Read Online Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mikal Gilmore
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someone in this house will die.”
“I’m not sure,” Will said, “that I’ve ever known the Lord to work that way.”
Early the following Sunday evening, a neighbor was using his horse to pull a sled around Grandview, and he offered the Brown girls a chance to pile on the sled for a ride. Alta and Wanda ran to find their mother and ask if it was okay to ride down the street on the sled. Melissa knew the man, and she knew the horse—a calm, friendly animal—but she shook her head. “I don’t have a reason to say no,” she said, “but I’m going to tell you no. I just have a funny feeling.” The girls were disappointedbut they didn’t argue back. After Melissa had returned to her work, Alta went and got Bessie. “Come on, Bess,” she said. “We can sneak down around the bend and ride the sled back up the hill. Mother will never know.”
For once, Bessie’s intuition matched her mother’s. “No,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Alta turned to Wanda. “Will you come with me?” Wanda hesitated. She wasn’t accustomed to disobeying her mother. But then, what was the wrong in a sleigh ride? The two girls ran out of the front yard and down the hill, out of sight of the farmhouse.
Bessie stood on the front porch, watching Ada and Ida as they tried to build a snowman, waiting for the sled to come by. A few moments later, the horse came around the bend, galloping steadily. Alta was lying flat, holding on to the sled, with Wanda piled on top of her. As the horse pulled up in front of the house, something spooked it. The man riding it tried to calm it down. Then it reared again and threw the sled into the air, tossing the girls in an arc against a utility pole. Wanda hit the pole hard on her left shoulder and everybody in the yard heard a crack. Alta hit the pole face first, with a terrible impact, and fell to the ground.
Somebody ran inside and found Melissa, who came hurrying to the road to find two of her daughters spilling blood on the snow. Wanda was unconscious, apparently dead, but Alta was scrabbling on the ground, trying to turn over. Melissa kneeled down beside her and placed Alta’s head on her lap. The front of Alta’s skull had been broken in; Melissa could see bone. “Oh, Mama,” said Alta, “I’m so sorry. I should have listened to you.” And then Alta began to cry. There was so little bone support left in her face that the crying forced her eyes from their sockets, until they rested on her cheeks. Melissa stayed in the snow, rocking her favorite daughter back and forth, petting her hair, until the life left her.
Bessie’s younger brother, Mark, saddled up a horse from the barn and rode down to the church to find his father. By the time Will and Mark arrived back at the Brown home with the bishop and a doctor, the two girls had been moved inside the small front room. The doctor looked at Alta and pronounced her dead. He examined Wanda more closely. “This one,” he said, “is still alive. But she might not be for long if we don’t get her to a hospital.”
Wanda recovered from the accident, but she was partially paralyzed on her left side for the rest of her life.
A few days later, when the time had come to bury Alta, the ground was frozen over. The coffin had to be left beside the burial place, waitingfor the ground to thaw. For the next couple of days, the Brown children would make the trek to the cemetery and sit around the coffin, praying for their dead sister’s soul.
A few weeks later, there was a final haunting. “The sisters were in their bedroom at night,” my cousin Brenda told me, “when they saw a white light in the dark room. The light came closer and closer to their bed. It was Alta. She sat down on the bed with the girls and told them she was all right, that she wasn’t in any pain and she was very happy. She wanted to make sure the girls knew that. She loved them. Then the light dimmed and she was gone, but the girls could see the
“I’m not sure,” Will said, “that I’ve ever known the Lord to work that way.”
Early the following Sunday evening, a neighbor was using his horse to pull a sled around Grandview, and he offered the Brown girls a chance to pile on the sled for a ride. Alta and Wanda ran to find their mother and ask if it was okay to ride down the street on the sled. Melissa knew the man, and she knew the horse—a calm, friendly animal—but she shook her head. “I don’t have a reason to say no,” she said, “but I’m going to tell you no. I just have a funny feeling.” The girls were disappointedbut they didn’t argue back. After Melissa had returned to her work, Alta went and got Bessie. “Come on, Bess,” she said. “We can sneak down around the bend and ride the sled back up the hill. Mother will never know.”
For once, Bessie’s intuition matched her mother’s. “No,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Alta turned to Wanda. “Will you come with me?” Wanda hesitated. She wasn’t accustomed to disobeying her mother. But then, what was the wrong in a sleigh ride? The two girls ran out of the front yard and down the hill, out of sight of the farmhouse.
Bessie stood on the front porch, watching Ada and Ida as they tried to build a snowman, waiting for the sled to come by. A few moments later, the horse came around the bend, galloping steadily. Alta was lying flat, holding on to the sled, with Wanda piled on top of her. As the horse pulled up in front of the house, something spooked it. The man riding it tried to calm it down. Then it reared again and threw the sled into the air, tossing the girls in an arc against a utility pole. Wanda hit the pole hard on her left shoulder and everybody in the yard heard a crack. Alta hit the pole face first, with a terrible impact, and fell to the ground.
Somebody ran inside and found Melissa, who came hurrying to the road to find two of her daughters spilling blood on the snow. Wanda was unconscious, apparently dead, but Alta was scrabbling on the ground, trying to turn over. Melissa kneeled down beside her and placed Alta’s head on her lap. The front of Alta’s skull had been broken in; Melissa could see bone. “Oh, Mama,” said Alta, “I’m so sorry. I should have listened to you.” And then Alta began to cry. There was so little bone support left in her face that the crying forced her eyes from their sockets, until they rested on her cheeks. Melissa stayed in the snow, rocking her favorite daughter back and forth, petting her hair, until the life left her.
Bessie’s younger brother, Mark, saddled up a horse from the barn and rode down to the church to find his father. By the time Will and Mark arrived back at the Brown home with the bishop and a doctor, the two girls had been moved inside the small front room. The doctor looked at Alta and pronounced her dead. He examined Wanda more closely. “This one,” he said, “is still alive. But she might not be for long if we don’t get her to a hospital.”
Wanda recovered from the accident, but she was partially paralyzed on her left side for the rest of her life.
A few days later, when the time had come to bury Alta, the ground was frozen over. The coffin had to be left beside the burial place, waitingfor the ground to thaw. For the next couple of days, the Brown children would make the trek to the cemetery and sit around the coffin, praying for their dead sister’s soul.
A few weeks later, there was a final haunting. “The sisters were in their bedroom at night,” my cousin Brenda told me, “when they saw a white light in the dark room. The light came closer and closer to their bed. It was Alta. She sat down on the bed with the girls and told them she was all right, that she wasn’t in any pain and she was very happy. She wanted to make sure the girls knew that. She loved them. Then the light dimmed and she was gone, but the girls could see the
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