A Million Doorways

by K. Martin Beckner

  “Absolutely, I’d love to see it.”

  “Come early tomorrow evening, say five o’clock, and we’ll pay Flintridge a visit.”

  “I’ll definitely do that, can’t wait!”

  He went to bed early that night but was hardly able to sleep from his excitement about seeing Flintridge. If only Dad was still around to go explore it with me, he thought, then everything would be perfect. He tried to read Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart but finally laid the book on his chest and let his imagination run wild with thoughts of what the old house was going to be like. Slowly he drifted off to sleep and his thoughts became dreams.

  The next morning he rode his bike to town and found Simon Green whittling at his spot in front of Square Deal. “I see that a haint’s not got you yet,” the old man said, laughing.

  “No, I’m still around,” said Ethan, sitting down next to him.

  “Anything strange happen yet?”

  “Well, that place is pretty weird all together,” said Ethan.

  “Has she introduced you to her bees yet?”

  Ethan was a little taken aback by this and at first didn’t know how to respond.

  “Yeah, she did,” said Simon smiling. “I can see it in your face. My great granddaddy introduced her to bees, you know. He had been one of the Green’s slaves who still hung around the place after the war.”

  “Miss Green said they never called their servants slaves,” said Ethan.

  “Miss Green can call a turd a rose if she wants, but that don’t mean people’s going to be lining up to smell it.”

  Ethan laughed. “I guess that’s true,” he said.

  “Anyway,” Simon continued, “Those bees took right up with Miss Green, sure did. She’s one of them bee charmers, I guess. Bees seem to take right up with people who were born with a veil over their face. My great granddaddy was also a bee charmer. He could stick his bare hand right in a hive, thousands of bees buzzing around it, and never get stung once.”

  “The bees like me too,” said Ethan. “I found her nearly covered up in bees the other day. It about scared me to death at first, but then the bees started leaving her and flew to me. It’s pretty much the wildest thing that’s ever happened to me ever.”

  “You’re making me nervous now,” said Simon. “I’d be careful if I was you. You don’t want to turn into a spook like old Miss Green, half the town afraid of you.”

  “Oh, I don’t take none of it too serious,” said Ethan, wiping sweat away from his eyes. The day was hot and humid, and no breeze was blowing.

  “I’d be willing to bet you’ve got the gift, yourself,” said Simon in a more serious tone than he’d been using.

  “What gift?”

  “A sixth sense, some would call it. I think most bee charmers have it. It’s the ability to know about things that you should have absolutely no way of knowing. It’s up for debate as to whether this is a gift from God or the Devil. That’s why I don’t like to fool around with such things.” He picked a coke can up and spit tobacco juice into it.”

  “It sounds kind of scary,” said Ethan, nervously scratching the top of his head. “I’m starting to wonder if I might be a little psychic, but I’m not sure yet. Miss Green seems to think I am. She’s supposed to take me over to Flintridge later today, by the way. I’m kind of excited to learn something about the place.”

  “You go over there, and it might be the last anyone hears from you,” said Simon laughing. “I’d think about it, if I was you. It’s way out in the middle of nowhere. Lots of haints living there, I’m sure. I’ve probably even got a few restless ancestors hanging around that old house.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be okay,” said Ethan. “But I’ll be on the lookout for haints, as you call them.”

  “Well, I know I wouldn’t hang around there after dark.”

  “We’ll be back before it gets dark. She wants to take me out there and tell me something about her upbringing. I don’t think she would want to be there when it got dark, either.”

  “You might learn a few things, if you listen to her. I just hope you make it back. I’m kind of starting to enjoy our little talks, even if it is only the second time we’ve met.”

  Ethan laughed nervously and said, “Oh, I know I’ll make it back okay. I enjoy our little talks too.”

  “Yeah, I imagine nothing bad will happen to you while you’re there,” said Simon, spitting into the can again. “But I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.” He laughed at this.

  Ethan laughed too, though only halfway.

