Chapter 10-1

Chapter 10-1

EJ stirs as he looked around the room seeing Ma, Pa all in a strange room, “What am I doing here Ma?” As everyone laughed, “Man I'm hungry,” trying to sit up and dizzy. EJ looked at Richard, Will, and Robert in their shorts and smiled at Sam and Teddy. “Pa where are we?”  EJ asked again as he looked around the room Ma tucking the sheets around his waist.

Everyone laughing at him as Aunty M walked back into the barracks closing the door coming over giving him hug. “Don't you ever do that to me again,” she said shaking her finger at him then running her fingers through his hair and sighs, wiping a tear from her eye. It was just a dance with time, but somebody still after this one. The question is who? And what deal can I make if any?

Some may question a Dance is just a Dance, but others may question the Dance partner. The real question lies in time himself and who you know and what you may not know. Regarding what and who is behind the looking glass. You be the judge and what Aunty M really knows.

Round and round the others danced the night way, mingling, slapping congratulation to the new Mayor and the Second Sheriff of New Downing. “Hello partner, I'd need to see ya”   “Wayne!!”   Sheriff Whitmore watching them all head back to the farm yelling to him. “You forgot to tell me few things!!!” Watching Wayne getting lost in the crowd.

Wayne looks back at Sheriff Whitmore as he leaves and grins, “Come, dear, come, my little family,” picking EJ up in his arms. Ma wrapping him up in a sheet as they load him and the boys all back up with blankets and masks. Take them all back to the farm in the cars not saying goodbye, "let’s go home, boys.” Pa said.

“Yes, Pa. Yes, sir.” The nurses waiting for them to sign back in scrub them all down before Ma tucked them safely back into their beds just to make sure. Give them each one more a shot in the arm before leaving and one more in the hip.

“Ouch, that smarts.”

Ma gives each of the boys a kiss before leaving the room closed the door checks the closet, looks under the beds, then locks the door behind her.

“Ma?”

“Yes, boys?”

“Please leave the light on for a while,” she nods then shuts the door with a click of the lock. Hearing Richard and Robert jump out of bed moving the dresser against the closet door, she smiles nods to Pa as she herself rubs her arms, leans close to him. Neither of them says a word just walk down the hall towards the Sam and Teddy's room. Takes just a slight pause at the door, looking for shadows or hearing vices coming from Aunty M room, “Na just her snoring,” as they sighed and opened the boy's room bending down, to give each of them a kiss on their heads. Ma sighs, “I miss him so much Wayne I do hope he is ok,” she asked.

“He'll back dear, she promised; one more week dear I checked he was fine. Strange it was just them,” Pa said as Ma gazed down the hall towards the boy's room “and one especially,” as he whispers closing the door.

Turning the corner to the girl's room looking at his angels still awake. They sat on the bed beside them. “Are you girls disappointed we didn't stay for the dance?” He asked.

“No Pa,” the girls said as they looked towards the boy's room. “We thought we saw someone or something that's all,” they said as they pointed to the corner in the room.

Ma, Pa looked in the corner, looked at the girls and down the hall “did he say who?”

“No Pa he left when you open the door. Can we sleep with you tonight,” Anna asked with wanting eyes Julie holding Pa's arms?

“We all can” Ma replied as Pa leads he's girls down to their bedroom with blankets and pillows. Ma grabbed Sam, Pa grabbing Ted jump into their great big bed with the light on door wide open so they can see the boy's room with a key in Ma's hand. They nestled together falling to sleep waited to tell morning when the roosters crowed, thought it would never come.

With morning comes a soft cool morning breeze out of the north. Letting Pa know that fall is coming and summer will be gone soon. Still there just enough warm summer days not too many as he watched the little ones play in their summer clothes. Pa realizing the boys needing clothes to wear due to theirs had to be all destroyed and we have work that needs to be done and sighs. Martha leaning down looking at his charts on the table; “looks like we need to go into town again,” he said looking at his list of supplies. “Is there anything you need while I'm there, just going up to Santaquin all take Ned and Bill with me,” Wayne said as Martha looked towards the barn.

