PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © Leiba Faircloth, 2012, 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ISBN: 13: 978-1-7320687-7-3
ISBN: 13: 978-1-7320687-5-9 (E-book)
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Author Sophie L. Osborne, 2766 Harney Path, STE 117, Ft. Sam Houston, Texas 78234
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For my siblings: Marsha, Kern, Trent, and Nikel. Land nor ocean can come between the special bond and memories we share. Each of you hold a piece of my heart.
When we cannot make sense of the world around us, we begin to mistrust, we lose our footing, and for some of us, our grasp on reality.
Sometimes, it is wise to go with the current tide no matter how bizarre, no matter how strange the circumstances may appear. Maybe it’s life’s way of changing things up, in case we become, bored to death, with our perfectly normal, sensible lives.
There also comes a time in everyone’s life (whether we want to admit it or not) when dancing in the chaos, letting go of things more solid, or based on hard facts, is the better option, for both the psyche and the flesh.
Table of Contents
Poem for the trees
Meeting Jessie…
What the Devil?
A Lurid Unearthing
Coffee with Myrna
Hey, Brother!
Chateau de Laborteaux
Bryan’s Verdict
Who Knew We’d Meet Again My Beloved Friend
The Lagahoo
Mea Culpa
Justin And Avery
Laurie
Bejeweled
Confessions, Alessandra, And Justin
Acknowledgements
More Novels By Author, Sophie L. Osborne
Reading Group Discussion Questions
Poem for the trees
And, who says trees can’t talk?
Just look at those mighty roots, swollen with nourishment from centuries worth of fallen men, and beast, and vegetation, each leaving behind, entrusting their untold stories to these majestic giants.
Their imposing trunks, etched with stories of battle and survival, wearing scars from past and present, like badges of valor.
Their leaves, speak of triumphs, as they are forever grateful; waving, chattering, swaying in the delight of sharing these age-old secrets they hold within their structures.
So, take a moment. Look, touch, feel, and listen.
Then, good comrades, you too might be convinced that trees do talk.
- J.R. Montgomery
Meeting Jessie…
After a reviving shower, she carefully maneuvered herself out of the guest suite, down the hallway, tracing her steps back into the living room, which was her point of entry into the clean, well-staged home. Avery was sitting on a tufted, cappuccino colored, love seat in the company of a tall gentleman who made the armchair he sat on look, child-sized. As she approached them, Avery jumped to his feet, adjusting the waistband of his jeans.
“Laurie, how was your nap?” Avery questioned, as he looked at her with a mischievous squint.
“I’m rested…” Laurie remarked, smiling coquettishly.
“Great!” he said, taking a deep breath, smiling from ear, to ear – like he was proud of accomplishing some insurmountable feat.
“Hey, I want you to meet Jessie, my brother,” as the gentleman stood up to introduce himself, Laurie’s eyes met his. She nodded graciously, almost curtseying.
Jessie was tall – statuesque, and every bit as strange, as Gia had described him – seeing Jessie in person made him an even more peculiar subject of interest. She needed a moment to process his extraordinary appearance that was like no other she had ever seen. She wasn’t the type to become uncomfortable, dumbfounded, or freeze up around people who looked different from her – heck, she worked with the Department of Defense and with every race and creed one can imagine. But. Jessie – he did appear very much like a vampire, as Gia had pointed out – as juvenile as it sounded, there was much plausibility in her comparison.
Jessie Vladimir bore his mother Anya’s unforgiving pallor, and lighter than usual pale, blue, eyes that were almost scary, yet mesmerizing to look at as they peered through striking, black, lashes and sat below, thick, eyebrows that accentuated them; his were the quintessence of bedroom eyes. His nose was handsome, and so was his, wide smile. He wore his thick wavy hair in a cropped cut, which looked very becoming on his elongated face.
“Pleased to meet you,” Jessie said, as he extended his hand, taking Laurie’s then kissing it gently.
“Pleased to meet you too, I’ve heard so much about you and your brothers…” Laurie replied, trying to process Jessie’s idiosyncratic demeanor. He looked like some sort of god, or super human or some other kind of human species. Heck, had his body ever tasted the zesty rays of the good old, Louisiana sunshine? Laurie doubted it.
“I’ve heard that you’re quite a swimmer – do you still teach survival swimming?” Jessie questioned out of left field. He had a detectable Russian accent and spoke in a low, eloquent, voice. His accent caught her by surprise, and it added, even more, allure to his fascinating demeanor.
She paused to consider her response; she was still a damn good survival swimmer even though she’d been out of practice for years. During her earlier years in the Coast Guard, she had the challenge of transforming coasties who couldn’t even tread water to save their own lives, into confident swimmers – and that achievement gave her a deep sense of gratification.
