Angel Watch at Blacknest: A Supernatural Mystery

by T. A. Paquette

  Pastor Amos

  Pastor Amos Reese of the Faith Holiness Church-of Signs and Wonders down in Solly Holler, West Virginia was sure the Good Lord was pleased, when true believers took up snakes. He didn't force anyone in his congregation but he felt it showed spiritual growth that they were listening to the Holy Spirit. It proved their devotion to the Almighty. His daddy had taken up serpents and he was following in his daddy’s footsteps. He would preach and then at a point in his sermon when he felt the spirit leading he would open the box behind the pulpit. It was always full of a mix of snakes, usually rattlers and copperheads. The men of the church would keep the box stocked. Old grandpa Ned was the oldest snake wrangler. He had been bitten a few times and was missing a couple of his fingers and a chunk of his calf muscle on his right leg. Pastor Amos thought old Ned was a man of tremendous faith. He was a true example for the rest of the congregation.

  The church is lively, this evening with people dancing and praising. Pastor Amos is shouting and encouraging the people to prove their faith and take up the serpents. At that moment he has one wrapped around his shoulders and another crawling up the back of his head. Behind the pulpit men are lifting snakes out of the box and dancing around with them. Grandma Betsy has one draped over her shoulder. She is shuffling and dancing with her eyes shut and shouting praise occasionally. The service will go on for hours. Both of Pastor Amos’s daughters have snakes and are swaying to the music. Polly’s snake is wrapped around her right hand and inching up her arm. Peggy is holding a copperhead snake over her head. Both of their husbands are behind the pulpit wrangling snakes.

  At that moment Pastor Amos is thinking about that missionary couple; his mind is not on the service. He is obliged to them for helping his daughters with their reading and including them in the quilting circle. He believes they are fellow believers but they just lacked the faith to take up the serpents. He thinks he will remember them in his prayers. He feels God has called him to this Church and he is following in the footsteps of his daddy. His daddy had died from a snake bite; a rattlesnake, if he remembered correctly. But he thought the Good Lord must have just wanted him to come home because he knew his daddy didn't lack faith so, that was his only explanation.

  Snapped back out of his deep thoughts Pastor Amos starts singing a praise song. The congregation joins in exuberantly.

  Lygari, a dark one watches the church service hoping they all die of snake bites in the future. He loves watching these Christian fools. He plans on stirring up the snakes at the next service. He smirks and vanishes.

  Maize and Otis

  Maize and Otis's daughter, Eleanor is planning a surprise 50th wedding anniversary picnic for her parents. Some relatives are flying in from Mississippi next weekend to surprise her mom and dad. She has hired a catering company that has just moved up north from Mississippi. They are going to make some of her family’s favorites, fried catfish, fried green tomatoes, greens, barbecued chicken, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato pie and homemade honey vanilla ice cream. Both her mom and dad have worked so hard all these years. She wants to make this day special. She has been trying to persuade her mom to retire. She knew she was old enough for social security and their house is paid off. Maize just kept telling her, the Blacknest family needed her. Eleanor told her, that was ridiculous but Maize wouldn't listen.

  The day of the picnic arrives and Maize’s sister, Tilly and her husband, Junior has come up from Mayville, Mississippi. Maize didn't know they were coming so, it was a nice surprise. Tilly explained what had happened in the last year to them. They had been forced into retirement. Junior and Tilly had both worked for the Sylvester family for some thirty years. Everything was going fine until Mrs. Sylvester decided to learn how to cook. Tilly had been the only one in the kitchen all those years. Well, Mrs. Sylvester took some French cooking lessons. She told her husband that she wanted to do all the cooking for the dinner party; that was to be held at their home for his partners in his law firm. Well, the food was inedible. It was either burned or raw and to top it off she started a fire in the kitchen. She had forgotten to turn off the burner under a greasy fry pan. The firemen soaked the inside of the house. You could just say, the partners and their wives will be talking about that dinner party for a long time.

  Mr. Sylvester the next day at breakfast made the mistake of asking Mrs. Sylvester why she couldn't cook as well as Tilly. Mrs. Sylvester went all hysterical and fired Tilly and Junior on the spot. Mr. Sylvester didn't stand up for them so, they had to move out by 8am. the next day. That was quite an eye opener said Tilly. Thinking about the story later, Maize thought she had probably put in enough time with the Blacknest’s. Eleanor was right.

