The Witch Box

by Laura Ellison

  *****

  Joshua, still awake in bed, was sure that the police would find the hand. They were likely to search for miles around Bonnie’s house.

  Bonnie was not frail and neither is Ruth, he thought. They must have tried to fight.

  Joshua’s eyes fluttered shut. He found himself back in the snowy woods, searching for Ruth. As he came to the old cart, Bonnie and Ruth were standing to each side, dressed in white gowns. At the top of the cart, he saw his mother’s clay statue of Harvester, the big ugly head the only object there. He noticed both women were barefoot. Ruth raised her right arm, the bloody stump at her wrist. She was speaking, but he couldn’t hear her at first. Then the sound came in, her voice clear and strong:

  “Our little prince. But you are not the seed, don’t be led astray.”

  Bonnie remained silent and Joshua’s gaze returned to the cart. The statue was gone, Ruth’s hand in its place. A small gray bird, a sparrow, stood inside the open palm. The bird spread its wings and chirped a winter song. The women were smiling as the bird flew away into the trees, snow falling from the branches. Joshua looked again to the women, but they were gone, the hand remaining.

  A man’s voice, calm and soft, said,”He had one son...”

  “Josh! Josh! Wake up!”

  His eyes fluttered open, and he saw his father’s face. He licked his dry lips. He felt cold and wet all over. His breathing felt short, but he could speak. “W-what? Dad?”

  “You’ve been asleep since this morning.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Seven-thirty.”

  “At night?”

  “Did you take something?”

  “Just aspirin. But my head is pounding.” He tried to get up, but he started to feel dizzy and nauseous. “I think I’m sick.”

  “You better not be having a relapse. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

  “I’ll be all right, Dad.”

  “Bullshit. Brenda! Help me get him up.”

  “Anxiety?” Joshua asked. “Are you kidding?”

  Dr. Warren shook his head. “You haven’t had a recurrence of the viral meningitis, but the symptoms are typical of anxiety.”

  “I admit, I’ve been anxious, but only because of the deaths and trying to get my memory back.”

  “It does sort of make sense,” Brenda said. “Your breathing was normal by the time we got here, you were more relaxed...”

  “My heart felt like it was fluttering,” Joshua said. “I’ve never felt that before.”

  Joshua, with Max and Brenda, sat in a curtained off space at the E/R at Falls River Hospital.

  “The EKG was normal,” Dr. Warren said. “But I would still like for you to have another scan on your lungs and your brain. Just to see how you’re recovering. Any change with your memory?”

  “I’ve remembered a few things. Not much.”

  “Do you need him to stay the night?” Max asked.

  “Yes. I can schedule the scans for in the morning. In the meantime, we can give you something to calm your nerves, Josh. You’ll sleep well.”

  Josh slept for a few hours in his private room, but awakened around eleven. He thought about Ruth. She was probably dead. He could recall the dream, the bird in her hand.

  “You are not the seed. Do not be led astray...”

  “He had one son...”

  Those words made him think of Jesus, which made him think of the old church; so close to Bonnie’s house and his old house. The boarded-up basement. He wondered if Ruth could have made it that far.

  Joshua reached for the phone. He dialed Anna’s number. “Anna? I’m at Falls River Hospital. I need a ride back home...”

  He explained his dream and what brought him to the hospital.

  “Josh, there’s no way Ruth could survive by herself if...her hand was cut off.”

  “Anna, I’m going to go crazy sitting here all night. I feel fine now.”

  “Max will be furious—“

  “Only if he finds out.”

  “Won’t he find it odd when the doctor realizes you’re not there?”

  “You can bring me back.”

  “Oh, Josh. I don’t know...”

  “Please. I know I can trust you and this will give me the time to find out on my own.”

  “Find out...what?”

  “Everything.”

  “All right. But I’m not taking the fall—“

  “Bring some tools with you. A hammer and a crowbar. Flashlights.”

  “What do you plan to do?”

  “I’m breaking into the church. I think Ruth may have tried to hide there. Maybe even the basement at my old house.”

  “Both are locked up tight.”

  “I think someone has been going in and out of the basement for some time. The padlock was new and someone left my crystal there.”

  “We’re supposed to get more snow tonight, but I can be there in about a half-hour.”

  “Thanks, Anna.”

  “Don’t make me sorry.”

  Part III–Winter Fruit