Read Wind Song for Free Online Page B

outbuilding so far out of his mind that he hardly remembered it was there anymore. Neither he nor Matthew had set foot in that barn for two years.
    He folded his pillow in two and rolled on his side. Much to his surprise, a vision of flashing green eyes floated out of the darkness. Green as a forest in summer. His breath escaped him in a deep sigh of longing and regret. The woman wouldn't be half bad to look at if she'd pack a bit of meat on those bones of hers.
    Not half bad at all.
    At first she didn't know what had awakened her. She rolled to her back and listened, afraid to breathe. She tried to make sense out of the strange rumbling sound that seemed to be growing louder. Thunder, she thought, and wondered how she would ever manage to keep dry in the rain. What a fine kettle of fish!
    Rutabaga snorted from somewhere close by. From behind the soddy came the neigh of another horse, followed by the squawks of chickens and the low mooing of a cow.
    The wagon began to vibrate, and Maddie fought her way out of her bedroll and sat up. The sound of thunder grew louder, but curiously enough the sky was studded with stars, the dust now settled. Puzzled, she searched the darkness for signs of lightning.
    The door to the soddy flew open and her eyes blinked against the bright light of a lantern.
    Mr. Tyler ran out of the house, shouting directions to his young son. He ran past the wagon to the side of the house and began swinging his lantern back and forth, creating an arc of light around him.
    Watching wide-eyed and bewildered through the slats of the wagon, Maddie slipped on her boots, scrambled over the splintered wood side, and dropped to the ground.
    She stumbled toward him, the ground vibrating through the soles of her boots. "What is it?" she cried. "What are you doing?"
    "Here!" Mr. Tyler yanked the blanket from his son and shoved it into her hands. "Matthew, go back and get another blanket!" To her, he shouted, "Don't just stand there--start flapping!"
    Not sure what it was, exactly, that he wanted her to do, she shook the blanket up and down, much like she was shaking out a dustrag.
    "Damn it, woman, shake it!" he bellowed.
    "But…" Her mouth fell open as a dark mass suddenly descended upon them. A cold terror swept thought her as realization dawned. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of buffalo were headed straight toward them.
    "Shake it!" Mr. Tyler shouted, his voice all but drowned out by the sound of frantic hooves.
    Her eyes wide with disbelief and fear, she shook the blanket up and down with as much urgency as her quivering bones would allow.
    The light from the lantern reflected red in the eyes of the beasts. Long, leathery tongues hung from the animal's mouths. Nostrils flared. The air was thick with dust and the musky smell of hide and fur.
    Low, harrowing bellows merged with the clamor of pounding hoofs and clashing horns until the noise escalated into one deafening roar.
    At the last possible moment, the herd split in two. Half of the frenzied buffalo went to the left, the other half to the right, bypassing the little sod house, but only by a few yards.
    Terrified at first, and then exhilarated by the sheer power of the beasts that closed around them, Maddie flapped the blanket up and down until her body was damp with sweat and her fingers numb.
    Next to her, young Matthew dragged a blanket up and down, his arms obviously growing tired. Encouraging his son with periodic shouts, Mr. Tyler kept the lantern swinging back and forth, creating a circle of protection with the quick moving light.
    It seemed like hours passed before the mass of shaggy beasts began to dwindle. Finally the thunderous sound faded behind them as only a straggler or two remained.
    "You can stop," Mr. Tyler said, and when she didn't appear to hear him, he grabbed her arm and stared down into her damp, dusty face.
    His forehead dripped with sweat, and he was breathing hard. But his eyes were soft with concern as he looked at her. "They're