by Stephy Smith
She worked her way to the edge of the bed. Placing her feet on the floor, she twisted until she faced the mattress. Mattie bent down until the top of her head made contact. Swiveling her head back and forth to loosen he, hair, she hopped to the wall, tangling her hair against the rough walls.
The door flew open, and the dark haired man and woman stood perplexed. She hopped through it. Distorting her face, she widened her eyes and spoke in a raspy voice. She deliberately made eye contact with each of the kidnappers. Her gaze lingered on their faces. She raised her voice louder as she spoke.
“Free these bonds, oh great one, I call you to my side!” Mattie spoke clearly. Hopping toward one of them, she leaned forward, her eyes fixed on their face. Mattie continued her tirade, looking them straight in the eyes.
“Upon my captors I request you curse the place they abide!” Mattie almost laughed at the fear across their faces. Mattie hopped to the next and fixed her eyes.
“Stab their hearts with awful pain; their souls are yours to take!” She choked back another laugh; she filled her mind with evil. Her plan hit home. Her captors huddled together, shaking.
“Plague their minds with evil thoughts, then drown them in the lake!” Her eyes grew wide. Her cackle was so evil it stood the hair on her own arms.
The door slammed shut. She listened to footsteps scurrying across the underbrush of the woods.
She waited for any sign of movement. Only silence came from outside the cabin. She let her laughter fill the empty cabin. She laughed long and hard, replaying her captor’s transformation from confusion to intense fear.
A sharp knife stuck in the table and caught her eye. She hopped to the knife falling on the table. She struggled and wrenched herself up to cut the ropes holding her hands.
Once she regained her balance, she cut the bonds on her feet. Softly she tiptoed to the front door with knife still in hand. The door flew open, and she raised the knife in her hand. There on the other side of the door stood her captors. Afraid and shocked, they stood for a moment.
“Welcome back, my pretties.” She regained the wild look of a mad woman and let the evil laugh wail once again.
The kidnappers sprang back, and she lunged at them. They turned and ran. “She is a witch. We’re doomed!” She heard them call upon their hasty retreat.
She stepped to freedom and ran the opposite way. Only when she thought she was safe did she let herself collapse to the cold, damp ground in the woods.
Chapter Nine
She had no idea where she was or which direction to run in. All she knew was she was out from under the watchful eyes and horrid hands of her captors.
Hiding in underbrush, Mattie afforded herself a few hours of rest. The moon shone brightly through tops of waving trees. The air turned cold, and she huddled in secrecy under the cover of darkness.
Mattie familiarized herself with calls of the wild. Her thoughts turned back to James. She wrapped herself in her arms, protecting herself from the cold.
Her teeth chattered, and she knew exactly what she was going to say to him. Face to face, she planned to confront the scheming, rotten, handsome man. How could he lead her down a road of hope with intent to deceive her with tender words and kisses to leave her wanting more?
Mattie shrugged the thoughts of James and shivered until the sun came up. She cautiously worked her way from her night’s haven and crept along through the shadows of the dense woods.
Her cold feet stung from the sharp rocks and dried sticks until she scolded herself for not bringing her shoes from the cabin.
A glimpse of movement near her feet suspended her breath. The snake uncoiled in its jump, hitting the side of her calf. Backing away out of its range, she watched its retreat then inspected the damage and found the two tiny holes from the bite.
Clutching the knife, she carved across the holes and tied a piece of cloth she cut from her skirt. Her pace picked up as she wandered aimlessly until she came to a clearing. Darkness surrounded her in the glow of a bright sun overhead. She slumped to the ground and barely heard the thud when she hit.
Fitful images of a dark haired man filled her mind. She floated across the ground and into a house where she lay on a soft comfortable bed. Words above her were softly spoken, but she couldn’t make them out. Fuzzy faces swam in front of her eyes, and she tried to focus. Succumbing to darkness, she no longer found strength to fight.
