CHAPTER SIX The Terrible Steed The thunder storm started with a bang after Patience and I had

safely ma de our way back to her room. Luckily, we didn't get caught in the hallway after the power had gone off. Patients and nurses all made noises of surprise as dar kness decended upon the passageways, and sounds of pandemonium erupted. The eme rgency lighting eased the noise somewhat as staff tried to calm nervous patrons. Enough light streamed in from outside that we were able to continue with our i nterview uninterupted despite the clamour from the halls. Mrs. Sharps slept thr ough the excitement and she seemed to have entered a deep, calm sleep absent her cacophonous snoring. The nurse call button wouldn't work so Patience was force d to get into bed with my help and I sat in the cripplingly hardbacked chair tha t had quickly become my nemesis. I had been feverishly taking notes all day and was gripped by her story. I was getting more information than I really wanted, but I was learning a lot about my family's past. It could not have been truer that we were becoming "jis lak fambly". Time or age didn't seem to be a factor the more time I spent with Patience. It was as if we had known each other our whole lives, only to have p icked up right where we left off. I pulled out my notepad and recorder and trie d to get Patience to return to her story rather than talking about the time she rode out the hurricane of 1947. " Why would Mr. Parsons make such a big deal about the mojo you found? Do you think maybe he's the one who gave it to Mr. Whitlock in the first place a nd he just wanted you to get rid of it for him?" " Ozie was a crazy ol bird an I neva could quite get my mind sorted out bout him. I've tried all deze yeauh's ta figuh out who da Doma was. There's su mpm bout erybody at dat plantation dat meks me suspishus of em an if ya grandma hadn't been killed, I would have suspected huh too. I told ya dat da Doma could be anybody. Dey live inside uh person's skin. Take it off at night lak a suit uh clothes an den go round suckin da life outa people. I jis don't lak thinkin 'bout it. It's sumpm dat I pray I neva have ta see again. " " I'm sorry Patience, " I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. I coul d see revulsion in her eyes. Whatever she was remembering was real to her, no m atter what anybody else thought or said. I certainly had no intention to ridicu le her in any way. " I didn't realize you had actually seen the Doma. All of t his supernatural stuff is just hard for me to accept. Please don't take offense . It's not that I don't want to believe you. It just takes a lot to change the way I've been raised. I can remember when I was growing up my mother wouldn't even let me go out for trick or treat or watch any scary movies. I used to tel l her how unfair she was being, but now I'm starting to realize she may have had an underlying reason for her behavior." " Yeah. Huh reason was plain an simple...FEAR, " Patience exclaimed. " Fear can mek people do some mighty strange things. I remembuh my Mama was dead set against any talk uh conjuh, ghosts an witches an othuh things lak dat. She 'd grit huh teeth, swat ya behind wit uh broom an send ya flyin out uh da room. She was 'speshly on gah'd when we went ta see Aunt Melsini, an I'm pretty sho dat dey had some sort uh understandin between em. But, I still managed ta pick things up by keepin ma ears open. I overheard her n Daddy talkin one night abo ut my grandma, spendin all huh an Grandpa's money on rootdoctor's cause she was always thinkin dat somebody had done laid a trick down on huh. It's no wonduh dat yo momma didn't want you bein exposed ta anythin dat reminded huh uh dose ti mes, jis lak ma momma. I'm sho Mary jes wanted ta fahget all bout what she's be en through. Anyway, aftuh me n huh went ta see Mr. Pahsons we came back to da main h ouse an did some readin an den Mary spent some time drawin. Mrs. Husson wont to o happy wit us since we didn't eat much come dinnuh time. She'd fixed us some r ice and gumbo, but we'd done eat so much at Mr. Pahsons' house dat neithuh of us was hungry no mo. We did aw best ta eat as much as we culd but Mrs. Husson jes went bout da kitchen grumblin unduh huh breath. Afta dinnuh Mary aksed me ta p

