his body. Back when he was a general contractor, building house after house, real physical labor had been only a hobby for him, fine carpentry in the garage. He had no calluses then. The last few years before his wife left, he had even been developing a little pooch at the beltline. That was gone, too. He didn't have the shaped, constructed muscles of a bodybuilder. He had the body that honest labor made, and he had learned to recognize it in other men, and respect it. And to like his own. He felt good in this flesh.
The job was done. The leaves were piled at the curb. He leaned for a moment on the rake, and the front door opened. Not just a crack, and not just to be slammed in his face. Miz Judea and Miz Evelyn both stood there, waiting for him. He waved. "Got to put the rake away." They closed the door as he walked around the house to the garage in the backyard.
Unsure how they went about making their tools so perfectly clean, Don contented himself with picking all the leaves off the rake before putting it back into its clip. He used that small handful of leaves to swipe at the spiderwebs and clear them away. Then he tossed the leaves over the high hedge into his own yard. Plenty of room for spiders there. They didn't need to go disturbing the perfection of the Weird sisters' garage.
The back door stood ajar, waiting for him.
He went inside. Miz Judea, looking weary and ancient, was slowly washing the plastic containers that had contained the food Don brought for them. "Was it good?" he asked her.
She just looked at him sadly and went back to washing.
Miz Evelyn came in from the parlor, carrying a plate of cookies. "I had this set out for you in the parlor, but then I remembered you didn't like going in there when you were dirty from work." It broke Don's heart to see her walking like an old woman, one step at a time, balancing the plate in one hand.
"Oh, ladies," he said. "I'm so sorry I've put you through all this."
Miz Evelyn shook her head. "All began before you were born."
At the sink, Miz Judea began to hum a melody that Don didn't recognize. At first he wondered why she was singing this song at this point in the conversation; then he realized that she wasn't paying attention to their conversation at all. She was humming because she felt like it.
"Thank you so much for raking our leaves," said Miz Evelyn.
"I had an ulterior motive."
"Oh, and for the lunch, too. But Gladys liked it. She misses store-bought food. Can you believe it?"
"Too much vinegar in everything," said Miz Judea. So she was listening.
"Maybe that's how they keep it from going bad in the display case," said Don.
"Maybe they don't know how to cook," said Miz Judea. "Gladys wouldn't know a good meal if it bit her on the butt."
"Now, Miz Judy, don't go talking down your dear cousin," said Miz Evelyn.
"Hungry bitch," said Miz Judea.
"It's the house that's hungry, Miz Judy, and you know it."
Miz Judea nodded. "I'm tired."
Miz Evelyn turned to Don to explain. "The house is so strong now."
"I wake up dreaming about it," said Miz Judea. "Five times a night. Dreamed there was a ball there. Saw you dancing, young man. With a heron."
"A what?" asked Don.
"A heron. Long-legged bird."
"It wasn't a heron," said Don.
"Whose dream we talking about, boy?" she demanded.
"I thought it wasn't a dream," said Don. "Because I was dancing there this morning. Until dawn."
"You too lonely, boy," said Miz Judea.
"You wasn't dancing alone, I take it," said Miz Evelyn.
"No, not alone," said Don.
"Who you got over there?" asked Miz Evelyn.
"She was there when I arrived. A girl. A woman."
Miz Judea looked skeptical. "Gladys never said nothing about no woman there."
"She's not a... her body was left in a tunnel under the back yard. About ten years ago."
"Good Lord," said Miz Evelyn. "You telling us she's a haint?"
Don nodded. "She gets stronger along with the house. I didn't understand any of what you told me. But the more I worked on the house, the more solid she became. Until I could feel her in my arms as we danced. But she's only real inside the house."
"You expect us to believe this bullshit?" asked Miz Judea.
"Hush, you silly old goose," said Miz Evelyn. To Don she said, "She's only trying to get even