Haley Thistle
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Abella & Minerva the Moths (rough draft)
🕑 Added 2021-09-23 20:01:00 +0000 UTCWhen I was growing up, I used to mow lawns during the summer to earn money. There was one house which my mother purposefully sent me to that no right minded kid would walk right up to. The old ladies who lived there were said to be witches who used the bodies of kids to raise their honey bees.
Of course, this was all just stories. The two old women turned out to be very nice. The more I worked for them, I realized they were just nice old ladies, weird, but nice. They were one of the few people to let me in when it was really hot, and sometimes even make me snacks. I grew to like them, even as rumors about them persisted, not just through the kids, but from the adults in the neighborhood as well.
Abella and Minerva had lived in the same little cottage for a long time. My mom says she remembers them moving in when she was little. She also remembers how her mother would tell her never to go near their yard. I figured it was because of those rumors in the past that spread to the children, and grew in the adults.
The pair grew a large garden in the back for Abella’s honey bees and sometimes for extra money, I would help weed or take care of it. They had some bushes too that were often overgrown, so one day, to be nice, I decided I would trim them up.
I hadn’t gotten but a single bush trimmed when Abella came racing out from the house to stop me. “No! No!” She gasped and took the sheers from me. “You have to be careful!”
“I can use the shears, Ms. Abella,” I told her. “I won’t cut myself.”
Abella took her apron and rubbed down the blades. “It isn’t the blades you should be worrying about, young man!” She gave me a deep look of concern. “It’s the plant itself that worries me.”
Needless to say, I was confused. “What do you mean? It’s just a bush.”
“No, sweetheart!” She turned me to face the bush. It was about the size of a small tree and covered in pale pink blossoms. “There are plants in this world that can be extremely dangerous. This one especially! It’s very, very poisonous.”
“Oh,” I flinched, worried I had somehow gotten it on me. I then looked back at the bush with its pretty pink flowers. “It doesn’t look poisonous.”
Abella gave me a reassuring but nervous smile. “Sometimes it's the prettiest things that can be the most dangerous.” Her eyes scoured across the yard. “I have to be very careful with my bees,” she said gently. “That’s why I keep so many wild flowers nearby. It’s said that this plant is so poisonous that even the honey from the bees that feed off it will be toxic too.”
This was amazing to me at the time. “So I shouldn’t trim them?”
“It would be nice, but for now, I’d rather you take care of other things, sweetheart. Although, that is very kind of you to worry.” She handed me back the cleaned off sheers and she led me to another part of the yard.
I always thought Ms. Abella was so pretty. Both she and Ms. Minerva were moths and had big, fancy wings. As a kid, I was fascinated by their wings. Ms. Abella had soft colors to her, making her look like a warm cozy blanket. There were hints of soft lavender and heather. She had four long, delicate arms with the softest hands. She was always my favorite of the two. She made the best cookies out of anyone in the whole town, and she always had my favorite drink on hand. She used to patch my jeans as well, and even hemmed some that I got as hand me downs from my much larger cousin.
Ms. Minerva looked much more severe than Ms. Abella. She had dark wings with a harsh, jagged pattern. She was very, very tall and often wore sharp nails on three of her four hands, which I never understood why. I could understand why people would claim they were witches because of Ms. Minerva. While she did appear severe and strict, she was the one who paid me, and she always gave a generous tip. Not only that, one time she ‘accidentally’ gave me way too much but, when I told her, she made up some lie and said to give it to my mother. Which, at the time, was a blessing because my mom had just lost her job and we couldn’t afford groceries. I didn’t understand until later Ms. Minerva had done that so my mother could feed us.
Most of the kids I grew up with still wouldn’t believe me when I told them about Abella and Minerva. They still held onto the idea they were creepy and weird, letting the rumors spread even as we grew up.
“Mom,” I decided to ask her about it one day. “Why do people not like Ms. Abella and Ms. Minerva?”
She looked out the window for a moment, and already I could tell she was trying to form some sort of story, some way to deliver the news to me in a way I could understand. My mom then turned and put on a smile.
