This section of my unpublished novel Falls the Shadow takes place, quite obviously, after the section Spring, 1938, involving the story of a few more descendants in the lineage of the ill-fated Palmer family.

In this stand-alone portion of the story, we are reintroduced (for the first time, i suppose, since no one has yet read the first section of this story) to “Jack” as Annie Palmer’s imaginary friend.

Let me take a moment to recap the story of Falls the Shadow. There are two parts. In “Then”, which chronicles three separate horrific events in the history of the Palmer family tree – Ralph Palmer’s descent into insanity; the trials and tribulations of Nicolette Palmer, which we have explored in part; and the terrible events of December 13, 1976, which lead to… well, you’ll see in a few minutes – we explore the history of the Palmer family. In “Now”, which is as-of-yet unwritten, we follow Annie Palmer as an adult.

The events of all of these stories revolve around one central setting: the Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. This is a real place. However, it is the only nonfiction piece of the story. All of the characters are completely fictional, and any resemblance to actual – in name or otherwise – folks is purely unintentional.

Today’s story, as I mentioned, is about Annie Palmer. Her friend “Jack” is a bit of a troublemaker in this tale.

Enjoy!

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1

Annie Palmer sat up in bed and looked over at the clock. The big hand was almost on the five, and the little hand — she couldn’t see it real well — was on the two one’s, she thought.

let’s get a snack, annie

Perfect time for a snack.

When her feet touched the hardwood floor, she jumped back into bed. The springs squeaked as she wriggled back under the blankies. Cold, it was cold out there. No slippers. Where are they?

over by the closet, annie

There they are!

She was looking over near the closet, and turned her body out from the bed again, sat on the edge. As she got ready to jump off the bed, she held herself back, looked over the edge to the cold, cold floor, and thought for a minute. When she did this, her mouth slid to one side of her face, and her whole head tilted the other direction. She thought that was a funny — but very effective — way to think.

And like always, the solution came quicker with the funny face. She threw her pillow on the ground and hopped down onto it. She put one foot on the left edge, the other on the right edge, and held the pillow under her feet just like that, longways. She scooted her right foot forward, causing the pillow to twist under her left foot, and crab walked this way across the room to her slippers. She jumped into them, and left her pillow to sleep on the floor by the closet, cause it wouldn’t be cold without blankies.

Her slippers had bunnies on them, and one had two ears, and one had one ear. Russet, the family German shepherd, had the other one. He ate it, all gone, no pieces left. Annie felt sad for one-ear bunny, but she knew he was OK because he was always smiling.

annie i’m hungry

Let’s get snack, I’m starvin-marvin.

She walked to the door. It was cracked a little; mom always left if cracked a little that way the light from the bathroom could find its way in and help her see, in case she needed to tinkle, but tonight was all about snacks. Maybe tinkle later.

When she got closer to the door, she heard mommy and daddy talking in their room. They were talking awful loud for it being so late, Annie thought.

She slowly, carefully, quietly opened the door, just a little at a time, and she felt like it took forever.

hurry annie, snack

I’m hurrying, I going fast as Speedy Gonzalez if he was quiet. (more…)