“Grandpa stood up and slowly moved back to the dining room, where he leaned up against one side of the doorway. He motioned for us to finish while he puffed thoughtfully on his pipe.
“The next page featured pictures from my parents’ wedding, where again Jeremy commented on mom’s ‘hot’ look. Then again, our dad wasn’t too shabby himself. There was even a picture of him in his Atlanta Falcon uniform diving for a football on the next to last page of the album. It was sad for my brother and I to go through these pictures, and we lingered on these pages a moment or two longer. But nothing here could’ve prepared us for the photos on the very last page.
“Four of the five pictures featured our mom and dad and looked like they were taken with a disposable camera, as the quality wasn’t near as good as the other pictures All of the shots appeared to have been taken in the back yard near the oak tree.
“‘That one was taken shortly after y’all arrived from Atlanta,’ Grandpa advised, his voice a whisper as he stole a peek at the first photo over Jeremy’s shoulder. ‘Everything started out just fine...’
“Indeed, my mom and dad looked happy. My dad was holding Jeremy against his shoulder and my mom held me in her arms. To be honest, Agent McNamee, to this day I just wish we’d closed the album right then and called it a night. If I hadn’t had the experiences with my mother’s spirit the day before, the images of her and my dad contained within the ensuing photographs would’ve surely haunted me for the rest of my life. But we needed to go on. Information about our parents had always been scarce, so we were drinking it all in.
“It appeared that several other photos had been removed from this last page at some point. Of the handful that remained, three pictures featured my parents, and each revealed the steady progression of the personality change that defined their bizarre behavior during the last half of their vacation to Carlsdale. Each shot was taken in the same general area of the backyard. My brother and I were present in only one more shot with them. It was the last picture, and even though our beloved mother and father held us again, they were completely distracted. My dad’s attention was drawn to the oak, which was to his left. Mom’s gaze followed his. Even Jeremy was frowning, which made me wonder why in the hell Grandpa had kept this picture, or why anyone spent the effort capturing the shot in the first place.
“Jeremy squinted his eyes as he studied the picture more closely. Suddenly, he gasped slightly, pulling on my arm. When I looked at where he pointed, at first I didn’t recognize the wispy image barely visible next to the south side of the oak tree. The image was barely detectable, but once I brought my face close enough to confirm what was there, my blood immediately turned cold. The image was of a face, which barely stood out at all. Yet, the blue eyes and sardonic grin framed by ghost-like hair were clearly recognizable once I realized what I was looking at.
“‘Well, your reaction to that picture confirms what I’ve worried about since the other night when you first brought that talisman in here, Jack,’ said Grandpa, his voice hushed as he moved between us to close the album. He pushed it back toward the middle of the table, and I silently prayed that it was the last time I ever saw Genovene’s face. ‘That’s her, isn’t it, Jack? Elsie said that was a face and not some defect in the film when we first got the pictures developed. She later told me about a young girl she saw swinging from the tire-swing, a week after your folks were gone, that had light hair and very blue eyes. But, until I heard your story last night I ignored what she said about that, even though I have seen the empty swing moving through the air as if someone was sitting in it from time to time. You’d think after everything I’ve personally experienced, including Julie and Frank’s disappearance, that it’d knock some sense into my head. But for some reason it didn’t. I wish I knew why.’
“Grandpa moved over to the dining room windows, peering through the blinds once more. The abundant light from the full moon was still at its brightest, and the backyard was illuminated nearly as much as when the sun is out during the late afternoon. He closed the small crease he’d created between the blinds and turned to face us again. ‘I’d say we’ve spent enough time tonight in this room,’ he told us. ‘How about we forget about that album for now and go out on the back porch for a while? The full moon’s out and it might be kind of nice.’
“‘What about that presence you felt out there earlier?’ I asked, thinking about my strange experience in the garden that afternoon. It didn’t help matters that I had just seen a picture of the owner of the voice that had scared me so bad and sent me sprawling into the garden’s mud earlier.
