Rag Doll in the Attic

by Jan Fields

  The writing became badly smudged after that and hard to read. Annie finally puzzled it out. Her mother was putting the doll and her journal in the attic to keep them safe until Jo wanted to be her friend again.

  Tears collected in Annie’s eyes as she stared at the last entry in her mother’s journal. Apparently her mother’s best friend had never forgiven her, since the doll had laid waiting in the attic for so many years. She couldn’t imagine what she would have done if Alice had stopped being her friend when they were kids. They’d had their spats, but nothing that lasted.

  “Poor Mom,” Annie whispered.

  She was so deeply into the past that she jumped and dropped her mother’s journal on the floor when she heard a knock on the front door. She wiped her eyes and took a few deep breaths before hurrying through the house to answer it.

  As she neared the front screen door, she recognized the three grinning faces of Wally, Peggy, and Emily. Peggy wore her pink waitress uniform, so Annie assumed she was dashing over on her supper break. Wally was turned sideways and appeared to be trying to hide something behind Peggy’s back while Emily giggled.

  Annie opened the screen and gasped as Wally turned and held up a wooden lobster boat on wheels. “Oh, my,” she said. “It’s wonderful. Please, come in!”

  Emily dashed in first, jumping up and down beside Annie. Annie smiled down at her. It was clear Emily was completely healed from the broken leg she’d gotten at the end of last summer. “I helped make it,” the six-year-old said. “I ate a whole box of Popsicles so Daddy could use the sticks!” The little girl wore a pink T-shirt with a group of princesses on the front. Most of her pink shorts were covered by a fluffy pink tutu. Her long dark hair was done up in a single braid that jumped when she did.

  “Wow,” Annie said. “That must have been yummy.”

  “It was,” Emily answered as she pointed to a lobster pot on the deck of the boat. “See, those are some of the sticks. Daddy made them look old.” Then she pointed at the wheelhouse on the deck of the ship. “See that wheel? It really turns. I turned it!”

  “Emily was a big help,” Wally said, resting his hand on the little girl’s shoulder.

  “This is totally amazing, Wally,” Annie said as she looked closely at all the tiny details. A tiny rope lay coiled up on the deck of the boat, and painted lobster floats hung on more tiny ropes off the side. The small wheelhouse had a door that opened on hinges, and another trapdoor opened a large part of the deck so John could play with the space below, where Wally had built a small cabin. “It’s absolutely beautiful. When I take this to Texas, all the little boys John knows are going to want one. Shall I take orders?”

  “Well, I don’t mind doing more of these,” Wally said. “It was fun.”

  “He’s making mine first,” Emily said seriously. “It’s going to be pink and purple, and it’s going to be for catching mermaids, not icky lobsters.”

  “I think that sounds like a totally perfect boat!” Annie said.

  Annie glanced at Peggy and noticed the young woman watching her closely with her warm brown eyes. “Are you all right, Annie?” she asked. Then she leaned closer and whispered, “You look like you’ve been crying.”

  Annie squeezed Peggy’s hand warmly. “I was reading an old diary of my mother’s when she was a girl. It had some sad parts, but you all have certainly cheered me up with this wonderful boat.”

  “Well, it’s a little rough in spots,” Wally said modestly, though his face glowed at Annie’s praise.

  “Daddy’s going have a boat just like this someday, only big,” Emily said. “He’s going to name it after me!”

  “Sounds perfect,” Annie said. “Now, let me get my checkbook so I can pay you. This is absolutely amazing!” Annie retrieved her purse and asked Wally what he wanted for the boat. The amount he quoted was so low that Annie simply wrote the check for what she felt the boat was worth. She tore it off and handed it to him. “There, that’s what I insist on paying and no argument!”

  Wally’s eyes opened wide. “Wow, you certainly don’t haggle like a New Englander!”

  “If anyone in Texas wants one, I’m going to ask for even more,” Annie said. “I consider this the special price for close friends.”

