A Blessed House, A Cursed Man: A Strange Sky

Walking into the old house was like a scene from a horror movie, the uneasy feeling, the damp smell, and goose bumps all over her body was screaming the warning do not enter. Then she looked to the sky and evening was getting darker and the clouds wasn't going to let up from the rain that they were pouring down it was going to be a long drawn out kind of rain that would last all evening and all night so there wasn't any choice in the matter. The car had broken down and the friend she was with was begging her to just go in and get a fire going in the fire place, still looking at the furniture all covered over with white sheets and the dust on top of those pilling up heavily, the feeling of foreboding was overbearing. "Please Katie just go in I'm cold I'm wet and miserable." Katie took one step and the creak put more goose bumps on her, just then her friend walked past her and went straight for the fire place, "Debbie don't lets just go back to the car and call someone." Debbie was getting angry, "Listen Katie cell phones aren't working there is a storm out there and this is a fire place all we need is wood this is an old house but we can find something get warm and then leave, so come in here and sit down." Katie knew she wasn't going to be out talked on this so she submitted, sitting down next to the fire place she opened her backpack found a flashlight and started looking around her. "Katie there isn't anything to be afraid of it's just an old house." Then out of the corner of the room they heard something, and turned to it in an alarmed fashion, "Please do not fear I heard your conversation and was coming to welcome you to my home." Katie and Debbie were both scared by the intrusion of the man who just entered the room but they couldn't complain they hadn't knocked and he could call the police. "My name is Spencer King I own his old place and you are welcomed so let's get a fire going and some dry clothes for you." It took a very few minutes for him to get them accomodated and Katie still didn't trust the old house, or now this man who was obviously not what he says he was, she needed to find a way out of here. "Do you have a phone Mr. King?" Spencer was wondering when that question would arise and here it was, "I don't have a phone I just took this place in posession." Trying to change the subject quickly he asked, "Would you like to take a tour of the house?" Katie was too afraid and automatically said, "No, thank you." Debbie on the other hand was enthusiastic and was willing, so to keep Debbie from going by herself with this strange man Katie agreed, and on the tour they went. "This house once belonged to a man from Hungaria who's families past was a bit dark, they were circus folk who had mysterious powers over people, but the Hungarian was too private and didn't like people very much so he moved to America. He built this mansion through his magic and never left here and anyone who came here was sent away no matter what he was getting lonely and his heart grieved for company but his privacy and pride wouldn't allow it. One day a hag came to the door and he answered himself seeing the old hag he felt a bit of compassion for her but he knew he came here for privacy and privacy was important to him she was selling roses, so he paid for one single rose and sent her on her way. When the old hag begged him to buy at least one more but he shut the door in a rush and turned to walk away just then the door flew opened and there stood not a hag but a beautiful woman who had more beauty than he had ever seen before. She told him that the one rose that he posessed gave him only one chance to end the immorality she was gifting him but in his immortality he would be disfigured and weak, and this house would be his only safe haven. However he couldn't stay here year in and year out he would have to be homeless and a begger until one day a woman would take him in show him love, and he has to give that one rose to her if she doesn't except his love then he would be immortal forever to be alone." The tour was long over and they were sitting next to the fire again but Katie had a burning question, "If this house would be his safe haven then why wouldn't he be allowed back into it what was keeping him from coming back here year in year out?" Mr. King was pleased she so intensly listened to the story, "She woman told him that he would be allowed to return once a year here all other times that would try and enter these doors, he would be dispelled and he tried he would walk into the doors and stand in the room, and just when he thought it was just a dream, it would be like he was lifted by the shoulders and carried out and the doors would shut on thier own behind him." Katie sat and thought, that this guy had a great imagination and knew it was only a story to get through the night so she indulged him because if he was going to try something he would have done so earlier. "So Mr. King how did you learn this story?" Spencer looked at Katie, "I learned this from a diary from the upstairs master bedroom, you see Miss after all this is just a story." Just then through the blinds sunlight shown through and she relized that the rain had stopped and Debbie had been sleeping for hours while she talked to Mr. King, "I can't believe we talked through the night like this I haven't done this since college, I find it easy to listen to your story and talk to you." Mr. King was delighted, "Then how about some coffee and breakfast before you leave?" Katie didn't know why but she was at ease and smiled a large smile and said, "That sounds good lead the way." Katie poked Debbie in the side and woke her up "Come on Breakfast and coffee."

