Wake The Stone Man Read Online Free

and joined some other kids on the sidewalk. I’d seen my dad skin rabbits when we lived up north, but I was curious about how they’d skin something as big as a moose. It was lying on its side, head tilted back and its big grey tongue hanging out. It looked gross.
    â€œSo what do you say Bernie, he’s about, what … a thousand pounds?” my dad asked.
    â€œBit more I’d say. Maybe fifteen hundred.”
    Mr. Olfson had two knives. One was about twelve inches long and the other not much bigger than a pocket knife. Looked pretty small to skin such a big thing.
    The men stepped back and watched Mr. Olfson make the first cut. First he took the long knife and sliced off the head. Blood gushed out all over his boots. A few guys lifted the severed head and tossed it towards where we were standing. Steam was rising from the head as the hot blood hit the cold air. Some boys turned to look at me and Nakina. I think they thought we were going to scream or puke or something, but we just kept watching.
    Mr. Olfson took the smaller knife and cut just above the tail and slid the knife under the hide and started peeling back the skin. At that point a few of the men knelt down around the moose and helped fold the skin back as he cut. When they had exposed one side they rolled the moose over and skinned the other side. Then one of the guys picked up the skin in a heap and dropped it beside the head.
    My dad went into Mr. Olfson’s garage and came back with some rope and they rolled the moose onto its back. My dad wrapped the rope around one of the front feet just above the hoof and tied a knot. He tied the other end to the tree. One of the other guys tied up the other front leg to the back of the truck. The moose was lying headless on its back, front feet splayed between the tree and the back of the truck. With the skin pulled off you could see every red sinewy muscle.
    Mr. Olfson cut down its throat and pulled up the trachea. Then he cut into the belly, careful not to go too deep, and a few of the guys rolled up their sleeves, stuck their arms into the belly and pulled out a long twisted tube of intestines. They laid the intestines beside the carcass and white steam rose from the hot belly.
    Mr. Olfson went into his garage, and with bloody hands he carried out a small chainsaw. He pulled the starter chord and when the engine kicked in he made a cut through the ribs.
    I guess Donny must have heard the chainsaw start up because he came out of his house and walked towards Mr. Olfson’s. My dad was helping them pull the ribs apart. Mr. Olfson grabbed the throat and pulled down slowly, bringing all the internal organs out — lungs, heart and stomach.
    Donny came up beside me, and when he saw all the blood he started rocking back and forth and moaning. I turned him around and put his head on my shoulder so he wouldn’t see. Nakina said we should take him home, so we walked him back to his house and hung out with him for a while.
    It was getting dark when we went home but Mr. Olfson’s garage door was open and the light was on. You could see the headless moose carcass, back legs tied together, hanging from the ceiling of the garage.

chapter three
    The Beatles were coming. A Hard Day’s Night finally hit the boonies and Nakina and I went to Woolworths to buy make-up. Had to look good.
    Nakina picked out pink lipstick. I wasn’t into lipstick so I stood there wondering why Woolworths smelled like old men’s socks. I saw the salesclerk watching us. It happened every time I went shopping with Nakina.
    First there were the raised eyebrows that said she knew there was an Indian kid in the store. Then the eyebrows would lower and she’d look like she just sucked on a lemon. Then she’d cross her arms across her chest, and I would start counting to myself … one, two, three … and over she comes. This clerk came up to us and said, “Can I help you?” and I said, “No,