Chapter 1

 

For years, people in Wakulla County, Florida saw a phenomenon called the Wakulla Volcano. Large plumes of sometimes black or white smoke could be seen rising out of Wacissa swamp deep in what was later Apalachicola National Forest. Further north in Tallahassee it could be seen at times with brightened shafts of white or green smoke causing locals to think it was Indians or smugglers. The more imaginative thought it was the Devil stirring red hot pots of bubbling tar. Mysteriously it stopped after the Charleston, South Carolina earthquake of 1886.

 

September 10th, 1944

Jimmy Dukes sat on the edge of his bed tying his high-top tennis shoes as morning light streamed through the side windows and shined on the Cleveland Indians pennant above his bed. He was a pitcher for the Bankers, a little league team sponsored by the First National Bank of Crawfordville, and had always dreamed of playing in the majors like his hero Bob Feller.

It was Saturday and Jimmy couldn’t wait for the day to begin so he could meet his best friend Billy Dawson at the courthouse. His mom was still sleeping so he creeped softly across the wooden bedroom floor then down the hall to the kitchen in the back. He got a box of corn flakes from the white cabinet above the counter and emptied them in a bowl then poured on milk. At the table he sprinkled on several spoons of sugar from a bowl.

Sam, their nine month old German Shepherd, stood at the back screen door as a soft breeze blew into the kitchen. Jimmy who was 12 had lived in this house all his life. A screened in front porch opened onto a small living room then a hallway with bedrooms on each side ran down the center of the house. In the back was the kitchen and another porch. An almost constant breeze blew down the hallway and into all the rooms.

Jimmy took a bite thinking about what he would find in the drainage ditch. He had a collection of hand blown bottles that were turquoise, light rose and even purple. They were mainly old medicine bottles but a few were liquor and they all had cork stoppers. He took a bite and reached in his pocket feeling the dollar his mom had given him. Since his dad died, she had worked at the A&P grocery store while his brother Bobby worked part time until he went into the Army in September, 1943.

He finished eating and put the dishes in the sink then creeped softly back to his room. Opening the top drawer of the bureau by the front wall he got his collection of baseball cards and spread them on the bed. He and Bobby would call out the name of a player and the other would give a statistic like batting average or home runs. Naming a pitcher’s e.r.a. for a certain year would mean a night off from washing dishes.

Jimmy searched through the cards finding Bob Feller often called Rapid Robert because of his fast ball. He had an opening day no hitter in 1941 and his e.r.a. of 3.15 was the best in baseball that year. Joe DiMaggio, center fielder for the Yankees, hit in a record 56 consecutive games that same year. He looked a little longer then put them up and reached under his bed for his glove and tennis ball. Then walking across the room to the bookcase next to Bobby’s bed he reached above it for his Cleveland Indians cap hanging on a nail.

Walking softly into the hall he glanced at the kitchen clock above the screen door. He still had a little time so he carefully opened the front door and walked out across the yard and down the steps onto the brick street. He took a windup bringing his leg high in the air like Bob Feller then threw the tennis ball at the front steps and caught the rebound. About thirty minutes later he put the glove and ball on the front porch. 

Walking down Palm Street he went past small wooden houses with front porches and turned right on Orange Avenue going under a huge oak tree with hanging moss then past houses with palm trees and old cars in front. Cutting through the Crawfordville Elementary playground he then walked around the side of the two-story brick building onto the front lawn which sloped gently toward Tangerine Street. He turned right then several blocks later saw Billy sitting in front of the courthouse. Sneaking up behind he put his hands on his shoulders making him jump.

 Jimmy started laughing. 

“Why do you always do that?” Billy frowned pushing up his black framed glasses.

“Because I like to.” He grinned.

They had been best friends since anyone could remember. Through cub scouts and boy scouts they had always been together and even played on the same Little League team. 

“You got the shovel?”

“Right here.” Billy held it up. “You got the bag?”

“Yep.” He smiled.

They walked past the courthouse with two Royal palms and a large oak tree in front then crossed Alabama street. It was in the low eighties as they walked in the shade of huge moss hanging oak trees past old homes with wrap around porches. It was so nice being outside after being in class all week. After walking down the gently sloping sidewalk for about fifteen minutes they crossed over Tangerine and were walking down Citrus Avenue, a side street.

“Step on a crack, break your mother’s back.“ Jimmy yelled.

 They pushed and grabbed each other while they walked.

 “You stepped on a crack.” Billy’s black hair was plastered down.

 “No, I didn’t.”

 “Slugs.” Billy yelled.

 People were stepping onto the covered platform of the train depot.  

“Okay.” Jimmy frowned, turning up his shirt sleeve, then Billy smacked him.

 Billy stepped on a crack.

“My turn.” Jimmy smiled then landed his fist. 

They went back and forth several times.

“You want to give up?” Billy grinned. 

Jimmy was rubbing his red arm.

“No way.”

“You want to call it a tie?” 

People were on benches on the platform.

“Okay but you quit first.” 

“No, I didn’t.” Billy had on a white tee shirt.

“Yes, you did.”

“You boys stop arguing.” Mr. Meeks, the train depot supervisor, stood on the covered platform glaring.