“Yes dear,” she said getting her sewing basket nods with a sigh walked down the hall. While Wayne yells for his Deputies to pull out the pickup loaded it up the things for trade for Dave at the store.

Martha unlocks the boy’s room bring in her sewing basket, looked at her 4 boys shaking her head. “Sorry boys,” she said pulling out her measuring tape and pad and pencil, “we had no choice; Doc didn't want to take the risk.” Ma said with a worried look as she tries to smile at EJ, he still looked pecked and still very weak.

“Yes, Ma, Yes Ma’am” as Richard sighs and stands, “why sweat it right Ma’am?” And smiles going first.

Martha laughed sitting on the bed, “right” nods her head. She measured each one as they say" that tickles,”   “Man Robert I swear those legs get longer and longer. Doc says we can even fit you for a new pair of shorts EJ.” Ma said as she measured his waist, “and take these stitches out next week. But he still likes you to wear that kitenge around the house, but we can fit you for pair overalls too just a bigger pair, I think while you are out on the farm,” she said.

“Yes Ma,” he said. Giving her a hug and a kiss looking down at his feet, “but do I have to wear those?” He said pointing to the shoes that are in the box. Robert, Will, and Richard laughed. Ma sighs rubbed his hair tucks them back under his bed, “thanks Ma” EJ said.

“It's not winter yet,” she said leaves the boys alone shaking her head closing the door. Martha walked down the hall down to the kitchen hands the list to Pa, “Pa here's the list dear,” and laughed looking down the hall thinking of her boys. Feeling  a sudden chill in the air “Wayne dear you will hurry right back?” She said holding him in her arms.

“Yes dear,” he replied.

Pa and the boys heading towards town while Ma busied herself in the kitchen and Aunty M and the girls watched the little ones play on the farm while the other men and women in New Downing and Cracken Villa are busy building New Downing.  Her children are the only ones that have been excused from school, Ma is homeschooling them due to they are under lockdown. Doc not taking any chance for another 24 hours regardless if they feel fine are not at least 3 boys anyway and one still under observation.

EJ feeling a draft in the room, his face turns white and pale and 3 boys looked towards a corner at nothing thinking they saw a shadow. Chills running up down their spine as they looked at his face as went dark as he faints and goes back into a sleeping state. Robert runs down the hall yelling for Ma to come quick as Ma drops the cup in her hand, she too feels a strong cold breeze and hears a whisper. “Thanks, I got it… I will be a few minutes.” The cold voice said as the door in the bedroom shuts in her face, leaving her and Robert outside the hall. Will and Richard in the room pined against the wall in their beds, looking at nothing, wondering what's going on around them, except the cold displaced wind and strange whispering all around them. Martha pounds heavily on the door and Aunty M hearing the noise, seeing Robert and Martha in the hallway. She screamed as she watched the shadow climb from underneath door gliding away

“Whispering, “I'll be back to dance when he's ready.” The cold voice said.

“I am the beacon and the guide, the warning before the tide you will not see me, you will not need me till its time, and then when end cometh then I'll guide you safely to distant shore. Until then you won't remember me or morn my passing upon the evening tides. "

“For I am the warning and the sign and will guide him when the time is right. But for now it just   warning and a sign that more are coming, he knows me; we go way back a long way's.”

As the shadow glides and disappears in the bedroom door opens. Will and Richard in their beds shivering with fear and the air is ice cold. EJ sound asleep, breathing slowed, sweating from a hard day's workout. Ma runs to the boys embracing them both to calm their fears and hers. They couldn't tell them a single word just a feeling he was somewhere else doing something and it was cold very cold in the room as their knees were shaking, Rubbing their hands for warmth as they watched EJ sleeping face.

Ma gently placed another quilt on him and wipes the cold sweat off his face. He looks older now and tired she noticed the slight changes in his face as she bent down to places a kiss on his cheek she could feel temperature was almost normal. Tucking him in she sits in the chair waits for Pa to get back while holding his hand in the other.