Old man Crenshaw's place....

 

Youngster Jeff loved being on his bike and pedaling around the neighborhood....

except there was one place he tried to avoid. The house where Old man Crenshaw

lived.....it was down right spooky and broken down. From time to time Jeff would

see the old man standing in an upstairs window with a rolled newspaper tucked 

under his arm...what was that about? One day in late May as Jeff made his way 

up the hill and past the house....he stopped the bike and peered ahead to see both

a Sheriffs car and ambulance parked at the bottom of the drive. 

This is story 19 in Tales Unleashed (Amazon) 

Old Man Crenshaw’s Place

When most kids loved riding their bikes to school, Jeffery Adams was just the opposite. His six-minute ride to and from his rural farm house was down an old dirt road, up a steep incline and past Old Man Crenshaw’s place, a dilapidated two-story building that seemed to reach out for him every time he passed it. What was there about this house?  His father had told him many times about its owner, Ebenezer Crenshaw, a cranky old man that had worked at the newspaper for many years. It was rumored that Ebenezer was a conjuror . . . sitting by the light of a single lantern, reading tea leaves and cards, and casting spells on those he didn’t care for. Could it be true? Perhaps. Jeffery cranked the pedals as hard as he could every time he passed the Crenshaw place, kicking up cinders and dust as he would fly by the front porch and walk.

Once, he had seen the man in jeans and tee shirt, with a rolled-up newspaper under his arm, standing in an upstairs bedroom window. This place was creepy, very creepy . . . the kind of creep that sneaks into your bedroom at  night, slithering through that slightly opened window you had left before retiring. 

It was one afternoon after school in late May that Jeffery, on the way home was just coming up to the Crenshaw house. In front of the house was the Sheriff’s car and an ambulance, neither of which had their emergency lights flashing. A deputy stood in the middle of the road, presumably directing traffic to slow up a bit as it approached. Jeffery rolled up to the deputy, stopped his bike, and asked the officer, “What’s going on in there anyway?”

The deputy replied with, “Looks like Old Man Crenshaw has died. Someone stopped earlier in the day for some reason and found him inside. Now move along, son. Nothing else to see here.” 

With that Jeffery started pedaling homeward again. Geez, now Crenshaw’s would be creepy… him being dead and all. What would happen to this place? He pondered that question as he continued the journey home.

A couple of weeks passed. Crenshaw had been buried in the local cemetery not too far down the road from Jeffery’s house, and things seemed pretty normal again in his part of town. One night sitting out front of his house with his dad, Jeffery remarked to him, “You know dad, I saw Old Man Crenshaw one day. He was standing in an upstairs bedroom window in jeans and a tee shirt with a rolled-up newspaper under his arm.”

“Is that so?” replied his father. “Interesting, I heard that as a kid he delivered newspapers all over town. Did it for many years I think. Later on, he was actually employed by the same paper company for many years. Seems like he always had a newspaper on him.”

Two days later, Jeffery and his best friend Will were pedaling around town when they happened to pedal into the Whispering Pines Cemetery. It was the place where Old Man Crenshaw had been buried two weeks before.

“Why are we here?” asked Will of Jeffery.

“I don’t really know for sure,” replied Jeffery. “It’s just . . . I just want to see where he ended up.”

As they rounded the corner in the cemetery road, straight ahead they could make out a newly dug grave with a couple of wilted flower pieces laying on top.

“That must be it!” exclaimed Jeffery as he pushed the pedals to get a little closer.

Within ten feet of the spot, Jeffery slammed on the bike’s brakes and dug his feet into the soft ground. On top of the grave amongst the brown flower pieces was one rolled-up newspaper, its ink starting to run from the rain since the interment. 

“What is it with the newspaper?” asked Will.

“I’m not really sure. But I’d bet you a million dollars his obituary is in that edition. I’d bet you a million dollars . And I know one thing for sure—it’s his last newspaper.”

 And so Old Man Crenshaw had gone on. His newspaper delivery days were long past him now, and his abandoned house would sit and continue to wither away in the months and years ahead. Someday, when someone would buy that house and start renovating, do you know what they would find in those walls? Yes, one of the best old stand-by insulations ever invented: newspapers. 

