The curse of the hunter

An ordinary day as normal.

Hope

I lay me diary away and I walk downstairs. 

It is now half past six so I have to go to Uncle James. 

Tori and I go there to eat and then work.

Tori sits on the couch watching a movie when I enter them afraid, because I suddenly standing beside her.

'What time is it?' she asks me.

"It's five-thirty so it should go to James, you go with me?"

I walk into the hallway.

Tori follow me and we take off our shoes and coats.

I take me home and car keys and walk out to the car.

Once we both are, I start the car and drive to Uncle James bar.

It's only a short drive as Danganon is not a big village. 

We are at the bar and I put my car in the parking lot.

The House of Uncle James is above the bar so we go inside first and then up the stairs.

When we emerge, I use the key to enter, and then announce that we are there and ask what we eat.

James is in the kitchen cooking because we have to be ready at seven aclock to open the bar.

On Saturdays, Tori & James are opening the bar, as I always do the dishes and do his laundry. 

"We eat cauliflower with potatoes with chicken" he says and I about to lick my lips because this is my favorite. 

The past three years have been tough for me, but for James as well.

I lost my parents, but Uncle James lost his longest and best friends we were his only family.

So now he has only me.

I walk down the hall to the kitchen and ask how long I have left until we eat.

"You still have 5 to 10 minutes, why?" James asks

"Then I just turn on some laundry for you then you have to stop it only in the dryer tonight"

James nods and I walk to the bathroom to put on the washing machine. 

When I come back in the kitchen, we can eat.

Dwain

"Okay Jay where do you want to sleep at a motel or a B&B?"

Jay looks at me for a moment and then says he prefers to sleep in a motel.

I search the internet for a motel here in Danganon and drive to it.

As soon as we get there Jay gets out and goes to the counter to ask if there is still a room available.

I also get out of the car and pick up the things from the trunk.

When I get everything out, Jay returns with a key to room 125.

I pick up my bags and walk to the board to see which floor room 125 is on.

When I find it, I walk to the door and wait for Jay with the key.

Jay is walking at ease and I start to get annoyed.

When Jay finally arrives, and we can enter the room I put my bags on 1 of the 2 beds and look at the clock.

"Wow, it's only 5:45 PM," I say.

Jay shrugs and says "so?"

"Shall we eat something in the village?"

"We can do that," Jay says after thinking about it.

I grab my cell phone and look for what's in the village and where we could eat.

I find a restaurant and bar.

After some consultation we opted for the restaurant, but first I want to take a shower.

I take off my shirt and go into the bathroom.

When I get there, I continue to undress and take a shower.

When I'm done and dressed, we go to the car and drive to the restaurant.

We come to the restaurant and sit inside at a table, we order food.

The food is good here and after dinner we grab a beer.

It is around 7 pm when suddenly the waitress tells us they want to close.

"Okay why do you close so early" Jay asks a bit rude in my opinion.

The lady looks at him with a nice smile and tells us that the restaurant closes on Saturday at 7 pm and then James bar opens and that's how they do it here in Danganon.

I thank the woman for her explanation and pay our bill, and we leave the restaurant.

When we're in the car, Jay says, "let's go to that bar."

I nod and drive to the bar.

Hope

When we have finished eating, Tori and James walk downstairs to prepare the bar and I will do the dishes.

I turn on the water, walk to the radio to turn on the music, and then walk back and turn off the water and put all the dishes in the bowl.

I start to dance rhythmically along with the music.

Dancing and music is really something that I like.

I'm not strangers og dancing because my mother was a dance teacher and on Saturdays she always did country line dancing in the bar below.

I have taken over the saterdays after her death, and I am so proud of how many people will come and start dancing with me.

Tonight will be a big day when the clan chiefs come here with their supporters for a meeting and I will also just do my dance.

I hope that things will go well and there will be no conflict between the chiefs.

When I'm done with the dishes I walk towards the bathroom dancing to see how long he still needs and I have 15 minutes, so I walk to James his bed.

I remove all the covers and change his bed and when I'm done, I put the dirty sheets at the bathroom floor.

I look at the machine and i still have 5 minutes left.

Then I walk to the fridge and take out all the spoiled things, then I throw them away and clean the shelves.

I hear the washing machine squeak and walk over to it, I throw everything in the dryer and the sheets in the washing machine.

With a satisfied smile I look at the clock and see it is already half past eight so that I have to hurry.

I grab my bag with dance clothes.

I quickly put on dark jeans and my crop hoodie and stuff my other clothes in my bag.

Now i only have to put on my shoes and then I can go down.

