The Willows Weep For Thee
CHAPTER SIX
COLD SHEETS
#696 Willow Street
THE LIBRARY
Warm and inviting is how most would describe the unusually large room. Large and yet at the same time it has a cozy feel to it. The warm earth-tones, the large and comfortable furniture... and almost from the first moment they arrived Rose and the girls had become very fond of the library. They quickly found themselves in here almost constantly. Reading, talking, not talking, whatever.
At the moment they were all sitting quietly reading when they heard the sound of the front door banging and then two sets of footsteps proceeding down the main hall towards them.LiliBeth perhaps?
Suddenly two young faces appeared and Rose was the first to look up.
At the moment they were all sitting quietly reading when they heard the sound of the front door banging and then two sets of footsteps proceeding down the main hall towards them.
Suddenly two young faces appeared and Rose was the first to look up.
"Hi, Beau honey.”
“Hey, Auntie Rose. Hey guys.”
Tess and Feelie both nodded at Beau and whoever it was standing next to him.
“Auntie Rose, I would like you to meet my friend," and then he turned...
"Poke? This
“This is Rose’ friend Tess,” and Tess nodded.
“Hi.”
“And, THIS wild woman is her other friend. Ofelia, but call her Feelie . Evahbuddy does.”
“Hey hawney ,” and turning to Beau…
“and I’ll have you know, young man, that mah wildwoman image is merely a myth, perpetuated by someone who shall remain nameless... but who is guilty as SIN, I'll have you know," and she looked at Rose who by now was grinning widely.
“Guys, this is mah friend… POKE."
Everybody looked at him and then at each other.
Everybody looked at him and then at each other.
“Uh, Poke?” Rose asked.
“Yeh . Poke. Course, his REAL name is Chahles , but he hates that. Don’t much lahke Charlie or Chuck either… now do yah , Poke." Poke nodded in the affirmative and then finally found his own voice.
“Mah Mama called me Slow Poke. Gessin ' she thought thet Ah was and it jest kinda stuck, Ah reckon."
Truth be told, this 'Poke' was not exactly someone that they would have expected Beau to bring home.they might have thought it would be a more preppie type, someone from one of the other affluent families who lived all around here. Hair styled to a T and wearing casual but expensive duds. Nope. This kid was obviously a far cry from any of that and something about him really caught Tess. Rose and Feelie were thinking the same thing...and not quite being able to put their finger on it, but feeling it nonetheless.
Rose was sizing him up big time as he stood next to Beau with Beau's arm draped casually and almost tenderly across Poke's shoulders.
Poke was wearing a tee-shirt andcut-offs both of which looked fairly worn. The generic tennis shoes he had on also looked pretty well lived-in. His skin was a bit sallow even through the tan, and his hair was a bit shaggy . Finally, they all put their finger on what they were feeling, just as...
"Beau? Uh..."
"What, Poke?"
"Uh, y'all think,uhhh ..."
"Yeh Poke. Ah keeptellin ' yah . You heah , make yahself tah home. Ok? You know where it is... right?" Poke nodded that he did and then scampered off.
As soon as he left, Beau stepped closer to the girls and in his usual youthful somewhat conspiratorial tone, said...
"Guys, Y'allgonna really like Poke. He's jest the best, yah know? Gotta tell yah though. He's had a pretty rough staht of it, yah know?"
Bingo. Now each of them knew that what they had surmised was correct.
Beau continued..."Poke's mama died when he was still pretty little, and his papa? Well, he got a 'lil ' problem if'n yah know what Ah mean. Poor Poke. He's had tah pretty much raise hisself ."
"Hawney , thet's a real shame."
"Yeh , po ' kid. He really don't got much and nevah did, yah know?" Beau continued.
"And you jest decided to take himundah your wing, didn't yah baby," Rose said to him, proudly smiling.
"Aw shucks, Auntie Rose. Ah jest couldn't stand seeing what he was going through,yah know? Poke's real kewl , yeh he is. Anahway , he sure don't deserve what he's had to go through, yah know? Just breaks mah heart to seem him hurting and being hurt.
Lot of the other kids would make fun of him too, yah know? Just about killed me to see him cringe...jest hurtin' so bad. I put a stop to that too. Nobody does that now. They don't dare."
Tess sat nodding.For she knew only too well what he meant. Rose and Ofelia had had a pretty good idea what Tess was thinking right about now and they were right. At that moment Poke walked back into the room and the conversation shifted... for now.
Beau, Poke, and the girls settled down again, and talked and waited. And waited. And waited. But after an hour or so and LiliBeth still hadn't appeared, Rose stood up and announced that she wasgonna go check on her.
"Perhaps she is just tired, but..." and the others got up and began to follow her down the main hall to the long winding staircase which led up to the second floor from out of the main foyer. Beau and Poke got ahead of them and led the way to the master bedroom where Beau rapped lightly on the door.
Silence.
He rapped again, slightly harder this time and again... nothing, no sound from inside...just dead silence.
"Hawney , maybe there is something wrong," Feelie said softly. Both Rose and Tess nodded. Beau tried the door which quietly opened as he turned the large brass knob. One by one they stepped into what can only be described as a spacious and sumptuous bedroom suite. The large 4-poster bed sat smack dab in the middle of the room, and it was...
EMPTY.
Made up and completely empty.
Rose felt the covers and then lifted theduvet to reveal the sheets which she also ran her hand down. They were cold. Obviously they had NOT been slept on. She looked at Beau. Then at Feelie and Tess, and then back at Beau again.
