| Supernatural Fiction posted October 13, 2022 |
  |
A Madge story.
The Star in the Woods
by papa55mike
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Lucy is a lovely young woman who tries not to show it. She keeps her long red hair tucked under her sock hat with no makeup. She's dressed in her mother's old jeans, a tattered flannel shirt, and her father's old boots. Lucy left Memphis yesterday to escape her mother and new stepfather. The other day, before Mom got home, James tried to force himself on her, but she escaped, ran to her room, and locked the door. Lucy has no desire to be raped by him, and now she walks alone on a deserted road to somewhere.
It's midnight, according to the iPhone that James shattered against the wall. When the fog begins to roll in from the open fields, the tendrils of moisture gently wrap around Lucy, but she can still see. The full moon is enough to light her way along Highway 88, heading from Brownsville.
She keeps asking herself, "Where in the round world am I going?" but doesn't get an answer. "Well, that's the first streetlight I've seen in miles. It seems to be through those woods ahead, and it must be Highway 412 heading to Union City."
A voice whispers, "It's not the highway, but a star."
Startled, she searches for the voice in every direction. There's nothing but the fog, harvested corn fields, and the moon. Maybe that light ahead is a star on a pole, a very tall pole.
Lucy continues down the dark road when a stop sign appears. She Googles where she is, and there should be no road here, and Highway 412 is still two miles ahead. There beside the gravel road is a small sign stuck in the ground that reads 'the star' and an arrow pointing to the road.
Lucy says to herself, "I guess this is what they call a crossroads in your life." It was the first time in a while she thought about life or her future. "What future? I'm a seventeen-year-old dropout. I'll end a single mom to a deadbeat husband or a prostitute. It's written all over me, and it doesn't matter what road I chose." Lucy wipes the angry tears from the corners of her eyes and looks down the tree-lined, darkened lane. She takes the first step down the old farm road and sighs, "I hope a serial killer doesn't live here."
The farther Lucy walks, the darker it gets. She checks her phone, and it's dead, even though Lucy went past a tower right before sunset. It's like she disappeared from the grid with no internet.
Even though her feelings scream at her to run away, Lucy keeps taking steps. The usual night sounds like crickets and owls have vanished.
A light appears at the edge of the darkness. Lucy sees a welcoming fire with a grate over it. A frying pan sizzles, and the smell is terrific.
Suddenly, a woman with a long blue dress and apron emerges from a brightly lit, small blue home elevated on a slight hill behind the fire. With a pleasant smile, this tall woman takes a pair of tongs and flips two hamburgers in the frying pan.
Lucy's stomach growls. She hasn't eaten since this morning, and that donut has faded.
The lady by the fire turns towards her and asks, "Is that you, Lucy? The hamburgers are almost done, Sweetie. Sit with me by the fire. We've got lots to talk about."
She quickly ducks behind a large tree. Lucy's mind is reeling with questions, the first being, who the crap is that? Fear slowly creeps down her spine.
The lady by the fire answers her unspoken questions, "Oh, Sweetie, don't be afraid. My name is Madge, and I was sent here by a friend to help you. I know you've run away from home, and why."
A forehead with two big green eyes peers out from the side of the tree, and there by the fire, stands a figure of hope with her arms held out. There are no words between them, just a realization that true love awaits Lucy in her arms if she wants it.
The thoughts of running are still in her mind when she steps around the tree and slowly walks to the fire. Lucy has her head down and a wary eye on Madge, then says, "I am hungry, but can I trust you?"
"Yes, Darling, but I'm willing to earn that trust. You like mustard on your hamburger with lettuce, pickles, and tomato, right?"
"Yes, ma'am. But how did you know that?"
"I know many things about you, Lucy. Like the pain of your father's death and how happy your mother was at the funeral, she flaunted it in front of everyone."
"Yeah, she did. Then brought James home with her two days later. Mama must have been seeing him all along."
Madge takes the giant burger from the pan and gently lays it on a piece of sliced bread, then adds some pickles with lettuce and a big slice of tomato. She then hands the plate to Lucy and a jar of mustard with a spoon and says, "Here you go, Sweetie. I'll let you put the mustard on."
Lucy takes the plate, puts it on her lap, and feels the warmth on her legs while spreading mustard on the bread. She asks Madge, "Is this real?"
"Well, take a bite and let me know," Madge smiles.
Lucy raises the burger to her mouth, inhales the smoky aroma, and takes a huge bite. She rolls her eyes ecstatically and replies, "This is heaven."
"I'll agree with that," Madge smiles, then sits down to eat hers. "This is how we made burgers at my old cafe`."
Lucy asks between bites, "You had a restaurant, cool. Did you make a bunch of money?"