  Peggy laughed. “Well, don’t price it so high that no one wants one.”

  Annie ran her hand over the bow of the ship. “I don’t think you have to worry about that. This is going to make my grandson so happy. Now, can I get you all any refreshments? I have some iced tea and might be able to scare up some cookies.”

  Emily’s face lit up, but Peggy glanced at her watch and yelped. “I’m sorry, we have to run,” she called as she caught hold of Emily’s hand. “We’ll talk more at the Hook and Needle Club meeting.”

  “OK. Thanks again, Wally,” Annie said.

  Emily pulled loose of her mother’s hand and gave Annie a quick hug before dashing outside and skipping across the porch. Wally and Peggy followed, and Annie smiled as she saw Peggy slip her hand into Wally’s as they walked.

  15

  As Annie watched the Carson family leave, her stomach growled. She had been so busy all day that she hadn’t really eaten unless she counted a muffin, eggs and toast, and the sandwich that lay mostly uneaten on the plate. She’d gotten so caught up in her mother’s journal that she’d forgotten about eating.

  She poked the sandwich and decided the bread seemed soft enough. She’d add a cup of soup and call it supper. If she didn’t let herself get distracted by anything else, she should be able to eat before Alice arrived.

  As Anne stood at the stove, warming a thick vegetable soup she’d made during the frosty winter and frozen, Boots appeared magically as she always did whenever someone might accidentally drop some food on the floor. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you made yourself scarce when Emily was here,” she told the cat. “She’s a very nice little girl.”

  Boots meowed skeptically, and Annie shook her head with a smile. Wayne had never been fond of animals, so Annie hadn’t been a pet owner for years, but she was beginning to understand the attraction. Boots must have been great company for Gram, and Annie was glad to have her around—even if the cat did project an air of superiority much of the time.

  “I’ll just pretend I’m living with a teenager,” Annie said as she poured the hot soup into a mug and carried it to the table.

  As she sipped the soup, Annie wondered how much of her dreams were accurate. She was almost certain now that they must have come from something she’d been told as a child and then forgotten. No doubt the details now were being expanded every time she learned something new. Her mother’s journal had not been specific about exactly what had happened, but her journal fit so perfectly with what Annie remembered of her dreams that she was left with a deep sense of foreboding about little Jenny.

  Shaking off such gloomy thoughts, Annie finally rinsed her mug and plate. Her timing was just about perfect. She heard knocking as she shut off the water, and found Alice standing on the front porch. A long, black raincoat hung nearly to the middle of her shins and the hood covered almost all of her face. She carried a huge flashlight in each hand.

  “Where did you get that coat?” Annie asked as she pulled the door open.

  Alice pushed the hood back and followed Annie into the house. “When Jim and I stopped by the hardware store today, I told Mike Malone that I needed a serious raincoat, and it turned out that he had this one.”

  “It definitely looks serious,” Annie agreed. “You look like the grim reaper.”

  Alice laughed. “I’ll have to keep it around for Halloween then. Maybe Mike can fix me up with a scythe to go with it.”

  “As long as you don’t carry it tonight,” Annie said. “I’m nervous enough.”

  “No reason to be.” Alice handed Annie one of the heavy flashlights. “You could light up a runway with these things. Plus, it’s not even raining yet. I think it’s going to later; you should wear a raincoat too. Did you find one?”

/>   Annie nodded as they walked through the kitchen and into the back mudroom. She picked up the heavy green coat. “It’s just about as stylish as yours.”

  “Adventuring is rough business.”

  Annie shrugged into the coat and stuffed the wooden toggles through the thick loops that held together the front of the coat. She was happy to miss out on the rain, but she hoped the walk would be cool. The heavy coat would get hot fast if it wasn’t.

  She led the way back through the house. When they passed through the kitchen, Boots raised her head from the bowl of cat crunchies. One wide-eyed look at the women in their flappy coats was enough for the cat, and she dashed under the kitchen table to hide until they passed.