lay dolls wit huh so we pologized ta Mrs. Husson an ran off upstaiyuhs ta da pla yroom. By da time bedtime come round we was both exhausted. " You hop in bed now. We gon have a big day tamarra, you showin me dat horse stable an all. " I said. Mary didn't give me no arguments. She jes hopp ed in bed an covuh'd up. I could see da excitement bout ta pop outa huh ears. She culdn't wait ta go see where huh new horse was gone live. Da open winda filled Mary's bedroom wit da sweet smell uh Georgia at nig ht, like a rarefied tonic distilled from the fruits uh heaven. Before I came ta da nursin home I used ta take a walk outside my own house on clear nights an br eathe it in deep, specially when it was spring aw summuh time, an let it fill my lungs. I walked ova ta da winda an stuck ma head out an took a deep breath. I felt lak Mary n me was stahtin ta get more comftable wit each otha an I was st ahtin ta feel lak uh real nanny. I finished tuckin Mary in bed an bent down ta give huh a kiss goodnight. Befo I left da room I turned back an looked at huh a ll curled up in bed wit huh dark hair spillin out from underneath da covuhs. I closed da do' an looked around huh playroom, pickin up a few toys here n deyuh t hat she left layin on da floouh. On huh small drawin table were several coluhri n sticks an some pictcha's dat Mary had been workin on earliuh. I picked em up an staht'd puttin em away when I happen ta notice several uh da pictcha's seemed ta have been drawn by anotha hand, not Mary's. Deyuh was two pictcha's, both u h horses, but dey was much more refined, drawn wit a skill not present in ya ave rage six yeah ol. In both drawins, uh dark black horse stood near a big tree wi th crooked, leafless branches stretchin out lak bony hands clawin deyuh way out of uh grave. What was more disturbin bout dem pictchas was da figa dat sat up on da horse. Dark, almost shapeless, yet recognizable as a man with burnin red eyes an no arms. Around his neck stretched a rope dat dangled from a big branc h dat curved jis as if it had grown fo da purpose of uh hangin. Near da tree I could see what looked lak otha forms, human like but not quite, peerin from da m ist, deyuh eyes intently watchin da man on da horse. The second drawin was simi lar, yet da black horse was much more prominent, it's eyes were red jes lak da r ider in da otha pictcha but far more wild, almost possessed, demon-like. Both h orse an rider seemed merged tagetha in some indefinable mass uh blackness. I co uldn't help but shudduh when I looked at em. Why would Mary draw somethin lak di s? Deze was da drawins of a disturbed mind, not Mary's. I put da pictcha's ba ck on da shelf, hidin em beneath huh otha more cheerful drawins. It was stahtin ta get late an I was gettin sleepy, so I decided I would aks Mary bout em in da mornin. Once back in ma room, I was happy ta finally get in bed an relax. I lef t ma winda open so I could smell da clean air. I stretched out ma ahms n legs f eelin da soft cotton sheets cool against ma skin. Once a spot would get warm, I 'd move ta uh new position an enjoy it again while it would last. Summuh nights in Georgia can be filled wit uh hot humid air dat sticks ta ya lak a wet blanke t, but tanight was cool n comftable an I was tryin ta enjoy ma own bed instead u h fightin against ma sweaty sistuhs wit elbows n feet, pokin n proddin for every spare inch uh mattress. As I lay in bed tryin ta relax I staht'd ta get a nerv ous feelin dat grabbed ma gut an wuldn't let go. I don't know how I knew it, bu t someone was watchin me through da winda. At firs, I thought dat it was Mary's pictcha's dat had made me uneasy, but da feelin was too strong. I can't explai n why I get deze feelins, but sometimes I can sense things otha folks can't. Lak when I knew dat a snake was gon bite my little brotha, Arthur, when he was outs ide playin near a brush pile out back of aw house. I was inside workin on some homework when it hit me, uh sick feelin da felt lak it would mek me collapse. S omehow, I knew what I had ta do, so I ran out an picked im up an, sho nuff, I al most stepped right on uh rattle snakes head as it slithuh'd toward him. I scree med an took Arthur back inside. Pappa come out an kilt da snake wit uh shovel. Pushin aside ma covuhs, I got up to look out da winda, scanning da prope rty as best I could, searchin fa any signs uh somebody hidin in da shadows. Da breeze was gentle through da leaves on da trees lak thousands uh tiny hands tryi n ta shoo away da fireflies dat glittered above deyuh branches. Any otha night