"No, it was never about the money, but all of the people I helped."
"People like me?"
Madge looks into Lucy's eyes and answers, "Yes, beautiful souls just like you."
Lucy stops eating to study Madge and takes off her backpack. She looks deep into her hazel eyes, then along her cheeks with a few wrinkles to her blue dress, then down to her gentle hands. She notices the dress is handmade by the stitching.
Madge asks, "Have you made up your mind?"
"Maybe. I love the way you talk," Lucy grins.
"Yes, my Tennessee drawl is quite prominent. You have a lovely smile, Lucy."
"I got it from my Dad. He told me I could melt a heart with my smile."
"I believe you could, Sweetie. You miss your father, don't you?"
"It's like a knot in my chest, and there are always tears in the corners of my eyes."
"That means he loved you dearly, and you returned the love he gave. Are you still mad at him?"
"Not anymore. I finally realized it wasn't Dad's fault. He never meant for that truck to hit him, but I almost hated him for letting it happen."
"But that's good for you, Darling. Anger is part of that healing process. What do you feel about your mother?"
"Nothing anymore. It's like; I lost Mom when I was ten and never got her back. She lived in our house but wanted no part of me," Lucy takes the last bite of her burger, then sits the plate on the ground. "How can I talk to you like this, Madge?"
"Most people can. It must be my caring heart," Madge places her right hand on Lucy's shoulder, "I know that I would have loved to call you my daughter. My husband and I never had children. He went to war in 1941, but Marty didn't last long. He never could duck his big head."
"Did you love him?"
"Oh, madly, child! I'd do anything to have those big arms wrapped around me."
Lucy giggles and asks, "Weren't their other men in your life?"
"I'd get ten proposals a week. Some were married men willing to give up everything, but I didn't love them."
"I can see why. You're a beautiful woman and have the same smile as mine."
"We're much more alike than you think," Madge chuckles.
Lucy drops her head and slowly slides beside Madge, nuzzling her cheek next to her shoulder. Madge wraps her arms around her and draws her closer.
"I haven't been hugged like this in a long time," Lucy wipes the tears from her eyes and asks, "What's going to happen to me, Madge?"
"I'm not sure, but you're not going to be a prostitute. You've had some critical choices to make in your life recently. One was leaving home when you did, and the second was walking up this road. But there are choices to make every day."
"Maybe I can stay here with you, Madge?"
"Nothing would please me more, Darling. But I'm afraid that can't happen."
"I thought this was too good to be true."
"Don't you worry, Lucy? I have friends coming by that will help you. You just lay here in my arms and rest. Things will look different in the morning."
She drifts off, listening to Madge's voice.
~
Lucy slowly opens her eyes when the sun peeks through the trees. She sits up and notices she's been sleeping on her backpack beside the log. The little blue house must have collapsed long ago, but there are coals from the fire on the ground.
"If it wasn't real, then why is my stomach full? That was the best hamburger I ever ate," Lucy smiles and shakes her head, "I guess it's time to move on."
She finds the sign at the end of the road - it's an old broken poster announcing The Starlight Symphony in Jackson. The top had folded over, leaving just the star, and a trombone was the arrow pointing the way. Lucy looks back up the road, longing to see Madge again.
When she removes her hat to free her red hair, an old truck slams on the brakes behind her. An older man and woman get out, and the man asks, "Did you just come down that road, young woman?"
"Yes, sir," Lucy slowly raises her head, "I spent the night with Madge."
They both gasp, and the woman covers her mouth while tears slowly drip from her eyes. The man says, "Madge only shows up when there's a true need. You must be someone special, Sweetie."
The lady walks over to Lucy, gently takes her hands in hers, and says, "We knew and loved Madge for many years. She saved our farm from foreclosure and wouldn't let us pay her back. We lost a dear friend when she died in a fire sixty years ago."
"What?" Lucy cries out.
The man speaks up, "It's okay. Madge has been helping many people like you since her death, and I can't count all the stories we've heard about her. Was there a star in the sky?"
"Yes, and I forgot to ask her about that."
"It doesn't matter," the woman says, "where are you going, Sweetie?"
"I don't have a clue."
"Well," they both say and smile at Lucy.
The man states, "We live on a small farm not far from here. There are a few chickens to take care of, a cow to milk, and pigs to feed. With both of us near eighty, we could use some help."
The woman adds, "We have a room for you to sleep in, and I'd love to cook for you."
Lucy turns back to the road and shouts, "I love you, Madge!" She turns to the couple and asks, "Do I ride in the front or the back?"
With a big smile, the woman answers, "Slide in beside me, honey."
