Joanne Munch

Joanne Munch

Joanne Munch. She looked just as you would think by her name alone; an older woman with a shriveled-looking face. Not one gray hair was ever out of place, and she had a nose you could hang your hat on. Her eyes were too close together, her face never far enough away. She was the master of all meddlers, overly eager to call out others’ flaws in an instant. She owned the town, the townspeople, and their way of life. Most despised her, some pitied her. Avoiding her was nearly impossible. And it was the only livable town for hundreds of miles ever since the blast that wiped out more than half of the population. Over one hundred years ago, it was a town known as Los Alamos, New Mexico. Now, some call it the new wild west, while others call it a new modern hell.

“Good morning, Ms. Munch,” Miss Roberts blurted out as she saw Joanne quickly approaching her fence. 

“Yes, yes. A fine morning,” Joanne muttered. “I hope you’ll be getting to those weeds on the far corner of your yard, Miss Roberts? The new sheriff will be coming with his family tomorrow afternoon since the last one didn’t make it. I’d like to make a good impression.” Her voice was dry and harsh. 

After rolling her eyes, Miss Roberts turned back around to force a smile and nod. “Thank you for the reminder, Ms. Munch,” she gritted her teeth.

Joanne said nothing in return; she only moved faster toward her destination to destroy. Several other neighbors saw her coming and hid behind their doors. One man tried to turn away, but it was no use. 

“Mr. Belvish, I’ve come to have a word with you,” she put both hands on her hips; never a good sign.

“Ah, Ms. Munch, always a pleasure,” he reached out his hand to hers. 

“Mr. Belvish, let’s not waste time. I think you know why I’m here,” she tried to pause but couldn’t help herself. “Your daughter, Mr. Belvish. Your daughter was caught once again. She was seen last night in Mr. Dryner’s field, up in his apple trees, and frolicking around in some type of smock. It will not be tolerated.” Her voice was getting louder and more accusatory as she spoke, her nose almost poking his own.

“Joanne, please . . . if we can just calm down–”

“Calm down? Calm DOWN? Do you understand the consequences of her actions, Mr. Belvish? Does she? And do not address me so informally. I run this town, and I will send your family so far away from here, you would be lucky to last one day.” Her face was finally showing some color.

“Ms. Munch, please. Let me talk to Lilith again. She’s only nine years old and a free spirit. After we lost her mother last year, it’s been difficult–”

She interrupted him again, “Many children lose their parents; she will need to get over it. Talk to her at once, Mr. Belvish.”

“Are you even sure it was her?” He knew the answer, but he felt the urge to ask.

She stared into his eyes as if she could laser him in half. “If I see her in those fields or trees once more,” she condescendingly held up one finger, “I will be forced to end your time here in this town. For you and your three daughters. Rules are rules. We cannot afford to break any of them.”

Mr. Belvish bit his tongue, hard. He knew what it would mean if he were to speak out against Joanne Munch. Nobody did such a thing. If a family was banished for whatever reason she deemed fit, they would never be heard from again. It took at least a week to get to the other town, the only other one people knew of, and most did not make the long journey. Having enough food and water for the trip was one thing, but to fight off the thieves and creatures that lurk in the shadows was another. The stories were horrifying.

He was not about to risk his daughters’ lives just to satisfy his ego. “Yes, Ms. Munch. You are right. I will take care of it.” He bowed his head to show submission but mostly to hide his sinful thoughts. He couldn’t help but think what it would do for the town if she didn’t exist. She had too much power, for much too long, and she was backed by the only people in town known to have the last of the gathered weapons. He often wished he could get his family out of there for good, especially since there were rumors about Joanne possibly being responsible for his wife’s death. It could never be proven, but after going to tea with Ms. Munch to talk about important matters, his wife came home, fell ill, and died the same day. He took a deep breath remembering it all, and then stared at her, careful not to match his face to his thoughts. 

Joanne scoffed at him. As she started to turn around, she caught a quick glimpse of Lilith sitting on top of a small shed. The girl waved to her with her small hand as an apologetic gesture, but Joanne squinted and then stuck her chin up in the air, as if it could go any farther. Lilith slowly took her hand down to her side, but her smile did not fade. As Joanne took a step, she felt something under her foot. She screamed with horror as she noticed a snake slithering directly beneath her. She was about to lose her balance when Mr. Belvish grabbed her arm to help keep her steady. She looked at him completely startled, shocked that he would be willing to help her after she had just been cross with him. “Oh my word.” It took every ounce of her to muster up her gratitude. “Thank you, Mr. Belvish.”

“Sure, Ms. Munch. Didn’t wanna see you fall in the mud, there, with your fancy dressings,” he tipped his hat to her as he cursed his reflexes.

She nodded her head. She was still flustered at the sight of a creature she hadn’t seen in many years, and never once in this particular town. She could vividly recall her journey here when she was just a young girl. A snake had bitten the man with whom she was traveling; a man who was not kind to her. In fact, she had been glad the snake poisoned him that day, for he got what he deserved. She left him there to die as she finished the voyage on her own; my how far she has come. She quickly looked down again, but the snake had vanished. She wondered if it had gone into Belvish’s barn. She could tell Lilith hadn’t moved from the shed, but her stubbornness kept her from looking straight at her. She looked around at the townspeople who were working in their yards and wondered who had seen this happen.

Joanne couldn’t sleep that night. She lay awake pondering the snake and Mr. Belvish. Had he put the snake there himself, perhaps to catch her off guard? She thought of Lilith, his small, motherless daughter, who had waved to her. She tried to shake off this new feeling. “Don’t get soft,” she whispered to herself. She fought with her emotions for what seemed like hours when she heard noises from outside. She immediately threw off her covers. “If that wretched little girl is out there again, I swear, her family is gone before lunch tomorrow!” Her cruelty unfailingly took over and she was at the window, frantically moving the curtains aside. She looked down at her feet and gasped. A snake, like the one from earlier, was now wrapping itself around her ankle. She stepped back to try and shake it off, but another came from the window and started to wrap itself around her other leg. She started to scream as several more snakes started to slither over to her as if they had been programmed. 

“HELP! HELPPPP! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY!” But she realized that nobody would hear her cries, for she made certain her home was not only the largest, but also the farthest away from the peasants she ruled over. She tried running toward the door, but she was pulled to the floor by more snakes, heavier ones. She was shaking and thrashing her body to get away until she could barely move an inch. She was now lying, her head against the wooden floor when suddenly a large, thick snake started to move across her forehead. Then over her nose. Another wriggled over her mouth, and she was unable to move at all. Only her eyes were left uncovered. She was beyond terrified. And alone. 

Just then, she saw something on the floor. An apple. Somebody finally came to help! She tried with all of her might to shift her eyes up as she saw a figure in the doorway. It was Lilith; she must have heard her screams. Joanne closed her eyes so tightly that a tear came streaming out. How incredibly grateful she felt that this little girl was misbehaving in the fields this very night! She could kiss her if these snakes weren’t about to grip the life out of her body. She opened her eyes with such immense hope, only to see Lilith standing in her smock, waving to her with her small hand, a smile on her face.