***
At around one pm, just as Mrs. Framer had finished her lunch and was relaxing in her chair by the wood stove, her faithful dog King was also stretched out enjoying the warmth from the stove when his ears detected something and he raised his head looking at his master. Mrs. Framer was just about to nod off and she raised one eye to check out King.
Out in the kennel most of the dogs were in their houses taking a nap when their ears and heads became aware of something out of the ordinary. Dean Franks the handy man was shoveling snow from around the kennel when he heard the first yowling of first one dog and in a short time all the dogs were howling as if there was a full moon out. As Dean Franks would report later to Peter and Sam, it started rather slowly and built to a crescendo and to finally a deathly silence when all the dogs died. The only survivor was King as Mrs. Framer took her back support pillow and put it over his ears while lying on top of him.
When asked to be more specific from Peter, Dean said that after it began, the dogs howled and then they came out of the dog houses and began chasing their tails while crying with a sound he had never heard dogs elicit before in his life. Then they tried to get out and threw themselves against the door and the chain link walls. He said that over and over they would throw themselves at the door or walls until their heads were bloody. As for myself he said, “I never heard a thing and when it was all over and the dogs were dead, not a bird or sound could be heard anywhere.” After that he told him he had to bury the dogs and please excuse him.
Inside the house, King was lying on the floor and Mrs. Leader was stroking his back. The dog acted like he was in a daze and later it was found out he had lost his hearing entirely. Peter asked Mrs. Framer, “What do you make of this experience?”
“I think,” she replied to his question. “Our neighbor might be able to answer that question better than I,” she said with a bitter voice that was so unbecoming of a nice old lady like her.
“We have every intention of asking him that very thing,” Peter said with conviction, but all knew no answer would be forthcoming. Apparently this was payback time and Peter vowed to do what he could to stop this vindictive curse on a peacefully town that held no responsibility for its past.
On the way back to town, Sam said, “I could hear those dogs in town howling. I knew right away where it was coming from. Do you want to go see Ralph now or what?”
“No, later is better. I think now he is too cocky and we need to be smarter than him. He will tip his hand soon and then we will pounce on him,” Peter said with bitterness in his voice. “Too many innocent people and animals are affected and we need to stop this soonest we can.”
***
By now the news of the ‘Curse of Remorse’ had not only hit the nation, but internationally as well. The weather was the only thing in favor of the town from being overwhelmed by the media. As it were, motor homes replaced motels and hotels as a means of habitation. The streets and back streets were lined with them nose to tail. Satellite dishes strained against the snow to receive and broadcast the events as it happened. When Sam and Peter drove up to the City Hall, a parade of media decked out in a rainbow of colors waited for them to park. Micro phones in gloved hands reached out for the latest development and to hear a report on the strange howling outside of town. Peter thought it best to give them a brief report or they would hound them until they got what they wanted. Once the media sets out to snare a story, they don’t give up till they trap the source.
Peter said, once it was quiet and all he could see were puffs of breath and more microphones than a politician had poking at him, waiting for some pearls of wisdom to flow from the noted black man, “At Mrs. Framer house, an event of unknown origin took place. She raises German shepherds and for reasons not clear at this time, the dogs went crazy and all died of some unusual sound that set them off. We have no idea what, where or who is responsible but we intend to investigate until we do. That is all I have to say at this time.” Both he and Sam hurried into the building and a policeman took up a place just inside the door to thwart any news hounds from bothering them.
James T was waiting and Peter nodded to go to their room. Once they had got comfortable and Peter warmed up under the covers while James T sat at the computer patiently waiting for Peter to recover both from the happening and the cold outside, he continued his research. In James T’s mind, there was no doubt Ralph and his wife, if indeed she was his wife, were totally responsible for the whole calamity in Remorse. But knowing who doesn’t preclude the solution to the problem. This was going to take a combined effort of total concentration to break the curse. There was no doubt in his mind this curse had its roots in Qumbanda, which originated in Africa, and that the spirits, either Egungun or Orishas can be sent out to do harm to a person or things. For this to take place a circle and some animal sacrifice is needed. So it would be fair to say that to break it a stronger force was required.
Peter felt better and filled James T in the happening out at Mrs. Framer’s farm. After he was finished James T filled him in on his recent research and they both decided to hold another meeting for the town’s people to learn what they had discovered. Peter then said, “I need a nap and would you please tell Sam to arrange a meeting for tonight around seven pm?”
“Consider it taken care of and I have a couple things to talk to Sam about so will be back later.”
Chapter 18
Peter sat in the library waiting for the meeting to start. A low roar of voices was heard that was mostly about what had transpired at Mrs. Framer’s house today. Peter was deep in thought and when the mayor spoke to him, he didn’t hear her. She reached out and shook his shoulder and he looked up at her and said, “Sorry I was just thinking and didn’t hear you. What did you say?”
“Sorry to disturb you Peter but we are ready anytime you are.”
