Sadie Long Mushroom Hunter
Sadie Long Mushroom Hunter
Fifteen-year-old Sadie trudged to the edge of the thick, dark woods. She was hunting for mushrooms to bring back to the tavern where she had worked since the Indians slaughtered her family in 1743. Her mother had trained her to tell the difference between the poison and safe specimens.
Sadie was shy and always looked for mushrooms at dusk with her pal Shadow, the raven. The people of her town had recently gone through the witch trials and didn’t roam about at night. They were especially afraid of the old burial ground and the seventeenth-century graves. They had bells with strings that extended through the soil to the buried coffin dweller’s dead stiff fingers.
This practice occurred in the days after the grave of Dr. Moore had to be dug up and reburied in the higher ground due to river flooding. By commonwealth law, he had to be identified by relatives before reburial. Unfortunately, there were visible scrape marks and broken fingernails, indicating the Doctor had been buried alive. Now, in the second half of the eighteenth century, the blood was drained from the deceased.
Sadie’s favorite mushroom and hardest to find was the town favorite, the Black Trumpet. Her second favorite was the green phantom species that glowed in the dark. They couldn’t be eaten but commonly used as a decoration. The town’s people would only eat mushrooms picked by her.
Sadie discovered a group of Trumpets hidden in the river runoffs down by the cemetery. She tiptoed by the stone hut, where the cemetery custodian, Roger, lived. She was surprised he and his friend Robert weren’t there getting drunk. They usually did on Friday nights.
She was startled by a squawk from a pine tree. She saw her friend the raven peering down at her. She chuckled and held out a morsel of chicken. The raven grabbed the meat and flew off into the trees.
Sadie chuckled and turned back to the river runoff. She followed the ravine for a quarter-mile and found another group of young Trumpets sticking out of some rotting oak leaves. She only took half of the mushrooms and continued her search.
She was jolted by a woman’s scream from the Nashua River’s distant covered bridge, followed by the echo of running steps blending into the forest. There was a full moon, so she tried to remain hidden as she went to investigate. The raven reappeared and dropped a piece of blue glass into her apron. She whispered, “Why, thank you.” He always gave her a reward for his bit of meat.
Sadie got within viewing distance of the wooden bridge. She scanned the area and saw nothing. A few bats flickered through the air, and a distant owl hooted. She approached the crossing and could see three pairs of footprints. The smallest set was right down the middle of the dirt road. The others flirted with the river’s edge and the overhanging oak trees.
She figured two people were following a woman. She tossed a small stone onto the roof of the bridge and got no reaction. The raven landed on her shoulder, and she almost fainted. The bird flew through the covered bridge and waited expectantly on a boulder near the exit. Sadie sighed and walked briskly through.
She was alarmed to see two drag marks leading to the river’s edge. She found a woman’s shoe on the bank, but no sign of the owner. She heard sticks breaking from the woods and retreated.
Two silhouettes appeared. One walked into the water and pulled up a woman by the hair. He yanked a shiny chain from her neck and dropped her.
Sadie gasped. Two heads shot up and stared in her direction. She ran up the hill, followed at a distance by two men. The woods were thick and blocked all the light. She distanced herself quickly and could hear the two men in the distance swearing, as they kept running into trees. She took the long path back to the inn, confident that she had lost the drunken men.
She was sure Roger was one of the voices, and the other could be his friend, Robert.
She woke up early the next day and stoked the stove and hearth in the tavern. She heard someone try to jimmy the locked door unsuccessfully and leave. A few minutes later, she listened to the constable’s voice and the door rattle. “Open the door, Sadie.”
She quickly opened it. Constable Smith chuckled at her. “Sorry, I need some of your hot coffee. The rain is freezing.”
She stuttered. “It will take a few minutes to heat up, Sam. I just put it on.” He noticed her shaking hands.
He casually looked out the window. “So, do you still pick mushrooms after serving supper at the inn?”
She spoke without looking up. “Yes, I do... I was out looking for Black Trumpets at dusk last night. I walked by the cemetery and the river runoff. I heard the woman scream, and footsteps running,” she paused, peering up at his solemn face. “I quietly snuck down towards the noises and found no one there. The full moon allowed me to see drag marks on the dirt road going through the bridge down to the river’s edge.”
A surprised Sam wrote the details down. “Is that all?”
Sadie shuddered. “I heard a noise in the brush and hid. I saw two silhouettes. One walked into the water and pulled up a drowned woman by the hair. He yanked a shiny chain from her neck and dropped here. I gasped, and two figures chased me through the woods. They sounded drunk and kept running into trees, so they never got close to me. I think one of the voices was Roger, but I am not sure. Who is the dead woman?”
Sam chuckled. “I’m afraid I was just asking you about mushrooms. I knew nothing of this. Are you sure you weren’t dreaming?”
She frowned and shook her blond head. “Well, there was also the shoe I found. I tossed it in the bushes when I heard the men coming.”
