THUNDERBIRD

Glory "Amen" Johnson's big boat of a Cadillac rocked and swayed as she drove up James Street, turned left onto Oak Street, and then came to an abrupt halt in Glory's drive way.  Thunderbird sat up from where Glory had her laid out in the back seat.  "Where are we?" asked Thunderbird.  "At my house." came Glory's quiet answer.  Glory opened her car door, and stepped out of the car.  She closed her door, and then opened the back door on the driver's side.  "I thought you might want a little tea and some rest..."  Glory held out her hand, and as Thunderbird reached for it, she thought she saw Glory start to pull her hand back, but Glory's hand stopped mid-air, and then firmly gripped Thunderbird's hand. Thunderbird unfolded herself from the Cadillac's back seat, propelled by the surprisingly strong arms of Glory "Amen" Johnson. Thunderbird tried to reclaim her hand, but Glory gripped it even stronger, and gripped Thunderbird's elbow with her free hand.  "Let me help you!  I know you have to be feeling weak after the, after the....uh...!" Again Thunderbird felt Glory's hands loosen their grip, this time trembling as they began to loose purchase.  But as before, Glory's hands remembered their mission, and Glory began to guide her towards her front door. Thunderbird looked up with curiosity, at the massive Victorian house, a dueling setting sun and rising full moon hovering above the house in the hazy dusk of the ending day.  The cooling shadow of the house sent a shiver down Thunderbird's spine.  A whispered thought, then a buried scream burst inside her head....."Don't go in there!  Don't go in there!"  She felt her toes begin to lift from the ground, but she forced herself to downward!  She would not erase the events of the last hour, that were meant to protect herself from having to leave Syracuse, to have to give up everything and run again.  Thunderbird kept her feet on the ground, and did not fly!

"I think I should go home".  Thunderbird tried to turn out of Glory's grip on her hand and elbow, but Glory continued to propel her firmly towards her door.  "Just a cup of tea, my dear!  Then I'll drive you home." was Glory's insistent reply.   Glory reached into her purse, her fingers still locked on Thunderbird's elbow, pulled her keys out, and opened the house door.  Thunderbird tried to take a step backward, but tripped over the entry way welcome mat as she felt a hand on her back shove her inside!  "Hey!" she cried out! Thunderbird's unsteady turn, her outreached hand seeking something solid, her chin raised in indignation, her brows bunched above her eyes, were not prepared for the pain from the fist that hit her up-side her head!  Her outreached hand faltered as it tried to hold off the floor, but her body collapsed under her!  And as she began to black out, Glory let go of the grip that she had on Thunderbird's elbow.  The last thing that Thunderbird's eyes registered, under her knitted brows, was Glory's triumphant stare and her balled up fist, raised to hit her again!