Read Online Mississippi DEAD by Shawn Weaver - Free Book Online Page A

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    A bad feeling slipped through Allen — the sudden thought that he had made the wrong decision in dragging his family states away from the home they had always known. But that did not last long as Gina could not hide the smile that forced its way out.
    Stepping forward, Allen took Gina in his arms again and hugged her tight. Gina gave him a quick kiss on the lips and said, “I love it.”
    Turning away, she walked further into the long, empty living room. Glancing out of the windows set on either side of the fireplace on the far wall, Gina saw Stinker shoot by, his long tail held up high in the air.
    “Delivery van will be here on Tuesday,” Gina continued. “So I guess we will have to sleep on the floor till then.”
    “The kids will love it. It’ll be like camping. We can have marshmallows in the fireplace.” Allen looked over the room’s empty white walls. He barely remembered this house. But a few images did still stand out.
    “I have to run to the store first. We don’t have anything except crackers, soda, and a banana that Paulie refuses to eat. Somewhere along the way, he decided that eating anything yellow is illegal and holds the death penalty,” Gina said.
    Allen quietly agreed with Paulie. He never was a banana lover. He preferred raspberries.
    “The auctioneers missed something when they were here.”
    “What?” Allen asked as he followed Gina out of the living room and down the short hallway that led to the kitchen.
    Turning midway down the hall, Gina stepped right and headed up the stairwell to the second floor. Each step groaned with age as they progressed.
    “It’s in one of the bedrooms,” Gina said, leading the way.
    Thinking that the auctioneers were unable to sell grandma’s bed or armoire, Allen was not too concerned. One or two pieces of furniture were no big deal, but as they passed the closed door to grandma’s room, Allen started to wonder just what it was they had missed.
    Coming to the end of the hall, Gina stopped at a door. She looked at Allen and saw trepidation in his eyes. Grabbing the handle, Gina opened it and gave the door a push.
    Light filtered into the room through a series of curtainless windows that looked out over the front lawn, leaving bright streaks along the light blue walls. A two-foot wide workbench handmade from two-by-fours, lined the wall just under the windows. Under that sat a four legged stool tucked in neatly with a series of cardboard boxes, all sealed with duct tape.
    A knee high table that encompassed most of the ten-by sixteen-foot room caught Allen’s eye. Covered in imitation grass, the sheet of plywood was lined with dirt roads and various types of trees of all shapes and sizes. Sitting towards the center of the sheet, Allen saw the small town of Little Valley. All of the village’s buildings were in place as they had been twenty-one years ago, especially the hill lined with the winding driveway that led to the two-story house they now stood in.
    Stepping to the front of the room, Gina leaned over the workbench and looked out of the windows. From her height she could clearly see the road that hid behind the numerous trees running the length of the property.
    She turned around and saw Allen standing in the threshold, his feet glued to the floor. His usually calm face now showed grief. Then it dawned on her. Stepping quickly to the door, she pushed Allen back into the hall with one hand, and closed the door with the other.
    Hugging Allen tightly, she said, “Baby, I’m sorry. I totally forgot.”
    Reaching up with one hand, Allen hugged Gina close, and swallowed hard, “It’s alright.”
    Letting go, Gina started to walk down the hall. Not hearing Allen’s footsteps, she stopped and turned to see him facing the door.
    Slowly Allen took hold of the doorknob. Hesitating a moment, he turned the brass knob and pushed the door open. Looking into the room, he could hear Gina walk towards him.
    Taking a step into the room, Allen could not take