Magnolia Storms by Ferguson Janet W

Author:Ferguson, Janet W.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Southern Sun Press LLC
Published: 2017-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Maggie pushed her sunglasses over her eyes and took another cautious step in the sand. Her sister always seemed to get her way lately. She couldn’t believe she was standing on the beach when there was a hurricane out there somewhere past the blue horizon where water and sky met. Already a headache wrenched around her forehead. But she wasn’t doing this for Josh. Cammie had insisted she go along with his insane idea, saying Dahlia didn’t need to be taught to fear the Mississippi Sound. Maggie’s teeth caught her lip. That wasn’t what she was trying to teach Dahlia. Or anyone for that matter. She wanted people to be careful. Prepared. Educated on the risks.

The images of this beach inundated with the storm surge during Katrina engulfed her, stealing her breath. The mounds of trees, boards, and wreckage scarring the land. The topography of the terrain made it vulnerable to mass flooding, laying waste to homes, businesses, and government offices all the way from the shoreline to Interstate 10. Whatever had been left intact had needed to be gutted due to the mold that set in before owners could even get to their property. No one who’d not seen the aftermath of the debris field could imagine the ravaged landscape here years earlier.

A shiver scampered across Maggie’s shoulders. She wanted to believe she could move past all those memories, but so far, it hadn’t happened.

“Take your shoes off and let the sand get between your toes, child,” Aunt Ruth called from her perch in the lawn chair Josh had set up for her. “It’s like riding a horse. You get right back on.”

“I don’t ride horses.” The Keds on Maggie’s feet had pretty much filled with sand. She may as well go barefoot. She slipped off the sneakers and dropped them to the ground. The beach had warmed, at least, from the intense sunlight.

“It’s like riding a bike then. You like bike riding.”

“Okay.” She did love the feel of the breeze ruffling her hair, a lot like when she went cycling at home on the trails near Jackson. She should’ve brought a ponytail holder, though. Her curls would be tangled into a rat’s nest by the time she left.

About twenty feet away, Josh crouched over something on the ground and seemed to be explaining whatever it was to Dahlia and J.D. The light reflected off the waves behind the three, sparkling and shimmering. The rays glistened on Josh’s blond hair, too. A detail she didn’t want to dwell on. What was he showing them anyway?

J.D. waved wildly. “Come see, Miss Maggie. It’s a mermaid’s purse.”

A memory rushed into her mind—her father squatting down, showing her, Cammie, and Josh the same sort of black, square shell with spikes on four sides. Daddy’s quirky smile as he teased her and Cammie about getting them a new handbag for school. Squealing, Cammie had recoiled and pretended to gag at the thought of a stingray egg sack being any part of an ensemble.

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.