"Whar you think she gone to, Beau? This from Poke, who had moved in closer to his friend and his question was the exact same one that had immediately crossed everyone else's mind as well. Feelie looked at Beau, and saw a disquieting look and then as she looked at Poke she saw the same look on his face as well. She and the others all took note of the grave concern on both their faces. Poke moved in even closer to Beau, putting his arms around the waist of his much taller friend and stood stock still looking up at him. Beau didn't move. Didn't say anything. He appeared to be barely breathing.
"Beau?" For a minute Beau just stood silently, and then said in a very soft voice...
Truth be told, this 'Poke' was not exactly someone that they would have expected Beau to bring home.
Rose was sizing him up big time as he stood next to Beau with Beau's arm draped casually and almost tenderly across Poke's shoulders.
Poke was wearing a tee-shirt and
"Beau? Uh..."
"What, Poke?"
"Uh, y'all think,
"Yeh Poke. Ah keep
As soon as he left, Beau stepped closer to the girls and in his usual youthful somewhat conspiratorial tone, said...
"Guys, Y'all
Bingo. Now each of them knew that what they had surmised was correct.
Beau continued..."Poke's mama died when he was still pretty little, and his papa? Well, he got a '
"
"
"And you jest decided to take him
"Aw shucks, Auntie Rose. Ah jest couldn't stand seeing what he was going through,
Lot of the other kids would make fun of him too, yah know? Just about killed me to see him cringe...jest hurtin' so bad. I put a stop to that too. Nobody does that now. They don't dare."
Tess sat nodding.
Beau, Poke, and the girls settled down again, and talked and waited. And waited. And waited. But after an hour or so and LiliBeth still hadn't appeared, Rose stood up and announced that she was
"Perhaps she is just tired, but..." and the others got up and began to follow her down the main hall to the long winding staircase which led up to the second floor from out of the main foyer. Beau and Poke got ahead of them and led the way to the master bedroom where Beau rapped lightly on the door.
Silence.
He rapped again, slightly harder this time and again... nothing, no sound from inside...just dead silence.
"
EMPTY.
Made up and completely empty.
Rose felt the covers and then lifted the
"
"Beau?" For a minute Beau just stood silently, and then said in a very soft voice...
"I don't know, Poke. I sorely don't," and the anguish in his voice was heart-wrenching.
Immediately, Poke moved harder against Beau in an obvious effort to try to comfort him... the worry etched on his face. Beau meanwhile stood seemingly almost oblivious to anything but the empty bed right in front of him.
"There MUST be a perfectly rational explanation for this, Beau honey," Rose offered...
trying to ease his mind, but...
everyone could see just as she could that she wasn't being very convincing and that no answers to Poke's question seemed readily apparent.
For a moment or two, actually for what seemed like hours, they all just stood there in that ominously silent room...
looking at the bed of Beau's mama, and having not a clue why she wasn't in it or where she might have gone off to without a word to any of them.
It had to be at least in the upper eighties outside and fairly warm in the house, but Rose suddenly felt cold...and Feelie also felt a shiver going through her as did Tess.
Beau and Poke just stood like a tableau, frozen in time and space...quietly hanging onto each other, and perhaps too to hope.
Immediately, Poke moved harder against Beau in an obvious effort to try to comfort him
"There MUST be a perfectly rational explanation for this, Beau honey," Rose offered...
trying to ease his mind, but...
everyone could see just as she could that she wasn't being very convincing and that no answers to Poke's question seemed readily apparent.
For a moment or two, actually for what seemed like hours, they all just stood there in that ominously silent room...
looking at the bed of Beau's mama, and having not a clue why she wasn't in it or where she might have gone off to without a word to any of them.
It had to be at least in the upper eighties outside and fairly warm in the house, but Rose suddenly felt cold...and Feelie also felt a shiver going through her as did Tess.
Beau and Poke just stood like a tableau, frozen in time and space...quietly hanging onto each other, and perhaps too to hope.
There were NO answers. NONE, and for a brief moment Rose
suddenly felt like they had wandered into something far more ominous than they had suspected or God knows had bargained for.
What is going here? What is behind this? Beau & Poke didn't know, that was obvious...and Obviously none of the rest of them did either.
Each was standing remembering that they had FELT it, whatever it is, right from the time they had arrived. Including what had even then seemed to be LiliBeth's withdrawn and even somewhat odd behavior. The moodiness. All of it.
But this?
The cold sheets on the bed did nothing to reveal either any answer or any clue as to what might have happened to LiliBeth. There was seemingly nothing in the room to indicate foul play, or any other kind of play either. It all LOOKED so normal, but they all knew instinctively that whatever it was that had transpired in this room was anything BUT normal.
They felt it and even the room itself seemed to be crying out as well.
++++++++++++
What is going here? What is behind this? Beau & Poke didn't know, that was obvious...and Obviously none of the rest of them did either.
Each was standing remembering that they had FELT it, whatever it is, right from the time they had arrived. Including what had even then seemed to be LiliBeth's withdrawn and even somewhat odd behavior. The moodiness. All of it.
But this?
The cold sheets on the bed did nothing to reveal either any answer or any clue as to what might have happened to LiliBeth. There was seemingly nothing in the room to indicate foul play, or any other kind of play either. It all LOOKED so normal, but they all knew instinctively that whatever it was that had transpired in this room was anything BUT normal.
They felt it and even the room itself seemed to be crying out as well.
++++++++++++
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