On Emma's Bluff by Sara Elizabeth Rice, edited by davebccanada (comprehension books txt) 📖

side, east, west, north and south. Hattie had explained that it was important that the cypress be half in and half out of the water. All Lucille had to do now was wait. The ritual could only be performed at the edge of dusk, while the sky lost it's glow and darkness conquered.

The letter sat laid out flat on Emma's lap. This was the third time she had read it. It read:

          Dear Mamma,

          I am writing this letter because of the things I have heard recently from Auntee' Nell concerning you and your well being. I was sorely bothered to hear of your moving out to the Goodwin place on Further Back.   I am sure the distance away from people is good by you, but you are an old woman and nothing good can come from you living out so far.

Auntee' Nell also says nothing has changed with you. You have not given up your old ways. You know that I said if you didn't I would not come to your house again. You are my mamma, and I love you, but there have been times when I would have preferred you dead to what you have become. When will the sense of what I say ever reach you?

It is a bad thing I heard about Tina's girl. I hope and pray that it was just an accident. I know her family is sick with the loss. Once again, momma, I ask you with all my heart to give up the old ways and come live with Mary and me. We would take good care of you. Christ have mercy.

          Your daughter, Addie

          P.S.

 

Emma folded the letter neatly and place it in the Bible on the night stand. "What were Viola's old ways?" she wondered. Perhaps the old woman had been a boozer. It seemed likely enough. Emma's own father had fought a losing battle with alcohol all his life. She had watched in terror many times as the spirits changed his gentle ways and he had become an angry raging monster, but it was the last line that grabbed Emma's heart. "Momma,” it read, “I know you gave your soul to rescue me, but all the scriptures in the world won't save you... and all the success you bought for me ain’t worth it.”

 

 

Chapter 9

Lucille drifted off to sleep leaning against the trunk of a water oak. She jerked herself awake when a beetle landed on her lower leg. Her eyes took in her surroundings and she immediately remembered where she was and why.

"Good thing I woke up," she muttered shaking her head to dispel her sleep. The sun now bordered the horizon and within minutes would sink below.

Lucille stood and stretched out the cramps from her limbs. The air had grown chilly and she felt the goose flesh rise on her arms. She rubbed them away.   Not much longer she realized. "But what do I do if his body don't come floating up that river," she dared to think.

So anxious had she been, she had sidestepped letting any other alternatives distract her. Single minded she had kept telling herself, "If Eddy is dead I just want to know it and be done with the worry." Of course, she knew that didn't mean he wasn't still dead, but just a rotting some where else.   Then again he might not be dead at all. But knowing Eddy she knew this was unlikely. Even with his roving ways he always came back home sooner than this. Since the only thing she knew to try was this river conjuring, well then she would try it. It had to be better than just waiting.

Hattie had warned Lucille that with rivers the chances of this ritual working correctly were reduced since the water was moving along all the time. Plus a river could cover a great deal of miles, which diluted the effect.   All Lucille could do was try to pick a spot that seemed likely since after a mile the summoning would cease to work well so she had relied on her own instinct to pick the spot to try.

Just down stream from the trestle was where she now stood. "This is probably not that far from where they found old Viola caught up on those trot lines," she thought.   Through the grapevine, Lucille had heard that Viola had not come to her death through accident. "Was sent to her death," was the whispered words.

Lucille stepped down to the very edge of the water. She did not take her eyes from the sky as the sun slumped down out of sight. Balancing the pouch in her hands with the cypress chips, she loosened the leather straps.   She dipped the first chip into the bag.   It came out covered in a clinging bronze dust. With her right hand she flung the chip into the river, sending it as out as far as she could. She closed her eyes and counted to ten. Lucille repeated the process with the other chips.

Twenty minutes had passed since Lucille had sent the last chip on it's way. Hattie had warned her that with currents and debris it sometimes took as long as up to an hour for a body to make it's way. Lucille just had to content herself with waiting, her gaze never leaving the surface of the murky brown river. Only the sudden rustling of the leaves behind her made her finally turn her head. On the top of the bank she could barely make out a shape, small and hunched over.

"Who's there? " she called. No response. "Who is that?" She spoke louder this time.

"No need to fear."   It was an old voice that finally replied.

