by G. F. Frost
The tombstones, she thought. We need to repair them. They need to be upright again. I’ll talk to Mister Grant today. She felt it was the right thing to do.
She didn’t have to wait long to talk to Mister Grant. She heard his rickety truck sputtering up the driveway as she finished her notes. Jenkins was jumping at the front door when she walked out to meet him. He had on the pair of overalls that Massey loved to see him in. They looked as old and worn as he was. The flannel shirt seemed newer, but went well with the work boots and cap. He always looked as though he had planned his work wardrobe well for each day he came to work.
Jenkins bounded towards him and stopped just at his heels. The old man never gave him a pat, but picked up a twig and threw it into the drive to keep him at bay. He took off his hat and scratched his balding head as Massey approached. He knew she had something special for him to do since she walked so purposefully towards him.
He noticed that her eyes seemed a bit tired, but he would never comment.
“Mister Grant, I have a project for you today. I know you don’t like to work in the cemetery, but I really need to put the fallen headstones right. There are only two and I’ll make it worth your time. Can you dig into the ground and make sure they’re sturdy and stationary? I want them to stay up for as long as they can.” Massey was leading him towards the graveyard as she spoke.
He looked at the stones and then tried to pull at them. It was useless.
“These things been buried here a long, long time, Miss,” Mister Grant said as he wiped his hands on his overalls.
“Could you dig them out and really try? If you need help, you can hire someone else.”
She felt a twinge of guilt for saying it before asking Theo, but it was important to her. She hoped Theo would understand. She watched as Mister Grant stood over the graves thinking. She knew that he was trying to figure out a way to make it right. She also knew that he was waiting for her to place a dollar amount on his labor for the job. She didn’t go there. She knew he’d do it for whatever price she paid.
Massey watched as he returned to his truck for a crowbar. He tried to pry the stones from the ground, but they would take digging. He returned again with a long-handled shovel. Massey sat on the porch and watched as he began digging around the stones. When he stopped to wipe his brow, he looked over at her, a bit frustrated. She knew that Mister Grant thought she was a lot of trouble. Theo’s chores were always common and planned.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable, she decided to go inside and leave it to him. As she walked through the front door, she looked up towards the attic. Hesitantly, she decided to see what had caused the big commotion last night. Daylight always gives one a false sense of security, she thought, as she approached the attic door.
The door would not open all the way. The large metal baby bassinet blocked the corner of the door. Massey pushed her way in and looked at the crib lying on its side. She remembered seeing it in the far corner just days ago. It took a lot of effort to stand the bed on its legs again. She tried to pull it back to its original place, but it was far too heavy. She could not imagine how the thing sped across the rough floorboards as Father Patrick had said, but she believed him. She walked around the attic and looked underneath items to see if she spotted anything that she may have missed before. She looked back at the crib and imagined the baby lying in it. She could see him in his sweet white dress kicking his little, white-socked feet.
Walking to the door, she noticed something she hadn’t seen before. Under an eave near the door was a section of wall that looked out of place. The boards on the wall didn’t match the others. She walked to it and ran her hands across the rough wood. Comparing it to the opposite wall, she could easily see that someone had repaired or replaced it. She looked around the room for something to use to pry the boards away. There was nothing to offer help. She’d have to go to the barn.
As she walked out the kitchen door, she heard the engine of Mister Grant’s truck revving loudly. She peeked around the corner and saw that he had chained one of the tombstones to the truck and was forcing it up. She stood amazed. Running to the cemetery, she stood and watched as the stone lifted. She yelled to Mister Grant to stop. He stopped the engine and met her at the graveside. He had already dug a small channel to hold the stone in place. Massey bent down to steady the stone as he walked it into the channel. Together they backfilled the dirt into the channel, and Joseph’s stone stood upright again after over one hundred years on the ground. Massey leapt to her feet and yelled.
“Yeah! It worked, it worked!” She clapped her hands together.