  Vivey

  Vivey Grayson has been home at Grayson Manor for the past two weeks now. She has been busy with set decorators from Universal Studios and caters preparing for the annual Halloween Masquerade party. The families on the Hill take turns hosting the party. This is her year. She has chosen a Mardi gras theme. She has hired the people at Universal Studios Orlando to come and do all the decorating. They are expensive but she doesn't care. She wants everyone to feel like they are in Louisiana on some old antebellum estate. The place now truly looks like the Deep South. They have even hung moss on the trees and they are lit up with tiny white lights. The grounds look magical. In the party invitations, she told everyone the theme and to dress in Mardi gras costumes.

  Sam has lined up the entertainment; magicians, of course, but also jugglers, acrobats, and a band to play zydeco music. All the servers and the other members of the catering company are dressing in Harlow Quinn black and white costumes.

  Her son, Baron is getting in tonight. She is anxious to ask him about his adventures around Europe. She wished Lizzie wasn't in “that place” so, she could be here. She quickly, puts her out of her mind. It was too painful to think about her daughter; such a tragedy.

  She has invited a few people close to Barons age; Chicky and her brother Timor are both invited. Vivey knew that Chicky was in town but she wondered if Timor was still off in Australia surfing. He and his friends have been following the big waves all over the world for the past couple of years. Vivey thinks he is just a rich surf bum. But he and Baron are good friends and have known each other since they were in grammar school so; she hopes he will be here this weekend for the masquerade ball. This year will be a party they will talk about for months. So, now it is only one day away. She can hardly wait.

  Blithe and Snide

  The next morning, Old Blithe and Snide sit pondering over their coffee wondering what to do. Blithe had told Snide a few weeks ago, all about what he saw when he was a child. How he had discovered the secret door in the stables and what he had seen in the tunnels so long ago. Also, about the threatening notes he has received ever since. They are both determined to get to the bottom of this Blacknest mystery. Snide tells Old Blithe that he had some suspicions, also. He tells him about his nephew Nigel and the request he had made some months ago; to snoop around Blacknest Manor. He tells him Scotland Yard’s suspicions that Xander might be a smuggler. They both agree that fear is for children and that tonight they are going to do some investigating. All the Blacknest’s were going to be at the Grayson Halloween party. So, they plan on meeting in the stables at eleven thirty P.M. that night. They sit most the morning talking over their plan and just shooting the breeze, neither of them felt much like working today. They both agreed that it was probably Xander or his father, Kendrick who was leaving the notes all those years. Who else could it be? Snide helps Blithe do a little work in his own personal garden behind his cottage and then he went to get cleaned up for his afternoon duties. They had become good friends over the years.

  Blithe sent a basket full of fresh produce home with Snide; tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes and lettuce. Back in his apartment in the attic Snide assembles a nice salad for his late afternoon lunch and gives Miss Minerva some milk. Lately, he has been very homesick for England and is thinking more and more about retiring a
nd moving back home.

  Snide picks up Zara

  That afternoon Snide picks Zara up from the airport. The house and grounds will be empty tonight, except for Elise who will be sleeping. He has heard the theme this year is Mardi gras. That Vivey hired Universal Studios to do the decorating. He thinks they have no conscious; so many people in need. They spend a boat load of money on one party, to impress their friends.

  Zara is spending the whole drive on her phone. Snide thinks she is talking to Baron Grayson. He is home now, he thought from Australia. Yes, he didn't have a very high opinion of the self absorbed rich. They were much like their British counterparts except the Brits had titles; Lords, Ladies, etc... Tonight he will be meeting Blithe in the stable to snoop around a bit. He is looking forward to it. The talk about the secret tunnel system really intrigued him. He plans on spending a lot of time down there in the next few weeks; whenever he can sneak away. Tomorrow he will call Nigel and tell him what he discovers. He is sure he will be very interested. What a perfect place to hide smuggled goods. Snide even as a boy had always loved to snoop around old buildings.

  Snide sits now waiting for evening, petting his cat. It is very quiet and the view from the window is spectacular. Xander did allow him to have Miss Minerva, his cat. She is a beautiful large Calico and she is very content to live inside. He felt he wasn't quite as alone; when he would come upstairs and retire at the end of his day. He spent many evenings reading with Miss Minerva curled up in his lap. His family always had cats. He felt they were one of Gods gifts.

