town.
As I turned to keep an eye on my dog, I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye. A man with a long white beard stood out in the middle of the road several yards behind us. Well, actually he was kind of swaying in the hot breeze like a tree branch. It looked like he had been drinking instead of driving.
I don’t remember passing any pedestrians , I thought. I wonder if he’s okay.
An old rusted black pick-up truck coming from town flew past me and interrupted my thoughts. It sped down the road and hit the brake lights just as it reached the tipster. The old man zig-zagged his way to the back of the truck, flopped onto the open tailgate, dangled his legs off the back and gripped the side panel of the truck bed.
Shiner bounded out from the side of the road, wagging his tail and ready to follow me. As I swung around for our walk into Sinful, a loud whistle stopped me in my tracks.
I looked over my shoulder toward the sound and as the truck disappeared down the road, I could’ve sworn I saw the old man lean back and flip me off.
With both hands.
Chapter 2
The three of us walked down the middle of the empty two-lane road into the quiet town. In fact, it was beyond quiet – almost silent. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and I glanced at the storefronts looking for a sign of life.
Jayne slowed her pace and her eyes grew big. “Maybe this is a ghost town.” Her shoulder length hair swung back and forth and her body leaned side to side as she started tiptoeing to avoid detection. “If there are ghosts, I sure hope they’re friendly.”
“Are you serious?” I chuckled, not at all surprised by my cousin’s silly ways.
Just when I thought the town was dead, the giant wooden doors on two churches on both sides of the street groaned in unison. The doors burst open, releasing a frenzy of people that clamored in our direction. One group was led by an elderly woman wearing a sophisticated style church dress with matching navy blue hat and old lady sneakers. The group on the opposite side of the street raced behind a younger athletic woman dressed more casually, her hair slung in a pony-tail and clearly in better shape.
My cousin, Jayne, jumped with a start and shouted, “I bet they’ve seen a ghost!”
People continued to flow out of the churches on both sides of the street, rooting for their favorite athlete. Jayne started jogging in place like she was planning to join them.
“Is this a Church Olympics?” I asked, mainly to myself and marveled at the intensity of the competition.
The younger woman was in the lead and gaining until an empty wheelchair was pushed from the crowd and traveled directly into her path. The crowd gasped as she jumped, trying desperately to hurdle it, but her back foot caught the top of the wheelchair and she tumbled, rolling, to the ground.
Without a pause, the old woman sprinted across an invisible finish line and into the doorway of a building with ‘Francine’s Diner’ over the door. The crowd from the winner’s church cheered and followed her inside, giving no thought to the fallen athlete lying on the ground.
Jayne and I joined a few other folks gathered around the injured party as she sat there, scowling, and kicked the wheelchair.
“That was a blatant foul if you ask me,” I said and put my hands on my hips for emphasis.
Two thin, older ladies with angry faces nodded in agreement.
“That’s just like Celia, she’s been a liar and cheat since birth,” one of the older ladies said, her brow furrowed into a deep v. “I’m Gertie and this is Ida Belle.” She motioned toward her slightly taller friend.
“I’m Fortune,” a voice said from below us. The athletic one sat on the ground and grimaced as she tried to flex her foot.
I knelt beside her and introduced myself, “I’m Madison. Sorry you got hurt. Is there anything we can do?”
“I’m Jayne,” my cousin piped
As I turned to keep an eye on my dog, I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye. A man with a long white beard stood out in the middle of the road several yards behind us. Well, actually he was kind of swaying in the hot breeze like a tree branch. It looked like he had been drinking instead of driving.
I don’t remember passing any pedestrians , I thought. I wonder if he’s okay.
An old rusted black pick-up truck coming from town flew past me and interrupted my thoughts. It sped down the road and hit the brake lights just as it reached the tipster. The old man zig-zagged his way to the back of the truck, flopped onto the open tailgate, dangled his legs off the back and gripped the side panel of the truck bed.
Shiner bounded out from the side of the road, wagging his tail and ready to follow me. As I swung around for our walk into Sinful, a loud whistle stopped me in my tracks.
I looked over my shoulder toward the sound and as the truck disappeared down the road, I could’ve sworn I saw the old man lean back and flip me off.
With both hands.
Chapter 2
The three of us walked down the middle of the empty two-lane road into the quiet town. In fact, it was beyond quiet – almost silent. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and I glanced at the storefronts looking for a sign of life.
Jayne slowed her pace and her eyes grew big. “Maybe this is a ghost town.” Her shoulder length hair swung back and forth and her body leaned side to side as she started tiptoeing to avoid detection. “If there are ghosts, I sure hope they’re friendly.”
“Are you serious?” I chuckled, not at all surprised by my cousin’s silly ways.
Just when I thought the town was dead, the giant wooden doors on two churches on both sides of the street groaned in unison. The doors burst open, releasing a frenzy of people that clamored in our direction. One group was led by an elderly woman wearing a sophisticated style church dress with matching navy blue hat and old lady sneakers. The group on the opposite side of the street raced behind a younger athletic woman dressed more casually, her hair slung in a pony-tail and clearly in better shape.
My cousin, Jayne, jumped with a start and shouted, “I bet they’ve seen a ghost!”
People continued to flow out of the churches on both sides of the street, rooting for their favorite athlete. Jayne started jogging in place like she was planning to join them.
“Is this a Church Olympics?” I asked, mainly to myself and marveled at the intensity of the competition.
The younger woman was in the lead and gaining until an empty wheelchair was pushed from the crowd and traveled directly into her path. The crowd gasped as she jumped, trying desperately to hurdle it, but her back foot caught the top of the wheelchair and she tumbled, rolling, to the ground.
Without a pause, the old woman sprinted across an invisible finish line and into the doorway of a building with ‘Francine’s Diner’ over the door. The crowd from the winner’s church cheered and followed her inside, giving no thought to the fallen athlete lying on the ground.
Jayne and I joined a few other folks gathered around the injured party as she sat there, scowling, and kicked the wheelchair.
“That was a blatant foul if you ask me,” I said and put my hands on my hips for emphasis.
Two thin, older ladies with angry faces nodded in agreement.
“That’s just like Celia, she’s been a liar and cheat since birth,” one of the older ladies said, her brow furrowed into a deep v. “I’m Gertie and this is Ida Belle.” She motioned toward her slightly taller friend.
“I’m Fortune,” a voice said from below us. The athletic one sat on the ground and grimaced as she tried to flex her foot.
I knelt beside her and introduced myself, “I’m Madison. Sorry you got hurt. Is there anything we can do?”
“I’m Jayne,” my cousin piped
Similar Books
