Quickly she walked. Over her shoulder she carried her purse, in her other hand a small suitcase covered with labels from all over the world. She’s tall, but not too tall, and classy with her grey hair tied up under a stylish cap. She is wearing a long coat, possibly a bit too warm for the day, and she treads the city sidewalks briskly and confidently, as would one who has navigated ancient alleys and darkened byways a world away. 

As she walks, the wind whips forming tiny funnels that pick up the litter from along the curb throwing it against the graffiti covered buildings. A man dressed in rags lay passed out, his only shelter a sign that says, ‘Need Food.’ Stunned, she surveys the scene before her; this is not as it is supposed to be, she thinks to herself.

She hurries on.       

The purse and the suitcase do not go unnoticed by two men lurking in the alleyway. One is short and fat, the other tall and skinny, both dirty and unshaven, born to a life of larceny. If trouble were a billboard, they’d have it in flashing neon over their heads. 

And they watched as she strode by.

“I wonder what she has in her purse,” mused the tall one, flicking open a switchblade and speaking in the dark tone of somebody intending to find out. “Mikey here’s so sharp he’ll cut that strap right off her purse and I’ll have me a look.”

“It’s the suitcase that I has my eye on,” remarked the other threateningly, rubbing the scar on his chin. He pulled a small silver revolver from his pocket.

“What are you going to do with that?”

“Whatdoyathink?”

“You can’t shoot her just for her suitcase.”

“Why not? If she gives me any trouble…,” and he left the rest of his sentence unsaid, the message disturbingly clear.

“But she’s an old lady and… well, she looks like my grandmother.”

“I know she does. And I hates your grandmother. She gave me this scar.”

“That’s still no reason to shoot her.”

“She’ll give me that suitcase or she’ll answer to little dory here… and how is your grandmother anyway? Up for parole soon?”

“Not till next year.”

“To bad.”

Both left the shadowy sanctuary of the alley and walked quickly to catch up to their quarry.

****

It is nearly summer, and school is finally over. It’s that time of the year when many young people look forward to days filled with fun, vacation, and travel. For those less fortunate, it is only a time of hot, endless days of boredom.

           Claire Benaway clenched the steering wheel, she sniffled, a tear ran down her face. The sleeve of her blouse slipped off her shoulder, she swatted at it, it was a purchase from a second-hand clothing store, a purchase one half size too big. 

Turning into her driveway, she parked and reached into the glove compartment for her kleenexes.  She looked in the mirror and dabbed her eyes carefully, not wanting to smear her eye makeup and she smoothed back her long blonde hair.  

Claire got out and walked down to the mailbox, reaching in and taking out the mail. As she turned, she nearly tripped over a skateboard laying by the road. She made a face and angrily kicked at the thing. The skateboard literally flew, landing, clattering noisily, on the neighbor’s front porch. Hearing the commotion, the young owner walked out and tripped over the skateboard. 

That was weird, she thought, as she walked up to her house.

Inside, she stood in the foyer and took a breath. 

She looked at the mail and called out, “Hey Crys, we got a letter from Aunt Carol.”

           A dark-haired, goth girl wearing purple eye makeup and black lipstick leaned over the upstairs banister, “Really? I’ll be right down.”

           Downstairs, she took one look, “Sis, are you okay?”

           “Yeah, yeah... kinda.”

“What happened?”

“Well, remember I told you that Winters said he was going to make me shift manager?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, he went and promoted Marsha instead.”

“Marsha the smug, gum-chewing bitch?”

“Yeah, Marsha the smug, gum-chewing bitch.”

"How did that happen? I thought you were Winters’ first choice?”

“So did I, but the other day and one day last week at the end of shift my register didn’t balance out. I don’t know what happened, and he said I have to be more careful.”

“And now he promoted the bitch.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, with your register, do you think you messed up?”

“I don’t think so. I can’t understand how it didn’t balance out.”

“Do you go out on break?”

“Sure, I get fifteen minutes every three hours.”

“Well, do you think the bitch was messing with your register?”

“I don’t know… I couldn’t imagine her doing something like that.”

“Oh, I could. You just let me talk to her, I’ll make sure that she….”

“No, no, it probably was my fault… she probably should be shift manager anyway.”

“What?! I don’t think so…”

“Forget it, it’s done.  Come on, let’s see what Aunt Carol says.” 

She opened the letter and they read it together. 

           “Wow, she’s coming for a visit.”

