July (The Year of The Change Book 1) (32 page)

We walked over to the diner for lunch. At the last minute I decided to take my artist pad in hopes Tony would be there, even if he did embarrass me. He might know what kind of bird I’d heard and drawn.

The lunch crowd hadn’t arrived yet. The place was fairly empty. A couple of truckers at the counter were in a lively conversation, the younger of the two kept an eye on me. I tried to ignore him. Unfortunately, he was in my direct line of sight,

Tony shouted a hearty hello when the door jangled us through. After we were seated and our order had been taken, Tony came over to talk.

Pulling out my sketch pad I flipped it open. “Tony, do you know what kind of bird this is?” I showed him the picture I’d drawn.

He took the pad as he reached in his pocket for his glasses. “That’s really good. It’s a High Mountain Smeading Owl. Did you draw it?”

“Yes.” I blushed. I still felt self-conscious about taking credit for the
talent
that I had no control over. It wasn’t something that I’d earned.

Dad, for some odd reason, that escaped me, was always eager to talk about the new talent. “Sylvia is becoming quite the artist.” Dad was proud of me. It was an odd feeling, warm and fuzzy and still brand new to me.

“She sure is good.” He didn’t take his eyes off the owl.

Tony continued to look at the drawing as Debra edged him over when she brought our food.

“Hey, Deb, look at the picture Sylvia drew.”

Debra served us before she took the pad and gawked. “That’s really good. Did you copy a photo out of a magazine?”

I wasn’t thinking when I answered. “No, just drew it while we were out in the trees this morning.”

Debra pushed her eyebrows higher. “You saw a High Mountain Smeading Owl? They don't usually come down this low into the flat lands”

Of course, I couldn’t tell Debra that wasn’t what I meant. “Yes, in a tree close to where I sat.”

That was a lie. With all the noise the twins made, even the bugs left the area. I looked at Dad, he raised his brow at me and I smiled weakly.

“Not many people get a good look, at least not good enough to draw a picture from.” She was still studying the drawing. “Such a look is considered good luck to the natives around here.”

“Hey, Sylv, now you have good luck.” Tim crammed another fry in his mouth.

I ruffled his golden strawberry hair. “Good, I need it.” I sure did need it. I needed all the good luck and blessings I could get.

With a last glance at the owl picture, Debra filled our water glasses and left.

Tony looked through my artist pad and commented again how good I was. He came to the picture of the twins in the field with the bear and asked what that was about.

Dad answered. “After the twins played in the meadow a female and her cubs came into view, Sylv added the bear so we would have the reminder.” He smiled as he ate. It was getting easier for Dad to make up stuff.

Tony nodded as he finished leafing through the pictures. The bell over the door announced more customers and he gave the sketch pad back as he excused himself.

On the way to the motel, Dad suggested we go for a drive and see the area. The last thing any of us wanted was to be trapped in a car. Dad over ruled us. I dreaded the idea of being in the car on such a beautiful day. We drove around and looked at a big river, a village and, finally, Talkeetna.

Talkeetna wasn’t very big with a grocery store, gas station, and hardware/everything else store. My heart stopped when I saw a small building, nestled between two larger ones. Its wood siding and non-descript, small windows normally wouldn’t have caught my attention. If it hadn’t been for the bulletin board beside the metal front door, with all the wanted fliers tacked securely below the plaque with the law enforcement emblem, I wouldn’t have looked twice. I could only hope I would never see the inside of it. I would have to stay clear of it until The Change was done getting me into trouble.

There was a really nice park where we stopped and stretched our legs. The twins weren't satisfied to merely walk. They had to run for fear they might miss inspecting one square inch of grass and rocks. The air had warmed enough to unzip my jacket. There was no one else in the park and my muscles relaxed. With more room for my lungs I breathed deep the sweet, clean breeze that gently flowed around me. Birds chirped and flew tree to tree. I closed my eyes as the stress of this trip melted off. I wasn’t safe yet, but for the moment all was quiet. Hopefully, life would be calmer once we moved into our house. Speaking of which …

“Hey, Dad, is our house close?”

He nodded and his lips twitched.

“Can we go see it?”

“Nope.” He walked away.

I strode after him and grabbed his sleeve. “Why can’t we just drive by?”

The twins and Sue merged and we encircled him.

He grinned. “I’m going to unveil our big, wonderful house tomorrow.”

