What Jane knew

They buried Johnny in the cemetery at the edge of town. Jane watched as her mother sat a bouquet of roses on the small casket and felt herself flinch as mama reached for her trembling hand.
“Come here now Jane” mama said with a small sigh. “Say goodbye to your brother and then we can go home.”
Jane walked up to the casket and reached out to touch the deep brown wood, sliding her hand along the brass handle, she felt the coldness of the metal course through her body.
“I wanna go now mama, please, let’s just go, okay?”
Mama wiped the falling tears from her eyes and smiled at her now only child.
“I still don’t know why he would have gone down there by the creek, I warned him too many times about the bees that nest in those trees. I know you were watching him and I want you to know I’m not angry at you, accidents happen and now you’re all I have left, I will just never understand why. He knew he was allergic to bee stings and that he’s gone now just hurts me so bad.”
Jane looked away from her mothers eyes and rubbed at her own face as if wiping away the tears that still hadn’t fallen.
“I know mama, I know. I’ll take care of you now, it’s just you and me, we gotta stick together, through thick and thin, just like you always told me” She sniffled a bit and they headed home in their old car.

Jane left Mama in the kitchen and climbed the stairs up to her and Johnny’s room. Grabbing a box from beneath the bed, she sat down on the floor and pulled the cover off. Jane unwrapped Johnny’s blue shirt and pulled out the nest and doll. She cradled it in her hands and gazed around the closet-like room.
“It’s all mine now Johnny, sorry it had to be this way but you weren’t supposed to be born, it was always gonna be me and Mama, there was no room for you to be here, Mama’s mine and always was.”
Her body began rocking back and forth as she spoke to the voice that always calmed her, she gazed out the window to the creek in the distance her eyes bottomless and empty.
“Sorry I took you to the creek Johnny, but it was the only way. Now it’s mine, all mine.”

The depths of love

“Meet me at the pond tonight at 7”. Jessica saw the email as soon as she opened her laptop. A thrill of excitement ran through her when she saw Jeremy’s address and glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was 4:44 and she sighed, not much time to prepare. Her Siamese cat Calypso nuzzled her face as she proceeded to drape her body across the keyboard for some attention. Jessica lifted the purring beast, stroked its rabbit soft fur a few times and then deposited her onto the chair beside her. No time for loving my friend, I’ve got to get ready. She closed the laptop and jumped up from the chair.
Her closet was a myriad of silk and linen, she moved through them one by one before deciding on the sheer white half slip dress. Yes, this will do nicely she thought and hung it up on the bathroom hook on the door. She jumped into the shower and took extra care with her preparations. Coconut scent filled the air as the suds ran down the drain, her long hair sleek and falling to her hips, she rinsed off and wrapped up in her thick towel. Once her hair was perfectly quaffed into waving tendrils and her makeup minimally applied to her liking, she slipped into her favorite dress, the same one she had been wearing the last time they had met at the pond. A night that still woke her in an ecstatic mood a few times a week.
She thought it had been over, not hearing from him for two months as she had sent repeated emails to him. Summer turned into fall and she just assumed he wasn’t interested anymore. Jessica threw on a light overcoat and grabbing her purse, a blanket and her keys, jumped into her car to buy some champagne, berries, a loaf of crusty Italian bread and a nice round of brie. Jeremy was going to get the surprise of his life tonight she thought.
Jessica pulled into the gravel besides Jeremy’s car next to the fence and grabbed the bag of food. The champagne was chilling on ice in a silver bucket wedged between the seat and she pulled everything out, carrying it all through the opening and set it down beneath a tree beside the pond. The night was getting cooler and a fine mist was rising from the pond, she dipped her toe in and realized it was warmer than the air. Smiling, she pulled out the blanket and sat down. She looked around and realized Jeremy was nowhere to be found. Calling his name repeatedly and getting no response, she pulled out her phone and realized she was a half hour early. He must have gone hiking on the trail while he was waiting for her. Jessica was never on time and he knew this so she thought she’d change it up a bit and arrive early to prepare just in case he didn’t show till 7. She got up and walked back to his car. The black car was covered in dust. Jeremy was a stickler for promptness and his car was always immaculate. She tried the door and realized it was unlocked. A Starbucks cup was in the holder half filled with his favorite black coffee and she realized it was ice-cold.
Jessica, are you here yet? A voice interrupted her thoughts and she smiled. Perhaps he was changing after all, letting loose a bit and having fun for a change. He was gorgeous but so uptight she thought and shutting the door she headed back to the pond. The light had faded and she saw ripples moving across the water. A dark head was moving quickly, back and forth and she slipped off her overcoat to reveal the short white sheer gown she wore. She walked into the water slowly, watching him moving about and yelled out, a might cold for a swim don’t you think my love? But she kept moving deeper in, feeling the grasses move across her legs, caressing her with their soft yet slimy feeling tendrils. His head dipped below the water and she laughed seductively. Trying to freak me out my love? as her body kept moving deeper and deeper into the depths. She felt his hands touch her then, moving slowly up her legs, past her bottom and reaching to stroke her stomach. She dipped her head back as his hand found her breasts and she sighed softly into the night air. Dipping down till her chin hit the rippling water, she waited impatiently to gaze into his beautiful blue eyes once more.
His hands gripped her around her neck and he pulled her under. She fought as the weight of his body submerged her, swallowing water as her air supply diminished until there was nothing left. No one ever came to the surface.

Post note: Jeremy had died two months ago, drowning in the pond where he met Jessica after she had left that night.

Just a quick ghost story for Halloween.

