Ch.16 Bayou Blues

[jp1885]

"Good day to you fathers," says Ivy, smiling tightly to each in turn.

"I daresay Father Ortega has told you of our arrival Father Daigle."

[Philulhu]

Father Daigle frowned at Father Ortega’s quip and said, ”Yes, he mentioned we had visitors. Welcome to Johnson’s Bayou. What brings you to our neck of the woods?”

[jp1885]

"As I explained to Father Ortega, my husband and I delight in exploring out-of-the-way places and learning of their histories and folklore. I mean this as a compliment, but Johnson Bayou is a prime example of such a place."

[Bullfrog]

Lawrence, having stayed outside after splitting off from the group, walks around the church grounds to look for anything out of the ordinary. Taken by God, that gravestone said; Lawrence had seen people taken by God in a single night, before. An entire hospital's worth, as a matter of fact...

[Mr. Handy]

"Pleased to meet you, Father Daigle," says William, shaking his hand. "You mentioned major ecclesiastical festivals. I know about Easter, but what else is upcoming soon?"

[Silver Priest]

Alex shakes the old priest's hand in turn. He's a bit worried about what Lawrence will get into, given the man's frazzled state. He probably should have gone with him, but too late now.

"My wife is correct; this seems a charming little community. All the people we've met so far have been so nice and welcoming."

[Philulhu]

“Sunday, March 29th is Palm Sunday, Thursday, April 2nd is Maundy Thursday, Friday April 3rd is Good Friday, Sunday April 5th is Easter itself, Monday April 6th is Easter Monday, Thursday May 14th is Ascension, Sunday May 24th is Pentecost and Thursday June 4th is Corpus Christi,” replied Father Daigle. “And then there’s the saint’s days… …”

Father Ortega gave his visitors a pleading look, and said firmly, “They’re all on the calendar, Father. I’ve checked!”

As Lawrence wandered around the back of the church, he found a school-age boy sat with his back to the church, bouncing a rubber ball off one of the nearby gravestones and catching it. He jumped at Lawrence’s sudden appearance, and the ball bounced away into the grass.

[Mr. Handy]

"Ah, and of course St. Patrick's Day is coming up on Tuesday," says William. "I'm from Boston. It's always a huge celebration there. But I wanted to ask about local history. I noticed a cluster of graves outside, all of them dated October 12, 1886. I was wondering what happened then."

[jp1885]

"Ugh, St. Patrick's Day..." Ivy mutters. "Nothing but an excuse for drunken debauchery..."

[Philulhu]

“1886? That would be the Great Storm,” replied Father Daigle, sombrely. “The day dawned clear and there was no sign of any trouble on the way but by 4.00pm, the waters on the bayou had risen by four feet and by 7.00pm, the hurricane hit. More than a hundred died, some still missing to this day! The ones they found, they buried here before they rebuilt the church.”

[Bullfrog]

"Hey there, kid." Lawrence waves at the boy, trudging off into the grass to retrieve the lost ball.
"Have you seen anything interesting around here?"

[Mr. Handy]

"It's not like a big storm like that to come out of nowhere," says William. "Do you think there might have been something...supernatural about it?"

[Silver Priest]

It was a bold play, but Alex admired William's directness. He's torn between supporting the lawyer and keeping quiet, and opts for the latter for now. If the priests found William to be a crackpot, best to not have him and Ivy tared too badly with the same brush. He listens intently for the men's response, and if either of them seemed open to the possibility.

1d100

[jp1885]

A thought strikes Ivy.

"Speaking of St. Patrick, is there an abundance of snakes in the area? I'm not... comfortable... with the creatures."

[Philulhu]

Father Daigle shook his head. “I can tell by your accents that’s you’re not from round these parts,” he said. “The Gulf of Mexico has regular storms, some bigger than others. It comes with the territory.”

“As for snakes, well, you’re on the bayou and they live there, but I can’t say I’ve seen them doing anything out of the ordinary, have you, Frank?” He looked at Father Ortega, who shook his head.

Alex has no reason to suspect either man of being untruthful or evasive.

The young lad shook his head, then said ”No, mister.” He stared at Lawrence for a second or two more then said, ”You ain’t gonna tell on me, are yuh? My daddy’ll paddle me if he finds out I skipped school.”

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm none too fond of snakes myself," says William.

Spoiler:

Psychology roll (67% skill) about Father Daigle:
d%

[Philulhu]

Father Daigle appears to be telling the truth.

[Mr. Handy]

"What's your opinion of Nashoba?" asks William. "He sounds like an interesting fellow."

[Bullfrog]

"You aren't my son, so whether you're at school or not isn't any of my concern." Lawrence shrugs. "My friends and I are just here to write a book, and they sent me out to find anything that'll get the attention of readers. What about those gravestones, all of those folks 'taken by God'?"

[Philulhu]

Father Daigle shook his head sadly. “His people moved away but he still lives here with his wife, son and his family. He’ll tell anyone who listens that nothing good will come of the damage to their burial grounds, and I can see his point, in a way. I’d be annoyed if anything happened to the church,” said Father Daigle.

“Mainly though, he just gets up the nose of the oilmen. Anything goes wrong on site and he’s round there, telling them that the ancient spirits are displeased. You can imagine how that’s received. Him and the foreman have had words more than once.”

”Some kinda storm, many years ago,” replied the kid.

”Daddy says some of our family were killed and got buried there.” He shrugged. It had happened before his lifetime and he probably couldn’t imagine how such a thing could happen.