New Smile

          

 

          Miss Kitty hobbled Miss Patches in the meadow, and stepped onto the porch of the cabin. She smiled, a half, numbed smile, remembering when the cabin was a wreck of a house with shuttered windows and a sagging porch. Today, the cabin, completely renovated, looked splendid. Rex Mayo had finished the work on the outside, breathing life back into the structure. The porch no longer sagged, and the outside of the building was caulked, stained, and clean. Miss Kitty had created some raised beds in the front yard, where she was growing oregano, thyme, sage, and mint (for Miles and his mint juleps), and her favorite flower, the glorious marigold. For Harold, she had purchased a hanging basket of petunias from the Sandpoint Farmer’s Market.

Miss Kitty sat in the rocking chair on the front porch admiring her handiwork. She hummed the Sagle Shuffle, the new tune Fiddlin` Red had given to her at her last music lesson. After resting for a few moments, she walked through the front door of the cabin. Well, the door was open, and she was able to come into the house without knocking. Miss Kitty wasn’t a ghost and couldn’t walk through walls. Harold was a ghost, and he couldn’t walk through walls, either.

            Miles, perched in his bookcase, thumped his tail in joy. He wished that Miss Kitty could understand what he said. Of course, he was grateful that he could communicate with her with his superior electronic technology, or by using Harold as an interpreter. Harold adored Miss Kitty, and practically ignored Miles when Miss Kitty was around. Fortunately, this provided Miles with uninterrupted time to continue his research into Harold’s death, and the missing Lilith.

            Miss Kitty took off her cowgirl hat, and winked at Miles as she placed a yellow manila folder on the top shelf of the bookcase. Miles and Miss Kitty both knew that Harold would never look in the bookcase, because, well, it contained books.

            “Harold,” Miss Kitty called. “Harold, I have a surprise for you.”

            Harold ran down the stairs wearing Bermuda shorts, a sleeveless pink t-shirt, steel-toed boots, and a pink baseball cap. “Miss Kitty,” Harold said, “I’m so glad you’re here. Did you bring your fiddle? What have you done to your hair?”

            Miles held his packrat tail in his hands. Miss Kitty had dyed her hair blue, with yellow streaks. Miles thought she looked quite charming, but Harold was somewhat in a state of shock.

            “Boys,” Miss Kitty said with a rather large and crooked smile, “what do you think?”