Witch Ball (19 page)

Next morning, we had a short service in the funeral home.
Grandpa brought in a Baptist minister to conduct the prayers and recite some generic eulogy.

Fleur would have hated it. She never even went to church. I sat quietly, and didn't complain. This was my grandfather's show. At least he was considerate enough not to drag Clementine to the funeral.

We buried Aunt Fleur in Friendship Cemetery, very near Grandma Belle. Almost no one came to the graveside. I saw a man standing alone, several rows back. It may have been Judge Sanders, but I'm not sure.

I promised to visit her often and bring tea and spread sparkly things over her.

I used some of my inheritance to buy a pink, marble headstone with flowers carved all around the sides. It was engraved with the name Fleur Thomas, 1945 -2015, and the quote,

"There be none of Beauty's daughters

With a magic like Thee"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gertrude (Truly)
Moore
graduated from Heritage High School. She now attends Mississippi University for Women, where she is majoring in library science, with the goal of becoming a children's librarian. She and Jimmy-James live in an apartment off-campus. They have a big picture window facing the school's front gate. It is filled with Witch Balls that sparkle in the sunlight. Truly has a cottage business designing personalized Witch Balls for other students. She volunteers at the Columbus Public Library during summer break. Truly goes out with friends from school, but has not met her prince.

Kay and Tommy Moore
divorced soon after Truly graduated from high school. They continue to live together in the same house where they raised their daughter. They have separate bedrooms; neither has yet begun to date.
Kay
is attending evening classes in education at the "W." She and Truly often meet for coffee and reminisce about Aunt Fleur.

 

Tommy
took an early retirement from City Hall so that he could devote time to his work as a CASA volunteer. He created a "man cave" in the basement where he lives and writes. Last year, he sold two short stories to E-zines, and one joke to David Letterman. He has not yet started writing a screenplay.

 

Eric Alexander
dropped out of college and left Columbus more than two years ago. He has begun to retrace the path of the runaway slaves as laid out in the song "Follow The Drinking Gourd."

 

John (Johnny D.) Daigle
served only six months for the murder of Russell Lewis. He still lives in Columbus, and is, for the most part, a recluse.

 

Hyrum and Clementine
visit Friendship Cemetery where they put flowers on the graves of Ruby, Belle, and Fleur. On many summer evenings they are seen walking together next to the Tombigbee riverbank. They have never found a two-headed snake, although they fear that they might someday encounter one.

 

Sue Ellen Russell
maintains that she knew nothing about her husband's secret life, although many people believe that she was an enabler for a pedophile. She is often seen around Columbus, always accompanied by
Roxanne
.

 

The house on 3
^rd
Street North
has been on the market since Coach Russell's death. Locals are not at all interested in it. People new to the area sometimes view it, but never make a bid. They say it is too cold, and doesn't feel comfortable. It is now listed with a third realtor, at a reduced price.

 

Fred Perkins
was re-elected Mayor of Columbus. Karloss and Kordell continue to get into trouble, but are never convicted of anything.

 

Mother Goose
remains the most beloved person in Columbus, Mississippi.

 

The murder of
Michael-Ray
was never solved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

VERSE 1

 

(This verse suggests escaping in the spring, and heading North to

freedom.)

W
hen the sun come back
,       (Days are getting longer)     

 

When the fir' quail call,
           (Breeding season for Quail is early 

                                                 To mid-April, when they are calling

                                                   to each other.)                                              

       
The time is come

Foller the drinkin' gourd
         (Gourds were used as a water

                                                 
dipper. This is used in the song as a

                                                
code name for the Big Dipper formed

                                                 
by Polaris, the Pole Star, indicating

                                                  
North.)

 

CHORUS
                                             

 

Foller the drinkin' gou'd
,               ("Ole man" is nautical slang for

Foller the drinkin' gou'd
;
"Captain", or "Commanding                                      

For the ole
man say                            
Officer." The Underground

"Foller the drinkin' gou'd."
                Railroad operative Peg Leg Joe

                                                          
was formerly a sailor. He was  

                                                          
one of many  "conductors".                                                     

 

VERSE 2

 

The riva's bank am a very good road,    
( Describes how to follow the route,  

                                                                  
from Mobile, Alabama north.

The dead trees show the way
,
                 The first river in the song is the

                                                                 
Tombigbee, which empties into

                                                                 
Mobile Bay. Its headwaters extend

                                                                 
into northeastern Mississippi and

                                                                  
runs right next to Columbus,

                                                                   
Mississippi)

Lef' foot, peg foot goin' on,
                       (Joe marked trees and other

                                                                     
landmarks "with charcoal or

                                                                     
mud of the outline of a human

                                                                      
left foot and a round spot in

                                                                     
place of the right foot."

Foller the drinkin' gourd

 

CHORUS

 

VERSE 3
                                                    (Describes the route through

                                                                       
northeastern Mississippi and

                                                                       
into Tennessee.)

 

The riva ends a-tween two hills,
                  (The headwaters of the

                                                                      
Tombigbee River end near

                                                                      
Woodall Mountain, the high

                                                                       
point in Mississippi the

                                                                       
mountain Has a twin cone

                                                                        
profile)

Foller the drinkin' gou'd;

'Nuther riva on the other side

Follers the drinkin' gou'd. 
                            
(The river on the other side of

                                                                      
the hills is the Tennessee,

                                                                      
which extends outward in an

                                                                       
arc above Woodall Mountain,

                                                                       
and proceeds north to the

                                                                        
Ohio river border with  

                                                                          
Illinois.)

 

 

 

CHORUS

 

VERSE 4
                                                         (Describes the end of the

                                                                         
route, in Paducah, Kentucky)

Wha the little riva
                                            (The Tennessee and Ohio

Meet the grea' big
un
                               rivers come together in
,