The continuing story of a girl's coming of age in a small town on southern island.

I was awakened by a cold chill. We were experiencing a slow fall or what some folks might call an Indian summer. Granny had been ailing but we expected her to get better and be back to bossing everybody around just like regular. After weeks of steamy days and sticky nights the weather changed suddenly. A harsh cold wind quickly forced the leaves on the trees to turn from a lush emerald green to brilliant and bright embers of gold practically overnight.

I got up to ask Granny if she felt the breeze. As I entered her room the chill embraced my entire body and I shivered uncontrollably. Granny lay in bed. She seemed to sleep the most peaceful sleep I've ever seen. Tears welled up in my eyes and a lump caught in my throat. I couldn't breath so I ran outside for fresh air. I kept running and running towards the beach. I felt like my feet weren't even touching the ground. I could hear my mama calling out to me but her voice got caught up in the wind and drifted in the other direction. Through the blur of tears in my eyes I saw the clearest, brightest rainbow I've ever seen in my life. It caused me to stop mid-stride. There hadn't been any rain because the ground was completely dry. I could tell because as I stopped short, I fell face down into the dry, dusty road. I laid there stone still, staring up at the multicolored arch for what seemed to be hours.

* ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^* ^ * ^ *

Mister Jones must have been passing on the road because the next thing I remember is he was standing over me asking if everything was all right. My throat was choked closed with dust and uncried tears. I shook my head frantically from side to side over and over again. Mister Jones pulled me to his chest and stroked the back of head with his rough hands. He smelled of sweet pipe tobacco. I thought about my granny and the nights when she and Mister Jones would sit on the porch after dinner smoking their pipes and talking about their childhood on the island.