Her head began spinning from daylight to dark. Unable to clear the uncertainty of her mind, to make some kind of sense of what was taking place, Mattie grew more confused.
A cold, damp rag magically appeared and wiped her brow. Nice warm covers tucked in around her when she shivered from the cold. Yet, her eyes and her mind refused to help solve how the mysterious things were accomplished.
“James,” she called out until despair overcame her. “Why won’t you come for me?” Tears ran down her cheeks.
Powerless to follow voices she heard somewhere near, she continued to fight until the fight was gone from her body, and she slept in darkness again.
“What is wrong with her?” Mattie heard a woman’s voice.
“Appears she’s been bitten by a snake. Do you know her?”
“No. She came out of the woods into the clearing, where our boy found her. He carried her home with him.” Mattie listened to the conversation when she regained her senses. She didn’t know who the woman bitten was or how she came to rest in the same place. Perhaps it’s some kind of hospital somewhere. Why was she here? What happened to her? Where is the other woman?
“Have you heard of anyone missing? She’s been held captive from the marks on her wrists and ankles. I’m sure someone is looking for her.” Mattie cried for the other woman no one knew anything about. She knew how she felt, scared and alone in a place of mystery.
The voices stopped, and Mattie tried to glance around. She wanted the other woman to know she was not alone, and she would help her as soon as she was strong enough to leave.
“I have to go to Linden today, Pa. I’ll ask around. We know she’s not from Atlanta or we would’ve found her people,” the scratchy voice said. Mattie jerked when the door slammed.
****
James and Ed listened to the boy telling his story of a woman from the woods. “What does this woman look like?” James asked with renewed hope of finding Mattie.
“She has dark red hair and a blue dress. She’s pretty, I guess, for an older woman.” The freckle-faced kid smiled.
“I’ll get a wagon,” Ed said. The three of them exited the sheriff’s office.
“I hope it’s the woman you’re lookin’ for. She’s in awful bad shape. Talks out of her head a lot and calls for somebody named James,” the kid said. “Ma, Pa, and me, we just don’t know what else to do for her. She needs her own people, ya know.”
James ruffled the boy’s hair and told him to lead the way. They followed him to a remote cabin between Linden and Atlanta. “Which way did she come from?” Ed asked. James entered the house.
“Mattie.” James’s excitement pumped in his mind. Turning his attention back to the kid, Ed repeated the question with urgency.
“She came from there,” the boy pointed to the woods where Mattie came into view.
“I’m going into the woods. Maybe I can backtrack to find where her captives hid her. You take her back to town. Rose should be able to watch her and help the doc,” Ed said as he helped James load Mattie into the wagon.
James thanked the family; he grabbed the hand of the woman and placed several dollars in it. With Mattie wrapped in thick blankets, James nudged the horses forward and waved at the family.
Rose fussed over Mattie. She continued her vigil, wiping her brow to break the fever and squeezing cold water onto Mattie’s parched lips. “Tell me, when will the doctor get back to town?” Rose asked.
“Mother, have patience,” James admonished her. His shattered heart ached. He was in a deep depression. He needed Doc to come mend Mattie as much as his mother did
.
With tears rolling down her face, Rose raised her head to her son and said, “I don’t know what to do, and I could sure use someone who does.”
James snapped into the seriousness on his mother’s face. His own hurt reached so deep he failed to see the pain in his mother’s heart.
“I’m sorry, Mother. I can’t help but feel guilty for letting her be kidnapped in the first place. I shouldn’t have let her go outside that night.” His voice turned shaky.
“You couldn’t have known, son. You came to help me when it happened. It’s her fault she was taken.” Rose reached up and stroked James face.
“It’s not your fault for not knowing what to do for her. We’re both feeling a tad bit helpless right now.” James was aware that the door opened, and Helga entered the room.
“Mattie! It’s so good…” Her words cut short. A panic-stricken Helga stared at Mattie.
