Belle of Vicksburg
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Shopping

Belle of Vicksburg
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459 Willard Lane, Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Heather's Pie Wash Misadventure
A Heather Delilah Soenksen Story

Noelle Edmond's 'Saturday Evening Entertainment Hour' was the newest hit program on Mississippi's PBS block. The show is a variety show that airs on Saturday evenings from around seven to nine. The two hour block is filled from start to finish with musical performances from local talent. Interviews with local celebrities, and of course stunts. The show is famous for randomly picking people out of the studio audience and drafting them into taking part in some kind of game or stunt.

Girls Just Want To Have Fun
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Iced coffee, Beignets, and Girl Talk

By early afternoon Madeline and I had finished our shopping. The mall was kind of dead, and most of our money was spent. Both Madeline and I were holding off spending any more. Both of us wanted to get something from Subway before hitting the highway again and turning east toward Benton and home. But before Subway we decided on a sweet treat, a little reward for ourselves.

The Redemption of Jamie Sarah Potter
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Babylon has Fall

The whole school heard the Head's words. The Board of Trustees who had long stood in stark silence could no longer sit on the edge of the fence. They had to move. They had to remove her. Daisy's sentence was suspended and a public apology was issued by Trustees of the school over what had happened. And in a strange twist of fate, both Cerridwen and Daisy were named prefects by the new Head.

The Redemption of Jamie Sarah Potter
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Social Media Firestorm

The news of all the school prefects turning in their badges spread like a Californian wildfire. It spread first through word of mouth then through social media. Soon the whole town knew about it. Then it happened, the cheerleaders all twelve of them turned in their pom poms and true to his word. Ben led the whole defensive line in walking off the field. There would be no Friday night football for a while it seemed. And the Head well, there was little she could do to punish us.

The Redemption of Jamie Sarah Potter
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Confession

I took a deep breath as I knelt down in front of the altar of St. Mary's Episcopal Church. Mass was due to start in thirty minutes. And Fr. Bell was now hearing confessions. Now, normally I don't go to confession, I find it silly, a waste of time, and sometimes down right degrading. Like why am I going to wreck my brain looking for a 'sin' to confess to a forty something year old man hiding behind a wooden screen? But there was something on my mind.

Saved by the Bell
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The Son of God goes forth to War

I don't think one signal word passed between the three of us as Jamie guided Daisy out of the lunchroom and toward the headmasters office. Jamie and Daisy walked ahead of me, and I trailed a little behind the two. Then something happened, as we drew closer to the headmaster office. Daisy paused and took a deep breath. And then in a light, airy tone of voice he started to sing a cappella. The sound of his voice seemed to echo down the hallway. 

Saved by the Bell
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His name was James Donald Bell

It's a common misconception that Benton Academy is the cradle for the Episcopal and Methodist bourgeoisie of Benton. In fact it's nothing more than a really redneck school. And the only way my mom and dad can afford to send me here is that my grandmother is footing the bill. My grandmother wants me to get the best education possible in this small town. She wants me to make something of my life.

-8-
Dunk the Maiden (Part 2)

I quickly found myself soaked to the bone. My once perfectly styled hair had become a tangle web of loose strands. I felt myself starting to shiver a little. The fire had almost gone out in me. The crowd in front of me was starting to ease up a bit and I was glad. I thought maybe I could catch a little break. But then Wyatt came up to me and started to whisper harshly toward me.

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An Interesting Proposal

I took a deep breath as I peered out the car window. The sight that greeted me was nothing but flat, rolling fields that seemed to stretch far beyond the horizon. The Mississippi Delta was flat as a board. As I released my drawn in breath I shifted my eyes toward the woman seated beside me. Her name was Lavender Stoner and she was less than thrilled to have me along for the ride. I could say the same for her. Sitting next to her was like sitting next to a junkyard dog.

-4-
The Wisdom of Bridgette, Apprentice Wisdom to the Village of Thorn

The common room of the inn was silent as the grave. Night had fallen and many of the rowdy patrons had retired to their beds. In a far corner of the room, Bridgette, Oliver and I gathered around a simple wooden table. At Bridgette's feet there laid a leather traveling knapsack. Her wooden staff lay probed up beside her. In front could be found the bones of a roasted chicken, picked clean. We all had the roasted chicken, it was okay. Could have used a little more salt and pepper but otherwise it was okay.