“‘I believe whatever was trying to peek in on us has left now. I really do,’ he advised. ‘Just in case I’m wrong about that, I’ll bring the gun with me. I’ve learned today that we can never be too careful.’
“‘It’s all right with me if we go out on the back porch for a while,’ offered Jeremy. ‘I can always use another smoke. Besides, Jackie, we can check that picture out again later. You saw the image of that face, right?’ My brother backed up from the table and immediately reached for his breast pocket, while Grandpa led the way through the kitchen and on out to the back porch. ‘Let’s see what he has to say about this.’
“Jeremy motioned toward Grandpa, who sadly shook his head in response. Once we were outside, we all remarked on how it was so much cooler than normal for the time of year, especially July, and the strong scent of burnt wood filled the night air. But at least there was no sign or feeling that Genovene or any other menace was in the immediate area. Everything felt very peaceful, like it usually had up until three days ago.
“Grandpa sat down on the porch steps and looked out into the backyard with his shotgun cradled between his knees. He struck a match to relight his pipe and then allowed Jeremy to use the rest of the flame to light the cigarette he delicately balanced between his lips. Once that was done, Jeremy leaned up against the support post closest to the steps. I stood across from him on the other side of the steps, leaning on the porch rail as I watched the steady smoke stream from Grandpa’s pipe rise into the air just above our heads, seemingly chased by the small row of rings Jeremy created with his cigarette.
“Grandpa had turned the porch and security lights off just before the three of us ventured outside, as there was no need for any artificial light. The entire yard was aglow from the brightness of the moon alone. Even the giant oak and the mimosas, along with the backyard’s assortment of rusted junk, were fully illuminated. The stone sphere looked ominous and eerie as it sat in its spot near the back wall, though we could only catch glimpses of it through the oak’s branches and leaves from where we were presently perched upon the porch.
“‘Tomorrow, I’m going to start cleaning away all of this garbage back here,’ Grandpa announced as he puffed on his pipe. ‘It’s finally time to get that done. I probably should’ve done it years ago, but I could never bring myself to care much about the backyard after Elsie passed away. That damned sphere has always reminded me of what’s happened every time I’ve laid eyes on it. At least I’m not trying to have it removed anymore—I gave up on that after the NASA fiasco happened long ago. Yes, I can tell from both of your faces that you’ve both heard that story and are probably wondering why I’d do something that stupid in light of everything else that happened, as well as the ‘Season’ legend. Right?’
“We both confirmed it was a question for us, especially the reaction to call NASA after everything he’d been through.
“Well... let’s just say that after all Elsie and I had to contend with, I was just so overwhelmed by grief that the only thing I could think of was getting the goddamned thing out of here,’ he explained. ‘But, I’ll never try that again.’ He smiled wanly as he said this. ‘Now that I’ve learned my lesson, I hope wherever Elsie is now, she’s happy knowing I’m finally going to take care of this eyesore.’
“Jeremy and I told him we’d help him get that done. That brought a warmer smile from him and he looked up toward the sky. Even tho
ugh the moon was incredibly bright that evening, we were still able to trace most of the constellations and identify the nearby planets and bigger galaxies in the summer night sky. Grandpa quizzed us, as he sometimes did, on which constellation or celestial body was what and also on the various myths of the zodiac.
“We spent nearly an hour doing this, until we started getting tired as midnight approached. The three of us went back inside the farmhouse, the steadily growing noise from the crickets, tree toads, and cicadas no longer audible as we walked back into the kitchen and closed the storm door behind us. Grandpa turned the porch light and the security floodlights back on. Then he and Jeremy walked on into the living room to relax a little before retiring for the evening.
“As for myself, I was finally feeling the full affects of my adventure from the day before and decided to go immediately upstairs to bed. My brother turned on the television, and our grandfather moved over to his recliner. I told them both ‘goodnight’ and that I loved them.
“‘Goodnight, Jack,’ Grandpa called after me before I disappeared from view on the staircase to head upstairs. ‘I love you, too, son and that goes for you as well, Jeremy.’
