Chapter Twelve: A Night in Granny's Thyme Patch
Time: July 1, 1979
Midnight had passed into the first day of July as Sirius approached the rear of the McNiven's cabin on foot. He'd apparated to the North pasture as soon as Sapphire and Granny M had retired into the cabin after super, and had been hard at work ever since. He was feeling quite proud of his good deed, if rather foot sore. (Oh, how he had wished for a broom!) That hay would surely sleep like owl down tonight.
Since Wednesday, he had not stopped thinking about Jake Morton; the way he had threatened Sapphire's person as well as his claims on her granny's land, coupled with the fear he had seen (and, with a dog's nose, smelled) from Sapphire, had troubled his mind. Hints he had picked up from the women that Morton might be planning to frame the McNiven's for growing pot, combined with the nagging thought that Morton might now spread the word the Sapphire was a witch - true or not, it could be equally disastrous - had made up his mind; so, the last night before he departed for home, he placed a seven year ward on the McNiven's north pasture. Obtaining a big chunk of fence post from land that really did belong to the Mortons, he splintered it all across the Morton/McNiven boundary - a tediously long walk - as well as the opening to the McNiven's driveway. If any member of the Morton clan attempted to cross into the McNiven's land, the ward would turn him back the way he had come.
Sirius wasn't worried that the Mortons would get lost in the woods - after all, they would be turned back to either the main road or their own property. At first, it did bother him that he was surely preventing Jake's father, the sheriff, from reaching the cabin; but when he tried to ask what sort of aid the local sheriff might supply in case of trouble, Sapphire wrinkled her nose and declared she'd as soon ask a copperhead snake for a kiss as ask a Morton for help.
Sapphire had elaborated. "When Granny and Grandpa lived in town so Daddy could go to school, they rented the farm to the Mortons. When the barn burned, they said it was lightning; but we're pretty sure the Morton's set fire to it on purpose." The motive, according to her, was to get the McNivens to sell the land; but the McNivens had returned, although they had never been able to rebuild the barn or replace the Model D tractor* that had supposedly burned with it, and the farm's income had suffered as a result. "They had spent most of their savings, and Grandpa was too old by then to almost start over, so he just worked the South fields with a mule and kept a few pigs that could shelter in the woods if the weather got bad."
Why had the McNivens set no wards against the Mortons, Sirius wondered? Had he been wrong; could this woman who had so entranced him with her voice, and her granny both be squibs, or even muggles? Perhaps there was some local wizard's law prohibiting the ward - he'd heard of stranger things - or perhaps the McNivens hadn't the knowledge. He had finally fixed on this last idea.
Granny had told of attending the local one room school - muggle for sure - and claimed her schooling ended at age thirteen. Even if she had attended a wizarding school for some of those years, she would not likely have learned wards by that age. Sapphire claimed four years of muggle college, and anticipated two more. The nearest wizarding grade school he knew of was a day school in Atlanta - too far for a daily commute, even with a fast broom. (American wizards seemed to gravitate toward large cities for their schools, with the necessary owl traffic enchanted to resemble common pigeons and disillusioned house elves tending the doors.) If it were true that boarding schools were not popular in the states, and considering how attached Sapphire seemed to her granny, then her magical education could be entirely homespun. If it were long on practical potions and short on defensive spells, that would be no surprise.
With that thought in mind, Sirius had taken it upon himself to prevent the Morton's from doing further damage to his new friends.
He summoned a cool drink of water from the well behind the house; no point in waking the dead with that noisy pump handle. Now, he rounded the long side of the cabin. He slowed his steps; there was a faint pool of flickering light spilling off the side of the front porch. Someone else was up late. A few more steps, and he saw Granny M's face; by the light of her candle it looked as deeply valleyed and creased as the mountains she lived in. She was seated in her rocker, a paring knife in one hand and a root in the other. Flows of wax almost over topped her stubby candle, and two piles of Ginseng lay on either side of her. He felt a twig give under his foot with a snap and a soft scuff of his boot. The old woman looked up.
"Sirius?" she called softly into the dark. Her voice was a worn thin version of Sapphire's.
"Yes, Ma'am?" he answered, also softly.
"Can't you sleep?"
