Cheryl Tardif - Children of the Fog

Sweeping her thoughts under an imaginary rug, she grabbed her laptop and purse, then headed down the path. Once she reached Irma’s cabin, she could hear the elderly woman singing inside. It wasn’t a harmonious sound.

Sadie hesitated. Should I invite her into town with me?

As soon as the thought blossomed, she squashed it. Getting too involved in a friendship right now wasn’t fair. Not to Irma.

The Mercedes was right where she had left it. She climbed in and the engine purred the moment she started it. The sound was comforting, and she backed the car out of the clearing and ambled onto the road. When she looked into the rearview mirror, Irma was standing near the freezer, watching her.

“Back so soon, Sadie O’Connell?” Ed gave her a sly wink and set down the glass he was drying. “Just couldn’t keep away from me, could ya?”

She peered over her shoulder. The table in the corner was empty. No hecklers today.

“Yeah. Plus my laptop is dead and I need to charge my cell.”

“Your cell?”

She held up her phone.

“Ah,” Ed said with a nod. “Never did get me one of them things. Gives you brain cancer, I hear. You be careful, young lady.” He nudged his head toward the end of the counter. “Plug is over there on the post.”

She thanked him, slid the laptop from its carrying case and set it on the counter. Once the laptop and phone were plugged in and charging, she settled into a stool, elbows propped up on the polished wood of the bar.

Ed slid a steaming mug toward her. “You look like you need this. Didn’t get much sleep last night, did you?” His eyes strayed to her damp, messy hair and gaunt face.

“You could say that.” She took a sip of coffee and let out a contented sigh. “This is heaven, Ed. Thanks. I still haven’t figured out how to make coffee back at the cabin. Percolators are a bit before my time.”

Ed swung a dishcloth over his shoulder. “The trick is to use a half a scoop less and a dash of cinnamon. And don’t boil it too long.”

“How about you just deliver me a carafe of coffee every morning,” she suggested jokingly.

The grin that spread across the old man’s face could have lit an entire town. “That’s the best offer I’ve had in… well, decades.” His face reddened, as if he just realized he’d spoken out loud.

Over the mug, she said, “How’s the wife this morning?”

“You just had to go and spoil it,” he grumbled. “Martha’s doing fine. She works at the library.”

He pronounced it “ lie-berry” .

That gave Sadie an idea. She needed something to do for an hour while she waited for her things to charge.

“How do I get there?”

“Drive down to the main lights, turn south and it’s two blocks past the Esso on your right hand side.”

“Is it okay if I leave these here to charge?” she asked, indicating the laptop and cell phone.

“Sure, I’m here ’til midnight. No one’ll touch ’en.”

A waft of cool air made her shiver. Behind her, someone had entered the pub. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw a bald man veering down the hall to the washrooms.

She turned back to Ed. “Thanks. I’ll be back in an hour.”

“Take as long as you like.”

As she headed outside, the lyrics of Pretty Woman trailed after her from the jukebox. Ed’s gravelly voice sang along. He sounded just like his sister. And just as bad.

Sadie drove to the ‘li-berry’. In the almost empty parking lot, she slid into a spot by the door, next to a dented maroon-colored Cadillac with a vanity plate that read BUKS4U, which could have meant bucks for you or books for you.

She rolled her eyes. “Ten bucks says that’s Martha’s car.”

Hinton Public Library held a modest collection of books and the walls displayed a montage of colorful posters, painted by the town’s children, no doubt. The far right corner held a cozy children’s nook with fluffy pastel pillows and low bookshelves. Overhead, a lifelike toy bat hung from the ceiling. A breeze—maybe from an open window—sent it fluttering the moment Sadie stepped inside. She stared at it and her mouth quivered.

“Can I help you?”

Sadie turned. A smartly dressed woman in her sixties rushed toward her, a stack of children’s picture books in her arms. The woman was pleasantly rounded in a grandmotherly way, with curly gray-black hair that framed a plump face, hazel eyes and a cheerful smile. Attached to a silver chain around her neck, a pair of glasses rested against her chest. A nametag on the lapel of her jacket read, ‘ Martha V’ .

“I’m in town for the day,” Sadie explained. “And thought I’d check out your library, Martha.”

“Well, let me know if you need anything, Miss… uh…”

“Sadie O’Connell. I’m—”

The woman just about dropped the books. “Not Sadie O’Connell, the author!”

Sadie winced. “Actually… yeah, the author.”

Martha’s chin dropped. “Good grief! I didn’t even recognize you. You look—” The woman caught herself, beamed a bright smile, then motioned Sadie to a table in the corner. “Can I get you a coffee or anything?”

“Thanks, but I think I’m all coffee’d out. I was just at your husband’s pub.”

Martha set the books down and settled into a chair. “Please, have a seat, Miss O’Connell. Are you feeling all right? You look a little under the weather.”

Under the weather was an understatement, and Sadie knew damned well that the woman was being polite.

“I haven’t been sleeping well.”

“That’s dreadful.” Martha folded her pudgy hands primly in her lap. “So what brings you here?”

An appointment with death, Sadie wanted to say.

“I’m staying in Cadomin for a while.”

A swift smile lit up the woman’s face. “You know, we don’t get too many authors of your status around here. Would you consider doing a reading?”

A reading was the last thing Sadie wanted to do. That meant socializing with people, lots of smiling and no time to finish Sam’s book.

“I’m sorry, but I’m just passing through. I have a… deadline to meet.”

Martha’s smile drooped. “Maybe later then. In the summer, perhaps. Wait! How long are you staying?”

“Not long. Another month maybe.”

“Well, if you change your mind…”

I won’t. “I’ll let you know.”

“So what can the Hinton Public Library do for you?”

Sadie shrugged. “I’m trying to kill some time while I wait for my laptop and phone to charge. They’re over at Ed’s.”

Martha rose gracefully. “Well, how about I give you a little tour, then? We have some historical memorabilia here that might interest you.” She slid her glasses over her nose as they reached a wall of photographs. “This is our history wall. Hinton became a real settlement when the Grande Trunk Pacific Railroad passed through over a hundred years ago. Then in 1931, the Hinton mine opened. Ten years later, Hinton was a ghost town. Until 1955, when the first pulp mill went in.” She paused, breathless. “Am I boring you?”

“Not at all.”

And that was the truth. History had always fascinated Sadie, and it often found its way into her novels.

Martha tapped her mouth with one finger. “You’re staying in Cadomin, you said?”

“At Harmony Cabins.”

“How wonderful. Ed’s always fretting about his sister being out there by herself. Well, if you don’t count those men in the other cabins. It’ll be nice for Irma to have another female around.”

Sadie’s attention drifted to a photo of a cave. “Is this nearby?”

“Cadomin Cave, one of the major sights in these here parts. It’s not too far. Just follow the signs on your way back to the cabins. It’s well marked.”