“My brother seemed uncomfortable and embarrassed by this, like he’d had quite enough of the sentimental spirit that’d pervaded the evening up until then. He mumbled ‘ditto’ under his breath and told me ‘goodnight’. I heard him pick up the sound system’s remote control and plop down upon the sofa right after that.
“Once I reached my bedroom, I found it was brightly illuminated by the moonlight. Rather than turn on the bedroom light, I left it off and walked over to my window and looked out into the backyard. Through the gaps in the oak’s foliage, I saw the blackened remains of the woods as they glistened in the moonlight. I was amazed at the contrast between what I beheld now as compared to the same view only two nights before. I stood there for nearly a minute, and then turned away when I’d looked long enough.
“I felt so exhausted I just went over to my bed and climbed in, leaving half my clothes on. But I couldn’t sleep, for I was still too excited about everything that’d happened. I remember how I laid awake for quite a while, staring up at the ceiling. In an effort to distract myself, I tried to think about other things aside from the events of the past few days, but even then my thoughts returned to the lovely face of my mom.
“As the night grew deeper, a warm presence began filling up my room, and soon after this I started drifting off to sleep. When I crossed from this world over into the world of dreams, I heard my mother’s voice softly say, ‘Remember, Jack, that no matter what happens, I will always be with you.’ I forced myself awake again, hoping to capture the quiet warmth that now completely enveloped my bedroom.
“‘Goodnight, Mom...wherever you are,’ I whispered. A light chuckle came from somewhere near the window of my room and then, ‘Goodnight, my son’. I smiled and closed my eyes, and immediately fell asleep.”
PART VII
A Season’s End
Jack sat in silence and leaned back in his chair, indicating his story was now finished.
Agent McNamee was so engrossed by Jack’s story that at first he didn’t recognize Jack’s body language. Once he did, he straightened himself in his chair and leaned slightly across the table. “So, that’s it?”
“Yep. Pretty much anyway,” Jack told him.
“Then there’s more. Correct?”
“Well, I guess if you’re wanting information on the tornado and such, then there might be.”
“ Please tell me about that, too, Jack,” said Peter, as he relaxed in his chair once more. “I’ve said all along I want to hear everything. That includes anything else you can possibly tell me about what happened back then. If you want to take a dinner break first, that’s fine with me. I don’t want to leave here tonight until you’ve shared all you know.”
“I can still wait on dinner,” Jack said. “But, before I tell you anything more, I need to know what you honestly think of my grandfather’s story. I mean, do you believe it? Or do you think it’s a load of bullshit?”
Agent McNamee pondered his response to Jack’s question. “No, I don’t think your grandpa’s story is a load of crap,” he finally told him. “Nor have I felt anything you’ve related to me this evening is a fabrication. All I was trying to stress to you earlier is that this stuff may not fly too well with the other agents listening to us now, or whoever reviews the transcript later on. Surely, I hope you realize if anyone from this agency can be your ally, it must be me. You’ve got to trust me, Jack.”
Jack studied the agent’s face, nodding slightly to confirm his belief in Peter’s honesty. “All right. But, I warn you the rest of what I’ve got to say will remain on the other side of ‘normal’—same as nearly everything I’ve told you so far,” he advised. “Also, much of what I know of the tornado that destroyed our home came from a trio of other eyewitnesses—not the Palmers, by the way.
“So, there’s nothing at all to add from the Palmers?”
“No, definitely not anything from those sons of bitches!” Jack told him in disgust. “Hell, no! The only eyewitnesses I’m talking about are Freddy Stinson, Jeremy’s best buddy, and his little brother Kyle. Along with another of my brother’s pals, Ronnie Holmes.”
Peter frowned and picked up one of his journals again, paging quickly through it as he sought to confirm this latest revelation.
