Free Will O Wisp by Fay Risner Page A

the
outhouse,” Shana said. “I can get it for you.”
    “ That will be helpful,
dear,” Melinda said.
    When Melinda started stacking the
dishes, Shana edged toward the back door. “I'll go get the can for
the worms.”
    “ Not yet. You find a dish
towel and help, Melinda. We have to wait until it's good and dark
after I wet a patch down so the worms come to the surface,” Gracie
explained. When Shana groaned, Gracie added, “No need to complain,
youngun. We all have our chores to do and helping do dishes is one
of yours.”
    Shana slanted her head sideways. “Tis
other chores, besides gatherin' eggs and doing dishes?”
    “ There is, but I'll let you
know what as we go along,” Gracie said, walking around Shana to the
screen door.
    After dark, Gracie led the way to the
barn yard. They went through the barn and out the side door. “I
watered down a spot by the fence. Head that way.”
    The moon was large and bright, casting
a glow over the area.
    “ That moon sure helps see
the worms,” Gracie said softly. “We cain't use a lantern. If we
did, the worms see us and go down too quick to catch.”
    Shana squatted down. She made a grab
for a nightcrawler. The worm sucked itself back in the hole. “Sure
and tis, that one is a quick bugger. I didn't get him.”
    “ You have to be quick, or
they get away. Grab for the worm's back end near the hole. You got
a better chance of holding onto the worm that way,” Gracie said.
“Now keep at it.”
    A owl hooted in the large oak tree at
the edge of the pasture. Melinda said, “Isn't that a nice
sound?”
    “ Tis spooky to me,” Shana
said. “Tis the sign that someone close is going to die when the owl
hoots three times close to the house.”
    “ Really?” Melinda said,
looking worried.
    Melinda was taking Shana seriously.
Gracie nodded her head toward Melinda and said to Shana, “Girl,
there's an old saying that works as good for an owl as it would
you. It goes, The wise old owl seldom spoke, the less he said the
more he heard, wasn't that a wise old owl? Now you think on that
while you pick up these worms. Get busy.”
     

Chapter Seven
     
    Even Melinda got the hang of catching
worms. Except she made a hissing sound through her teeth as she
dangled the slimy worm away from her. She looked revolted as though
she was holding a mouse or snake. Once she got to the can, she
dropped the worm in and went back for another one.
    Melinda looked at the darkness outside
the fence. She stopped walking and did a double take. In the
direction of the timber, she saw a small light flashing, growing
bigger and brighter. “Gracie, the timber must be on
fire!”
    “ Where?” Gracie asked,
straightening up.
    “ Over there,” Melinda said,
pointing at the flickering light.
    Shana said, “I see it, too. Will the
fire come here?”
    “ I don't think it's a
fire.” Gracie watched for a moment. “I think it's
foxfire.”
    “ What's that?” Melinda and
Shana asked together.
    “ When leaves and dead
plants start decaying on rotted logs, they cause a gas that puts
off a glow in the dark,” Gracie explained.
    “ Sure and tis spooky to
know about,” Shana said in hushed voice.
    Melinda scanned the dark trees. “So do
the glows ever move?”
    “ Nope,” Gracie
said.
    Melinda pointed. “Well, how do you
explain the yellow light moving along that end of the
timber.”
    Gracie said. “Someone is prowling
around out there. Maybe it's the Indians night hunting for a
deer.”
    “ How close do you think
that lantern is to your cemetery, Gracie?” Melinda said in a hushed
tone.
    “ Not far from the cemetery
atall. I best take a walk through the trees along the lane, and see
what's going on. Maybe someone is going to do some more digging in
the cemetery,” Gracie said. “You two best go to the house with me.
I'm going to see if Thad left his rifle in the bedroom
wardrobe.”
    “ You can't go to the
cemetery by yourself. I'm going with you,” Melinda said.
    “ Sure and I will