Gypsy Spirits (3 page)

“Five two isn’t short, you’re petite. You were always tiny from the day you
came into this world.”

“So now I’m tiny. Daniel’s an inch taller than Carl and he swings me around like I’m a child. He says a bag of feathers weigh more than I do.”

“Should we discuss your dream or your height or lack of it,” Paula’s eyes were bright and her smile mischievous.

“You’re as bad as Carl and Daniel. Let’s see about the dream,” Annamarie said smiling back at her mom.

Her mom was holding the dream cards. They were small, light blue paper cards about two by three inches. The edges were irregular. They appeared to be trimmed from a large sheet of paper.

An
namarie asked, “Where did you get them?”

“No idea. My grandmother surprised me one day and gave them to me.”

It was confusing watching how her mom knew which cards to lay down to explain her dream. She was even more confused when her mom removed several of them in random order. She turned the remaining cards over and removed two more. Her mom’s face was serious as she studied the cards. 

“What do you read?”

Looking up, she replied, “You dreamt of yourself and the ‘dream you’ wanted the ‘real you’ to join her in that dance.” 

If Annamarie
wasn’t freaked out before, she was now.

“What?” Her eyes expressing fear, “what does that mean?” 

“Don’t worry. We dream about ourselves a lot, and most of the time we don’t remember.” 

“That doesn’t help.”

Annamarie had another cup of tea and mulled over what she learned. Her mom did answer some of her questions, but now she also had new ones.  

“Mom, you said some people have a bit of psychic ability they don’t even know about. Could that be why Daniel says he saw his grandmother holding her baby in his grandfather’s house, or do you think he might be a bit crazy the way his mom thinks?” 

“Daniel was a young boy when he thought he saw ghosts in his grandfather’s house. The fact his grandmother and her child are buried so close to the house and Mr. Logan speaks of her often almost as if she’s still alive can be extremely confusing for a child.”

“How’d you get so smart?”

“When you began to date Daniel and it became serious I did some research at the library. I didn’t want my daughter to marry a lunatic. It’s also not unusual his childhood fears still bother him today. You’re still afraid of the dark and thunderstorms. I’m sure you’ll both grow out of it.” 

“
Thanks, Mom. That explains a lot. I have to run and do my Saturday errands.” She kissed her mom on the cheek. 

She blew a kiss to her dad and hurried to her car.

***

Annamarie would’ve turned right to head for town, but she remembered she promised Daniel’s grandfather she’d stop by, and help him decide which plants to add to his greenhouse. Turning left led her to the outskirts of Timmus Woods.
It was her favorite part of town, but for some reason, a weird sensation drifted over her. Was something watching her from the woods she loved so much?          

“Stop it,” she yelled aloud.    

Daniel’s fears crept into her mind, and she knew if she were going to deal with Daniel’s fear, she couldn’t have any of her own. Annamarie had lived her entire life in the town. She played in the woods as often as she could get away alone. If anything were there, she’d know it. Her concerns had her falling prey to Daniel’s fear. Not sure if he imagined the spirits, but she knew when his eyes couldn’t conceal his dread, it frightened her. 

***

The town of Timmus Woods had once been a huge expanse of oak trees with several acres of pine trees near the river.

Daniel’s grandfather, Michael Logan, was a direct descendant of the Logan family that helped settle Timmus Woods in the 1800s along with Joshua Timmus. Joshua discovered the area and fell in love with the virgin territory. Unfortunately, Joshua died in a logging accident shortly after they began to clear the area. The first settlers were unanimous in their decision to name the town after him. The original Logan family wanted to ensure the majestic oak trees weren’t cut down completely. They planned the town around the trees and the founding fathers passed laws protecting them.

To the east of town were rolling hills and an old logging road. Their small town was nestled among the giant oaks and surrounded on two sides by the cliffs and the river. The only way in or out of town was to the west and south. That kept the town from growing quickly, and it suited Annamarie perfectly.

Daniel tried to avoid the down-town area unless they were going out to eat. He enjoyed eating at Ray’s Diner, and overcame his fear for a short while. Annamarie remembered a conversation they had the previous week.

“I think the spirits stay in the woods, but get lost sometimes and wander into town. I’ve seen odd lights in the trees at night.”

“There are only a few street lights downtown, and many people carry flashlights when they walk to their cars. That’s probably what you see.”

“There’s a difference between a flashlight and a spirit light, look closely and you’ll see the difference. I see the spirit lights a lot at the cabin and grandfather’s house.”

“You
drink too much at the cabin, and you don’t visit your grandfather often,” Annamarie said.

“It’s useless talking to you. You’ll never understand the spirits unt
il they come after you.”

“Stop it. You’re trying to scare me again. I don’t believe in them.”

“You will when you wander through the trees downtown, and one of them grabs you.” He walked out of the room.

She didn’t understand why he felt that way. For Annamarie, it seemed romantic. There was always a quiet, shady spot to sit. The town was an adventure. While the citizens of Timmus Woods may have thought the founding fathers a little crazy for the way they set up the town, they were never in a hurry to change it.

Annamarie and Daniel held opposing viewpoints on the trees in the town. Daniel said, “I would cut all the trees down if I had my way. I think I’ll run for town council or mayor when I’m older, and the residents will see what the town will be like without spirits.”

Annamarie tried to ignore him when he began to rant about the spirits.

***

Prairie Road, the main street, meandered through the trees, and the size of
a business was often determined by how much land was available between trees. Children could play while their parents shopped, and many of the trees had old-fashioned rope swings hanging from the branches. It truly was like living in a park with stores. The only exception was Daniel’s grandfather’s home.