"Lordy, I thought," Lucille began and then froze. Standing not more than ten feet from her was someone she recognized right off. "Viola?"   Lucille felt riveted to the eyes as the old woman came closer. The eyes seethed with hatred. The flesh around them looked mottled. "No," was the only sound Lucille managed to make.

As a bony hand grabbed for her throat, Lucille threw up a hand to protect herself. At the same time Viola punched all of her weight right into Lucille.   They both tumbled down the bank. Lucille could feel the cold soaked flesh of the old woman against her. As she looked up, she could see one long bone of a finger diving for her right eye. Lucille heard the slurp as the bone drove through her eye socket. She watched in horror as the woman pulled the slime covered finger back out and went for the left eye.

"This time I is gonna pull out a piece of your brain, sweetie" These were the last words she heard.

 

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Eddy had not eaten in over forty-eight hours. The last meal the sheriff had brought him had been on Friday night, he thought.   He drank the rest of the water left in the jug for him and now eyed the film of rusty water in the bottom of the fifty-five gallon barrel. If it would stop that gnawing in his gut he would gladly swill it down. What he had always thought of as hunger had stopped the night before. What he felt now was a sick burning in the pit of his belly as if the juices in his stomach had gotten tired of waiting for food and were about to go after his innards. Eddy heard the boots kicking against the door.

"You still in here, boy?”

"Where the fuck did you think I would be?"

"Now, now, now, is that your belly I hear a rumbling?"   The sheriff was carrying a kerosene lantern, which he sat gently down on the concrete slab in the middle of the room. Cautiously eyeing Eddy he took out a pack of matches and lit it. It was only then that Eddy saw what sat beside the lantern. It was a packed Styrofoam lunch like what one might get from Thelma's Cafe. Eddy started toward it.

"Back, boy."   Red brought out his service revolver. "This ain’t food meant for no filthy murderers." Red picked up the covered plate and stepped back to the door. "I just figured to have my supper here with you.   You know, keep you company in case there is anything you want to get off your chest."

Now certain that he was out of reach, Red slipped the gun back into it's holster and squatted down. As he opened the container the aroma struck Eddy hard in the gut. He swallowed his own spit as he watched the sheriff dig into the plate. He could see the succulent slices of pork roast, field peas, candied yams, mashed potatoes with gravy and a glistening wedge of buttered corn bread.   Eddy groaned.   He watched as Red pulled a bite of pork from the plate, his fingers already glistening from the juices. Eddy felt the sweat come to his brow.

"Mighty good." Red smacked his lips as he chewed.

"God Almighty, sheriff ."   Eddy stretched the chain that bound him to its limit. Only a few feet away from Red Humphries, he stood bound.

"Yep, I guess it would take away a man's appetite to be carrying a burden like you are, son." He smiled, his mouth greasy from a bite of corn bread. "Why I would offer you some, but I know you would only refuse. Just can't stomach the sight of food after what you have done."

"Please," Eddy whispered now, " what is it that you want from me?"

"Oh, you know what I want."

"Okay, anything. I'll help you find the men that done it, but you got to believe, sheriff, it weren't me." Eddy was close to tears.

"Oh Eddy, Eddy, Eddy, maybe in a few days you can do better than that. Like remember the truth. Just tell me the truth." Red rose and snapped the covered meal closed. "I hate to leave you in the dark, what with the haunting memories you must have." He turned to leave. "I will be seeing you."

 

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Verna Long sat in her sister's dim kitchen.   She had just gotten the little ones to bed. The youngest, Lee Tom, had been the hardest. He had cried for over an hour for his "Mah”. Verna too wished that "Mah" would appear and set everything all right.

Preaching at the Gospel Holy Church was a daylong event with morning service only being broken by a 'dinner on the ground' and fellowship. Lucille had promised Verna that she would be at church before the end of evening service to pick up the young ones.

Verna had stood, keeping the children near her under the street lamp for nearly an hour waiting. The church had gone dark and there wasn't nothing else except to watch the bats dip and dive around the light when she finally carried the children back home to continue waiting.

The orange dial on the clock showed the time to be 12:12 a.m. Verna's frustration grew to outright fear.   She had sent her own two babies home with her fourteen year old. Verna was no longer worried about them; they were safe by now.   She rolled the feather pillow into a ball and lay down by one of her sister's children to sleep.

 

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Monday morning Emma was already awake when