by Sue Clifton
“Oh, yes. That would be Sara, Belle’s granddaughter. I hoped she would be the first spirit you would encounter. Belle gave birth to Salina, her daughter, at the age of forty, very unusual for those times and for a woman like Belle.” Teesh paused as she often did when giving a long narrative.
“Salina hated her mother, and when the girl was only sixteen, she caught a wagon train coming through bound for San Francisco. She ran away but chose the same career path as her mother. Belle was devastated, not wanting her daughter to be a prostitute, and went after her, but Salina refused to return to Bar None. Belle never saw her daughter again until Salina was thirty years old.”
“Guess Belle got a taste of her own medicine,” Harri remarked. “But it is sad for Salina. Please continue, Teesh.”
“Salina came back to Belle unmarried and ready to give birth. Supposedly, she had a fiancé who had promised to marry her when he returned to San Francisco, but of course, he never returned. After Sara was born, Salina ran away again, back to San Francisco.”
“What happened to Sara? How did she die?” Harri asked.
Teesh rubbed the cat and got a somber look on her face and stopped rocking.
“Sara was always sickly. We were about the same age. She came to my house a couple of times, but my mother would not let me visit her in Belle’s house even though she had living quarters completely separate from the bordello after Sara was born. Sara was my best friend. We played together around town. Belle stopped letting Sara play at my house when she realized my mother would not let me come to her house.” Teesh paused, collecting her thoughts for a few seconds, and rubbed Jezebel.
“Sara had bad stomach aches. We’d be playing, usually on the porch of the hotel where Uncle Ab sat watching us, and Sara would double over in pain and start crying. Uncle Ab would pick her up and take her back to Belle’s quarters in the hotel.”
“What was wrong with Sara?” Cayce asked.
“Belle never found out. She paid doctors from all over to come to Bar None, but the doctors could not figure out what was wrong.” Teesh shook her head, remembering her childhood friend.
“I’ll never forget the day Sara died. It was the only time my mother let me go to her house, but Mother accompanied me. Belle had begged my mother to let me come because Sara wanted to see me. The poor thing was so weak, she could hardly sit up, but she was still so pleasant. I took my china tea set, and we played as best we could. Before I left, Uncle Ab came in and picked Sara up. My mother went into the hotel parlor and played the piano, a lively tune Sara liked, and Uncle Ab held her tight and danced her around the room.” Teesh covered her mouth to hide the quivering in the corners. Her eyes shone transparent with moisture caused by remembering.
“Sara loved to dance and was always twirling when she heard music, especially when we were on the porch with Uncle Ab. He would clap and laugh as Sara danced. Uncle Ab loved Sara, and she loved him. We played like there was no tomorrow. And there weren’t many tomorrows.”
“That is so sad.” Harri wiped a tear from own her eye.
“Sara died in her sleep that night, after Mother took me to visit her,” Teesh continued. “Belle never got over losing Sara and went crazy, or I should say crazier. Belle was always a little off-balance, or maybe she was just heartless. She went to the cemetery every day, and you could hear her loud crying all the way into town. Belle shut down the brothel a few months later and sent all her girls off to San Francisco with one-way tickets on the stagecoach and a hundred dollars each. Mother’s friends remarked Belle was trying to buy her way into heaven so she could be with Sara.”
Harri and Cayce looked at each other. Cayce thought about the shadow of Jesus not reaching Belle’s grave and knew Harri was thinking the same thing. She also recalled the words etched on Belle’s tombstone.
“When we were at the cemetery, we saw the huge statue of Jesus.” Cayce leaned closer, resting her elbows on her crossed leg. “It looked really out of place in the rundown cemetery. Who put that up, and why?”
“Yes, and we noticed it looks brand new. So white and unmarked, it doesn’t have a chip on it anywhere,” Harri added.
Teesh smiled. “That statue was brought from San Francisco by Belle after Sara got so sick she was bedridden. Sara loved Jesus. Uncle Ab told her Bible stories, something Belle did not do. She was not a churchgoer.” Teesh leaned toward her visitors as if about to disclose a secret and spoke even softer.
