The sun beat down on Lela as she lay in the front yard of a large Victorian house. Her golden hair framed her face and gave her the look of an angel. The air was stagnant and dry letting the cicada’s chirps echo more then usual. Lela couldn’t take how boring everything in this little town was. Her father had sent her from the city to her grandmother’s house for the summer so she wouldn’t get in the way of his work. Lela searched the sky, but the blue just kept going forever in all directions forever.
‘Kind of like this summer’ Lela thought as she sat up and dusted off her lavender dress. Grandmother would have scolded her is she saw the grass stain that was on the bottom of her dress but Lela could care less. She stretched out her limbs as she pondered on what she should do with her Tuesday afternoon. As Lela stood there wondering what she should do she felt something brush her leg. Lela let out a little yelp looked down. A small white cat was purring and winding its way through her legs.
Lela’s face softened as she tried to pet the little kitten, but before she could even brush her fingers against its fur it took off down Main Street.
“Wait!” Lela yelled as she reached out for the cat. She took off down the dirt road that led to the middle of the small town. “Come back, please!” Lela yelled as she tried to keep the kitten in her line of vision. As she turned around the corner she saw the cat walk into the General Store. Lela slowed her pace, smoothed her hair down and soon she was walking into the store as well. She looked around the store but no one was around. “Here kitty, kitty,” Lela called as she got down on her knees to have a better look under the tables.
“Well, if it isn’t Miss. Clearwater. What brings you to us today? Back for more Lemon Drops?”
Lela jumped at Tom’s voice and hit her head on the table she was searching under. “Hi Tom,” Lela said as she rubbed the back of her head and stood up. “Did a white cat come in here?”
Tom, the owner of the General Store shook his head. “Nope, no cats in here today. So, how about those Lemon Drops? Special Deal, 10 for a nickel.”
Lela smiled and walked over to the candy Counter. Tom was one of the few hicks in this town she could stand. “Hey Tom, tell me another story. I loved the one about the Witches Child you told me last week,” Lela told him as she sank her hand into the Lemon Drop Jar and fished around.
“Humm…… Have I told you the one about that old house out west of town?” Tom asked as Lela got comfortable on the stool at the counter.
“No, what about it?” she asked as she placed the ten best Lemon Drops in her brown paper bag and placed a nickel on the counter. She was trying to act like she wasn’t super excited to hear what Tom was about to tell her and wasn’t exactly doing a great job at it.
Tom laughed at her eagerness and got into his storytelling mode. “The House on Violet Hill has been empty for more then 100 years, but the grounds have never become overgrown and the house still looks just like it did when the Van Coors disappeared.”
CrawlingIvy Community Member 
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