Sam asked. “Did you recognize anyone, maybe Robert?”
She shook her head. “No, I could see nothing clearly even with the full moon.”
Sam frowned. “He was the person I saw, trying to open your door. Maybe one of them saw you?”
Sadie gasped. “No, they couldn’t see me. I’m sure, but they do know I search for mushrooms at dusk on Fridays.”
Sam sighed. “I will investigate. You should not walk about alone until this is over. If Roger or Robert questions you tell them you found a new shoe near the river and were afraid some poor woman had drowned. Don’t show any fear.”
Robert came through the door and was shocked to see Sam. He nervously walked over to the hearth to get warm. He made no eye contact. Sadie decided to confuse him. “So, I found a new shoe by the bridge this morning. Maybe someone dropped it. I tossed it in the bushes, where I could find it if a woman is searching for it.”
Sam knew what she was doing. “Well, it probably floated down the river from Concord. I doubt anyone will ask for it. I’ll look around when the rain stops. I’ll buy you supper later, Sadie.” He waved and left.
Robert sat at a table and smiled. “I think he likes you. What about a shoe?”
Sadie blushed. “I found a shoe while I was looking for wild carrots this morning.”
He asked, “Why didn’t you get them when you were mushroom hunting last night?”
She sighed. “I felt poorly and didn’t go out. The cod made me ill.” She started bacon, beans, and fish for the early morning diners. She set out maple sugar for the porridge eaters.
Roger came in and sat with Robert. Robert pushed a hot hard cider over to his friend. He told Roger what he heard and shrugged. “It must have been someone else. Sadie was sick and didn’t go out for mushrooms. Besides, Sam was here with her. He would have questioned me if it were her.”
They left after eating to look for the shoe and make sure the body was still under the water. The rain was frigid and heavy. The two men moved the cold widow’s body to the other side of the river and covered it with rocks.
They couldn’t find the shoe. Roger looked at the strong river current and shook his head. “We can’t leave her there long. A log could push the rocks off. Tomorrow we will have to bury her somewhere.”
The rain soon stopped. Sam and his assistant, Steve, searched around the bridge for evidence of foul play. The rain had obliterated everything. In the covered bridge, where the storm couldn’t reach, there were visible drag marks. Steve found several broken branches near the water’s edge. Sam surmised, “It looks like something was dragged through the bridge and tossed in the river here, but is gone now. We will go back to town and see if anyone is missing, especially a woman.”
They went back to the tavern in the afternoon. The widow of General Whitlock had missed her weekly trip to buy oats from the livery stable. Sam took a ride out to check on her. She was not there. The house had been ransacked, and her jewelry and money box were missing. Sam had a bad feeling. His German shepherd, Penny, sniffed the ground outside the home.
After five minutes, Penny barked. Sam chuckled, “I guess Penny picked up a scent.” The excited dog moved quickly and followed her nose to the road. Penny found a shoe in a bush. The men were surprised when the dog detoured towards the bridge and ran through it. He sniffed the shore, where Sadie said she saw the body. Sam looked down at Penny and chuckled. “That’s all you got?”
The dog looked insulted and barked sharply at the two men. His nose went down, and his tail wagged. The dog turned in quick circles. He yipped happily and followed his nose to the cemetery.
Steve looked at Sam with alarm. “That is not good.” The dog led them to Roger’s hut. It was empty. Sam shook his head. “I wouldn’t put it past those two blaggards.”
Roger and Robert sat in the tavern, drinking ale and trying to figure out what to do. At the next table, a maid was telling the Mayor there was stuffed chicken with fresh mushrooms. She assured him the mushrooms were picked by Sadie the night before. The two men looked at each other.
Sadie came out later, and Roger confronted her. “You told me you didn’t go out Friday night.”
Sadie blushed and whispered to him, “Deacon Lane wanted to take me for a walk. Last time I went with him for a walk, he tried to tear my clothes off. I’m fifteen, and he is seventy. I should tell his wife, but the tavern wants his business. That was my excuse not to go with him.” The men looked over at the portly deacon and chuckled.
Sam and Steve reappeared a half-hour later. Steve had the shoe with him. They walked around, showing the sandal to the various people who were eating breakfast. Several women recognized it as one of Wendy Whitlock’s new shoes. The two young men finished their drinks and left before Sam got to them.
They headed to the hut to drink and figure out what to do. Roger was shocked to see large dog tracks around the shelter. It’s either a wolf or Sam’s dog, Penny. The two men followed the tracks back to the river edge. They were happy to see they were at the first location and not the other side of the river.
Robert was getting scared. “We got to move the dead widow before Sam checks that side of the river.” They returned to the hut to think and wait for darkness. Roger had purchased a small keg of rum with some of the stolen money. They drank and fell asleep.
There was a gust of wind and a rumble. A storm was approaching. The two men were startled by the small bell on Dr. Moore’s grave blowing in the wind. Roger smiled. “We can bury her in the old deacon’s grave; it has a bell too. The relatives have all died, and the town people believed the stones with bells were haunted. It is the perfect place.”
