Boldly Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Memories of Terror

Lorna arrived at school early Monday morning, as usual, before any of her pupils arrived. Six thirty and the sun had barely risen. But the town was just as alive at six in the morning as it was at six in the evening. Wagons rattled down main street. All along the streets, the shutters on shop windows were being thrown open and storeowners were out sweeping their porches or setting out their wares. The heavy smell of bacon pervaded the air, mixing with the ever-present of tobacco and horse manure. The sound of cattle calls and whip cracks out on the prairie just beyond the little school house caused Lorna to turn to the window and she could see in the distance a herd of cattle being run past. This was yet another new sight for her... in Scotland, they didn't herd anything but sheep. And that was on foot, with a few dogs. Not on horseback and at such an incredible speed. She wondered where they were headed. To new pasture, probably? Or were they being hauled to market? From what she had heard, it was probably too late in the year to set out on a cattle drive. Winter was but a few months away.

"Good morning teacher!" one little girl was already entering the school. Beaming, she deposited a little paper sack on Lorna's desk. "Everyone else says you're s'posed to give apples to your teachers. But I thought that maybe teachers like cookies, sometimes."

"Teachers love cookies," Lorna laughed. "I'd live on cookies, if I could get enough o' them." Impulsively, she knelt to give the little girl a hug. It was so good to feel loved... and she felt that her pupils loved her. This particular one was Laura Danby, a precocious six-year old with an abundance of silky brown curls. It was the joy of her life that her name was "most the same as Teacher's" and, equally, the bane of her existence that she did not have red hair. She had told this to Lorna just last week and Lorna had laughed rather heartily over it.

"But dinna ye ken that a rather fiery temper comes with hair like this? It's somethin' I'm afraid I canna escape. An' that is th' bane o' my existence that I canna control it... at least, some o' th' time." And she wondered where on earth Laura could possibly have gotten the phrase "bane of my existence". It was entirely too much of a phrase for a six year old to comprehend. The mere fact of it kept Lorna awake for nearly an hour that night, wondering.

The raucous noise and laughter coming from the school yard announced, as usual, the arrival of the other children. This was the reason Lorna had taken extra care to arrive at school early that day. Her preparation already completed for the day's lessons, she took Laura's hand and joined the others in the school yard for a game of tag.

It was the height of glory for the children when Teacher saw fit to join their games. As the highest honor they could bestow, they mutually dubbed her "it" and instantly ran in all directions, shrieking with laughter. Tripping over her petticoats and breathless with laughter, Lorna managed to grab seven-year old Josiah, just by the straps of his overalls, as he reached the edge of main street. But he didn't stop running and in another moment, both went down in a heap.

"Good mornin', Miss McAllister," the laughing voice up above her caused Lorna to remember suddenly the proper decorum for a schoolteacher. She struggled to her feet, looking up at the man on horseback while she tried in vain to disentangle Josiah from her skirts. He was, unfortunately, wound up. And when a seven year old boy gets wound up, it is very, very difficult to restore them to a state of calm again.

"Mr. McCulloch!" she felt her face was flaming as she attempted to appear dignified again. "I... beg pardon, sir. We... I... wasn't watching where I was going." for she had a vague idea that she had fallen directly in the path of his horse. This was... bad. She hadn't seen him since the day he had come to the schoolhouse to return her things. And she had been very dignified then... aside from dropping the chalk, of course. And now the McAllister pride rose in her with a vengeance. It was a mercy she was able to hold it in.

"I was hoping we'd meet sometime... I met Mr. Mulligan... Hank, I mean... an' he told me... what ye did. I... I'm glad fer ye." He nodded, smiling, and might have said more but Josiah was tugging at her skirts.

"Looks like yer students are pretty eager t' get studyin',"

"Aye. I have t' go."

They were eager, surprisingly, for as Lorna rang the bell, announcing class, she was nearly stampeded by the rush of students as they made their way to their desks. Or perhaps it was eagerness to get through their studies in order to be done again.

"Teacher," Rachel put up her hand before Lorna had time even to announce the first exercise of the day. "That man on the horse out there, is he your beau? I know all 'bout beaus... my sister has three of them."

"No, no, of course not..." Lorna frowned.

"But do you have a beau?" Rachel persisted. "Everyone has got to have one."

"No, I dinna have one at all. Now if you will all take out your readers," Lorna attempted to be firm about it but Rachel was determined to get something out of her.

"Did you used to have one?"

"Aye," Lorna said softly. "I had one... once. But... that has absolutely nothing t' do with our lesson. Rachel, will ye please take out yer reader? I'll hear from ye first. The first stanza o' The Lady of Shalott."

oOo

The day went rather well... at first. Recess was a little chaotic, but that was to be expected. It wasn't until history class when Lorna felt the first sense of alarm.