Mister Grant smiled a bit.
Massey bent back down and packed the earth firmly around the headstone. Mister Grant followed suit by using the shovel to tamp the loose ground firmly around it. They stood proudly looking down at Mister Grant’s accomplishment. It was simply amazing. The inscription on the stone was as perfect as the day it was made. The marble had darkened through the years, but the name and message was still legible. Massey could have hugged the old man.
She could hardly wait for Marie’s. She ran into the barn and grabbed another shovel. She began to dig the channel in front of the stone as Mister Grant dug away at the embedded marker. Before long, he attached the chain and went to his truck to pull the stone upright. Massey stood nervously watching. She knew the stone was brittle and ancient, and she couldn’t bear to think of it crumbling. Just as the first, it slowly rose to its feet and stood. Massey’s heart began to pound.
She and Mister Grant again worked to get the stone into place. Again, the sad, old stone stood proudly beside Joseph’s. Massey couldn’t contain herself. She jumped around, yelling and clapping. Mister Grant didn’t know what to think of her. He shook his head. Massey wasted no time in filling in around the stone. Then, she sat on the mound of dirt and looked at the two stones. Her eyes filled with tears.
“They’ve waited too long for this, Mister Grant,” Massey said, her tears dropping to the dirt.
Slapping his hands together, Mister Grant picked up the shovel and walked away. He obviously didn’t know what to say. Both he and Massey were covered in damp soil. She hadn’t noticed. She stood up and backed away from the graves, wondering if they knew or even cared.
It is right though, she thought. It is the way it should be. If only now we could find the baby’s grave.
“Mister Grant, wait! Bring back your shovel. Help me dig!” Massey yelled as she began to stick her shovel into the ground around the graves.
He looked across the drive at Massey. Without asking a question, he started towards her. She was digging frantically around each grave, piercing the ground with each thrust of the blade. As Mister Grant approached, the look on his face became more confused.
“Ma’am, I don’t mind fixing the stones, but I ain’t gonna disturb the graves by digging in a graveyard,” he said as he stood at the iron gate.
“No, you don’t understand. There was a baby buried here, and I know it must have a stone somewhere. It was buried here in this cemetery. I saw it,” Massey replied without thinking.
Mister Grant shook his head and turned, walking towards the truck. He threw the shovel in the back and walked towards the barn. Massey stopped and watched him. She suddenly realized what she had said. There was no way to explain it, so she decided not to. She threw her shovel down and followed him into the barn. He was attaching the debris collector to the mower when she reached the barn doors.
“What can I use to tear up a wall?” Massey asked as he looked up at her.
“What kind of wall are you planning to destroy?” Mister Grant asked.
“Well, its wood, but I’m not going to destroy it. I just want to open it up.”
Mister Grant looked at her and walked to the wall of the barn retrieving a large crowbar and rubber hammer.
“Try this,” he said, handing her the tools. He didn’t ask any more questions, and he knew better than to ask if she needed help.
As she entered th
e kitchen from the back door, Massey realized that Theo would be arriving tonight. He would be tired, hungry, and horny. She had to get into a bath, doll herself up, and get a good dinner going. It had completely slipped her mind. She had a lot to talk to Theo about, and she knew she had to get him in the proper state of mind first. She’d make tonight pleasant and hope she could reveal everything to him tomorrow.
* * * *
Massey couldn’t make it to the phone in time. Her hair was dripping wet and she barely had her robe around her by the time she reached it. It was Father Patrick. He would not be coming by this evening, but would call her again later. She listened to the message, and she was relieved that he would not be doing the house blessing today. She had too much to do. She would use the time in the kitchen to think of how to tell Theo everything. She would butter him up tonight and reveal all tomorrow. She was worried about his reaction. She knew that she had to tell him though.
