Chapter 23 The Sound In The Night

"Who will give me five?" "Now six?" "Seven anyone?" The auctioneer stood beside the flat bed trailor pointing his finger to first this person and then that one. "Seven....seven.....gone to number 36" He turned to the guy standing on the trailer and asked. "Now what do we have here?" "Looks like a couple of nice looking pitch forks. Who will give me ten for both?"

It seemed just like yesterday that dad and mom had moved to the ranch down on the creek where they lived for some 25 years. Mark and his siblings have great memories of their days there on the ranch, checking the fence and cattle. Putting up hay up the creek under the stars. Harvesting wheat way into the night. Listening to the turtle dove, or the pheasant or the quail as they called to each other down by the creek on a quiet summer day. Fighting snow drifts and blizzard conditions to feed the calves across the creek. Riding three miles to the mailbox, hoping there would be a special letter waiting  just for him.

It seemed just like yesterday, but today it was all coming to an end. The ranch had been sold and mom and dad were closing this chapter of their lives and moving to town. We were all there for the farm sale.

The old two story farm house stood to the east among the cottonwoods. Little cousins ran around playing together in the yard, and all of a sudden you would hear the slam of the screen door as someone ran inside for a drink or something to eat. Down in the drive way sat two or three flat bed trailers full of fence stretchers, bars, shovels, water hose, cans of bolts and washers, one or two little hand garden sprayers and pipe wrenches. A saddle hung on the fence along with bridles and halters. Dad's Case tractor stood in line along with a Minneapolis and Allis Chalmers. There were grain drills, a disc, planters, a swather, hay rake, baler and hay grinder and lots of other equipment. They all stood there waiting to go to the highest bidder.

"Mark....what are your feelings about all this?" I asked snuggling close to him as we listened the auctioneer ask for bids.

"Well it sure doesn't take long for a life time of stuff to leave your place does it?"

"No just maybe five minutes. But oh the memories! Don't you remember the first time you and I drove down that lane as Mr. and Mrs.?"

He just squeezed my hand and smiled down at me.

After all was quiet and supper was over I excused myself, walked out the door and up east to the hill. There I stood taking it all in. The sun was just sitting casting its colors of yellows, oranges and blues, softly over the western horizon. You could see forever, over pastures of grasses as dusk settled over the home of Mark's childhood. The old Fair berry windmill slowly turned in the little breeze, pumping water into the big silver water tank.

I started to laugh as I remembered that hill. I had come to see Mark one summer and he let me drive the tractor home from somewhere. Coming down over this hill, I thought I was going to fast so I pushed the clutch in and wow did we ever go down over the hill! Poor Mark just started hollering "Let out on the clutch....push the brake, for pete sake!" Now I laugh, but to think Mark still had faith that I would someday learn to drive tractors!

And the creek! That beautiful creek so full of cottonwoods. I loved to listen to the turtle dove singing there in the mornings. I loved to walk that old dirt lane back past the barn and on down into the pasture grasses. I remember Mark and I taking the horses down there, just walking slowly along.

Oh and there was the time I thought it would be smart to take my cousin with me for a visit. He was the same age as Mark's little brother. When Mark and I would head out on a date in his red pickup we would get about a mile from the house and up would pop two little heads, a shot gun in their hands. "What are you guys doing back there?"

"Oh won't you take us jack rabbit hunting? PLEASE"

"Absolutely no!" was the answer as Mark turned around and headed back down the lane.

I started back down the hill toward the farm house. It was time to get the kids to bed as we hope to leave for home tomorrow morning. I was happy that Mom and Dad would be staying here for a little while yet, until they found a new place. They would be free to come see us more often too. That would be super.

The next morning after one of those huge "ranch style" breakfasts we said our good byes and turned the old blue car up the three mile lane leading to the mailbox and on out to the highway. Mark was taking us home.

It was the end of a beautiful April day. We were happy because we had a very enjoyable afternoon with some of our friends from town. They had come to the farm with their two children. We had spent the afternoon in the warm sunshine and walking the back pastures. Now they were gone and it was time to clean up and get to bed.

"Why don't you kids just get ready for bed and we will clean up the toys tomorrow. Its late and you have had a big day." I told them as I moved the toy truck, tractor, and dolls back by the front door, away from anyone tripping over them.

"They were fun to play with. I think they were happy to come to the farm, don't you?" Brett asked running down the hall to the bathroom.

"Hope so. I know I felt that it was a very enjoyable afternoon." I answered.

After the kids were tucked into their beds, Mark and I sat on the couch talking quietly before he slowly got up and reached for my hand. "Time to hit the hay. Are you coming with me?"