The house stood on several cleared acres on the edge of town. Built by Daniel’s great-grandfather when the town was first settled, its sprawling main house and north wing over-looked the pines leading down to the river. There
was a small stable and a lovely greenhouse.    

Daniel’s grandmother, Margaret, died in ch
ildbirth two years after George’s birth. Michael Logan buried his wife and their daughter on his land, in the shade of several oaks, about a quarter of a mile from the rear of the house. The small white fence surrounding their burial plot is visible from the house. It always scared Daniel, playing a part in his fear of spirits.

“I wish they had made him bury her in the cemetery. It’s spooky to have her near the house.”

After Margaret’s death, Michael Logan raised George alone, and they became especially close. George helped his father build Logan Insurance into a prosperous firm. It’s Daniel’s legacy, but Daniel wants nothing to do with it. He told Annamarie, “I don’t know where I’ll work, but it won’t be in that office or this town of horrors. I’m leaving as soon as possible.”

***

When they were dating, Daniel would tell Annamarie creepy stories about his grandfather’s house. Once she met Grandfather Logan, she liked him immediately. Daniel told her not to get too close to him because his house was haunted by Daniel’s crying grandmother floating through the hall carrying her baby.                                                                                                              

Annamarie was certain it was a story. However, she was also sure Daniel believed it with every ounce of his being. His possible emotional instability was more frightening than a spirit. Her concerns remained firmly entrenched, no matter how hard she tried to shake them.

***

Driving down the winding path on Prairie Road, Annamarie’s mind wandered back to her dream and the odd feeling it was more of a memory than a dream. Could she be related to
the woman in her dream? Maybe that’s why she loved being in Timmus Woods. The mystical aura of the trees always made her feel safe and at home. In Timmus Woods, one was never far from the protection of a stand of lovely oaks and the outside world seemed far away. She wasn’t able to shake the feeling she was being watched and whatever watched was in the woods. 

Could Daniel be right, she connected with an ancestor from her past, and the spirit was now in the woods perhaps communing with the spirits already there? 

“Annamarie,” she said to herself, “Get a grip.” 

Her thoughts turned to her visit with Grandfather Logan. Calm returning when she neared the house. If one person in town was sane, it was Grandfather Logan. Right now Annamarie needed a healthy dose of sanity.     

Chapter Three: Grandpa Logan

Grandfather Logan lived on the edge of town. After leaving the shops in the small town center behind her, she didn’t see another building until she spied his house in the distance. At the intersection of Prairie Road and Tangledbranch Drive, a left turn on Tangledbranch heads west out of town.

Continuing straight past the stop sign, Annamarie drew closer to the estate with its wrought iron fence running across the front of the property. Two large gates were open, rusted in place. She couldn’t recall ever seeing them closed. A scroll work arch mounted over the gates bore the name “Logan’s Love.” It was an odd name for a piece of land, but Daniel’s great-grandfather had named it, not for his love of a woman or anyone for that matter, but for his love of the land and trees. Morning glories in hues of pink, purple, red, and blue, long forgotten, grew wildly up and over the arch and along the fence in both directions.     

Grandfather Logan would tell people, “My friends are welcome, and my enemies would never try to visit. Why lock the gates?”   

Not only a pillar of the community and the patriarch of his family, he was a sight to behold. At seventy-seven, he still had most of his dark curly hair. Six feet tall with a deep booming voice and a little hard of hearing, but no one would suggest he might benefit from a hearing aid. His glasses slid down his nose a bit giving him an endearing appearance.

He would proclaim proudly, “I weigh the same today as I did in high school.”

When she turned onto the long drive, Annamarie saw him sitting on the front porch. Dressed in bib overalls and a plain white t-shirt, he looked more like a farmer than a businessman. Annamarie climbed out of her car, walked over to him, and hugged him.

“Hi Grandfather Logan, I hope I’m not late.”

“Right on time, Annamarie,” he replied smiling. “Before we get started, I’d like to talk to you about this ‘Grandfather Logan’ thing.”

She stared at him a bit confused. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

Grinning he said, “Nothing’s wrong, but ‘Grandfather Logan’ sounds like an old man’s name. Do you think you could call me ‘Grandpa’ and drop the Logan?” 

“Sure,” Her eyes mirrored her joy.

It was quite a surprise because no one called him grandpa. Daniel always called him grandfather, George and Maureen called him father. In
town, she heard his friends call him “ole Mike” and some people called him “old man Logan,” but no one ever called him simply grandpa. Taking her hand, they walked up onto the porch and sat down. 

“It has been a long time since we had a young woman in this family and Maureen is so stuffy.” 

Annamarie stifled a laugh. Daniel’s mom was dynamic, but she was formal and proper. 

“Maureen never was a daughter figure to me, and I truly miss my wife and baby daughter. You’re exactly the kind of girl I would choose to be my daughter. Calling me grandpa would make me feel special.” 

Hugging him, she replied, “You’re important to me. I’ve loved you since I first met you.”

He slapped his knee happily. “It’s settled then. From now on you’ll call me grandpa and when you have children they can call me great-grandpa. I’m sure they’ll be exactly like you and not Daniel.” 

Not knowing how to answer, she hugged him again. She hoped she would have a chance to ask him some questions about Daniel.

Michael Logan was a special man, and now he was Annamarie’s grandpa. Both her maternal and paternal grandfat
hers passed away before her birth. She never had a grandpa until now. Annamarie was thrilled.