Discovering Dr. John....

 

So a young man, wondering in the woods in the back of his mom's property discovers an

old rusty, broken down vehicle.....that discovery would send him down the path to his

life's work.  It's story number 12 in Tales Unleashed (Book Stand Publishing)    

Discovering Dr. John

At fifteen years old, Chad Gillmore was a whiz in math and science. He couldn’t read enough about the wonders of the world around him. At age eight his mom had presented him with his first chemistry set, and night after night, Chad would be in his room conjuring multiple solutions and pretending to be the one that would make that next discovery.

Chad knew that he wanted to pursue an occupation in medicine, but he didn’t know why. His father, who had passed away when Chad was only an infant, was a laborer, and his mom worked two jobs in retail shops not far from home. His mom suggested to Chad that if he wanted to pursue a job in the medical profession that he should seek his education in the military, as there would be no feasible way she could afford him a six- or eight-year college program.

Having just moved to a small house in Alloway, Chad and his mom enjoyed the rural pristine twenty acres that surrounded their modest home. Romping through the woods on a bright summer day gave Chad time to think about what was next, for both himself and his mother.

It was a Thursday after school that Chad decided to head out into the woods to explore new territory that he had yet not invaded. With a backpack on his shoulders and a wave to his mom, he was out the door.

Up the gully to the top of the hill, Chad made his way among clumps of maples and pines, flushing out a couple of grouse as he went. When he broke over the crest of the hill, Chad made a discovery which was most unusual in this setting of greenery and rock. Twenty yards in front of him was a car. Well, more of a truck than a car. Shaded in colors of white, blue, and rust, the vehicle sat among the weeds and small trees, resting from its past years work. Chad ran to the vehicle and slowly circled around it, taking it all in . . . wow, this was a find indeed.

Chad dropped his backpack, pried open the front door, and eased himself into the front seat which was covered in leaves and debris. A key was in the ignition, the dashboard was rusted and covered with dirt. Cobwebs were in every space of the interior, proof that few had entered before him.

Peering into the back, Chad saw what looked like some sort of stretcher, rolled up and rotten from the elements which he presumed had battered it for decades. There was something soothing about this car. It had a peaceful feeling to it, a feeling of good deeds being done and pursuits being realized. Chad couldn’t quite understand it. It was strange, yet inviting, to his spirit.

After a brief rest, Chad reached for the key in the ignition and tugged it slightly . . . and to his surprise the key slid out. He tucked it into his right jeans pocket. Jumping out of the front seat, Chad pushed the door firmly, but the door was inches from exacting a firm closure. Chad noticed some type of faint lettering on the door and started rubbing off the years of dirt and grime that masked it. Within a couple of minutes, Chad backed away from the door and read,

Dr. John Sullivan
Dispenser of Fine Medicine
Main St. Alloway

Wow. A medical car, used, abandoned and placed here for its final rest.

Chad touched the door and whispered in a faint breath that only a passing robin might have heard, “I’m going to carry on your work Dr. John. Thank you for the healing you did. Your key will be in my pocket until I start my own work someday. Thank you.”

Chad grabbed his backpack and headed for home, contemplating whether he should share the discovery with is mom. Maybe tomorrow . . . but not today. Chad knew that he would re-visit the car in the weeks ahead, and that Dr. John might speak to him about what his future chosen profession might bring.

And so a few years later, Chad with his interest in science and math, did indeed enter the medical profession. By way of the U.S. Army, Chad received his training and spent almost twelve years in service to his country and his fellow countrymen as a highly skilled nurse. During his time away, his mom did pass away, and Chad kept the house, renting it to local folks who could watch after it while he was away.

One week while home on leave, Chad revisited Dr. John’s medical vehicle which hadn’t moved from its original spot. Chad smiled as he ran his hand over the most rusted part of the truck’s hood.

“Thanks, Dr. John, for the inspiration. When I get home soon, we’ll get you out of this lonely place you’ve been a prisoner in, and get you fully restored.”

Chad’s find out in the woods so many years before had now seen him come full circle. He smiled lightly as he walked away from the vehicle, knowing that someday, not in the too-distant future, he’d be driving it through Alloway, on the road and among the houses to which it had been so familiar.