I woulda thought it was pretty, but not tanight. I tried squintin my eyes an l ookin hard but couldn't see anyone in da darkness, but dat deep down feelin, so deep it made my spine ache, wouldn't go away. Somebody was watchin me, I knew i t. I shivered from a sudden chill as if I had jes stepped inside an ice box an, quickly as I could, I latched da winda an closed da blinds. My cheeks was hot an flushed an, despite da cool air, I staht'd ta perspire. Da house seemed quie t an peaceful but even da distant chirpin uh frogs n crickets from outside, whic h, any otha night, would act lak a magical symphony lullin me ta sleep, was no h elp tanight. Dreams an reality can get mixed up fa some folks, even when deyuh eyes is open, dey walk around doin things witout thinkin; deyuh minds is on sumpm els e; miles aw even yeauhs away. I think most people is lak dat. Sometimes, when I try ta remembuh things dat happened dat summuh at da Whitlock Plantation, I f eel lak it was all a dream, lost somewheyuh in da mist uh my memory. It meks it easiuh if I pretend it was jes a bad dream, but den you go an show up, Mr. Andu hson, an remind me dat it was all real; little Mary was real, da Whitlock's was real an dat Doma was real, not jes a figment uh my 'maginashun. I laid deyuh in bed for a long time, unable ta get ta sleep, but eventu ally I drifted off inta an uneasy slumbuh. It was a night wheyuh ya feel lak ya had dreams but ya jes can't remembuh em. I tossed n turned all night an when I woke up in da mornin, I felt lak I had run twelve miles, ma heart was beatin fa st an sweat had drenched my blankets. I also noticed da smell on da sheets, lak when we'd discovered Mary in Mrs. Jarvis' room. It only took me a few moments ta notice dat ma winda had also come open. I remembuh distinctly closin an latc hin it, but deyuh it was wide open, da shades movin gently in da mornin breeze a n da sun streamin in between da blinds. I tried ta sit up quickly but pain shot through my chest lak somebody had run'd ova me wit a team uh horses. It felt l ak my ribs was broke. I rubbed da sleep from ma eyes an looked around da room, confused an scayuh'd. Da feelin from da night before washed ova me again as I s lowly regained my senses. I knew someone had been in ma room an had done sumpm awful ta me. I carefully got out uh bed, pain shootin through ma body lak needles. I tried ta breathe shallow n easy as I walked ova ta da winda takin slow measured steps, sorta lak I walk now, ol an decrepit. I looked outside, all da way down ta da groun. Deyuh were no trees aw bushes aw anyway otha way I could see how someone could get up dis high without a long ladduh. I closed da winda an caref ully latched it an as I did, I noticed streaks across da glass dat looked lak fi nger smudges. Lookin closer, I realized dat dey was on da outside uh da winda. I know'd dem streaks wasn't deyuh befo. Mrs. Husson an Mrs. Ellis kept everyt hin in dat house spotless. Ya culd take one uh dem white gloves anywheyuh in da t house an not find a speck uh dust an I know dat winda was perfectly clean befo I went ta bed. It was very troublin, very troublin. I pulled out my clothes fo da day from ma dressuh an staht'd ta get dres sed, an as I stood in front uh da mirra, I noticed bruises across ma chest an sh oulduhs. Dey were thick bruises dat ran all da way across my chest and around b oth shoulduhs. I had no idea wheyuh I could have fallen. As I brushed ma haiyu h it felt lak ma whole head was bruised too, it even felt lak ma haiyuh hurt. W it a lot uh determination I finally made my way ta Mary's room. I knocked on hu h do' an was suprised by how fast she popped out, already dressed, grabbin ma ha nd ta drag me down ta breakfast. " Come on Patience! We've got to hurry. Mr. Parson's is going to show us the stables today! " she said, pullin ma hand. " Slow down, girl. I'm not feelin well dis mornin. I feel lak I fell o ut uh winda aw sumpm. " I said, grittin ma teeth against da pain. Mary stopped an looked at me, huh eyes suddenly studyin my face. " Wh at's the matter Patience? " " It's alright, dahlin. I musta slept funny. I'm not used ta dat mattr ess an pillow yet, I guess. Anyway, jes walk a little slowuh fa me. I'll feel bettuh as da day wears on. " I said, hopin dat was all dat was wrong, but ma gu t was in a knot, tangled up wit fear lak barbed wire. I swalla'd hard an turned

