Orphans of Stone: HomeComing: A Curious Middle Grade Fantasy

by Rae Craig

  “You mean tomorrow?”

  “Today. Mom said you can stay overnight.”

  Ella sprang up and rushed inside. Harriet followed her into the kitchen where the adults were getting up from the table. Ella stopped her headlong rush with a bounce, rising up on her toes.

  Herm saw his daughter, “Blue, our ladies are calling; it’s milking time.”

  Ella asked. “Can I stay overnight at Harriet’s?” Her bright face swiveled expectantly from Herm to Nori.

  Nori held her husband’s gaze while some kind of silent communication took place. She asked Ella. “You’d like that?”

  “We’re going to put Harriet’s books away! You said I don’t have chores tomorrow.”

  Herm’s grin took in everyone. “That’s great and you’re all invited up for supper tomorrow. Aunt Helen, we need you to come early to answer some questions about the attic.”

  Jenny said. “Can we bring something to share?”

  Nori put her cup in the sink. “Just your appetites and I’d better warn you, Herm’s making his spicy chili.” Goodbyes were said next to the truck. Harriet watched Nori turn to wipe away tears after she hugged her daughter.

  Strange. She didn’t seem like the weepy type.

  Chapter Five

  Aunt Lottie’s diary

  Walking home, Harriet said. “Dad will make milkshakes later and I’ll make popcorn, but we’ll have plenty of time to unpack the books before that.”

  Ella said. “I don’t have my pajamas.”

  “You can pick the ones you like. I’m always getting new ones.” They had reached Harriet’s house and paused to examine the dark gravel in the driveway.

  Ella decided, “Granite, but no rose crystals.”

  Harriet continued their conversation. “We keep a new toothbrush for guests, so you’ll be all set.”

  Walking up the flagstone path, they stared in surprise at the porch steps. Ella said. “That’s a wonderful place to display your bottle collection. The glass catches the sun and shoots light everywhere.”

  Harriet examined them before answering. “I didn’t put these here.” She picked up a milky white bottle. “They’re really old and this one is still sealed.” Mom and Dad walked up behind them.

  Mom said, “Where did these come from?”

  Dad added. “Those two on the end are rare.”

  They turned to Harriet, expecting an explanation and she had a good guess. “I don’t know for sure, but I think they’re from Dana Rethic. When I asked him about the old cellar, he said he’d found stuff there.”

  Mom said. “I’m afraid the bottles will get broken. Move them up on the porch against the house; no one can trip over them.”

  The adults went in, leaving the girls to move the bottles. Ella picked one up. “Look. There’s some old fashioned writing on the label.” She held it out.

  Harriet peered down. “It’s all faded. There’s only three big letters left: D, then some space, G, then some space, and D, with a bigger space.” They found no labels on the other bottles.

  Carrying book boxes up to Harriet’s room, they decided to organize by subject. There were frequent breaks to read books that caught Ella’s eye. The Back Yard Archaeologist was her favorite. The description of excavating an abandoned outhouse pit was a little gross, but the stuff people had thrown down there was amazing. Toys, buttons, broken pottery, coins, and jewelry were just some of the things they found. But still no rock collecting book, with only one box to go.

  Ella opened the flaps on that last box and right on top lay the rock guide. Something beneath it kept the large book from sliding down.

  “Here’s the book!” Ella said. “And it’s not one I’ve seen before. Do we have time to read it?”

  “Bring it downstairs. You can read while I pop.”

  Under the book a glossy wood chest completely filled the box.

  Harriet said. “That’s Dad’s family history chest. He’s been worried because he couldn’t find it.”

  They grasped the chest awkwardly with their finger tips and lifted. A suctioning “whoosh” escaped as the box slipped off onto the floor.

  Harriet said. “Set it on the bed quick.”

  The bottom caught on the bedding and tipped over, spilling out onto the red star quilt.

  “Oh, Harriet! Is anything hurt? Let’s put everything back in.”

  They tilted the chest upright, using pillows to support the sides. Nested among the spilled documents and photos, Ella spied a palm sized brown leather book. It was so appealing that she sat on the bed to look at it.

