Roslynd Branner watched dust swirl into little tornados as the evening wind drifted through her family’s small shanty. The dust devils followed gaps in the floor as the sun’s rays beamed between boards on the crudely built wooden shack. She rubbed her ears each time the breeze slapped a loose plank against the wall. It wasn’t much, but it was her home. 

A crooked family photo, too small for its frame, hung on a wall next to a door. It was the only picture with all of them together. Her eyes burned as she thought about her family and small town. She hoped tomorrow would pass without problems, but that was unlikely. Roslynd looked at her mother as she scurried around the kitchen. Will I take her place if she dies too?

Her mother typically rang the dinner bell when she finished cooking. The family always piled around their small table and enjoyed their quaint meals. Mr. Branner traded some carpenter work for a pig, and Roslynd looked forward to the day when it sat at the table as pieces of bacon or slabs of ham. She loved meat, but her family rarely ate anything other than biscuits and sawmill gravy.

“Roslynd. Get your head out of the clouds and set the table.” Mrs. Branner wiped her flour-covered hands on her apron. 

“Yes, Ma’am.” Roslynd looked out the window as she placed the last fork on the table. A cloaked figure, silhouetted by the sunset, walked toward their house. It paused, waved at Roslynd, and disappeared into the forest.

“Ma? Did you see that person near Mr. Haggleman’s farm?” 

“There ain’t no one out there except your Pa and brothers. Did you set the table?”  

“I swear I saw someone out there. They had on a dark cloak, and they waved at me!” 

“There you go again with your head out in space! Table—did you set the table?”

“Yes, Ma’am. I ain’t lying, Ma. Truly! I saw someone out there waving at me!” Roslynd sighed as Mrs. Branner shook her head and rang the dinner bell. She yelled at her husband and sons to wash their hands before they sat at the table, just like she does each meal.

The Branners gulped down biscuits and gravy. Soon, the family followed their nightly routine and talked about their day. Mr. Branner said that Mr. Gillroy’s cancer spread to his liver, Mrs. Gillroy’s plow horse kicked her and broke her leg, and the judge developed a horrible cough. Inflation and food shortages depleted everyone’s pantries. Mrs. Branner said the pastor’s son caught pneumonia, and his baby may also be sick. Josiah, the Branner’s oldest son, said the entire Maverick family might have the flu, but the doctor was unsure. 

“Lord, have mercy! What’s going on in this town?” Mrs. Branner wiped a tear from her cheek. “I don’t see how any of us are gonna make it past this year.” She placed her hands on her face and sobbed.

1927 started with joyous celebrations, but happiness soon faded into tears. The Bryson family all died in the middle of January. Dr. Langston, the town’s physician, assumed they had caught tuberculosis. The doctor figured Mr. Bryson developed and passed the sickness to his family because of his weak immune system. The Bryson’s torched house, family cemetery, and several other bleak locations around the town reminded everyone why Governor Gilbo quarantined Harvest, Mississippi.

“Now, don’t you worry yourself into a frenzy, Mary Ruth. We’ve always made it, and we always will.” Mr. Branner patted his wife’s hand and gently smiled. “Dr. Langston hasn’t left his office since this thing started. He’ll find out what it is and how to stop it before it kills the entire town.”

Roslynd looked at her Pa. She always told him she wanted eyes that matched the sky like his and that she didn’t enjoy having mud balls for peepers. Mr. Branner brushed back his blonde hair, stood, kissed his wife, and went to his room.

“Ma? Do you think I need to worry about that cloaked man?” Roslynd scooted her chair closer to her mother.

“You are about to turn fifteen years old! Stop fretting over some figment of your imagination! Josiah. Roslynd. It’s your turn to wash the dishes.”

“But Ma!” Roslynd crossed her arms as Mrs. Branner slammed her bedroom door. Roslynd looked at Josiah in disbelief. “Why won’t she believe me?”

Josiah shrugged. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” 

Roslynd retold her brother what she saw before dinner and that Mrs. Branner didn’t see the person. She was sure her mother didn’t even care. Josiah tugged Roslynd’s hair and laughed.

“Did you see the bogeyman?” 

“It ain’t funny, jerk! I did see someone or something. I mean, they waved at me!”

Josiah laughed harder. “Was it Mr. Haggleman’s ole scarecrow walking down the street?” 

Roslynd punched his arm. “No! It was not! I don’t know who or what it was, but I saw something in a dark robe!” The two bantered about what Roslynd saw as they finished cleaning the dishes. She snuffed out the candle after they tidied up the kitchen and went to bed.   

Thoughts about the mysterious person kept her awake all night. Roslynd waited for dawn before quietly putting on her clothes and tip-toed through the house. She remembered the location of each loose board, and it helped her sneak by her family without waking them. She liked to take walks by the creek at least twice a week and enjoyed the cool morning breeze just before sunrise. This was her time. However, yesterday’s event guided her steps. 

Some doves sang their morning song as they flew over freshly dug grave sites. She turned into the forest, where she saw the hooded figure, and followed a small path that led to the creek. Roslynd realized she always wandered this trail each time she went out alone. She headed towards an old, hollow oak tree where she hid her journal. The sweet smell of honeysuckles caused her stomach to growl as she strolled to her writing spot. That’s when she saw him sitting at the base of the tree.  

