Nether Regions (31 page)

She looked up through the dimness and saw her mother and Clary standing on the slope toward Salamander House. Johnny stood behind them. Clary had offered to help and Sophie knew she had taken Sophie’s refusal as an insult. Perhaps one day she would come to realize that Sophie just couldn’t share this last task her grandmother had requested of her. Even if Faye had offered to help, Sophie would have said no. It was Sophie’s place and hers alone.

“Okay, Grandam,” Sophie said. “You’re ready.”

She stepped off the boat and glanced once more at her watching family before sliding the boat into the water. Yes, only one person was allowed on Grandam’s final voyage and Sophie had been chosen. Some would fault Beulah for not choosing Faye, but no one, Faye included, had been as close to Grandam as Sophie. If Beulah’s son Keene had still been alive, Grandam might have requested he pole the boat and that would have been fine by Sophie.

As Sophie leapt onboard and pushed the boat from the bank, she looked back and saw Faye collapse into Clary’s arms. She was glad Clary was there to comfort her mother. Faye had suffered a great loss too, for her sense of home had been ripped away.

Turning her eyes forward, Sophie faced the sultry humidity of the inner bayou. A chain of lights along both shores gave her pause. She immediately thought of the fairy lights she often saw beneath the water and for a few seconds thought the lights had risen from the depths. Then she realized it was the people of the bayou; they had gathered along the shore to say goodbye. Holding lanterns, candles, rushes and flashlights, they bore silent witness to Grandam’s final journey into the bayou. She could see the faces of a few of the mourners, had treated most of them. Most had their heads bowed, hands over their hearts in gestures of respect. Those who met Sophie’s gaze nodded their encouragement as she passed.

Standing on the boat with Grandam lying next to her, Sophie felt infused with a sense of power and oneness with the bayou. A cool wind caught her and wispy curls stirred around her face.

“I sure will miss having you with me every day, Grandam. I don’t know why good people can’t live forever. I know the ways of nature and that it’s a necessity that all things pass on, but it still rankles that you have to leave us.”

She paused a long beat as she maneuvered the boat around a bend. “I sure hope you’ll come be with me when I tend the sick. I still need you.”

The wind caressed her once more and her thoughts left Grandam and moved on to Delora. Images of her flitted through Sophie’s mind like film frames filing through a projector. Delora listening to her, eyes curious. Delora smiling at children. Delora lying below her, eyes darkened by passion.

Guilt beset her. Burying her grandmother was no time to be filled with thoughts of Delora. She still couldn’t deal with the fact she’d been with Delora when Grandam had died. It broke her heart to realize that Beulah had died alone. She knew it would trouble her for some time to come.

Poling the boat along, she passed familiar landmarks. The lore passed along the bayou was so specific she had known exactly where she was during her first trek along this path at the age of twelve. Her first journey upbayou had been to take a stillborn baby, Lithin Sirois, to his final rest. Sophie had learned a lot about herself during that first journey.

Just ahead, on her left, was the triangle-shaped rock outcropping. Ten minutes farther on there were three red rocks lined up along the west bank. The tree of enchantment loomed ahead. Over the decades it had been festooned with colorful ribbons creating a rainbow of movement in the gentle wind that continued to blow. Bearing right at the ribbon tree, Sophie found herself in a very old, very dark area of Bayou Lisse. Here there was no sound. The bayou water lapping at the banks was even strangely muted. The only sound was the intrusive insertion of Sophie’s pole as it penetrated the water and the soft susurrus of the boat’s passage.

Suddenly it felt as though Grandam quickened at Sophie’s feet, as if her body eagerly sought its new home. It was disconcerting, but Sophie had felt it before. It seemed the dead know their abode. Within minutes, she reached the point where the rocky bank made an inverted V, creating a large cul-de-sac. Sophie slowed, allowing the current to maneuver the small flat boat into the mouth of the hidden area. The boat was almost too large, and Sophie stumbled when the sides of the boat encountered land on two sides. Regaining her equilibrium with a determined two-step, she glanced down through the dimness to make sure she had enough of an area to place Grandam.