At dusk, the pair retrieved the body from the river and put it in a cart. Robert covered it with hay. A loud protest from Sadie’s raven shocked them. Roger whispered, “If the raven is here, Sadie might be around looking for glowing mushrooms.” Robert threw a stick at the angry bird, but he missed.
They remained quiet for a few minutes but heard nothing. They slowly pushed the cart up to the old section of the cemetery. They had a couple of drinks of rum and removed the layer of dead grass from the deacon’s grave. They were spooked by the old rusty iron pipe that went down to the coffin. The leather string that was connected up to the little bell hung limp. They dug the six feet down to the rotting knotty pine coffin. They both avoided touching the pipe as much as possible.
Robert pried the lid off and was pleased to see just damp bones and rotting cloth. Roger stared down into the hole. “We will throw the bones in the river and burn the clothing.” Robert pocketed two silver coins that apparently had been placed on the dead man’s eyes.
Robert put the bones into an old burlap sack and tossed it into the river. A loud clap of thunder made him scurry back to the open grave, where Roger was dropping the widow’s thin body into the coffin. Roger laughed. “The old deacon must have been fat. Look at all the room that is left.” Robert just shivered and kept looking around.
Ice cold rain started spitting down, and lightning hit an elm tree on the edge of the woods. Robert saw the raven ten yards left of it in a tree looking down at them. He pointed it out to Roger. “Blast, that might be Sadie’s raven.”
Roger stared at the trees swaying in the gusts. “Circle around behind the cemetery, and see if she is there.”
Robert nodded and worked his way down the hill. The woods were void of light. He scanned the trees slowly and detected a faint green glow moving slowly towards the cemetery. He approached silently and got a squawk from Shadow, who was sitting on a rotting stump. Robert rasped, “You little loudmouth.” He threw a large rock at the bird. Sadie lunged in front of Shadow and took the piece of quartz to her temple. She yelped and fell face down on the wet pine needles.
Roger returned from the hut after tossing the clothes on the fire burning in his fireplace. He saw Robert bending over Sadie. “What did you do to her?”
Robert sighed. “I threw a rock at her bird and would have killed it. She jumped in front, and the rock hit her instead. I think she is dead.”
Roger chuckled. “We would have had to kill her sooner or later. She might have seen us with the dead widow’s body.”
Robert was crying. “But I liked her, and I never killed anyone before.”
Roger stared at him. “You can say some words when we bury her.” He realized Robert was going to be a problem.
The raven sat in a large oak tree, silently watching Sadie for movement. He saw none and realized he had lost her. Roger shoved the Widow Whitlock to the side of the coffin. He jumped out. Robert gently picked up Sadie and placed her next to the dead woman. Roger bashed in Robert’s head with the shovel, and he fell awkwardly into the pine box.
Roger sighed and climbed down. He put Robert face up with the widow face down on him. Roger had to squeeze Sadie in the side, facing the other two. Roger nailed the coffin lid on and made sure the pipe and string stuck inside the coffin’s lid. Roger walked down to the river and washed the blood off his hands and the shovel.
He heard an accusing squawk from the raven and threw a rock at him missing. The rain and thunder started to increase as he returned to the grave and filled it in. He carefully placed the dead grass back. He was pleased that the cemetery looked utterly undisturbed. He returned to his hut to get drunk and watch the lightning show.
The morning was sunny. The owner of the tavern was alarmed that Sadie had not shown up to stoke the fire and start cooking. He sent the other girl up to Sadie’s room to wake her. She ran back down and told the man she was not there. Several patrons became worried and figured she slipped in the storm and got injured while looking for mushrooms.
The rain had washed away any footprints. They searched the usual places where Sadie looked for fungi but found nothing. They also checked around the cemetery and the covered bridge area. Sam found a spot under a tree where the rain hadn’t penetrated. There were drag marks. Something might have been pulled out of the river. The trail ended there.
The tired group wandered back to the inn for dinner. Sam noticed Roger was there eating alone. He and Robert were the only inn regulars who didn’t help search for Sadie. Sam walked over and sat down. “You and Robert were the only ones not to help in the search.”
Roger asked, “Search for what?”
Sam stared at him. “We have been searching for Sadie and the Widow Whitlock.”
Roger shrugged. “Well, I didn’t know.”
Steve was sitting next to Sam. “So, where is Robert?”
Roger shrugged. “He said he was going to visit his sister Mary; she lives in Concord.”
A man came in the door, and the raven flew in. It always landed on his perch, but this time he lit on Roger’s table and started squawking loudly at him. Roger turned red and reached for a knife. Sam grabbed his arm, and Steve put his hand on his pistol.
Sam stared at Roger again. “It seems Shadow is angry with you. I suppose you have no idea why?”
Roger regained his composure. He was tapping on my window looking for a handout, and I threw a cup of water on him, that’s all.” The two constables didn’t believe a word.
