“The Doom Statues” — Chapter 50

Kathy is far too credible a source to question, but even if it were anybody else making this claim, hope alone would probably send half of them out to the pond behind the barn to investigate. She had been leaning into the sill of an open window, chatting on the phone with her own mother back home — just about the only break this one woman cottage industry seemed to allow herself ever — and was already idly peering in this direction. Even allowing for the gloom, she has no doubts about what she saw, which was Jen, clad still in a white coat and those crazy chef pants, hair braided against both sides of her head, just materializing from over this one small hill, as she strolled around and stared at that pond.

Still, nobody can find any trace of Jen out here. Then again, the grass remains relatively tall, a holdover from summer, and the ground is for the most part dry. This outdoor excursion does bring with it one positive, however, aside from the hope of their chef’s return — now that they’ve gotten their blood flowing, the general mood is brighter than it has been all day. It helps that the sky goes from a pure gray to at least a bright cloud cover, backlit by the sun. A little warmer, too, meaning that just about everyone involved suddenly feels the urge to remain active outside.

Jeremy is the lone exception, wistfully remarking, “I would like to screw around…