Cat Dubois' Odyssey to Enchantment

by BoJenn

  Larry Johnson turned to Tammy and said, “Tammy, what do you say about all of this?”

  “First of all, I did beat them up. All three of them, not four. They were behind Ms. Dubois house, screaming at her, calling her a witch. They were also chasing her barn animals around with big sticks. I happened to see it, and stepped in. I had to stop them.” Tammy pointed her finger at Cooper who was hiding, “You weren’t hiding earlier today, were you? Scared now, are you?”

  Mrs. Miller said, “Well, that’s none of your business, now, is it?”

  “Yes, m’am; it is.” Tammy gave Cooper’s mother her crystal-blue-eyed look and stared her down.

  Mrs. Miller could hardly look away. She was even more rattled. “You’re interfering and meddlesome. Next time, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, BRAT!” She huffed out of the Johnson’s home.

  Larry slammed the door after her. “Don’t ever come back here again, you horned toad!”, he snarled.

  “Larry!”, Mary scorned him. “And, three of them?”, Mary asked her daughter.

  “Mama, Taylor Snuttgrass ran away. He was with them. There would have been four,” Tammy said as she looked at her mother.

  Mary was mortified at finding out that the young aristocratic boy was also there for the entire incident.

  Tammy softly spoke trying to soften the situation about Cat. “Mama, God talks to Miss Dubois, I know. I heard Him tell her what to pray. She put her hand on my heart, and then one hand on both sides of my chest. See, one here, and one here.” Tammy put her hands on her mother’s chest wall demonstrating Cat’s hand placement during her prayer of healing. “Then, she moved her hands over my heart, and spoke to my heart, Mama.”

  “Tammy, you mustn’t tell anyone,” Mary said, worriedly “Do you hear me? They’ll think you’re crazy, like that woman.” She whispered when she said these words, as if someone might hear her say the name—Cat Dubois. Mary was embarrassed of what others might think of their family if they knew Tammy considered just the opposite of what they purposely disdained about Cat Dubois.

  Tammy looked at her mother with her head cocked to the side.”Really, Mama?”, she questioned. “Do you believe in God, or do you believe this town of mean people?” Tammy gave one of those looks that could kill. Mary felt her daughter’s resistance to the natural flow of life in Glory Town. “You know they’re mean, you know it!”, Tammy exclaimed.

  Mary almost slapped her. “Don’t rock the boat. If you do, it could get bad for you, here…and us.” Mary had firmly replied; however, she felt conviction from Tammy’s words of truth and knew that Tammy was right. But, in Glory Town, it was so small that if Tammy took the side of Cat Dubois, and stood up for her, then they, too, would be ostracized from everything, as little as it might be, that Glory Town offered.

  Mary wasn’t ready to live like Cat Dubois, even though she knew her stance on Cat’s situation was wrong and selfish. “I can’t take your side, Tammy. I can’t. Just not yet. Maybe one day it will all be okay for her.” Mary hugged Tammy.

  But Tammy would not be a hypocrite. One day she would find a way up Downy Ridge Road to go see Miss Dubois without being seen.

  It was later that Cat watched in horror as the smoke and flames could be seen from over the tree tops from Glory Town Center. “What?”, she asked herself. “No! It can’t be.” Her heart was pounding. The smoke could be seen in the distance over the area which should be her property.

  She raced to her Jeep and pressed the gas to move up the mountain. Sure enough, it looked like it was coming from her property. She went as fast as she could. The smoke traveling from town up Downy Ridge Park Road was thick. Terror struck her as she got closer to home; and then saw it was her barn with all her animals within the building which was now engulfed in flames.

  Cat jumped from her Jeep and ran to turn the water on for the hose. “Daddy, I think I know who did it.” Tammy told her father, as they watched smoke billowing from the direction of Cat Dubois’s place.

  Larry jumped in the truck. “Tammy, before you go accusing anyone, you need to make sure you know for a fact who burned it down,” he said, firmly. There were two reasons to be sure. One, accusing someone who is innocent is plainly wrong; and, two, accusing someone in this town of wrongdoing could be very costly—meaning, the accuser might catch hell from the guilty party’s family, if they held any prestigious position or had money to do away with the problematic accuser.

