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Rosella Parts I and II
"As I recall, it was during the depression and the year following the great dust bowl when your great-grandmother, Carlene, sat in this very armchair and told me and your uncle Billy about Rosella."
The children, five in all and none older than nine, sat around her moccasin-covered feet. They rustled, giggled, snickered and grinned believing this to be another one of mother's made up bedtime tales. The youngsters settled quietly when she waved her arms above their heads, brought her thin pointing finger to her lips and let the air whistle past.
"Shhh. This is a true story..."
The eldest boy, Bryan, snickered, then quickly stopped at the stern look from his mother's gaunt, pale face. He put his leg under his bottom and leaned backward onto stiff outstretched arms.
"As I was saying, this actually happened to Carlene when she was no older than you, Bryan."
The boy lay back onto his elbow.
"Your great-grandmother had just finished slopping the hogs and had no sooner reached the old barn door when a huge wind blew her right inside." Mother raised her arms, made swishing sounds and swiveled above the kids all of whom cringed except for Bryan who just giggled. "It was as strong as any of our Kansas tornadoes but the funny thing was, it only blew into the barn. Outside, everything was still."
She put her hands across her white apron, stared slowly into each of the five faces then continued. "Well, I tell you, this gust was might powerful cause it blew Carlene clean across into the hay bales. Now, you know how courageous a woman she was, so I don't have to tell you she got right up..."
"You said you didn't have to tell us."
"Hush, Bryan Jackson."
"Yes, ma'am." He looked away while the others pointed towards him and made shushing sounds. That is, all except for the youngest sister, Ruth Ann, who sat quietly cross-legged in rapt attention towards her mother.
"As I said, Granny was a powerful woman and no gust of wind was going to push her around. So, she got up..."
"You already said that."
"That's enough, young man! One more word and it's off to bed!" She scolded him with a shaking finger.
The lad lay flat on his back and closed his eyes.
"Carlene leaned into the blow and fought her way towards the door. Suddenly, she couldn't move." Mother's face became animated. "And what do you think was holding her fast?" Her gray eyes shot rapidly from child to child. "It was Rosella."
The children oohed and ahed not exactly knowing who or what Rosella was.
"Well, let me tell you, Rosella stood no higher than the knee of ol' Lady when she was a foal and was as thin as her hocks. And I do mean thin, because your great granny could see right through Rosella."
All except Bryan oohed and ahed. He merely yawned.
"Yes, sir, this tiny spirit was as transparent as..."
"This story," Bryan whispered from the floor but mother either did not hear or chose to ignore him. Either way, she continued, "This spirit was as transparent as the lace curtains over the kitchen window. Carlene couldn't believe her eyes. She just stared and stared at this sheer creature which looked much like the angels painted on the church ceiling. But the stranger thing was she had no halo or wings and moved with the wind which had died to a breeze. This made her look a bit like white and pink linen hanging on the wash line."
Mother sipped some lemonade from her tall glass then continued, "Brave Granny asked, 'Who are you?' The wispy creature smiled sweetly and introduced herself, 'I am Rosella, a spirit from the south.'
'Topeka, Wichita, Arkansas City?'
'Much further.'
'Where then?'
'South of Laredo.'
'Where in Kansas is that?'
'It's in Texas, right near Mexico.'
'Oh.'
Granny let out a big sigh because she had never seen anyone from that far south before, least of all a spirit.
'I have come to deal with a problem you and your family seems to be having.'
'I know of no problems... Well, there is the lack of rain, the huge winds and the dried up cows. Then there is the money father owes the bank and the busted truck and also the mare needs shoes.'
'It is none of those material things with which I deal. I am here to help with your neighbors to the east.'
'Oh, the Framtoms?'
'Precisely.'
'They are such nice people and oh, how I like their son, Timothy.'
'That's the point. You're too young to be falling in love.'
'I know that! I mean he's a friend.'
'Oh.'
'If you don't mind my saying so, you don't seem to know a lot. Aren't angels supposed to do their homework before helping?'