  After leaving Simon to his whittling, Ethan walked over to Piggly Wiggly and bought a healthy lunch consisting of a Coke, potato chips, and a Snicker’s candy bar, which he ate while seated next to the large downtown fountain. He nearly strangled on Coke when someone from behind him yelled, “Boo!”

  “You see,” said Cynthia, “reading Edgar Allen Poe has got you all nervous.”

  Ethan laughed and said, “Yeah, he did write some pretty scary stuff. Please, have a seat. Want part of my candy bar or chips?”

  Cynthia sat down beside him and said, “No, thank you. I just ate not too long ago.”

  “I’m glad you found me here,” said Ethan. “I was thinking about looking for you at the library when I finished eating.”

  “That’s where I was headed, hoping I’d find you there.”

  “Since we both seem to have enough books to last us for a while, maybe we can find something else to do. It’s a nice day out, even if it is a little hot.”

  “It’s a nice day for a walk,” said Cynthia.

  “That sounds fun,” said Ethan. “I guess it’ll be okay to leave my bike here for a little while.”

  “I don’t think anybody will bother it,” said Cynthia. “You can kind of hide it a little in those bushes over there.” She grabbed a potato chip and ate it.

  “Hey, I thought you weren’t hungry,” said Ethan.

  “Who can resist a potato chip,” she said, eating another one. Hope you don’t mind me taking a sip of your Coke. Potato chips make me thirsty.”

  “No, it’s fine. I don’t have too many diseases.”

  They laughed and finished the Coke, potato chips, and candy bar together. After hiding the bike in the bushes, the two walked up South College Street, and Cynthia showed Ethan where he’d be going to school at the end of summer, giving him a bit of a knot in his stomach at the thought of having to try to fit in with a whole new set of kids. What if they all hated him? Next, they walked over to the city park and followed the gravel path all the way around the small man-made lake, though Ethan thought it looked more like a fancy pond. Tired from the heat and walking, they sat on a bench beneath a large oak tree and watched a duck and her ducklings swim about.

  “It’s such a beautiful day,” said Cynthia, “hot but beautiful.”

  “It ain’t so bad here in the shade,” said Ethan. He wanted to reach over and clasp Cynthia’s hand but thought better of it. He was sure she would immediately slap him and run away.

  “I like to take walks and get exercise,” said Cynthia. “It’d be nice to have someone to walk with me sometimes.”

  Ethan smiled. “I’d love to walk with you,” he said.

  “We could walk some days and ride our bikes on other days.”

  “Perfect,” said Ethan, his smile growing.

  When they had returned to the town square, Ethan was relieved to see that his bike hadn’t been stolen. No one but Cynthia could have compelled him to leave it unattended in the middle of town. He rode home that afternoon happier than he had been in a while. He really liked Cynthia. At least now there was someone around he could relate to, someone his own age. She was pretty too, though she’d be even prettier if she fixed up a little bit like her sister, but that didn’t really matter.

  The house was hot when he got home, so he exchanged his clothes for a pair of shorts, turned the window air-conditioners on, and laid down on the living room couch, soon falling asleep. He woke up sometime later
when he heard the squeaky front door open.

  “Oh, hi, Ethan,” said his mom, walking in the house. “Glad to see you’re at home. Got the house cooled down, I see.”

  Mike Kinsley walked in beside her. Ethan rolled over to face the back of the couch and covered his head with a pillow.

  “I think we’re about over this rude phase now,” said Sandy. “Sit up and act half civilized.”

  “I just woke up. I’m not awake yet.” He reluctantly sat up and rubbed his eyes.

  “How’s it going, Bud?” said Mike.

  “Okay, I guess,” said Ethan. He wanted to tell him that they were in no way buds but decided against it, for his mom’s sake only.

  “I splurged and got us a color TV today,” said Sandy, laying her purse on the only other chair in the room, “thought it was time we moved up to the 1970s. Why don’t you help Mike bring it in. We had to put it in his car. My little Volkswagen wouldn’t hold it.”

