It Festers

Sep 15, 1950 The Deep South.

Only fire will cleanse this evil from this house! It festers in every nook and cranny! The old black woman looked like evil that had taken a poor misshapen form. Her skin looked burned with some of the flesh fallen away. A fire sprang out of nowhere and roared all around her. It ran up the walls and along the ceiling burning and scaring everything in its path. The fire even enveloped the old woman but instead of cries of pain the old just keep repeating: Only fire will cleanse this house! It festers in every nook and cranny!

Annie sat up quickly in her in the bed she shared with her young brother and sister. The room was pitch dark and she was still scared to death. It was just a dream she kept telling her but that's when she began to hear the noises outside. The sound of people yelling and screaming was growing steadily louder. The room had no windows for her to look outside to see what was going on. She was about to get out of bed when she noticed that smell of smoke and burning wood. Her mind flashed back to the nightmare she had earlier. She became paralyzed with fear when she thought of the old woman and the fire from her nightmare. The smell of smoke began to grow stronger within the room, as did the sound of screaming voices outside. These two (2) things snapped the young girl back to reality replacing one fear with another.

Being born poor and black in the rural South during that day and time you learned to be afraid of a lot of things. And one of those fears was a night visit from the KKK. It was that fear that began to grow within Annie. The smell of fire and smoke, the screaming and yelling outside it must be the Klan she thought out loud. Her little brother and sister began to wake up as the yelling outside got loader. Remembering now that she was not alone in the room and being afraid now was just wasting precious time for her family. Annie jumped out of bed and then shook her brother and sister screaming at them to wake up. As if on cue they began to cry loud enough to wake the dead.

Suddenly the door to the room blasted open. All at once light, heat and smoke poured in from the doorway. Annie instinctively tried to shield her younger brother and sister from the light and heat. She covered them with her body and turned head away from the door. She felt a large hand grab her shoulder and yank her off the bed. Annie Mae..baby are you okay? Annie looked up to see a frightened scared look on her mother's face. Yes ma'am I'm okay Annie answered coughing a little because of the increased smoke. Grab your little sister I'll get your brother Gloria Abbot barked. What about Grandma Annie asked as she scooped up her little sister. Child no questions now just help me get these babies out of this house! Gloria said with one part anger and one part desperation cracking in her voice.

Annie had seen her mother angry before but this anger was tempered with fear. And fear was something she didn't think her mother capable of. At 5'10" and a mostly solid 180 pounds there was not much Gloria Abbot feared. She had a lead a hard life that consisted of mainly hard work and disappointment. She had lost two husbands and two children. One of husbands she lost to a freak work accident in the plant. And the other she lost to a bottle and his need to gamble. The children she lost were both less than one years old and both born with weak hearts.

The fire by this time had moved into the room. It had spread along the walls and moved onto the bed. Gloria and Annie had already made it out into the hallway just as the bed caught on fire. The heat was nearly impossible to handle. The entire house was engulfed in flames. As they moved toward the front door the screaming and yelling that Annie had heard earlier had now become clearer. She could now hear the sounds of people screaming for more water and calling out her mother's and her names. As they neared the front door parts of the roof collapsed blocking the way for good. Gloria cried out loud Oh Lord please help me! Annie and her sister started coughing uncontrollably. The smoke and heat had taken its toll on them all. Gloria motioned for everyone to come to her. Annie quickly obeyed more of fear and needing someone to comfort her like she was trying to comfort her sister. With her mother's strong arms around them Annie and her brother and sister felt strangely at peace.

The peace was happily broken by the sound of the door being busted open. Annie quickly recognized Mr. Johns and Mr. Evans barreling through the door. They were both carrying axes and immediately began to chop into the part of the roof that had collapsed from the roof. After a several hard whacks from both axes the pieces splintered onto the floor. Mr. Johns yelled for Gloria and Annie to hurry out the door. But at that point his instructions weren't necessary as the both bolted toward the door. Annie along with her little sister was first out the door followed closely by her mother Gloria. Annie fell to her knees and in the cool wet grass trying her best to breathe as normally as she could. Mr. Johns checked out Annie and the little boy while Mr. Evans checked on Gloria and the little girl. Annie eyes widen then she yelled what about Grandma! The other neighbors who were trying to put out the fire came over to them family saying things like Praise God and Hallelujah. Both Annie and Gloria now began to scream where's grandma? Don't worry she's just fine said Mr. Evans. She was so scared for all of you that we had to make her wait in the barn.

Annie Mae go let your granny know what we are all just fine Gloria said still breathing uneasily. Yes ma'am Annie said slowly getting to her feet. Don't worry child I'll help you said Mr. Johns as he helps her up. They walk toward the barn Annie leaning on Mr. Johns for support. She continues to roughly cough as she tries to take deep breaths. They get to the barn door and Annie can already hear her grandma sobbing repeating oh my God the children please don't take the children. Mr. Johns opens the barn door and in an excited voice yells praise the Lord ma'am they're all just fine! Annie smiles a big beaming smile for her grandma as their eyes meet. The elderly grandma's sadness disappears from her eyes replaced by a dark anger. Damnit they made it grandma says under her breath. But that look only lasted for a second and quickly changes to a look of forced happiness. Mr. Johns noticed and heard nothing of what she said. He's only too happy just to give the good news and was already recounting the tale of how the family was saved. Annie stares in shock at her grandma unsure of what to think at this moment. A loud crash is heard as the burning house collapses on itself. Annie jumps at the sound of noise and looks at the house. She turns her head back to the barn and to her grandma but its not her it's the old woman from her nightmare. She shuts her eyes and clings to Mr. Johns. Don't worry child that's just God's way of getting rid of the evil in our house granny said with a slight sound of happiness in her voice. It tends to fester in every nook and cranny.