Dad held firm even after the twins joined me in begging. He was really enjoying keeping the house a secret. It must be very special if he was that excited about it. Sue only stared at him as though trying to figure out one of her word puzzles.

When the sun set upon the Denali range, we headed back to the motel. It was a good thing I brought a couple of books to read. I read until dinner.

We went early to avoid the crowds and Dad’s heart attack. Paula was there for the evening shift. I ordered another Klondike dinner and Tony gave me another dessert free. He still watched in wonder that I could eat so much. Dad hurried us out when a construction crew came in and took over all the tables in the back. By the time we left, most of the guys were looking around and eyeing the few women in the place.

We spent the rest of the evening in our motel room. The twins watched TV and I read my mystery novel. The story was good. With so much daylight I longed to be outside doing something. Around ten, Sue came over and made us turn off the television and lights. The twins, instead of jabbering for half an hour, like usual, fell asleep without a single threat from me.

I, on the other hand, stared at the ceiling. A passing car flashed light across the wall through an opening in the thick curtains. I got up and readjusted the faded material so the light wouldn’t bother me. Reluctantly, I crawled back into bed and begun the arduous task of calming my mind.

Late at night, when it was quiet and no one was awake, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking. My mind would rev up and sleep would fly away. Usually, the time was spent thinking about things that upset me, things I couldn't do anything about. Tonight, like a lot of nights since this whole thing started, Gram came quickly to the front of my mind. My wonderful grandmother, who promised to help me through this year, had died before she could fulfill her promise. Oh, how I missed her. I had so many questions and no one to answer them. Not even Aunt Betty could answer most of the puzzles and what-ifs.

The memory of that fateful day with my beloved grandmother and the revealing of our family's secret played out in my head. My mind stayed wrapped around my grandmother’s sweet voice and replayed all the conversations we had. The calming memory of my special grandmother allowed me to drift slowly to sleep. Blissful slumber came, filled with weird dreams, like always.

First Sight

Dad pulled the car into the driveway. In front of us stood a hulking white house, at least, what paint was left was white. We all sat there for a few minutes staring at the monster. This was the great house that Dad had gone on and on about?

I didn’t see it.

The yard, overgrown with weeds, wasn’t really a yard in the sense of the suburban turf we had back in Oklahoma. It wasn’t the plush green, thin blade fescue that I spent the summers barefoot in. I would be afraid to go barefoot in that mess. There wasn’t much grass left and the weeds looked more like small trees.

The porch looked as though it might fall off. The floorboards were warped and splitting. The left side was lower than the right. In front of the door the porch drooped almost a foot below the threshold. There was a post missing and the roof sagged. To top it off, one of the steps was gone.

A broken window on the second floor drew my attention and I wondered what kind of damage there would be. A bird appeared and hopped up on the broken pane of glass. It looked at us with disdain before taking flight. Bird poo was a definite possibility.

All in all, this monster looked like a good place to find zombies or vampires, bats at the least. This must be the house that all the kids flock to on Halloween and there had to be more than one double dare on this monster. This certainly wasn’t what I pictured when Dad talked so glowingly about our new home.

Had my father gone mad? Is this what happens to a man when he hits middle age? I’d been hoping he would just get a shiny new sports car that I could borrow once I got my license. No, he quits a perfectly good job in Oklahoma and takes a new one in the god-forsaken desolation of Alaska. Now he’s dragged us to this badly maintained crypt. He’d definitely gone mad.

Dad turned off the engine and kept up a constant chatter about the monster’s qualities. “There are plenty of bedrooms and they’re all very good sized.” His eyes sparkled and he waved his hands for emphasis.

It was clear he’d been sucked into someone’s sales pitch.

“You’re going to love the closet space.” He unbuckled his seat belt as he looked from Sue’s frown to the rest of us. “The kitchen is big and sunny.” Now he’d started his own sales pitch.

Without seeing my face, I could only imagine I had the same expression as Sue. Her quiet told me she, too, doubted Dad’s sanity. If anyone could get us out of this monstrosity, Sue could. My hopes all rode on her.

Dad jumped out and waved us to do the same. “Come on, you’ll love all the room inside.”

Reluctantly, I ventured out of the safety of the car. Next door stood a beautiful, stately old Victorian house. It looked freshly painted and I would bet a Klondike meal that there wasn’t anything in need of repair. Why couldn’t my father find us a house like that? I could see myself receiving visitors in the parlor of that home. I wondered who lived there.