The man held up her journal. “I’ve been waiting for you.” He slowly stood and removed his hood. “Please, I mean you no harm.” Roslynd thought he was taller than Josiah and her Pa combined. His hair looked like the color of a summer wheat field just before harvest, and his cloudy eyes glowed brighter than a full moon. “I’ve read your journal and think I can help you.” 

“Hh… How can you help me?” Roslynd crept towards the man even though she felt serenity surround her. Her feet seemed to float across the ground, and her heart pounded in her ears with each second that passed. Yet, she was calm. His smile made her think about Christmas, Thanksgiving, and every holiday that made her happy. 

“I am Mathias. I heard your words as they floated through the air, and I’ve come to help you. Once I leave this place, you will become what your family and town need.” 

“I don’t understand.” Roslynd wiggled her fingers and toes as they tingled from a strange energy that surrounded her. She gasped for air, just like she does every time she swings out over the creek on a kudzu vine. What is happening to me? 

Mathias seemed to read her mind. “Don’t worry. I am bestowing a powerful gift on you. It is okay.” 

She nodded and closed her eyes as the feeling intensified. Her arms flung up and to the side, as her body buzzed harder. This is what lighting must feel like! Roslynd’s mind raced until the excitement lessened. This must be a dream. What’s going on?

Mathias smiled gently. “You now have the ability to help your town. You can manifest whatever comes to your mind. But be warned! Do not use this power for personal gain, or I will take it away from you.”

Roslynd studied his face. “Are you an angel?”

“I am what I am.”

“What does that mean? How do I know you aren’t telling a fib?”

Mathias leaned back and laughed. “You are a humorous child! Go on, think of something, and see what happens!”

She closed her eyes and gasped as warmth covered her hands. She licked her lips as the smell of fried chicken drifted to her face. “What! I can’t believe this!” She bit into the chicken leg and grinned. “This is delicious!”

“I told you, didn’t I? I know you have many questions, and I will answer them in due time. Remember, I am always watching.”

“No! Don’t go!” Roslynd reached for his arm and stopped when she saw him fade into a mist and vanish. She stared down the path where Mathias stood. This can’t be real. I must be dreaming! Her mind raced as she stumbled back to the dirt road.

“Hey! You okay? You seem lost?” Josiah tapped her on the head. “Ma is looking for you. She said ya’ll are going to the pastor’s house to bring them some food.” 

She slowly nodded and looked at her brother with glazed eyes. 

“You’d better snap out of it before you get to Ma. She’ll pop your head for sure!” 

Roslynd meandered home and met her mother as she stepped out of the house. 

Mrs. Branner gritted her teeth. “Guess your clothes will do. Come on.” 

The pair didn’t say a word until they got closer to the pastor’s home. Mrs. Branner thumped Roslynd’s arm. “Now, don’t you go on about that cloaked thing you saw last night. We’re here to check on our pastor. You hear?”

Roslynd nodded, still confused about her earlier encounter as they approached the parsonage. The old house sat next to the local railroad station. A decayed Magnolia tree leaned over the porch and groaned with each wind gust. Scattered pieces of a small porch step littered the ground near the house, and tattered curtains floated in and out of two side windows. Roslynd and her mother grabbed a splintered column and stepped onto the porch. Mrs. Branner straightened her skirt before she knocked on the door.

“Mrs. Branner. Roslynd. It’s good to see you.”

“Good morning, Pastor Fritz. How are ya’ll?”

Roslynd thought Mrs. Branner tried to emulate a socialite from the big city. Her mother always overacted when she was around an important person. She hated how her mother put on a show. It reminded her of how a movie star portrayed different characters in various films. She tried to hide her disgust from Mrs. Branner, but she was sure her mother saw her roll her eyes. 

Pastor Fritz motioned for his family to join him at the door. “Well, the doctor thinks Peter and the baby caught pneumonia.”

Mrs. Fritz came to the door with Peter and Grace to greet the guest. “I know they might have pneumonia, but they aren’t acting like it. They have a fever and cough, but it isn’t what the doctor said.” 

Roslynd smiled at the baby and Peter. She gave the freckled-face boy a high-five and tussled his red hair. “How are ya, Pete?” 

“I’m good now that you came to see me! Thank you, Roslynd!” 

Mrs. Fritz smiled as she placed her hand on the boy’s head. “Johnathan! His fever! It’s gone!” She shrieked louder and started shaking. Roslynd took Grace from Mrs. Fritz as she moved her hands over Peter’s head and neck. 

“What? What’s wrong!” 

“Feel his head! It’s like a cool breeze lifted the fever right out of him!” 

Pastor Fritz kneeled next to his son. “Well, I can’t explain this!”

Roslynd smiled as the baby giggled and kicked her arms happily. “Mrs. Fritz! Grace doesn’t feel like she has a fever anymore, either!” 

“What! Thank the Lord above! What’s going on?” 

The commotion continued for several more minutes until Mrs. Branner decided it was time for them to leave. The Fritz family stood on their porch and waved like happy maniacs until Roslynd and Mrs. Branner were out of sight. 

“How strange?” Mrs. Branner said as they walked down the road. “How strange.”