Graceland Beginnings [Elvis]

Chapter 2 - Graceland Before It Became Graceland

The Toofs left me alone on the front porch as they all went inside to discuss this situation. I had no other option than to tell them my whole story, like who I was, and especially that the land we were sitting on was my land, and that I bought it just yesterday. Or, at least, it was all finalized yesterday.

They all thought I was nuts. That was the short of it. Well, I thought they all were nuts, too. Stephen showed me a newspaper with the date on it, but I still wasn't convinced, even if the newspaper was new. Time travel wasn't possible. Nobody had done it, as far as I knew.

I still sat there in that rocking chair, hands clasped in front of my mouth as I stared off at the field and trees. Those most definitely were the trees in the front yard to the property, but smaller, and I recognized some houses around that were there when I moved into the mansion. Those were definitely the same houses, too. And this porch I was sitting on was the porch I came onto and knocked the door. It was even the same door!

This was making me feel sick to my stomach, and while Lucy had good intentions, that bread didn't make it feel any better.

The front door opened, and I looked over to see Grace walk out, and she came over to me. It was just her. I sat up as she came over and sat in the other rocking chair that was on the other side of that little table, so the table was in between us now.

"My parents figured that since you and I seem to be around the same age, I could talk to you," she said. "I'm twenty years old."

It looked like she was around that age, maybe eighteen or nineteen. "I see. I'm twenty-two."

"So, we are around the same age." She clasped her hands together and placed them in her lap, and I kept my gaze on those green eyes of hers. She seemed apprehensive. "Mr. Presley..."

"Elvis, please," I told her, wanting her to not be uneasy.

"Alright, Elvis. And you can call me Grace."

"Okay, Grace. So... your folks, no, your whole family, thinks I'm outta my mind, don't they?"

"They just think you're confused. We've been inside all morning after morning chores were done, and Elma was the first one outside to see you lyin' there in the grass under the tree. We don't know if you've been there all night or just fainted there this mornin'."

"It was this mornin'. I swear on all that is holy that what I said is true. The year I know it to be is 1957, and after a life of poverty, I became a famous singer and actor, and I just purchased a very beautiful house on a very beautiful property. This property. I would know it anywhere. But..." I indicated the field and trees. "The house isn't there. It's bogglin' my mind."

She smirked. "Boggling... meaning confusing?"

"Yes. I'm so thoroughly confused right now. You all are sayin' it's 1880, you're the Toof family who is the family I know to have first owned Graceland. You're sayin' you're that family."

She nodded, and her calm demeanor was comforting. "We were the first to purchase this land, yes, and my father was thinking of giving this land to me sometime in the future when he and my mother move on to a smaller property. You see, he owns a printing press for the Memphis Daily Appeal called S.C. Toof & Co in the main city. The newspaper he showed your earlier was from his office."

Momma told me about that old newspaper. She heard from her historical society friend that they stopped printing that newspaper sometime in the 1920s, or more, it was called something different after that. "I see."

"You're not believing a word of this," she surmised.

"It's not that I don't believe it. I do, it's just... all that you're talkin' about happened like seventy years ago for me. You sure you don't know who I am?"