  Fires

  The weather is hot and windy, as two dark ones, Snegor and Glub, sneak around the field of Faith Tabernacle starting fires. They think they are going to get away with it giggling to each other. When Velvel and Calev suddenly appear. The angel Velvel waves his right arm and the fires extinguish. Windows have also been broken out in the sanctuary and Glub is now trying to start a fire by the pulpit. Calev cuts him down and disappears to another fire blazing across town. Snegor screams with rage and disappears. He hated the Holy Ones. They were always causing him trouble.

  Up and down the East coast similar battles are being fought and fires put out. Prayer warriors from across the country are feeling the Holy Spirits prompting them for more intense prayers. Their prayers are weakening the evil forces. Around the world battles raged in the spirit realm. The evil ones know that their days are short.

  The angels also, have been busy putting out house fires in Blacknest all morning. Why the enemy has decided to try to burn out people; they couldn't figure out other than just pure hatred for the humans.

  Carrie teaches

  Carrie is training some new cooks. The lesson for today is how to make seitan and homemade Tofu. Seitan is a meat substitute which is easily made with wheat gluten and a short list of ingredients. The tofu is also, easier than you would think. To make tofu, you first make two batches of soy milk and then add a coagulant called nagari, which is the Japanese name for magnesium chloride. The milk will separate after about 5 minutes. Then you pour it through some muslin that is lining a tofu form. Put a weight on the top of it and let it drain. It will drain for about twenty minutes. The procedure is simple. The tofu is then stored in the fridge in a plastic container with water covering it. After the tofu lesson Carrie shows them how to mix up seitan. The young cooks are surprised how fast the gluten works. We then carefully placed the seitan patties in simmering vegetable broth until cooked through, maybe fifteen minutes.

  The cooks are easily mastering the vegan cooking and the numerous salad preps. Carrie enjoys spending her days with the young teenagers. After the lessons she and the girls have some frozen yogurt and chat. They show her their latest bollywood steps and complain about some of the boys on the wait staff, who can't seem to learn the steps.

  Carrie spends the rest of the afternoon doing prep work; making raw salads, refilling the sprout trays, making pita bread and fresh noodles. She lets the girls go home early because they have to study for a big test tomorrow. Both of them are in the nursing program at the community college.

  Leeboy looks for Stookie

  Leeboy grabs a stick and moves the snake lying by his still. He is worrying about Stookie this morning. She had been visiting fellow hoodoo practitioners, of late and going into the swamp by herself. She has now been gone over a week. Leeboy wished he had followed her because he is not quite sure where they lived. He wonders if she is safe. He knows they are an odd group. He doesn't trust them any further than he can toss them.

  Well, back to work he says to himself, as he picks up the buckets and walks down the path to the creek. His pump broke, so he is hauling water today. Leeboy had learned how to make shine from his daddy, Floyd and his uncle, Tommy. It was a long tradition in his family. He knew some folk who have started growing and selling marijuana but he didn't know a thing about that sort of thing. He also thinks the law would treat him more harshly for growing marijuana than making a little moonshine. So, he is going to stick to his family's tradition and the old ways.

  That night he decides he should go look for Stookie. She might need rescuing. She is a scary old thing but she is his sister. In the morning he drives his air boat deep into the swamp. After hours of weaving through some of the denser areas, he finally hears some noise. He spots two old dilapidated cabins with some folk sitting out front. He counts five men and one woman. He hops out of his boat and as he approaches he notices the oldest looking man has a rifle pointed at him. They are none too friendly and wild eyed. They tell him they don't know no one named Stookie and to be on his way, to put it in nice words. Leeboy tells them he is going as he backs up to his air boat. He knows they are lying because the old woman standing next to the man with the gun is wearing Stookies necklace. He knows it is one of a kind because he watched her make it. He goes back home being careful to remember how to get back to the hoodoos. He is planning on coming back with some of his friends. He hopes Stookie is still alive. They will bring their guns.

