Living in the south we are used to long warm days and shorter nights. Then we started to notice that the days started to come later. During the night we noticed there were tracks that were not normal for animals in the area. One morning local fisherman came to the cafe I owned startled saying they saw something in the darkness.
I pointed to the booth in the back of the cafe and said, "Mitch what is going on?"
He grabbed my hand and said, "Kay, I was on the boat about a hundred feet from shore, and there was something dark walking along the shore."
"What did you see Mitch?" I asked.
A voice behind me said, "It does not have a name. Our people know it as the unspoken ones."
Looking behind me I said, "Chief Maylay what brings you to the cafe?"
"Hello Kay," He said. "I heard Mitch saw something that should be buried deep in the earth and is now walking among us."
Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I said, "Are you saying there is something worse than a walking people pedestrian out there."
He looked at me and said, "Walking people pedestrian? What in the world."
He sat across from Mitch and I poured him a cup of coffee as he said, "You mean a---"
"No need to say it," I said. "We do not use that unless we have to."
He laughed and said, "Only you would have a new way to say it. Your Grandma would be rolling in her grave."
Chuckling, I said, "We need to get into her mindset because if Mitch saw something, we need to worry about this."
Mitch said, "Chief, I am concerned. The fishermen have noticed that sunrise has been coming up a bit later every day."
"I have noticed that as well," I said. "I used to be able to gauge the time with my runs and the sun is coming up later and later and my mile has not been longer."
Cheid Maylay said, "I will call a tribunal and see what the tribes have noticed."
Looking around I said, "Feel free to have it here."
He smirked and said, "First hand knowledge?"
"Of course," I said. "Besides I can give my knowledge then as well."
Mitch asked, "What kind of knowledge could you possibly have?"
Chief Maylay chuckled and said, "Leave Kay alone. She knows more about what could be happening."
Everyone looked at me and I said, "Come on guys I am your local lore and mystery gal. Apparently, you all think all I do is read a book."
Matt asked from his seat at the counter and said, "Don't you?"
"Matt," I said. "We have known each other since we were three. How do you think all I do is read? Look up Legends and Lore dot com."
He pulled out his phone and after a few minutes, he said, "Kay?"
"Yes," I said, knowing what was coming.
"This is serious stuff," He said. "I mean, you have pages upon pages of mysteries, legends, and lore."
"Exactly," I said. "How do you think I could afford to buy and run the cafe and support myself. You know how much my cabin went for. You all tip, but you all don't tip that well."
Chief Maylay said, "Kay, I will go ahead and call you later with a time and date. Expect it to be soon, though. Unfortunately, Mitch is not the only one who has seen things lately. But if you're cooking, could I get your pancakes and a cup of your coffee?"
I wrote the ticket and went to make his food. Grabbing a small dish of fruit, I added it to a plate. Pouring his coffee, I handed him the mug and went to get the rest of the food. Totaling tickets, I placed them at their owners' tables. I flipped the sign on the door to coffee, baked goods, and talk only. No more orders."
Matt looked up with a smirk on his face and said, "You know, Kay, you may make more money if you stayed open longer."
"You know Matt if you ate here when you were not on duty I could make a few extra dollars," I replied.
The old timers sitting at the back started to chuckle, and Matt said, "You got me. Besides, you have the best food in town."
"Well," I said. "My website gets a ton of traffic along with the chat rooms. Speaking of, Mitch do you mind if I share your story?"
He nodded and said, "Will it get me a free muffin?"
"Of course," I said. "I have to compensate you. I have blueberry, chocolate, and coffee cake. What would you like?"
"Coffee cake," He said with a smile. "It reminds me of my Mama's."
"It should," I said. "It was her recipe."
"She gave it to you before she passed?" He asked. "Damn hellfroze over she never shared her recipes."
"She gave me a bunch of recipes," I said. "Speaking of which. Spread the word, everyone, starting tomorrow, we will have a hot dish special. Coffee, main, and fresh bread for $7.99. Once it's gone, it's gone."
Matt's head shot up and he asked, "What is tomorrow special?"