my mind tawd goin ta da stables. Mary agreed ta take it easy on me, an we slowly headed off ta breakfast. Da pain wouldn't let me put my worries outa my mind. Who or what had come int a my room? I was perfectly healthy when I went ta sleep an unless I had suddenl y developed da habit uh sleep walkin an jumpin out uh winda's, I was pretty sho dat someone had done sumpm awful ta me in ma room. Somebody had done it all whi le I was asleep. I was afraid ta think uh da possibilities. -+The lightening storm seemed to intensify as the evening wore on. The m ain power had never returned but a generator had managed to restore the lighting in the hallways. A nurse was kind enough to tell us that we were not allowed t o run any electrical appliances and since there were several patients that requi red constant monitoring and if we tried we could risk another outage. She didn' t stay long enough for an answer, but continued her warnings to each room down t he hall. " Well, Mr. Anduhson, looks like we might as well keep on wit aw ghos st ories." Patience gave me an expectant smile. I checked my watch and realized that the hour was getting late and I wou ld need to leave soon, but I was not eager to go out in tempest. " I suppose yo u're right. Why don't you tell me about those bruises? I'm really interested i n what you think caused them? Do you think you were attacked in the night by a witch? " I cringed, hoping she couldn't detect the hint of sarcasm that was sli pping from between my teeth. I tried to bite my tongue. " I wasn't sho at da time what caused it. It was lak my brain had all d a informashun, but because it was so unbelievable it wuldn't wantin ta process i t, so it jes bounced round inside ma head. My sore head. When me n Mary made i t down ta da breakfast table, Mrs. Husson already had breakfast waitin on us. " Well, morning, " she said, way more cheerful ta us dan I felt. I sat down carefully in one uh da chairs an rested ma chin in ma hand. " Patience? W hat's da mattuh wit choo? Ya look lak my 'ol man aftuh he used ta come home on a Satuhdy morning all liqour'd up afta bein down at da pool hall all night. Don tell me ya been sneakin down inta da wine celluh? " She laughed as she sat uh plate uh grits, fried tomatoes n green peppuhs down in front uh me. " I jes didn't sleep too good, Beatrice. I guess it's da new bed n all. I'll be alright. " I smiled da best I could. I didn't wanna scare Mary. I c ould already see huh givin me worried looks out da cornuh of huh eyes. " Well, dat sho is a shame Patience. Cause I sho had a real good night. I had a bettuh sleep den I had in a long time. " She sat down beside me wit h uh own plate an joined us fa breakfast. Befo she took a bite, she looked ova at Mary an aksed, " Tell me Miss Mary. How did you sleep? " " Fine, " Mary answered, eatin huh food witout lookin up. I was strugglin wit my food. I found it painful ta chew. My teeth were lak anvils dat were bangin inside ma head, but I managed ta give Mary an occasi onal smile ta reassure huh. As we sat deyuh, we heard da side entrance doe open an footsteps headin aw way. Befo I knew it, Mr. Pahson's had come inta da kitc hen carryin a basket an a small crumpled paper bag. When he saw me n Mary, he g ave us uh awkward glance but then focused his attention on Beatrice. " Mornin, sunshine. I brought ya some mo scuppernongs, " he handed her a small basket filled with ripe, juicy grapes while at da same time given huh uh look dat said 'come hithuh'. " I also went inta town yesterdy in da truck an p icked ya up some chocolate kisses too. Here ya go..." he said, handin huh a sma ll paper bag. Beatrice took da basket an small bag from him witout lookin him i n da eyes an sat em on da further side uh da table. She kept on eatin, but she looked ova at me wit a face dat said, 'heyuh we go again'. " Thank you, Ozie, " she said between bites. " It's my pleasha. Is deyuh anythin else I can do fa ya? " he aksed, pl uckin a few bananas off da fruit bowl on da countuh an stuffin em in his pocket. " Naw, I think dat'll do it. " " Can we go see the horse stable now, Mr. Parsons? " Mary interjected, h