"Just a trip to the loo." Had she noticed he'd been gone for hours?
Granny snorted, "You'll confuse that old outhouse with yer fancy English names."
Sirius laughed, and Granny shushed him. "Don't wake Sapphire. She'll start in again fussin' at me fer stayin' up all night."
Not bothering with the steps, Sirius levered himself up onto the porch floor and sat at her feet. "Do you stay up all night often?"
"Now an' then."
"Don't you get tired?"
"Honey, at ninety-four I don't GET tired - I done GOT!"
Sirius' laugh was shushed again. "I'd be happy to help you with whatever you're doing, so you won't have to stay up any later," he offered, eyeing the larger and smaller piles of Ginseng she had made.
"Any earlier, ya' mean," Granny said, her accompanying grin lurching weirdly as a little breeze worried the candle flame. "An' I don't have t' stay up. Don't have t' do this at all, if'n I don't want. Sapphire's perfectly capable, and would keep me from liftin' a finger if I 'llowed her. No, I like sittin' out in th' night." She studied Sirius for a moment with such a penetrating look that he began involuntarily smoothing the floor planks with his palm. "I want t' remember the sounds of this place at all hours, you see," she finally said. " The smells, too. I want to have my enjoyment of 'em while I can. There'll be time for sleep later, I believe."
Sirius had no answer for her, so only nodded, "Oh."
Granny studied him for another little while. "If'n you're tired, go on back to bed. You don't have t' sit up the livelong night listenin' to an old woman talk nonsense."
"No, I don't mind; I mean, it's nice out here, and ... well, what I'm trying to say is, I can't imagine you talking nonsense. I could listen to you on and on. I mean, for real." Sirius was babbling, but he didn't care; he didn't want to be dismissed. He suspected the old woman had something important to say, and he was bound to hear it.
Granny's answering grin was barely detectable by the now guttering candle, but the mischief in her voice was plain as day. "You may be sorry ya' said that; but since ya' did, how about takin' an old woman fer a little stroll?"
"Um, sure... OK," Sirius stammered, surprised.
"Help me down." Granny rose stiffly from her seat. "It's been a right long while since I had a good look at th' summer stars. That little storm we got yesterd'y will've cleared the air, and this may be my last good chance."
Sirius answered her nothing, but offered his right arm, and Granny gripped it with both hands as she descended the steps. Once down, she retrieved her cane with her right hand, and continued to hold Sirius' arm with her left as she directed him around the porch and behind the cabin. There, they followed a little dirt track through the pasture gate. Jack, dozing under a red oak, gave them a sleepy look and closed his eyes again. As they emerged into the open field, Sirius looked down on Granny's head. Her back was bowed now, but it was obvious she had never been tall. He noted, also, how much black persisted in the old woman's hair. In her youth, she must have looked much like Sapphire.
As though sensing his thoughts, Granny spoke. "When my husband Ollie and I first lived here, I'd come out on warm nights and watch th' stars fer hours. The first time he woke up an' missed me, he thought I'd gone out to th' privy; but when I didn't come back fer a spell, he came lookin' fer me. I heard him a'hollerin' all over, so I hollered back fer him to quiet down and come back here. When he found me, he called me a crazy Indian who'd rather sleep on th' hard ground than a goose down mattress. I had t' do some persuadin', but I got him t' stay out with me a bit, and I told him some of th' stories in th' stars; and the wild thyme that scatters through the grass back here just smells s'purty when ya' lie on it. Well, it wasn't two weeks till I was out here again, and here comes Ollie with a blanket over his arm, and just as quiet as he can be. He didn't say any more about 'crazy'." Granny chuckled, and pointed to a big, flat rock near the center of the field. "Later on, when my John was a baby, if'n he got colicky and wanted t' cry all night, I'd wrap him up and bring him out here, too. Lot'sa times, he'd quiet right down. I always told baby John that I'd picked him out of th' thyme patch, which is prob'bly not so far from the truth." She chuckled again. "I'm not embarrassin' you, am I, young fellow?"
