A tiny chilled wisp of bay breeze crawled under his skin and
Gave his shoulders prickly shivers. .
Bill stood with his hens
At the bottom of the slope
Where his front meadow slid under the
Soft flaps of waters edge
A silent sigh escaped
As the scent of woodsmoke filled his senses...
It promised to be a chilly Fall night.
First lights flickered cross the darkening bay
As Soundside lit its lanterns and window frame candles.
Bill watched the two cars...
Strangers...
Pull up in front of the little dark church.
Cappy's door opened and quickly shut
When a gaggle of late season tourists
Let some light escape
On their way to supper.
Far off, over-watery dink of car door close'n mixed with the muted yelps of
Kids run'n home... their shadows dark
Against the low gold gleam from the little church.
Bill stood still and listened to the symphony of twilight sound
As Harve Jacksin,
A Yankee realtor,
Welcomed his visitors.
Stella would be late get'n home tonight.
She had told Bill, that morn'n at breakfast, that she would stay and get the fish fryers cleaned out...
That she would leave him a plate in the fridge.
That she would get her own ride home.
That she didn't want to put him out .
Bill smiled gently,
As he remembered her confusion bout the butter dish show'n up on the counter again.
She always thought it was her fault.
Always thought she remembered put'n that butter dish in the fridge.
Always think'n she was just a little crazy.
...............
"Oh my! It's perfect!
Look! Look!... the beautiful ceiling and cedar doors!"
Tom!... Come here! "
Lilly Grace danced up and down the steps of the old altar...
" Look! we can put a fireplace and the TV up here,...
Help me move the pulpit so we can measure! "
Harve hung back and watched as
his latest clients sold themselves an old church.
" Your friends might get a kick outta visiting you, here.
You could even fix up the old belfry...
It's a room with a real good view
Clasping her hands she turned to the bewildered young man behind her...
" Please Tom? Please?
It's just what we need... and the view cross the bay is perfect!
Look at that little farm over there! "
"What's this?" Tom asked,
Pointing to an old stick with
What looked like
A burnt piece of velvet
Dripping from one end.
Harve glanced at it and turned away...
"Just some old church thing I spose... thought they had cleaned out all their stuff."
"What happened to em?", the girl asked,
As she twirled in the middle of the empty room.
Harve laughed...
"Well now!
That's an interesting story...
Let's go over to Cappy's and I'll tell you all bout it."
Harve flicked the light off.
"I hear the last preacher did away with himself..
Right here...
Ain't had no ghost sightings...
But the law says I gotta tell you...
Hey!
You feel like some soft shell crab?
My treat! "
.......
Bill watched the church lights go dark...
Saw the small group wander over to supper...
" Looks like ol' Harve got himself a couple of live ones. "
Bill muttered to his hens,
As he took a glass marble from his pocket and swallowed it.
The End
