Touch of Shadow

by April Aasheim

  “Aren’t you four years older than me?” I asked, peeling off my gloves and stuffing them into my purse. I wasn’t a teenager any more, and I wouldn’t be intimidated by queen bees like Audrey Moone. “My brother, Alex, delivered quite a few pies here yesterday. I need to get them back. I’ll pay you for them, and we will bring you new ones at no cost.”

  “Why do you need the pies back? That’s kinda weird.” Before I could answer, she picked the vibrating phone up from the counter beside her. Scowling, she began typing furiously.

  “Audrey, can I get the pies, please?” I asked. “They’re not our best quality. Just point me in the right direction and I’ll be on my way.”

  Audrey huffed and walked to a beige speakerphone hanging on the wall. Pushing a green button, she spoke into the microphone. “Can the manager come to the kitchen, please?” she said. “We have a 1280 in progress.”

  “Now what is a 1280?” I demanded, punching the red button next to the green button. “Have I violated some long-standing policy on pie returns?”

  She glared at me hard, and I glared back harder, my finger still on the red button. She moved to push my hand away, and I was suddenly clutched by a memory:

  “Damn it Elmer, if you loved me you’d find a way to give me a baby. I can’t wait any longer. Not another month, not another week. See a doctor, or don’t come home!”

  She hung up the rotary phone and crossed her arms.

  “My stars!” I said aloud, withdrawing my hand. How long ago had that conversation happened?

  A moment later, the door swung open, and Nick stepped in. His T-shirt was untucked and his hair loose. I could smell his woodsy scent.

  “Baylee!” he said, his arms wide. Without asking, he hugged me tight, then released me just as quickly. “Sorry, I’m just so happy you came to see me!”

  Audrey’s eyes narrowed as she took us in. “You can vouch for her?”

  “I can. And Audrey, whenever this young woman is here, I want her treated like royalty. Understand?”

  Her face tightened and I thought the veins in her temples would pop. But she quickly forgot me as her cellphone buzzed again.

  “A 1280, huh?” he asked, as Audrey scurried away. “I’m not even sure that’s a real code.” He led me across the kitchen and through another door, into a quaint dining hall. There were large round tables, and a real soda fountain counter along the far wall. A couple sat side by side on stools, blissfully sucking down their malts, just as they probably did as teenagers.

  “Can we talk while I finish my shift?” Nick asked, waving his hand towards a folding table by the window. The table was covered with clipboards and pens, and a sign was taped to the front, reading: Voter Registration. A slim gentleman in a striped suit sat in a nearby chair, filling out a card attached to a clipboard.

  Nick took a seat in a metal folding chair behind the voter registration table, patting the chair beside him. “Don’t worry about Audrey. She doesn’t like anyone… except my brother.” The corners of Nick’s mouth turned down as he reached for a pen.

  “She was mean to me in high school,” I admitted. “I sound like a person without a backbone, don’t I?”

  “You without a backbone?” He chuckled. “That’s one of the things that struck me about you. You speak your mind and you aren’t afraid of what others think. That’s a rare trait these days.”

  “Thank you?”

  “I try to remember the words of a Hopi shaman I worked with: ‘Cruelty stems from self-hate.’ Trust me, Audrey has her demons. It’s just hard to see them behind that wall of ice.”

  Hearing this, I felt sorry for Audrey. She may not be showing her grief, or even civil kindness, but that didn’t mean she was heartless. Besides, who was I to talk about emotional displays? I hid everything behind my gloves and beneath my hats.

  “If you don’t mind hanging out with me for an hour or so,” Nick said, “I can show you my favorite place to take a walk afterwards.”

  “Yes!” I blurted, realizing that my mission had gotten derailed.

  An old man bowed over his walker shuffled forward. He looked from me, to Nick, and back again. “I registered a few weeks ago. How do I vote now that Elmer’s dead?”

  “Lloyd, don’t worry about that. You didn’t hear this from me, because I’m not supposed to endorse a candidate on government property, but we know each other pretty well, right?”

  “Right.”

