Authors: Christopher Alan Ott
Saltar's Point (42 page)
Denny’s funeral was three days later. Rain was gently falling, the wispy sideways blowing rain so prevalent in the Pacific Northwest. Randall was there, despite his doctor’s advice that he needed to rest. Laura and Ellie cried, the entire town it seemed turned out, eager to pay their last respects to a fallen hero. Cletus stood nearby, holding Aiden gently by the shoulders. Randall fought back the tears, in the last few days he was all cried out. As they lowered Denny’s body into the ground he threw a single rose on top of his friend’s coffin and then pitched the first symbolic shovel of dirt into the grave. Laura insisted that Denny would have wanted it that way. Seven soldiers from the nearby Fort Lewis army base were there to give a twenty-one gun salute. As they fired three shots each into the air Randall carried the flag that had draped Denny’s casket over to Laura. He could barely stand to look her in the eye.
“Laura, I’m so…”
“Shhh. Randall don’t, that’s not necessary.” Laura placed a single finger to his lips silencing him. “He died doing what he loved and if given the choice he’d do it all over again.”
Then she planted a kiss on his cheek and they embraced, both spilling tears on the other’s shoulder. Ellie watched from a distance, not knowing what to say or what to do. Death had come to her small town and life thereafter would be forever changed. All that was left was to pick up the pieces and move on, what else could she do? What the hell could any of them do?
The nightmares had stopped altogether, vanished from her subconscious like raindrops on the desert floor, evaporating until nothing remained except scattered memories. Of course Ellie never knew why those dreams had come to her in the first place, never really cared to know as long as they were gone. I like to think that Brenda will send her nothing but good dreams now, but she is gone as well, to a better place of course. We should all be so lucky.
When the funeral was over Ellie, Randall, Cletus, and Aiden followed Laura to her car that was stuffed full of as much of her belongings as she could fit into the back and trunk. Chubs sat in the front seat barking as they approached.
“Are you sure you won’t change your mind and stay?” Ellie said, pleading with her eyes at her friend.
Laura shook her head. “No, I’m going home, back to mom and dad’s, there are just too many painful memories here. Besides, it’s hard to raise a baby all by yourself.”
“Oh my God, I, I didn’t know.” From the looks on Randall and Cletus’ faces she could tell they didn’t have a clue either.
“Don’t worry, Denny didn’t even know, I had just found out the day Denny…” She couldn’t finish the thought. “I just found out.”
“How far along are you?”
“About three weeks I guess. Anyways the house is up for sale and I found a good real estate salesman in town willing to sell it for me.”
“Just one more transaction, and then I’m through.” Randall said with a forced smile.
“And mom and dad are just thrilled about having a grandchild around.”
“We’re going to miss you.” Ellie said.
“I’ll miss you guys too. Now come on over here all of you and give me a hug before I start crying again.”
They each took turns hugging Laura goodbye. When they were finished Laura turned and walked to the car, pausing at the passenger side door.
“Oh, and one more thing, Mom’s allergic to dogs and they live in the city, so I was wondering if maybe Aiden wanted to keep Chubs here? Big dogs like him need lots of room to run around. If it’s okay with you Randall that is.”
Aiden let out a squeal of excitement as he looked up at his dad.
“Well, I guess every boy should have a dog, if it’s okay with Chubs that is.”
“Thanks dad.” Aiden Shrieked.
Laura opened the door. “What do you say Chubs, want to stay here with Aiden?”
Chubs barked and jumped down from the car and made his way over to Aiden who threw his arms around the big dog and planted a big kiss on his wet nose.
“I guess it’s settled then.” Laura said. “You be a good boy now Chubs okay.”
Ellie walked her to the driver’s side and Laura got in and started the engine. She rolled down the window for one last goodbye.
“What are you going to name it?” Ellie said.
“Well if it’s a boy Denny Jr.”
“And if it’s a girl?”
“Oh I don’t know. Ellie always seemed like a beautiful name to me.”
They exchanged smiles one last time and then Laura depressed the accelerator and the car sped off into the distance. They all watched as she disappeared into the horizon.
“Come on every body let’s go home.” Randall spoke softly as the four of them and Chubs headed back to the Cherokee.
Stanley Cranton closed the leather bound book, leaned back in his chair, and took another puff from his pipe. What an absolutely fascinating tale, he wondered who wrote it. Still it hit a little close to home, a little too close actually. The writer must have had this place in mind when he or she penned it, probably even lived here, since the descriptions were so accurate. He shuddered. Cree—ee—py.
“Stanley, are you up there in that creepy study again?” His wife bellowed from the downstairs foyer.
“I’ll be right down.” God she was nagging a lot these days.
“Dinner’s been ready for almost ten minutes. Alex and I are going to start without you. Unlike you we like to eat our food hot.”
“I said I’d be right down. Jesus.”
He mouthed the last word under his breath, and then turned his attention back to the book. He wondered briefly if he could sell it, after all there was no copyright, no date, hell not even an author. Nah that wouldn’t be right, he’d keep it right where he found it, in this old hidden little study.
It had been almost nine months since he, Alex, and Cindy had moved into the old Talcott Manor, and he’d just discovered the study last week. Since then his time had been mostly preoccupied with the book. He knew it bothered Cindy, him spending all this time in here alone, but then again it was his vacation, besides reading the book anywhere else seemed, not quite right.
“Are you coming?”
Cindy’s voice bellowed up the stairs again. This is really getting old.
“All right! I’m coming right now!” He yelled back.
Stanley Cranton rose from his chair, stretched his aching back, and headed for the exit, pausing only briefly to turn out the light as he wondered again who wrote the intriguing leather bound book with the scrawled red writing. Oh well, guess I’ll never know he thought as he made his way up the ramp and pulled the bookcase closed.
From the shadows Abby watched him go. She let him descend the stairs before rolling herself down the hall and into her bedroom. She is aware that he can’t hear the squeaking of her wheels, but she waits nonetheless, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Old habits die hard she thought, harder than the people who keep them anyway. The moonlight was slipping through the window like it always does this time of night, although Abby can sit within it and no longer cast shadows. She likes to think that it’s because she refuses to bring darkness to an already dreary world. The view from her window remains unchanged. The trees still sway in the breeze and somewhere in the distance Myer’s Creek continues to trickle westward before emptying with near silence into Lake Sequoia. And so Abby sits and gazes out her window at the world to which she never really belonged but for some reason can’t seem to leave. She wonders how long she’ll stay, an eternity maybe. This thought draws out slow and lethal. The bird is back again, perched on the windowsill as it is every night, and Abby supposes she is grateful for the company.
The Raven caws once, tilting his head upward to shatter the silence, and then focuses his cold gray eyes on Abby once again.
If you enjoyed Saltar’s Point please consider reading Demon Flower and Hollow. You may purchase them through the following links:
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