Haunted Organic (2014 Watty Award Winner)

Two: Little Fingers

TWO: Little Fingers

"But I just want three crabs, "Mrs. Kippelibby explained urgently, her arms flapping like in the air like the wings of an angry turkey.

After school let out, Josie walked the long winding path along the cliffs, overlooking the endless ocean. He liked the sea wind, the smell of salt and gulls. He walked slowly, listening to Chet Faker. There was no reason to hurry.

He stopped across the street when he heard Mrs. Kippelibby freaking out at the totally weird Ludivine Dorkely. An old lady brawl outside the Organic Food Store could be entertaining.

"I don't think so. These are spoken for," said Ludivine Dorkely, in a very taut way that signaled, at least to Josie, that she didn't want to negotiate.

He pulled his ear buds out of his ears.

There was a massive truck parked outside the Organic Food Store, with the words, "Huxley's Fish & Crustacean Emporium" written across the side. Three muscley guys were dragging flats of live blue crab off the truck and dumping them on wheeled carts used to stock shelves inside the market.

"There must be 500, 800 crab here," continued Mrs. Kippelibby, exasperated.

"You can't spare three of them for my dinner?"

"There's 1,100 blue crabs to be exact, Mrs. Kippelibby....And no, I cannot spare even one," said Ludivine, looking completely un-phased by Mrs. Kippelibby's needs.

"But we have some lovely broccoli rabe. Have some of that."

Ludivine tossed a bunch of broccoli rabe Mrs. Kippelibby's way, where it smacked her in the left cheek. Ludivine barely noticed and did not apologize.

"Well, I never!" Mrs. Kippelibby, flushed and irritated, rubbing her cheek.

And then Ludivine packed the last of the crab onto a cart and started for the front door of the store, leaving Mrs. Kippelibby alone on the sidewalk, crab-less with a handful of broccoli rabe, and a smarting left cheek.

As she pushed the cart into the store, Ludivine turned around and looked across the street at Josie. Although her lips never moved, and her face didn't change, Josie distinctly heard her crisp, unwavering voice rush through his ears.

"Want to come to the feeding, Mr. Brown?"

And then even though her face was a stone, Josie knew that Ludivine was smiling at him.

&&&&

Josie was so freaked out, he barely noticed a moving van pulling up to the curb.

He could still hear Ludivine's voice clamoring through him, a current of electricity bouncing around his brain.

A girl about his age hopped out of the truck. She was small and thin, but her eyes were intense and sharp. She wore her long dark hair in a braid, trailing down her back. Josie thought the braid looked like a serpent, connected to the back of her head. He half expected the thing to jump up and slink around with a life of its own.

The girl looked at him for a moment, and then looked toward the Organic Food Store. She had an old leather portfolio stuffed with papers, photos, under her arm. She clutched it closely to her side, as if someone might leap out and try to steal it.

She lingered there, just staring at the store, and then she turned back to Josie.

"Hi," she said.

Her face was open and kind, but not so friendly that he felt uncomfortable. There was something very serious about this girl, maybe even a little sad, although she was holding that as tightly as she held her leather case.