“Well, sometimes people have a hard time accepting what’s different. They have to make up stories so that their concerns and even their prejudice can be justified. Like how I don’t like geese?”
I nodded. “You say they’re evil and possessed by demons.”
My mom nodded and dried her hands with a dishtowel. “You know that’s not true, right? I just say that so I can explain away my fear?”
For a second I was shocked, but I think I always knew that couldn’t be true. “Right,” I answered.
My mom came and sat with me at the table. “Sometimes people do that to other people simply because they don’t understand them or like them. And unfortunately, that happened to Abella and Minerva when they first moved in.”
“Is that why you had me go and work for them?” I then asked.
She nodded. “I know they’re not bad people. When your father first started...being cruel, they were the ones to help me.”
I barely remembered my father, but even then I felt a fear when I did think about him. I never knew what happened to him, I just assumed he had left home. Mom never talked about him, not unless she was warning me about red flags to look out for when I started dating.
“How did they help you?” I asked. “Did they make him leave?”
I can’t quite remember what she said or how she acted. She seemed to change the subject to something else rather quickly. I think she handed me pudding or ice cream to distract me and turn my mind away from the subject.
After high school ended and I moved away, I barely dealt with Abella and Minerva. They became just a memory of my past. A yard I used to deal with and two women I held a fondness for. I went on beyond yard care. I became a police officer, then worked my way up to becoming a detective. For a long time, I wasn’t able to go home. But then, a case appeared which sent me back.
“At least you get to stay with your mom,” my boyfriend, Rian, said.
I was packing my bags and getting ready to go to start the investigation. “Yeah, but in my childhood bedroom.”
He grinned. “I bet that’s cute. All scrunched up in your tiny twin bed.”
“Shut up,” I laughed. “This isn’t a cute situation. There have been many possible homicides in my hometown. This is serious.”
“Do you still have any of your old jammies at your place?” Rian giggled.
“Stop it,” I scolded him, but couldn’t suppress my smile. “I have to investigate something very dark, this isn’t your chance to live out your silly high school romance fantasies. This isn’t one of those ridiculous CW shows you like so much.”
Rian scrunched up his nose. “Actually it kind of is.”
I scoffed and gave into that one. I finished packing my bag and we went into the kitchen. “I’ll be working with the police department there, so if there are any emergencies here at home, call my mom and she’ll be able to get ahold of me.”
Rian came up to me and put his arms around me. “Just be careful, that’s all I ask. Come home in at least one piece. I’ll accept two, but three just gets weird.”
I smiled and gave him a kiss, wanting it to last for a long while since I would be gone for an indeterminate amount of time. “I’ll be okay.”
Rian gave me a cross look tinged with concern. “You’re investigating possible countless murders. Don’t say that so fast.”
I smiled at him, reaching out and taking hold of his hand. I rubbed across his knuckles, then along the ring on his finger. “These things usually don’t get dangerous. I just gotta keep my head down and my ears up.”
Rian pinched one of my ears. “They’re always up.” He kissed me in return and snuggled up close. His body felt so warm and nice, it almost made me want to be late.
“I’ve gotta go,” I sighed.
“I know.” Rian pulled back slowly. “I’ll miss you.”
I kissed him again, keeping him close until the very last second. I finally had to go, and I dreaded being away from him for so long.
I arrived back home, and while a lot seemed the same, there was more to it I barely recognized. Houses had changed, new fences were built. Some places were torn down or rebuilt. It all felt very familiar and strange at the same time. It was also eerily quiet. I noticed it as I drove through town, but it didn’t register at first. When I finally drove into my old neighborhood, I could feel the doors being locked. The windows all had the curtains drawn, and there wasn’t a single person out and about.
My mom was happy to see me, she greeted me with open arms as I came through the door. “Look how tall you’ve gotten!”
“I haven’t grown since the last time you saw me.” I bent over, putting my arms around her and taking a hug I had been needing for so long.