"Er, no ma'am." Actually, Sirius was glad she couldn't see him blush in the dim light, for he'd been having his own very private thoughts about watching stars with a pretty girl beside him. Astronomy had always been one of his favorite school subjects - he would have excelled at it even without the side benefits of getting to help the girls with their homework. (In his sixth year, a couple of seventh year girls had discovered he was reading a year ahead of his class, and asked him to tutor them. Up on the astronomy tower, he'd learned a few things from them, too!) The stars here were the brightest he'd seen anywhere aside from Hogwart's tower, and they evoked generous amounts of pleasant memories. He'd just gotten around to wondering if Sapphire ever came out to lie in the wild thyme. That was a thought he intended to think on further. For the moment, thought, he was helping Granny settle on the boulder. ("My legs don't hold me up so well as they used to, and if'n I lie down, you may not git me up again!")
Once she was settled, and Sirius had rested his back against the side of the rock, Granny continued. "I'm going to miss this place fer sure. We lived in town fer twelve years while John went to school - didn't want him t' drop out at thirteen like I had to - but I was sure glad t' come back. Sapphire says we'll come back next summer, but I'm not countin' those chickens before they hatch. " Granny paused and let the crickets fill in for a while.
Sirius was afraid to inquire about why she might not return, so he asked, "Why are you leaving?"
"My son and daughter-in-law say it's too dangerous t'come up here in the winter when there's ice on the back roads, and what if I fall or get sick? What then? Well, I could tell 'em I'm going t' die of somethin' or other, and sooner, rather than later, and that it ought to be up to me where I do it; but I suppose that'd be hateful of me. I know they would feel bad if I died up here by myself, and they weren't around to do something about it - now isn't that a good joke, as if they could stop death from coming fer an old carcass like me! Anyway, my Sapphire has rented herself an apartment with two bedrooms right near the university - and not far from th' hospital either, I notice - and she's got it all planned fer me to move in with her. Well, who can complain about a granddaughter that wants to keep you that close? Her company'll be good compensation fer leavin' my home, and I'll admit it does get a bit lonesome up here by myself.
Sirius asked, "Doesn't Sapphire stay here all the time?"
"Oh, no, honey. She goes t' school in the city during the winter. 'Course last year, she finished her degree, and she stayed here all winter then. She says she wants t' save a little money before she goes after her Master's, but I think she really just wants t' keep an eye on me. I told her not t' put off her education on my account, but she insists that she'll learn more from me than school. Now, I tell 'er what she learns from me may not count fer much to other folks. You know, I learned t' birth babies from my mother and grandmother, but it's against the law fer me to do it without a piece of paper sayin' I've had the right schooling. When Earl and Sapphire were born, I wasn't even allowed in th' room! No, the old knowledge doesn't count fer much these days.
"But I was sayin', at my age, only a fool's afraid of death. My cup has been filled t' overflowing, and askin' fer more would just seem downright greedy - but you be sure I'm going t' relish every last drop before it's empty; to do otherwise'd be ungrateful."
Granny turned her face and looked at Sirius. "Always be grateful fer what ya have, if ya want to be happy. Ingratitude makes a body hardhearted an' mean. Take my daughter-in-law fer instance; she doesn't know how t' be happy. She never wants what she has; always takes on about wantin' a bigger house or a newer car, when it's plain t'see that what she has is more than plenty. My John is a good husband to her, but seems like a day can't pass that she doesn't think of some way she wishes he were that he isn't, or some way she wishes he weren't that he is. And wasteful, I tell you! I once sent them four pint jars of blackberry preserves I'd canned - blackberry is my John's favorite, ya' see - and if she didn't put every last jar in the trash! 'Too old', she said. Well, I know those preserves were still good. If you put somethin' up properly, I don't see how a few years sittin' in the cellar will do it any harm. Didn't even bother t' save the jars, she didn't!"
Sirius felt it was best to refrain from comment, but Granny didn't seem to notice his silence. She continued, "And Earl, my grandson; he's caught that attitude from his mother I reckon. He throws away money like he was made of it - which he's not, I can tell ya'. I'm mighty afraid a good bit of it goes t' drink an' dope. I tell Earl he ought to appreciate the strong body God gave him and try t' live right, but he doesn't listen. He could've gotten a good education - after he got out of th' army they would've helped pay fer it, but he'd rather have some two-bit job so he can start drinkin' as soon as he gets off and spend what's left of his money on some girl he'll ferget next week. Sapphire says the war made him that way, but I say he already had th' habit.
