mystifying properties of mist and rain, it appeared they were not dissimilar in age. They could have known each other. They could have met. They simply -- hadn't, until now. "I just heard about you."
He came up behind the sofa, and folded his arms along the back of it, leaning over Near, peering down at him. The towel was likewise folded. "No, he didn't owe me anything." Jude sighed again. This -- this was the part the family always did for him, the explanations. Jude never did his own introductions. "I'm sorry, I've never had to talk about this before."
Another pause, and he remembered something else he had forgotten - another thing the family did for him. "I haven't told you my name." He extended his hand over and down, in the general direction of Near's chest. "I'm Jude."