“I know, but still! Look at you!” She pulled me inside and sat me down at the dinner table. “How’s Rian?”
I pulled my suitcase in, but as the wheel hopped over the door frame, it fell off. “He’s pouting that I’ll be away, but he’s excited to live out this long distance romance fantasy of his.” I picked my suitcase up and stooped to get the wheel.
“I love that boy,” she sighed. She poured us coffee then sat down beside me. “I know you’re here for a very, very serious reason. But I am so happy to see you.” She put her hand over mine, which was warmed by the coffee mug.
“I hate it took possible murder to get me back home.” I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Despite work, I’m curious to see how the old stomping grounds are doing.”
Mom’s eyes went real wide and she exhaled loudly. “Not good as of late. I mean, it’s never great with possible murder hanging over our head. But even before then, there were issues. We had some people move in who did not improve things.”
Mom was good at burying the lead. “You never mentioned anything like that before. What kind of people?”
She shrugged. “Didn’t seem worth it before. I also didn’t want you to worry.” My mom grimaced and sat back in her chair. With a heavy sigh, she began her story. “This guy moved in, real jerk. Was someone your dad would have liked.”
This was code for an abusive jerk who thought his shit didn’t stink. “And what happened?”
Mom scoffed. “He was charismatic, got away with a lot of shit he shouldn’t have. Being a cop, that didn’t help things. He kind of built a club around himself.” Her expression shifted somewhere between nauseous and angry. “I would call it a cult, but I would say that and suddenly I was the bad guy. That’s just how important that guy made himself out to be around here. He even talked about running for mayor.” She then sighed heavily. “He got into a big public fight with Ms. Minerva a while back.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. “Was she hurt?”
When my mom would cross her arms against her chest, I knew it was nothing good. She had worked for years in the women’s shelter after they had helped her with my dad. Knowing that one of the women who helped her in the beginning had been hurt should have caused her arms to fall off she crossed them so tightly.
“Mom,” I breathed out.
“She’s okay now,” Mom quickly countered. Her arms uncrossed and she gently tapped the back of my hand with her fingertips. “But her and Abella became his and his cronies' targets.”
I frowned. “And people just let that slide?”
She looked upset, and she wasn’t trying to hide it either. “Sometimes the wrong people have all the influence. You know that. And Minerva and Abella were easy targets. I tried to get them to stay with me for a while, but Minerva didn’t want me taking on any of the ire.”
I didn’t like this at all. “You should have told me about this, Mom! If you were getting harassed, you could have moved in with me and Rian!”
“I wasn’t going to bother you and Rian. Besides, Abella and Minerva got way more abuse than I did.” My mom knew where this had been leading the whole time. “And they’ve been fine since the guy died.”
I clicked my tongue. “So, he’s one of the ones I’m investigating.”
“Yeah, he was one of the first to drop,” she murmured. She leaned against the table, holding her cup in both hands. “I would like to say I’m sad on any sort of level, but I’d be lying. The guy made this place hell if you weren’t on his side.”
I screwed up my mouth and chewed on the side of my lip for a second. “What’d he do to Minerva, mom?”
“God,” she scoffed. “He hit her. The two were fighting in the parking lot of the grocery store. I don’t know what about exactly. Minerva never said anything about it to me. From what I heard through the grapevine, she hit the back of his truck with her shopping cart. When he got out, they got into a huge yelling match. Some say she tried to hit him first, so he defended himself. Which is bullshit, Minerva’s tall but she’s a tiny old woman.” She was pissed, but she shook it off. “But he hit her really hard in the stomach and she fell into the buggy rack. She broke a couple of ribs and her leg.”
I was completely disgusted. Unless Minerva had done something truly terrible, hell, even if she did, she didn’t deserve to get hit. “And no one did anything? Not even the cops?”
Mom was chewing on her bottom lip. “He was a cop. That’s kind of the whole huge problem with it. People either loved him or were afraid to speak up about it. Not to mention others claimed she had tried to hit him first so-” She shrugged and looked angry. “After that, things just went downhill for them. I tried to help them as much as I could, but eventually they told me to stop in case I got caught up in it.”
