Cranford Novels & Stories

53 IVORY The market was rowdy and muddy. Mama led me through the tight spaces in between people and flying sputum. We got to an one storey building containing stalls. Mama walked to one on the ground floor and extracted some keys from her bag to unlock the huge padlocks.

Lance asks. Just like their friend's name, when they tell us where their friend Chaos is, we freak out. First, that entire area is ghetto, and most living there are African Americans. Second, it has the highest crime rate in the city. I am pretty sure that white men don’t willingly go into that area, much less to extremely famous white women. “Have you two lost your fucking minds?” Lance asks. “No, and we have been hanging out in that part of town for years. No one bothers us, and we know everyone there. We have never had a problem.” Kylynn replies.

I see the houses and the cars, but never the people, not until now, anyway. A vintage ice cream parlor catches my attention. I walk by and peer through the window, seeing a young family as they pick out flavors. Beside the parlor is a Native American shop of spiritual paintings and carvings. In the window is a carving of a wolf and I can't help but smile.

Christopher confirms. "Great. I will hang up now. I'm freaking exhausted!" Raphael complains. Immediately they hang up. He throws his phone on the bed and stares into the space. Christopher had been more like a brother to him. Although they met in there first year in school. They seemed like they had known each other for decades. Christopher was a Rivers boy too. He was from Ikwerre, that was the more reason they vibed Immediately they found out they were both from the same place.

John smiles at her. Marianne's eyes become dreamy, thinking of his beautiful hometown. “I heard it’s a great place. If you’re a tourist then you’ll love it there. The food and the market are superb. The locals are lovely. If you don’t know the place, and you’re driving or going for a run or a walk, you might see this magnificent hotel. Be content to watch it’s beauty outside because if you happen to see the beautiful buildings behind it, you might be tempted to go further thinking that it’s just another village, but don’t move forward. For that is the famous barracks, the Catterick Barracks in North Yorkshire. Where the intelligence army and special forces are united. Rumour has it that noto

The Elizabeth rail-yard was a graveyard of rusting steel and cold grease, a sprawling labyrinth of tracks that looked like a jagged scar across the New Jersey shoreline. Here, the "City of Stone" felt like a distant, glittering lie. The air was thick with the scent of wet coal, diesel exhaust, and the sharp, metallic tang of ozone.

Then added one more line before I could change my mind. 'Are you at Ashford Corporation?'

I have to do a lot of business there, but only stay overnight when I absolutely have to. More for never getting to be home than being opposed to the place. It’s actually a really nice city as far as urban versus rural areas go. The crime is low, business is high and all around it’s pretty well cared for. I don’t allow gangs and the sort. The elected officials are all under our watch and limit drugs and other filth rampant in other urban areas. I do my best to leave politics in that arena to other members of the Dracule, but when shit goes down I’m there.

Her tummy still rumbled and wrinkled and sometimes it would pucker, that still freaked him out. “Baby, please open your eyes, I need to see you, please.” Nothing. This went on for two of the longest hours in history. The weather outside grew wild and dark, as it was only early to mid-afternoon. The wind beats against the house sometimes shaking the windows. No one could figure out where this squall came from. The weather was sunny and just a beautiful day for a celebration. This was approaching hurricane like fury; and it only seemed to increase with time.

Mansterville Part 1 ~Waverly~ It was around the end of October when the convoy of moving trucks rolled up in front of the gated old mansion that sat just across the road from us. I had heard them coming down the private drive, gears grinding & shifting. I was actually very impressed they had managed to maneuver the huge 18 wheelers down the winding narrowed pig trail. I stopped halfway up the stairs rushing back down to the sitting room as fast as I could.