A Blue Mountain Memory

VII

It was an unusually hot and humid September in Mount Baylin. The air inside the local church hung heavy, thick enough to see. Minister Reed stood before the entire town, his thick robes swaying as he spoke with animation and fervor. As he preached of greed and its impact on the Christian world, his face grew hot and red. The halo of hair that sat around his head clung wet to his scalp as beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks and into his mouth. Before Minister Reed sat the old, wealthy, heavyset women of the town. Each with their fan in hand, creating a constant distraction of movement at the front, the women sat attentively, absorbing each fiery word from the minister.

Behind the elderly sat the more affluent members of the Mount Baylin community. The Call family congregated together beside the Brooks. Staring in awe at the minister, Benjamin Call held his hands up in prayer for the entire sermon. Beside him sat his bored wife, Lottie May Call, the town's most prominent gossip and sinner. Tall, elegant, and devastatingly beautiful, Lottie May's fine blonde hair always coiled beneath the most fashionable hat. Her porcelain skin, hardly ever meeting a ray of sunshine, looked alluringly fragile against her full pink lips. While Lottie May held the title as the county's most beautiful woman, she also held the title of the most venomous. Whether in the shops, the church, or another fine lady's home, Lottie May could always be seen whispering into the ears of others. Simply out of pure spite and lack of a decent nature, Lottie May typically ensured the victim knew that she was tarnishing their reputation. She wanted them to watch her spin the web that would capture them, rendering them powerless against her.

Cora often wondered how such an angelic-looking woman could harbor so much hate. Although Cora wondered, Lorna knew the truth. Lorna and Lottie May grew up in the same county. Lottie May's family had relocated years before Lorna did, but Lorna had spent enough time around them to understand Lottie May's evil nature. Although raised in a well-to-do, upper middle-class family, Lottie May fought to survive her mother's obsession with perfection. Forced to fast and follow a strict beauty regiment, Lottie May never had time to play with other children— let alone by herself. Raised as an object whose sole purpose was to snag an advantageous marriage, Lottie May's heart simply must have rotted inside her body, leaving nothing but a puddle of poison behind. 

As a young woman, Lottie May spotted the wealthy and naive Benjamin Call. Eager to please her tyrant mother and live comfortably with a higher status than her own parents, Lottie May seduced and married Benjamin. His incessant lectures on piety fell upon deaf ears, for Lottie May's behavior never evolved. 

Cora's eyes wandered over to the Brooks family. Kelly, Annabella, and their son Elijah sat proudly beside the county's wealthiest family. Annabella Brooks, like her brother Benjamin, held her hands in prayer as her eyes locked on the minister. Kelly, on the other hand, picked at his fingernails with a small pocketknife.

Cora's attention focused on Elijah. She had never actually spoken to him before. Although they had been in each other's presence numerous times, the pair never seemed to have the need to speak. Perhaps it was because of Elijah's quiet and reserved nature; Cora, however, understood it was more likely due to their different upbringings. She understood that Elijah had no reason to speak to someone like herself. Sometimes Cora felt tempted to speak to the boy, or even just smile and wave, for he always seemed to be alone. He was small, awkward, and wore glasses that slid off his face, making him appear younger than thirteen and inherently innocent and kind. 

Cora's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden wave of unbearable heat. The breeze outside swept into the church; but instead of providing a cool relief, the gust sweltered amongst the mass of people, turning the air into a stickier, more humid, suffocating atmosphere. Cora felt her body turn damp with sweat as she struggled to breathe in the heavy air. As the sun beamed in through the windows, Cora felt her brain melting inside of her skull. She looked over towards Elwood, seated beside Farmer Redd, in the row adjacent to her family.