The Spirit of Cattail County

by Victoria Piontek

  Maeve reached her hand to the stone and gingerly stroked it in another very un-Maeve-like way. The spirits disassembled and parted, allowing her passage through their veil. They approved of her homage. “Johnny! Come over here!”

  Johnny jogged up beside the girls. “What did you find?”

  “Sparrow’s ghost.”

  By the time they’d finished looking at the headstone, Eli had gone. This turn of events disappointed Sparrow. She liked Eli and wanted to talk to him some more. Talking to people who came from different parts of the country reminded her that life was made up of more than Castos, Daltons, and Monroes, and that made her world feel bigger.

  Maeve nudged Sparrow in the ribs to get her attention. “He’s got to be the one, right?”

  Sparrow didn’t know. She’d had a strong reaction to the grave, but the Boy hadn’t shown himself. She expected to see him or at least see a sign from him to let her know she was on the right track, but he remained missing.

  “It makes sense. If that is his grave, something sad happened to him. It’s almost like he was put in that corner to be forgotten.”

  Maeve shuddered. “I’d hate to be put in the ground without even a lamb to keep me company and no inscription to say anything nice about me!”

  “It’s heartbreaking.” Sparrow remembered the stone Auntie Geraldine put at Mama’s grave. It was a marker of remembrance, not of forgetting. She’d done right by Mama and Sparrow in that small act. A rush of gratitude for Auntie Geraldine flowed through Sparrow. Then she recalled the FOR SALE sign and Auntie Geraldine’s plan to take her away, and the anger surged back. Getting one part right didn’t absolve Auntie Geraldine of the rest.

  Johnny nodded his agreement. Sparrow was learning that Johnny wasn’t much of a talker. He usually waited until he had something to say before speaking, said it, and then clammed up again. It was probably why the spirits liked him so much.

  Maeve, on the other hand, chatted endlessly.

  Sparrow liked both approaches and both Castos immensely. She’d never had a circle of friends before. At school, everyone clumped in groups, except Sparrow. She spent most of her time alone. The other kids overlooked her as if she were as much of a ghost as the Boy. She liked the comfort of her newfound group. It made everything easier.

  Sparrow recalled her earlier conversation with Elena. She had mentioned that knowing who the Boy had been in life would help Sparrow figure out what was preventing him from finding peace. That logic made sense to Sparrow. Coming to the graveyard had been a good beginning, but with an unmarked gravestone as their only clue, it felt like starting back at square one. Tomorrow she’d find Elena and tell her what they’d discovered. Sparrow hoped Elena would have advice about what to do next.

  The three kids started along the main road back to town. The day had turned oppressive, the heat so stifling it felt like walking through the swamp rather than near it.

  Maeve pushed her red hair back from her face. “I’m practically … well, I was going to say dying, but it seems tacky. Anyway, I’m parched. Anyone got money?”

  “Nope,” Johnny said.

  “Nope,” Sparrow said.

  “Figures. You know, if we stop by the 76 station and look pathetic enough, Uncle Mason might buy us Cokes from the gas station vending machine,” Maeve said.

  “Great idea. He’s been feeling sentimental about family since he got back to town,” Johnny said.

  “So, let’s milk it,” Maeve said.

  “You up for going by the 76 station, Sparrow?” Johnny asked.

  “Sure.” Sparrow found the idea of going to the 76 station particularly enticing since part of her plan for the day included stopping there, and now she didn’t need an excuse, but she had to ask Maeve and Johnny something. “Do you think I can ask your uncle Mason about being my daddy yet?”

  “NO!” Maeve and Johnny shouted together.

  Sparrow wanted to be loyal to Maeve and Johnny, but she felt time ticking away. With the Boy missing, Mama refusing to show herself, and the house up for sale, she didn’t have too much of it left. “Any idea when it might be okay?”

  “Soon,” Johnny said.

  “By Saturday,” Maeve stated confidently.

  “You can’t promise Sparrow that. We don’t even have it yet,” Johnny said.

  “But we will. We’ve got a plan.” Maeve looked practically devilish.

  “Have what?” Sparrow asked.

  “The most perfect, indisputable, bona fide proof that our uncle is your daddy,” Maeve said.

