Winner of the 2021 Arkansas Writers Conference Dusty Richards Memorial Short Story Contest
“M
Y SISTER’S IN THERE! Get her out! Please!” Men and women rushed from every direction to make a water bucket line as the volunteer firemen ran their wagon too close to the flames. They fell back from the heat, choking and coughing from inhaling heavy smoke. A loud crack. An ear-splitting pop. The cupola gave way and crashed into the center of the burning ruins of the Marion County, Mississippi, courthouse. Ashes of all the important papers—land deeds, censuses, birth and marriage records—floated up into the night sky like so many lightning bugs in summertime. The recorded life of families who pioneered our county vanished in a blue hot blaze. It was all by design. Big leather books smoldered in the ashes, along with my Uncle Silas. And with him, my big sister, Marion. I cried. I screamed. I finally fainted into the arms of the volunteer firemen who held me back. I woke up to the sheriff addressing the crowd. Not a stick of the courthouse was left standing. “The war’s been over, but carpetbaggers and scalawags have been burnin’ down courthouses every-
where. No account men with no breeding who steal good folks’ property while the government turns a blind eye. Sadly, we lost more than our county’s records tonight. Two of our fine citizens died in the fire—Mexican War veteran Silas Tullos and his lovely niece Marion. Silas guarded our courthouse every night. His last words when I saw him earlier tonight were, ‘I fought at San Jacinto with Gen’l Sam Houston, and I’ll keep them thievin’ carpetbaggers away!’ I’ve got a good idea who caused this calamity. I’ll be leadin’ a posse come first light.” Truth be told, the sheriff didn’t know who’d done it. I didn’t, either, and I didn’t know what to do, not until I heard a whisper when I stepped into Uncle Silas’s old house at the edge of town where we lived. “Sissy, that you?” I shrunk back, never having seen a ghost before. I squeaked out, “Yeah.” “It’s me, Marion.” “You’re alive!” I hugged her and didn’t want to let go. She finally peeled me from her body. “Anyone think I’m alive?”