"Now, Sapphire, she's different. She's like my John, always seein' the worth in a thing. She's not wasteful. If you give her a pretty package, she'll take off the paper gentle like and put it back for usin' later - she was that way from almost the time she could walk - and she always wants t' know ever'thin' about ever'thin'. It's a joy fer her t' know even th' most common thing fer what it is an' see the wonder in it. That's why I say she's a born healer. She's got a gift fer seein' right to th' heart of things, be it 'n herb or a critter or a person. She doesn't want it t' be something else, so she sees it fer what it is. I tell you, she has a gift. It sets her apart from other folk. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I think so," Sirius responded cautiously. Just what was Granny trying to tell him about her granddaughter? Was Sapphire a lone witch in this family? While he pondered, Granny continued.
"She doesn't go runnin' after the boys, either. Oh, there are plenty that would like t' keep company with a purty girl like her - course, she don't meet many boys out here in these woods - but she has other things t' occupy her mind with. I reckon she'll be like I was; when she finally meets th' right fella, she'll know what she wants and she'll stick with it. I never did let a fella' court me serious like till I met my Ollie, but I knew he was fer me almost from the day we met. I couldn't 've asked fer better."
Granny looked down at Sirius again. "What about you, young man; do you have a particular girlfriend?"
Sirius was a bit startled at the sudden turn in the conversation. "Uh, no ma'am. Not a particular one." He was relieved when she asked for no more details about his love life.
"Well, you're young yet, I suppose," Granny continued. "'Course, time was, they thought a woman was an old maid if she wasn't married by twenty-one or thereabouts - but you have to do what suits you. I didn't marry until I was in my thirties. They all thought I wouldn't, but I fool'd 'em!" Granny chuckled. "Now, Sapphire, she's twenty-two, but she plans on gettin' a bit more schoolin' before she settles down. With gifts like hers, it only makes sense - she'll live a different life from or'n'ry folk. "
So, Sirius thought, Sapphire was three years his senior. He decided to add a couple of years to his age if they asked. He was tall enough to pull it off, and he wouldn't want such a pretty lady to dismiss him as too young for a snog. Granny had as good as told him she was picky about her boyfriends, but Sirius could think of a couple of occasions when he had managed to obtain the reputedly "unattainable" woman. Sometimes standoffishness was only a veil for shyness - or a sidelong invitation to be energetically pursued. He had nothing to lose by trying, now did he?
Sirius was dreaming of beautiful, inscrutable older women when Granny shook him awake. He was cold, damp, and his back was stiff. The creeping of the stars told him they'd been there over an hour. "We'd better go back before Sapphire misses us," Granny said.
Neither of them was very steady as they rounded the corner of the cabin and approached the porch steps - Sirius was half asleep and a bit lame from sitting on the ground so long, and Granny's feet were swollen enough to make her hobble. He had the hilarious thought that he and James staggering home from a late party had looked somewhat like this, only James would be taller and minus the hair bun. He helped Granny up the stairs - it seemed to take forever - and had just reached for the cabin door when it opened of it's own accord.
"What now!" Sapphire was standing in the kitchen with a robe over her nightgown. Her hair was pulling out of it's braid and fell across her shoulders and chest with fetching abandon. He resisted the urge to reach out and smooth the wayward tresses; their owner looked very tired and cross.
"Where have you been!" she addressed this to Granny, and began shaking her head.
"Now, Sapphire, I had Sirius help me out to th' back pasture so I could watch th' stars a while..."
"You should be in bed - look, you can barely walk, your feet are so puffy - and if you wanted to go out back, I could've taken you." Sapphire seemed not disturbed by her non sequitor. She was clearly worried about her Granny.
"Now that you're safely inside, I think I'll say 'goodnight'," Sirius interjected. He nodded at Sapphire and quickly removed himself from the brewing argument. Granny thanked him with a smile; Sapphire paid him no attention at all. The sound of their fussing followed him half way to the hay shed.
@ 3646 words on 07/17/07
* The Model D should be a Dain - John Deere, c. 1924 I think.
Posted by Madmaxime at February 5, 2008 03:45 PM