The next morning, I awoke with beads of sweat streaming down my face and a terrified expression upon my face, Mama said, as she had gotten me up early to watch Little Frank and my baby sister, Victoria. She was concerned a bit, as I was not one to usually have nightmares, but she claimed my staying up later than I was used to, was the cause of the bad dreams. With how bad they really were, I just agreed with her.
In my dream, I saw a man. Sickly green, with tattered, sweaty and bloody clothes, his face sunken in and lip chewed to expose rotting yellow, chipped teeth. Eye sockets were sunken in and dark, and eyes a horrible, cloudy and bloodshot look. In my dream I would inch closer and closer to this, early on, unfamilar man. He would shake and tremble, and cough something horrible. But I pressed on closer to him.
This man in the dream, was my father... I knew his face, despite the sickly sunken in look, straightaway. I woke with a silent scream when my mother shook me when he shot up in the dream reaching for me. She and Yarnell looked at me strangely , but the dream had shaken me so, I didn't want to even ask why.
"We won't be gone too long. Stay inside, and don't open the door for nobody." Mama warned me as usual. You'd think after a couple of years of saying it, she'd stop. It is wise advice, I understand now. I straightened up and braided my hair, and got dressed. I waved to Yarnell and Mama as they started off in a small cart.
Little Frank and Victoria were well asleep at this early hour, so I decided before going back inside I would just run by the barn and stable, and make sure everything was well. I knew it would be, but I liked to make doubly sure of things.
A few hands on the farm, up earlier than others, were feeding some horses and others readying some saddles. I was extremely curious at this point. "Why are you all saddling the horses now?"
One of them seemed eager to be the knowledgable one, "We're taking the cows out to graze early today. It looks like its going ta storm, so we're taking them out early while its clear and putting them in the barn early this afternoon." He said, glancing over at me during this explanation while he adjusted the girth of his saddle.
"I see. Be careful then." I continued out of the stable, stopping for a moment hearing one of the hands coughing. Mr. Labeouf's letter now came to mind as did my horrible dream... but I played it off as the cool morning air making him cough.
I checked on the corral of cows about to sent out to graze and rubbed the forehead of one or two close to the fence, then headed back into the house. Removing my jacket, I headed to my room and picked up Mr. Labeouf's letter then sat upon a sofa in the living room where it was warmest as Mama had had a fire going the night before. I began to feverishly read the letter, making sure I missed nothing. As I looked at his fancy and, rather feminine, signature I noticed a P.S on the bottom of the page and an arrow pointing to flip the paper.
I frowned. I didn't know if I wanted to read it or not with how what I had already read terrified and now paranoid me a bit. But I went on and turned the paper over.
It read as follows:
They tell us here, avoid close contact with people who seem sickly. I just thought I would warn you. Stay safe.
And that was all. I looked up and down the page like a madwoman seeking more information, but that was it. I stared into the fireplace now, reminded of the coughing ranch hand outside. It now worried me even more. But I decided to tell myself, he wasn't very close, Mattie, he was on the other end of the stable. That made me feel a little better...but I still worried.