The Cloud Reader

Believers

The four Howes and Garret left their car and walked in a tight group up the front walk of Hector's house. When they reached the porch he indicated the different chairs, inviting them to sit.

"Hello, Mrs. Howe and Molly Howe, hello Garret. This must be your father eh, Molly Howe?"

"Yes it is and this is my brother Brian. This is Hector Nublado, the Cloud Reader."

"Call me Doug," dad said reaching out to shake Hector's hand. "I've been hearing some pretty strange tales about you and this place." Dad waved his hand around indicating the house.

There was a sudden crack of thunder and we jumped, moving further from the railing with our chairs.

"Were they strange?" Hector calmly asked mom and I. We shrugged and managed a smile. "How about you, Garret, were the things you heard here strange?"

"No, I guess not. But nothing's changed for me."

"And what did you think might happen?"

"Well you said there would be much new love and friendship to be enjoyed." Garret shifted uneasily on his seat.

Hector nodded. "And you haven't found that." It was a statement not a question. "But there have been changes, no?"

Garret 's head snapped up. "How-?" Hector just lifted his eyes to the heavy black clouds over the house.

Ann slowed to a crawl when they saw the car stopped at the side of the road and Frank waved her ahead, his eyes straining through the rain to the indistinguishable images in the field.

Frank turned away and looked back out the window. "What the hell's going on out there? Is that the Howe family? Why are they all just sitting in the rain?"

Ann stared at the back of his head, stunned by his comment. She saw the group sitting on the porch of the tiny house, and yes, it was the Howe family along with Garret. "I know where we are, this must be that man's place. You know, the one Mrs. Howe's daughter talked about."

"I don't know what you're talking about, and what do you mean, his place. This field?"

"No, the house there."

Frank turned and gaped at her. "Are you trying to be funny? There's five people sitting in a soaking wet field and my son is one of them."

"But Frank- can't you see it? The house?" She pointed past his shoulder.

"I'm afraid he can't, Miss Hairston." Ann shrieked and bounced over toward Frank.

"What the-?"

"Who are you?" Ann spoke to the driver's side window and Frank's mouth fell open as he stared at her.

"It's Hector, Miss Hairston." This time Frank yelped as Garret stood beside his door. "He's the Cloud Reader, dad."

Twenty minutes later a confused, angry and slightly scared Frank Steadman stood with the rest of the group on the tiny porch of Hector's tiny house. It had taken a considerable amount of explaining and coddling to get both men to accept what was happening and in the end they had settled down to work out their perplexities.

"This is just too bizarre," Frank wailed.

"It is exactly what you want it to be, Mister Steadman." Hector offered.

"Garret, are you telling me you came here to- to- here to see what was going to happen in our family? To listen to some mumbo jumbo about clouds?"

"It's not mumbo jumbo, Mister Steadman," I said boldly. "It happens to be true." I glanced at Hector, remembering his lecture on truth. "I mean it- it was a way to feel better about what was happening." I moved my eyes to my mom and dad. "You know more about that."