Her imagination ran rampant, or perhaps it was her sensitive nature, but she could feel the souls of all those buried here beneath the water. She knew some had gone away, scattered helter-skelter by hurricane fury. A storm came along every few years and washed the remains away, back to the vastness of the bayou. Others, more recent burials, rested below in woven wooden coffins, silently. Peacefully. Small fish and crustaceans fed here and carried parts back into nature’s extensive web of life.

Sighing, Sophie pulled her pole free and stowed it in the lock. She crouched and lay both palms on the polished wood splits, her fingers grasping hold.

“My love and faith to you, Grandmother. Care for your new companions and they will care for you. From one world to the next, only that endures,” she said softly, then she repeated it in the old language for those below who wouldn’t have understood.

Tears filled her eyes. She paused then and slid a heavy necklace of hematite beads from around her neck. She fastened it securely to the edge of the coffin.

“Goodbye, Beulah Rene Fox Cofe. May your rest be peaceful and your next life filled with joy.”

Moving to the back, she slid Grandam down the specially designed ramp of the boat. She stood, hands clasped and watched as the bayou water crept inside and claimed Grandam’s body. She stood a long time, here in this place of the dead, until the bubbles stopped rising and Grandam had settled herself among the sleeping ones below. Warmth suffused Sophie and she felt comforted.

Chapter Fifty-Three

Light of Holiness Church was overflowing with bodies, color and sound. Beulah’s family wore their finest to mark her passing. All knew the elaborate coffin, closed as traditional with the Manu Lisse, lay empty at the front of the church, but it didn’t matter; this social event would serve to celebrate the life of the bayou’s beloved healer. The
gange
people of Redstar would have been horrified to discover that Beulah wasn’t inside, but it was a cherished secret knowledge only among the Manu.

Sophie supposed every person they’d ever helped had come to pay their last respects. The people spilled from the church, completely filling the expansive green outside. Her heart swelled to think her grandmother’s memory beat in so many hearts. Grandam would be pleased. A few seemed to be just this side of the veil themselves, no doubt thinking they would soon reunite with Beulah.

As was their way, while Brother Kinder spoke about the importance of Beulah Cofe’s life, the women keened softly, slow petitions to entreat the Others to guard her well and make her life a welcome asset to them. The sound formed a bridge of transfer as this life gave up the well-loved woman to the Other Side.

Sophie moved in a cloud of numbness, the grief from Grandam’s real funeral lingering. It may have been simple fatigue that deadened her; she had not rested a moment since Grandam had passed. There had been so much to do, taking care of loose ends and orchestrating all the necessary ritual. Dying creates a whole new set of chores for those left behind. The tasks were winding down now, however, and soon life would return to something resembling normalcy. She knew this, deep in her soul; today however, she was plain tuckered out.

Also troubling was Delora’s notable absence. She’d not returned any of Sophie’s hurried messages and hadn’t spoken to her since Louie’s funeral. It pained her heart to think Delora didn’t care.

Then the service was over and Sophie accepted the hugs and handshakes of those who had loved or known her grandmother. Their faces passed in a familiar blur. They presented a daily diary of their healing career. Her grandmother had once presented her to each of them, proud that Sophie was following her life as a healer.

Sophie sighed as she accepted the condolences of Reggie Platte. She smiled and held his hand as he told her an endless story about his time with Beulah. After he moved on, she allowed her gaze to roam the room, searching for that one familiar face.

And there she was. She stood to Sophie’s left, over at the end of the church, where the pews ended. Sophie’s heart skipped a beat and joy warmed her. Delora’s smile was sweet and sad when their eyes met. Her eyes appeared red and Sophie wondered at this.

Distracted by another well-wisher, Sophie pulled her gaze away and moments later Delora approached her.

“Sophie, I’m so sorry I didn’t call. Things have been nuts with Rosalie and finding a place to live. Can you forgive me?”

Sophie’s eyes let her know all was okay. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, taking Delora’s hand in both of hers. “Can you stay after?”

“Of course,” Delora replied. “As long as you need me.”

She moved away into the crowd and Sophie felt the void.

“Is that your little girl? The one Clary told me about?” Faye appeared at Sophie’s side.

“Yeah, her name’s Delora. I’ll introduce you later.”

“She’s pretty.” Her eyes followed Delora as the small woman approached Stephen.

