Words Live Or Perish Between Two Covers
By Rod Jones Artist-Writer
“With this wind, even the apples can’t hang onto their perch. The gusts through the grove were contrary to the normal.”
Orchard owner Gus Brown, “Looks like there’s going to be an irregular Halloween, I’m thinking.”
“I’m also thinking; when the wind comes out of the north; well, this is indeed most unusual for this time of year.”
Gus, holding onto his hat, turned away from the orchard, walked straight into the north wind, and headed back to his orchard house, he had been living in for nearly 18 years.
Across the way, there was a smaller apple orchard, and a very tidy and well kept garden. It was proudly owned by a very neighborly woman named Katie Jones. She and Gus had been very friendly towards each other for nearly all of those 18 years, Gus ran his orchard.
Gus made it back to his orchard house, opened the door and turned to hang up his coat and his hat. At first, not paying too much attention to his very familiar surroundings, he glanced over to his little kitchen table. He saw something that at first he simply could not understand, and then he gained the shakes and chills went up and down his spine.
Coming down the path that led from Miss Jones’s to Gus Brown’s orchard house, Gus could hear Katie Jones calling out.
“Hey Gus, I made some delicious pumpkin soup, seems to be fitting for this time of year. I’m coming to get you and surely convince you to come over to my place and have dinner with me.”
Gus opened his door, he yelled out at Katie, who was just a few yards away from his door.
“Katie, you devil… Did you do this to one of my most treasured books? I’ve never known you to be this damn mean. It’s just not like you to hurt me like this. What the hell were you thinking?”
“Better yet. What the hell are you talking about Gus?
“Get in here, Katie come in here right now. I can’t believe you would do this to me.”
“I’m coming, I’m coming. What’s wrong with you anyway Gus, have you been into that jug of hard cider? I don’t find you agreeable; let alone good company when you’ve been nursing on that jug.”
“No, I have not been into the cider… Look on my table, you or someone stuck a knife in my most cherished book The Secret Garden, dammit…”
“What chapter in the book is the knife stuck in?”
“Are you trying to be funny Katie? What do you mean what chapter? I don’t know, I haven’t touched the book. Why? Does that make some sort of difference to you?”
“Well yes, it does. And I think I know what chapter of the book that knife was stuck in.”
“Dammit Katie, if you know what chapter it is, then you must be the one that stuck the knife there. How could you do this to me after all the years of our friendship, and hell no, I don’t want any of your damn pumpkin soup for sure now.”
“I bet it’s chapter 23 in your book that’s where the character Colin says. “I don’t know how to do it, but I think that if you keep thinking about it and calling it, perhaps it will come.”
“Katie, dammit if you didn’t stick the knife in my book, how in the hell would you know that. Don’t make any sense to me.”
“This is how I know it. And stop blaming me. I didn’t do it. I would never stick a knife in your book or any book for that matter. As you know, I also own the book The Secret Garden. Why wouldn’t I? You know I love gardens. I work very hard to keep mine up and healthy.”
“The reason I know about that knife sticking in that book is because I read about it just a couple years ago, Gus, it’s kind of a scary thing to see it for the first time in your book And it’s even more scary when I tell you what it means. And besides that it’s even more scary because it’s going to tell me something about you that I’m not going to be too sure about.”
“This is pretty mysterious to me, and you’re surely scaring me, Katie. That knife stuck in my book is going to tell you something about me? I never stuck a knife in any book. In fact, I don’t even own a knife like that one. If you didn’t stick that knife in my book, and I sure as hell didn’t do it; then who in the hell did do it? And sure as hell why? Just plain old doesn’t make any sense now. Tell me more Katie, seeing how you seem to know so much about it.”
“No, I did not stick that knife in your book. Apparently no one knows for sure how this actually happens. Although it has happened to other people all over the world. They all of a sudden discover one of their books sitting on a table with a knife plunged into it.”
“So I’m not alone, it’s not just me, and you didn’t do it?”
“Here’s the story as I understand it. You have been thinking about something. I mentioned chapter 23 and told you how it reads, like this, that’s where the character Colin says. “I don’t know how to do it, but I think that if you keep thinking about it, and calling it, perhaps it will come. I know it sounds pretty innocent, but for some untold reason that statement can bring up something really bad, for the person that is trying to manipulate their lives or a particular outcome.”
“I’m not smart enough. I’m not educated enough to even sum up anything to me or for me. That’s what Colin in the character was trying to do. I’m really not sure what that was all about. I generally don’t have too many bad thoughts. Every once in a while, probably some that I shouldn’t be too proud of, but what the hell, I’m only human.”
“I can’t possibly know what you were thinking, Gus. But apparently whatever it was, it could do you some harm or bring something bad into your life that you don’t need or want. I know you’re not an evil man. I’ve known you for many years. I just can’t imagine why this would happen to you. It does not make sense to me under any circumstances.”
“Maybe some evil spirit did this just to taunt me and you Katie for that matter. I don’t want you to think ill of me. You’re just too good of a friend and you do make a really great pumpkin soup. I’ll try and clean up my thoughts. Maybe I was just trying to be something in my mind that I wasn’t cut out for. Sometimes when I’m out in the Orchard, especially when it gets a bit eerie out there, I do have superstitions, maybe that’s what brought it on. Maybe it’s just because it’s going to be Halloween and there are some tricksters amongst us and I just happen to be the victim.”
“I suspect you’re right my dear friend. Why don’t you pull that knife out of the book Gus and let’s go throw it down the well. Then let’s you and I walk back to my place and enjoy the soup I made with love. We can both cherish the fact that we have been such good friends for such a long time, not to mention we both have similar interests in our reading habits, and how we are so blessed to work with nature.”
“Down the well, the knife will go and I’m gonna throw the book in there too, and just get myself a new copy. I don’t think I will ever forget this Halloween Katie.”
“Me either Gus… Me either…
The short stories and essays published in Thought Row Vignettes are written entirely by me, Rod Jones Artist and Writer, using only a human hand and imagination. AI does not write, revise, or generate the fiction, essays, dialogue, plots, or endings. Any imperfections in grammar or punctuation are authentically mine.
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Some accompanying visuals may be original photography, properly licensed stock images, or AI-generated illustrations created from my own visual direction. These images are visual companions to the writing, not substitutes for it.
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In a web where automated systems generate so much of the traffic and language, Thought Row Vignettes remains a small space for human-made fiction and reflection, one human sharing stories with another.