“You should have told me this!” I snapped. “I don’t care if I would have worried. I don’t want you in this situation.”
My mom shook her head. “And then what?”
I frowned. “Well, I could have, I dunno…” I leaned back in my chair.
“I’ve dealt with asshole men all my life. I know how to handle myself. Besides, he’s dead now. At first they thought it was a heart attack and nothing was made of it. Then others started dropping like flies in a way that felt alarming.” She then looked at me with a slight smile. “And now ta-da! You’re here.”
“Fuck,” I murmured.
“Yeah, it’s been kind of weird around here.” She looked into her coffee cup. “I doubt it’ll be the most disturbing case you’ve ever come across, but it’ll probably be one you won’t forget.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Since I’m from here, they thought I could be used so people would be more willing to talk to me.” I balanced my chin in my palm. “But after hearing about this guy, I’m not so sure.”
Mom made a face, realizing she may have said too much about the guy. “People are still kind of loyal to him. They’ve been making him out like some sort of martyr since the announcement. I’d watch out if I were you around the police office. I wouldn’t even mention what I told you. Just pretend you’re going in there blind about the whole situation.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” I sighed. “This certainly does add to it. What about Ms. Abella and Ms. Minerva? After all this happened, have you heard from them again?”
Mom nodded. “They went on a trip just before the guy died. I was watching their house for them, not that they asked, I just didn’t trust anyone. They came back not too long ago. Just after it started getting apparent that-” She trailed off. “Well, right before we needed you.”
I thought about their yard full of plants and those flowering bushes. I doubt they had been able to take care of it, and ever since all that happened, I don’t think anyone would have helped them either. “I’ll have to go and visit them. I’ll be busy, but if they need anything, maybe I can help them out. I do owe them a bit.”
My mom smiled. “They always ask about you. How you’re doing, what you’re up to. They got very excited when I told them about you and Rian.”
I smiled to myself. “It took me a long time to realize what they were doing when I was little, you know? Ms. Minerva tipping me and giving me that extra money one time. When Ms. Abella fed me and fixed my clothes. They knew we were having hard times, but to me I just thought they were being nice. I didn’t understand they were trying to help some poor kid.”
“You still wouldn’t get Minerva to admit it,” Mom laughed.
“It also took me way too long to realize they were a couple!” I rubbed the back of my head. “Even after I figured out I was gay, I didn’t put that together until it was shamefully late.”
Mom laughed. “It’s so obvious. But I suppose it’s not something you were taught to look for back then.” My mom finished off her coffee. “I bet they would love to see you.”
“They’ll probably see more of me than they want. Considering what all happened between them and that guy, I’ll probably have to interview them a bit.” I then sighed. “They may not even want to see me.”
My mom’s smile faded away and the serious expression came back. “Minerva hasn’t talked much about anything since. So I wish you luck with that.”
“It’s my job. I’m used to people not talking to me.” I glanced out the window, seeing a bush like the one Ms. Abella had was in mom’s backyard. “When did you get that?”
Mom turned to follow my gaze. “Oh, that? Abella gave it to me. She had a bunch of offshoots one year so she planted them in a bunch of people’s yards. Now the whole neighborhood has all these oleander blossoms.”
My ears perked up. “That’s what they’re called. Oleander.”
“Oh yeah,” Mom laughed. “People think they’re beautiful, but I don’t think many of them realize just how poisonous they are.”
I remembered then Ms. Abella stopping me from trimming the bushes in her yard. How she hurriedly cleaned off the blades with her apron. I looked at the bush now growing in my mom’s yard almost exactly where my swing used to be. That evening I decided to research the oleander as I was getting settled in my old room.
I usually took a run each night before a shower, so I went around the old neighborhood. Each yard I crossed had at least one of the oleander bushes. Some had many, encompassing most of the yard. The more I looked around, the more it seemed death could be lurking from any corner. If this was the cause of all these deaths, then really anyone could have used the oleander.
