Tapping the Dream Tree Read Online Free Page A

Time passes and they just keep at it, changing skins—big changes, little changes. One’s a flood, the other’s a drought. One’s human, the other’s a devil. One’s night, the other’s day… .
    â€œDamnedest thing you ever saw, like paper-scissors-rock, only hoodoo man style, you know what I’m saying? Damnedest thing.”
    The whole time he talked, he picked at his guitar, turned the story into a talking song with that lazy drawl of his, mesmerizing. When he fell silent, it took Staley a moment or two to realize that he’d stopped talking.
    â€œSo Mr. Rabbitskin here,” she said, “and that other thing I only caught half a glimpse of—you’re saying they’re like those two magicians?”
    â€œGot the smell of it to me.”
    â€œAnd they’re only interested in hurting each other?”
    â€œWell, now,” Robert told her. “That’d be the big thought on their mind, but you’ve got to remember that hoodoo requires a powerful amount of nourishment, just to keep the body up to fighting strength. Those boys’ll be hungry and needing to feed—and I’m guessing they won’t be all that particular as to what they chow down on.”
    Great, Staley thought. She shot the rabbit a sour look, but it wouldn’t meet her gaze.
    â€œMr. Rabbitskin here,” she said, “won’t eat a thing. I’ve tried carrots, greens, even bread soaked in warm milk.”
    Robert nodded. “That’d tempt a rabbit, right enough. Problem is, what you’ve got here are creatures that are living on pure energy. Hell, that’s probably all they are at this point, nothing but energy gussied up into a shape that makes sense to our eyes. They won’t be eating food like we do. So far as that goes, the way they’d be looking at it, we probably
are
food, considering the kind of energy we’ve got rolling through us.”
    The rabbit, docile up to now, suddenly lunged out of William’s lap and went skidding across the smooth floor, heading for the back door of the bar. William started after it, but Robert just shook his head.
    â€œYou’ll never catch it now,” he said.
    â€œAre you saying that rabbit was feeding on me somehow?” William asked.
    â€œI figure he was building up to it.”
    Staley stared in the direction that the rabbit had gone, her heart sinking. This whole situation was getting worse by the minute.
    â€œSo these two things I called over,” she said. “They’re the hoodoo men from your story?”
    Robert shrugged. “Oh, they’re not the same pair, but it’s an old story and old stories have a habit of repeating themselves.”
    â€œWho won that first duel?” William asked.
    â€œOne of ‘em turned himself into a virus and got the other too sick to shape a spell in reply, but I don’t know which one. Doesn’t much matter anyway. By the time that happened, the one was as bad as the other. Get into that kind of a state of mind and after a while you start to forget things like kindness, decency … the fact that other people aren’t put here in this world for you to feed on.”
    Staley’s heart sank lower.
    â€œWe’ve got to do something about this,” she said. “I’ve got to do something. I’m responsible for whatever hurt they cause, feeding on people and all.”
    â€œWho says it’s your fault?” Robert wanted to know.
    â€œWell, I called them over, didn’t I? Though I don’t understand how I did it. I’ve been playing my music for going on four years now in that meadow and nothing like this has ever happened before.”
    Robert nodded. “Maybe this time the devil was listening and you know what he’s like. He purely hates anybody can play better than him—’specially if they aren’t obliged to him in some way.”
    â€œOnly person I owe anything