A Strange Request

What Brenda wants, she generally gets

The beds were delivered, and set up in the attic by Ben Rosen, and Billy Shaw. Heavy rope nets held the cotton mattresses above the floor, and the linens would come later. Ben was curious about the plan, and Brenda told him outright what the beds were for. He didn't find it odd since his grandmother kept a room for her brother after he died.  Billy said that he always wondered about life after death, and wished he had a Ouija board, but knew his family wouldn't approve. Brenda told him to "pull a sneaky Pete" and don't tell anyone.

Both men were paid and given a bonus for all the hard work. Ben left in his big truck with a spice cake, but Billy stuck around for a few minutes quizzing Brenda about her seances. Brenda said that people might try to discourage him from studying the metaphysical world, based on religious grounds, but that religion was full of references to death and becoming sky bound. 

Billy was bright, and strong, so of course she wanted him to avoid going to war, and get an education instead. She said that building houses would never go out of style. He left her front porch a lot wiser than  when he had arrived.

With a notebook resting on her knee, Brenda thought about the three boys who were killed by the train in front of the house. Her eyes focused on the partly visible tracks that she could see from the couch. She tried to imagine the night they were killed, and what actually happened. She pretended to be one of the boys, and saw that they were waiting for the "long"caboose to go by, and then they would wander home. 

They were sitting down watching for the caboose when the southbound engine steps cut the tops of their heads off very very quickly. They had no time for fear or pain. It was just a loud explosion. The two pigeons were killed as well. The northbound train racket had masked any hint that another train was approaching from the opposite direction.

Brenda jumped up, and phoned Mr. Griffin, who listened intently to her rapid speech. She wanted to know if the Society might allow an 1895 caboose to be placed on her property. It could be restored, and shown during tours. She would finance the entire project, and pay all the legal fees. 

Griffin said that she might need a better reason to bring in the caboose, but that he liked the idea, especially if she was going to have a fence around the property, otherwise, the caboose might be considered an attractive nuisance, and endanger trespassers, especially children. He agreed to back her in essence, but would be phoning a lawyer, a Freemason, to contact her.

Daniel was missing out on a lot of fun in her estimation. This potentially dreary Winter found her in high esteem. She loved making plans, and seeing them through. When projects were controversial, all the better. It gave the newspapers something to write about, and the "gawk factor" shot up a hundredfold. Pining away for Daniel was a waste of energy. It was permissible to love him, and "not pine" at the same time.