Part One Of Four

Hoosiers

You know I'm taking another step back from the stories today to expound about Indiana, yeah we complain about the weather being unpredictable, seriously who could blame us, we have to run the heat in the morning turn the air on in the afternoon, and then turn the heat back on in the evening. That's just Indiana though we all know it who lives here, we burn in the summer due to humidity, in fact a man from Arizona wished he was back there where it was cooler, and I won't even start about the winters. It's home, many of us who stay here were either born here or moved here, and if you say you don't have any Kentucky in you we all know your not telling the truth, most of all who lives in Indiana had a relative who moved up here from Kentucky. Look at our nick name, Hoosier, we're called that because the accents of our ancestors, when someone came to the door and knocked on it they would call out, (W)ho'ss(Th) ere yes we have a colorful past. We also have hero's in George Rogers Clark, we had honorable enemies Tecumseh a Shawnee chief who incidentally was killed in battle fighting against another famous man of Indiana William Henry Harrison who would become the nations ninth President and the only one from Indiana. We also have sports hero's such as Larry Bird, Bobby Plump, and "Big" George McGinnis in basketball our state pass time, but it doesn't end there, we have Bob Griese in football, Tony Stewart in Auto Racing, Fuzzy Zoeller in Golf, Mike Aulby in bowling, and Fred "Cy" Young and Don Mattingly in Baseball. Then music, Micheal Jackson, John Mellencamp, and Kenny "Babyface" Edmunds just to name a very few, actors and actresses, Florence Henderson, Steven McQueen, and James Dean to name an extreme few. There are other famous people from here, Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Vivica A. Fox, Jay Cutler, Janie Fricke, Katie Douglas, and many many more, we are talented poets, business men and women, we are animal lovers, and hunters in the same breath we are Americana at its best. Our bird is fragile but strong in flight, our state bird is non other than the Cardinal, we raise our heads up high not afraid to be noticed, but give us Hoosiers a little wind for flight and like the Cardinal we sail through the skies.

Earned Land

His foot tread lightly for he was in awe at what he saw, rolling hills, a tree line and a fence already in place dividing the property where the line ends, all his life he had dreamed of owning a piece of ground and here it was right before his eyes. This was just land but in five years he could see a house just beside the tree line, cattle grazing on the hills, a garden in a back yard, and hunting dogs ready to hunt the winter rabbit. He had dreamed so long and to see a piece of land that was for sale right there before him was almost too good to be true, in his minds eyes he could see a long drive way coming from the road right up to the house, all he had to do is work, such a small word for such a hard life, but a good clean life. When the young man came back to the road and got into his truck he went to the land agent and asked about the property, it didn't take him long to leave because he wouldn't have that kind of money for a long time for even the down payment, his credit was poor and his job didn't pay that much so then harsh reality had to set in, he could never have it. He could dream yes but dreams can't pay bills or feed his stomach, so he went back to work the next day and devised a plan, he went to a local farmer and asked, "I was looking for some extra work, do you have any right now?" The old farmer looked right at the young man and examined him, "Well you don't mind being here every morning at four-thirty then I may have some work for you." The young man was over joyed, "I don't mind at all sir I'll be here in the morning." The young man worked in the morning to around eleven, then left there and went to his full time job and worked there until eight every night, then he went back to the farm, did some extra chores for the old man, and then went to his apartment. This went on for a few years until one day the man, came to the old farmer and said, "Well sir I've done what I set out to do and now I have a down payment enough for my own farm, but if you ever need any help around here just let me know and I'll come runnin." The old man was saddened to the see younger man leave him but he knew he had his own life to live so he just simply said, "Well if you ever want to just come over you know your welcomed to." The younger man felt like the old man was a relative after so many years, "I will at least once a week to see you and the Misses." Then the younger man went to the bank and they told him about a piece of land for sale with rolling hills and a tree line just like his dream so off he went to see it, when he arrived to see the land his eyes wouldn't let him believe that this was that same piece of land from so many years ago that set him in motion to work as much as he did. When he got back to the bank he saw the old farmer and his wife, "Well I'm here to buy a piece of property about two miles down the road from y'all we'll be neighbors for sure now." The old farmer smiled, "I know I just told the banker to drop the price on it for you, you sure earned it." The young man couldn't believe his ears after all this time this was the owner of the property that he wanted to buy, "You own it, why didn't you ever tell me." The old farmer smiled a toothless grin, "Well boy, when you first came to us you were looking for work, because you wanted to earn land and I respected that, so I let you work and sure enough you earned land." The younger man knew he was telling the truth, and he felt all the more grateful for his silence it made him respect the land all the more.

