A Gathering of Shades by David Stahler Jr

Author:David Stahler, Jr
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: literary, ghosts, supernatural, grief, farm life, vermont, mourning, moving from home
Publisher: David Stahler, Jr

Chapter Ten

Aidan joined Memère the next night, and the night after, and so on into the next week. His time with the shades soon lost its eerie edge as he became more familiar with their ways. By now he knew them all by name, had grown accustomed to their quirky nature. It didn’t take long. In fact, what struck him most about his time in the orchard was its sameness. Every night was like the last—the same ritual, the same conversations, the same summer sky. By the third night, as the lines of dialogue repeated once again, Aidan began to feel as if he were observing rehearsals for a play that would never be performed. Listening to their talk, he thought back to that first moment he’d seen them, when he’d wondered if maybe they were actors.

Memère didn’t seem to mind. He marveled at her patience as the same questions were asked over and over, as the same observations rose in regular cycles with only the slightest variation. She always replied with an enthusiasm as sharp as the night before. She made their forgetfulness her own, and in doing so became a force as vital as the brew she fed them. All in all, Memère amazed him. She was the center of attention at these meetings. Like a conductor, she spurred the conversations on, moderating their tempo and balance. Other times, she reminded him of an animal trainer at the zoo, the only one who could keep her wards at bay, induce a sense of calm with that soft voice, the same one she used when speaking to her flock of flamingoes and little gnomes up on the lawn.

Only Eve seemed immune from his grandmother’s charms. She had backed off since that first evening’s advance, but she never stopped gazing at Aidan with that look of hunger that he found difficult to ignore. They spoke a few times during the week, catching moments when the others were distracted. They mostly talked about music. Eve seemed to possess an encyclopedic knowledge of early ‘90s grunge, Nirvana in particular, that Aidan was somewhat familiar with, but not enough to keep up. She, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have much interest in any other bands and knew nothing current. He didn’t hold it against her. Soon, he realized, up here away from all record stores, radio stations, and friends, he wouldn’t be much better.

The sameness of the gatherings was punctured one evening by a moment of drama. It was the fourth night. Aidan had noticed the day before that Esther, Alton’s wife, hadn’t joined in the feeding, but held back along the periphery, seated beneath an apple tree, looking at the sky as if a rain were about to fall. She didn’t speak that night or even seem to notice the others casting periodic glances in her direction.

“Why doesn’t she drink?” he asked Memère.

“She isn’t hungry anymore,” Memère replied, looking over at Alton, who nodded with an anxious smile. “She’s getting ready.

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