  Halloween Prayer Vigil

  The prayer vigil at Faith Tabernacle Church on Halloween night has become an annual event. Every October 31st the congregation will fast and stay up all night praying at the church for their community, friends and family. Seventy two intercessors have shown up tonight. They were at this minute kneeling and praying. They prayed for their town and for protection from the dark forces. They prayed for healing and for loved ones. It was a precious time of fellowship and Meg used the occasion to tell everyone that they were expecting a child in the spring. The women of the church surrounded her, all talking at the same time, as women often do. After they settled down a little, Pastor Bud tells them that at five A.M. he and some of the men are going to cook everyone breakfast. He says they are making pancakes, scrambled eggs, orange juice and coffee. He thanks everyone for showing up. He is sure they have gotten God's attention tonight. He feels things are going to get better in Blacknest and that some of the heaviness will lift now. Dilly and Emily shake their heads in agreement. When Pastor Bud is done speaking, Dilly goes down to the kitchen to offer a hand but the men shooed her out. Well, at least she offered, smiling to herself as she gets herself and Emily some coffee. The breakfast is delicious and everyone heaps compliments on the men cooking. After breakfast everyone leaves for their own homes and probably off to bed. They have been up all night. When Dilly get home she feeds her kitties and lies down.

  Snide and Blithe go snooping

  At eleven thirty P.M. both Snide and Blithe are in the stables. They are both dressed in black holding flashlights. They laugh and agree they look like cat burglars. Blithe quickly finds the hook that opens the secret door. The door is encrusted with dirt and it takes both of them to push it open.

  "Blithe, I never dreamed this existed." said Snide

  "I wish it didn't; be careful Snide on these stairs." said Blithe

  They slowly descended the stone stairs. They can see light down below. The stairs end in a large opening with several tunnels branching o
ff.

  "Snide, look there are electric lights. When I was a boy those were all lit torches." said Blithe

  There is no one around so they walk slowly down one of the tunnels. Snide has brought some chalk to mark the wall, so they don't get lost. There are large heavy doors along the tunnel each with a small barred window. The doors are all locked but a light is on in one of the rooms. They look in and see a neatly made bed but the cell is unoccupied.

  "All be damned, what's going on down her?" said Snide

  They walk on carefully marking the wall whenever they make a turn. After walking a half hour and making several turns, they come upon a very ornate door with a crest on it. The crest is a huge hawk with a fox in it's talons. The writing on the crest say, "Evermore" on the top and the motto on the bottom reads "Out of Darkness, Comes Power"

  "Good Lord, this must be the Evermore estate. They have a secret entrance from the tunnels!" said Snide.

  "Check the door; is it unlocked?" asks Blithe

  He turns the knob and the door swings open. They look at each other wondering if they should proceed. Their curiosity wins. There is no one around, so they step in and creep down the dark hallway. They are now in the Evermore's mansion. They come to another large door and it is unlocked as well. Opening the door they see and hear no one. The room is brightly lit but no one seems to be home. The furnishings are very old fashioned but elegant and expensive. They think everyone must be at the Grayson's party. Then they hear some steps and a voice in the adjoining room. Quickly, they duck back into the dark hallway they had just come from. Carefully, peeking out of the doorway they see a door open off the foyer. Old Ferrall walks through carrying a satchel and dressed in a black cloak with a hood. He is murmuring to himself, in a rather angry tone. They strain to hear but he walks quickly into another room. Snide and Blithe then retrace their steps and go back into the tunnel. They decide to walk a little further and do a little more exploring. They walk for another half hour or so, when they start hearing voices. There is nowhere to hide, so they freeze against the wall and inch to the corner and look around it. Four costumed young people are standing about sixty feet further down that tunnel. They recognize three of the voices; Timor and Chicky Evermore and Baron Grayson. The other girl is obviously, Timor's girlfriend. Neither Snide or Blithe know her. Timor and Baron are dressed in old fashioned suits with black masks and crowns on their heads. Chicky is dressed as a gypsy and the other girl is dressed like a princess with a feathered mask and a tiara on her head. They hear Timor call her Angie. Timor is boasting about all the big waves he has surfed. Baron is trying to top his tales with his stories of traveling about in Europe. Then someone in a black cloak sticks his head through the door and motioned for them to come in. They immediately go inside and shut the door. Snide and Blithe walk over to the now closed door. It is the secret entrance to the Grayson Estate. Their family crest is on the door. It says, "Grayson" above a fierce lion with his foot on a serpent. The motto below the lion reads, "Serpents Flee, Darkness Prevails"