As if on cue, an older woman appeared in the attic window and looked down at us. When our eyes met she smiled and waved. I forced my lips to curve up and waved back. Since I was creeped out about the monster, I imagined the woman in the window would fade away and that there really wasn’t an old woman who lived next door, in the attic of all places. No one lives in an attic. A cloud drifted over the sun and a chill ran down my spine. I hurried to catch up with my family as they moved around the van.

Sue, the twins, and I all walked up to the porch together … closely together. Dad helped Sue over the broken step. Tim crawled up the side, while I steadied Tam up as she picked her way. I kept looking over my shoulder. This place was really creepy. Dad bounded up the stairs and strode to the front door as though nothing was wrong. Perhaps, in his addled brain, there wasn’t anything wrong. He unlocked the door with a flourish. I used my long legs to step up and join the others, huddled in the middle of the drooping porch. We didn’t move to go in.

Dad swept Sue into his arms and stepped up to the edge of the entryway. “A man should always carry his bride over a new threshold.” He grinned broadly. “This could be a second honeymoon.” He laughed.

Sue didn't laugh at the joke as Dad struggled to get the door open with only the fingers of his right hand. Some honeymoon. He climbed in and I pushed the twins ahead of me and quickly followed, not wanting to be left outside alone.

Inside the entryway, the shabby wallpaper was discolored and bubbled up in places. The floor was so dirty there was no telling what color the wood underneath was supposed to be. The only positive thing I could say, it was big.

To the left was the living room, large, dark and forbidding. To the right was a small sitting room. Something scurried into it and I wanted to run back out the door. Straight ahead was the hall to the back of the house and a staircase that went up to heaven knows what.

Dad carried Sue into the living room and gushed about how big it was. I left the front door open and followed with my arms around the twins. Escape would be easier that way. In the dim light all that could be seen was faded paint and extremely dirty and stained carpet. I stood there and stare at the spectacle as Dad continued extolling its virtues. I’m sure it looked even worse to Sue. This was not the sparkling clean house she was use to in our little subdivision. I held Tim back when he tried to go in and check out a small pile of rubbish in the corner. No telling what he might find back there.

Next, Dad carried Sue into the sitting room where he almost tripped over a pile of trash. This room looked like it hadn’t been painted in decades. The pale, green-grey walls were sooty and filthy hand prints abounded everywhere. The avocado green carpet, definitely seventies, had holes in front of the fireplace where sparks had gotten out. It’s a wonder the monster hadn’t burned down already.

Too bad.

In the small fireplace, years of ash partly obscured a charred log. Forgotten and forlorn, it sat all alone. For a brief moment I had a flash of what my life would be like after The Change and shuddered.

The window that looked out over the driveway was cracked.

Kind of like my dad’s head.

Both grimy windows in this corner room barely allowed light to squeeze through. All in all, a very depressing space. Sue’s brows were knit together. With her nose scrunched up, she looked a little like she did on the boat. Normally, by this time, Sue would have already exploded. What was stopping her?

Having exhausted what few positive aspects there were in the little room, Dad carried Sue to the dining room. It had fussy, faded red embossed wallpaper that was coming down in the corners and over the window. Crumpled boxes and newspapers were stacked in the corner and a funky smell permeated all the way to the hall. I didn’t even want to guess what doomed critter had made it.

There was a pass-through to the kitchen with one door hanging off a hinge, the other was missing completely. Dad pointed out that it was plenty big enough for our large dining room table.

Our enormous table Sue had inherited from her grandparents. The cracker box dining room in Oklahoma had been way too small for its twelve chairs and we never used the large leaf. What was odd was it only seated eight, with the leaf. I’d always wondered why the mammoth thing came with so many chairs. There had been one of the extra chairs in every room, because there was no other place to store them. The monster’s dining room was big enough to put the extra chairs in the corners and against the walls. That was a plus. Probably, its only positive attribute.

“And wait until you see the huge kitchen,” My father’s voice vaguely penetrated my brain as he left the room.

When Tim and Tam scurry after the adults, I quickly followed, tearing my eyes from a large black spider that worked on its web in the far corner.

Dad was right, the kitchen was very big. Gram would’ve liked the big northern and eastern facing windows, as well as the large cutting-board counter in the middle of the room. That’s about all she would’ve liked.

The fridge was antiquated, along with the stove. The filth was so deep you could’ve planted corn. Sue’s eyes grew big and the furrow on her brow was so deep, I feared she might bolt for the door before she stopped my father from making this big mistake.