  Defending Cat Dubois would be costly no matter what. A business or a home would definitely suffer calamity. Any direct or indirect attack was possible; and Larry feared Tammy’s meddling would create problems. Mary was right about that. Tammy had no business interfering with the status quo of Glory Town.

  “I’m coming with you, Daddy!”, Tammy yelled. She jumped in the passenger seat.

  “Tammy, you stay here.”

  “No. I feel responsible. I’m going with you, Daddy.”

  Larry drove as fast as he could up the winding road to help. “How can you be partly responsible?”

  “I don’t know. I just feel partly responsible,” she whispered with a tone of guilt in her voice. “Just trust me. I know it was them. I know it,” Tammy said. She could feel it in her gut.

  “Who? Who do you think did it?”, Larry asked.

  “The boys I beat up behind her house.” Tammy paused, and then said, “No, they were in town this afternoon. It can’t be them.” But she was thinking, there had to be a connection.

  They pulled up to Cat’s home to find her hosing down the smoldering remains of the barn, alone. It was burned to the ground with everything in it. Cat had kept kittens, four goats, a horse, two calves, and several chickens. The dogs died trying to help the puppy trapped inside the burning barn. They were smothered by the smoke. Hopefully, they didn’t suffer, and the barn cats were nowhere to be found.

  Cat’s face was puffy and her cheeks were pink and damp with tears. Her eyes were red from the smoke, and ashes were smudged all over her face. “Why? Why? Why did they do this? My animals.”

  Soberly, Larry took the hose from her hand and began to methodically douse the final smolders with water. “Cruelty,” he replied. “Plain old meanness and hatefulness.”

  Tammy found a rake and started pulling up the burning ashes so her father could spray them with water. They worked for hours, making certain that no small sparks could erupt or ignite other fires. Larry wondered why the volunteer fire department didn’t have the decency to come. He was furious with all of them for leaving Cat to handle the disaster alone. The three of them worked until it was safe so Cat would not have to worry about her home catching on fire.

  When it was successfully doused, Tammy held Cat’s hand and cried with her. “Ms. Dubois, may I stay with you tonight? Please?” It was late. They had worked into the darkness of the night.

  “I don’t know.” Cat sobbed. “Your mother won’t like it.”

  “Please. I want to. You will need someone. You came for me, so I will stay with you. Please.”

  “But Tammy, your mother?”

  “Daddy, tell mother something. I’m staying here tonight,” Tammy said, determinedly.

  Larry nodded and put an arm around Cat as she sobbed, saying nothing, like a good, kind friend should do. He didn’t know what to say to her. But the next Sunday, he gave the church a piece of his mind. He walked unto the pulpit uninvited; he shook his finger at all of them, “How can you call yourselves Christians, after leaving Cat Dubois to fend for herself, leaving her to clean up that mess alone? You didn’t even offer any kindness?” He stormed out of the church as strongly as he captured the pulpit. The large church doors slammed on his way out. He had tears streaming down his face.

  Mary was in the congregation at the time. She had no idea that Larry was going to do what he did. She was mortified. She didn’t know what to think or believe. She was so persuaded by the snobs in Glory Town she felt divided and ashamed when they all looked at her in the pew. She shook her head, then got up and left.

/>   Tammy did stay with Cat that night. They said very little in the beginning, but Cat was glad she had company. She thought of her animals trapped in the fire and unable to get out. She cried much of the night. She sipped her nightly brandy, and Tammy enjoyed Cat’s homemade teas.

  “Oh, this is so good; what’s in it?” Tammy asked a million questions, and Cat wasn’t able to keep up with her fast thinking.

  “Tammy, one day, I will tell you some secrets, but not tonight. I can’t. I’m too sad. Do you understand?”, Cat softly pleaded.

  “Yes, I do; and I’ll wait. I must be bothering you,” Tammy answered.

