Russell Raven Isn't Scared Anymore

By Craig Strete

Russell Raven was born scared. Noises made him jump. Silence made him uneasy. He was afraid of the dark and afraid of the light if it was too bright.

If somebody talked too loud, he ducked down as if somebody was attacking him. He was afraid of empty houses and ones with people in it. He was afraid of anything that had too many colors or made too much noise. He was afraid of anything that had too few colors and was awfully, eerily quiet.

Russell Raven was afraid of everything mechanical, of things that moved, things that looked like they might want to move. He was afraid of things that had no intention of ever moving. He was afraid of buffalo gravy, insect feet and chain lightning. Traffic scared him silly. Indian paint ponies, reservation dogs, eagles in the air, all gave him quite a fright.

Once he tried to make a list of everything that scared him.

He wrote all day on a thick yellow pad at the kitchen table.

Finally when his arm got tired, he crossed it all out.

And simply wrote, everything.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ReAnimus Press
• Release date: Jun 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215629895

Craig Strete

Craig Kee Strete is a Native American science fiction writer, noted for his use of American Indian themes.Beginning in the early 1970s, while working in the Film and Television industry, Strete began writing emotional Native American themed, and science fiction short stories and novellas. He is a three-time Nebula Award finalist, for Time Deer, A Sunday Visit with Great-grandfather, and The Bleeding Man.In 1974 Strete published a magazine dedicated to Native American science fiction, Red Planet Earth. His play Paint Your Face On A Drowning In The River was the 1984 Dramatists Guild/CBS New Plays Program first place winner.

Book preview

RUSSELL RAVEN ISN'T SCARED ANYMORE

by

CRAIG STRETE

Produced by ReAnimus Press

Other books by Craig Strete:

Burn Down the Night

Dark Journey

The Bleeding Man and Other Science Fiction Stories

A Knife In The Mind

The Angry Dead

The Mammoth Project

The Dinosaur Project

The Game of Cat and Eagle

The Bouncing Bride

My Gun Is Not So Quick

Death Chants

Paint Your Face on a Drowning in the River

When Grandfather Journeys Into Winter

The World in Grandfather's Hands

If All Else Fails

To Make Death Love Us

Dreams That Burn in the Night

Nobody Rides Forever

Strete Food

© 2023 by Craig Strete. All rights reserved.

https://ReAnimus.com/store?author=Craig+Strete

Cover by Nara Strete

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER ONE

Russell Raven was born scared. Noises made him jump. Silence made him uneasy. He was afraid of the dark and afraid of the light if it was too bright.

If somebody talked too loud, he ducked down as if somebody was attacking him. He was afraid of empty houses and ones with people in it. He was afraid of anything that had too many colors or made too much noise. He was afraid of anything that had too few colors and was awfully, eerily quiet.

Russell Raven was afraid of everything mechanical, of things that moved, things that looked like they might want to move. He was afraid of things that had no intention of ever moving. He was afraid of buffalo gravy, insect feet and chain lightning. Traffic scared him silly. Indian paint ponies, reservation dogs, eagles in the air, all gave him quite a fright.

Once he tried to make a list of everything that scared him.

He wrote all day on a thick yellow pad at the kitchen table.

Finally when his arm got tired, he crossed it all out.

And simply wrote, everything.

Every day at lunch, Russell hid his face because even vegetables scared him. Perhaps that was not so bad. People should be afraid of broccoli.

He tried every day not to be afraid, and failed, failed, failed.

He hid under the bed most of the time. He would have lived under the bed but his mother Alice Raven wouldn’t let him.

She would grab him by the feet and yank him out into the light. She would put her hands on her hips, stare down at her fearful little child and shake her head. What am I going to do with you? You can’t hide from the world forever.

Then she would give him a hug and she would worry a lot.

Tell me why you are so afraid, she always asked as if hoping he would know.

I don’t know. I just am, Russell always answered because that’s just how it was.

Russell Raven knew how to hide, knew how to duck. He could crouch down in fear, cringe in horror, tingle with dread, pale with fright and flee in terror. He could do lots of things but he just couldn’t be brave.

Things went on that way for quite a while. And might have gone on that way forever but one day at breakfast his mother decided that something had to be done. It happened when his mother poured some milk on Russell’s cereal.

Oh! he cried and he put both hands on his ears and leaned away from the cereal. The noise the cereal made when his mother poured milk on it scared him so bad, Russell fainted. His mother saw him fall backwards out of the chair.

Now that’s just too afraid for me, said his mother and she dumped the cereal on top of his head. The milk revived him and he woke up.

His mother was really mad.

Russell! Now this is really.... And she pointed his finger at him and was about to give him quite a talking too but he was already gone. She had to run after him. She found him hiding under his bed, his back against the wall with a blanket over his head.

Russell! Come out of there at once, she said and stamped her feet.

I can’t. I’m scared.

You have to come out.

Can’t.

If you don’t come out I’ll get my broom and poke you till you do.

Russell Raven scooted out from under the bed. Brooms scared him even when they weren’t poking him.

What scared you this time, said his mother at the absolute end of her patience.

Cereal, said Russell with fear in his voice. He went on to explain.

Corn cakes don’t scare me. Pancakes don’t scare me. But cereal...

There was a look of horror on his face... It floats on milk... and makes sounds.

We can’t live like this. You can’t live like this, said his mother. Cereal isn’t scary.

Corncakes are quiet... they don’t move, reasoned Russell but his mother wasn’t buying it.

She glared at him.

Food that moves is scary, insisted Russell.

Well, I’ve been dreading this, I truly have but I think it’s time I got you some help.

What kind of help?

Medicinal help.

Oh no! Not a doctor!

Zoom. He was under the bed again. His voice drifted out, Doctors are scary because doctors give shots. Doctors are scary because medicine tastes bad. Doctors are scary because they have white shoes!

Enough already. We’re going and that’s that! Deal with it.

I’m not coming out and you can’t make me!

I’m going for my broom.

She came back with the broom. I’m ready to poke you.

Better to be poked with a broom than get a scary needle in my arm. Poke all you want, I’m not coming out!

She bent down and looked at him. And she realized that he just plain wasn’t going to come out. She had to think of something else.

Ok, you win... no doctor.

You promise? You’re not just saying that?

I promise. But I am going to take you to see somebody. Somebody who can help.

No shots? said Russell’s shaky voice from under the bed.

No shots. You have my word. And no doctor but maybe some medicine. I know a man who cures without shots.

Who are we going to see?

A medicine man. A man skilled in healing and craft.

How will he help me? Will it hurt?

He may use magic, she said. Medicine men are known for it. And a little magic never hurt anyone.

Russell Raven shook his head in puzzlement. He had never seen a medicine man before. He was probably scary too but he didn’t know enough about what a medicine man did to know what he should be scared about.

I really don’t want to go.

Well, you can complain about it all the way while we’re going there. Now you go get dressed. I’ll start the pickup truck, if it starts that is. I’ll come around and pick you up.

His mother didn’t wait for him to say no. She just went out the front door and headed to the old barn where the truck was.

Russell got his safety cowboy boots and his going-out-even-if-it’s-scary blanket. He waited at the kitchen table.

They had to go by pickup truck. That was a scary thing too. He liked cars better but that was only because he thought he would be safer if he rode in the trunk. Of course his mother never ever let him ride in the trunk of any car but it didn’t stop him from liking the idea or asking anyway.

CHAPTER TWO

There was an explosion. It was the old truck backfiring. It always did that when you first started it up. The engine was pretty near shot. It ran