The next four months were basically a blur. Everyone in the village was busy.
.
Not only had it been decided to build a new town hall, but, further meetings were held and the entire village decided to do a facelift.
.
Maynard's Rock was a beautiful little village, but it was lost as far as tourists go. It was off the main highway and had never been much of an attraction, even though the people were amazing and the scenery breathtaking.
All it needed was some kind of boost, to make it more attractive.
.
So it was decided that there would be a new direction in town. A direction that would involve every single home in the community.
I worked privately with John and Cora and devised a plan that would make the little village more attractive.
I set up a community improvement fund. The fund would provide money for everyone to properly landscape, as well as build new fences and more importantly every house in the community got a fresh coat of paint and most got new shingles for their roofs.
Sheds were fixed up and painted to match the houses. Each house had its own distinctive colour scheme and soon the village glowed with every colour of the rainbow.
Gardens were created in most every yard and all the forested area that surrounded the village was cleaned up.
The tiny Salvation Army Church did get its new roof, as well as an extension, just in case visitors to the community wanted to use the church for their Sunday blessings.
.
Paths were created through the forest that would lead to the beautiful rugged beaches, that lined the western portion of the community.
The beaches offered amazing photo opportunities, as well as glimpses of the native birds of Newfoundland, that nested on a small island just off the shore.
At the northern end of the point, there was a small, but beautiful sandy beach. The provincial government allocated money for the community to turn it into a local provincial park, the native birds island being the attraction.
But more money was needed to complete the cleanup and such. I was more than happy to chip in.
There was talk of naming the park after me, but I declined the offer, stating that I was a new resident and that it should hold the name of the founding family.
So Maynard's Rock provincial park was created.
Within the boundaries of the village, only a day park could be allocated, but talks were ongoing, with the Provincial government to expand beyond the village boundary and offer serviced sites.
.
A brand new, colourful sign, was erected on the highway, reminding people to take a few minutes and visit the paradise called, Maynard's Rock.
With the park, the bird sanctuary and the uniquely colourful homes, the Rock finally had some attraction to the outside world.
.
Excitement was building as the new town hall was being erected.
Most of the ideas, I had in the beginning were used, but the village offered a few of their own. There was talk of dinner theatres and summer plays.
And even some kind of folk festival to attract tourists to the village.
.
Bobby and Jessie were in charge of building the new community centre and they were well ahead of schedule. Crews were brought in from Corner Brook and Deer Lake, to help with all the work that was to be done.
The road at the south end of town was lined with travel trailers, where the workers, who didn't want to commute, would stay during the week.
.
There was a constant convoy of trucks, delivering goods to the community.
.
As for my home, I brought in landscaping crews from Corner Brook and several other communities. I had an eight foot stone wall erected at the front of my property that faced the road to town.
The villagers began calling it the great wall as it spanned some one thousand feet, from the cliff's edge, to the tree line of the wooded area at the back of my house. A large steel gate was erected, which was always open.
Across the archway, which adorned the top of the gate, was the single word, 'Whisper'.
When asked about it, I simply commented that I liked the quiet.
.
The front garden that stretched from my veranda to the cliffs edge was completely redone and all new sod put down.
I now had a beautiful, plush green grass, lawn. All the wooded area around my property was given a do over. Scrub, brush and dead wood, was removed and the area landscaped to have a gradual conversion from grass to forest. I even thinned out the dead trees, up to 500 feet from my lawn.
I had a huge fire pit dug at the far end of the property, near the cliff, with picnic benches and other seating placed around it.
I was hoping at some point it would be filled with my new friends, enjoying a warm bonfire and a cold drink.
.
It was a good time. Everyone in the village was involved and a community that was always close, was even becoming closer and the best part of it all was that they were accepting me, as part of that community.
There was even talk of making me Mayor.
But I was reminded, by John, that I could never be Mayor, since that role had been filled by a Maynard since the founding of the village some 200 years earlier.
So, they did the next best thing and made me Honorary Mayor.
I was absolutely dumbstruck.
.
I finally began writing again. My first story was the story of the Dove family that had perished at the point many years ago.
When I finished that I began to write another story, this one called, Whisper. The fictional account of a man who was living with the ghost of an eleven year old girl.
I did not know what I was going to do once I had finished the stories, but it just felt good to be writing again. Something I had not done since my late teens.
.
When the first snows stayed, in late October, all work stopped. The town hall was nearly complete, only the final touches on the inside remained and December 1st was the date that the village was shooting for to dedicate the building and christen it with its first official banquet.
I ordered the bronze plaques that would adorn the front of the hall and the small library on the second floor.
It was to be called...
The Dove Family Community Hall
and the library...
The Jennifer Dove Community Library
Even the pub that was on the first floor was to be named...
Alice's Pub
after Jenny's Mom.
Originally it was to be called Calvin's Pub, but the women of the village objected and it was decided to name it after Alice instead.
As they pointed out, they spent as much time at the Pub as the men did.
.
I continued to work with Hank and Cavelle Dove, but as time went by, I realized that my involvement with them, was less and less and I felt it was not fair to them, to continue our partnership.
So, I had papers drawn up and I legally sold my stake in the business back to them for $1, with the promise that there would always be a room for me, anytime I went to Twillingate for a visit.
They agreed and I did spend a glorious week with them, in November, before going back home.
.
They had not heard from Evangeline in a couple months. Not since she had officially finished work on the website and turned it over to Elaine.
She told the Dove's that she and her husband were moving out west.
.
On December 1st we had the biggest celebration that Maynard's Rock had ever seen. All the workers that had helped all through the summer were invited and many who came spent the night with the locals. I had ten stay with me at my house.
Ghost and Spirit were none to happy, but they got lots of attention, so they gradually warmed up.
.
Life was good, but it wasn't complete.
.
I had built a gazebo near the cliff where, Jenny and Whisper had disappeared. Nearly every night I would go to the gazebo and stare out across the ocean. A small light adorned the front of the gazebo; a beacon that I hoped someday might lead Whisper back to me.
As time went by, that reality became less and less and as I became more involved in the community and with my new friends, I began to wonder if what I had experienced, or thought I had experienced, was real at all.
None the less, nearly every night, I would turn on the light and quietly say her name.
"Whisper."
.
I had begun a new life, with new friends and a new home, in a community that had accepted me and graciously allowed me to be a part of their community.
.
But it was still a little empty, because whether or not what I had experienced was real, I missed Whisper.
.
Ghost and Spirit had not danced since the night Whisper disappeared.