er enthusiasm shatterin da tense atmosphere. " Well, young lady, I was jes gonna go down deyuh an do some work on da barn doe. You two ladies can come on down any time. " Mr. Pahsons smiled at Mar y an den gave me a curious look, lak he was tryin ta send me a message through h is eyes. I won't gettin da message an I looked away uncomftably. " We be down deyuh in a little while Mr. Pahsons. We gotta do a few thi ngs up heyuh at da house firs, den we'll come on down an get wit ya. " I said, t urnin my attention back tawd my breakfast, tryin ta avoid his dark eyes. We did n't really have anything particuluh ta do, I jes didn't want ta walk down ta da stables wit him afta what happened yestuhdy. " Dat'll be fine Patience. I'll see you two down deyuh soon enough den, " Mr. Pahsons turned back ta Beatrice an smiled real big. " Well, Beatrice, I hope ya enjoy ya candy kisses. Don fahget, deyuh's more wheyuh dey came from." He grabbed an apple from da fruit basket on da countuh an said goodbye. After we heard him leave, an da doe close behind him, Beatrice leaned back in huh cha ir an put huh hand ta huh forhead. " Lawd have mercy, dat man's gon drive me crazy. Sometimes I wonduh if he's really as ol as he says. So, you two goin down ta see da stables is ya? We ll, ya jes watch out fa ol Ozie! " she laughed as she got up from da table. Me n Mary helped huh clean up. It seemed as da mornin wore on ma pain began ta fad e an slip lak a grey blob inta da back uh ma mind wheyuh I didn't have ta deal w it it. We stayed round da kitchen fa uh while longuh, talkin ta Beatrice who le t Mary wash an put away some dishes. It made huh feel lak a big girl an she jes beamed when we complimented huh on how well she helped, but I jes couldn't get huh mind off uh da stables. " Are we ready to go now, Patience? " she aksed me, huh eyes all bright n shiny. " Ready fa what? Is deyuh sumpm we sposed ta be doin? I seem ta have f ahgot, " I said, screwin up my face lak I couldn't remember what she was talkin bout. " The stable! " she said, puttin huh hands on huh hips an turnin huh hea d ta da side lak she was gonna reprimand me. " Oh, da stable. I almost fahgot bout dat." I staht'd ta pick huh up, but my body quickly reminded me uh how sore I was as I bent ova by sendin a jabb in pain through ma chest. " Ahhhh..." I cried out, tryin ta stifle any otha sig ns dat I was hurtin. " Are you ok, Patience? " Mary said, grabbin ma arm as if ta keep me fro m fallen ova on da flo. " I'm fine, sweety, jes still a little sore. We might as well head on d own ta da stables now, cause da way I feel it might take us a while ta get deyuh . " I laughed trying ta lighten my own mood, but I failed miserably an Mary cou ld tell. " Don't worry Patience I'll help you. " " Thank you, sweety, " I said takin da hand dat she offered me for suppo rt. We were off ta see da stables. -+I didn't realize jes how far away da stables was. I could actually see da buildin from my bedroom winda, but it seemed lak it took us two hours to walk across da grouns, past da winnowin house an da boarded up guest house. Things dat seemed so innocent yestuhdy suddenly began ta appear sinistuh, as if I had e nemies lyin in wait fa me at every turn. As me n Mary passed da white guest hou se I looked at it's boarded up windas an imagined dat hidden somewhere deep insi de was someone dat wanted me dead. I didn't have da same strong feelin dat I d id last night but it still made me uneasy walkin past da empty house. If my bod y had been workin bettuh, I would uh walked fastuh but as it was I could barely keep up wit Mary's short lil six yeauh ol legs. When we got to da stables I could see jes how big da buildin was. It lo oked as though it could have held fifty horses. Deyuh was big windas along da s ides, high up off da groun, an a big double doe dat stretched across da whole fr

ont wall. A small square winda off ta one side uh da doe an anotha small doe b esides dat. We didn't see Mr. Pahson's round nowheyuh so I tried ta look in thr ough da winda but da glass was thick an it distorted da images from inside lak o ne uh dem carnival mirruhs dat meks ya look fat uh skinny. Da images jes blurre d togetha as if I were lookin through da water in da creek out back of aw house, cloudy n muddy. " I don't see Mr. Pahsons round no place, do you? " I aksed Mary. She s hook huh head an headed off ta da front doe an before I could catch up ta huh, s he had already pulled on da doe an opened it up. " Ya jes hang on deyuh lil mi ssy. Dis place is libel ta be dangerous. Mr. Pahsons said we should wait on im so he could let us in. " " Maybe he left the door open for us, " she said, peekin huh head inside . " Come on Patience, look inside! I want ta go see. " " Let's give Mr. Pahsons a few mo minutes, den I guess deyuh wouldn't be no harm in takin a peek inside. " I leaned against da warm wooden buildin an t ried ta relieve some uh da pressure on my bruises. All da walkin had caused my body ta rebel aginst the thought of anymo walkin an all I culd think bout was fi nally gettin