  She turned to the first page. “Oh look! There’s a drawing of a spider.” She read the book’s title. “Aunt Lottie’s Diary. Who is she? It says here that Dr. George Donnellson wrote the diary for her visit. Who is he?”

  “He was Dad’s grandfather and Grandma Jameson’s dad. Her last name was Donnellson before she got married, but I don’t know who Aunt Lottie was.” She closed the chest. “I’d better go down and pop the corn. Bring the diary instead of the rock guide and we’ll ask Dad.”

  The stairway was the darkest part of the house, even with the weak overhead bulb. The twin chimneys surrounded the girls like a cave. Harriet went first, trying not to think about how she had drowned under raging flood waters on her first time up these steps. They grasped the granite hand rail. Each tall, narrow step required careful foot placement, so Ella watched Harriet intently.

  About half-way down, Harriet said. “Let’s hurry. I hear the mixer, so Dad’s starting the milk shakes.”

  “Crackle! Pop!” They jerked their heads up and the overhead light died to black.

  Tingly shock waves swept up from their grips on the handrail, through their arms, filling their entire bodies. They yelped and yanked their hands away, like they’d been burned.

  “What was that?!” Ella shook out her arm.

  Harriet actually preferred these tingly shocks to drowning in cold dark waters. “I don’t know. Let’s go downstairs.”

  They clattered down as fast as darkness would allow, half tumbling into the shadowy dining room where they were surprised by light shining from the kitchen. Mom sat at the table, adding and subtracting columns of numbers in a notebook, while Dad worked at the sink.

  “What’s wrong with the electricity?” Harriet demanded as they burst into the room. “We got a shock on the stairs and the light went out, but the lights are just fine in here.”

  Dad dried his hands. “I’ll have a look while you start the popcorn.”

  As he left, Mom invited. “Ella, have a seat.” She patted the chair next to her. “What’s that you’re holding?”

  Harriet said. “It’s Aunt Lottie’s diary. We found Dad’s family history chest. I guess he forgot where he put it.”

  “What did I forget?” Dad asked as he reappeared. He saw the diary on the table. “You found the chest!”

  At the stove, Harriet poured corn into a dented red popper. After the corn exploded into white deliciousness, she emptied it into a kettle where she drizzled it with melted butter and tossed it with salt. Dad snuck up behind her. He grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth. “You make the best popcorn.” He mumbled as he chewed.

  Harriet pushed his hands away. “You should know how good, since I learned from you.” She explained to Ella. “He convinced me it was fun to make popcorn and made me think it was a great honor, but really he just wanted someone else to do the job.” Mom, Dad and Harriet knew the rest of the story. Dad had used the same technique on Clarence with the milkshakes. The difference was that her twin actually had considered it an honor, while not only was Harriet not honored, but never failed to remind Dad what a sneak he was.

  Dad put ice cream, chocolate syrup, and cream into a deep bowl and started the mixer. He talked over the noise. “The stairway light is working fine now. I’ll take a better look later, maybe it’s close to burning out.”

  It was full dark outside, but the kitchen felt cozy with Harriet and Dad coo
king and Ella and Mom looking through the diary. Harriet put the popcorn kettle on the table and Dad added brightly colored glasses full of milk shake so thick it mounded up in the center. When Ella tilted her head back to drink, the milkshake plopped out onto her nose and she had to lean forward to slide it back into the glass. Mom smiled and handed her a napkin. Dad and Harriet glanced at each other and grinned.

  Ella switched to a spoon. “This is delicious. What’s the secret?”

  Dad said, “I used the cream Herm gave me; I’m sure that’s it.”

  Harriet added. “We use plenty of ice cream and chocolate.

  “I’ll tell Mom and Dad, so we can make these ourselves. Thank you, Mr. Jameson.”

  Mom shared a look with Dad. “Call us Jenny and Donnell. Your mom is like a sister to me and we get along better than most sisters. We’re a big family here now.” She smiled at Ella.

  “I never know what to call grownups, so that’s such a relief.” Ella’s face beamed with its open smile. She turned to Harriet. “I’d love to have that kind of sister.”