  “Okay, let me put my shoes on,” Ethan said, perking up a little at the thought of a color TV. That old black and white TV had to be slapped a few times to even get it to work half the time.

  “Try to contain your excitement, if you can,” said Sandy. “Your enthusiasm is overwhelming.”

  “It’s great, Mom. I haven’t had time to think about it yet. It’ll be nice to watch shows in color. Let me get ready and we’ll bring it in.” He went to his bedroom, changed into a pair of bellbottom jeans and a blue t-shirt, and put his new Converse tennis shoes on. He washed his face in the bathroom sink to rinse the sleepiness away. To Ethan’s relief, Mike left after they had carried the heavy television into the living room and set it up. Ethan wished he’d leave and never come back.

  “Why don’t we go into town and find something to eat,” Sandy suggested.

  “I can’t today. I’m going over to Miss Green’s early. She wants to show me her old home place.”

  “Is she paying you extra to come in early?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t think to ask her.”

  “You must like it okay over there if you’re volunteering to go in early.”

  “It’s not too bad, I guess. It’s better with that Miss Satterfield gone. I get along pretty well with Miss Green. She’s kind of strange, but I like her alright.”

  “That’s good. I was hoping this job would work out for you. I guess my job’s a job; it’ll somewhat pay the bills. I do enjoy working with the girls there, though. A few of us are going to go out tomorrow night. I’m not sure where yet, but I need to get out and get to know some people. Mike is going to be working most of the weekend, anyway. One of his employees just had a baby, a boy, I think.

  “I don’t have a thing in the fridge to eat that don’t have to be thawed. We can pick up a burger and fries at Frosty Freeze, if you want, and I can drop you off at Miss Green’s.”

  “What about my bike?”

  “Just strap it to the top of the Beetle like you’ve done before.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” said Ethan.

  Chapter 7

  Zelma Green, wearing a black knee-length dress and the same strand of pearls she seemed to always wear around her neck, was standing at the front door when Sandy dropped Ethan off that evening. “We need to head out,” she said, ushering Ethan inside and closing and locking the front door behind him. Ethan felt sort of special being invited in through the front entrance, as Miss Satterfield had made such a big deal out of him only being good enough to use the kitchen door. “There’s so much I want to show you at Flintridge before it gets dark. I don’t like to be out after dark.” Ethan followed her through the house, out the back door, and to the garage. She extended a set of keys to him.

  “What’s that for?”

  “Well, whom do you suppose is going to drive?” she asked. “I haven’t driven in at least five years now, nearly wrecked then due to my eyesight.”

  Ethan reluctantly took the keys from her hand and said, “I don’t have a driver’s license.”

  “In my day people didn’t need a drivers license to drive. That’s just a silly rule a bunch of busybodies came up with to grab a few dollars. I thought you said your father used to let you drive—am I right?”

  “He did let me drive a few times on some back roads.”

  “Well, it’s all back roads to Flintridge, so you should be okay.”

  “What if we get pulled over?”

  “The law around here doesn’t pay attention to the back roads. Besides, if we do get pulled over, I’ll claim full responsibility. Now, do you want to go to Flintridge, or should we stay here?”

  “No, I want to go,” said Ethan smiling unconsciously. In spite of his apprehensions, he couldn’t imagine anything better to do at the moment than to drive that masterpiece of an automobile to an old abandoned mansion. He unlocked and opened the garage door, hardly able to contain his excitement, and backed the vehicle out carefully. Once outside of the garage, he exited the vehicle long enough to open the passenger door for Zelma. “Chivalry lives,” she proclaimed once Ethan had returned to the driver’s seat.