“Yep. I taught survival swimming to Coast Guard cadets in basic training, and, to those who were screening for special operations assignments. It was one of the jobs I did when I wasn’t serving in the capacity as an engineer,” she declared, proudly.
“Special Operations huh? That’s awesome!” he said, smiling.
“I was captain of my college swim team – that was also some years back, and quite insignificant compared to your track record – I’m sure I’ve got nothing on you!”
“Aw, I’m sure you’re still a great swimmer!” she replied, looking at his towering, lean stature– he most certainly looked like he had it in him to push out several laps.
“Avery was telling me about the occasion that brought you here; that must’ve been a frightful experience for you, huh?” Jessie questioned, eagerly awaiting Laurie’s response. He inched closer to her, and from the expression on his face, she knew that he wanted her to go on; his ears pandered for more on the cryptic details of her story.
Avery cracked open the cap on a bottle of water and walked over to Laurie, placing it in her hands. She clasped the cool, wet, bottle and thanked him. Jessie had a stinking reputation for being a womanizer, and in that very brief interlude where Laurie joined their
company, Avery knew too well that his brother was scanning her.
However, knowing who she was, and hearing Avery’s story about how they’d met and what had happened to her the night before, led Jessie to make his own conclusions: she was a stunning woman, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, with a rather interesting story to tell. Thus far – she was suspicious, despite her charisma, experience, and extraordinary curriculum vitae.
Her sudden appearance into the family at a time when major transformations were underway raised a red flag. But, Avery was obviously swooned by her and wasn’t going to ask the tough questions about this stranger.
Jessie’s radar was on her. Was she a gold digger? An opportunist, perhaps? It was too soon for him to sift through whether or not her intentions for Avery were genuine.
But, on the other hand, Jessie knew his brother Avery was hooked from the rather enchanting things he had told him about Laurie. He was under her spell and appeared giddy at the mention of her name. It had been a while since Avery brought anyone around, he never brought women around his family unless he’d been dating them for some time, and usually, he was a pretty darn good judge of character, being as perceptive and articulate as he was.
Jessie was concerned because she was Matt’s ex-wife. Matt and Avery were best pals growing up. The thought of Avery becoming romantically involved with his once close, cousin’s ex-wife was peculiar – even to him, who had less conservative morals than the rest of his family members. It wasn’t taboo, as much as it was strange. Was this okay with Matt? Clearly – it must’ve been, or else Avery wouldn’t dare pursue her. Jessie wrestled with his assessment of Laurie, as she stood in their presence, calm and collective during their gathering.
“Well…from my recent experience – yesss, my home does appear to be – ahem, haunted,” she said, fiddling with her watch band.
“Oh my God, this is so embarrassing – I know, I sound like a maniac, but like I told your brother, I stand by what I saw,” Laurie added, in a more serious manner, feeling even more foolish by Jessie’s stoic, expression. She felt an instant tingling about her face and ears, followed by a burning sensation in both cheeks, and knew at once that they could tell how devastatingly humiliated she felt about having to explain, seeing ghosts in the age of the internet, social media, and cars that required no drivers.
“Wow… I hear you – sounds like something out of a science fiction or horror movie – hopefully the detectives can get to the bottom of it,” Jessie remarked.
“Uh…yeah…that’s exactly what I was thinking,” she said, as she walked over to where Avery was standing, sipping from the clear, glass bottle – it was an awkward and equally absurd topic of discussion to carry on– especially with young, educated, modern, opinionated men.
“Like Avery and I were discussing before you joined us – maybe, it won’t hurt to find out about the history of the house, and perhaps have some type of psychic who specializes in that type of stuff pay your home a visit – an exorcist perhaps? I’m not a believer in that sort of stuff personally – no offense to you,” he said, in a composed manner.
“And no offense taken,” she said, without delay. She couldn’t decipher whether Jessie was genuinely offering his help, or making fun of her predicament.
“But what could it hurt to go that route?” Jessie reasoned.
Laurie sighed, agreeing with his logic, as he appeared to be concerned.
“My sanity and credibility are at stake, and that is a big deal to me, and I want to get to the root of the problem,” she said, with determination in her voice.
“I thought about something that may give me a small lead. Well maybe it’s not a lead, but, it’s something that caught my attention with what you said earlier, Avery – about that strange looking tree on my property. Supposedly there’s some type of mythological belief associated with it – right, Avery?” she said, looking over at him as though seeking some sort of affirmation.
“Ahh, yeah. As I can recall vaguely – yes,” he responded, in her defense.
“My guess is that – something from that tree is noxious and causes hallucinations in some people – I don’t know; nothing out of the ordinary happened today when we touched the pod earlier – we both touched the flower pod, and – nothing, so I dunno. But, I agree with you, it’s worth checking out.” Laurie inferred.
“Well. That’s interesting stuff, I’m confused, to say the least. A possessed, poison tree huh?” Jessie said, with a smirk, which came across a bit insulting.
