Chapter One
Marcia winced at the whimper and whine of the injured Labrador on her operating table. Some claw swipe had left him with a ragged gash on his hind flank. Since coming to the live and work in Kinson two weeks ago, she’d found that her Nursing degree was in desperate need here. Pets and livestock often came up hurt, and though she was no veterinarian, she could stitch and disinfect the massive bite-marks and claw gashes. The residents were in good health for the most part, but she was more than happy to see to their needs, infrequent as they were.
The clinic was a rural branch of a larger hospital, and she was paid what she thought was a wonderful salary for the little work she had to do. For one reason or another, most other applicants had declined the position. Marcia chalked it up to not wanting to live in the middle of nowhere in a mountain village without so much as a fast food joint for 10 miles around, but she’d never minded the quiet, growing up in a small town herself.
“I told ya, it’s those damned ol’ were-things! They always come ‘round, eatin’ on our animals, scratchin’ up things.” Granny Jones, as she was affectionately known in Kinson, sat quietly in the waiting area, only some 20 feet away from the operation and examination room of the small clinic.
Marcia could only smile, giving a soft shake of her head as she finished patching the widowed woman’s dog up. She failed to suppress a giggle as she fit the large cone around the dog’s neck to keep him from chewing at his stitches. Ms. Jones walked around the small divider, giving a soft pet to the Labrador’s side, looking up to Marcia. “Thank you, dear. You’ve done such a good job, I don’t know what I would’ve done if you’d not come up! Since we ran that old doctor outta town, there ain’t been much we can do about this sort of thing.”
She nodded firmly. “I understand. Thank you for bringing him in. I’m glad I could help.” With that, Ms. Jones eased him down from the table, holding him with ease despite her age, gave a warm smile and departed. Marcia thought to herself how wonderful it was to be appreciated. There was no way that she would’ve been in the sea of doctors at the hospital she intended to work for when she graduated. She felt she could do a lot more good for these people. She couldn’t have known the enormity of the role she would play in their collective destiny.
She gathered up her things, shutting down the clinic for the night, turning the sign on the door to display her personal phone number for emergencies as always. As she descended the stairs, she unbuttoned the white coat she wore, and then adjusted the purse at her shoulder. Marcia had always been a voluptuous, soft woman. She imagined living in a town where communal all-you-can-eat dinners were a weekly occurrence would see her a bit chubbier quite soon, and she was perfectly fine with that.
There was really no need for a car in a town this small, so hers more often than not stayed at her humble home in the small garage. She’d only been down from the mountain town twice since arriving, both times to stock her pantry. Marcia was a fantastic cook, and was eager to share her gift with the residents at the dinner that night.
She walked the few blocks to her house quickly, taking in the historical buildings and homes as she went. All but a few of the homes were situated on the main thoroughfare of the town. Hers was situated along the path up to the mountain ascent, and had been occupied for a long while before she moved in. There were plenty of cobwebs and buckets of dust to sweep out, but with a hand from most of the town’s three dozen or so other inhabitants, it was made quick and easy. A recluse’s home sat high above at the end of the trail, quite nearly atop the mountain itself. She imagined it’d take a full day’s hike to reach it on foot, the path was far too narrow to drive, and he’d never shown any interest in interacting with the other residents. She thought it best to let sleeping dogs lie.
Upon arriving home, Marcia sat her bag down, and quickly got down to the business of making dinner. Being a Louisiana transplant, she’d decided to make an authentic Cajun chicken and sausage gumbo for everyone. It was the perfect thing for a wintry night like the one they were expecting, and a light dusting of snow had already coated most of the roofs and vehicles around. She made her roux, prepared her ingredients, added and adjusted as necessary, and let it cook down for a few hours. The clinic closed at noon every day, so there was plenty of time to make a proper pot for everyone.
She moved to the fireplace then, lighting the logs inside to take a bit of the chill out of the air, giving a little shiver as she slipped the white coat from her shoulders and hung it by the door. Her phone was plugged in and the lights brought down, and she settled in for a well deserved nap.
Marcia was awoken by a loud knock at the door only a half hour into her nap. She bolted up, standing quickly and rubbing her eyes before walking to the door and opening it hurriedly.
She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the friendly face of her neighbor Cindy Garnette. “What is it, Cindy? I was just settling in for a nap. Is everything alright?”
Cindy was a younger woman, barely out of high school, and had lived in this town her entire life. She gave her brightest, most pleading smile as she clasped her hands in front of her. “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to want to bring me on down, would you?”
Marcia shook her head slowly. “No can do, sweetie.” She made a small wafting motion toward her nose, prompting Cindy to lean in, coming back wide-eyed and grinning. “Ooooh, that smells good. Fine, fine, I’ll ask my mom. But you better save some of that for me if I’m late!”
She gave a little nod, watching Cindy head back to her house down the street. Usually, she would’ve dropped just about anything to help Cindy out, the two of them having become fast friends in the short time she’d been in Kinson.
Within the hour, the smell of the gumbo had begun to fill the home. In two hours, it was wafting through the open window, raising more than a few eyebrows as her neighbors walked by. She knew she’d be the big hit of the community dinner, and it would definitely make up for her paltry contribution last go-round.
Cindy, who’d arrived back from her trip by the time the gumbo was done, helped Marcia carry the giant pot down to the dinner. Just as Marcia hoped, it was the star of the party by far, and by extension, so was she. Most of the other food went largely untouched, and everyone went home with leftovers of both her gumbo and one another's’ food.
She still found it a bit bizarre, even for a small town like Kinson. There was a certain solidarity and companionship that might even seem out of place among most families. Everyone got along famously, and even when there were disagreements, they were mild and quickly resolved.
As everyone packed up to leave, Cindy put together her large basket of food and started off home. Best to get to bed early, she thought. Long day tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe I’ll have to stitch up a possum. A little giggle and shake of the head. Before long, she’d arrived home.
She unlocked the door, turned the handle, then turned around to bump it open with her soft backside, picking up the basket to bring it inside. She shrieked as she turned, an imposing figure towering over her only a few feet away.