Rosella ignored the insinuation but her gossamer body flapped violently in the breeze for a moment then stood still.
'It seems that old man Framtom is trying to steal your water.'
'He'd never do that.'
'Well, he is. I know for a fact, that only yesterday he went to the land office and looked at all the records of your place and his, from the beginning to now, and he believes he can show that the water belongs to him not you.'
'It doesn't belong to anyone except God.'
'Well until He claims it, whomever the government has granted the rights to can use it.'
'Oh, those kind of rights.'
'So, I was selected to come here and set things right.'
'I see, you're here to right the rights.'"
All the children except Ruth Ann giggled or laughed. She was too young to get the small joke mother played with the words.
Mother sipped while waiting for silence, then continued, "Carlene puzzled for a moment then asked, 'How can you right this wrong?' And Rosella answered, 'In the way we do things along the border.' So Granny asked, 'What way is that?' And the nearly invisible figure answered, 'With a gun.' Now you children all know that guns are for hunting and protecting and such and not for settling arguments."
Bryan rolled over onto his stomach, laid his head on his arm and closed his eyes. "Except when someone's really bad."
"Bryan, go to bed this instant!" She pointed a shaking finger at him, then toward the hallway.
"I'll be quiet, I promise."
"One more sound out of you and..."
"Please, mom, I want to hear the story."
"Fine!" She put her hands back on her apron. "Granny asked, 'With a gun? And just how does that solve the problem?'
'Well, if Mr. Framtom isn't around anymore, who's going to steal your water?'
'No! And you're no angel!' Granny put her hands on her hips and glared at the vision.
'I never said I was an angel.' The spirit flapped violently and quickly changed colors from black to purple and then deep red.
'I assumed.'
'You assumed, because I came in on the breeze I was from Heaven, well, I told you, I'm from the south.' She laughed a deep, rumbling laugh and black smoke puffed from her hair. 'I mean the very deep south, Hell.'
All the children except Bryan became frightened.
"Well, granny grabbed the pitchfork and swung it toward this thing from Hades but a force stopped her arm in mid swing. It was so strong she wasn't able to move any part of her body and the laughing became louder and more scary."
Mother looked from child to child with a fearful face, then bellowed a deep laugh and the children cowered. "Rosella sounded just like that but granny did not move."
"You just told us the Devil's force was holding her." Bryan spoke loudly.
"Not that kind of moving, inside type, and I told you to be still."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Granny asked, 'If Mr. Framtom is such a bad man, then why don't you go get him and take him home with you, Mr. Devil or whatever you are?'"
'Cause it's not his time.'
'Then if it's not his time, my using a gun won't work either, cause it still won't be his time.' Ya see how smart Granny was?" Mother beamed toward all the kids.
"Rosella roared, 'No, but it will be yours.'
The breeze became a gale and then, at once a tornado, whisking Rosella out of the barn and into the sky in a dark black cloud, then the air was still."
Mother took a long drink from her glass and waited. "Now Granny could move and did she ever. My goodness, as fast as she could run, right into the ol' farm house but nobody was home. She ran into her room and pulled her tiny bible from the shelf and thumbed the pages. She looked for anything to do with visits from the devil and how to deal with him or his instruments. Now there is nothing in the Bible about that, only about love and caring and giving and doing right, so she was at a loss as to what to do. So, granny, plopped onto her bed, put her hands over her face and prayed for guidance. And you know what happened?"
Mother looked at all the children then answered her own question, "She found it. Not in the book, not from the picture of Christ on the wall but in her own heart. That's right. Your great granny, Carlene, found the answer and instantly ran to find Timothy. She knew they could work it out.
Well, I declare, if she couldn't find the boy but ran smack dab into ol' man Framtom himself. And I do mean into him, cause your great granny had her head down and was runnin' like the wind when she rounded the corner of his barn.
'Oomph,' he cried, then laughed when granny stood up puffing for air. 'Where ya all off to in such a hurry, girl?'
'I need ta talk to Timothy.'
'He's milkin'.'