“This was speculation from the town’s women, but they thought Belle bought the monument trying to bribe God into making her granddaughter well, as well as to compensate for her own sins.” Teesh stopped rocking for a few seconds and smiled as if thinking of a good memory.
“It’s a beautiful statue, isn’t it? No telling what Belle paid for it. Townspeople said it took months to get it over the mountains on a wagon specially made to carry such a huge statue. Everybody turned out the day it was placed in the cemetery. It took a lot of men and horses to set it in place.”
“What is the symbolism of the Asian children tugging at Jesus’ robe? Cayce and I looked closely at the children’s faces and did not see any Anglo children.”
“Once again I’ll give you town speculation, but Mother said it was true. Mother was not one for gossip. She heard the story from her mother, who had a friend who worked as a cook for the hotel and the brothel,” Teesh whispered as if what she told was a secret.
“Supposedly, when the girls, most of whom were Chinese, became pregnant, Belle would make them abort their babies. Mother never talked about how. Women just did not talk about that sort of thing back then. A couple of the girls died after their abortions, or so Mother’s source told her. The fetuses were buried in a mass grave at the cemetery, a plot Belle had sectioned off way back when she first opened The Nugget, but there was no monument to mark the mass grave. A lot of shallow grave diggings took place at night. Just another of Belle’s cruelties.”
Teesh started rocking again and stroked Jezebel, keeping time with her rocking. “Belle had the statue placed in her private plot, but she and Sara were not buried anywhere near it. Very unusual, considering the expense Belle went to in getting the statue.” Teesh folded her hands in her lap. “I guess Belle thought the unborn children of her girls were beneath Sara. Not something sweet Sara would have ever thought. Sara loved everyone, and everyone in the town loved little Sara, regardless of her grandmother’s career.”
“So the statue has been standing more than ninety years, but it looks brand new.” Cayce was anxious to hear Teesh’s explanation.
“That would be Charlie.” Teesh smiled at the mention of his name, and the sisters knew immediately the old woman was very fond of the little Peeping Tom. Cayce and Harri read each other’s minds and knew not to say anything negative about him.
“Oh, you’ll be seeing Charlie around, mostly after dark. Charlie is fragile mentally, but strong as an ox and fit as a fiddle. He might talk to you, but chances are he won’t, at least not at first. He’s real shy, but awfully curious when strangers show up. Charlie loves Jesus and thinks the statue is really Him. He keeps it pure white, climbs to the top of it like a monkey to keep it looking ageless. Good thing he’s a little feller. He’s not any bigger than you, Harri.” Teesh chuckled again. “He takes care of Sara’s angel tombstone, too. Jesus and the angel—Charlie loves them both.”
“We actually did get a glimpse of Charlie last night, but mostly we just saw his hat heading into the woods.” Harri was careful not to give away her previous feelings about the peeper.
“So has Charlie always lived on his own like that?” Cayce asked.
“Pretty much. Charlie is forty-three years old. His daddy was a forest ranger in the area and took good care of Charlie—taught him how to be self-sufficient even with his mental limitations. Charlie has some unique talents. He never forgets anything, almost savant-like when it comes to remembering things he’s seen or heard. Good thing Charlie was able to learn from his dad, ’cause his dad died when C
harlie was just sixteen.” Teesh became quiet and began rocking again as if giving herself time to think.
“Surprisingly, Charlie has done okay living on his own. He has a little cabin he and his dad lived in, up the valley, and Charlie has other secret places he goes to, or so he tells me. His daddy left him a trust fund, but he hardly ever uses money. His legal guardian brings money to me to buy things for Charlie, and I keep him in shoes and clothes, but he feeds himself, barters for staples in groceries, and lives off the gold dust and nuggets he gets panning. Charlie is a true mountain man, though ‘man’ is used loosely.”
“You might need to get him some new shoes, Teesh. We saw his tracks, and it looks like one of his boots is worn pretty bad.” Cayce was hesitant to disclose this, but felt it was in Charlie’s best interest to tell Teesh.
“I appreciate that information. Charlie is due by any day now. I’ll make sure I go to the mercantile and get him a pair of summer work boots, although it’s hard to get him to wear new boots. His boots have to practically lose the sole before he’ll break in a new pair. He needs a new hat, too, but he won’t give up that old beaver felt hat. It was his dad’s old forest ranger hat.