Lucy is a lovely young woman who tries not to show it. She keeps her long red hair tucked under her sock hat with no makeup. She's dressed in her mother's old jeans, a tattered flannel shirt, and her father's old boots. Lucy left Memphis yesterday to escape her mother and new stepfather. The other day, before Mom got home, James tried to force himself on her, but she escaped, ran to her room, and locked the door. Lucy has no desire to be raped by him, and now she walks alone on a deserted road to somewhere.
It's midnight, according to the iPhone that James shattered against the wall. When the fog begins to roll in from the open fields, the tendrils of moisture gently wrap around Lucy, but she can still see. The full moon is enough to light her way along Highway 88, heading from Brownsville.
She keeps asking herself, "Where in the round world am I going?" but doesn't get an answer. "Well, that's the first streetlight I've seen in miles. It seems to be through those woods ahead, and it must be Highway 412 heading to Union City."
A voice whispers, "It's not the highway, but a star."
Startled, she searches for the voice in every direction. There's nothing but the fog, harvested corn fields, and the moon. Maybe that light ahead is a star on a pole, a very tall pole.
Lucy continues down the dark road when a stop sign appears. She Googles where she is, and there should be no road here, and Highway 412 is still two miles ahead. There beside the gravel road is a small sign stuck in the ground that reads 'the star' and an arrow pointing to the road.
Lucy says to herself, "I guess this is what they call a crossroads in your life." It was the first time in a while she thought about life or her future. "What future? I'm a seventeen-year-old dropout. I'll end a single mom to a deadbeat husband or a prostitute. It's written all over me, and it doesn't matter what road I chose." Lucy wipes the angry tears from the corners of her eyes and looks down the tree-lined, darkened lane. She takes the first step down the old farm road and sighs, "I hope a serial killer doesn't live here."
The farther Lucy walks, the darker it gets. She checks her phone, and it's dead, even though Lucy went past a tower right before sunset. It's like she disappeared from the grid with no internet.
Even though her feelings scream at her to run away, Lucy keeps taking steps. The usual night sounds like crickets and owls have vanished.
A light appears at the edge of the darkness. Lucy sees a welcoming fire with a grate over it. A frying pan sizzles, and the smell is terrific.
Suddenly, a woman with a long blue dress and apron emerges from a brightly lit, small blue home elevated on a slight hill behind the fire. With a pleasant smile, this tall woman takes a pair of tongs and flips two hamburgers in the frying pan.
Lucy's stomach growls. She hasn't eaten since this morning, and that donut has faded.
The lady by the fire turns towards her and asks, "Is that you, Lucy? The hamburgers are almost done, Sweetie. Sit with me by the fire. We've got lots to talk about."
She quickly ducks behind a large tree. Lucy's mind is reeling with questions, the first being, who the crap is that? Fear slowly creeps down her spine.
The lady by the fire answers her unspoken questions, "Oh, Sweetie, don't be afraid. My name is Madge, and I was sent here by a friend to help you. I know you've run away from home, and why."
A forehead with two big green eyes peers out from the side of the tree, and there by the fire, stands a figure of hope with her arms held out. There are no words between them, just a realization that true love awaits Lucy in her arms if she wants it.
The thoughts of running are still in her mind when she steps around the tree and slowly walks to the fire. Lucy has her head down and a wary eye on Madge, then says, "I am hungry, but can I trust you?"
"Yes, Darling, but I'm willing to earn that trust. You like mustard on your hamburger with lettuce, pickles, and tomato, right?"
"Yes, ma'am. But how did you know that?"
"I know many things about you, Lucy. Like the pain of your father's death and how happy your mother was at the funeral, she flaunted it in front of everyone."
"Yeah, she did. Then brought James home with her two days later. Mama must have been seeing him all along."
Madge takes the giant burger from the pan and gently lays it on a piece of sliced bread, then adds some pickles with lettuce and a big slice of tomato. She then hands the plate to Lucy and a jar of mustard with a spoon and says, "Here you go, Sweetie. I'll let you put the mustard on."
Lucy takes the plate, puts it on her lap, and feels the warmth on her legs while spreading mustard on the bread. She asks Madge, "Is this real?"
"Well, take a bite and let me know," Madge smiles.
Lucy raises the burger to her mouth, inhales the smoky aroma, and takes a huge bite. She rolls her eyes ecstatically and replies, "This is heaven."
"I'll agree with that," Madge smiles, then sits down to eat hers. "This is how we made burgers at my old cafe`."
Lucy asks between bites, "You had a restaurant, cool. Did you make a bunch of money?"
"No, it was never about the money, but all of the people I helped."
"People like me?"
Madge looks into Lucy's eyes and answers, "Yes, beautiful souls just like you."
