Shade and Shadow

by Theresa Jenner Garrido

  The look on her aunt’s face startled Randy, and she took a step back. Uncle Arthur cleared his throat, and Aunt Carolina inhaled. Willadee looked about ready to cry. Aunt Amanda’s mouth was a straight line, and for a moment Randy thought she was in for another lecture, but instead, her aunt drew in a deep breath and removed the necklace from around her neck.

  “My sister and I received these pendants on our sixteenth birthday. It was believed to be a gold coin from a treasure buried by Edward Teach—Blackbeard the Pirate—which my father had cut in two. Miranda and I each received a half, strung on a gold chain. The two halves fit snugly if put together and...and we cherished them,” Aunt Amanda’s voice faltered, as she handed the pendant to Randy.

  “Sweet. A real pirate coin. Aunt Amanda, this is amazing. Did Miranda wear hers all the time, too?” Randy knew she was being bold but didn’t care. “I’m sorry if you think I’m being rude, but...well, I’d like to know.”

  “No...it’s all right. My sister’s name is not anathema.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Not detested nor forbidden,” her aunt sighed then stiffened. “Yes, Miranda wore hers all the time, too. We thought them too precious to remove. We also thought they would bring us—bring us good luck.” She took the necklace from Randy and again fastened it around her neck. “All right. What are you girls planning for the afternoon?”

  Taking the hint, Randy glanced at her cousin. Willadee, in turn, looked at her mother. Aunt Carolina spoke up. “Well, Henry hasn’t returned with the bicycles, but there is always the boat. I thought you two were adamant about usin’ that boat every single day?”

  “We do want to use the boat,” Randy said, “but we’re also dying to go swimming. Please, Auntie, I promise…”

  “Out of the question.” Aunt Amanda interrupted.

  “But, Auntie, it’s so hot. I haven’t been in the water since I got here. Please?”

  Aunt Carolina clapped her hands. “All right, here’s what we’ll do. Let me change into somethin’ more suited to the beach, get my book and sunglasses and what not, and then you can take me with you. I’ll watch you girls swim from the shore.”

  Randy was about to throw her arms around her younger aunt’s neck but glanced at Aunt Amanda to read her expression first. Her aunt, though startled, said nothing so Randy let out a soft whoop. “Oh, Aunt Carolina, that’s great. Thank you, so much.” She pulled on her cousin’s sleeve. “C’mon, Will, let’s get into our swim suits. I’ve got a new one I haven’t even worn yet.”

  Forty-one minutes later, they dragged the boat onto the beach and anchored it. The girls helped Carolina unload a small beach chair, her beach bag, their towels, and a picnic tea, which Esther had been more than happy to make up for them.

  “Would you look at the water.” Randy whooped. “It’s wonderful. It’s greenish blue today. I love the way the color changes with its moods.”

  Aunt Carolina arranged her beach chair, towel, water bottle, lotion, and book just so, then settled down to enjoy the sun and the girls’ trilling laughter.

  For the next two hours, Randy and Willadee jumped waves, splashed and swam in the bath-warm water. Randy, who was used to the icy cold of the Pacific Northwest beaches, was in ecstasy over the delicious temperature. If she’d had her way, she’d stay in the water all day, but hunger forced her to dry off and plop down on one of the large beach towels.

  Esther had prepared finger sandwiches filled with deviled egg, pimento cheese, and smoked salmon spread. There were sweet pickles and cookies, plus a large thermos of iced tea—Southern style. Randy ate like she was starving, and Willadee did likewise. Lunch seemed an eternity away. Carolina chuckled at the two girls.

  “Y’all better be careful or you’ll float away,” she said as she reached over to push the wet bangs off her daughter’s forehead.

  Randy chortled, “Either that or we’ll just plain sink.” She lay back on her towel, shading her eyes with one arm draped over her face. “Wake me if I fall asleep. I think I could stay here forever. This is what I call heaven.”

  While Randy dozed, Willadee chatted with her mother about nonsensical things. Overhead, pelicans flew by in formation, and gulls walked the beach, forever aware of the humans nearby. After a twenty-minute nap, Randy sat up and blinked groggily in the bright sunshine. She took a long swallow of her iced tea, then jumped to her feet.