  “Everyone’s a fashion critic,” Alice said, giggling.

  Annie flipped on the front porch light to help them see their way across the yard. The stretch of Ocean Drive in front of Grey Gables didn’t have a streetlight. Annie was still getting used to how dark night seemed to be in New England, and how quickly night fell. The time from sunset to pitch dark was almost like flipping a switch on cloudy nights like this one. Back in Texas, she and Wayne sometimes sat on the porch for hours after sunset since the streetlights chased the shadows from their yard.

  After they left the comforting pool of porch light, they would need to rely on the flashlights, or risk tripping and falling before the adventure even got started. It might not be raining yet, but the thick cloud cover blocked out any light the full moon might offer.

  As they clattered down the porch steps, the wind tossed Annie’s fine hair into her face. She shuddered as she noticed the beautiful weeping willow near the corner of the yard looming at them like a sea monster, massive arms dripping with seaweed. Annie shook her head ruefully. She had entirely too much imagination sometimes. To distract herself, she said, “I finished my mother’s journal today.”

  Alice jumped at the sound of Annie’s voice. “Really?” she said, her voice distracted. “Did you find out who owned the doll?”

  “A little girl named Jenny.” Annie sighed, realizing this wasn’t going to be a good distraction for a spooky night. “Mom never mentioned any last names. I’m not even sure how old the girls were because Mom didn’t put year dates on her entries. Something bad happened to the little girl though, and it drove a wedge between Mom and her best friend.”

  Alice looked toward Annie, her face moon-pale in the black night. “That’s sad,” she said. “I can sort of relate to that. I missed you when you stopped coming back to Stony Point. It’s been great reconnecting.”

  “It’s meant a lot to me too,” Annie said.

  They fell silent as they paused at the empty road to turn on their flashlights, each caught up in her own thoughts. “Mom couldn’t have been a little girl in the journal, since she was old enough for her first crush,” Alice said, remembering the cheerier things she had read. “I found out the young man who sent her the love poem had the initials CB. Mom was too embarrassed to even write out his name.”

  “Your mother sounds like you,” Alice said as they hurried across the road. “Shy about her love life.”

  Annie noticed the chain was still piled on the pillar that marked the beginning of the lighthouse road. That made sense if Jim had driven up to the lighthouse earlier. Annie shone her light on the small sign that seemed to be warning her away from this particular adventure. “The sign says we shouldn’t go up there,” she said.

  “That makes it more fun.” Alice saluted the little sign as she started up the gravel road.

  Annie peeked sideways at her friend. “You know, if I ever start having a love life, I promise to tell you about it. And that reminds me. How’s your love life?”

  “Subtle,” Alice said. “Very subtle. Jim and I are doing fine. He’s a nice guy.”

  “A nice guy who is only staying in Stony Point a little longer before heading to the West Coast,” Annie reminded her.

  “You caught that, huh?” Alice said. She stopped for a moment and looked up. “I think I just felt a raindrop.”

  “You’re just stalling,” Annie said accusingly. Then she felt a fat raindrop plop on her nose. “OK, I take that back. It’s raining.”

  Both women pulled the hoods over their heads. Rain pattered against the thick rubber of the hood, making Annie feel secluded in the thick hood. She swept the ground ahead of her with the bright flashlight beam.

  They reached the beginning of the stand of trees that edged the road as it began the climb to the lighthouse. Annie played her flashlight over the twisted branches of the trees. Foliage always seemed scant on these trees, as if the constant wind from the sea blew the leaves away. The moving light made shadows dance as if something flitted through the trees just beyond the light. Annie knew it was an illusion, but it was unnerving just the same.

  “Jim asked me to go with him,” Alice almost whispered.

  Alice’s voice coming out of the darkness behind her startled Annie so badly she nearly dropped her flashlight. Then she processed Alice’s actual words. “Jim asked you to go with him when he leaves? Are you considering it?”