“Can you help Mother watch after Mattie? I want to go help Ed look for her abductors.” James turned to Helga. “Mother, is your gun loaded?”
Rose pulled her gun from a pocket on her apron.
“Well, if hers isn’t — mine is.” Helga pulled her gun from her pocket and waved it in the air.
“I’ll go with you,” Mr. Church said. “I’m safer facing kidnappers than I would be here with two mad women.” He kissed his wife, and Helga agreed to help Rose.
“Don’t worry, son. No one will take her unless they kill us first.” Rose’s face held determined and relentless.
Riding out of town, James and Mr. Church met Ed. “What did you find?” James studied Ed.
“I found the cabin they stowed her in. How’s she doing?”
“She’s still holding her own. Helga is helping Mother watch after her. Mother is overwhelmed with guilt for not knowing what to do. When is Doc coming back?” James tightened his grip on the saddle horn his hand was resting on.
“Should be tonight. Let’s go look at the cabin. I think there is enough there to find out who is behind all of this. Although, I think we all know who, we just don’t know why.” Ed turned his horse back to the cabin.
“They won’t be able to get close to Mattie.” Mr. Church turned to Ed. “Those two women are armed. I hope we find the responsible party before they do.”
James entered the cold cabin. He eyed the contents. His chest pounded with fury. He knew who kidnapped Mattie, and now he was out for vengeance.
Another room caught James’s eye. He slithered along the wall, gun drawn, and kicked the door open. The dried blood on the bed tore at his heart, and he fought the urge to kill.
Turning, he somberly strolled from the cabin. “Mattie’s shoes,” he said and ran back to the room. He shifted his head and moved to the wall. He heard footsteps outside the tiny window. Quietly, he shut the door and crept with his gun drawn to the outside of the cabin. He motioned Ed and Jessie Church to be quiet.
Ed dismounted and silently crept along to the other side of the cabin. James continued on his way to the back. Peeking around the end, the four stood there. They took turns looking in the cracks of the shuttered window. James and Ed walked up behind them. The four flinched when they heard the clicks of the guns being cocked.
Charles Howard laughed with Joseph Frazier. Both attempted to swing at the armed men. Dorothy and Jane turned to run, and they met the wrong end of Jessie’s gun. Charles pulled out a knife and attacked James. Joseph drew his gun.
Dorothy and Jane rushed Jessie. The smoke stung the air. The Howards and Fraziers lay dead in the cold, dark dirt.
Ed heard horses milling near the woods. Walking to bring the wagon closer, the three men loaded the bodies and their belonging from the cabin and headed to Linden.
Chapter Ten
“How’s she doing?” Jessie asked Helga.
“Not good, love. She fades in and out.”
“What did the doctor say?”
“He said she did the right thing cutting her leg like she did. He doesn’t know what kind of snake it was. She has an infection in her wrist from the ropes. There are mosquito bites all over her arms. Her face has scratches and bruises from the tree branches. He said she had been slapped around from the looks of other bruises on her face.”
“The poor woman, there is no telling what she endured at the hands of those people.” Jessie patted his wife on the arm.
“I wish I knew what they were after. It wasn’t to kill her or they would’ve done that right off. Ed is sifting through their things. He’s hoping to find a reason for what they did. He’s doubtful we will ever know the truth.” James shook his head. He didn’t want to think Mattie knew more than she was telling. Deep down, he knew she did.
“He said Mattie could go through the things before he gets rid of them. There may be something in them to clue her in on why this happened. I hope she’ll wake up soon. It’s driving Helga and Rose crazy.” Jessie glanced at Helga.
After cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and washing dishes for a few days, James and Jessie called a meeting at the supper table. Most of the new tenants met Mattie when they rented their rooms. They didn’t know her very well or the string of events taking place around them.
The women volunteered to take turns with household chores. Some would sit and talk, others would read to Mattie, or catch up on their knitting and crocheting. None of the women complained and seemed to enjoy being included in her recovery.