“Fine and let’s get the show on the road,” he said with the effort to lighten the tone of the surrounding room. He stood up and faced the same crowd as before: all the effected kids and their parents. “I am not here to waste your time, but there are a few things we must talk about tonight. I have……………..” and at that point the lights went out in the library. Gasps were heard and then questions flying around the room as to where are the lights and what happened and so on. The only ones calm and collected were the kids who could not see anyway. They sat calm as could be and then Peter shouted out, “Please calm yourselves as this happens everywhere.”
The mayor stood up and said, “Does anyone have a flash light?”
Sam answered that he did and was walking up the side of the room with it on. Sam said, “It looks like the whole town is black and not just here. I need to investigate and to call the power company.” He gave the flashlight to Veronica and left the library to the City Hall. When he got to the door of the City Hall, he found that the generator had kicked in and told one of the duty policemen to go to the library have all the people come here. He then went to his office to call the power company. After about fifteen minutes he found someone who could give him an answer. Sam listened while the power company man told him they had sent out a team to see what happened and it only shows on his board the town of Remorse blacked out. He thought it was something to do with the power substation and would have an answer within the hour. Sam thanked him and hung up. By now all of the folks from the library were in City Hall and Sam went out to update them.
Peter listened as well as James T and both had an idea that something was not right with the whole outage of just one town being blacked out. Peter thought correctly that Ralph and his wife was behind the blackout.
* * *
Ralph sat petting his black cat with a slight grin on his face while he took satisfaction in knowing he just sent a message to the town of Remorse. His mother came in with two mugs of hot cider and gave one to him and then she sat down on the sofa with a sigh of accomplishment for a job well done.
Ralph said, “Mother should we take a rest or heap some more ha
ppenings on this awful town?” She turned her head and looked at him and after a few seconds he replied, “I see what you mean and maybe now it’s time to knock their proverbial socks off?” Once again a few seconds went by and then a big smile crossed his face and he said, “Do you really think that isn’t too drastic of a thing to do?” Ralph continued petting his cat and waited for his mother to send him an answer. When she sent him a message, he stopped petting his cat and the cat raised its head and let out a deep throated sound that would have curled the hair of someone other than the two of them in the room. Ralph said, “Let’s do it and I will make preparations tomorrow, but now let’s turn the lights out and take a much needed rest.”
* * *
Back at City Hall, Sam’s phone rang on his private line that he had given the power company. The other lines were jammed with citizens calling in to report the obvious. Sam listened and then said thanks and hung up the phone with a downcast face. Everyone knew what they already suspected and Sam never had to say a word about the call but instead he said, “I’ll call Bill up and have him open the hardware store so we can all get some lights from him.”
Meanwhile Peter and James T were huddled up with the kids. Peter and James T were listening to the continuing story of the dream the kids had been having. Once again Brian was saying, “All of us were coasting along enjoying the peacefulness of the ride we were on. Johnny was the first to see it and he told us that he thought he saw a distant light flashing. We all looked in the direction he was pointing but never did see it until a few minutes later a bluish light was blinking in the far distance. But it looked so far off and we were traveling so slow, that to reach it would take a long, long time. And then Paul said, he thought he heard another voice off in the distance. We all were quiet and listened and then we heard a far off voice saying something we could not understand. After that I woke up, and when we got together we discussed it, and all seemed to have woken up at the same time.”
James T asked, “Did any of you recognize the voice as being familiar or did it sound foreign?”
“I for one could not tell what language or whether it was a girl or boy. It sounded more like an adult voice than anything to me. What about you guys?” All agreed and would report anything new as the dreams continued.
James T asked, “The light you saw, blue if I remember you saying Brian, did it look like a light that was showing as a ray or just a light flashing on and off?”
Johnny said, “To me it looked like a flashing light one might see off the coast like a lighthouse.” All agreed with Johnny and James T sat there thinking while Peter tried to understand what was happening here. What did the light mean and what did the voice mean or what was the voice trying to say, if anything? Was this something to just confuse us, but on the other hand, the kids were more than adapting to their handicap. In fact they were relishing in the new found dimension.
Peter asked Ann, “Ann what do you make of this light and voice addition to your dream?”
“Well, I feel we are drifting towards a place where there are more of us. The light is directing us and the voice is very soothing. What I am scared of is that maybe one time while we are dreaming we won’t wake up!”
Peter gave that some thought and then he said, “Nobody knows the future and once again we need to stay or stick together very closely during these troubling times.
Peter moved to the front of the group of parents who were by now sitting quietly and kind of in their own worlds. Peter said, “Ladies and gentlemen we need to stay focused here. It’s apparent that our adversary is making a move to cause even greater hardship on this town. I expect the lights to come back on around daylight and I would surmise that something else is coming and in a bigger or more damaging way. What way? I can’t say, but we must all keep the faith and take what comes as a sign that we can’t be defeated no matter what happens. As for now, we should all go to bed and get a good night's rest for tomorrow knows not what it will bring.”
