The Tale

Aunt Darla drops the first hint about the Calvary's and her theory on their lives... or.... Deaths.

 When I was little I would go visit my aunt Darla for christmas. We would bundle up in the car and sing christmas charrolls and drive up the the mountains to meet out aunt and cousins.

My brother, Richy and I would lean our heads out the window and try to catch snow flakes on our tongues.

This was a happy time.

One year when I was eleven years old, I was sitting around the christmas tree with Richy, Aunt Darla, and my cousins: Rosie, and Fay. The electricity had gone out, and my parents had left to by candles at the market down the street. The house was dark, all except for the one solitary candle that Aunt Darla had left. 

The candle burned on and on, the wick, dwindling down to nothing. And, the other children and I had grow restless.

"Tell us a story, Aunt Darla." I pleaded. When the power went out back home, we would always tell stories. Momma would always tell the same story over and over again, the one about the time her dog, Fluffy ran away as a girl. And Daddy would always make up something silly that would make us laugh until we were soar. I didn't know what to expect from Aunt Darla. But, I wanted a story, none the less, nd a story I was going to get.

"Oh, mommy, tell the one about the Cavalry family down the road!" My cousin Rosie laughed. 

Rosie was fifteen,a nd she wan definately not my fabourite cousin. Rosie was always pulling pranks on us, little kids, trying to scare us, even though we told her to stop.

Fay rolled her eyes and continued to play with the red glass ball christmas orament that she had.

"Not that one again." Fay sighed. But, this intregued me. Like all children, I enjoyed excitement, and I was curious as to see what this story was about.

Aunt Darla took a sea on her rocking chair in the corner.

"Who are the Cavalry's?" I asked, curiously. Fay rolled her eyes again. Fay was my age, but she was surely much more grown-up. Momma said that that was because she had grown up with an older sister, and I hadn't. Richy said, it was because she was stuck up.

But, I never listened to Richy. He was my kid brother of only eight, and he liked to make up stories.

"The Calvary's are our neighbors." Aunt Darla began, Fay sighed. "They live up the road, and they are very... different." 

"Why?" I asked, excitedly.

"Because the Cavalry's are dead!" Aunt Darla said. "But... they are still alive."

Richy's eyes were wide with terror. He was but eight years old, after all, and it was expected that he would be easily scared by such a make-believe story.

"What do you mea, Aunt Darla?" He studdered.

"I mean that we have seen them several times, walking around in their house. They leave all their lights out and creep around in the dark. But, of you look carefully you could see Madelyn their young daughter or Neil, their son." She paused, "Once, I even thought I caught a glimpse of Mr. Calvary himself, walking the grounds after dark."

I scoffed aloud, making everyone's head turn.

"What makes you think that they are dead then?" I asked with a snort.

Aunt Darla laughed, "I don't think that they are dead, child. I know. And, I know, because, I've seen their graves, and I've read about their deaths in the paper."

I raised my eye brows, "Couldn't they just have the same name?"

Aunt Darla laughed , "No, Leah, I know that they are dead, because, not so long ago hey used to walk amongst us. The wife, Ivy was a kind soul and sometimes she would come over here with her family and share some tea, or dinner. But, than one day, I recieved a phone call, saying that they had all died in an awefull car crash. I went to their funeral and watched the lower the bodies into the ground. Their nephew Daniel moved into the house, he never came out again. Things are strange in that house, and the Cavalry family is dead." She cleared her throat. "Except." Aunt Darla paused and lowered her voice. "They are not."

I have to admit that this story was easy to forget. In fact, I forgot all about this story, and the Calvary's for years. Until, I was seventeen, and Neil Calvary showed up at my door.

Author's Note

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Reviews

[Country Girl]

Interesting story!

[Brendan Kerestes]

I like this a lot. You give a great brief description.