James walked to Mattie’s room. He shook his head at the mess. He picked up her dresses and smelled her lingering scent. He carefully hung them in the wardrobe. He replaced the mattress on the bed, gathered the papers, and placed them back on the writing table. He folded her undergarments dumped from the drawers.
With the room cleaned, he carried her bedclothes down the back stairs and filled the washtub with warm water and rose-scented soap.
He scrubbed until his fingers were raw. He didn’t feel the heat of the rinse water. He hung the bedclothes on the line. Staring off into the woods, he let his fears escape. Relief washed over him when his mother came to his side.
“James, Mattie is calling for you…” Before Rose said another word, he scampered into the house. Bursting in the door, James ran to Mattie’s side. He pulled Mattie to him. He stroked her hair and promised he would never let her out of his sight again. His heart glowed with delight. He couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.
“How dare you come in here and make such evil promises. You lowered my guard by your pretty words and kisses to set me up. Then you let those evil people take me from under your nose and keep me tied up until I could make my own escape.” Her eyes clouded with fury.
“What are you talking about?” He held her at arm’s length.
“You watched them take me away. I saw you standing in the window. Did you signal them when all was clear, so they could snatch me up and carry me off?” Her voice heated, and she shot him a scornful glance.
“I never did such a thing, Mattie,” he said.
“If your words were true, you would’ve stopped them from taking me, James Parker. I know now what kind of man you are, and I’ll tell you one thing; I don’t think I like what I’m seeing.” Mattie reached for a book on the nightstand.
“Mattie, calm down.” James grabbed the book from her reared back arm.
“No! I will not calm down. Where are your friends now? Preying on another one of your victims?”
James sat confused. He tried to figure out why she was so angry. She wasn’t giving any clues to make it easier. “You have no idea what you’re saying. I’m going to leave before we both say or do something we’ll regret later on,” James said, standing at the door.
“That’s typical of you, James. Walk off without answering why you done me that way. What did I ever do to you?” She called out as he ducked out the door.
Composing himself in the hallway, he gathered enough courage to make it to the study. Closing the door behind him, he blinked back the hurt. This woman was his weakness.
“James,
she doesn’t know you were taking care of me when she was nabbed.” Rose rubbed his back.
“Mother, leave me be. She has no right to accuse me of doing such a vile thing to anyone. Just leave me be.” James stared into the dark night through the sheer-covered window.
James knew Mattie didn’t mean what she said. Nonetheless, the sting of her words still hurt. James turned to his mother.
Rose left the room. She shook her head at Ed to warn him not to enter. Ed followed her into the dining room.
****
“I take it there’s a storm brewing in paradise?” Mattie overheard Ed say.
“I think it has already erupted,” Rose said. “Those two are butting heads like mountain goats. Neither one will listen to the other.”
Mattie peered through the open door to see James creep down the hallway. He left early that morning, without a word to anyone about where he was going. He left the house with his travel bag.
Rose bathed Mattie. The longing in Mattie’s chest to take back every word spewed from her mouth was unbearably strong. Tears seared her eyes. She gazed out the window; she refused to look at anyone. She could easily shut the world out.
Mattie flinched at the thought of him not coming back. She knew he didn’t mean a word of what he said. How could he leave his home and his mother without a word? She should be the one to leave, not him and, once again, she found herself plotting her own getaway.
“Rose, I think I need a bit of fresh air.” Mattie hurried to dress. She followed Rose to the door.
“Would you like some tea?”
“Yes, that would be good.” When she walked outside she continued down the street.
Mattie’s heart sunk deep into the pit of her stomach. She glanced back at the boarding house knowing this would be the last time she would ever see it. James didn’t want her here, so she felt it necessary to leave without a word.
She would go back to Georgia and straighten this mess out. She had the ranch to take care of. There she could live and work without having to worry about the man walking out on her the way he did a few days ago. She would only leave her heart behind.