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

before the closing quotation mark.   Ex. - “Johnny was bad! “(wrong) “Johnny was bad!”(correct)

Between Sentences leave two spaces only!   In the structure of a sentence always single space. Ex. - Mary said, “Johnny was bad!”

That example is really all one sentence so between the comma after ‘said’ and the opening quotation mark, leave one space. Remember inside a sentence only leave one space between words. I find you often leave two.

It is equally important to remember the correct punctuation. If it is a question, use a question mark. I find you often forget to include it.

One other point I have noticed is your use of the word, ‘which’. I have always used as a rule of thumb the placement of the word. Generally speaking if it starts a sentence, like: “Which came first?” Then the proper word is which but if you find yourself using it mid-sentence then what you really want to use is ‘that’. Example: “Everyone came which were invited.”   Instead of ‘which’ you should use ‘that’: “Everyone came that were invited.”

 

 

Chapter 6

It was Wednesday morning before Emma returned to school. Her aunt had called her in sick the first two days of that week. Emma had remained in the house for those days, following Liz around like a puppy. She had performed her chores with a mindless numbness, rarely speaking.

When Emma stepped from the bus that Wednesday morning, Cindy was there to greet her.

"Well it's about time you came back. I was beginning to think you were dead." Cindy immediately bit off her words. Her face even reddened. " Oh Lordy, I am sorry, poor choice of words." She placed one hand on her own forehead and the other on Emma's shoulder.

"It's all right." Emma could not help but offer a small smile.

"Oh Em, I just missed you, that's all." Cindy hugged her friend's neck warmly.

There was lots of catching up to do, not only school work, but the gossip surrounding the weekend. Susan had told half the school about her part of the ordeal and had hinted pretty strongly that just maybe the Wilson's house was haunted. The whole school, of course had heard the stories. The younger children followed Emma around during recesses and watched her, giggling, as if she were a celebrity. Emma's peers and the upperclassmen just looked away when she caught them staring.

"I would just ignore it all," was Cindy's advice as they sat in the jeep during lunch. Emma was wishing that she had called in sick at least one more day. "What's the news on the investigation," Cindy asked poking half a tuna sandwich into her mouth.

" How would I know," Emma replied. " The sheriff didn't tell me anything. He just asked a lot of questions."   In truth, Emma had put the interrogation out of her mind soon after it had happened and now she had a nagging yet inexact feeling about what had been said between herself and Red Humphries. "Just because it happened down our road and I," she hesitated, "found it doesn't make me a deputy or detective or what ever on the case."

"The news around town is that some black lunatic caught them parking and saw a chance to murder a couple of white kids; probably long gone by now. But some of the parents are carrying more than their usual cache of guns with them these days, especially the women. I wouldn't want to be a colored person around these parts right now. Gee, I don't understand it really.   I grew up here. I know just about everyone and I tell you there are more mean old white men I would be afraid to stumble across alone than any of the colored." Cindy took a big gulp of her coca-cola and let out an unabashed burp.

"And, of course, everyone is getting the big ‘parking’ is a bad thing lecture.   I think more couples will be making out at home on their momma's sofa than in some car on a back road."   This caused the girls to break into laughter, which grew as they began to laugh harder and harder at the sound of each other's guffaws.

"Hope I am not interrupting anything intimate here." And sure as rain, there stood Bill, his head sticking in Cindy's side of the window, grinning shamelessly at Emma.

"No, nothing you would understand," Cindy answered and thumped his nose.

"Ouch, quit that, Cindy, and get out of the jeep for a bit." He yanked open the door, took her by the arm and pulled her from her seat. "I need to speak to Miss Emma, privately for a sec."   He took Cindy's place in the jeep and slammed the door in her face. "Now run along.... She'll meet you in fifth period." He waved good-bye to the stunned Cindy.

Friday was always a fun day at school. What with the pep rally in the morning and half the school leaving after lunch to play or participate in the night's game. The school pretty much broke down into playtime. A lot of the kids just took the opportunity to just skip class and go riding, mud buggying they called it, through the back roads and levees.

Cindy and Emma were two of the six in the fifth period class who reported that Friday. The teacher, unwilling to repeat her whole lecture on Monday, gave the class leisure time. She sent them to the gymnasium. They all scattered.

Sitting at the top a brick wall that bordered the parking lot, Cindy and Emma shot the breeze. The air had turned a bit nippy, yet the sun shone so brightly the girls had to wince and hold their hands above their brows to peer around the lot.