  Harriet answered with a tight grimace. She was not sure about being any kind of sister. That hadn’t worked out so well in the past and she could make no promise for the future.

  Dad scooped popcorn into his bowl. “Let’s see that diary.” He ran his finger over the title page and flipped to the drawing further into the little book.

  Harriet said, “Who’s Aunt Lottie?”

  “Charlotte Freeman was the older half-sister of your great grandmother Carolyn Donnellson. When this diary was written Aunt Lottie lived far away in the big city. Her visit must have been a special treat for Grandma Carrie, with her being both a new bride and new in Shi-octon.” Dad turned to an interesting page. “Carrie’s best friend, Harriet Hathway, was visiting too. Everyone called her Heart. Sentimental nicknames like that were popular back then.”

  Harriet said. “I remember hearing about Heart. Grandma Jameson was named for her.”

  Dad said. “And we named you after Grandma, who was also nicknamed Heart, but she grew up into a dignified sort of person, so most people called her Harriet. She taught school in Shi-octon until I was born. By that time most people home schooled, so she never went back to teaching.”

  Mom set down her empty glass and looked at the girls. “What happened on the stairs?”

  Ella said. “The light went out and we got shocked, but the lights were on in here.”

  Harriet said. “We finished putting the books away and found Dad’s chest. It was time to pop the corn, so about half way down the stairs the light went out with a crackle and we got a shock.”

  Ella said, “But it didn’t hurt and tingles ran up my arm and all over me.”

  Harriet added. “That’s right. It didn’t hurt and it lasted longer than a regular electric shock.”

  Dad said, “I’ll go change the bulb.”

  Mom took their coffee mugs into the living room, where she had started a fire in the hearth before supper so it would heat the chimney and warm their bedrooms during the cool spring night. Harriet heard them talking and knew they would settle down in front of the fire.

  Ella picked up the diary, paging through it while Harriet washed the dishes. “How about I read Aunt Lottie’s diary to you while you work?”

  “That would be great. I still need to wipe everything down because Dad’s a messy cook.”

  Ella settled into the kitchen rocking chair. “The inside page says ‘Diary of Aunt Lottie’ and under that ‘Written for her by Dr. George Donnellson’. The second page starts the entries:”

  “Thursday, Sept. 20- Started by train from the city. It had cooled with the rain, so only Dr. Don met me at the depot. We journeyed in his buggy to Shi-octon Valley and arrived at the overlook as the clouds broke away and the moon shone down. Lights twinkled from the village and farms below. Words fail to tell of the joyful welcome by my sister Carrie, dear Heart and Captain Daddy. The bright room and waiting supper served on blue china, which was Captain Daddy’s wedding gift, felt like home. I brought out my own special wedding gift from my trunk. Carrie said lily of the valley is their favorite flower and it will be a perfect vase when it is empty. That lovely evening ended the first day.”

  Ella put her finger down to mark the spot and asked. “Harriet, who is Captain Daddy and where in Shi-octon did this happen?”

  Harriet sat down at the table with the dish towel in her lap. “He’s Captain Burton Freeman, Carrie’s and I guess Lottie’s dad. That makes him my great, great grandfather. He fought in the Civil War, that’s why they call him Captain. We have a picture of the house they lived in here, but it’s Giffin’s store now. When Grandma Jameson was a little girl they moved to their house down by the creek.” Harriet rested her elbows on the table. “Read another entry.”

  “Okay.”

  “Friday, Sept. 21- Early in the forenoon I walked with Heart and Carrie to see Miss Carraway start off for home. She was a city girl working the summer at Deffers’ farm. In the afternoon, drove out with Heart and Carrie to the cliff top above the new river bridge. The view reaches north over the village and as far as the busy quarry. Came home with armloads of ferns from Morak’s woods. Piano sing in the evening.”

  Ella said, “Where is Morak’s woods and where is the quarry?”

  “Grandma Hoier has a valley map they found in the attic here last year. Everyone was really excited, because they didn’t know it existed. She’s bringing it tomorrow.”

