The Curse of 1977 (Book 2)

"When or if you see your sister, tell her to give us a call!" Mr. Glover said aloud over the phone before hanging up.

Seated on the couch with Isaiah right next to her sucking on a cup, Mrs. Glover asked, "What did Lavonia say?"

Turning around and grunting, Mr. Glover replied, "She said she doesn't know where Lynn is. But then again, she's probably over there with the rest of them getting high and acting like a bunch of fools!"

Mrs. Glover sat and watched with troubled eyes as her long-suffering husband, still adorned in his blue night watchman's uniform, traipsed back and forth across the carpet.

"Maybe we should call the police again," Mrs. Glover wringed her hands."Just like they said yesterday, they're doing everything they can to look for her."

Mr. Glover rubbed his head. "I can't believe she just up and ran off like this!" He yelled.

"Poor Lynnette has always had her unusual ways." Mrs. Glover turned her head.

"Her ways," Mr. Glover stopped pacing. "Wilma, that girl has lost her ever loving mind! I'm sick and tired of these girls of ours acting like they've got no home training!"

"You don't have to raise your voice."

"Like hell I don't!" The man tossed his arms in the air. "You should've heard Lavonia over that phone. It sounded like she's got a party going on over there with all those kids!"

"She tried." Wilma softly uttered.

"Tried at what?" Mr. Glover approached his wife. "Just where did we go wrong with them?"

Without looking him in the eye, Wilma said, "Lynn is a good girl. There's something else going on with her. I saw it when I got her out of jail the other day. She—

"Hold on, when you got her out of what?"

Wilma's eyes immediately connected with her husband's at that instant. In what appeared to be minutes, the two just stared at each other before Mr. Glover turned away and walked over to the mantle.

"What did the girl do?" He sighed.

"It doesn't matter."

"What the hell do you mean it doesn't matter?" He roared while spinning around.

Just then, the lights in the living room all went out. At once, Isaiah began to cry which only caused Mr. Glover to go into a more rage-filled stomp across the floor.

"Shut him up while I go downstairs and look at the fuse box!"

Wilma got up from off the couch and began for one of the front windows. "It's probably another one of these rolling blackouts!" She shouted before opening one of the curtains to look outside. "But everyone else's lights are still on, Julius!"Once Wilma was through looking outside she turned back around to attend to Isaiah who was trying to climb off the couch and onto the floor."Boy, if you don't get up from off that floor." Wilma lightly warned as she scooped the child up and into her arms.

"The darn fuses are all still on." Mr. Glover announced as he came back into the living room. "You said that the rest of the neighborhood was still up and running?"

"They sure are."Mr. Glover, with flashlight in hand, went over to the front window and gawked out into the dark neighborhood.

"It figures ours would be out while everyone else is still enjoying their electricity. Boy, I tell ya, if it ain't one thing it's another."

"Maybe we should call the bus station." Wilma walked around the living room with Isaiah attached to her. "They usually have a lot of people going in and out of there."

at the various houses before he

down there, then that means she's fixin' to skip town. And just why would she want

"That child's soul is so backwards now, she

very moment, a knock at the front door sidestepped Wilma's every word. Julius nearly dropped his flashlight before he turned and went for the door. Wilma stared

"It's probably one of the neighbors." Julius said as he unlocked the door and

"Good evening, sir, we heard you had a power outage." A man's deep, foreign

the man's face. "How did you get here so quick," he squared

"We were already in de neighborhood." He

his flashlight tuned to the man's smiling, bearded face. "Uh...look, we'll just

power company, sir. The name's Arthur Bushard. And dis here is my assistant,

Julius then shined his light on Akoni who was walking up the porch steps with her own toolbox in hand. He noticed that both Akoni and Arthur were wearing white

you'd just let us inside we'd be able to service you better, sir." Arthur continued to gleam his teeth at a nervous Mr.

his wife before turning around to face Arthur. "Look, um, why

"Just let us in, sir." Arthur said, sounding desperate. "De sooner we get inside, de sooner

do not want your food to go to waste in

what seemed like countless seconds before he stepped aside

sat on the couch with Isaiah and watched with foreboding eyes as Arthur and Akoni looked all around the living room. The very last thing she wanted was to see the two of them inside her house, which was exactly why her grip on Isaiah's waist increased with every passing minute. Just their very presence gave off an ominous, if not downright appalling heaviness that engulfed the entire living room, causing the darkness to feel even

"You have a very nice home, sir."

from what you can see in the dark," Julius bluntly remarked. "The fuse box is down in the basement. Let's see some work

"Yes, sir," Arthur

out of the living room and towards

fortunate dat we were in de neighborhood when we were." Arthur stated. "We've been getting all kinds of reports of

to it by now."

Arthur then pointed his eyes at the woman in a witty manner that would have suggested

gonna take?" Julius asked while still shining his flashlight. "It just seems kind of funny to me the timing

much longer, sir," Arthur responded. "My sister is very efficient in her

"That girl is your sister?" Julius pointed behind

"Yes, sir, for quite some time now," Arthur's smile grew larger. "Our

"I could've sworn that girl looked awfully familiar. Awfully familiar," he

of Arthur. She noticed that every time Julius would remove the flashlight's beam away from his

me, how long have you and your sister been in this country?" Julius

"Oh, for a while now," Arthur said. "We came here with our

"I see. So where are you guys

fireplace. The man then ventured over and viewed the various frames of family members that layered the mantle."I see

"Yeah, that's them." Julius shined his

dark no less, until he came across Lynnette's frame. Right there, the man's entire body stood perfectly immobile as

Suddenly, Isaiah began to cry. Wilma tried to calm the child but he just seemed to grow more

"I'm gonna go see what that girl is doing." Julius said as

don't you go anywhere." Wilma fretfully commanded the

a baby are someting very sweet to my ears." Arthur gradually turned

Isaiah ceased crying as Arthur placed his toolbox onto the floor. "We have known all along where dis house is." Both his smile and voice shrank. "But, we are

get the hell outta here!" Julius

Something from upstairs began to rattle and stir right then. It sounded like someone was moving furniture

is that up there?" He