Sunny Flower In An Ocean Of Green

The man had worked all day for his father in law on his farm, he was up before the chickens were at least that's how he felt, first he was feeding the live stock, then was milking the cows, but he didn't complain his father in law was right there next to him. The heat of the day had gotten to him and he was tired, working in the tobacco field chopping it down and lifting it to the wagon took a lot out of him. So when was walking to the tree with a patch of shade green grass was so inviting he wasn't going to deny the fact that a nap would be nice, so he laid back on his back the cool grass felt nice through his shirt the wind blowing and in no time he man was asleep. When he woke up the sun had moved and he was bathed in sunlight he rolled over and saw a purple small flower popping up out of the sea of green grass, "Now you and I have a few things in common, I stick out like a sore thumb when I'm here." His wife came up and sat down next to him, "What was that sweety?" The man sat up, "I said I feel like a stick out like a sore thumb here, but I'm not complaining I'll look like a sore thumb any day to be with you." The wife kissed his cheek, "Well don't you say yes to anything Papa asks you tomorrow your going to be with me, I would like a family of our own you know." The man smiled, "Yes ma'am, are we going to buy a farm too?" Now it was her turn to smile, "Only if you want."

A Hot Bird

The day was hot with loads of humidity in the air, the dog days of summer are harsh enough but imagine being a bird, yes your bone would be hollow and you would have a great wing span to fly through the cool air but what are you to do when you land, flying all day long is not a possibility. So when a man went out and filled his birdbath that morning he knew it would be a popular place for the birds this day, so he sat down in his air conditioned screened in patio with lemonade in his glass he was going to just watch. "Ah the first customer." The small finch landed in the bath and splashed so much water around it looked like four or five birds in the bath but that's alright there was plenty of water and it was welcomed to all it wanted. The bird was so happy it laid down into the water and raised its head up as if to say hello, then it got up shook the water off of its feathers and spread its wings and flew off. So the man got up walked back outside refilled the birdbath again, then he went back inside and waited for the next bird.

Hollyhocks Of Love

The fore closer on the house was coming swiftly so the real estate agent came to make one last look over to make sure it was ready for market, he stepped into the living room the walls were freshly painted and the carpet was new so this room was ready. He finished his tour of the house and all was in perfect order, this old place sure was something he was told the house was built by the previous owner and the current owner was only selling it because that was apart of the will that they should sale and divide the money up evenly. He hadn't been outside to the back yard in a couple of weeks now and he just wanted to be sure and check that too, so he walked through the wash room and out the back door, when he stepped into the back yard it was a basic back yard with flowers, a garden area, and a small building. He started noticing a bee flying around some of the flowers he believed were call hollyhocks, just then the bee landed inside the flower and began taking in the nectar, "Isn't that a pretty sight." He had his small handheld camera from his pocket and took the photo, he couldn't believe what he had captured, he was smiles all the way home he couldn't wait to show his wife and as he opened the door he heard her in the kitchen so he walked back there to her. "Honey, your not going to believe this." He took the camera out of his pocket and showed her what he had just taken, his wife smiled and laid her head on his shoulders, "Oh Winston, just like Aunt Martha's hollyhocks in Georgia." The husband knew that she would remember that, "Yeah just the place where I asked you to marry me right." The woman went back to chopping her vegetables but still smiled, "Yeah as I recall you still were in your suit and got your pants all ruined in that grass." The husband looked at her, "I forgot about that as soon as you kissed me and said yes." She knew what he was hinting at, "Well let me just erase your memory again," She leaned over and kissed her husbands cheek, "Now what were we talking about?" He laughed "I don't remember, oh yeah I want some hollyhocks for the yard." "Good idea, that's my man."

Her Fathers Creek

She had been walking alone for hours not worried about much about what's in the woods but just enjoying all the natural wonders from the forest she was walking through, but she was getting tired and needed a break so she sat down near a bank on the creek. She looked down into the stream, it was a pretty sight a log had fallen into the stream and the water was rushing past it so she sat there just watching and let her mind wonder, she was thinking about her father he loved these woods and would walk through here often, he often told her, "Barbara, just bring your problems out here and they will melt away." Right now she didn't have many worries, just missing her father very badly here latly and needed a way to feel closer to him. Just then a hard wind blew but it was a calm day the wind wasn't supposed to blow on this day, but she remembered someone saying once. If the wind blows paticularly strong it is really the person your thinking about if they have past, just then she smiled and relized which part of the creek she was sitting on just looked up to the tree she was sitting under, Allen, Rose, John, Barbara were carved into the tree's side. "Dad I miss you a lot." After an hour of sitting there she got up and started walking back to her car her heart lighter, her mind clear, and happy that she had come.

The signs are there a quick sight out of the corner of the eye, a strong wind blowing, something moving in your home that is stable, all of these are possible signs that your loved one could just simply be saying hello. No need to be afraid, just say hello and go about your day because that's all they are looking for hello and goodbye.