  Ella said, “At Market today, Reen Deffers talked about the lady who had this house before you. She was sad when she got old and filled the rooms with all her stuff. There were just skinny walkways between piles of junk. No wonder the map got lost.”

  Harriet hung the towel over the oven handle to dry. “Reen Deffers was Grandma Jameson’s best friend. They have a farm over that way.” She pointed out the front of the house and got a pan out of the cabinet. “I’ll make spiced cider if you’ll read another entry.”

  She put cider to heat on the stove, adding cinnamon and dried orange peel.

  Ella watched for a minute, then read:

  “Saturday, Sept. 22- Forenoon passed with nothing more eventful than unpacking my trunks. After the noon meal we all took naps and woke to a perfect web of circumstances. Norman Mac, a maiden gentleman of modest demeanor, was waiting on the porch to be introduced and presented us with a fine watermelon. After eating it, we invited him to drive out with us. He entertained us with tales of trying to find dead flies to feed his beloved pet spider in his sister’s immaculate house. What will come of this gentleman’s friendship I cannot foresee, but I am hopeful.

  We drove past the sorghum mill and saw the striped cane crushed and the green juice boiled down to an amber syrup. The smell was unpleasant and we didn’t linger. After supper we drove over to Norman Mac’s sister’s house to pick up Heart who was practicing for a musical evening. We found her walking with Norman Mac, just starting for home with a melon and flowers. He assisted her into the carriage and gave us a gracious farewell.”

  Ella sipped hot cider between excited bursts of reading. “I hope Mom knows something about this Mac family.”

  Harriet said. “No one uses the word forenoon anymore and can you imagine a man now days talking about his pet spider, but back then it seemed normal.”

  “We need to add the sorghum mill to our questions for Aunt Helen.” Ella turned back to the front cover. “This must be a drawing of his spider!”

  Harriet said, “I think Aunt Lottie imagines that Norman Mac’s politeness means romance for her, but I think he’s heading in a different direction.”

  “Tomorrow we’ll ask Mom about Norman Mac, maybe she’ll know what happened.”

  Ella took the empty mugs to the sink. “I’ll wash these up, you’ve done enough already.”

  Harriet picked up the lily of the valley bottle from the table. She absently rubbed the flower on the bottom while she stared at the weathered glass.

  “Ella--- I have an i
dea.”

  Ella walked to the table, drying her hands on the kitchen towel.

  Harriet said. “This bottle has a lily of the valley on the bottom and Dad says it’s about a hundred years old, the same age as the diary.”

  “You think it’s Aunt Lottie’s wedding gift.”

  “That feels right. But why was it buried in the cellar? According to the diary it was a special gift. It makes no sense.”

  “Maybe it will when we find out more about that cellar.”

  “We’ll ask Grandma tomorrow. Let’s head upstairs. We’ll get ready for bed and read more entries.”

  “I want to look up the rose crystals in the rock guide.”

  They turned off the kitchen lights and walked through the dining room using the fire’s glow from the next room to guide them. In the living room, Dad had his stocking feet propped on a stool near the fire and Mom snuggled next to him on the couch, her legs tucked under her.

  Mom said, “You two look tired. Ella, there’s a new toothbrush in the bathroom and Harriet can lend you some pajamas.”

  Ella thanked them for the meal. “I can hardly wait to tell Dad about the cream in the milk shakes. Mom’s including a rhubarb crisp recipe with the rhubarb we sell, so maybe he can hand out your milk shake recipe with the cream.”

  Dad said. “Those recipes are a great idea; they’ll remind customers of your market stand.” He moved his feet further from the fire. “I changed that light bulb, but be careful, those steps are steep and narrow.”

  They grasped the hand rail, Harriet leading the way with the diary tucked into her pocket. Granite surrounded them with comforting warmth absorbed from the fire.

  As Harriet started up, the memory of her first time on these stairs tried to overwhelm her, but tonight there would be no weird stuff like that. She had Ella with her and needed to act normal.

  Halfway up, about where the light had died earlier, the new overhead bulb flickered. Harriet turned around to reassure Ella. “We’d better…”