She waved and ran inside the barn. As soon as she saw the boy sitting on the stool beside the cow, she stopped, then approached slowly so as not to disturb the animal such that it might kick the bucket."
Bryan giggled, "Isn't that what Rosella wanted, Framtom to kick the bucket?"
"Hush."
He continued to snicker while the others looked puzzled at his joke.
'Hi,' Timothy said when he heard her approach. 'What brings you here?'
'I... Well, you see...' Granny had trouble explaining a vision to an older boy and even more trouble trying to tell him about the devil's helper wanting to use a gun on his father.
Timothy listened while finishing his milking. 'Not a bad story, for so young a girl. Fancy, you telling me about an evil spirit visiting and his sinful idea.'
'But it's true,' she insisted.
'An' if'n it is, an' I ain't sayin' it is, what should we do about it? We can't fight Satan.'
'Sure we can.'
He squeezed the last drops from the udder, set the bucket and stool aside, then led the cow into her stall for the night. He turned toward granny and asked, 'How?'
'Well, like I told ya, she wants me to get a gun and shoot your dad. But what if, and this is a giant what if, you and I pledge not to fight for water.'
'Sure, we can do that, but what about our parents?'
'Oh.' She dropped her head.
'See, there's no way to beat the devil.'"
"Use a whip." Bryan pretended to beat the air with a whip.
"Alright! I've had enough." Mother towered over Bryan. "To your room, young man!"
He leaped to his feet and raced out of the room while the others cowered in fear. Mother regained her seat, gulped her lemonade, then continued, "No more interruptions, understand?"
All the children nodded their heads.
"Granny became very serious with Timothy. 'We make a pact, seal it in blood and that's that.'
'And just what is it we have ta do?'
'Make us blood brothers, like our forefathers.'
"Brothers," shouted Bryan from the doorway.
"Young man, you're supposed to be in your room." Mother put her hands on her knees and rose halfway.
Bryan beat it to his room, then when mother returned to the story, he snuck back to hear the rest.
"Well, children, blood brothers is a manner of speech and means they become best friends."
The kids nodded.
"So, Timothy pulled his knife out of its sheath and made a small nick in his forearm then made one in granny's and they put their arms together so the blood mixed. Neither one of them winced, or cried or even made a sound because that would have ruined the oath. Granny spoke, 'As long as we live and our families live on this sacred ground, we will share the water equally so neither family goes without.' Timothy repeated the oath, then they dropped their arms and hugged as sister and brother."
Mother stood tall and smiled at her brood.
"What happened to Rosella?" the second eldest asked.
"That my children, is another story."
They groused, grumbled and murmured.
"Tomorrow night Rosella and granny go to war."
Her kids brightened.
"Off to bed." She patted each child as they left the room, then sat back into her armchair and pondered just what that story would be while Bryan chuckled to himself and dove into his bed.
THE END
ROSELLA PART II
All five of the children sat around mother's moccasin covered feet. They rustled, giggled, snickered and grinned, then settled down when she waved her arms above their heads, brought her thin pointing finger to her lips and let the air whistle past.
"Last night, I promised to tell you the story of Rosella and granny at war."
"You said it would be Rosella and granny go to war." Bratty Bryan smirked as he rocked back on his outstretched hands.
"Close enough, but it isn't exactly them at war but more like locked in battle. You see, just as you've seen on TV, there really is a parallel universe alongside ours."
"What's that?" asked the next eldest.
The other kids had no understanding of this except for Bryan who piped up, "That means here we are." He clasped his hands in front of his face, then sped his right arm, lightning quick away from his left. "And this is the other place."
"Hush, Bryan," mother said. "That's not it at all." She leaned forward in her armchair, put her left arm straight out in front of her and said, "Suppose this is our world."
"Yah, right. A straight line."
"Hush, Bryan, or go to bed."
"Yes, ma'am." He leaned back on his outstretched hands.
Mother raised her right arm alongside of her left. "This would be parallel, meaning similar but slightly different."
"See, kids, they're the same only not really."