"Who are you looking for," Cindy asked, already knowing the answer.

"Just guess." Emma was in no mood to play that game.

"He's in biology class," Cindy stated matter-of-factly, " Old Dr. Miller wouldn't let them out of there if the Olympics were being held here."

"Cindy, he's so big, why doesn't he play on the football team?" She had never wondered about this before, but it seemed a good way to keep the subject going.

"Bad knees." Cindy smacked her gum. "He went out our freshman year, but he kept getting hurt.   See he was weak in the knees long before you met him." Cindy could not resist a straight line, even her own.   Emma ignored the joke and then she told Cindy about the date.

" That's what I figured he wanted the other day, to ask you out."

" I thought you might be at least a little excited for me."   Emma felt a twinge of hurt.

" I really am, Em." Cindy turned to her. " I am so glad you finally got a date. You wanna see me turn cartwheels? I can turn cartwheels, you know." She shoved her books in to Emma's arms.

"No, please, people are staring," Emma said searching around to see if this were true.

"You know Em, I have been telling you that you could go out with whomever you please for ages now." She hopped down from the wall. "I just hate for that big jerk to get all the credit for making you so happy. You really don't need him, trust me."

"Oh Cindy, but I am so excited about this. Can't you understand? He is going to call me this weekend to set up a time and place. Please, don't be angry."

"Oh shut up you idiot," Cindy stopped Emma from going any further. "You're my best pal. I love you. I guess I can be happy for you." Cindy forced a fake toothy grin Emma's way.

As they watched the pep squad depart Emma broke the silence that had settled between them to ask, "Where would I go to find out where someone lives in Sunflower County?"

" Huh?" Cindy cocked her head. "This is Sunflower County, not New York City. Everybody knows where everybody lives around here. Who are you looking for?"

" I doubt you know them. It is this nice old black lady."

"Well why didn't you say that at the first. Black folks don't live some place, they ‘stay’ some place.   You really need to learn the lingo around here. And if you are looking for Viola Grace," Cindy added shrewdly, "she's dead.   And I wouldn't go try to hunt her down. And if you are looking for the lady you saw on your porch, forget it. She was probably just passing through. She's in Chicago by now." Cindy smiled, obviously pleased with herself.

"Cindy," Emma spoke in her most serious voice, " I want to find where Viola did live." She held up her hand to keep Cindy from breaking in. "If I could just find out if that trunk and the letter did exist, then I might be on my way to understanding what is going on around here."

"I see." Cindy slowly shook her head. "I can understand that, Em, but what if Viola lived way far out in the back woods and whoever knew where she had lived couldn't tell you, they had to show you?"

"I suppose I would have to let them show me."

"So, when do you want to go?"

"You know?" Emma almost couldn't believe it. Cindy nodded yes. It seemed they had a lot more to talk about yet.

 

____________________________________________

 

"Here, lick off those last few drops. I don't want to put it back in my pants and leave a little wet spot." Bill Simmons stood in front of Joy holding his slowing wilting cock out to her.

It was Friday night and they were in her parent's den. Like everyone else, since Sammy's and Angela's deaths, Joy would not stay even five minutes alone in the car with him. He did not like having to ‘do it’ in the house with her folks asleep down the hall, but that was better than not at all.

"Oh my sweet little boy," she cooed over his manhood and lifted a manicured finger to stroke it's imaginary face. "Now you be a good little boy," she addressed his penis, "Mommy has to tuck you in now," she ran her tongue across the tip.

"Enough of that already." Bill pulled himself from her grasp and carefully arranged himself inside his pants. "I hate it when you talk like that."

" But why, sugar? I just want every part of you to know how much I love it." She took hold of his hand and pulled him closer.

"It's just silly, Joy, that's all." How could he tell her it just wasn't something that interested him sometimes? Sometimes he wanted a girl who could make love without talking baby talk.

"Oh Billy, I lub you." Her sweet turned up face reached for him. But looking at her like that just turned him cold. "What a heel I am," he thought.

"And when we get married are you going to let our children ‘do it’ on our couch with their sweethearts?"

"What a dumb question," he thought, "not again, she always finds a way to bring up that subject."

" Your folks got anything to eat?" He changed the subject.

"My sweetie is hungry?" She kissed the top of his head as she stood. "Well there is what's left of the roast," she offered.

"Yea."   Now he winked at her. "I sure could go for one of