"Creamy chicken over rice, it's a pot pie filling over a buttered rice." I said, "It was my Grandma's recipe."
Chief Maylay asked, "When do you start serving?"
"As soon as we open at 7am," I said.
He nodded and said, "Well, I will be here as the boys want to go night fishing tonight. Maybe we can see what Mitch saw last night."
I rang the bell signaling the thirty minutes till close. People started waving me over to pay their bill. When everyone but Matt left I locked the door and asked, "Come on, Matt what is wrong? You never stay this long."
He chuckled and said, "I was gonna ask you if you wanted to go to the fall social with me."
I paused, and he said, "You still are hung up on Charles? Kay, after what you went through, you need to table that. He was my best friend before he lost his mind, and what he did was horrible. He could have killed you."
"I know," I said. "We have so much history, and after losing CJ. He blames me for her death. Hell, I blame myself for her death."
"You know she passed from S.I.D.S., you have nothing to do with that," He said. "You had no way of knowing. You know that as soon as you heard her owl go off, you were up and doing everything you could. He was not even there. He was out on his boat, drunk as hell. You have to forgive yourself."
"That was when the beatings started," I admitted. "He blamed me for her dying."
"Kay, listen to me," He said. "He should have been there with you and CJ. He left his post as a father and protector. You did not deserve it."
"I am going to see him this week," I said. "He has been asking me to."
"Do you want me to drive you?" He asked. "I have a feeling you may need someone to drive on the way home. No judgment."
"I will let you know," I said. "But as for the fall festival, let's not call it a date. Let us call it two friends hanging out at the festival."
He smiled and said, "I can handle that. But this friend might just pay for everything. Just saying."
"You're incorrigible," I said. Standing up I said, "If you want to hang out, I have to prep everything for tomorrow's meal."
He grabbed the coffee pot and poured more coffee, and said, "Lead the way, Chef. Do you miss cooking at high-end restaurants?"
"Not really," I said. Grabbing carrots and bowls, I started to peel the carrots.
"Why are you saving the carrot skins?" He asked.
"We do not waste here," I said. "The skins and pieces I do not use go into a freezer bag for vegetable stock. I have a plan to make a vegetable soup soon, and it's a great base. I have a tote in the freezer with chicken scraps, pork scraps, beef scraps and bones, and vegetable scraps for stocks, soups, and stews."
"What if you do not sell out of meals?" He asked.
"Trying to get a free meal," I joked. "If there is food left over, I have a list from Pastor Miller of some elderly people who could use it. Plus, I will bring one or two home and stick them in my freezer in the to-go containers."
"You always have a plan," He said. "I admire that."
I finished prepping everything and placed all the scraps in the correct bags in the freezer. After placing all the dishes in the dishwasher, I set the load to wash, and Matt walked me to my car. He said, "I will be in for the food tomorrow. If you need anything, please call me."
Taking the muffins I had left from the days I dropped them off to a few of the elderly on my list. All of them were grateful for the food that I dropped for them. I drove to the edge of town, where my cabin was located. It was on the other side of town where I lost CJ and where Charles beat me almost to death. I bought this cabin after he was arrested, and it was my dream home. It had three bedrooms, one of which I converted to an office, two bathrooms, and a beautiful kitchen-living room combination. There is a dock off the back of the property, and I have a greenhouse being built off the back porch.
Going inside, I opened my laptop to track the sales and went to my safe to drop half the cash I made today. Looking in my email, I saw an updated list from Pastor Miller. He sent me an updated list of people who could use help once in a while. I printed the list and wrote my notes of who has received this week, already noticing a few new names. He wrote at the end that he thanks me for dropping off the leftovers at the homes of people who needed them. Reminding me to keep track of what I donate as a tax deduction.
I pulled up the spreadsheet and added the muffins and their prices to the list. My accountant loved that I did this and it has saved me on taxes as well. Although I would do it for free. I took a much needed shower and made a small dinner to eat while I worked on my website.
Kay- Main (Legends and Lore) CJ- Daughter who passed
Mitch- Fisherman
Cheif Maylay- Tribal Chief
Matt- Local Sheriff
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