back up ta da house an restin in ma room. Cawse deyuh was da thoug ht uh packin my bags an goin back ta Tin City, but I pushed dat thought outa ma head as I watched Mary lookin around fa Mr. Pahsons. She was so excited. In je s a few days I had become very attached to huh an I couldn't imagine leavin huh ta deal wit all da craziness dat haunted dis place. I would hate mysef fahevuh if I left huh alone. We waited fa bout anothuh fifteen minutes an Mary musta peeked in dat do e at least anotha hundred times, anxious ta go explore huh new horse's home, so I finally relented an we went inside. Da stables' interior was a large an open with stalls on each side of a wide dirt floor. The dirt was soft an dry an aw f eet made clear prints as we walked, steppin ova ol tracks n grooves from long ag o. Da walls was bare, an aw voices echoed round inside lak a cave. Da smell wa s musty an damp but somehow it was familiar ta me. Da ol buildin hadn't been us ed in a long time but deyuh was still sumpm in da air, sumpm dat I couldn't quit e put ma finguh on, lak da air befo a thunderstorm charged wit electricity an oz one. " Well, Mary. Dis is wheyuh ya horse gon live. Judgin by da size uh de ze stalls it's sho gon be big. Ya sho ya really want a big horse? Ya awful sma ll ya know. " " I'll get bigger, " she said runnin ova ta one uh da stalls ta peek ins ide. When she was done with one she would gallop ova ta da next, whinnyin an cl ickin huh tongue lak horses hooves. " I suppose so, but right now ya little, an horses is big. Maybe ya ough t let ya Daddy get ya a small pony, sumpm ya can ride witout breakin ya leg when ya fall off. " I followed huh as she explored da stalls, one by one peekin ins ide ridin huh invisible horse all around da open space, pattin it's head an tell in it how it was bein a "good horsey". As we made aw way across da stables I no ticed anotha big doe dat led ta anothuh part uh da buildin, deepuh inside. I gr abbed da handle an pulled an it squeeked open slowly on it's rusty rollers, but it only moved a few inches, jes enough ta squeeze through. I peaked ma head int o da darkness beyond da doe but I culdn't see nothin. Da darkness was too heavy as if it had substance, lak smoke. " Ooo, there's more! " Mary said, running ova ta me, huh feet throwin up dirt as she ran. " I don't think we oughta go in deyuh, Mary, " I said an turned ta grab da doe handle in orduh ta pull it shut, but as I began ta pull I could here some thin on da otha side uh da doe. Ma heart jumped in ma chest when I heard it an ma hand jerked away from da doe handle as if it was hot. I heard breathin from inside, not human breathin, but deeper an more powerful. There was a snort an m ovement from da otha side. " I hear a horse, Patience! There's a horse in there! " Mary shouted a n darted past me disappearin inta da darkness beyond. " Mary, NO! " I cried. " Get back in here! You could get hurt! " I sho

uted, tryin ta keep my calm an at da same time tryin ta pull da doe open fuhthuh . I couldn't squeeze my body through da openin. Da doe wouldn't budge. I jerk ed it an pulled it, tryin ta rock it out of it's rusty sleep. " Mary! " I could hear her laughing inside. " It is a horse, Patience! I can see him! " " Mary, get out heyuh, NOW! " I pushed all da air out uh ma lungs an su cked in ma stomach, tryin ta squeeze through da openin, but it won't no use. I couldn't get through. My bruises screamed wit pain as da doe pressed on me lak a vise. I heard da horse whinney an snort again, dis time soundin as if it were becomin angry. " Don't ya touch dat horse Mary! Deyuh ain't sposed ta be no horses in heyuh! Don't touch it Mary! You could get hur...." Mary let out a scream dat made my blood curdle. My heart stopped. I lo oked round fa anythin I culd use to hep me get da doe open, but deyuh won't noth in in da stables, no tools, nothin. I kicked da doe an ran ma shoulduh aginst i t, tryin ta get it ta open, but all I got was mo bruises. Den deyuh was nothin. No sound. Silence. Sometimes silence can be louduh dan da loudest noise. Wh en ya desperate ta heayuh some sign da somebody ya love is alright, ya strain ya ears as hard as ya can tryin ta pick up anythin. I stuck my head in da openin an strained my eyes an ears an none of it did any good. Then I thought I heard movement agin. " Mary! Are you ok? Mary, talk ta me! PLEASE! " I was cryin, tears s treamin down ma face. I didn't know what ta do. I stretched out my arm, inta d a blackness, squatin