Somewhere between here and nowhere (part 2)

I looked down as my precious phone shattered into a few pieces, battery flying into the street and screen cracked like a bad car windshield after a nasty wreck. I only paused a moment before looking up at the man emerging from the shadows. Brown well-worn cowboy boots began at the pavement and tight-fitting jeans rose on long firm legs, also well-worn and nicely faded from the looks of it. I dragged my gaze ever upward. He stepped into the light and I could see a face as shocked as mine staring at me.

“Jesus H Christ missy, whatcha yelling about?  I’m just heading out from work, that’s all. Hush up before you wake the dead. I promise not to mug ya or worse so just shush please” and a smile slowly crept up on what I saw was a quite attractive face, in a young hollywood heart-throb  sort of way, dimples that must have gone straight to the back of his head. I closed my mouth then, slightly embarrassed at my display but hell, there’s a hand in the garbage can. It had to have come from somewhere. He took a step forward and I took a slight one backwards, feeling the earth crashing into my back as I fell off the curb and onto my backside. Matthew McConaughey wanna-be came running over and reached for my hand and at that point I allowed him to help me up from this graceful display of myself.

“There’s a hand in the garbage can” was all I could muster at that point. His eyes opened wide and he turned to look behind him at the old metal can.

“Oh God, not again” he muttered as he pulled me upright and then he strode over to the can. Lifting the lid and grasping his nose as the smell hit him. “Come on, we gotta get inside, quick-like please” and he shoved me forward towards the alley, grabbing my bag off the bench as we moved. “What about my cell phone? It’s got all my numbers and photos in there, I’ve gotta find a way to get it fixed,” I turned back to go get it. “No, you stay here, it’s not safe out here and I know my way around, I’ll get it. Wait here, okay?” and he strode back down the alley. I listened but heard only the wind moving the leaves and some remnants of trash nearby, staring up to see darkened windows on this two-story building and the stars above through the crevice. “Come on, let’s go in before they see us, if they haven’t already” and he brushed by me and obediently like a silly dog I followed.

He turned to the left where the building ended and pulled out a wad of keys. The metal clanging seeming to fill the air suddenly with sound, the loud click and turn of the tumbler reverberating in my ears. With a slight shove he opened the door and walked in. “Follow me, just be careful. It’s pretty late and as I can see how much of a ballerina you are on your feet and don’t want you to trip and trash the kitchen or to wake anyone up.” He must have been smiling as he said it because it was light-hearted and obviously not meant in a mean sort of way. Up ahead I could see a faint light. The smell of grease and cleaning solution was strong where we stood and he must have reached over and turned on a switch. A bare bulb above our head lit the small room and I could see a three tub sink and a stack of stainless steel pans and bowls set up on edge drying. SOS pads from a tipped box lay on a shelf and a big Yellow bottle of Joy, reminding me suddenly of my grandmother’s house when I was a kid. I hadn’t seen Joy in years, soap or otherwise.

We walked through a hallway and came out another door into the restaurant itself. He didn’t turn any lights on in here and walked to the front windows and peered out. He stood there for a minute and then turned back to me. I just stood there wondering what the heck I was doing here, with a stranger in a restaurant out of the 60’s and why on Gods green earth was there a severed hand in the garbage can out front. I cleared my throat but no words would come out. I opened my mouth, then closed it once more.

You’re out there screaming a few minutes ago and now you’re speechless. What’s up with that Miss? he said with a chuckle and moved towards me. His hand reached out and that killer smile was once again plastered on his face.  Chad, my name is Chad and this here restaurant is my Grandma’s. Her names Alice, but she doesn’t work here anymore, and he started singing the song and laughing quietly. Okay, she died last year, that’s why she doesn’t work here anymore, nor is she here anymore technically but I know she is in every pore of this old joint. I’m trying to hang onto it and keep it in the family. I spent my fair share of time here as a kid and this place is the closest thing I know to home, I refuse to give up and let her go now. Come too far and seen too much. Besides, have to keep it as Alice ’cause Chad’s restaurant just doesn’t have the same vibe. He laughed then and waited for my response. Suddenly I didn’t know what the heck to say in response. It was too strange and I knew he’d laugh or get all weird about it, I mean what were the odds, right?

My name is Allison, most just call me Allie. I didn’t dare tell him that my Grandmother and mother had always called me Alice, especially if I was in trouble for something, which was quite often from what I could recall. I could see how he felt about his Grandma and I didn’t want him to think I was mocking him.

Well, nice to meet you Allie, I don’t like the circumstances of this here meeting, that’s all. But that in itself is a long story and I’m a bit tired and it’d take too long to tell. How ’bout we just hunker down here tonight if that’s okay with you and when morning shows her pretty face, we’ll call the cops and go from there. Don’t like doing things in the dark and I don’t trust the cops 100% so we will take care of it then. It’s not like it’s going anywhere, right?

He went in the corner of the room to a closet, pulled out a blanket and tossed it to me. We’ll just push the table out and you can stretch out in the booth, it should fit you and I just had ’em redone so they should be comfortable. I’ll sleep over here. I promise not to do anything or get funny with you, besides, I’ve heard your screaming and the tenants upstairs would call the cops in a second. Then again, I’m surprised they hadn’t earlier.

I set my bag and the cell phone pieces on the table, the sheen of the plastic tablecloth shining from the back room light and I pulled the blanket over me. I knew I wouldn’t be dreaming of french fries or greasy burgers, hell, I’d be surprised if I even slept but it did feel good to get prone. I looked over at Chad but he had turned the other way and I could hear him breathing slow and deep. How the heck could he just do that? There’s a hand outside belonging to God knows who and he sleeps as if it was nothing in the world. I closed my eyes and fell into a fitful sleep, Alice’s Restaurant playing in my mind.

To be continued….