Free Latham's Landing by Tara Fox Hall Page B

imagined here is
real. You all saw what you wanted to see, even as ghosts.” He
kissed her cheek. “But you must wake now from your fantasy,
Marie.”
    Marie went limp, her eyes sightless, a soft
keening issuing from her parted lips.
    The horseman gathered her in his arms.
“Come,” he said lovingly. “I’ve been waiting for you.” He carried
her up the remaining steps carefully, then onto the stone bridge,
his shape blurring, becoming a composition of shadows. His horse
followed him, reins dragging, as slowly both figures were swallowed
by rising mist.
     
    “ Damn, this is a fine boat,
Gunner.”
    Gunner turned to his cousin Leo. “You’ve been
wanting a boat, too, I know. But what if someone comes looking for
this?”
    “ This tore loose in the storm,” Leo
replied. “There’s no motor, and it’s been pretty banged up on the
rocks. If we leave it here, it’s going to sink with that hole in
it. I can fix that with some sheet metal and rivets.
Afterwards…well, I’ll post a sign down at the convenience store
about finding it. If no one shows up in a month, I’ll consider it a
gift from God.”
    Gunner laughed. “I guess that’s fair enough.
Come on, let’s get it strapped to the top.”
    Ten minutes later, boat secured, they headed
out.
    “ No fish, but that’s expected after all
that rain,” Gunner said. “That storm was the biggest to hit in a
long time.”
    “ Twelve inches of rain,” Leo nodded.
“You see all the trees down here. Their roots gave way in the
wind.”
    “ Pity, there’s good firewood,” Gunner
replied. “No way to get it out until next spring. This whole
stretch turns to swamp with a few drops. Now with the lake flooded,
it’ll freeze up high. ” He cast a loathing gaze toward Latham’s
Landing. “Pity that damned house didn’t get destroyed.”
    Leo shivered. “Nothing can destroy that evil
place.” He wacked Gunner on the arm. “Let’s get out of here and
celebrate. Buy you a beer?”
    Gunner nodded, then turned onto the main
road. They talked excitedly, never noticing the flattened vehicles
and trailer sunken in mud under the tumble of large fallen spruce
trees, their roofs just visible over the standing water. A
chickadee perched on the truck’s side mirror, sang once, then flew
off into the woods.
     

 
    The Fire Within
     
    Carolyn Stone
walked quickly out of the large looming brick square that was
Thornfield Christian High School. Shading her eyes with a delicate
hand, she scanned the parking lot for her bus.
    Today had already been what Carolyn referred
to as ‘a day and a half’. Where was her bus? All around her was
mass confusion, students jostling each other, passing last notes,
and attempting fond embraces of farewell hidden from teachers’
watchful eyes. Carolyn scoffed, remembering the announcement only
this morning about how physical displays such as handholding or
hugging were not permitted. There was as much chance of teen
couples keeping their distance as Satan himself appearing to drive
her home.
    The sunlight reflected off an approaching bus
bumper into her eyes, momentarily blinding her. When the light
ebbed, her bus idled before her, its long yellow length blocking
the school entrance from her sight.
    She hurried to it, her squat-heeled shoes
slipping and sliding on the gravel surface. Slinging back her purse
strap onto her shoulder, she climbed aboard, then made her way to
the back past the double row of stained green vinyl seats.
    “ Hi, hi, hi!” chorused the
kindergarteners as she walked by. Favoring them with an aloof
glance, she moved to her seat and sat down.
    As more students boarded, the noise level
increased from annoying to deafening. Carolyn glared from her seat.
Kids! She couldn’t stand them. Their constant craving of attention,
their noise, their inability to sit still…
    The doors closed, and the bus’s rumble became
a throaty growl as the driver left the parking lot for the road.
“Settle down!” the driver