Lucy stops eating to study Madge and takes off her backpack. She looks deep into her hazel eyes, then along her cheeks with a few wrinkles to her blue dress, then down to her gentle hands. She notices the dress is handmade by the stitching.
Madge asks, "Have you made up your mind?"
"Maybe. I love the way you talk," Lucy grins.
"Yes, my Tennessee drawl is quite prominent. You have a lovely smile, Lucy."
"I got it from my Dad. He told me I could melt a heart with my smile."
"I believe you could, Sweetie. You miss your father, don't you?"
"It's like a knot in my chest, and there are always tears in the corners of my eyes."
"That means he loved you dearly, and you returned the love he gave. Are you still mad at him?"
"Not anymore. I finally realized it wasn't Dad's fault. He never meant for that truck to hit him, but I almost hated him for letting it happen."
"But that's good for you, Darling. Anger is part of that healing process. What do you feel about your mother?"
"Nothing anymore. It's like; I lost Mom when I was ten and never got her back. She lived in our house but wanted no part of me," Lucy takes the last bite of her burger, then sits the plate on the ground. "How can I talk to you like this, Madge?"
"Most people can. It must be my caring heart," Madge places her right hand on Lucy's shoulder, "I know that I would have loved to call you my daughter. My husband and I never had children. He went to war in 1941, but Marty didn't last long. He never could duck his big head."
"Did you love him?"
"Oh, madly, child! I'd do anything to have those big arms wrapped around me."
Lucy giggles and asks, "Weren't their other men in your life?"
"I'd get ten proposals a week. Some were married men willing to give up everything, but I didn't love them."
"I can see why. You're a beautiful woman and have the same smile as mine."
"We're much more alike than you think," Madge chuckles.
Lucy drops her head and slowly slides beside Madge, nuzzling her cheek next to her shoulder. Madge wraps her arms around her and draws her closer.
"I haven't been hugged like this in a long time," Lucy wipes the tears from her eyes and asks, "What's going to happen to me, Madge?"
"I'm not sure, but you're not going to be a prostitute. You've had some critical choices to make in your life recently. One was leaving home when you did, and the second was walking up this road. But there are choices to make every day."
"Maybe I can stay here with you, Madge?"
"Nothing would please me more, Darling. But I'm afraid that can't happen."
"I thought this was too good to be true."
"Don't you worry, Lucy? I have friends coming by that will help you. You just lay here in my arms and rest. Things will look different in the morning."
She drifts off, listening to Madge's voice.
~
Lucy slowly opens her eyes when the sun peeks through the trees. She sits up and notices she's been sleeping on her backpack beside the log. The little blue house must have collapsed long ago, but there are coals from the fire on the ground.
"If it wasn't real, then why is my stomach full? That was the best hamburger I ever ate," Lucy smiles and shakes her head, "I guess it's time to move on."
She finds the sign at the end of the road - it's an old broken poster announcing The Starlight Symphony in Jackson. The top had folded over, leaving just the star, and a trombone was the arrow pointing the way. Lucy looks back up the road, longing to see Madge again.
When she removes her hat to free her red hair, an old truck slams on the brakes behind her. An older man and woman get out, and the man asks, "Did you just come down that road, young woman?"
"Yes, sir," Lucy slowly raises her head, "I spent the night with Madge."
They both gasp, and the woman covers her mouth while tears slowly drip from her eyes. The man says, "Madge only shows up when there's a true need. You must be someone special, Sweetie."
The lady walks over to Lucy, gently takes her hands in hers, and says, "We knew and loved Madge for many years. She saved our farm from foreclosure and wouldn't let us pay her back. We lost a dear friend when she died in a fire sixty years ago."
"What?" Lucy cries out.
The man speaks up, "It's okay. Madge has been helping many people like you since her death, and I can't count all the stories we've heard about her. Was there a star in the sky?"
"Yes, and I forgot to ask her about that."
"It doesn't matter," the woman says, "where are you going, Sweetie?"
"I don't have a clue."
"Well," they both say and smile at Lucy.
The man states, "We live on a small farm not far from here. There are a few chickens to take care of, a cow to milk, and pigs to feed. With both of us near eighty, we could use some help."
The woman adds, "We have a room for you to sleep in, and I'd love to cook for you."
Lucy turns back to the road and shouts, "I love you, Madge!" She turns to the couple and asks, "Do I ride in the front or the back?"
With a big smile, the woman answers, "Slide in beside me, honey."
 Recognized |
I wrote the Madge story on October 1st, 2015. After seven years, it was time to write another one. If you're interested, look for a rewrite of Madge's Cafe' out soon.
Many thanks for stopping by to read!
Have a great day, and God bless.
mike
Pays
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and 2 member cents. Many thanks for stopping by to read!
Have a great day, and God bless.
mike
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