“It’s not in there, I assure you,” Jack told him. “None of them ever came forward. At first it was because they didn’t want to be ridiculed for what they saw. Then, after Carl Peterson and Sheriff McCracken were murdered, they swore one another to secrecy. They finally told Jeremy almost two years later, after my brother first told them he’d turned his life around and quit carousing and smoking—cold turkey on both accounts. He’d just gotten his high school diploma and was already accepted into the University of Alabama. The clincher for his buddies came when he revealed his dream of becoming an archaeologist. They told him everything at that point.”
“Then Jeremy told you. Is that assumption correct?”
“Yes. That’s correct,” said Jack. “The account I’m fixing to tell you is a mixture of sorts. Some of the information is from myself, along with Jeremy and Grandpa. The rest is from the stuff Freddy, Kyle, and Ronnie told Jeremy. Are you ready?”
“Yes,” said Peter. “I’m ready when you are!”
“All right, then,” Jack said, and straightened himself in his chair as he leaned forward again. “Sometime around two in the morning, after Grandpa and Jeremy had gone to bed, Freddy, Kyle, and Ronnie snuck behind our property. They were determined to verify the damage caused by Vydora. As you can probably guess, Jeremy wasn’t able to keep his mouth shut.
“I don’t imagine my brother figured his buddies would ever venture into the woods without him—especially not this soon. When they reached our back wall and saw the multitude of blackened trees, Kyle, who was fifteen at the time, chickened out. Freddy and Ronnie were furious at him for this, since they’d gone to the trouble of bringing him along at his insistence. Freddy adamantly told him there was no way in hell they were going home, at least not until Freddy and Ronnie were goddamned ready to do so!
“Kyle began to whimper and hyper-ventilate, and as the older boys were afraid he’d start bawling and either wake us or the Palmers up, they tried to calm him down. That didn’t happen until Freddy told Kyle he could wait for them near our property, and then also promised him that he’d be given full access to Freddy’s Sony Playstation mature-level games for a week. Freddy and Ronnie helped him climb over the Palmer’s wall, since it was lower than ours. Kyle crouched low in a corner next to our property to avoid detection by the Palmers, while Freddy and Ronnie began their trek to the clearing through the woods behind our home.
“I doubt if either of them had ever ventured into these woods before, and it’s hard to say how much of Vydora’s handiwork they actually saw in the darkness. Before long they were moving down
the other side of the hill, on their way to the old bridge that crossed the Tombigbee River. Roughly thirty minutes later they stood in the midst of the clearing.
“By now, the night was older and the sky was still clear. As the moon had traveled toward the northwest corner of the sky, the multitude of stars was now more visible. The clearing benefited from the moon’s illumination, which was still pretty bright, making it easy to see the old fort ruins.
“Freddy and Ronnie moved over to the ruins, excited to verify the scene from Jeremy’s run-in with the strange critter from the previous afternoon. They were in the process of examining the building closest to them when they noticed a blue glow emanating from the top of the rock formation, which as I mentioned before sat near the clearing’s western edge.
“Jeremy’s buddies were a lot like him in that their foolhardiness usually ranged from moderate to outright insanity. Needless to say, they were attracted to the strange blue light like mayflies to a bug zapper. They ran over to the rock formation and quickly climbed to the top. I can easily imagine their surprise once they discovered the source of the blue glow was actually a fiery mass throbbing fervently from the depths of the bubbling pool itself.
“They nearly fell off the ledge when they scrambled to reach the bottom. No sooner than they touched the ground, they heard a murmur and thrashing sound coming from above them. They looked up, but didn’t see anything other than a mist hovering just above the top. Not wanting to stick around and find out if a critter like the one that went after Jeremy was coming after them, they took off running. The bugs and nocturnal animals swarmed and scurried around them as they ran. Then, suddenly, every living thing around them froze, and the clearing became deathly quiet.
“Freddy and Ronnie became aware of a low thud-like sound coming from the depths of the pool. The sound grew steadily louder, and the mist hovering above the rock formation began to thicken and lengthen. Before long, the mist became a volatile cloud that continued to climb high into the air above the hot spring, growing larger and denser as it did so. It soon altered its color as well, changing from pale gray to pitch black.
The Golden Talisman Page 33