  “No. Not at all. I’m glad you’re here. It’s just that I…I’m not used to company. I sort things out on my own.” Cat looked down. “My two shetland ponies died; my precious babies; all of them. How could they?” Cat was bawling, sniffling, and used her hand and sleeve to wipe her face, as she didn’t care at a time like this. She turned away from Tammy.

  “Should I go?” Tammy felt awkward and uncomfortable.

  “NO!”, Cat cried. Then, in a quieter voice, she begged, “No, please don't go. I live in silence. It’s nice to hear a voice.”

  There was absolute quietness. The grandfather clock’s tick was loud. “Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock,” followed by “dong—dong—dong.” The room was silent; the clock’s noises seemed loud. It was 12 a.m.

  Tammy had to tell Cat something. She wanted her to know how special she was to her, and how thankful she was for Cat’s generosity and prayers. Tammy said, “You know they went to heaven.”

  Cat looked surprised. “What? What do you mean—they?”

  “The animals. They went to heaven,” Tammy explained.

  “How do you know that?” Cat seemed surprised by Tammy’s statement.

  “I know they are there, just like the night you prayed for me.” Tammy smiled at Cat. “I went to heaven that night. I saw all my animals that went before me. They were there. All of them. They greeted me.”

  “Really?” Cat wanted to know more. “Tell me, tell me more. Please.”

  Tammy came by Cat’s feet and knelt on the floor. She snuggled up to her, and pulled the comforter over her shoulder. “Well, in heaven it is so beautiful. There are no words, except to say the greens are alive. Each color vibrates and is alive. All of our pets are there and they can’t wait to see you. They talk. We talk back using our minds. They understand. We know what they’re saying. They know back. It’s unbelievable.”

  “Why did you come back then? If it’s good there, then why? Why did you return?”, Cat asked.

  “They gave me a choice. I decided to return because there is something I know I have to do—a mission.” Tammy’s eyes flickered to mystic blue just like Cat’s when she worked in the Spirit.

  Cat took note of Tammy’s eyes, and recognized she, too, had the gift. She saw it in the brilliant crystal color in her glance.

  “Maybe being here is my journey—just like you,” Tammy squeezed her hand.

  “Be careful in this town. If they know you’re here with me, it could be bad for you. They will make it hard on you.” Cat paused as she looked briefly in Tammy’s eyes, then down. “You must trust me.”

  “I know already. I choose being here with you—because, I know what you have. I experienced a little when you gave me that night in prayer. You spoke in French. You called me forth from the darkness and into the light and healing power of Christ. I followed; and, here I am, ready or not.”

  “I don’t speak French,” Cat said, matter-of-factly. She stared at Tammy, unblinking.

  “Well…if it wasn’t you speaking French, then who was it?”, Tammy whispered.

  “I don’t know,” Cat replied seriously.

  They both laughed. Cat grabbed Tammy’s head to her chest, through the tears and laughter. Cat said, “You don’t understand the tests, the things you will go through to become this. It is not an easy life.”

  “But, I want it. I want to be like you,” Tammy said.

  Cat rubbed her innocent head, “Dear Tammy! You don’t know what you’re asking.”

  Cat was so happy to have her there that night. Even so, she had to be truthful with the girl. “Of course, she’s innocent. She can’t fathom isolation, loneliness and hatred—an idealist, just like I was,” she thought. Cat touched her fair cheek and smiled, looking into her beautiful crystal-blue eyes, and seeing a pure soul filled with wonder. “Just like I was. Oh, my. What shall I do with such a sweet, innocent girl? Hmm?”, she wondered some more.

  “Teach me,” Tammy whispered.

  Over time, the harassment did slow down—some. The boys continued on the sly, even though they were instructed to leave the woman alone. What they were truly concerned about were the legal implications—what if Ms. Dubois blamed them?

  Dillinger and Cooper met with fat boy, Ethan Humphreys, to discuss the matter. “What have you heard?”, asked Cooper.

  “Nothing,” replied Ethan.

  “There's nothing to worry about,” Dillinger said. "We didn’t do anything.”

