Post Mortem Post Stationery

Chapter 5

Ruby sat there, listening. She could hear him singing. She sat on her bed, ear against the wall. Her dad was singing some pop song from his childhood. It reminded her of James. It said something about never telling a lie, and James had promised her that. This song sounded just like James. He had promised not to leave her. She had to know.
   She walked down Main. She turned right onto Side Street. She ran. Ruby hated running, but she had to get there. She turned left after two streets. She went on Summer Avenue until she she met Winter Lane. She turned right. She stopped at the two-story, sky-blue house. She hobbled to the circle of a door, gasping for breath. She used the gold knocker, tapping it against the green wood. The resulting boom shook her.
   It echoed all along the street, bouncing off the many-colored houses. The huge dragon perched on the house across the street almost lost its footing. Ruby worried that she had done that and waited anxiously at the door. After a few minutes, she grew impatient and knocked again. No boom, just a hollow, wooden-sounding thud. No one came to the door. So she went to the back gate and let herself in. The gate freaked open, and she was greeted by an alien sight.
   Her jaw dropped. She saw utter chaos. Boards and steel drums lay everywhere. A lot was on fire, including the meticulously pruned bushes against the back wall  of the house. She saw James' father and mother running all around the yard, double-fisting fire extinguishers. Ruby ran to the black-haired woman, grabbed a red canister, and started running wildly like the two adults, spraying the white substance.
   Once all the heat had been cooled, the two adults came over and thanked her. "Hi, I'm Emily. This is Caleb." The woman signaled to the black-and-gray bearded man after shaking Ruby's hand. "Thank you so much. You are?" The husband looked confused behind his beard, his gaze switching between the two women. " Um, I think you know me. It's Ruby." "Oh my, yes! I'm so sorry, darling. You just look so... different." The man only looked in befuddlement at Ruby now. As if he were trying to place what exactly was different. The woman led the teen in through the sliding door.
   Ruby was greeted by another alien sight when she entered. There were boxes of... stuff. They were everywhere, stacked or single-standing, covering floor, counter, table, and bookcase. It was mainly paper and files and books. The older-looking woman somehow managed to clear a spot and put a plate of cookies from the oven onto the cleared space. She grabbed a mug, already filled with milk, and set it next to the plate. "I had a feeling you would drop by sometime." Ruby started crying. This woman's kindness, this woman's strength. The memories shared at this table. The woman pulled up a chair and sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Ruby. dhe was shaking too.