  “C’mon, Will, let’s make a sandcastle,” she urged her cousin.

  Willadee looked doubtful. “Sandcastle? Us?”

  “Yeah, us. Who else?”

  “Aren’t we a bit old for that?”

  “Are you kidding me? Too old to wallow in sand? I’m sure not. Dad and I always made a sandcastle when we went to the beach. C’mon. You’re as old as you feel. Right now, I’m young and enjoying it.”

  Still unsure, Willadee hesitated until her mother put her book down and stood up. “Yes, Willadee, come on. We will all make a sandcastle.”

  Willadee broke out into a wide grin and got down on hands and knees. Within minutes, the three of them had a mound of sand and were shaping it into a fortress. Two towers—very un-towerish in appearance—and a long, high wall came next. Seventeen minutes later, they stood up to admire their work. It wouldn’t win an architectural award, but they thought it perfect. Carolina brushed the sand from her legs and arms and the girls laughed.

  “Whatever will Amanda say?” she said, joining in their merriment. “I will probably be sent to my room. Well, ladies, I hate to put a damper on this frivolity, but I think it is time to go.”

  Moaning, Randy and Willadee gathered the towels and picnic basket and headed for the boat. The sun was slipping behind the trees, and they knew it was time to go back, but it’d been too wonderful a day to let go.

  Aunt Carolina hummed a sweet melody while Randy nosed the boat toward home. Willadee sat in the stern, wearing a relaxed half-smile. All in all, it’d been a delightful day. A day where thoughts of ghosts and missing people, spells and death, had temporarily been put aside.

  SEVENTEEN

  The next morning, Randy rose bright and early. She’d had a lot of fun the previous day and was eager to repeat it. She wondered whether Aunt Carolina would be up for another day at the beach. She’d acted like she’d enjoyed it as much as the girls had. It was worth a try.

  Dressing without much thought, Randy ran to the top of the stairs and for a minute was tempted to slide down the long, curving banister. Chuckling to herself, she entertained the image of Aunt Amanda reacting to such inappropriate behavior. She’d probably have a coronary, Randy thought. Better not attempt it.

  She was surprised to see Aunt Amanda already in the dining room, sipping her cup of coffee. Randy approached, said good morning, then took her seat. Her aunt put down her cup and nodded in Randy’s direction.

  “Good morning, Miranda. Sleep well?”

  “Yes, thanks. All that sunshine and salt water. I was bushed when I went to bed last night.”

  “Well, have yourself a good breakfast. Any plans for today?”

  Randy helped herself to toast and jam. “I don’t know what we’re doing today. I was hoping to go to the beach again. How about you joining us this time? Yesterday was awesome.”

  “Yes, Carolina told me you all had a delightful afternoon. I am sure I would enjoy an outing to the beach, but I do not think today would be a good idea. The weather looks unpredictable. Perhaps tomorrow. We will see.”

  Randy wiped her mouth on her napkin and looked at her aunt. “Aunt Amanda, may I ask another it’s-not-my-business kind of question?”

  Her aunt looked startled for a moment but nodded. “Yes, I suppose so. I may not answer it, however.”

  “Fine. I accidentally stumbled on the room up on the third floor...the room that’s a perfect girl’s hideaway. Was it yours and Miranda’s?”

  Aunt Amanda pursed her lips. “I find it hard to believe that you accidentally stumbled upon that room, but we’ll address that at another time. Yes, that wa
s our room. Our father and mother let us have it for a playroom...a place to get away. We spent many happy hours up in that room. I have not touched a thing in it for I-don’t-know-how-long. It is exactly the way we left it...so many years ago.”

  “Could Willadee and I use that room? We’d have a lot of fun sorting through the old magazines and stuff. And, we’d be careful not to damage anything that you might consider a keepsake.”

  Aunt Amanda closed her eyes, her hand again fondling the gold pendant. When she again looked at her niece, a lone tear rested on her cheek. “No...no, I do not think you girls need to rummage around up there. As I said, I have not entered that room for years...do not, for the life of me, even remember what is up there. No...I do not think it’s a place for you. I cannot imagine it being fit to go into.”