"Bryan, let me tell the story, or else!" Mother leaned into her nine year old's face and glared.
He knew what the 'or else' meant so he sat straight as a rod so he would not get switched across his bottom. "Yes, ma'am."
"Now, children, in this other place nearly like ours, Rosella planned to cause Timothy and Granny a great deal of trouble. Remember, this Devil's representative was as thin as the curtains in the kitchen but very strong. In fact, she was so powerful and wicked that it seemed nothing that Timothy or Granny did could stop this creature." Mother looked from child to child making certain she did not appear too scary for the littlest girl. "Well, let me tell you..."
"You are," Bryan interrupted.
"I've had about enough of you, young man!" Mother scowled at the lad who crossed his hands in his lap and dropped his head. "After Timothy and Granny had become blood brothers and solved the water problem, Rosella was terrible mad. She was bent on getting even, so she waited until the youngens were at crystal creek afore she made mischief. You see, Timothy and Carlene were fishing for trout, just like we do, hoping to catch the really big rainbow. Rosella caused a horrible wind which swooped down from the sky and blew them into the water."
The children were frightened, that is, all except Bryan. "Where else does the wind come from except the sky?"
"From blow hards like you." Mother glowered at him.
As Bryan sat rigidly, she snickered to herself.
"So there they were thrashing and sputtering and trying to get to dry land. But the more they flailed the more Rosella made the wind blow. Then granny got an idea. She whispered to Timothy, 'Lay on your back and let the wind blow us to the other side.'
So they both laid on their backs and the strong wind did just that. Well, I tell you, as they scrambled onto the other shore, Rosella was furious. She fluttered and flapped, then flew like a bird every which way so steamed up that she left a smoke trail behind."
Brian laughed, "A smoking behind."
"Go to your room, if'n ya can't behave."
"Yes, ma'am." He giggled as he rolled onto his tummy and held his head in his hands with his elbows buried into the carpet.
"Because of the furious wind, Granny and Timothy were dried in an instant which made Rosella madder. She smoked a great deal more."
"Didn't she know smoking is bad for you?"
"Bryan, not another word!" Mother waggled her finger in his face. She looked sternly at all of the others who cringed, then she continued the story. "Finally, the Devil's disciple stopped in front of the two kids and yelled, 'I will have you this very day!' and she flew off." Mother looked toward Bryan. "Son, my mouth's a bit dry, would you get me more lemonade?"
"Sure." He leaped to his feet, took mother's glass and disappeared. After a moment, he returned with it filled right to the very top with yellow liquid. He walked very slowly so as not to spill any and handed it to mother who smiled and sipped as he took his place on the floor.
"Thank you, son. Now, as I was saying, Granny and Timothy were fearful of what Rosella would do to them the next day but first they had to get back across the creek. So, with Carlene in the lead, they walked on the big rocks toward the near side. Just as granny leaped on shore, Timothy slipped and near drowned but made it safely to dry land. Of course, he was terrible wet and without Rosella's wind he dribbled water all the way home. Now and again he would flick some friendly like onto Granny. Then she would pretend it was ever so much and she would hop around as if mad."
Mother put her finger into her glass and splashed a few drops of liquid on each of the five children.
They giggled, dodged and weaved in this water game.
"Was granny mad?" asked the three year old.
"Of course not, you see, these blood brothers were just playing."
"Oh."
Mother made a very scary face. "Now, the next day, just after the sun was up and the two children were together in the yard, the wind whipped and howled just like when we get a tornado."
All the children except Bryan recoiled.
"Suddenly, Rosella appeared. She was as thin as ever but very red. The fact is, she was nearly as red as when the sun tells us tomorrow'll be a scorcher.
Well, anyway, granny had decided she had had enough of this evil thing and would deal with it. She leaned into the wind so as not to be blown into the hay stack like Timothy had been.
Now Rosella, being evil and all, decided to be mean and stopped the wind.
Of course, this caused granny to fall onto her face right into a pile of pig poop."
The children laughed.