  “I can promise you that Garett plans to continue Elmer’s work. I know you appreciate keeping Reed Hollow untouched by big business, right?”

  “Damn right! I spent my whole life building my hardware store, and my biggest source of pride is that I can pass it down to my son.”

  “Trust me, I understand. If Gus has his way, he’ll let in Lew’s or Home Express or some other corporation.”

  Nick handed the man a fact-sheet in large print that compared his brother to Gus. The man took the paper, put on his reading glasses, and shuffled back to chair in the corner.

  “I know I should be unbiased… but I just can’t take what Gus wants to do to our town.” He tapped his fingers on the table. “I know it’s a bit unethical, but I’ve just seen too many places destroyed by big money.”

  Nick tilted his head, drawing his brows towards one another. “Do you hate me? That look on your face says you hate me.”

  “Oh, no!” I tapped my fingers, trying to figure out how to say this. “I have something else on my mind, another reason I came here.”

  “It wasn’t just to see me, huh?” he said, angling his chair to face me. “I must be losing my charm.”

  I laughed. “You’re plenty charming, to be sure. You have more charm than should be allowed by law. It’s just that… my brother brought in some pies yesterday…”

  “The pies! Of course! They were amazing!” Nick grinned. “I’m not one for junk food, but I think I ate a whole pumpkin by myself. I was hoping he would stop by with more.” He patted his flat abs, which defied the logic of eating an entire pumpkin pie.

  “Something went wrong with Alex’s last batch, and well, please just send any uneaten ones back with me. We’ll make new ones right away, no cost at all. We’ll even throw in a few extras. And some cranberry scones!”

  “Don’t sell yourselves short. Everyone here loved them. I swear, it’s made my job a lot more fun seeing all the smiles at morning tea.” He dropped the pen he had been holding. It rolled to the edge of the table, then miraculously stopped just before it fell.

  “Would you consider letting me take them as a birthday present?” I asked, playing the only card I had left.

  “Today’s your birthday?”

  “Yes.”

  “You should have said something! This is an important day. Work can wait!” Nick picked up the desk phone. “Can you come to the registration desk? Yes, it’s important.”

  Seconds later, Garett appeared in a doorway. Audrey was right behind him, arms crossed.

  Garett approached the table with a scowl. He gave me a cursory once-over, then turned to his brother. “What’s up? I told you I needed to be alone for a few minutes.”

  “You didn’t look that alone to me,” Nick said, his eyes wandering towards Audrey. “Brother, this is Baylee.”

  “Hello,” I said.

  This time Garett gave me a more thorough appraisal, and from the unabashed gleam in his eye, he approved.

  “You’re not Baylee’s type,” Nick said, rising from his chair.

  “No? She looks like a woman who appreciates culture.” At that, Audrey stormed back through the doorway.

  “Sorry about that,” Garett apologized. “She’s having a rough time since her husband passed. I keep telling her to take some time off, but she insists she needs to keep busy. But the moodiness…”

  Garett ran a hand through his thick hair, looking back towards the door. “Her husband revived this Senior Center, securing the funding for the renovations. He did a lot to keep Reed Hollow from dying out like many of the
other small towns in this county. That’s why I’m running for mayor – I want to take up his torch. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but luckily, I was already helping Elmer with his campaign.”

  “Garett will do a good job of leading Reed Hollow into the future, while not sacrificing our past,” Nick said with certainty.

  Garett smiled. “So what’s important enough to call me out here?”

  “It’s this young lady’s birthday and I’d like to get her away from the Lysol smell for a while. I already made the coffee and poured the tea. As for this table, I think we’ve registered everyone we are going to register today.” Nick lowered his voice. “Also, Lloyd just got his medical papers in from the health fair. The nurse is going over them with him. You should schedule a time to talk with him after. I’ll leave the forms.”

  “Anything else?” Garett asked impatiently.

  “No thanks, boss,” Nick said.

  With that, Nick escorted me to a cozy sunroom overlooking the garden and pond. The scent of flowers was in the air. It was the kind of room that made you want to spend the afternoon reading.