  Sparrow stopped walking. “Seriously?”

  “Yep, more serious than a snakebite,” Maeve said.

  Sparrow looked at Johnny.

  He looked a bit nervous but smiled. He nodded and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “We do.”

  “Wow.” Sparrow let it sink in. She’d liked the idea from the start, but now that it was real and not just a possibility, Sparrow let herself truly believe it. The idea took hold like a kite in the wind, and Sparrow’s spirit soared. A daddy didn’t replace Mama, but it gave her something she thought she’d lost forever—a parent. The wonderful thing about Mason was that she not only got him but a whole, huge family as a bonus. No one would call her an orphan again.

  A heron croaked, and the three kids looked up. A massive white bird flew overhead. They watched it until it was out of sight and then walked on.

  “You’re sure by Saturday?” Sparrow asked.

  “Absolutely,” Maeve said.

  “That’s good. I need a daddy sooner rather than later.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “My aunt. She is going to sell the house.”

  “WHAT!”

  “Yep, she put a sign up yesterday.”

  “That can’t happen. A Dalton needs to live in that house.”

  “I know, but she’s determined. She hates it.”

  “Course she does. It’s haunted.”

  Funny, Sparrow had never considered Dalton House haunted before, but now that Maeve said it, she supposed that’s exactly what it was.

  “If I didn’t know about your ghost and that he was friendly, I’d be scared out of my britches if I lived in your house.”

  “I guess,” Sparrow said. She didn’t like being pushed to feel empathetic toward Auntie Geraldine. “With the Boy gone, I have this sick feeling that if the house sells before he gets back, he might not find me if I am not living at Dalton House. I thought if your uncle Mason knew Auntie Geraldine is selling the house, he’d come live there with me. That way I wouldn’t have to leave, and the Boy would always be able to find me.” Mama too, Sparrow thought.

  Maeve stopped in the road and put her hands on her hips. “I planned you would come live with us. I mean, it’s lonely over at your place. And you know, it’s creepy. No offense. Why would you want to stay there?”

  Sparrow thought of all the reasons why she’d want to stay at Dalton House—Mama, the Boy, the marsh, her porch, her memories—all of it wrapped up into the bundle she called home.

  Johnny came to her rescue. “Of course she wants to live at her house, and I’m sure Uncle Mason would love it there too. He’s real handy, so he could fix some of the things Sparrow and her mama weren’t able to keep up with. I think it sounds perfect.”

  Maeve looked dubious.

  “He’s living in a rusted trailer now, Maeve,” Johnny said.

  “It’s not what I had in mind, but I want to see what this ghost can do, so I suppose you can live there,” Maeve conceded.

  “The only thing is, I think he’ll need to buy it from Auntie Geraldine,” Sparrow said.

  Maeve and Johnny shared a look Sparrow couldn’t read.

  “I know Uncle Mason. Once the secret is out about you being his daughter, he’ll do what needs to be done,” Johnny said.

  “Why do you think he hasn’t told anyone yet? Hasn’t told me?” Sparrow asked.

  “I don’t think he can. I’m not sure, exactly. But it must have something to do with your
auntie Geraldine.”

  Figured. Auntie Geraldine didn’t want Sparrow to have anything. “Why do you think that?”

  “Uncle Mason’s been spending a lot of time with Wesley Monroe, and your auntie Geraldine has been there too.”

  “What do you think it means?”

  Maeve started to speak, but Johnny put his hand on his sister’s arm to stop her. “We’ve said enough already. We’re just guessing right now. Let’s get the proof first. We’ll fill you in on everything else Saturday.”

  Sparrow trusted Maeve and Johnny. “As long as you promise to tell me everything.”

  “We will,” Johnny said.

  “You’re going to change your name, right?” Maeve asked, changing the subject.

  Sparrow hadn’t thought about it, but now that Maeve mentioned it, she assumed that Mason would change his last name to Dalton. “Wouldn’t he want to be a Dalton like me?”

  “But you’ll be a Casto,” Maeve said.

  “Dalton or Casto, Sparrow is family. You know better than anyone it’s the person, not the name, that matters,” Johnny said.

  Maeve rolled her eyes. “Not in this town.”