“Yeah, it’s damn confusing – especially to Laurie,” Avery interjected, in Laurie’s defense.
“I mean no harm, Laurie. You’ll never find out if you don’t seek the right kind of information from the right sources. Clearly, the police can’t help you with what you’ve claimed to have seen; they’ll think you’re smoking some really good stuff or, they’ll recommend that you get your head examined,”
“You passed out! Remember?” Avery interrupted.
Jessie looked at her.
“Oh – yeah,” she said, recalling the threatening voices that she hadn’t told Avery about. “But, it’s refreshing to get a good ole dose of blatant honesty – thank you, Jessie! I agree with you – that’s why we didn’t tell Detective Gates about the ghost part!” Laurie jested back at his cheeky choice of words.
“Jessssie!” Avery said as he shot a look at his brother that signaled that he needed to shut up.
“No, no, no…it’s fine, Avery,” she said, to dissolve any exchange of words that might’ve ignited between the two brothers.
“Look, guys – sorry. I’m not trying to discredit you, Laurie, but unless I witness stuff like you describe, with my own eyes – then I’ll believe – otherwise – I don’t. I respect you, and I apologize if I offend you. I’m just trying to be real – that’s all.” Jessie confessed.
“Thank you for your candor!” Laurie added, winking at him. She placed both hands on her hips and paused for a few seconds. She looked up at Jessie while brushing away a lock of hair that tickled her nose. “I don’t blame you for the stance you take either – really. Almost no one will believe stuff, like this. If I were you; I’d probably feel the same way.” she confessed, with sincerity.
“Like I said, if you’re interested, my mother knows of a woman who specializes in ghosts, spirits, and the afterlife. She’s some type of spiritual guide, whose advice my mother’s superstitious side of the family has trusted and sought out for generations whenever they needed to make certain decisions.” Jessie offered.
“Oh, really? Hmm…” his mother is superstitious, Laurie thought, suddenly she didn’t feel so foolish.
“Wa –who? Are you referring to that lady who mama took me to ages ago, for my nightmares? She was no help either – don’t you remember, Jessie? You might as well send her to stra-bunicul since he and his cult are just as caught up in that type of rubbish as the old lady.” Avery said, scowling at his brother’s proposal, and for mentioning their mother’s spiritual beliefs.
“Old lady? Stra – who? A cult?” Laurie questioned, her eyes widened in curiosity about the fascinating things they were referring to.
“It’s nothing. Just had nightmares as a kid, and uh, my mom thought that this old woman could help me – but she didn’t. Stra-bunicul, is Jessie’s paternal, great grandfather – you know, on his dad’s side?
It’s Romanian for great grandfather – that’s all.”
“Oh, I see…I’m tracking, I’m tracking,” she added.
“Well, do you have a better idea? Laurie’s experience may be different! Things may be different for Laurie – you never know,” Jessie replied.
“Anything’s better than that solution you just concocted there Skippy!” Avery jeered.
“What decisions did your mother’s family need the old woman’s help with?” she directed her question precisely to Jessie.
“I don’t know what those decisions were exactly. Like A said, going to her seemed to be a waste of time and mo
ney, and I don’t really know what impact – if any, those visits had on their pursuits. Let me know if it’s something you want to try, if not anything, you’ll have some peace of mind.” Jessie added as he proposed another unconventional, avenue of help to Laurie.
“Surely it won’t hurt to try. But I don’t wanna waste my time – the two of you are saying that it’s pointless – why bother?” she asked, baffled.
“Like I said, Laurie –it’s up to you,” Jessie reiterated as he seemed to be a tad more concerned than moments before.
“Uh…I dunno, maybe as soon as everything falls into place. I see no problem with getting back to you for help, should I need it – your suggestion sounds, logical. Scary, but logical. And, you know what they say, desperate situations call for desperate measures!” she added, this time sounding and appearing more confident.
“At least we agree on one thing!” he said, laughing. “Just let me know when and I’ll tell mama – I’m sure she’ll be glad to help you,” he said, with an air of confidence and eloquence.
Laurie’s iPhone buzzed, and she excused herself to take the call. It was a call from her office.
“Why’d you have to mention something as personal as mama’s spiritual guide?” Avery questioned, agitated by his brother’s pushiness.
“Why not?” Jessie asked.
“Uh, what the hell is wrong with you? That’s extremely private stuff that only we need to know about– don’t you think? And, since when do you believe in mom’s hocus-pocus?”
“Well, you’re sleeping with her, so I thought you’d be okay with me recommending, Baba Yaga’s help.”
“What I’m doing with her is none – look – let’s not get ahead of ourselves, okay? I do care about her, and I will be there if she needs – anything, but… that doesn’t mean I want her to know about my past troubles, or anything along those lines.” Avery admitted.
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