Starting Over

By Pernell Rogers

STARTING OVER is never easy, and these five women can attest to that fact. Unravel each woman's mysterious encounters in five supernatural short stories starring women.

Gayle is a clever Memphis teen with aspirations of being a research scientist. A momentary lapse of attention changes her life, and she must make decisions she never imagined existed.

Newly divorced, Caroline drives to Sacramento to begin her new life. On the way, a thunderstorm forces her to stop at a lonely food mart in Wyoming. A radio program plays, and she makes an ill-advised wish.

Celine loves mystery novels, and after she and her husband move to Cusco, Peru, to open a small souvenir shop, she discovers her own mystery right next door.

In New Hampshire, a teenage girl must overcome her fear of their new home's basement to save her father and brother's lives.

In Iowa, Lynda, and her family lost their youngest son to a terrible condition. The next youngest grieves uncontrollably until Lynda finds two dolls atop her deceased son's bed. During her nightly checks, the dolls are never in the same place, and she feels she's losing her mind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pernell Rogers
• Release date: Nov 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215310038

Pernell Rogers

Pernell Rogers hails from Cleveland, Ohio. Reading was one of his first interests as a child, and he dove into it. The Apollo missions forged new interests in astronomy, UFO, the pyramids, and ancient cultures. Oddities about our world captured his attention.After traveling the world during his 14-year U.S. Air Force career, he became a civilian again working in Information Technology. His interest in writing blossomed from the removal of a lily pad from his backyard pond. In his eyes, it looked like something out of Swamp Thing with its massive, tangled root system. He imagined the root system coming alive, and that was the trigger. His first attempt at fiction writing was long, but not very good.After more years of reading and practice, he published his first story in the horror genre. Soon, his direction turned toward the supernatural thriller genre with hints of horror with some of his best ideas coming from the ideas and dreams of his friends.Visit http://pernellrogers.com to find more about him and his stories.

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Copyright © 2023 by Anthony Pernell Rogers

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

These stories are entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

To discover more about me and my other stories, please visit my website/blog:

https:\\pernellrogers.com

Feel free to leave comments and/or join my email list.

It's Connected to You

Wishes Do Come True

Aroma of the Dead

He Should Have Listened to Me

Brotherly Love

It's Connected to You

On a Saturday morning in March, seventeen-year-old Terri Warner, peered through her bedroom window, as always, when she awoke. Across the street, she spotted her neighbor, Professor Trandahl, with his left arm in a sling. The professor had become a fixture in their Memphis neighborhood every Saturday morning while out tending his plants, and Terri admired him. One day she wished to emulate him. The professor was also the reason she chose college prep courses while attending high school.

Professor Trandahl was a pleasant gentleman, balding on top now with a horseshoe-shaped mane of white and fluffy hair. About two years ago, he began to use a cane to get around. He'd been a research scientist before essentially retiring and Terri had aspirations of becoming one as well. Their frequent conversations usually revolved around science, and she appreciated how he respected her knowledge by never speaking down to her. Professor Trandahl often challenged Terri by inquiring about her feelings on the moral aspects of science, which she enjoyed very much because it became a practical way of testing her knowledge.

The professor was in his garden, on his knees, and Terri continued watching him care for that unique plant with its deep green leaves. The plant stood out from all the others, and she wanted to get a closer look at it one day, but it soon became insignificant. In the past, Terri had seen the professor use his cane to lower, then lift himself, but this morning, she watched as he struggled to stand, then he almost fell over.

Fearing he may injure himself further, she rushed outside to give him a hand.

As she exited the front door, fifteen-year-old Gayle's slim frame darted from her driveway and headed in the same direction as Terri. Gayle lived two houses down, and both she and Gayle enjoyed science, along with other school subjects. Gayle would progress to the 10th grade next school year, joining Terri at the same high school. Besides of a shared love of school and science, both were conscientious and cared about people.

They also shared another, more feminine, admiration of each other's hair. Gayle had often mentioned how cute Terri's pixie cut looked, but Terri wished she could have the full-blown, loose look of Gayle's natural hair because she loved how it bounced as she walked. Another distinctive trait of Gayle's that intrigued Terri were the soft brown freckles around the bridge of her nose. Terri had never encountered an African-American girl with freckles before.

Gayle climbed the professor's steep driveway, with Terri close behind, and they both helped him to his feet.

There you go, Professor Trandahl, Gayle said as he regained his balance.

Gayle, Terri, thank you. I thought I'd be able to get up, but I guess I really need my left arm to assist me.

We don't mind helping you, Professor, Terri said.

Gayle added, Yeah. I'm done with my homework, plus I had no plans, anyway. What can we do to help?

Both girls accompanied the professor into the garage, picked out a pair of thick gloves, and followed him back out front. He pointed to what needed to be done in the flower beds surrounding the house, and the girls got to work. As he walked away, he turned and said, Since you both are being so helpful, I'll give you five dollars each for your work, and if you can find others to mow my lawn and trim my bushes, I'll pay them five dollars, too.

Really? Gayle said, as her face lit. Terri wondered why until she remembered Gayle had younger twin siblings, and they'd enjoy getting money for their work. Then Terri's fifteen-year-old brother came to mind, and even though he didn't deserve it, she'd ask him to assist as well. Five dollars wasn't much, and she thought Gayle's siblings should only get two or three dollars, but it was what it was. We'll be right back. Both Terri and Gayle dashed across the street to muster up more help.

