Free Dae's Christmas Past by Joyce Lavene, Jim Lavene

too. This is probably what they’ve been worried about.”
    Walking down Duck Road with Mary Catherine was a strange experience. Two sea gulls flew down and walked with us for a while, squawking the whole time. She talked to them like she was talking to two old friends. They answered back, and she frowned.
    As we reached the edge of the Duck Shoppes’ parking lot, a rat came right up to her and rested its head on her shoe. She smiled and even scratched its ear. The rat ran away into the tangled brush.
    “What was that about?” I asked.
    “Oh, the rat was nothing. He just wanted to say hello. But the seagulls were interesting. They’ve already heard the story of the invisible horses. They aren’t frightened by them—they’re creatures of the air and not subject to the same fears as we who live on the earth. But they were very interested and shared your view about the supernatural aspect of what happened to your friend.”
    “Wow. That’s amazing. Do they always just run up and talk to you?”
    “Oh no. Many times I have to go looking for animals I need to talk to. They aren’t always as forthcoming as seagulls.”
    We walked into the crowded coffeehouse and bookstore in the Duck Shoppes’ parking lot. The people waiting in line and seated at tables were as chatty as the seagulls, but more afraid.
    “I want to know what someone is going to do about those horses knocking down my fence,” Martha Segall said in a loud voice. “And here’s the mayor. What are you going to do about this, Dae?”
    It would have to be Martha’s fence.
    Everyone turned to stare. I plastered my big mayor’s smile on my face and addressed the situation. “Chief Michaels and Sheriff Riley are looking into the events of last night. Try not to worry. I’m sure there’s a rational explanation for everything.”
    “What about the dead man they said was found on Duck Road?” Barney Thompson asked. He owned the Sand Dollar jewelry store.
    “The police are looking into that too,” I promised. “I’ll have the town clerk send out emails to everyone on her list when we have any updates.”
    “What if we don’t have a computer?” Agnes Caudle ran the Beach Bakery. “I don’t have a computer.”
    “In that case, someone from public works will call you.” Chris Slayton was standing behind me. “Jamie has a sign-up sheet at the counter. If you aren’t on the email list, leave your name and phone number.”
    There was a lot of grumbling and complaining. People were nervous and afraid after the unsettling night. I knew exactly how they felt and could only imagine what the council meeting would be like tomorrow. I hoped things would quickly settle down.
    Mary Catherine and I finally reached the counter. I ordered two coffees and two bagels with cream cheese. We took them to the shop so I could open for the day. It was better to leave before there were any other complaints too. People weren’t as likely to come into Missing Pieces to ask questions.
    Maybe that was cruel, but I was short on answers that anyone would want to hear besides being scared that my vision could be true and demon horses were visiting Duck.
    There weren’t many people in the parking lot or on the boardwalk. It was early, though. People might come later in the day. Hurricane season was over, but many shops were closing down for the winter. Everyone knew about the seasonal issue and stayed away.
    Chris had a brilliant plan for bringing people to Duck and other parts of the Outer Banks for the holiday season. The Tourism Association had not only picked up on the idea but also made Chris head of the event. It was called OBX Christmas. Every town was supposed to light up and dress up for the holiday between Thanksgiving and the first of the year. We’d never done it before, always seeing November as the end of the season.
    Chris already had the backing of the Duck Business Association and the Chamber of Commerce. Most of the shop owners were members of one of the