Subj: "Twylyght Tyme" Part 8
Date: 8/16/00 4:58:25 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Kallie
"Oops! Forgot Something"
Time: December 2, 1969
The explosion was complete in its destruction. What once was Willie's lodging was now nothing but a flattened charred smothering ruin. The fire department had come to put out the flames. But the snow was now falling so hard, that they decided to postpone any further investigation into what caused the big bang. Most of them had suspected it was just an accident anyway.
But Willie Applegarth knew there was something fishy going on. Elise had made it sound very important that he keep Willie from going back outside, and now he knew why. Figuring that Willie's life might still be in danger, and because the poor lad had nowhere else to go, he invited him to stay in his place. "It's the least I can do for a fellow Willie." He had said. And Willie not knowing what else to do, accepted his kind offer.
Mr. Applegarth was busy in the kitchen while Willie maneuvered his way into one of the comfortable overstuffed chairs. He let his weight down ever so carefully then leaned the crutches on the side of the chair where he could easily get to them.
"Ah there you are!" The old man said while merrily plopping himself down into a chair directly across from his guest. "I thought you might like something warm to take the chill off?" And with that he flicked a switch, and the mechanical sound of an electric train could be heard. Willie looked over his shoulder and could see a miniature train starting to make its way from the kitchen. Its cars hauling some steaming unknown freight. "I've always loved trains ever since I was a young boy." Willie Applegarth announced with glee. It appeared like it took every ounce of effort he could muster, not to leap out of the chair that very minute and play with his favorite toy.
Chugging through the miniature landscape, the little engine then crossed over a tiny train trestle. The old Willie's eyes gleamed with joy as he made the little train toot its horn. Then it quickly disappeared through a tunnel. The diminutive electric lights of the train sent its small beams to cut through the darkness, until it reemerged into the light, then came to a halt by the old codger himself. He reached into the freight car and pulled out a steaming cup, " Care for some hot chocolate my boy?"
That was exactly what Willie needed. "Hey thanks, that was really something!" His hands were a bit shaky as he took the mug, but after a hard cold day like today the chocolately dark liquid really hit the spot.
"Thanks again Mr. Applegarth…I mean Willie. Ya've been so kind to me."
Old Willie smiled and asked if Willie would like some marshmallows. "It's not just me son. My Elise has developed a real soft spot for you." He said motioning with his head towards an old radio.
Willie had no idea why the old man was indicating the radio perhaps it was a hint to have him fix it. The sound of the static it made, crackly, like an electric swarm of hornets, must get annoying. But to be polite he asked, "When do I get to meet your wife? Is she away on vacation right now?"
Then Old Willie looked kind of sad for a minute. "The truth is she died many years ago."
Running his hand through his hair, Willie felt really bad for bringing up such a sad subject. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make ya feel blue." He shifted around nervously in the chair then thought out loud, "Hey maybe I could fix that old radio of yours, I bet you'd like that wouldn't you?"
For a second there was a look of panic on Old Willie's face, then he seemed like a man with a secret and leaned forward conspiratorially to share it with his houseguest. "No son, you see that radio isn't broken at all. In fact that radio is special, and can tune into places that no other radio could." He proudly boasted.
Willie took a closer look at the ancient wooden radio. He'd remembered seeing one like this before in his younger days. It was a Zenith 5S-29 Tombstone table model. And if his memory hadn't failed him besides the usual AM stations it was also capable of picking up short wave as well. It was beautifully made of some dark well-polished wood. There were three black dials near the bottom, which might have had something to do with power and volume control, but Willie had long since forgotten. Above the middle dial was another to adjust the station. A smart metallic art deco design surrounded the glass dome covering the area showing the different stations. It looked more like a compass than something that belonged on any radio. Numbers were displayed in a never-ending circle. Underneath the company name of Zenith, it looked like Zorro had left his mark in the form of an impressive Z shaped needle. The cleverly carved spaces for the speakers were like the shapes of the cathedral windows in a church. It was a lovely antique, but Willie could see nothing special about it.
The old man stared lovingly at the antique. "That old radio is my most prized possession. You may think I'm a crazy old coot. But that radio lets me speak with my dear Elise." He looked down and the marshmallow bag caught his eye and seemed to shift his mood. "It seems my dear boy, that we are out of the good stuff. What to you say to a little trip down to the cafeteria where I know I can get my hands on some more, maybe even the jumbo size." Pushing himself out of the chair he paused a moment looking exceptionally mischievous. "Besides it's always fun to raid the frig."
