In The Pines

My girl, my girl, don't lie to me
Tell me where did you sleep last night

The melody drifted along the forest floor like the fog, searching.  Vinnie didn't even notice the music consciously at first, he was so intent on finishing his work.  Finally the 'snick' of the shovel as it tore into the earth was the only other sound in the clearing, and he became aware of the song swirling around him.

In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through

Vinnie paused, shovel in hand, sweat cascading between his shoulder blades in the early morning  summer heat.  He stood up in the grave, alert, his shoulders level with the ground. The song was ethereal, raising goosebumps along his skin as it flowed around him.  There was something about the music that Vinnie wanted to remember, just out of reach, but all that mattered now is whether or not there was a witness. Vinnie climbed out of the grave as quietly as he could. He slowly pulled his gun as he stared into pine trees so thick that the sun didn't seem strong enough to reach the ground.  The morning mist seemed to coalesce as he peered into the gloom, into the curvy form of a woman. Vinnie raised, then lowered his gun. 

My girl, my girl, where will you go
I'm going where the cold wind blows

"Hello, Betty," Vinnie's voice trembled.  He had buried her over ten years ago, he wasn't sure why he was seeing her now. "What are you doing these days?"

Betty's ghost seemed to point into the grave that Vinnie had spent all night digging. In the morning light he could see the gleam of bone. He remembered then, that the song floating in the air around him had been playing when he strangled his first wife. He had forgotten where he buried her, and had been about to throw another body on top of her.  She never did like to share, Vinnie thought.

In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through

"Okay, Betty."  Vinnie reached for the shovel, laughing, and began filling the grave back in.  "You win.  I'll find another place to bury this one."

The figure dispersed, the mist ascending into the sky, and the song faded with it.



Prompt:  Much to his delight, last weekend Ryan unearthed a practically ancient Nirvana Unplugged CD from amidst my other, less desirable selections. I hope one of the tracks, plus the image below, inspires something for you this week.  The song from the Nirvana Unplugged CD that I chose is a cover of an old traditional song, recorded by Leadbelly. 

image courtesy of comicpie (via Flickr Creative Commons)