“I saved Charlie a couple of pieces of Janie’s fudge, knowing he’d be by soon. He loves it like I do. Janie brings Charlie a care package by, every so often, and it always has fudge in it.”
“Are Lester and Janie related to Charlie?” Cayce asked.
“Lester was related to Charlie’s mother, something Lester won’t talk about, and Lester is Charlie’s legal guardian, although he never visits Charlie. I don’t think he and Charlie like each other much. They avoid contact. I’m the go-between—for Charlie, not Lester. Truth is, Lester and I just tolerate each other.”
“How do you contact Charlie when you have something for him?” Cayce asked.
“Oh, that’s easy. I just get out my old Studebaker and drive to the cemetery.” Teesh pointed to the outbuilding used as a garage, where the rear end of a very old car was barely visible.
“I hang a red bandana around one of the children’s necks on the statue, and within a day or two, Charlie shows up at my back door. We’ve been communicating like that for about thirty years now. I look forward to Charlie’s visits. But most times, he just shows up without my signaling him. Charlie just seems to know when I want him to visit me.”
Teesh continued to rock, but Jezebel became restless. She stood in her owner’s lap, stretched her back, and then leapt down and headed to the side of the porch, where she jumped down to the ground. Cayce watched Jezebel until she disappeared and then saw the tip of a brown hat peeking out from behind the cabin. Teesh glanced around and stopped rocking. A smile came across her face.
“Charlie, come on out. I see you over there. Jezebel gave you away.” More of the hat brim appeared, but Charlie did not come around.
“I’ve got some new friends I want you to meet. They are not strangers. They saw you last night and want to meet you.” Teesh motioned with her hand. “Come on, Charlie. Cayce and Harri won’t hurt you.” Charlie came around where he could be seen, but stopped at the far end of the porch.
“Hi, Charlie. I like your hat.” Cayce spoke softly so she would not scare Charlie. “My name is Cayce, and this is my sister Harri.”
“Hi, Charlie. Steve says you are a good fisherman. Maybe I could get you to catch me some trout. I’m a real good cook, and I know how to fry fish really well. You can eat some of it. How about it, Charlie?” Harri smiled.
All three of them looked toward the end of the porch where Charlie still hid in the shadow. Teesh turned back to Cayce and Harri, winked, and motioned for them to turn their attention away from Charlie.
“Yes, Charlie is a great fisherman, Harri. He brings me trout sometimes, and I either fry them or bake them, not that it matters to Charlie. He will eat a few bites just to say “thank you” to me for cooking for him, and then he fills up on biscuits, potatoes, and whatever else I cook. He especially likes vegetables of any sort, so I keep a bunch of bags of frozen ones just to cook for Charlie.”
All three of them kept looking away from the side of the cabin. Cayce could see Charlie through her peripheral vision inching his way around.
“Harri makes great desserts, too. I really have a sweet tooth, myself.”
“Oh, I do, too, Cayce. That’s why I was so pleased you brought me Janie’s huckleberry fudge yesterday. I’ve got a couple of pieces left, you know.” As soon as Teesh got these words out of her mouth, Charlie eased around and sat on the front end of the porch as far away from Cayce and Harri as possible. He had his felt hat pulled tight down just above his eyes, making his ears turn down and stick out like bird wings.
“Charlie like Janie fudge real good, Teesh. You save Charlie some?” Charlie spoke softly, looking straight ahead toward the road, and inched down closer to Teesh’s rocker.
“Now, you know old Teesh would save Charlie some of Janie’s fudge. You want me to go in the cabin and get it for you?”
Charlie shook his head and inched away from the group again. Cayce feared he would run. She noticed Harri watching Charlie closely.
“He means ‘no.’” Cayce turned her head slightly as she whispered to Harri, barely moving her lips. “He’s afraid of being left alone with strangers.”
“Ahhh, gotcha. I’ll have to get used to ‘Charlie talk.’” Harri mimicked her sister’s style of speaking.
“It’s okay, Charlie. I’ll get it for you in a few minutes. You just sit here with us a little while.” Jezebel jumped up on the porch, arched her back, and rubbed it against Charlie’s arm.