  “Through here,” Nick directed, leading me through the sunroom to an outside door.

  Stepping out into the garden, I felt like Dorothy when the black-and-white world became Technicolor. While the sky had been drab when I arrived, it was now dreamy silver-blue. The sun had burned away the fog, leaving just a few thin clouds stretched across the sky. A soft breeze stirred the endless leaves floating down from the nearby thickets and groves.

  “Perfect birthday weather,” Nick remarked with a nod.

  “Yes, indeed. Like it was ordered up just for me.”

  “I put in a special request as soon as I heard,” Nick teased.

  We strolled around the perimeter of the well-tended garden. The beds were abloom with tomatoes and pumpkins and squash. An herb garden had been started in one section, while another was reserved purely for flowers. A half-dozen retirees quietly gardened, their minds far away as their fingers worked the soil.

  “The garden was my idea,” Nick said. “I know how much I enjoy growing things and I thought the members would, too. Plus, we don’t have to rely on anyone else anymore. It’s very Zen.”

  He continued our tour of the grounds, pointing out various areas where future construction was planned. “Garett wants to put in a pool, and maybe a tennis court over there. Something to get everyone more active. I told him we should wait until spring, but my brother’s very motivated.”

  We made our way across a field towards the woods. Surprisingly, it was peppered with Vote for Gus signs. Nick pulled them up as we went, tossing them to the ground.

  “Is that ethical?” I asked.

  “Gus knows he can’t put these on Senior Center property, so he surrounds us with them, just to taunt us. Besides, he pulls up all Garett’s signs. And Elmer’s old ones, too!”

  Once the offending signs had been pulled up like bad weeds, Nick jogged ahead towards the forest. “Catch me.”

  “I didn’t come dressed for this!” I protested, my heels sinking into the ground. Moved by a daring inspiration, I removed my heels and peeled down my hose. Giving Nick a big grin, I ran ahead on bare feet, mud squishing between my toes. I felt like a kid as I tramped through the tall grass, like Laura in the Little House books. By the time we reached the woods, I was laughing so hard I had to lean against a tree to catch my breath.

  “You have spirit!” Nick said approvingly. “I love it.”

  “You bring it out in me,” I said. “This is a good reminder of how out of shape I am, too. I really need to get outdoors more.”

  “I’ll gladly accompany you anytime.” Nick walked ahead of me, kicking rocks out of my way as went. “I love being out here. It gives me a chance to clear my head. I’m not like my brother. I can’t be around people all the time. I hate to admit it, but I’m an introvert at heart. I feel more comfortable with nature than with humans.”

  “I can relate. Except I would rather spend alone time with my books. Too much interaction with others and I get depleted.”

  “We’re kindred souls, Baylee Scott. We get each other.”

  Nick stopped to admire a patch of old ferns. “I sometimes talk to these guys. Silly, huh?”

  “Well, my brother talks to animals.”

  “As long as none of them talk back, I guess we’re both okay. These ferns might. They are Onoclea sensibilis, a rather sensitive species. They probably enjoy good conversation.”

  “You seem to know your stuff,” I said, admiringly. “The only botanical knowledge I possess is that a bay leaf looks just like any other leaf.” I pulled the leaf from my purse and showed it to him. “My mother named me after them.

  “Ella would say you are charmed! They are excellent protectors, if used right. And they can also be used to attract love.”

  Nick leapt atop a large rock, one hand on his heart while the other was raised to the sky. In a cockney accent, he proclaimed:

  A bay leaf near a wishing well

  Helps to break a magic spell.

  A bay leaf round a faery ring

  Sends the cursed back home again.

  But a bay leaf

  from a maiden’s hand

  Offers no protection

  for the heart of man

  He grinned and jumped down, bowing dramatically upon his dismount.

  “That was beautiful. Who’s the author?”

  “Nick Reid.” He shuffled a foot through the leaves. “Ella made me her apprentice for a while, until she got fed up with me. I made up lots of poems to keep track of things. She had that rolling pin and I sensed she wasn’t afraid to use it.” He rubbed the back of his head, laughing.