           “We haven’t seen her since we were kids.”

“Yeah… little kids. I barely remember what she looks like. Do you think we should still call her Aunt Carol? Really, she is mother’s cousin.”

“I think so, that’s what we’ve always called her. Boy, it has been a long time, I wonder why she’s coming now.”

“She doesn’t say… you have to give her credit though she never forgets our birthdays.”

“No. And she always sends the coolest cards.”

“Yeah, even though there’s never a return address. Remember the time she sent us the thousand-dollar Drachma note, we thought we were rich.”

“Yeah… until the lady at the bank told us it was worth twelve dollars and forty-two cents.”  They laughed. 

“But it doesn’t say when she’s coming.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

The doorbell rang.

They looked at each other in surprise. 

“Are you expecting anyone?” asked Claire.

“No,” Crystal said, “are you?”

“No…”

“Well, let’s not stand here, let’s see who it is,” said Crystal walking confidently to the door.  

Claire whispered excitedly, “Crys, don’t just open the door… peek out the window and see who it is first!”

Her sister stopped. “I don’t have to peek out the window,” she said, whipping out her smartphone, “I can check from here.”

Claire put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. She looked at her sister who said with a smile, “You know what I always say, technology uber alles,” as she tapped her smartphone. 

“Oh, you think that technology is the answer to everything.”

“Well, it is,” then she frowned as the screen showed the front door, yet no one standing there.

The doorbell rang again.

“It must be a time lag issue with the city surveillance cameras again,” she grumbled, putting her smartphone back in her pocket. She shrugged, “Well, let’s see who it is.”

Claire fidgeted as Crystal opened the door.

And there stood the well-dressed, classy woman, a smiling silhouette framed in the doorway, arms wide.

They both exclaimed, “Aunt Carol!”

“My dears, my darlings, my beautiful nieces!” she said. “It is so good to see you. My, my how grown up you are!” 

And they hugged.

“Aunt Carol, we just got your letter that you were coming,” Crystal said.

“Oh, that. That mail, it is just so slow. I hope that I didn’t surprise you. Now stand back and let me see how lovely you look.”

And the girls took a step back and posed. “Claire, Claire, you are the true image of your mother, it is just amazing. And Crystal, you are so lovely, and I see that you still like the gothic look. Oh, you should have been with me in Hungary a few years ago, why the things I saw, it was simply thrilling. You know, the history of the Goths goes back centuries.”

“I know,” she smiled, motioning, “Come on in.”

Aunt Carol picked up her suitcase and stepped in. She set her bag and the suitcase down in the foyer and took off her gloves. 

Crystal closed the front door. No one noticed as police cars and an ambulance raced past the house, sirens wailing. 

The Police Report stated that: ‘Two men were arrested on a charge of violating parole for weapons possession. According to witnesses, the men were walking quickly down the sidewalk close together and acting very suspiciously. One man was holding something that turned out to be a switchblade knife. It opened suddenly, and he yelped as it cut the suspenders of the other. The man whose suspenders were cut tripped when his trousers fell down. As he fell, he tried to catch himself, but he struggled to get his hand out of his pocket and that was when he shot the first man in the leg with a silver revolver. Two police cars and an ambulance were dispatched. As they were placed under arrest, both men admitted to being very confused as to how the whole thing could have happened. One was hospitalized with a leg wound.’  

Aunt Carol beamed. Rummaging through her purse, she continued, “Well, I was having dinner with this Hungarian Prince, and he gave me this ring,” and she opened her hand. There she held a beautiful gold ring with strange engraving, it had a red onyx stone with thin gold bands that gave off the oddest reflection. 

“I was so touched by his generosity. It really is quite valuable, but I always thought that it is something that you should have.”

“Me, Aunt Carol? Why I couldn’t…”

“Of course, you can dear. I insist. This is a ring with a long Gothic history, it is you.”

Crystal took the ring and put it on. Splaying her fingers, she looked at it and said, “It fits like it was made for me, Aunt Carol, and it is so beautiful. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, girls, girls, it is so good to see you again after so many years. You are both so… grown up.” 

The girls smiled, giddy with the excitement of seeing their world-travelling aunt.

“Aunt Carol, come in and sit down, you must be tired after your trip.”

Leaving her bag and suitcase in the foyer, Aunt Carol followed the girls into the living room. She took off her coat and they settled into the slightly dingy chairs, not dad’s which faced the television and had a drink tray nearby.