down low tryin ta feel my way along da dirt flo, searchin f a Mary. Den I caught ma breath when I felt huh shoe! Jes da sole, close ta me, but jes outa reach. She wuldn't movin. I prayed ta Gawd dat he'd give me da s trength ta pull huh outa deyuh. Den I felt huh move. At first my heart leapt h opefully, but I quickly realized dat somethin was pullin huh motionless body awa y from me. " Get away from, huh! Leave huh alone! " I yelled, not knowin who aw w hat lay behin da doe. I got up off da flo an give da doe one last push wit every last bit uh s trength I could mustuh, an by some miracle uh heaven I managed ta get it open. Wit da metal rolluhs screamin aginst da track, da door finally gave way an opene d wide, lettin light from da winda pour in. Da darkness fled. I stood deyuh, m y jaw droppin open as I looked at Mary's lifeless body layin beneath da largest horse I'd evuh seen in ma laf, it's coal black coat glistenin in da dusty light. As it breathed, dust billowed forth lak dragon smoke from it's nostrils. It s hook it's head an glared at me with eyes dat seemed ta glow wit fire. I don't k now if it was real or it was jes a play uh light from da winda's but I recognize d dat horse right away. It was straight out uh Mary's drawin. It stepped ova h er tiny body an moved tawd me, it's head low an threatenin as if it meant ta cha rge me an drive my body inta da dirt wit Mary. I backed up slowly, nothin in ma head but fear. Fear fa Mary an fear fa me. Dat horse moved closuh, an den rea red back on it's hine legs throwin out it's front hooves lak weapons, tryin ta s trike me down. I threw up my arms fa protechshun as da hooves flew at me and d a dark figure soared over my head. Pain flashed through my head and I stumbled backwards as my foot twisted in da dirt. Clouds uh dust drifted up through shar p beams uh sunlight in jagged angles dat blurred in my vision. I rubbed my eyes an let out a moan cause blood an dirt got in my eyes. I tried to glance around me through burning eyes to see where da horse was, but I couldn't see nothin. I stood up, grabbin ma sides from da pain uh bruises on top uh bruises, an looked around fa ma attackuh, but da horse had gone. Sudden ly I realized I was alone. Da horse was gone but deyuh wont no way it could hav e got outa dat barn. Da doe was still closed tight. I wiped da tears an sweat from my face, an den quickly returned my attention ta Mary. Little Mary. She w as still lyin facedown in da dirt, motionless, huh arms n legs sprawled in awkwa rd positions as if she had been dropped from da raftuhs, huh body sunk in da dar k grey soil. I ran to huh an knelt down ta see if she was alright. I rolled hu

h ova an brushed da hair from huh eyes an wiped da dirt from huh face. Huh brea thin was shallow but at least she was breathin. She looked dead. I tried ta li ft huh frail body but my muscles rebelled against da effort, pain shootin throug h me lak metal spikes bein driven inta my chest n shoulduhs. I don't know how I did it, but I musta blocked my mind from da pain. I managed ta get huh inta m y arms an stagger tawd da doe. I needed ta find help. Somebody. Slowly, I carried huh ta da doe, fumbled wit da latch, an toppled out in ta da bright sunlight. Da light blinded me an da midday heat hit me lak a falli n tree. I'm not sho what happened next but I guess I fainted cause da wu'll tur ned upside down an my vision shrunk down ta uh small tunnel dat closed in on me until I went blind. I don't know how long I was out, but I woke up ta Mary's vo ice. " Wake up Patience! Patience, wake up! " she was cryin an shakin me. I was lyin on da ground, da sun beatin down on ma face an I fought ta op en my eyes. For a tiny moment I thought it had been a dream, but den Mary's dir ty face came inta focus an I knew it had been real. " Help me up honey, " I aksed, reachin out my hand. She tugged an pull ed an I sat up. Ya can't imagine da joy dat flooded through me ta see dat she w as alright and it made ma pain insignificant. I moaned and groaned inta a sitti n position and rubbed my throbbing head. There was still fresh blood runnin dow n my face so I knew I'd only been out for a minute aw two. " Are you alright, Mary? " I stood up an dusted mahsef off an den looked ova Mary ta see if she were hurt. She wont bleedin an she said she was ok, but I figah'd I'd bettuh get huh on back up ta da house an mek extra sho. It was d en dat I noticed dat huh silvuh dime pendant I had given huh was missin... -+-