A Bitter Wind

Farleigh panics when he fears losing his house.

Farleigh paced around in the living room before leaving to see Brenda. He had a short stay by the back window in order to sense Edwina's spirit. Nothing appeared, no bird, or falling leaf. He turned around with a heavy heart. He would now carry the burden of being at fault for not having seen the zoning letter coming. He expected miracle powers from himself. Not only could he often think about something, and have it manifest in front of him, he should foretell the future as well. He locked the door, and clutched his overnight bag. The Zoning letter was clenched firmly between his teeth.

A milk crate had to be placed inside Frederick's dead car in order to keep the wind from sending it in any direction. Farleigh wanted to take the long way to Brenda's, and that meant a trip past the pig pens on the Government farm. Pigs made him happy. He ran the car heater full blast and talked aloud to Frederick and Edwina, promising them a nice dinner for new years, and a barbaric approach to the people and powers who were threatening to send him into a severe depression by making him sell their house.

Again, there were no "signs" that Edwina and Frederick were hearing his words. Farleigh wanted a seance, or lessons from Fiona, or "anything at all" that would help him to contact his favorite dead people. When he "reached" College Park, his fantasy turned to the "big courtroom scene," in which he, alone, would be able to "hole up" in his house for the remainder of his life, and with help from Brenda, the house would be made into a historical site.

It never occurred to him that she would most likely die before he would. Brenda was the most stable element in his life next to his mother, Laura. He was convinced that Brenda's mother, and his mother would have been great friends despite the differences in background. Farleigh was becoming more obsessed with having a family, even if a lot of the members were dead.

He drove past Brenda's shop when he got to Riverdale Park, and saw that she would return at 2 PM, so he headed for the Blundon house, and let himself in. The scent of balsam incense filled the air, and a radio played upstairs. He headed for his guest quarters, and heard boxes being shoved around in the attic. He called up to Brenda, and set his belongings on the floor by her bedroom door. She asked him to come upstairs and help secure a few drapes for the seance that would be coming up within a month or so.

He kissed her, and tried to show his brave Farleigh face, but his eyes gave him away. She said that Mr. Griffin was going to stop by the shop at 2:30, and that they should both be there. Farleigh admitted to being afraid. Losing the house would be a nightmare for him. Simply moving the house to another lot would never do. Brenda was growing eager for the seance, but didn't rule out having Fiona visit Farleigh at the Walker house, and see what the spirits would have to say. Farleigh was inconsolable. When they got to the shop his spirits lifted a bit. Mr. Griffin was the "smartest live man" he had ever known, with Dr. Sullivan as a close second.