  “I’m not sure that Tammy Johnson won’t nail us,” Cooper fretted.

  “What can she say? We were in town that afternoon!”, Ethan wailed.

  “Yeah, so? She hates us,” Cooper added another negative.

  “She may hate us,” said Ethan, “but she isn’t a liar, I think.”

  “What about Snuttgrass? What happen to that freak?” Dillinger pointed out this small invisible fact.

  “I wondered, too. What happened to him? Was he in town that afternoon when the fire broke out?”, Ethan questioned.

  “I didn’t see him,” Dillinger said.

  “Me, either,” said Cooper.

  “Nope, me, either,” Ethan agreed. “So, where was he?”

  They shook there heads because there was no telling where Taylor Snuttgrass was hanging that afternoon.

  “Did Tammy see him?”, Ethan asked.

  “I wondered that too,” Cooper added.

  Then Dillinger shook his head and put his two cents in, “Not sure we’ll ever know.”

  They broke up their meeting. But, Ethan added before leaving, “We gotta find out where he was.”

  “You get on it!”, Dillinger said.

  “We all get on it,” Ethan spoke with force.

  So, the church held their own investigations. They said whomever was responsible should also turn themselves into the church leaders. Of course, no one surrendered. And, no one but Tammy gave this matter any more empathy or thought.

  The insurance company conducted their own investigation. It was a joke, Tammy thought.

  Of course, the church knew who did it—Ethan Humphreys, and Cooper and Dillinger Miller, and, she had almost forgotten that Taylor Snuttgrass had pussyfooted away that day. She also thought about the fact that Taylor wasn’t seen in town the afternoon of the fire. “Taylor Snuttgrass?”, she thought. “Could it have been him, alone, who set the fire?”

  Progressing time and circumstances did not change anything except that no more of Cat’s property was burned.

  Cat made a vow, to herself, uttering under her breath, and she meant every word, “I will do my own seeking of good. I will worship in my own way. I will not be destroyed or alarmed. They are not God. He has the final say.” I know it is not them, per se, but it is that which lives in them. It is their Satan. They are unaware. They are ignorant. So, she perfectly reasoned.

  Whispers, Voices, and More Brandy, please

  Time seemed to move slowly. The minutes, hours, days, seasons, and years merged together. In that home, Cat Dubois’ routine of isolation and loneliness played its course. On occasion, she ventured into Glory Town, but only when necessary would she make the trip down the mountain.

  The taunting had lessened, even from the gossip queens. She slipped in and out of town without harassment. She was now regarded as invisible— like a cellophane person.

  Her thirst for friendships, and hunger for touch grew within her, as she ag
ed. To suppress those emotions, she studied for long hours about anything, as long as the topic interested her. She absorbed information. And, she drank wine and brandy. Self-medication sometimes started as early as noon, but the loneliness and despair were there each morning she awakened. This home held all of her memories of her mother and father, and other ghosts she didn’t know. She had no other family, and didn’t have a desire to move or go anywhere else. She was depressed; and, if she could reach her mother or father telepathically, past the barrier of human breathing existence, this home held that hope. She would not leave, no matter what the cost.

  Many times, she conversed with her mother as if she were present. “Mama, what do you think? Should I move? Is there someplace I need to be?” Her mother was quiet. No answer from the other world. Cat held within her a hope of something unknown. In time, it would eventually happen, she convinced herself. “So, I hold on, and intend to continue to do so,” she quipped to her disenchanted misery, in a stubborn manner. Living there by a faith of something unknown, but understood by her, and trusting that, in time, the unknowing would unravel, she just waited.

  She still remembered Daniel saying someone would come. She also remembered Michael and Gabby’s saying the same. She had to wait. She must follow through with their hints because she also had faith in their predictions of the future.

  The books she had on hand were mostly spiritual material and accounts of history. The Apocrypha, the Gnostic Gospels, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, fairy tales, poems, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, the Bible, The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, and so many more. Her library also contained some classics, newspapers, magazines on gardening, and cookbooks. Oh, how she wanted to cook for someone!