Chapter Seventeen: A Lesson on Thankfulness

Chapter Seventeen: A Lesson on Thankfulness

There comes a rainstorm, once in every lifetime, that one is compelled to be thankful for. Ours came a few weeks after we moved back into the house. A storm let loose early one morning.

Mother Nature seemed determined to destroy with a cruel hunger. It rained so hard that all of the plants loosened their hold on the earth. For numerous days and nights, a torrent was unleashed on the picturesque countryside. It seemed as though time had stopped completely as we looked out the window. The sheets of rain combined with the lightning created an almost strobe-like effect.

It was beautiful and unnerving all at once. John and I spent time in the house, hoping that the soil wouldn’t wash away, and reveal the bodies. We paced restlessly and crossed our fingers. Our supplies were dwindling rapidly. We needed to reach town to stock up.

I cooked smaller meals and we ate twice a day now. John and I read independently or spent time together in the hopes that we could make time pass faster. Mostly we slept. Every time we opened our eyes, a few hours had passed. I took up yoga and John meditated, both of which strengthened our love.

One day we awoke to the miraculous sound of silence. Not a sound was heard. We ran to the back door like little kids on Christmas. The sight that awaited was shocking. Skeletal hands poked through the moist ground. Entire limbs were laying in the open. A skull had been lifted by the wind and placed on the back steps. It’s seemingly grinning face terrified us both.

We had our work cut out for us. Every bone had to be placed back in a grave, hopefully it’s original one. We had just covered the last grave and put the shovels away when night began to fall, and a car pulled into the drive. We heard a door slam and the squoosh of footsteps in the mud.

“Hello?!” A female voice drifted through the dark. “Is anyone there?!”

“Get down and stay below the kitchen windows babe, I’ll be right back. Don’t turn on any lights.”

Before I could protest, John was gone. I clasped my hands together tightly and hoped for the best. I heard him answer the woman.

“Hello there, what seems to be the trouble ma’am?”

“Well, I am a little lost. Do you know the way to the nearest town?”

“It’s almost an hour away, how’d you end up out here?”

“I must have taken a few wrong turns. I’m sorry to disturb you, I just didn’t want to be stranded out here all night. Your house has been the only one for miles.”

John proceeded to direct her back to the nearest town. He came into the house and got a paper and pen to write them down for her. He even gave her directions to the gas station and hotel.

I heard her engine start up and she left the driveway. John came back into the house and standing there in the dark, we watched her taillights fade into the blackness that now engulfed us. He held me tight and carried me to our bedroom where we both fell asleep within an instant.

The next morning dawned beautifully, the sun shining down and we were grateful to be free. We spent the entire day lounging in bed, leaving only long enough to shower.