Theo was tired and sleepy by the time he arrived home. As always though, he was happy to see Massey. His face brightened when she met him at the door. She jumped into his arms and kissed him wildly, making him laugh. Even Jenkins seemed excited for him to be home. He asked about her week, and she discussed the uneventful events of the past days, trying to make them sound interesting. She told him about raising the headstones in the cemetery and about Mrs. Purdue’s visit. He listened carefully as he downed the delicious bowl of jambalaya.
Before Massey could join him at the sofa, he was asleep. Massey understood about jet lag and the sleepless hours on a transatlantic flight. She laid a blanket across him and kissed his head. Theo never moved. She laughed as she pulled off his shoes and Jenkins began to lick his toes. Theo stirred a bit and wiggled his feet. She covered them and made Jenkins lie by the fire. She spent the rest of the evening in front of the television. From time to time, she would glance over her shoulder thinking she had seen something or heard something in the house. She was glad that Theo was there with her.
He looked so comfortable lying there on the parlor sofa, and Massey wasn’t sure if she should wake him to get him upstairs and into their bed. By the time she’d let Jenkins out for the last time and placed the dinner dishes in the dishwasher, she heard Theo stirring
Massey helped him up the stairs with his luggage and watched him folding his slacks across the dresser in the bedroom as she brushed her teeth. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and tell him how much she’d missed him, but his silence let her know that he was too tired for conversation. Before she joined him in bed, she could hear his gentle snores beneath the covers.
The small lamp in the corner reflected in the long antique mirror across the room. Massey looked over at her sleeping husband and walked to the mirror. She stood glancing at herself and noticed Jenkins circling the pillow on the floor. She stood looking deeply into the glass, waiting. A part of her wanted something to appear in the mirror so that Theo could witness something for himself. She knew that he would have to experience something himself to keep him from worrying about her state of mind, and it would take nothing less than that for him to believe any of it.
It was strange to Massey how the room and house seemed different when Theo was home. It always seemed brighter and lighter, especially at night. There was as heaviness in the air when she was there alone, even when Father Patrick was with her in the house. Maybe it was Theo’s attitude. He was so practical. Maybe Massey brought much of this on herself, she thought. She turned out the light and climbed in bed, close to Theo. Warm, strong, practical Theo. Things were better now, but tomorrow would mean talking to him, telling him things that he wouldn’t be happy to hear. For now, she would enjoy feeling safe and happy with him.
Chapter Fourteen
Of course the dreams came. Tonight they started out differently though. The house was nowhere in sight. Massey could hear horse hooves beating against the hard ground. Through a cloud of dust, a buggy pulled by a large horse appeared. Massey could make out the couple sitting on the bouncing carriage. It was Joseph and Marie. The day was so sunny and warm that Massey had to squint to see the couple on their ride. Marie sat in a lacy black dress next to Joseph. He slowed along the side of the river to point something out to her.
As the buggy pulled under a large tree and stopped, Joseph jumped out and reached his hands towards his wife to help her out of the buggy. She smiled as his hands reached for her tiny waist. She seemed light as a feather as he placed her on the green ground. The two walked arm in arm along the side of the muddy river. Joseph removed his short jacket and made a soft place for Marie to sit. He sat beside her with his arm around her small shoulders. She removed her black lacy bonnet and laid her head on his shoulder.
Massey could not hear the words coming from their lips. She wanted to know what they were saying, but was seeing them from a distance. The view of the two was like one in a painting or postcard, the muddy brown Mississippi river flowing steadily behind them as the tree above them rustled in the summer winds. >From time to time, Joseph would reach down and take Marie’s silk-covered hands. Marie looked away from the river long enough to give him a long tender kiss. She pushed a lock of blowing hair away from his blue eyes. Suddenly, the two turned towards Massey and looked directly at her as if they had discovered the voyeur. She wanted to step back but froze in place.