  Ethan drove slowly down the long driveway. He was just tall enough to see out the windshield. The last time he drove, his dad supervising his every move, he had to sit on a pillow and stretch to reach the pedal, nearly standing up. The fact that he could now easily reach the pedal and see out the windows without a pillow made him feel quite grown. Following Miss Green’s directions, he turned left out of the driveway and left again onto West Cedar Street. The large vehicle made him feel like he was piloting a boat. As they moved away from Rocky Creek, the houses quickly thinned out until the landscape became mostly open farmland. They met only one vehicle on this road, and when they turned left onto another smaller road, there wasn’t another vehicle in sight.

  “Speed it up some,” said Miss Green. “We want to get back before dark. You drive like an old lady.”

  Ethan laughed and pushed the gas pedal down more, reaching a speed of sixty. The wind blew in the window like freedom. He shouted a little in his excitement and said, “You’re pretty cool, Miss Green.”

  “Don’t tell anyone that,” she said. “It’s best that everyone believe I’m an old prune.”

  Ethan laughed again. He was certainly not going to tell his mom about this experience. He’d be in trouble for sure.

  “Slow down and turn right on this little road up here,” said Zelma. “We’re not far now.”

  Turning onto the narrow road, Ethan drove at a slower pace, as the way was meandering.

  Rounding a final curve, Miss Green announced, “There it is to the left.”

  Ethan looked over to see a very large brick home down a long driveway. He gasped, awestruck. The contrast between the seemingly endless farmland and the abandoned, lonely mansion struck him as almost surreal. “Wow,” he said, “this place is huge.” He drove cautiously up the long and sparsely graveled driveway.

  “This was my home for many years. It has been in my family since it was built around 1820, and the land has been in my family even longer. There was a small cabin here originally.”

  “That’s crazy,” said Ethan. “It’s hard to believe a house could stay in one family for so many years.”

  “People didn’t used to move around all the time like they do now. People had roots. As families prospered, as was the case with my family, they would add rooms to their house or build a bigger one.

  “The original log cabin, which later became the kitchen, is situated behind the house. It’s a fairly large two-room structure. One room was the kitchen; the other room was a living quarters for the cooks and their families. That kitchen was still used during the summer months when I was a little girl, but by then a more modern kitchen had been installed in the basement of the house. A dumbwaiter, a device like a tiny elevator, was used to easily transport food to the grand dining room. In the early days of Flintridge, dining was quite a formal affair. Meals were served in courses, and servants would standby, refilling glasses and china coffee
cups as needed, carrying away emptied plates. By my day, however, dining manners, though still respectable, were nowhere near as formal as they had once been. War changed everything.

  “My great-great grandfather built the large home you see. The bricks were made on the property, as building materials were much more difficult to obtain in those days. It was originally quite unadorned. It was my grandfather who added the Italianate porch and detailed trim work when that became the fashion.”

  Ethan pulled the car up close to the house and turned off the motor. He got out of the car and opened the door for Miss Green. He assisted her until she was standing upright, leaning on the horse-head cane for support. She clasped Ethan’s arm for further support, given the uneven ground, and the two walked slowly up the front porch steps. A one-story porch ran most of the width of the house.

  “This place is beautiful,” said Ethan, looking out across the land before the house. “There’s not another house in sight, no cars driving by, almost like it would have been a century ago. It must be peaceful at night.”

  “Yes, it is very peaceful, indeed. It was my home for many years. Growing up I promised myself I would never leave.”

  “Why did you leave it?”

  “I left here for the last time when I married my fourth husband. I was young and in love. That happens to girls, you know. They fall in love and forget all about their girlhood years and the promises they made. Given a divine chance, it’s the first place I’d go back to: those days of my first true love. But those days are long gone. Time ever moves forward. People create all kind of fancy watches and clocks, never stopping to realize that they’re building monuments to the greatest of all thieves.

  “George Britt was his name, my fourth husband but first love. I’ve never loved another man the way I loved George. People tend to remember the first and the best of things; George was both.”

  “How did you meet George?”

  “Let’s sit down on this bench here, and I’ll tell you. It’s a beautiful day. There’s so much I want to tell you, and if I don’t get to tell it all today, we’ll come back. I hope you’ll want to come back.”