After packing leftover food served after her Aunt Nan's memorial service into the back seat of her car, Tasha slid into the front seat of the black Chevy parked near her cousin Anne's home in a dark, wooded suburban community.
Inserting the keys into the ignition, Tasha heard a crackling sound coming from the back seat. "Oh, no," she thought. "A mole or a possum is digging through the food, and it might attack me."
Tasha jumped out of the car and ran as fast as she could in her high-heeled shoes to Anne's house.
Anne grabbed a flashlight, and the cousins hurried to the car. Anne trained the flashlight's beam the way a pilot of a police helicopter aims a searchlight on a suspect, focusing the white light on the food in plastic bags and a covered party tray, then, on the black upholstery, and finally, on the carpeted floor and ridged
plastic floor mats.The crackling had stopped. The food looked untouched. No furry animals were found.
Feeling safer, Tasha kissed Anne goodbye, hopped into her car, and began the drive to Baltimore City
When she reached the highway, she turned the radio dial to a rock station. "Morning has broken..., Tasha heard Cat Stevens sing his 1971 hit. "I can't believe it," she thought. "That song hasn't been popular for years." "...Praise for them springing fresh from the world...," Stevens continued.
Tasha had sung the Christian hymn during her Aunt Nan's service that morning. Hearing it again felt like a punch on a sore arm after a flu shot. Tears hit her face like a fast, warm rain as she wailed.
She heard a voice "Pull yourself together, girl. Keep moving on that highway."
It was Aunt Nan talking. "Was she losing her mind, Tasha wondered. No, it was definitely Aunt Nan's spirit. Tasha brushed the tears off her cheeks. Her wail diminshed to a whimper as she got closer to the city.
When she reached her red-brick rowhouse, she quickly put the food in the refrigerator and rushed to the phone to call her cousin. "Anne, you'll never believe what happened, Tasha said, talking rapidly, something she does when she's anxious or excited. Your mother made those crackling noises in my car. And then, she had the radio station play, "Morning Has Broken" on my car radio to tell me she was fine and had been sprung "fresh from the world."
"Oh yes I would," Anne said.