“Would you like a drink of water Aunt Carol?” asked Crystal. 

“That would be nice dear. I had to walk eight blocks from the bus terminal.”

“Wow. You should have let me know, I would have picked you up,” offered Claire.

“No dear, that’s okay, I didn’t want to be a bother.”

“Oh, it would have been no trouble, I would have been happy to. This really isn’t the best neighborhood to be walking alone in.”

“Oh, it seems quite safe to me.”

Crystal gave Aunt Carol her water.

“Thank you dear,” she said, taking a sip. “That is much better.”     

Crystal sat down and they chatted away. 

After a bit Claire ventured nervously, “Aunt Carol, it is so good to see you again after all these years. What brings you here?”

“Well dear, I’m glad you asked. I have to meet some old friends and I would like you girls to join me. Claire, I was wondering if you could give me a ride to a small town up north.”

Inside, Clare panicked, the idea of leaving home always took her breath away.   

Aunt Carol looked at her sympathetically, “Dear, I know this is short notice, but it is quite important.” 

Claire stammered, “But Aunt Carol… I don’t know… is it far? I’ll have to see if I can get time off from work and, even if I can, I don’t have any money for a trip… and lately my car has been acting up. Why you would be better off …”

Aunt Carol responded quickly, sternly, cutting her off, “Now Claire, as I said, I know that this is all very sudden, but it is important, and the town is not that far. And I’m inviting you, so don’t worry about the money. Besides, getting out in the world a bit will do you good.”

Crystal turned to her sister, “She’s got you there, sis. I tell you that all the time.”

“You see,” said Aunt Carol, satisfied, “it will be a good experience for you. I know that with all you’ve been through, you may be… hurt, but you have to live your life.”

Crystal nodded her head in approval.

Aunt Carol continued, “And I know that Crystal is planning to compete in the upcoming Computer World Battle Tournament, but we will be back before that begins…”

The girls looked wide-eyed at each other; how could she know about that? then back at Aunt Carol.

“… so, I’m sure that she will be happy to join us.”

Crystal looked guiltily down and then back at Aunt Carol’s smiling face, “Actually, Aunt Carol, I can’t. I was just offered an internship where a friend of mine works and I’ll be leaving soon. It came up suddenly and I don’t even think I’ll be competing in the tournament, otherwise I would love to join you and sis on your road trip.”

Claire turned and stared at Crystal. 

Aunt Carol looked stunned, “You can’t… you have an internship?”  Then, switching gears, she said, “Why… why, that’s wonderful dear. Does your father know?”

“Oh yes. He signed the consent forms last night.”

“Oh, he did, did he…,” Aunt Carol said disapprovingly.

In a hurt tone Claire spoke up, “Crys, you never said anything about leaving. This is the first I’ve heard about it.”

“Well, I just received the offer last night and I spoke to dad about it. You were still working, and I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”

“But…”

“And I didn’t want to get my mother hen upset. You know, someday I have to get out on my own.”

“Of course…”

“And your father… he knows about this?” Aunt Carol repeated, “He approves?”

“Oh, yes,” Crystal continued, now anxious to get her father out of any trouble she may have caused, “it’s at a tech company and it may open the door to a job, even a career. Dad thinks it’s a great opportunity.”

“He does?” Aunt Carol said. 

She looked around, “And where is your father, dears?”

“Dad?” Scoffed Claire, “Why he probably went to the liquor… I mean the grocery store.”

“I see,” Aunt Carol crinkled her nose, “he doesn’t like to do a lot around the house does he? The lawn needs mowing, the porch needs fixing, and what is that… car parked next to the orange bug? Does it even run?”

Crystal spoke up, Aunt Carol’s tone told her that dad was in trouble, “Well, that’s dad’s car. At least it used to be. He drove it when he worked. But he hurt his back and now he can’t work and… and… the car just sort of sits there. Claire and I do our best to help out, but…”   

“Hurt his back…,” said Aunt Carol shaking her head.

Just then someone came in the side door and put a bag on the kitchen counter. Glass clinked. 

Walking into the living room, a short man in dungarees and a Rock and Roll tee shirt began, “Girls, did you get the mail? My check should be …”

He stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes got big, and his mouth formed a silent ‘O.’ 

“Hello Fred,” Aunt Carol said icily.

“Ohhh… uhhh, Carol,” he stammered, “I’m surprised that you are here now… I thought that there was time… I thought that you would…”

Aunt Carol cut him off. “You must have seen the time was near… and I see that you have been taking good care of the girls,” she added sarcastically, waving her arm.