When I have the shoes on, I run down the stairs and walk into the bar, stand behind the bar and prepare everything in the meantime.

Dwain

We are in the parking lot at the bar and I get that weird feeling again.

I look at Jay and I notice that he too feels it.

"So you feel that too!"

"Yes, but not when you asked earlier," he says, slightly surprised.

We get out of the car and walk into the bar.

It's still quiet, but you really feel a warm cozy atmosphere cater to you.

Jay and I sit down at the bar and order 2 beers again.

The man behind the bar pours them in and asks where we are from and if we belong to the reservation.

I look at the man in surprise and ask what reservation he means.

He smiles and then says that if I was the reservation, I would have known.

At his question of where we come from, I say east.

We always say this because we don't want any further questions.

Around half past eight a large group of people suddenly walk into the bar and sit down at a long table at the end of the bar.

A little later a new girl comes to stand behind the bar and the man asks if we want another beer.

I turn it off because I still have to drive, but Jay still wants one.

The man gives Jay his beer and asks me if I want to drink anything else.

I say that I do like a coke.

Then my eye falls on a dart board and I also ask him for the arrows.

He gives me the coke and says that darts are only allowed after eleven oclock.

I look at the girl, and she immediately looks back at me.

Then she walks away and I look after her in surprise.

Hope

I put a country CD in the radio installation.

And pick up the microphone and start talking through it.

"Good evening everyone it is nine oclock and most people know what that means"

The most people then shouts 'Hopes country dance' !!

"That's right, everyone off the chair or stool and show what you can do," I say and give the microphone to James, who is just giving a beer to the boy next to the coke boy.

I stand in front of the group and show the steps and everyone repeats me.

The chiefs are already inside and their wives and some other followers are having a good time.

Logan Night has been looking at me all the time, but I just continue to dance and socialize.

Logan Night is only 26 and one of the leaders.

He is my ex boyfriend and my one and only ex and I'm his as far as I know.

He and his group can always be found in the woods on the east side just behind my house.

I ignore Logan and after having danced for 2 hours I walk to the bar.

I grab a glass of water and then see the darts.

Just before dancing I had heard the coke boy ask for them.

When I empty my glass I walk towards him with the dart arrows.

When I want to give them to him, I get a shock from his hand, but don't show this.

I walk away again and turn the music down.

And then walk upstairs to wash me and  to change clothes again.

When I arrive in the bathroom, I undress and quickly step under the shower to rinse.

When I come out and dry myself, I empty the dryer in the 

laundry basket and throw the laundry out the washing machine into the dryer.

Then turn it on again.

I walk to the bedroom and fold the laundry there and put everything neatly in to the closet.

When I walk downstairs again and tell James that I am going to smoke a cigarette outside, he just nods.

Dwain

She walks to the radio installation and turns on country music and picks up the microphone.

"Good evening acquaintances and strangers it is nine oclock and most people know what that means," she says into the microphone.

The people then calls 'Hopes country dance' !!

"That's right, everyone off the chair or stool and show what you can do  ," she says and hands the microphone to the man who had given us the beers.

The girl stands in front of the group and starts to explain the steps.

Almost the whole bar started to dance.

Jay then suddenly gets up from his crutch and joins in.

He has a beer or five on, so he is a bit tipsy.

I keep watching how that girl gets almost all the people in the bar dancing.

I do not realize it but keep staring at her and suddenly the man from behind the bar asks if I like the view.

Startled, I look at the man and say that I never have seen this in other bars.

He smiles a bit and then says that "Hope" is someone special.

I then say that every father would say this about his daughter and the man looks at me somewhat sadly, yet proudly.

"She's not my daughter," the man says

"Oh sorry it thought that she is your daughter" I apologize then.

He says that he is her godfather and that they have been through a lot together in the last 3 years.

Then he extends his hand and introduces himself as James and then points to a girl who is serving drinks and says that Tori is Hope's best friend.

I shake his hand and say my name is Dwain, Dwain Walker.

I and James chat for a while until Hope suddenly comes to me with the dart arrows.

I take the arrows out of her hand, then I get a shock from her, but don't let this show.

Hope walks away again and turns the music down.

I and Jay play dart for a while until I find that he really can't stand anymore and pay our bill.

Then I thank James for the pleasant evening and the conversation and support Jay to the car.

When I have him in the car, and I am sitting myself, we drive to the motel where I carry him upstairs and put him in bed.

As soon as Jay is lying on the bed, he falls asleep and I put my bags from the other bed on the floor and go to sleep myself because it is already one oclock in de morning.