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"Something smells fishy here. Betsy was very excited about going with me and my band. She would have called me or something."

"Betsy is very unreliable."

He thought a moment. "Did she get her money?

"What money?"

Her inheritance."

"Oh. You didn't believe that, did you?" I laughed. "There's no inheritance!' He stared. "Where's this Noble, you say?"

"He's at the creek. fishing. It's about a half mile through the woods." He smirked. "Half a mile through the woods."

"Yes. sorry we can't help you."

"Yeah, me, too," he said, and walked out.

I went to the window and saw him get into a car, in which sat another boy about his age and a girl. He spoke rapidly and with great animation to them, then he started the car, shifted, and spun his wheels to turn around and drive away.

"I don't think theyll be back," I muttered.

Baby Celeste shook her head in agreement. Then I returned to Grandpa Jordan's chair and she returned to her books and toys and Panther played quietly in the playpen.

'We're fine.

Everything is just fine. I thought.

Epilogue

Forever at the Farm

.

Mr. Bogart was the first to come. I hadn't

realized almost two weeks had gone by. He said he had been calling every day and had become concerned.

The day before he arrived, my whole spiritual family joined me in the living room and we discussed the near future. To my surprise there was

disagreement. Some thought things were fine the way they were, but most thought the house had been irrevocably contaminated. Auntie Helen Roe, who was in her wheelchair, thought it had to be cleansed and should be set afire. Grandpa Jordan was so outraged by the suggestion, he looked as if he could burst a vein in his neck, even though I knew such a thing was no longer possible. Daddy said nothing. He just smiled and shook his head at Mama while they all argued. I knew what he was thinking. You have a crazy family, Sarah. I always told you so.

Mama was the one who decided that if I went through the house thoroughly with two white candles and washed the walls with candle smoke, it would suffice. That threw them all into a discussion about the number of candles needed and if any had to be kept lit in the rooms. Mama relented and said. "Okay, after she washes the walls, she'll place candles in all the rooms and light them and leave them for two days and nights."

Aunt Sophie said it should be three nights. Three was, after all, a magic number.

Mama, although she didn't look as if she believed that, agreed. I think she agreed just to end the discussion.

Grandpa Jordan was happy that a solution other than setting the house afire had been found. They all embraced me, kissed me, and wished me good fortune before they left, and then I went ahead and followed their directions.

Mr. Bogart noticed the lit candles right away and asked me about them. I explained just why I had done it and he nodded, and then, after inquiring about Mama, he went upstairs. I followed him up. He saw the lit candles even in the hallway and nodded at me. Then he went into Mama's room, and after a few moments I heard him go to the phone in her room to call the Reverend Mr. Austin. After that Mr. Bogart and I looked in on the children. Then we went downstairs to wait for the reverend, who drove over as quickly as he could. The moment he walked into the house, he grimaced as if the odors put him in actual pain.

When he turned to me, he smiled in confusion and looked at Mr. Bogart. "Whom do we have here?" he asked.

"This is Celeste," Mr. Bogart said, "It always was."

The reverend's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything unpleasant.

"I'll explain it to you later," Mr. Bogart said, which satisfied the reverend. He then asked after the children.