"This made Rosella flap with joy. In fact, she laughed so hard she couldn't get the wind started again and Timothy was able to help granny to her feet. He gave her his handkerchief to wipe her face and she did.
Granny stormed over to the devil's helper and spoke ever so kindly into her face. 'Rosella, you should be ashamed, picking on us like this. We mean you no harm.'
'Not so.'
'Couldn't we be friends?'
Rosella flapped around but not nearly so hard. 'I'm not aloud to make friends, Devil's orders.'
'To hell with Satan!' Granny grabbed Rosella before she could get away and held her fast. 'Now, I've got you.' As quick as lightning, Carlene kissed Rosella on the cheek or what would be her cheek if she weren't so thin.
'What was that for?' she groused trying to wriggle free.
'A friendship kiss.'
'I ain't your friend.'
'Sure you are.' Granny kissed the spirit two more times. 'That makes three kisses and that makes us friends; you, me and Timothy.'
'Not hardly.'
Carlene rushed her captive to the boy and held it in front of his face. 'Kiss her quick, before she gets loose.'
Timothy grabbed granny's hands and brought Rosella to his lips and kissed and kissed and kissed."
Mother blew kisses to all the children.
The five blew loving kisses back to her.
"Well, I declare, if Rosella wasn't taken aback with all this love and friendliness that her soft wind filled with salty water drops, the closest thing to tears this creature could produce. Granny and the lad smiled, and both lavished kisses on the wispy critter who stopped flapping or squirming or trying to get loose and stood rigid as a starched collar.
This kissin' and huggin' went on for some time then all at once there was a huge clap of thunder." Mother moved her head as close as she could to all the kids who recoiled in dread. She put her glass on the small round table and clapped her hands three times three. With each loud sound she added, boom and kaboom and bam and crack and whatever words seemed to be the sound of thunder.
When she had finished, she drank some of the lemonade, then continued, "The sky turned black as the inside of our wood stove. Dense clouds boiled in the sky overhead and the earth shook like when ol' man Jefferson's herd races by." She paused letting the children perceive the ominous scene.
"Out of this rolling blackness, high overhead, in the sky, appeared the likeness of the devil."
The children were frightened so mother reached her arms wide and let them all come into her grasp with the youngest lifted onto her lap. Even Bryan let her enfold him.
"Well, I tell you, it was never darker than it was right then and there. But granny was not afraid, Devil or no, she had her Good Book and a whole lot more."
"What... What more did she have?" Bryan stammered.
"Faith, fortitude and forgiveness."
"Forgiveness?"
"Sure, with the power of the Bible, she had learned that even the worst of sinners are to be forgiven and so she shouted, 'Satan, you, the master of sin, the deliverer of evil, are the one most in need of...'
The evil image bellowed from the darkness. 'I have need of nothing from you, mere mortal.' Fire and brimstone filled the air around Timothy and granny. In fact, the boy was shaking and fell to the ground in fear. He covered his head with his arms. Carlene sat beside him. She put a reassuring hand on his back. 'Nothing to fear here, oh, blood brother. Sit up next to me.' She tapped him.
Very much afraid, he slowly sat by her side.
'Now, say with me, I and your name.'
They both said I and their names. Then Timothy repeated every word she said.
Finally, together, they repeated all the words again and again and again. They said this three times in all."
"What did they say?" Bryan pled with mother.
'I Timothy/Carlene forgive you, Devil, for all your sins.'
All the children were struck dumb.
"When granny and Timothy finished the third time, there was a great deal of thunder and smoke. The whole world seemed as if it were about to explode. Suddenly, as quick as they had appeared, Satan and Rosella vanished from that world and, you know what, they have never been seen there again."
Mother hugged all her children and blessed them. "Never be afraid. So long as you can remember to forgive you have nothing to fear, ever."
She kissed each child as they left to brush their teeth before bed. She held Brian the longest and kissed him the hardest, then watched as he led the youngest to the bathroom.
Mother smiled knowing her brood was safe from all dangers as long as they remembered to forgive.
THE END
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