The Tale of Halcyon Crane A Novel by Wendy Webb

Author:Wendy Webb
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: General Fiction
ISBN: 9780805091403
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Published: 2010-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

A couple of hours later, I was flipping through the channels again—a World War II documentary, a Weather Channel storm story, a testimonial for a weight-loss drug (mildly intriguing)—when I paused on what looked like a movie. There was something familiar and comforting about the scene: blue sky, laundry flapping on the line, a child rolling in the green grass.

But then the child winced as though she were in pain. “Ouch!” she squealed. “Stop it!’ She got up and ran from the clothesline. “Leave me alone!” Crying, she fell backward, as though she had been pushed. “Stop it! I don’t like you!”

“Hey, Peanut,” a voice called as a man walked into view. “What’s the matter with my girl?” He scooped the child into his arms and comforted her, cooing, “It’s all right now, honey. It’s all right. I’m here now.” As they walked out of sight, the girl gazed over the man’s shoulder and stuck out her tongue.

The camera panned to the object of the girl’s derision: a child. Dressed in white. Long braids tied with white ribbons.

Mid-scream, I realized that I was awake. I had fallen asleep, obviously, and was dreaming about the girl I had seen outside my window. After rubbing my eyes, I caught sight of the time. Nearly eight-thirty. Bright morning sunshine bathed my room in light.

I lay there for a moment deciding whether to get up or slip back into sleep, but when it hit me I shot upright in bed. The windows. I had closed those shades last night; I was sure of it. Now they were open, just as they had been when I went to bed the first time. And the television was turned off, as were the lights.

I tucked my feet into my slippers, hopped out of bed, and gingerly opened the bedroom door, looking up and down the hallway before venturing into it. I made my way down the back stairs to the kitchen, where, to my astonishment, I found fresh coffee brewing. A basket of hot muffins sat on the counter. At my place at the kitchen table, some yogurt and a bowl filled with fruit.

Iris, of course. Had she opened my shades and turned off my television? It was the only explanation—or so it seemed. I went from room to room searching for her, calling her name. However unsettling as Iris was, she was at least a human companion. After the night I had just endured, I needed one. But Iris was nowhere to be found. She had made coffee and breakfast for me and then departed. At least, I hoped it had been Iris. With shaking hands, I poured some coffee and flipped on the morning news. My house. My coffee. No ghost was going to scare me away.

My father had taught me to be a practical thinker, but reason couldn’t explain away a little girl in a white dress outside my window in the middle of the night, whispering into my ear a strange and unsettling childhood song.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.