Massey noticed the couple’s eyes changing as they looked at her. The warmth and brightness of the sun did not reflect the kind blue and brown eyes that she normally saw. They became red and evil, the faces melting into something frightening and dark. Their stares had not left her as their faces turned from lovely and kind to monstrous and demonic. Their skin began to melt slowly, sliding and eventually dripping from their faces and bodies. Massey watched in horror as all the flesh fell from their heads revealing bare skulls, their mouths and jaws falling open as if screaming in agony. Within seconds, their flesh had melted to the ground and the clothing they were wearing fell into two heaps upon the dry earth revealing only bones covered in the black cloth. Massey tried to scream, but nothing came.
She awoke. Her heart was beating out of her chest. The bed was empty, and Jenkins was not on the floor beside her. Massey reached to wipe the wetness from her face. She looked around the room and towards the mirror. The dream had horrified her. She had to find Theo and be in the company of someone who would make her feel safe. The smell of coffee filled the downstairs as Massey reached the last few stairs. She could hear Jenkins barking in the front yard.
Searching for Theo, she went from window to window and finally found him standing in the cemetery looking at Joseph and Marie’s graves. He was holding the large mug of coffee to his lips. Massey ran into the study and began to write her nightmare down in the journal. She wondered what it meant.
Theo was wiping his boots at the front door as Massey finished her notes. She met him in the foyer with a huge hug, nearly spilling the tiny bit of coffee left in his cup. He smiled as she wrapped her arms around him. Jenkins tail was beating his legs as he placed his arm around her neck. She was so glad Theo was home. Her heart was still racing from the bad dream. Massey doubted she would tell him about that one.
“The headstones look good,” Theo said as he hung his corduroy jacket in the foyer.
Massey nodded. She didn’t want to let go of his arm. Theo noticed how much she looked like a little girl with her hair tussled and her eyes still swollen from the night’s slumber. He bent down and kissed the top of her head. He wanted to do more, but mornings were never their time for lovemaking. With his arm still tightly around her waist, he walked with her into the kitchen for another cup of coffee.
“Thanksgiving’s just around the corner now. Do you have it all together?” Theo asked as he sat down at the table.
Massey knew that he was expecting something for breakfast, but he would never say so. She poured herself a cup of coffee and leaned back against the counter. She loved the way he placed both his elbows on the table and blew across the top of his cup to cool
the steaming brew. His voice sounded deep and raspy in the mornings.
“I think I’ve got things lined out and ready. I’ll start the cooking in a couple of days, and Sadie will help when she gets here. I’m excited about it. Almost everyone that we invited plans to come. Mrs. Adair from the church can’t, but just about all the rest. We’ll have a crowd. I can’t wait.”
“You’ve sure got the house looking nice. I like all the decorations,” Theo said as he turned and looked at her.
Massey knew he was ready for breakfast, and she didn’t waste any time throwing something together. Theo wanted his three meals a day, and he loved desserts. He was so easy to please, and he liked to eat. She knew that it didn’t matter what she cooked as long as she threw something on the table in front of him. He always said the same thing after every single meal, “That sure hit the spot.” Massey smiled thinking of it.
Theo had inhaled his breakfast before Massey knew it and sat watching her push the food around on her plate. She didn’t have an appetite this morning. The dream had stayed with her. She never knew what they meant, and this last one really disturbed her. She could feel Theo’s eyes on her as she daydreamed over the plate of sausage and pancakes. He hadn’t spoken. She looked up at her husband and smiled. The sausage found its way beneath the table to Jenkins’ mouth, and they laughed when they heard the sound of his heavy tail beating against the floor.
“I don’t know if you’ll want to take the time today, but I really have a lot to tell you, if you’re up to it,” Massey said nervously.
“Sure, have at it,” Theo said as he looked at her.
“Can we go to the parlor? There’s a lot to tell.” Massey reached for his empty plate.
Theo didn’t waste any time. He made his way into the parlor and took his usual spot on his big chair. Massey felt dread creep into her chest as she followed him. She didn’t know how he would take everything she had to say, and mostly, she didn’t want to worry him.