  Sparrow heard the hurt and felt bad. It’d taken the fight and the picture to bring them together. She’d never tried to befriend Maeve before because it never occurred to her that Maeve would accept her. In truth, Maeve might not have, but all this dividing of families and people were lines drawn in the sand, not a real thing.

  “Maeve,” Sparrow said, but Maeve didn’t hear her.

  The 76 station had come into view, and at the sight of it, Maeve dashed ahead, yelling, “Uncle Mason!”

  Johnny shrugged apologetically and picked up his pace.

  Sparrow matched her stride to Johnny’s, and soon they were standing in front of the 76 station.

  Mason Casto looked up from the truck he worked on.

  Maeve ran straight toward him at top speed.

  He put down the huge wrench he held. “Whoa, slow down there, Missy!”

  Maeve skidded to a stop.

  Mason held up his hand and Maeve high-fived him. Then they engaged in an elaborate handshake that ended with Maeve bumping her hip against his.

  “Do they greet each other like that all the time?” Sparrow asked Johnny.

  “Not always, but enough to be annoying. Uncle Mason adores Maeve.”

  Sparrow felt a twinge of jealousy at hearing that. She hoped Mason would adore her someday.

  Johnny sauntered up to his uncle and Sparrow followed.

  “Look who we found.” Maeve pointed proudly at Sparrow.

  Sparrow wanted to correct Maeve and remind her that she was the one who found them, spying, but Maeve was already talking again.

  “We’re about half dead with thirst and hoping for some Cokes.”

  “Is this so?” Mason asked. He slapped Johnny on the back in greeting. “You too?”

  Johnny nodded. “I am fairly parched.”

  “Sparrow, how about you?” Mason didn’t pat her on the back or high-five her. He just smiled kindly and said, “Would you like a Coke too?”

  “Yes, please.” Sparrow’s mouth started to water at just the thought of the sweet, bubbly liquid. There were few things better than an ice-cold Coke on a boiling hot day.

  Mason got them all Cokes and one for himself too. He took a swig. “All right, off with you three now. I’ve got work to do.”

  “Wait, Uncle Mason. Aren’t you forgetting something?” Maeve put her hand on her uncle’s arm to keep him from turning away.

  A perplexed look came over his face.

  “You know, about the party,” Maeve prompted, raising her eyebrows exaggeratedly high.

  He still looked befuddled.

  “You know, the family cookout? You said we should invite …” Maeve used her thumb to point at Sparrow.

  “Oh, right!” He slapped himself on the head. “We’re having a gathering at our place on Saturday. We’d like it if you’d stop by.”

  “A family gathering,” Maeve said.

  “Mostly family, but the Monroes are coming too,” Mason said.

  “What! You didn’t tell me that! Blah.” Maeve pretended to gag.

  “You will be on your best behavior and be nice to those kids.”

  “They’re so snotty,” Maeve whined.

  “I mean it. Wesley’s been helping me out with something important, and you’ll show them every courtesy, or you can miss the party.”

  Maeve crossed her arms. “Fine. But they better not start something.”

  He pointed a grease-stained finger in Maeve’s face. “You better not start something.”

  “I won’t if they won’t,” Maeve answered, putting her hands on her hips.

  “Maeve, I mean it. You’ll be nice.”

  Sparrow sighed. She figured this back and forth could go on all day, so she interrupted before Maeve could say that the Monroes better be nice. “I’d love to come, thank you.”

  “It will be good to have you. I don’t think we’ve had a Dalton out our way since way back when your mama and I used to pal around together as kids.”

  Maeve, Johnny, and Sparrow shared a meaningful look.

  Mason looked at them curiously, but only said, “Bring your auntie Geraldine too, if she wants to come.”

  The kids stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Not one of them wanted Auntie Geraldine at the cookout.

  Mason laughed. “Geraldine’s not that bad. She’s just misunderstood.”

  Maeve gave her uncle a look that said what all three of them were thinking without uttering one word.

  Mason shook his head. “Remind me never to get on y’all’s bad side. All right, you three. Get on out of here. That truck is not going to fix itself.”