Fred tried to defend himself as best one can when they are caught. He wished he could have a drink. He almost trembled as he replied, “It’s not as bad as it looks Carol. The house just needs a little dusting. I hurt my back… I hurt it at work. But I was going to do a few things around here. It’s painful… my back, you see. Very painful, but I am getting better.”

“I see…,” said Aunt Carol in the tone of one who has heard it all before. “Well, I am not surprised. Do you have a guest room?”

“Of course.”

Aunt Carol stood up and set her glass on the end table, “My bag is by the front door.”

“I’ll get it,” Fred mumbled.

“And I need to speak to you. Now.”

Fred retrieved the suitcase and brought it into the guest room, setting it on a chair. Aunt Carol and the girls followed.   

Turning to the girls, Aunt Carol said, “Excuse me dears, I must have a word with your father.” 

And she closed the door.

The girls stood in the hallway and listened. Aunt Carol was whispering excitedly, but the girls had very good hearing. 

“Fred, I am shocked, you’re raising the girls like this... in this… this neighborhood, this house. You are supposed to be bringing them up in a healthy, nurturing environment to be sure that they are raised healthy and strong.” 

“I know, I know, but it’s the best I could do, Carol. Our funding was cut to almost nothing.”

“Your funds were cut to almost nothing? How could that be?”

“I don’t know, but they were. Years ago. Things have been difficult.”

“Marvella did that?”

“I guess. She’s the only one that could.”

“I am shocked.  And the girls, what schools did they attend?”

“Uhhhh… you know, public schools.”

“Public schools? Why, they were supposed to be sent to proper learning institutions…”

“I know, I know, but that was the best I could do.”

“I see…,” her voice trailed off. Then, after a pause, “So, how is Claire, is she healthy? She looks a bit undernourished.”

“Oh, she’s fine. She’s skinny but she does her sports, and she stays in shape.”

“And how is she emotionally?”

“She’s good, kind of, sometimes she gets moody, but kids are like that. There was one time in school that she had a… a panic attack, the school psychologist said that she has childhood issues.”  

“But that should have been attended to years ago.”

“I know, I know, but you see, we… me and her… we have this problem communicating.”

“That certainly doesn’t surprise me, and Crystal, how is she?”

“Oh, she is fine. Although her friends always seem to be the type that are… different. She’s a tough one, though.”

“Well, I think that her choice of friends is to be expected. But I don’t know how on earth you could let her leave at a time like this. You’ve been watching, you must have seen the signs. I can’t believe that you’ve allowed this to happen.”

“Now Carol, it’s just that it has been so long, and I was always told to do what is best for the girls. You know they’re not children anymore, and this would be a good experience for Crystal, so when she came to me, well I thought...”

“You thought… you thought!”

“I did. I thought a job would be good for her. And you never gave any indication that you were coming.”

“Of course not. You know I couldn’t. But you should have known the time was near.”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry Carol, but Claire will go with you, she is the first-born anyway. Crystal can go another time… and she’s really looking forward to this job.”

There was a deafening silence. 

“Okay, Fred. I’ll handle it. I always have to.”     

As Aunt Carol turned the doorknob, the girls slipped soundlessly down the hallway. Claire was struggling, deep down something inside told her that she needed to go with Aunt Carol. 

Aunt Carol was deep in thought as she walked down the hallway. She stood before the girls and smiled an awkward smile. 

Claire blurted out, “Aunt Carol, I’ll be happy to give you a ride. I’d love to go on a trip with you.”

Crystal quickly added, “And I’m sorry that I can’t come, but this internship is so important.”

“Of course, it is dear, of course it is,” said Aunt Carol, patting Crystal’s shoulder, smiling her sweet, engaging smile.

“By the way Aunt Carol, where will we be going?” asked Claire. 

“It’s a small town named Elegy.”

“Elegy, I never heard of it. How do you spell it? I’ll look up the directions on my smart phone.”

“E-L-E-G-Y, it’s a special place. And don’t bother looking up directions, I know the way. Now, dears, if you don’t mind, I would like to rest a bit and maybe we can chat. Is there someplace we can get comfortable?”

“Why don’t we go sit outside, it’s a beautiful day,” suggested Claire.

“That would be fine.”

“And while you do, I’ll tidy up the guest room,” added Crystal.

“Thank you dear, that would be nice.”