  “Oh, but it’s clean. Not very much dust or anything.” Randy pressed.

  “I suppose Evangeline cleans it every so often. She adored Miranda…”

  “Aunt Amanda, it’s a great room. I can understand why you girls liked it so much.” Randy stuck the last bite of toast in her mouth and stared out the window, allowing a moment for her aunt to reconsider. “Must have wonderful memories tucked away up there,” she said in a low voice.

  Her aunt only murmured something inaudible.

  Randy decided to change the subject. “So. Did Henry, by any chance, have time to get new tires for the bikes?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, he did. Yesterday afternoon.”

  “Great. Can...I mean may...we ride them today?”

  Aunt Amanda wiped her mouth with her napkin, folded it a neat square, and laid it on the table. She looked at her niece for a charged moment and then cleared her throat. “You are not one to sit still for very long, are you, Miranda? Well, you and Willadee are certainly old enough to handle bicycles on the back roads. I did at your age.” She cleared her throat again and nodded. “Yes, go ahead. But if you go out today, please keep an eye on the weather. You do not want to be out in a thunderstorm.”

  “Thank you, Aunt Amanda. Excuse me. I’m going to tell Will.”

  “Miranda. Have the decency to let your cousin sleep before you go barging in to wake her. She will be down soon enough. Allow her to have breakfast and digest, and then you girls may go riding.”

  “Yes, Auntie. You’re right, of course. I’m sorry. I’ll go out and sit in the hammock for a while. Will you tell Will about the bikes when she comes down?”

  “Yes, Miranda, I will tell Willadee, and then she can decide for herself. Stay in front, please. Don’t go wandering around.”

  Randy paused at the threshold and turned to face her aunt. “Aunt Amanda? Why?”

  Her aunt looked taken aback. “Why, what, Miranda?”

  “Why do you always tell me not to wander off like I’m six instead of sixteen? Where do you think I’ll go?”

  A wave of pure grief washed over her aunt’s severe countenance and Randy winced. When Amanda spoke, her voice was paper-thin. She wasn’t looking at her niece, but out the large dining room window. “Please, Miranda, don’t contradict everything I say. Just stay on the property. I do not feel the need to explain my wishes to you every blessed minute.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Randy said and left the room. It occurred to her that Miranda had been around sixteen when she’d disappeared. Maybe that was why her aunt was a little paranoid.

  One hour and twenty-seven minutes later, Randy and Willadee mounted the bicycles and coasted down the serpentine driveway. It was cloudy, but it looked like the rain would hold off for a while. Each had promised to turn around immediately if it started raining, satisfying Aunt Amanda, who maintained they were due for a storm.

  The bikes were a bit old-fashioned and did not sport the gears and gadgets of the more modern models, but Randy didn’t care in the least. She was free from the depressing confinement of the house, and with the moist, sea-laden air whipping her short hair into a tangled bob, she felt revitalized.

  “Hey, Will, watch this.” Randy shouted, letting go of the handlebars and pedaling with arms outstretched to balance.

  Willadee made a face. “Oh, please. I was doing that trick when I was nine.” But she laughed and it sounded good to Randy’s ears. It was funny, but she was beginning to like her cousin. So much so, that she knew she’d miss her when it was time to return to Seattle.

  They rode for a while in silence, just enjoying the outdoors. Although it was warm and humid, the rush of air from whizzing down the road made it tolerable. By the time they’d reached the main road, it was nearing lunchtime.

  “Hey, Will, what should we do about lunch? I’m ravenous.”

  Willadee stopped her bike and straddled it for a minute, thinking. “Well...I suppose we should turn back and eat something at the house.”

  Randy wrinkled her nose. “Jeez, do you really want to? Can’t we get to town the back way and maybe get a shrimp burger or something?”

  “Yes we can, but…”

  “But what? Let’s do it.”

  Willadee looked down at the dusty road beneath her feet, and it was obvious she was stewing about something.

  “What? Why don’t you want to ride into town?” Randy asked.

  “It’s just, well...it’s just that from here the back way into town takes us past Sister Luke’s place. I...I didn’t really want to go there again…”

  “Oh, pooh. I told you, she’s nothing but a quack. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Trust me.”

