A Bad Sign

An unsettling change puts Brenda into a tizzy

Taking a day off suited Brenda just fine. Business had been a little slower than usual, and the Blundon house needed a major cleaning inside, and out, but for the time being, she would run the Kirby windbag around the living and dining rooms after breakfast. She loved the old vacuum with its maroon airbag, and light at the front bottom.  Formal exercise wasn't one of her top priorities despite being called hyperactive. Pushing the "dust sucker" around had been a treat ever since her father taught her how to manage it during one of his weeks off from military duties.

She put the vacuum away in the utility room, and headed to the attic. The curtained cubicles for "the boys" were always undergoing changes, and a few people were wanting to see them.  Her Spiritual connections were subdued at times, and Fiona told her to never worry about it. The departed had lives, and understood a great deal about the living. Being embodied entailed a lot of effort.  Anything that Brenda wanted to leave for the boys would pertain to past, present, and future, as she saw it. 

Seasonal reminders were left. She figured that the boys were men by now in the spirit realm, but might still enjoy a silly toy or two on their night stands. Changing ages in the spirit world was a easy as changing ages during dreams. Brenda often saw herself as a child during her nightly journeys. She often saw her father as a very old man despite his unexpected death from a heart attack. He was living in an attic surrounded by old radios, and stuffed furniture. Her mother loved to hear about such dreams, and always encouraged Brenda to share her dreams, "even the silly ones."

The attic windows were opened for the day. One particular window that faced Oglethorpe street had been shuttered from the inside, but she needed to air it out. When she raised the sash to reveal the old copper screen, she gasped at what she saw across the street. There was a large truck in the lot with a sign "Winston's Tree Removal Service" and two men were preparing to begin work on several large oak trees that had ribbon tied around their trunks.

The suspense was too much for her. She ran downstairs, unlatched her back door, and sprinted across the street with a kerchief on her head. She introduced herself, and asked what was going on. The lot had been empty "forever" according to Mr. Griffin. Brenda asked if the lot was for sale, and if so, that she would buy it to keep the trees. Mr. Winston said that it belonged to a man who would be retiring in a few months, and building a modern home on the property "in due time." The man's wife was afraid of lightning, and falling limbs, so the trees "had to go."

Brenda cussed inside her head, and asked if there was any way that she could contact the owner. Winston gave her Mr. Turner's phone number on a piece of paper, and replaced the pencil over his ear. He added that they would be making a "lot" of noise over the next few days, and that she was welcomed to all the free firewood she could have carted away.

Her call to Mr. Turner fell on deaf ears. His wife wanted to live near the Calvert Mansion. It was a done deal, set in brick, signed, sealed and delivered. He wanted to meet Brenda, and see her house, but he "wasn't really fond of the past." Brenda thanked him, and mumbled something bland about  "eager to meet him and his wife" before she bid him good bye. She disliked him already, but felt Mr. Blundon's kind presence around her at that moment in a paternal way. Changes were inevitable, and sometimes, there was nothing anyone could do to stop them.

CJ Marks