So off they went marshmallow bandits extraordinaire.
Clara Belle Tipple had had a rough day. She couldn't wait to get into the shower and let all the cares of the days melt away and be washed down the drain. Placing her nightie and a towel on the toilet seat for easy access, she then turned on and tested the water. Relief was on its way. Once the temperature was nice and warm, but not too hot, she grabbed the handrails and slowly lowed herself onto the plastic seat in the tub. Then sitting there letting the comforting warm feel of the shower rain down upon her, she was finally able to free her mind and relax. After allowing herself several minutes of the pleasurable benefits of shower mediation, she got down to business and started washing all the major crevices.
Looking through the back window Tyrone Slaughter could see that there was nobody home. He had his little handy dandy break in kit with him at all times, but today it wouldn't be necessary. The old biddy had left her back door unlocked! It was almost as if these people wanted him to take their things.
There had been rumors going around that Mrs. Tipple still had a few pieces of valuable jewelry stashed somewhere and Tyrone intended to find them. If the jewelry was as good as Dolly Lovejoy claimed it to be, this could be his last job and he could finally move on. He would miss his opportunity with Constance Stoolfire, but she was a Chatty Cathy and there would be so many other women to tickle his fancy, once he left this place a rich man. Well at least richer than he was before.
As Tyrone was searching the living room, Clara Belle shaved her legs, pits and mustache. She began to feel like a new woman.
Tyrone only found a few things worth taking in the living room, so he moved on to the bedroom. He couldn't hear Clara Belle in the shower because Mr. Lister in the room above had his TV on at full volume. Mr. Lister himself was unaware of his transgression, as he was very hard of hearing.
Clara Belle had just put the shampoo in her hair, as he found it. There, sitting on the old lady's vanity, in plain sight, was the jewelry box. He opened it up impatiently and sure enough it was full of real jewels glittering away like treasure before his greedy little eyes. He picked up a diamond pin, but in his excitement he wasn't careful and it stuck him. He let out an involuntary yelp, dropping the box and knocking over a rather large vase in the process. The vase shattered into a million pieces announcing his presence in the room. Tyrone quickly collected the jewels. It was time to make his exit.
Clara Belle heard the noise and with the shower still running, went out to investigate. Tyrone came out of the room about the same time as she left the bathroom and they nearly bumped into each other. Tyrone took one look and started to run.
All Clara Belle could see was that nasty little thief had her precious jewelry box. It wasn't the monetary value of the lost jewels she cared about; it was that they had been gifts from her dearly departed husband. Each glittering piece represented for her a special time in their lives together. He had not only stolen her jewelry, but her memories as well, and that made Clara Belle angry. Within seconds her anger had built up into a full-blown fury. As Tyrone started to run, Clara Belle's reason disappeared, adrenaline took over and she went after him screaming like a Banshee.
Tyrone fled down the hallway knocking over anyone who got in the way. Clara Belle was right on his tail. It was amazing how fast that old gal could go. Her sagging breasts were flopping like crazy with each stride she took. There was a look of fierce determination on her face as she screamed her war cry, which echoed down the hall.
Tyrone rounded the corner and disappeared into the cafeteria. Clara Belle followed in hot pursuit, her body looking downright skeletal as it began to slow down running out of steam. As Tyrone escaped into the kitchen, Clara Belle suddenly realized just where she was, and her voice left her. She stood frozen in fear as all eyes stared at her in surprise. Then gradually she turned a humiliating shade of red as she realized that she was completely naked!
Clara Belle quickly covered up her private parts as best she could with her hands. She was a pitiful sight to see. Still wet from the shower with shampoo dripping from her hair, every wrinkle, age spot and spider vein was exposed for everyone to see. How could she ever face anyone again?
Sitting at table close enough to get an eyeful, Willie Loomis felt sorry for her and took off his robe and offered it to her from his chair. The nurses reacted quickly and took incredibly shaken Clara Belle back to her room.
But there was no comforting her, she had been robbed of her dignity and now her treasured mementos from her husband were gone forever as well.
Kallie >^,,^<