*****

The professor took a seat on his front stairs, leaving his free hand atop his cane. Using his soft voice and index finger, he guided each helper as if conducting an orchestra. Everyone followed his directions without question. Terri worked with Gayle in the flower bed in front of the home, rotating and aerating the soil while sharing a hand shovel. This was the closest Terri had been to the professor's special plant, and it was special.

Its large leaves were greenish-red with a red central spine. Smaller spines extended outward to the leave's edges. The thick branches were the same color as the leaves and all of them converged at a central point buried beneath the soil.

Terri admired the professor's commitment to care for it.

As they worked, Gayle had scooted too close to the professor's most cherished plant and brushed the back of her hand against it.

WHOA! the professor barked. Gayle jumped back. Watch out for that plant! Don't touch it, okay?

Gayle glared at the plant, then gazed at Terri. Terri hunched her shoulders and wondered why he was so protective of that single plant. She remembered watching him plant it and care for it since he'd left from the science project he was a member of.

It's very special and extremely rare, he said.

Oh, sorry, Professor, Gayle said as she slid closer to Terri. He smiled, nodded, and then returned his attention to the younger ones. Terri and Gayle exchanged confused glances, then returned to the soil.

Terri, could you toss me the shovel? Gayle asked.

Yeah. Catch.

Terri instinctively felt the shovel had too much spin as soon as it left her hand. She resigned herself to watching, in slow motion, as it flipped end over end, flinging off loose clumps of soil, until it struck the top of Gayle's hand and attained a new trajectory aimed at the rare plant.

Terri stopped breathing as she saw her relationship with the professor coming to an abrupt end.

The shovel tumbled into the plant, but before coming to a halt, it lopped off an outer branch.

AWWWW! the professor screamed, keeling over and tumbling down the stairs onto the walkway.

Terri joined Gayle as they rushed over to check on the professor, his grimace displayed his suffering.

Terri asked, Gayle, do you have your phone?

No. I left it at home.

Me too. Take care of him while I go get my phone. Keep the kids away. I'll be right back.

Leaving her phone was a mistake. She knew better. Terri sprinted home, told her parents what was going on, and they called 911. Then her parents accompanied her across the street to see what they could do to help.

Terri had never felt so helpless, but she didn't understand what ailed the professor. What had caused him to collapse? He wasn't clutching any part of his body and was reacting as if everything hurt. People asked, but he was in too much pain to speak. Terri hoped he wouldn't die in front of her. She'd never experienced death firsthand and having something so shocking take place across the street would be too much to take. The approaching sirens caused her to breathe deeper. They needed to hurry and get there and take her friend to the hospital.

A patrol car and ambulance arrived around the same time. That’s when Terri noticed the gathering crowd. Everyone spread back to allow the EMTs to tend to the professor. While they worked, Terri scrutinized the EMT’s eyes whenever they exchanged glances, and they looked as confused as she was. Soon, they loaded the professor onto the stretcher and whisked him off to the hospital.

Everyone standing around asked the same question: What happened?

It was the one question no one had an answer to. The professor had simply doubled over. Then she overheard Gayle scolding her siblings for asking to still get paid, and Gayle had to explain why it was inappropriate. Terri admired Gayle's sensitivity and knew she was definitely more mature than her years.

As the crowd dispersed, Terri stepped over to collect the tools and gloves from the flower bed. She kneeled over the special plant and pulled the shovel out by the handle. That's when she noticed the three-inch branch that had been lopped off.

She picked it up.

OWW! Dammit!

She dropped the branch and checked her index finger and thumb. Enough blood oozed out of each to form a large stationary drop on each digit. She brought her fingers to her mouth, then caught herself. There was no telling what might happen if she sucked the blood. That damn branch must've had hidden thorns or something poisonous because her fingers hurt like hell. She recalled the professor warning her and Gayle to wear gloves.

Terri wiped her fingers on her pants, then slipped on the pair of heavy-duty gloves and picked up the branch again. No thorns were visible, but a greenish gel leaked from the severed side. She stuck the branch into the soil next to the rare plant, hoping it would take root. A small pool of greenish gel also leaked from where it had been severed on the rare plant. Terri grabbed some soil and smothered it around the branch to stop the leaking. Watching the gel pool on the ground was just as unusual as the professor's plant.

After retrieving the rest of the tools, she headed home, turning back to gaze at the professor's yard. Her eyes welled.

Back at home, Terri took a seat on the couch as the rest of the family gathered around her.

Her brother asked, So he just fell over?

Yep. It came out of the blue. He yelled out, then fell over.

Her mother said, I think it was a heart attack or a stroke. I hope he'll be alright.

She heard her father grunt in approval. As they conversed, she replayed the situation in her head again and again, searching for a rational explanation. The only odd occurrence was the shovel striking the plant, then the professor going down almost simultaneously. But what she feared most was the professor never returning home again. For the first time in a long time, she preferred to be in the presence of her parents.

After a while, Terri resigned herself to her room.

The day had started off so promising. A gentle breeze entered her open window, carrying the earthy scent of the freshly mowed grass from the professor's lawn. She plopped