* * *
With the lights out, Mrs. Gorn went to bed grumbling about the power company and how much she paid each month and why couldn’t they provide the service she paid for. Like most old people, she had a habit of talking to herself and up until the time she went to bed, she could have been heard complaining about the way the town was run by the mayor and her sheep that followed her every whim. As she drifted off to sleep, she tried to remember what lights were on and then she fell asleep.
When Mrs. Gorn woke up, she noticed her bathroom light on and as she was a frugal lady, jumped out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. After doing her business, she brushed her teeth and turned out the light. She was wondering how many other lights was on when she discovered that only the TV and her lamp by her easy chair was on. As she opened her mouth to voice an explanative no sound came out of her mouth. She froze and tried again to say something and then panic set in when she discovered she couldn’t talk anymore.
The first thing she did was to rush to the phone and call someone, but who would she call, as she raised the phone to her ear? She decided to call 911 and punched in the numbers and waited for someone to answer. On the second ring a voice asked what the emergency was and please states your name and phone number clearly. Mrs. Gorn tried to speak but nothing came out. She tried harder while the operator kept saying hello and are you there but nothing, not a sound came out of her mouth. She slammed the phone down and ran to her bedroom to get dressed.
As it turned out anyone over the age of sixty lost their voice that eventful day. And for the first time anyone could remember the Senior Center was closed and a notice posted that home delivered cold meals would be passed out as soon as possible.
By the time the mayor got the word that all seniors, it would seem, who had lost their voices completely baffled her and City Hall. She had no idea of what to do and or how to do it. By then Peter and James T had received the word and were out front to try and calm the ever growing presence of old folks. Peter noticed a lot of soundless tears were flowing and the men who were affected, looked bewildered as talking was about all they had left in life. It was first the kids and now the old folks he thought. What the hell is coming next?
Sam came out and gave his report saying, “Madam Mayor, I just got off the phone with the governors representative and he has suggested we lock down the town preventing anyone leaving or entering. The news will soon hit the air waves and God knows what will happen. He suggested calling out the National Guard.”
“I will not have this town crawling with the military. There is no threat of looting or protests or anything like that,” Veronica said with a bite in her voice as she moved to her office to call the governor and calm her down. Sam meanwhile had no idea what to do with a growing crowd of seniors looking for some help. He then decided to move them all to the school gym and call in some doctors and church members to sooth the old folks.
It didn’t take the mayor long to reach the state capitol. She was directed to the office of the governor in just a few seconds. The newly elected governor Beth Radcliff said to the mayor, “I’m glad you called. Can you tell me the situation as it stands with the happenings you have endured?”
“Yes, governor I will lay out the recent events for you.” Veronica went on to tell her from start to finish the events up this morning’s loss of voice with all old folks. She emphasized that it was not a medical emergency, but agreed that traffic and some off the wall witchcraft people might be more than her local police could handle. “However,” she said, “sending out the National Guard might be a bit drastic at this time.”
“How about this mayor Blades, we hold off until this afternoon and please call me with an update.” Veronica agreed with her and hung up the phone. She desperately needed a cup of strong coffee and left her office not bothering her busy secretary that was trying to pacify the local seniors. When she walked into the small kitchen area, Sam was making a fresh pot of coffee.
He said, “I can’t make it fast enough. I’ve been t
rying to call the school and have them bring some buses to transport the seniors to the gym, but haven’t had time to make the call. If you would take over here mayor, I would appreciate it and make the call.”
“Yes, do that and by the way, the National Guard is not coming just yet and I will call the governor this afternoon. Meanwhile, after you have made travel arrangements, we need to have a meeting with Peter and you and me. We need to take some action as I have had about as much of this witchcraft as I can stand,” she said with vengeance on her mind.
Peter and James T had walked down to the café and were thankful the power was back on. It was quiet as all get out after they rang the bells walking through the door. The old timers that were always there drinking coffee were absent and other than Candice and her crew, the place was virtually empty. Peter sat at a table close to Candice and the ever ready waitress was right there with coffee and after pouring she took out her pad for the order then put it back realizing they were the only customers there. Sam came in and as Peter and James T had just ordered, he gave her his order on the fly and sat down with a big sigh. He said, “The mayor would like to see you guys after breakfast in her office. She sounded like she is mad and fed up with the goings on in this town.”
“Let’s go see Ralph after breakfast and then have the meeting with the mayor,” Peter suggested. “I have an idea he is expecting us this morning and we shouldn’t disappoint him,” Peter said rather sarcastically.
“I’ll call the mayor and tell her your plan and she will probably agree with it knowing her.” Breakfast came and Peter noticed the newspaper guys with Candice got up and left. He beckoned her to come have coffee and his intention was to invite her along for the upcoming meeting with Ralph.
Curse of Remorse Page 16