They put their heads down and turned right onto a dirt path beside the drainage ditch. After about fifty yards they stopped. The ditch was about ten yards wide, fifteen feet deep and the bottom and sides were matted with plants and vines. Tires were strewn about and everywhere were bottles and trash. Thick woods were on the right and on the other side was a field with high grass and weeds.

“You sure you want to do this?” Billy saw trash covered with flies.

“Why not this is going to be fun!” 

 Carefully they climbed down to the bottom and took turns swinging the shovel knocking down plants and vines, and putting bottles in a pile. A three-foot yellow corn snake crawled from a hole near Billy who tried to catch it before it slithered into some bushes. They began looking at the bottles swatting away flies as they threw away the ones they didn’t like.

“Look at this one.” Jimmy held a light rose bottle. 

The sun was beating down. 

 “Probably held laudanum.” 

“What’s that?”  Sweat was running down Jimmy’s back. 

“It’s what people took before aspirin.”

Jimmy put it in a burlap bag.

They collected more bottles then began digging along the sides with the shovel. Sweat soaked their tee shirts as Jimmy rolled over rocks and Billy stood with the shovel raised above his head.

“I saw something shiny.”

Jimmy got down on his knees and felt around in the brown soil. His fingers wrapped around a small hard object which he wiped on his blue jeans. He then held it up in the light.

“What is it?” Billy’s hair hung in his face. 

“It’s some kind of cross.” 

He handed it to Billy who examined it for a few seconds.

“Doesn’t look like any cross I’ve ever seen.”  

Something snapped above them and they saw a man in a Hawaiian shirt standing by a pine tree. Billy stuffed the cross in his pocket and grabbed the bag while Jimmy got the shovel. They scurried up the side and ran all the way to the train depot before stopping.

 “Do you see him?” Billy said between breaths as they looked down the ditch.

“I don’t see anything.” 

 They looked at each other for a second.

 “Let’s get out of here.” Billy’s eyes were bulging.

They walked and ran until they reached the courthouse and sat on a bench in front by the sidewalk. Their clothes and faces were streaked with dirt.

“That guy’s crazy.” Jimmy looked down the street. 

The Hawaiian Dream or Dream for short was a short pudgy man with a fondness for Hawaiian shirts and thick black cigars.

“Why do you think he’s following us?”

“Maybe it’s the cross.” Jimmy wiped his face with his shirt. “You still got it?”

“Yeah.” Billy took it out of his pocket.

Moss hung from the oak above them.

“Let me see it .. It’s got strange symbols on it.”

“Maybe it’s some kind of secret code.” Billy pushed up his glasses.

“It feels kinda creepy.” Jimmy handed it back.

A lady carrying a grocery sack walked past them.

“We better take this to Uncle Joe.” 

“Right.”

They looked down the street a few moments as a breeze rattled through the Royal palms.

“What are you doing this afternoon?” Billy’s black glasses were crooked.

“Gotta mow the yard … what about you?”

“I gotta book to read.”

“Sherlock Holmes?” Jimmy brushed some dirt off his jeans.

“Yeah.”

“Of course.” Jimmy smiled.

 They sat for a little while watching cars and people.

 “You ready to go?”  Billy squinted at the bright sun.

“Yeah.”

They stood and started walking down the sidewalk toward the school. Across the street was Connie’s Drug Store with a soda fountain that made really great chocolate malts. Teenagers hung out there a lot. Next to Connie’s was Ginger’s Department Store then there was the Zephyr movie theater and the A&P where Jimmy’s mom worked. The sun was directly overhead when they walked up to the police station but no one was there.

“I guess I’ll have to keep this till Monday.”

Two girls came out of Nick’s café and started giggling and pointing at the muddy boys who looked away. Betty Lovette was in Jimmy’s sixth grade class and wanted to be his girlfriend while Cindy Jones was in Mrs. Allen’s class. The boys walked past the Dixie barbershop with their heads down then turned left on Oak.

“Isn’t that your girlfriend?”

“Betty Lovette?” Jimmy frowned. 

“Yeah Betty Lovette.”

Mary’s Boarding house with dark green awnings was on their right.

“I don’t know, maybe.” 

“I heard she passed you a note.” Billy grinned. 

“So?” Jimmy kicked a rock. 

“She’s kind of cute.”

“You think so?” He smiled slightly.

Yellow butterflies fluttered above a vacant lot.

“Yeah.” 

“Do you like Cindy? 

“She’s got cooties.” 

“How do you know?” 

“She drank at the water fountain after Helen Dobbs.” Billy blew his nose.

“That doesn’t give you cooties.” Jimmy frowned.

 They passed a house with a rusty roof. 

“Helen Dobbs has had cooties since the fourth grade.” 

“You don’t get cooties from a water fountain!” 

“You do if you touch it after someone.” Billy adjusted his glasses.

They stopped in front of an old two story house.

“No, you have to touch someone to get them.” Jimmy almost yelled.

“Not with a carrier, you have to have a cootie shot for them.” 

“You’re crazy!” 

A truck passed them.

“That’s why I always have a cootie shot.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” He put his hands in the air.

A few minutes later they stood in front of Billy’s house. 

“I’ll see you Monday… don’t forget the cross.”

“I won’t ..see you later alligator.” He shot a goofy smile. 

“In a while crocodile.” 

Jimmy heard the plopping of sneakers as Billy ran up the sidewalk to the front door and went inside. About ten minutes later he was home.