"Josiah, can ye tell us who 'twas discovered America?"

"George Washington." This, with the firmest sense of confidence. There was definitely no doubt in his mind.

"Not quite," Lorna smiled. She herself was new to American history but had been studying it ever since she had first taken the notion to leave home.

"George Washington was the first president," Mary stated promptly, without being asked.

"Aye, thank ye, Mary. But remember t' raise yer hand. Josiah, d'ye remember what we talked about last week? The man who wanted t' sail west t' find India? Can ye remember his name?"

Josiah shook his head.

"Teacher, does somethin' smell funny?" This from Samuel, who sat in the back corner and rarely spoke. But he looked worried. Lorna noticed it suddenly and suddenly froze with fear. It... couldn't be...

"I smell it too," Josiah was eager to get the subject away from whomever it was had discovered America. "Smells like smoke. Maybe ya didn't clean the stove."

"I did." Lorna frowned. "This mornin', before I..." her voice trailed away. Surely she was imagining things. It was just like her nightmares... coming back again to haunt her. She would not think of it.

"Josiah, it was Christopher Columbus who discovered America. Class, write that down in yer copybooks, please. Christopher Columbus discovered America. I'll write it on th' board so ye ken how t' spell it."

Lorna turned to the board, but had barely finished writing when the students started crying out, frantically.

"Teacher! Teacher, quick, look!"

Lorna looked and an icy wave of fear swept over her. It wasn't a nightmare, it was real. The school was on fire.

"Class, quickly! Everyone out. No, line up. I dinna want t' miss any o' ye. Aye, right. Now, run!"

The students had arranged themselves into some semblance of a line and Lorna counted them quickly as she rushed to the door and pulled them past her into the yard.

"Nine, ten, eleven... Who is missing?" Fear was gripping her heart so that she could hardly think. Again she counted as she directed the children across the street and urged them to go into the general store. It was the only thing she could think of. Laura... Laura was still in there. And the flames were rising fast.

Swallowing her fears, she turned and ran back into the little schoolhouse, crying for Laura, ignoring the crowd that was gathering. Already the smoke was so thick that she could scarcely see and she covered her mouth with her shawl. It was just like... Horrible memories of that dreadful day of over a year ago were swirling through her mind... more stifling than the smoke. She could see Laura, huddled against the far wall, away from the flames. She reached her side and gathered the sobbing little girl into her arms. But turning back, she realized the doorway was in flames and she was numb, paralyzed with fear. It was as if something crept over her, forbidding her to move and she slumped against the far wall, staring mesmerized at the orange flames as they leaped higher up the wall, beginning to spread to the ceiling.

It seemed as if an eternity before she heard someone calling her name... as if in a dream.

"Here! Robbie... I'm here... Robbie!" she was screaming, sobbing, irrationally. It was all the same... all just as it had been. In panic she clutched the girl tighter to her. It was so dark... and everything was swirling around her. She was going to die... right there. And Robbie... Robbie would die too. And Da... where was her father? Again she called out to the unseen person somewhere beyond that inky black smoke.

"Robbie... I'm here... Robbie!" She could no longer stand... she felt weak from the smoke and the fear... But someone had reached her side. And someone was lifting her from the ground, Laura still clutched tightly in her arms.

She knew nothing more until she found herself out in the sunlight again. The crowd had formed a bucket line and managed to put the flames out. The schoolhouse stood... a blackened, smoking skeleton against the blue sky. Someone had taken Laura from her and Lorna realized she was still being held... by whom, she didn't know. But she clung to him, sobbing. It was good after that horrible, everlasting moment of terror to feel strong arms around her. She felt... safe.

"Are you all right?" She turned her head to look up at him and smiled weakly.

"Aye. I think so. I thought... it was like being there again... But... ye're not."

"Not what?"

"Robbie."

"I don't think so," he laughed. "Who is Robbie?"

"Someone I knew once... a long time ago." Lorna sighed. "I... I think I can stand now." He set her down but did not leave her side and she grasped his arm again as her legs trembled.

"I'm glad t' have finally done somethin' fer ya," he added. "After... Well, maybe we'd better start again. Our first meetin'... an' the second... an' the third... well, none of them were quite right."

"Nor is this one," Lorna laughed in spite of herself. "I'd hardly call this th' setting fer a proper meeting. But I'm willin' t' start again."

"Good. Then... I'm Jason McCulloch."

"An' I'm Lorna McAllister."

"Welcome t' Keystone, Miss McAllister. It's an honor t' meet ya."

"Thank ye. It's an honor t' meet ye also... but would ye please call me Lorna?"

"Only if you call me Jason."

"Now," Lorna said, with an air of finality. "Would someone please tell me what happened here?"