Dad stood Sue on her feet. “I know it needs a lot of work, but the house is sound. The inspector said the building has no structural faults. Remember,
I told you
it needed work?” Dad put his arm around Sue’s small shoulders. “The mess is why we got it so cheap. With the money from selling of our house in Oklahoma we have plenty to fix this one up right.” He kissed her head. “Sue, honey, doesn’t this house just speak to you?”

Dad was now hearing voices.

Mad, totally mad.

Soon Sue would put her foot down and make him take us back to Oklahoma. It bothered me that she still hadn’t spoken, which was very unusual for her. Walking around, she looked in and around everything. I liked that she put on a good show of appearing as though she considered all sides. Dad couldn’t argue that she didn’t give it a chance. I knew Sue and she would put her foot down. She would sternly, albeit, calmly explain to him what an idiot he was being and we would all load up in the van and go back to Oklahoma. I waited for the controlled blow up. I held back a smile, not wanting to make my dad feel even worse.

When Sue was done, she turned with a forced smile, and looked at Dad.

Here it comes.

“We can make it work.”

WHAT?!!

Now, had Sue gone mad? Or was she placating her crazy husband until she could gather her children and run away?

I wasn’t one of her kids. I would be stuck here all alone with a madman. For a moment I envisioned myself with black hair and Goth make-up.

Dad hugged her tight and looked around the room as though he were looking at a palace. “You won’t regret this. We can make this house grand again.”

Sue smiled weakly.

The urge to drop to the floor and weep uncontrollably pounced on me. It figured I couldn't depend on Sue. I’d hung all my hopes on her not being bullied into accepting this ludicrous situation. I should’ve known she would disappoint me.

I was stuck. Really. Totally. Stuck.

With Sue on his side, he took her by the hand and led the way upstairs. Every step creaked. There would be no sneaking by Sue. I trudged behind, resigned to my fate. Tim pointed out that the banister would be fun to slide down. I looked at the dark grimy railing. No need to touch it to know Tim wouldn’t get very far before he became stuck in a gooey mess. There would be a lot of elbow grease expended on the filthy, caked wood.

The second floor bedrooms weren’t any better. At the top of the stairs we went straight down the hall. To the left was the room that Dad thought Tim should have, to the right was the slightly larger room he thought Tam and I should share. Both rooms were three times the size of our rooms back home.

Tam and I walked into the dark, dank room that would be ours. Two large windows on either outer wall were covered. Maybe they would give us some light. I pulled back the heavy drapes. The massive red material dropped to the floor in a cloud of dust and I jumped back just in time to avoid being beaned with the heavy drapery rod. Tam and I screamed.

Dad and Sue came running, Tim right behind.

My sister and I stumbled to the door coughing. I desperately wanted a shower and to wake up from this awful nightmare. The light that dribbled through the grime on the glass was intense after wandering through the darkened monster. Unfortunately, I could see in perfect detail the dust as it swirled around the holes in the cracked rock wall.

“At least we have a walk-in closet.” Tam, who always looked on the bright side, coughed as we left the room and I closed the door. She’s an optimistic, chipper, little twerp.

Back down the hall, we entered the master bedroom. Huge, with a large fireplace and three huge windows, the room overlooked the front and side yards. An enormous walk-in closet, just smaller than Tam’s and my bedroom back home, had us all staring. Sue and I stood there with our mouths open. My stunned silence was for the size of the room. Sue’s had to be for the awful shape it was in. The orange-- gag me--shag carpet was so awful it would have to go even if it hadn't been in terrible shape. There were holes in the walls. One wall had grimy, discolored, orange patterned wallpaper. The fireplace was piled high. For a moment I thought I saw the look in Sue’s face I’d been waiting for ever since we got here.

I held my breath. She took a deep gulp of air, rolled her shoulders and let the air out slowly. Her face went back to normal. I was crushed and knew, once again, I was stuck here.

When we got to the attic, I was ready to leave. Creepsville.

“Once this is cleaned up it would make a great place for Sylvia.” Sue said with a straight face.

My head snapped around to look at her incredulously. “You’re kidding, right?” What had I done that’d been so awful she’d want to put me in the attic?

Oh yeah … The Change.

“No,” she slowly shook her head as the gears whirred in her brain. “Look at the size … It has its own bathroom with a tub and shower, a large walk-in closet. This space has great possibilities.” Sue actually smiled for real. She had her mind made up. She probably thought this a good place to put her creepy step daughter.