SUSAN TIPPETT BRAITHWAITE

Today’s word is a new one to me; it’s eldritch. It means to of or like elves or faeries, weird or unearthly. Today’s response is inspired by my Village post. The moment I saw the meaning of the word, that old scene jumped into my head. Here it is:

Theo wantit tae spik tae heez C.O., Jack, aboot the ithers oan thur bield detail. Alane. Thir wis sumhin aff, bit he cuidnae pit heez finger oan whit it wis. He got tae Jack’s tent, bit hit wis empie. Theo luikit aboot him; naebdy wis aboot, the camp wis quietlik. Bit doon the month, there wis a unco, eldritch glowe.

As he follaed the roadie doon tae the wee toon ablow, the soonds o skraichin stappit him deid. Than the pop pop pop o gunfire hud him aff agin. He spruntit tae the backie o a hoose, keekit aroon an jeelt. Jack wis staunin there wi heez wappin pintit it ane o the veelagers they wur sint tae protecke—the ithers aready deid it Jack’s feet. Tooch. The veelager drappit tae the grun. Jack turnt tae ane o heez men. “Get Theo dalt wi.”

And now in English.

Theo needed to talk with his C.O., Jack, about the other on their protection detail. Alone. There was something off, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. He reached Jack’s tent, but it was empty. Theo looked about him; there was no one around, the camp was silent. But, down the mountain, there was a strange, otherworldly glow.

As he followed the path down to the small town below, the sounds of screaming stopped him dead. Then the pop pop pop of gunfire had him off again. He sprinted to the back of a house, peeked around and froze. Jack was standing there with his weapon pointed at one of the villagers they were sent to protect—the others already dead at Jack’s feet. Bang. The villager dropped to the ground. Jack turned to one of his men. “Deal with Theo.”