“Jezebel is wanting a good rubbing from you. She’s been missing you.”
Charlie reached behind him and took the cat into his lap. He touched the cat gently and rubbed his cheek to her head.
“Charlie found Jezzie as a stray kitten in Bar None and brought her to me. I named the old girl Jezebel, since she’s kind of a wayward woman like Belle.” Teesh chuckled.
“Charlie miss Jezzie. Jezzie catch a chipmunk today?” Charlie talked baby talk to the cat, but still refused to look at anyone as he spoke barely above a whisper. His voice was unusually deep for such a little man. As if answering for herself, Jezebel reached up and licked Charlie in the face.
“Charlie take bath in creek this morning. Him not need face wash.” Charlie gave a heehaw kind of laugh that went on several seconds, and Cayce, Harri, and Teesh all laughed with him. His laugh was infectious. Cayce could tell by her sister’s smile that she no longer saw Charlie as a threat. He was an innocent soul with a curious nature, just as Steve and Teesh had suggested. As they all laughed with Charlie, he moved a couple of feet closer but kept his seat on the edge of the porch.
“Charlie like chocolate pie, too. You make chocolate pie, Harri? Charlie like ever’thang chocolate. Teesh read Charlie Chocolate Factory. Charlie Chocolate.” The little man pointed at himself with his thumb and hit himself in the chest, gave another cheerful guffaw, and puffed his chest out with pride. He glanced under his hat brim at Harri, waiting for her answer.
“Oh, boy, can I make a chocolate pie. You like thick meringue, Charlie, or whipped cream on your chocolate pie?” Harri now directed her attention to Charlie and smiled.
“Charlie like m’rang.” He gave Harri a crooked smile, looking up at her in quick glances and then back down toward Jezebel, who had curled up in his lap. “Charlie like chocolate cake, chocolate puddin’, chocolate candy, chocolate cookies, hot chocolate, cold chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.” Charlie guffawed again, keeping his gaze downward.
“I bet I know something chocolate you’ve never had, and my sister makes the best ever. You eat it with biscuits.” Cayce smiled at Charlie, and he gave her a quick glance. His light-colored eyes danced with excitement, and he looked at her again, holding his gaze a little longer this time. Once again, Charlie scooted closer.
“Charlie know ever’thang ’bout chocolate.” Charlie bobbed his head up and down as
he spoke, fully animated about his favorite topic.
Cayce was reminded of Bubba in the movie Forest Gump and his expertise in shrimp. Charlie was the “Bubba” of chocolate.
“How about chocolate gravy?” Harri whispered, leaning toward Charlie. He did not move away. “Have you ever tasted that, Charlie?”
“Chocolate gravy?” Charlie laughed. “Charlie not know chocolate gravy. Teesh know chocolate gravy?” Charlie looked at Teesh and cocked his head.
“Nope. That’s a new one on me, too. Maybe Harri will cook us some trout and some biscuits and chocolate gravy sometime.” Teesh looked toward Harri.
“Just as soon as Charlie brings me the trout, you will both be invited for dinner.”
“Charlie eat on porch with Sara. Charlie not come inside with ghost-es.” Charlie vehemently shook his head.
“You know Sara, Charlie?” Cayce asked.
“Charlie know ever’body at Bar None, but him not like black Belle or Peg. Peg scare Charlie. Charlie not like black fog, neither. No, him not.” Charlie gave his head an exaggerated shake. His hat was pulled so far down on his ears it never budged.
“Charlie get fudge, Teesh. Him go catch trout. Charlie eat chocolate gravy.”
Teesh got up from her rocker and looked toward Charlie to see if he was comfortable with her leaving. Charlie did not move from his spot.
“I’ll be right back with your fudge, dear. You visit with Harri and Cayce. They’re your new friends now.”
Charlie looked a little hesitant, but did not move. He stared toward the road and did not speak.
“Harri and I are so glad to meet you, Charlie. I’m glad you’re our new friend.”
“Charlie see you in water last night. You like?”
“Yes, we do like it, Charlie. Next time you see us, come in and say hello.”
Cayce knew Harri hoped Charlie would not sneak up on them anymore.
“You didn’t know who we were, did you?”