Ruby 5

Ruby let out a scream as she felt the hand clawing at her shoulder. The room was dark…not pitch black, but dark enough so that she couldn’t see much of anything. Why had she dropped that dang lighter?

“Ruby?” came a voice that she instantly recognized.

“Gran!” she felt her shoulder. It was her Grandmother’s hand there…of course.

“What’s going on?” she continued, clutching Gran’s hand, “What are you doing here in the dark?”

“The power went out honey,” Gran said, flicking on a flashlight that cast a sharp, cold beam along the wooden floor of her house, “I was just down in the basement looking for this old flashlight. I really should keep one upstairs in case of this. I thought that I was going to fall down and break my fool neck!”

Ruby took the flashlight and walked with Gran into the kitchen. It was a little cooler in here because Gran had the windows open to let in a little breeze…but it wasn’t helping out much.

“Power’s been going off a lot here lately,” Gran said, “If it keeps going off like this, pretty soon the electric company is gonna’ owe ME money.”

She laughed in slow gentle way that she had. It made Ruby feel good to hear her Gran laugh. There was something about it that soothed her…reminded her of when she was a little girl. She had spent so much time with Gran as a girl. Those had been special times…magical times.

“Let me see if I can find some of those old candles of mine,” Gran opened up some cabinets and started rustling around inside of them. Soon, the kitchen was filled with the soft, warm glow that only candles can give. The flashlight was turned off…to save the battery for future emergencies.

“Lord knows that I’m happy to see you Ruby,” Gran said, pouring them both a tall glass of iced tea from a round glass pitcher that she took from her darkened refrigerator, “But child…what in the world are you doing here so late at night?”

“Well….” Ruby began, hesitating. She wanted to burst right into how she was feeling…how Joe was ignoring her….how she wanted to call him…how she wanted him to call her. But she didn’t want to feel needy.

“Let me guess,” Gran began, taking a small sip of her tea and nodding to herself at the taste, “Man trouble…again.”

“Oh Gran!” Ruby cried out, “It’s Joe.”

“Joe Neace?” Gran asked, “Old man Harlan Neace’s boy? You got an eye for him girl?”

“We went out on a date,” Ruby began…and then it all came spilling out. She couldn’t hold back any longer….and really this was why she had wanted to visit Gran in the first place. She needed to vent. She told Gran all about Tabitha Fraley running off with her boyfriend, the extra hours at work, and her love life….or lack of it. Why hadn’t Joe called her back?

“Now listen honey,” Gran said after listening to Ruby rattle on for a good 10 minutes, “It seems that life is dealing you a hard hand right now. You’ve just got to be patient and wait it out. The cards will turn…they cards will turn. They always do.”

Ruby muttered the words to herself, “The cards will turn.” It was one of Gran’s favorite sayings. Ruby could remember her saying it for years and years. Even when Ruby was a child, that had been Gran’s pat answer for everything…the cards will turn.

Ruby wasn’t too soothed by Gran’s reply, but really what else could she expect? It wasn’t like Gran was running around with a bunch of boyfriends. She just didn’t understand. Oh well…there was no need to rehash this again…she needed to get to work. She hated to leave Gran in the dark…but at least Gran would have supplies and…..

“Hey Gran!” Ruby smiled, holding up the clear Mason jar, “I brought you a little treat.”

“Shine?” Gran acted shocked, “Why child…you know that I don’t drink. But I will take it…for medicinal purposes you understand. It helps to have a little shine in the house you know.”

“Oh of course,” Ruby smiled, knowing that Gran would pour herself a huge slug of the corn liquor as soon as Ruby left. But when you got to be as old as Gran, what could it hurt?

Ruby was just getting ready to tell Gran that she had to leave….had to get to work in order to close down the bar….when there came a loud and frantic scream from outside. Both women looked at each other in shock.

“What in God’s name was that?” Ruby whispered.

“I don’t know honey,” Gran whispered back, “But it sounded scared…or in pain. Go upstairs and get my gun!”

Ruby sat listening again for a few minutes. The scream sounded again. It was closer now….and sounded like it was coming from the woods right outside Gran’s house. There was also another sound….a roaring type of sound. It was hard to describe.

“RUBY!” Gran yelled out, “Go and get my gun girl….something’s not right out there. Can’t you feel it?”

And she could. The air…once stale and hot…had turned ice cold. Shivering, she leapt up and ran upstairs, taking the flashlight with her. She ran to Gran’s bedroom. The pistol was there…where it always was…in Gran’s bedstand. It was loaded and ready to go. Running back downstairs, she clutched the gun tightly.

“I’ve got it Gran,” she said, running back into the kitchen, “Let’s just wait and see if we hear that sound again.”

Gran was gone.