  Sparrow, Maeve, and Johnny left, sipping their Cokes. As soon as they were a few paces away, Maeve nudged Sparrow with her elbow. “You’re coming to a Casto family party.”

  Sparrow smiled. Yes, she was. Everything would be okay after all.

  Sparrow practically floated home. Everything was coming together. She no longer needed to worry about Dalton House being sold or living with Auntie Geraldine. By Saturday, Mason Casto would be her daddy, and they’d live in Dalton House together. Auntie Geraldine would go back to Havisham where she belonged, and Sparrow would be left in peace to solve the mystery of the Boy, and most important, get Mama back.

  Sparrow still didn’t know where the Boy had gone or understand what kept him away, but finding the gravestone gave her hope. The more she thought about the way the swirling spirits acted, the more convinced she became that it meant something important. She was on the right path. She just had to keep following it.

  Sparrow walked past the FOR SALE sign. It still lay askew in the dirt where she’d left it, and the sight of it filled her with glee. It felt like a good omen.

  When she entered the kitchen, Auntie Geraldine was pulling a chicken and rice casserole out of the oven. The rich, warm scent made the house smell like a bouquet of memories. Sparrow leaned against the kitchen door and watched Auntie Geraldine work. The radio still played softly in the background. A country singer crooned “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” in the lonesome way that they do, and Sparrow closed her eyes, conjuring up Mama in Auntie Geraldine’s place.

  At the funeral, someone told Sparrow her memories would fade with time. This was true for some, but other recollections of Mama were so vivid, merely invoking the thought of her summoned her with a clarity that knocked the breath out of Sparrow.

  She heard the sound of two dinner plates being set on the table and opened her eyes. Auntie Geraldine sat in Mama’s chair.

  Reluctantly, Sparrow went to her usual place. “The radio was on when I left this morning.”

  “I know,” Auntie Geraldine said. “I like hearing it play.”

  Sparrow felt she could be more generous toward Auntie Geraldine now that she knew she wouldn’t have to live with her forever, and she let herself imagine what it wa
s like for Auntie Geraldine to miss so many people. She’d lost her husband, all the older Daltons, and now Mama.

  Mama once told Sparrow Auntie Geraldine was lonely, and that was why she was so prickly. Prickly was Mama’s word, not Sparrow’s. Sparrow had different words to describe Auntie Geraldine. Even so, Sparrow wondered if Auntie Geraldine did feel lonely.

  “Where’d you go today?” Auntie Geraldine opened her napkin and spread it across her lap.

  “Outside, like I said in my note.”

  “Outside, huh? Did you go to town?”

  “You told me I couldn’t.” Sparrow dug her fork into the steaming casserole and lifted it to her mouth.

  “I find that interesting considering I saw you at the 76 station drinking Cokes with those Casto kids and that filthy mechanic.” Auntie Geraldine’s mouth drew into a thin line and her face hardened, and just like that, Mama’s version of the lonely Auntie Geraldine vanished and Sparrow’s version of her—the mean, unmovable one—appeared.

  She didn’t know why it had to be like this. They might be friends if Auntie Geraldine would let them. Sparrow set her fork down. She no longer felt like eating. “The 76 station doesn’t count. It isn’t in town. It’s before it.”

  Daylight moved toward twilight, casting the usually sunny kitchen into shadows.

  Auntie Geraldine pushed her chair back and stood. As she moved, her shadow arched and morphed until it eclipsed the room. “You’ve disobeyed me for the last time.”

  Sparrow stood too. She didn’t need to be afraid of Auntie Geraldine anymore. Mason Casto was going to be her daddy and she would tell him to ban Auntie Geraldine from Dalton House. Maybe even Beulah. She heard the crush of salt as she pushed her chair back. “I didn’t disobey you. The 76 station isn’t in town. It’s before it. What’s wrong with town anyway?”

  “The Castos. They’re trouble. Fighting and carrying on like they have no manners. Your mama always loved hanging out with that Mason, and look what it got her.”

  “Me?” Sparrow asked, feeling emboldened.

  For a moment, Auntie Geraldine looked shaken. Then she slid back to her normal, mean self. “He changed your mama. He rubbed the Dalton right off her, and I’ll not have them do the same to you. You don’t have enough of it to lose.”