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A Fork in the Road

Oliver and I walked about another league before we reached a fork in the road. Most of our fellow travelers to the left fork, that was the path I guess would take us toward the Sand Hills. A old wooden sign that had been driven in the middle of the two forks said as much. It also said that the right fork would take you toward a village that was called Thorn. The village of thorn was around two leagues distance down the path or six miles. According to my sources the soothsayer lived near the village Thorn. 

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Memories of another Life

I have often wondered how and why I ended up in this world. The last thing I remember of my old life is the blinding lights of an oncoming semi-truck. And the blinding pain of my soul being torn from my body. Then nothing. I remember nothing of my past life, okay I'd lied. I do remember some things, these memories often come back to me late at night, normally right before I blow out the candle that sits beside my bed. 

Greenville, Mississippi had a total population of some fifty thousand souls all nestled along the banks of the Mississippi River. The town was a thriving river port, and could boost a thriving downtown district that was lined with all kinds of shops. It also had a mall, a pretty good mall. Not as big as say North Park the second biggest enclosed shopping space in Mississippi or the Metro Center Mall, who claimed the title as the biggest and best enclosed shopping mall. But it was the only mall in the region.

The Stoner family lived in a fine two story brick house at the corner of Hegman Road and Railroad Avenue. That was about a half mile from where Aunt Cat and Uncle Sidney lived. The house was a fine, brick house with a black slate roof. Behind the house one could see the railroad that was the lifeblood of this small delta town. Beyond the railroad tracks, and as far as the eye could see one could see cotton. Cotton was the chief crop of the Mississippi delta and was the breadwinner for many delta farmers including my dear uncle. Who's change of heart still worried me.

Halloween Romance
Sequel to
Mischief Night Magic
Part Two: Costumes

Tonight was Halloween night. I'd spent the morning cleaning the remaining parts of the cemetery. Around one, Gwendoline fixed me a late lunch of chicken noodle soup with some salted crackers on the side. The soup was okay, nothing special, just the kind of soup you get from a can. Small cubes of chicken breast, thin noodles, and a yellow, salty broth. After that I took a short nap.

Gakkou no Kaiden:
Beware of the Water Demon!

The mountain village of Satoyama is surrounded by thousands of small rice paddies that are fed by countless streams that flow down from the snow capped mountains that surround the village. In the hot, humid summer months the children of the village often play in the cool streams. Be it swimming, fishing or just lounging in the shadow of a tree that has grown by the waters edge. These nameless streams are often a popular escape from the heat of summer.

After I gave my little speech the party started in earnest. And let me tell you something, the scene unfolding before me looked like it had been lifted straight from the pages of The Great Gatsby. All the young men dressed smartly in their rented tuxedos danced upon the polished wooden floor of the country club with the belle's of Benton in their formal, sparkling gowns.

I took a deep breath as I peered toward the full floor length mirror that was hung on the other side of the small changing room. The reflection that greeted me was totally alien to me. The reflection showed a girl, who appeared to be around sixteen. She had long, flowing brunette hair that reached down to her shoulders. A modest chest that was just starting to fill out. Her hips were just starting to come in. This girl also wore a strapless coral pink ball gown that reached all the way to the ground.

Mischief Night Magic
Sequel to
Cemetery Shenanigans
Part Six: A Serious Conversation

Mischief Night Magic
Sequel to 
Cemetery Shenanigans
Part Five: Costume Shopping 

It was around twilight when we left the parking lot of Dollar General. As we drove through the narrow streets of Benton, toward our next stop. Gwendoline seemed a little lost for words. She seemed lost in thought, she kept looking over me, and every time she would look at me she would smile. I returned the smile with one of my own. 

There is a long held belief among those who live in Yazoo County that the name of the Yazoo, the name given to the river that flows through it, and who's yearly overflow made it prime cotton growing ground comes from the old Choctaw word that means “River of Death”. I guess that is fitting enough because all the ghost stories and legends I've shared with you center on Yazoo County. This next story was told to me by a good friend of mine. Her name is Lana Edwards. She is one of the few remaining Edward's that call Benton home.