  “And I told you that you aren’t from around these parts. You don’t know anything about the beliefs and powers some people have. Remember what happened to Elizabeth? I’m convinced that a spell made her walk into that marsh, and you will never convince me otherwise.”

  Randy rolled her bike closer to her cousin and reached out to touch her shoulder. “Will...I’m serious. Those people only have power over you if you let them. I don’t believe a silly spell made Elizabeth walk into the marsh. She drank too much, remember? And she and Arthur were having marital problems. She just plain wasn’t stable. That’s all. Nothing more sinister. Happens all the time, unfortunately.”

  Willadee brushed away the tears that rolled down her cheeks. “I w-want to believe you. I even admire you for your maturity, common sense and all...but...Elizabeth wasn’t crazy. My parents would’ve told me if she were. They were as mystified by her suicide as everybody else in this town. And, Elizabeth had a lot of friends in Charleston. She was immensely popular. Why didn’t she just pack up and leave? No one in their right mind would commit suicide over a few marital problems.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Okay, okay, but, like I said, she was very popular and had loads of friends.”

  “Maybe so,” Randy said with conviction, “but people change, get sick. She may have been bi-polar, for all we know. And besides, didn’t she start acting funny before she went to see Sister Luke? There’s more to that mystery than a mere superstition or a pretend curse. Come on, Will, let’s go get a shrimp burger and an ice cream cone and live it up. Please.”

  With an audible sniff, Willadee climbed onto her bike and pedaled down the road—toward town. Randy followed.

  EIGHTEEN

  After only a few minutes, Randy had Willadee laughing and chattering about school, boys, and what she hoped to study in college. As they pedaled toward town, they teased each other about who’d marry first, and whether they’d live near one another and raise their children together. Randy jokingly vowed to marry a rich doctor, while Willadee promised her future husband would be devilishly handsome.

  They were still giggling when they turned a bend in the road and noticed how dark it had become. Randy skidded to a stop and peered up through the thick overhanging branches. Unnoticed by the two girls, dark, rolling clouds filled the sky. It even smelled like imminent rain.

  “Oh, darn. Would you look at the sky?” Randy moaned.

  “We certainly weren’t paying attention, were we? What should we do? It looks like it’s going to be b
ad, Randy.”

  As if to punctuate her last sentence, a flash zigzagged above them, followed by a resounding crash of thunder. Both girls ducked instinctively and grimaced. Willadee gripped her handlebars, wide eyes beseeching her cousin to think of something.

  “Okay, okay...we have to get to some shelter and be quick ab…” Another blinding flash and deafening reverberation interrupted her. Randy winced and looked at her cousin. “C’mon, Will. Where’s the closest shelter?”

  Willadee looked around wildly. “Oh, dear God, help us,” she wailed. “Randy, the n-nearest place is Sister Luke’s. Oh, my God, I was afraid of this. We can’t go there. We can’t.”

  “We have to, Will.” Randy yelled over yet another clash of heavenly cymbals. “Hurry. Lead the way. We’ve got to get out of here.”

  With a visible shudder, her cousin started furiously pumping. She headed toward an opening in the thick foliage on the left side of the road several yards away. Randy followed as fast as she could, wondering how in the world Willadee knew this was even the right direction. Pushing their bikes through the undergrowth, the cousins wrestled the vegetation until they reached a clearing. Although from a different angle than before, Randy recognized the funny little house belonging to the self-proclaimed healer.

  A blinding slash of lightning forced the girls to drop their bikes and make a mad dash to the porch. Under the overhanging roof, they stood panting, each trying to catch her breath. Neither wanted to knock on the door to determine whether the “doctor” was home. They didn’t have to.

  Like before, the door opened as though by its own volition. Both girls peered in and were greeted by a low, articulation of delight. “Well...who have we here? My girls, come back for their charms? How delightful.”

  Sister Luke materialized from the dark recesses of her home, her full skirt swishing like a gentle wave rolling onto a deserted beach. Randy and Willadee stared at her with trepidation. From the corner of her eye, Randy could see her cousin shaking like a leaf.