A is for Angel, B is for Buzzard

Something terrible is happening on the Island. Christine is having a chat with Mattie and two of the other villagers. Christine is at one end of the long table, with Mattie at the other. The two villagers flank Mattie. "It is time," Mattie states. "What do you know about these affairs?"

Christine looks at the hands in her lap. The dim room can't hold a candle to the intensity of the conversation, or the lack thereof. Christine's head is down and her shoulders droop under the weight of Mattie's scrutiny. "It ain't his fault," she mutters more to herself than anyone else in the room. "It ain't his fault."

"Who" asks Lukas, the villager to Mattie's left.

"What ain't his fault?" asks Temple, the villager to the right.

Mattie's firm face watches in silence, her focus directed at the other end of the table. Christine raises her head, her lips are tightly pressed, her eyes defiant. Mattie speaks not a word. She takes an object out of her pocket and holds it as she continues to stare straight ahead. The two beside her shrink back, the entire focus in the room is now narrowed to the two ends of the table. The root in Mattie's hands holds sway. Christine drops her eyes, her head follows. "Truth," Mattie demands, "Now. Do this affect the whole village, or just you?" Christine lips are trembling but stay together.

"Girl you hear me?" Mattie asks. "Look here," she lifts the root in her hand. "You understand what this can do?"

Christine sighs, "They can go. It don't matter to the whole village." Mattie remains still for a second, then straightens her shoulders and points the two to the door. Lukas and Temple disappear in a flash.

Mattie replaces the object from her hand back into her pocket. "Now, me and you, we gon' talk this out here and now, understand? Who these peoples that are using our island? What they want and why is you helpin'?" Christine spreads her hands in supplication but Mattie is unimpressed. In fits and starts the story unfolds. Christine twists and wiggles in her chair, Mattie is a stone statue. When the story stops, Mattie speaks for the first time. "Did you know they gonna poison Mr. Henderson?"

"How..how did you know he was poisoned?" Christine can't believe what she is hearing.

"His girl here this afternoon. I like that girl. She is asking about funeral practices. She wants to be sure she ain't upsetting us. Think on that, she cares bout what us think. She is asking about poison plants here on the island. She lies and says it is about some book." Here Mattie stops for a brief snort. She shakes her head, "That girl one horrible liar. Now you tell me, what these people wanting that they has to go kill a man like Mr. Henderson."

"He figured out that they using the island to store drugs til they can get them over to Atlanta. They ain't causing no problem for this island or our people. They are like your ancestors, they current day pirates using this island as a protected spot."

Mattie listens, "And whose fault ain't this? A man is dead. This ain't no snatch and run."