  “That’s not a real bay leaf, by the way,” he added, tapping my open palm. “I’ll give you a few before you leave, for reference.”

  Staring at my hand, I blushed wildly. My mother had given it to me as a birthday present, and it wasn’t an actual bay leaf!

  We circled through the woods, crossing a small stream and arriving at a clearing. Nick walked with purpose towards a skinny tree with drooping branches.

  “One moment,” he said. He searched around until he found a long stick, then began digging at a small mound at the base of the tree. I watched over his shoulder, until his stick hit something with the solid Clang of metal. Kneeling down, he dug a small flask out of the hole.

  “Voila!” He twisted open the cap and sniffed at the contents, inhaling deeply with closed eyes. “Brandy. Take a swig. It’s your birthday, after all.”

  “Sure, why not? Bottoms up!” I tilted the flask against my lips. “Mercy!” I exclaimed, knocking the tree with the side of my fist. “That’s stronger than the last stuff you gave me.”

  Nick took a long draw himself, then tightened the cap and put the flask back in the hole “I have a few of these treasure sites hidden around town,” he said. “All filled with different things. I like to be prepared for anything. Too many years of living off the grid, I guess.”

  He leapt to his feet with the nimbleness of an Irish river dancer, then swiftly made for another tree. I followed, slightly disoriented from the drink, but also giddy, overcome with Nick’s sense of adventure.

  “Hungry?” he asked, digging up a mound and removing an old tin lunchbox. He opened it to reveal Cheez Whiz and crackers.

  I was charmed by his enthusiasm and whimsy. He was a real-life leprechaun, searching for rainbows and digging up pots of gold. His zest drove me to follow him from tree to tree. I found my own stick and began digging too, marveling at the riches we unearthed. He had everything: food, drink, cash, trinkets, herbs and salt. We even found a half-empty bottle of perfume. Nick laughed, claiming he must have buried it as a kid to punish Ella. “I’ve been doing this a while,” he admitted.

  “This spot already looks dug up,” I said as we approached a tree with a fresh hole at its base.

  “Damned dogs,” he said. “That might’ve been the jerky hole.”


  But I spotted something else in the dirt, a small flash of grayish-white. A claw, like the one I had found in my room! Nick took no notice, already on to the next tree. I discreetly scooped it up, depositing it in my pocket.

  The discovery chilled me. For a while, I had allowed myself to get lost in Nick’s world, but I was reminded that I had my own to deal with. There were hobgoblins slinking around town, the mayor might have been murdered, and I still didn’t have Alex’s pies back.

  “You okay? You look green,” Nick said.

  “Probably the brandy,” I lied. “I should be heading back now. My brother could probably use my help.”

  “Roger that.”

  As we made our way out of the forest, Nick cast his eyes about, searching for mounds he hadn’t yet uncovered. “Can I take you to lunch this week? A real lunch? Not just forest crackers?” he asked.

  “I will always have a fondness for forest crackers, after today.”

  “You are wise beyond your twenty-two years.” He winked.

  He led me back inside the Senior Center through the front door. I was surprised to see an older gentleman with a stack of signs beneath his arm, arguing with Audrey. She turned on her heels and marched into the kitchen. “You’ll have to talk to Garett,” she said, the door swinging shut behind her.

  The man turned his attention towards Nick, fire in his eyes.

  “Gus, is there a problem?” Nick asked.

  So this was Gus. I’d seen his election signs all my life, but had never envisioned him as more than a myth. He was well-dressed, in neat slacks and a clean sweater. His hair was all white, wavy and down to his shoulders.

  Gus squinted, and his still-dark brows bristled. “You know damn well there’s a problem. These are my signs! You people can’t just take them down.”

  “This is government property,” Nick explained.

  “In case you haven’t noticed, there’s no local government right now.” Gus retorted. “I’m pushing for an early special election, not that this town cares. Lawlessness reigns supreme around here!” He lifted his chin, as if making up his mind, and stomped through the door into the dining room.