  “He’s gorgeous,” Alice said, and Annie heard the thick rubber of Alice’s coat rustle as she shrugged. “He makes me laugh. He knows the most incredible stories. I don’t think that life could ever be dull around Jim.”

  “So you’re going?” Annie’s voice crept up an octave. She couldn’t imagine Stony Point without Alice. The ease with which they’d reconnected when Annie came back to Grey Gables had made the years melt away. She had other friends, but only Alice really felt like family.

  Alice’s dark hood turned toward her, her face invisible in the shadow, and Annie was struck again by how much the black raincoat made her look like the grim reaper. But Alice’s voice was as warm and lively as ever. “I haven’t made my decision, but I definitely will admit I’m tempted.”

  They fell silent again, trudging through the dark and rain. The wind picked up, blowing rain in on Annie’s face now. The steady drumming on the hood of her coat felt more like pounding. Had her mother really come out here without a raincoat? In her dream, Judy and the other girls always wore summery dresses. Annie couldn’t imagine struggling through this kind of weather in the pitch dark with no protection at all from the sting of the wind-driven rain.

  The incline of the road sharpened, and Annie felt it in every step as her calves threatened to cramp. I really need to get more exercise, she thought. The wind howled up from the cliff side of the road, and the mournful sound made the legend’s talk of lost souls all the more chilling. She could almost imagine voices calling out in the wind.

  “Annie!” it howled, and Annie grabbed Alice’s arm, the sleeve of her coat slick under her hand.

  “Did you hear that?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “Someone calling my name!”

  Alice’s dark hood shook. “It’s the wind—and your imagination.”

  Annie shook her head. It was not her imagination. Alice’s deeper, thicker hood, and maybe her preoccupation with Jim, must have kept her from hearing it. Annie turned and backtracked a few steps so the sounds could funnel into her hood more clearly.

  “Annie!” the wind howled louder. “Alice!”

  “You had to hear that!” she said.

  This time Alice turned around also. The two women turned their flashlights to the road behind them. Who could be coming up behind them on a night like this? Jim would be in front of them, not behind.

  “Annie! Alice!” The voice was unmistakably male. The women began walking back down the road slowly, their flashlights searching the darkness. Rain drove against their backs now, pushing them hard and making Annie stumble as the loose gravel shifted under her feet. She remembered her dream of the little girl’s feet slipping along the road as she tried to run home to safety. Annie played her flashlight off to either side to be certain she was safely centered on the narrow road. With the shoving of the wind, it would be so easy to wander to one side or the othe
r.

  “Annie!” The voice was much stronger now. Annie felt a nudge of familiarity, but she couldn’t place it. Who was it? What did he want with them?

  Finally their flashlight beams met the edge of another light beam that seemed to be climbing the steep road toward them. Annie struggled to see beyond the source of the light, but all she could see was a tall dark shadow against the still darker night.

  “I’m glad I found you!” the figure shouted, and finally Annie recognized it.

  “Ian!” she said, her knees weak with relief as she played her flashlight over his tall figure. He wore a heavy orange all-weather coat that hung just past his waist but had no hood. Instead Anne could see a small slice of the watch cap showing under the hood of a fleece jacket that Ian wore under the raincoat. Annie suspected the hat and hoodie wouldn’t cause the tunnel vision of her deep hood and wished she had something like that.

  She also realized the rain had slacked off again at just about the exact moment the mayor showed up. The wind no longer seemed to be trying to push her off her feet. She pushed the hood back on her head. The rain felt more like mist on her face, and she sighed with relief. “What are you doing out here, Ian?”

  The mayor covered the rest of the ground between them quickly with his long-legged stride, his heavy boots splashing puddles as he walked. “Mary Beth told me about your planned ‘adventure.’ I was shocked to hear you’d take a crazy risk like this. This road is dangerous in the daytime, so I certainly wasn’t going to leave you out here in the dark alone.”

  “Hello!” Alice said, following Annie’s lead to push back her own hood. “She’s not alone! I’m here.”