I just answered by putting my hand into his and following him down the hall.

What was that?!! I sat straight up in bed, my heart beating out of my chest, my breath coming in short gasps. It was dark and as I looked at the clock, the light went on in the hallway and little Kate came running across the living room into our bedroom. Her little eyes were as big as saucers and she whispered "What was that noise mommy?"

"I really don't know," I answered walking out the door of the bedroom and standing at the entrance of the living room ,my teeth chattering. I just didn't feel good about this at all. Standing there in the dim light I heard a click. What was THAT?

"Good grief it was the front door! Had we not locked it?"

I walked across the living room to the front door, careful not to disturb anything. The door was unlocked! Had someone came in? I looked around but only saw the outline of the organ along one wall and paino along the opposite. I walked back to where Kate was standing, holding her little blanket close to her chest.

"Do you want to sleep in our room Kate?" I asked guiding her back into the bedroom.

"Yes...but mommy what was that noise?"

"I really can't tell you honey but lets make you a bed on the floor." I whispered putting down some covers and a pillow. "There now you just crawl in here and everything will be ok tomorrow morning. I'm going to check on Brett and be right back."

He was fast asleep in him little bedroom. I should of known he would be as I'm sure that he could sleep through a fire. He and Mark just don't wake up easily.

I crawled back into bed and laid there for a while in the dark. I just couldn't get back to sleep for some reason. Maybe I should tell Mark.

I bent over him and shook his shoulders. "Mark honey, wake up. Mark do you hear me? Wake up!"

He turned over and muttered something way off base and started to snore again.

"Mark," I said more forcefully this time. "Mark wake up!"

"What's going on?" He said rubbing his face and looking at me.

"I don't know for sure but I heard this load noise and Kate did too. She is sleeping on our floor. I checked the front door and it was unlocked."

"I'm sure I locked it before we went to bed. Are you sure?"

"Yes I just checked and it was unlocked. I sure of it!"

"I'd better check things  out," Mark said getting out of bed and pulling on his jeans.

"Be careful," I whispered sitting straight up in bed "Don't turn on any lights."

Pretty soon he was back, a broom in him hand. His face was white as a sheet in the semi-light. "Did you lock the front door?"

"Yea...why?"

"Well it was unlocked!"

"What? Are you joking?"

"Absolutely not! It was unlocked!"

"What do we do?"

"Nothing now. I have looked all around and seen nothing so I guess we go back to sleep."

"If we can," I said under my breath. "Do you think someone was in here Mark?"

"Like I said I don't know but I didn't see anything when I looked just now and I locked the door. Come here, your shaking." He said taking me in his arms.

"Well I don't necessarily like the idea of sharing our house with someone, especially at this hour of the night."

We snuggled down and after a very long time I drifted off to a fitful sleep.

The next morning we were all up and in the kitchen making breakfast and talking about the night before

All of a sudden there was a load noise somewhere in the front room. "That's it Mommy. That's the sound I heard last night!"

"It is for sure Kate. What did you do over there Brett?"

"I just kicked the toy truck across the floor. Why?"

I looked at Mark and my heart started to thump hard against my chest. I faintly remember now hearing a click of the door going shut as I stood there in the hallway. Someone must of started to come in. Had it been one person or two? Or no one?

"Mark do you remember me telling you that I locked the door?"

"Yea...why?"

"And you said that it was unlocked when you went to check later?"

"Yea"

"Do you think there could of been two of them, and one had made it inside and when the other one come in he kicked that truck and then left but the other one was hiding between the organ and paino or somewhere when I went over to lock the door. Maybe that was why it was unlocked when you checked. He had went out." I stood there shaking.

"Could of been for sure. It still amazes me that you would march over to that door in the dark. Your usually to scared to do something like that."

"What would anyone want in our house anyway? We don't have anything real valuable."

"Know your right but for now we are going to forget it because they didn't get hold of anything. I'm going to put a safety lock on both doors and then we won't have that trouble again."

"Thank goodness you didn't make us clean up all the toys last night mommy. That truck may of saved us from a lot!" Kate said to us. She doesn't know how true her words really were!

"Time to get coats on and get those book bags! That old yellow school bus will be here soon." Mark said grabbing his own coat and heading out the door for another day on the farm.

I walked over to the picture window and stood there, my arms wrapped around me watching for the bus to come. "Yes Kate you were more right than you thought when you said those toys saved us from a lot!" I shuttered thinking of what could of been. But we were given another day so we needed to make the best of it. It was a gift from God.