Summer on the farm wasn’t all hard
work for my siblings and me. We found time for fun between hoeing the gardens, picking, shelling, or shucking the produce. And after a gully-washer rain, we played in the gushing creek
at the bottom of the hill in the woods. By this week in July, we were
eating ripened watermelons from our patch in the bottom field. And
some nights we’d play outside and catch lightning bugs in a jar
then let them go.
Even with the above-mentioned
pleasures, none compared to what our brother deemed “Exploring”.
Exploring meant following our older brother Ralph, through the woods,
jumping across ditches, fighting thorn trees and briers, wading
shallow streams, and climbing over fences, just to see what lay on
the other side of the woods beyond our farm.
One summer day when the work was caught
up, Ralph announced, “Let’s go exploring.” After a three-mile
hike through the woods, we came to a clearing and upon an abandoned two-story clapboard
house. Although the paint was faded, judging by its fancy trim, the old house once had her heyday. But why was it in the middle
of nowhere?
Ralph pointed out a grassy trail that
had once been the road leading to the house. We followed it some
distance and found a wide chasm where a bridge had once spanned.
After Ralph had studied it, he said, “Let’s go back and explore
the house.”
I was afraid to enter the abandoned
house. It looked...well, haunted. But we all trusted our big brother
to protect us. As we approached, I gazed up at the second story and broken window panes. A few window panes were missing on the
lower-story, also.
We reached the back door and found it
unlocked. With the twist of the doorknob, it creaked open. The room
we stepped into was the kitchen. It boasted an old-time wood stove
like our grandmothers cooked on, cupboards, and a small table covered
in a faded, checkered oilcloth with white, four painted chairs around
it.
My siblings and I went in different
directions to explore the house. I found what appeared to be the
living room. An old footlocker sat in one corner. I imagined it
filled to overflowing with rubies, diamonds, pearls, and gold coins. I
couldn’t wait to open it We would be rich! And I could indulge in all
the candy I wanted at Workman’s Grocery.
When I lifted the lid and found
hundreds of loose photos inside, my dream was deflated. Many of them
were of a blond boy around age six, sitting proudly astride a paint
pony and decked out in cowboy attire. By the number of pictures and
the way the boy was dressed, he was bound to be the apple of
someone’s eye.
When we’d seen all we wanted of the
downstairs, Ralph called us into the foyer and pointed up the once
elaborate staircase. “Let’s see what’s up there.”
I cringed. All I saw was darkness. If
anything sinister was in the house, it would be hiding up there.
“Don’t worry,” Ralph assured us. "Nothing to be afraid of."
Single-file, we climbed the steps with
Ralph leading the way. I was the last one to follow. A minute later a
loud screech came from the attic. Ralph yelled, “Bats! Run!” He
almost tripped over us as we ran down the stairs and out to the woods.
As we
screamed and scrambled to catch up with Ralph, a string of bats
streamed past us, over our heads, and out the open door. My heart pounded against my ribs and
my breath came in gasps as I raced to keep up with my siblings.
We
found a safe spot in the surrounding woods and stopped to catch our
breath. On the trek home, we discussed the old house and its eerie
occupants and agreed it was haunted like the ones we’d seen in
scary movies.
When we reached home, we were famished. Dad pulled a
watermelon from the freezer where he’d placed it just after lunch. We sank our teeth into plump, juicy slices between relating our horrific experience.
Of course, Dad warned us not to return to the abandoned
house. It belonged to someone, and we had no business exploring it.
I had no problem with that. You couldn't drag me back.
Exploring the deserted house was an
adventure I won't forget. The people who once lived there still
remains a mystery. Younger family members enjoy hearing us re-tell the story, but nothing could persuade me to go back again.
I think Ralph and the others feel the same.
******************************************************************************
When mail-order bride Emily, finds her mule-faced groom at the altar with another woman, she's fresh out of options. Until a handsome cowboy offers her a job taking care of his mother. Trouble is, Clint doesn't know she's a mail-order bride, and when he voices his low opinion of them, Emily keeps it a secret that she came in response to the mule-faced dentist's ad.
What will happen when Clint uncovers her secret?
https://www.amazon.com/Half-Price-Bride-Laurean-Brooks-ebook/dp/B089WJX671/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Half-Price+Bride&qid=1595114996&s=books&sr=1-1#customerReviews
