The Raven Mocker by Aiden James Read Free Book Online Page B

her Sunday afternoon shopping plans as it had the night before. The view from her upstairs room splendid, most of the surrounding trees glistened from snow that slowly melted. Dripping ice cycles hung from the branches of a nearby maple, as well as the kids’ swing set in the backyard. And to top it off, a small throng of winter-hardy birds called out merrily to one another from the higher branches of the surrounding pines and a rather majestic oak standing in the rear of the property. Their songs lifted her heart.
    Nattily attired in tan slacks and a white sweater, she stepped over to the long mahogany antique dresser against the wall opposite the window to finish the final makeup touches around her eyes. Using the mirror attached to the rear of the dresser, she soon was ready to join her nephew’s family downstairs. But before she left the room, she took a moment to lift her carry-on bag from beside the bed and set it on the dresser, carefully removing the jewelry box.
    Once relieved of their protective wrappings, the precious diamonds and sapphires seemed to glow brighter than yesterday in the soft natural sunlight invading the room through the window. Satisfied, she rewrapped the gems and closed the box, placing it inside the top middle drawer of the dresser since it lay empty. She also added the trust papers she brought for David to sign, sliding all of the items to the very back of the drawer before closing it.
    Ready to join everyone downstairs, she prepared to exit the room. A sudden whisper startled her, enough to where she almost dropped her purse and the eye glasses carried loosely in the palm of her hand. Ruth peered warily over her shoulder, but didn’t discern anything had changed since her last look around the room.
    The murmur was low pitched, similar to another she thought she heard last night when briefly awakened. She dismissed it as a gust of wind somehow seeping into her room through a minute crack between the window and its frame. That would also account for how cold it got last night.
    The room cozy when she awoke, nearly an hour ago, it now grew chilly again as she stood there. She forced herself to ignore it. Straightening her sweater, she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, where it was much warmer.
    She decided to leave the door open; hoping the heat from the landing crept into the guestroom in her absence. Joyful laughter resounded from the dining room below. Christopher and Jillian could scarcely contain their excitement with only one day to go before Christmas Eve.
    It’s so wonderful to be a part of this!
    That’s all she would allow into her awareness, paying no attention to the light rustling noises coming from the guestroom as she walked downstairs.
     
    ***
     
    “ Hey, Mom, Auntie Ruth is up now!” Jillian announced as Ruth stepped into the dining room from the foyer. “Good morning, Auntie Ruth!”
    Jillian hurried over and threw her arms around her waist. Not to be outdone, Christopher sped toward her from the opposite side of the Queen Anne styled cherry table that graced the center of the dining room. When he abruptly jumped down from his seat, the crystal chandelier that hung above the table swayed enough to draw a stern look from David.
    “ Oh, my, my!” Ruth bent down to kiss their cheeks as they wrapped their arms around her neck. “You both are such little angels of sunshine!”
    She stood back up and Christopher latched on to her right arm while Jillian clasped her left hand within her own. Together they walked over to the table and sat down, with Ruth sitting between them. The table laden with an array of breakfast items, Miriam and Janice Andrews had been busy since daybreak preparing pastries and fruit muffins. Sausage and eggs had been added just before Ruth joined them, and David cooked up some biscuits and gravy just for her.
    Touched again by the efforts to make her visit truly special, she hadn’t seen Janice since shortly after Christopher’s