“Yes, she is,” Sophie agreed. The crowd had finally begun to disperse and she felt relieved. “Her husband just died.”

“I thought you said that. When?”

“Almost a week ago. He was a monster and she’s well shed of him.”

“How will she get on?” Faye examined one of her perfectly polished fingernails.

Sophie’s face screwed in irritation as she regarded her mother. “She works harder than anyone I know. She’ll be fine.”

“Still. Does she have family?”

“Yes, Mama,” Sophie said, taking in a deep breath as she moved away. She was eager to bid Faye farewell. Life was so much easier without her at Salamander House. “We need to go speak to Brother Kinder, then let’s get on back home. I’m tired.”

“Sure, honey, sure.” Faye watched her daughter with a concerned expression.

“So what are the chances of this happening? Louie dying and you losing your grandma at about the same time?” Delora had pulled her knees to her chest and was resting her chin on them. Her mien was thoughtful.

“Slim,” Sophie replied quietly.

They were sitting side-by-side on the wooden steps of the shed behind Salamander House. Most of the visitors had left, but a wealth of family remained inside.

“I mean, it’s just too weird.”

“It is,” Sophie agreed.

Delora glanced at the house and saw Faye in the kitchen holding court.

“Your mom is something, isn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Sophie laughed softly. “She is that.”

Delora took Sophie’s hand and pressed it into the dress fabric stretched across her knee. The hand was tanned and strong and Delora loved the feel of the knuckles as she pressed them with her palm.

“Will you be okay? I know how dear she was to you. To everyone.”

Sophie sighed and squeezed Delora’s hand once quickly. She pulled the hand away and seemed to collapse into herself. Delora noted the phenomenon right away.

“I buried her, you know.”

“I know, baby. I was there.”

“No.” Sophie shook her head. “She wasn’t there today. I buried her last night. In the bayou, in the old ways of our people.”

“You did what?” Delora turned her head, cheek on her knees, and studied Sophie.

“Up the river, where all our family lay.”

“So who was in the coffin?” Delora was trying to understand Sophie’s words.

“No one.” The phrase was a sigh, sad and low. “I took her there alone, up the water to the grotto. She’ll rest there.” She said it with conviction, as if trying to convince herself. “It was really beautiful, Lora. All the Manu were there on the banks with lanterns and candles. Even flashlights. They were there to light her journey to the Others.”

“The Others? Sophie, honey, I don’t understand. Where is your grandmother?”

Sophie rose abruptly and paced to and fro with unusual urgency. “Never mind. I shouldn’t be telling you this anyway. I’m breaking all the rules for you—a
gange
who can’t possibly understand the importance of the issue of dying alone with no family to ease your passage. It’s just not done and I really feel like I’ve let the family down.”

“But Sophie, I don’t know...”

The other woman turned away and folded her arms protectively. “And I shouldn’t expect you to, Delora. I’m just feeling guilty. My place was here that night.”

Delora felt a spark of anger stir, righteous, yet sorrowful. “Here. Not in Redstar.”

Sophie, her face twisted with pain, hung her head sadly. Moving quickly, she stepped away in through the screen door. The sound of voices talking swallowed her and she was gone.

Delora sat stunned for several moments, then found her footing and moved rapidly toward her car.

Chapter Fifty-Four

The house was small, but that suited Delora. The close walls gave her a secure feeling. There was one good-sized bedroom, a smaller bedroom the size of a large closet, and a bathroom with a handheld shower above a clawfoot tub. The living room held a worn sofa, one chair and a battered TV set.

“I’ll take it,” she said to Annie. “It’s perfect.”

Annie shrugged and leaned toward the wall, resting her weight on one shoulder. “Well, not perfect, certainly. But comfortable and it’s a month to month. Sorry it’s so far from town.”

“It’s about the same as I was driving before. Just from a different direction.” She moved to the kitchen window and peered through. A view of the bayou greeted her. Sun touched the water, the rays dancing atop the moving current like tiny whirling stars.

“Has Rose gotten over you moving?”

“No,” Delora sighed and looked in one of the spacious kitchen cabinets. “But ask me if I care. I’m so pissed at her for treating me so mean all those years.”