Pesty said not a word. She stood there with her hands clasped in front of her, looking at the wall turning. The back of the wall, its other, hidden side, was coming around into view.

“It’s a circle,” Thomas whispered.

“And one-half of it hidden all the time,” Great-grandmother said softly. “But wait … maybe … you won’t believe …” What came around from behind was so unexpected. It was so shocking Thomas wanted to hide his face from it.

“That’s it, that’s what was there before,” Great-grandmother said.

Pesty stood there, calmly looking up. Thomas was looking up as well. And so was Great-grandmother Jeffers. Up and up.

“Mr. Thomas,” Pesty said. “Great Mother Jeffers,” she said soothingly. She reached out with gentle hands for what was there, for what had come from behind the wall.

The first thing Thomas noticed was the motion Great-grandmother Jeffers spoke about. Nervous, frantic motion was what came to mind.

Pesty took a few steps to the side where there was a table and turned on the small brass lamp by a straight chair near the wall. The lamp gave off a soft glow of light.

“Mr. Thomas,” Pesty said. She went back over to the turned wall. She had her hand now on the one who had come. “She didn’t mean anything. Didn’t mean to scare your great-grandmother.”

“What?” Thomas said, barely out loud. He was staring at the one so tall.

“Y’all,” Pesty said to them. “Want you to meet my mama. She wasn’t following Great Mother Jeffers down the hall. It’s just that this house was hers to wander before y’all ever came to live here.

“But don’t move too sudden,” Pesty continued. “Mama not too well, though she up and around again.”

Thomas and Great-grandmother Jeffers simply stared. The place that had turned had a handsome stone fireplace with a marble mantel. The woman stood on the wide hearth, crouched a bit, leaning her back against the mantel.

“Oh!” Thomas said. He realized then that she wasn’t a giant, as he had thought. She was about six inches off the floor up on the raised stone hearth. But she was still big and tall, probably the tallest, the biggest, and the most different woman Thomas had ever seen. She sent out a powerful magnetism. It was as if electricity surrounded her. He could almost feel its prickly current. It wasn’t possible. But there it was.

11

MRS. DARROW HAD THICK black hair that fanned out over her shoulders to cascade down her back, below her waist. The long dress she wore was a worn and shabby tent cinched at the waist. It had a neck hole and holes for her hands out of the long sleeves gathered at her wrists. It had heavily padded shoulders as stiff and flat as boards. It looked like a shelter of cloth stretched over her huge figure from neck to ankles. She wore it like a protective armor. She might have been five feet eleven inches or even over six feet tall, Thomas supposed. And she might have weighed two hundred, three hundred pounds, he couldn’t be sure. But she didn’t look fat. Just big.

Thomas couldn’t take his eyes off her. He knew that only seconds had passed, that Pesty had spoken, introducing her mama. But he couldn’t find any words in his head. He was just so struck by her. Enormous Mrs. Darrow, standing over him.

She had her arms crossed over her chest so that they made a wide X, with her hands touching her shoulders. Her eyes were like two black, burning lights stuck to her face. Her mouth was a thin line with great creases at either side. She might have been smiling. But she was not. She was staring. Her black eyes fastened on Thomas.

Something else, Thomas thought. I hear … humming!

She was humming and had been humming, like a soft buzzing from the time she had come around from behind the wall. The humming had buzzed inside his head, as if it had belonged there. He hadn’t noticed it until now.

“Can’t you say hello to my mama?” Pesty was asking him.

“Oh, oh, hello! I’m sorry, Mrs. Darrow, I was ... shoot. Hello!” Thomas said.

“Thomas and I are glad to meet you, Mrs. Darrow.” Great-grandmother Jeffers finally spoke, in a natural, soothing voice, not too loud.

The humming did not cease. Great-grandmother took a step forward and extended her palm in greeting. Mrs. Darrow swung her head around toward Great-grandmother. Eyes, burning black fire, glinting so, that Great-grandmother drew back; she could not help herself. It was clear the woman was awfully, terribly different.

At once Pesty stepped between her mother and Great-grandmother. Mrs. Darrow had dropped her arms. Her hands clenched into fists.

“Great Mother Jeffers, you got to move slow, please,” Pesty said. “See, my mama is all right, once you know what to do and what not to do.”

Pesty had hold of her mother’s hands, fists. She rubbed and rubbed at them until Mrs. Darrow relaxed them a bit, opening them partway.

“She can’t help herself,” Pesty said simply. “Doctor calls it something.” She started again, carefully. “Doctor says she is ill, mental. She is chronic. See, that means it comes and goes.”

“Chronic,” Great-grandmother said softly. “Did she take her medicine today?” she added, gazing back at the black eyes that froze on her now.

“She might not’ve,” Pesty said. “Well, how did you know she might’ve forgot?” She was surprised that Great-grandmother Jeffers would think of that. “Mama might not’ve, with me run off to go around with Mr. Thomas.”

“Well, then we’ll take her back and see that she gets her medicine and gets warmed up,” Great-grandmother said. “I suspect that the way she came was chilly.”

Thomas couldn’t believe he’d heard right.

“Thomas,” she continued, “go get my shawl for Mrs. Darrow to put on, please—move slowly now, we don’t want to upset her—and get my coat and hat for me. My scarf. Don’t want to catch my death. You might do well to bring a flashlight, too.”

The humming ceased suddenly. “Sooky,” Mrs. Darrow murmured. Her voice was strangely clear and childlike, not at all like the sound of her humming.

“What did she say?” Thomas asked, trying not to move even his lips.

“She always says that for a few days,” Pesty said. “Sooky. That’s what she calls me when she starts in talking again. See, when she is sick, she won’t call me at all. She will sit in one place forever unless somebody move her. She don’t want to eat until she comes out of it. And then she eat everything in sight.”

“Great-grandmother ...”

“Thomas,” Great-grandmother said, “we’ll go back there with her, see that she’s fine. Oh, and how about one of the pies in the refrigerator? Yes! Just bring it on up here.”

“But you don’t know what went on,” Thomas said quickly. “Her sons … what they did to the kitchen.” He glanced up at Mrs. Darrow and away before she could swing her eyes at him. “I don’t think Papa—”

“Thomas,” Great-grandmother interrupted, “I heard about some of what went on here when you-all first come months ago. Well, your papa is my grandson, so don’t you worry. Hurry now, Thomas,” she said. “We don’t want to keep Mrs. Darrow waiting!”

She smiled bravely at him and all around. Great-grandmother was going to help Mrs. Darrow even though she was a little afraid of her. Thomas could tell.

He hurried downstairs to the closet. First, he grabbed his and Pesty’s coats from the backs of chairs in the kitchen. He stuffed a flashlight in his jacket pocket. Then he got the pie. He didn’t know what kind it was; it was wrapped in foil in the refrigerator. It was probably apple. He hurried to the hall, placed the pie carefully on the floor, and laid their coats next to it. Then he got Great-grandmother’s things from the closet. The shawl, too. Oh man! It’s taking me too long!

But he hurried. Careful to hold the pie with both hands. He had his own coat and hat on now. He had Pesty’s coat draped over his head and down his back. He had Great-grandmother’s things and her shawl over one arm. He did not know whether what they were about to do was safe or sane. Another secret opening into the house right upstairs! he was thinking. A crazy woman? She is Pesty’s mama. Mrs. Darrow. Wonder what is her first name? You could ask.