Shadowed Veils of Memory

The soft, wispy veils float across my mind in colors of blue, green, white, and sometimes almost black. These gossamer waves, so unclear at times, then reveal memories as bright and crisp as though they happened yesterday—veils of memory, hiding little patches of times gone by, veils we wish we could forget, veils we are glad to push aside, so we may see those times again. They reveal memories we cherish, loved ones long gone, but there they are, just through the veil, the veil of memories.

Late at night as Becka and Red lay in the large guest room bed, they talked quietly about the events of the day. It had been an especially happy one. Becka's parents had really enjoyed their fiftieth wedding anniversary. All five of their children and their children's families had attended. Every one at the gathering was in seemingly good health and spirits. There was singing, laughter, eating (lots of eating), visiting, and catching up on all the events of each family. It was the type of gathering that especially pleased everyone. Becka's parents, Ben and Liz, loved having all of their children present, seeing their many grandchildren, and making sure they were all fed. Liz prided herself on always having delicious food and plenty of it! Except for the incident, indeed the near tragedy of little Nancy, everything had turned out well.

During the late evening of the outdoor festivities, Ben and Liz's great chow dog, King, had repeatedly come to Ben, and then to Red, whining and looking concerned. However, both men had given him a bit of food and paid no more attention to the dog. Later, when it came time to gather things together and for Harry and family to leave, Mikki, Harry's wife, called for their little daughter, Peggy, and her friend Nancy, who had traveled with them to Kentucky for the anniversary celebration.

But Nancy couldn't be found. They looked everywhere around the house and yard, calling the child all the while. Red asked Ben if he had seen the dog in the last few minutes. Both men looked concerned, remembering how the dog had behaved earlier, and both started to run toward the woods behind the house, whistling for the dog and calling Nancy.

When they found Nancy, she was disheveled and disoriented. She couldn't remember anything that had happened. The scene around her looked as if a battle had taken place. There was blood on the ground, and a bloody jacket lay beside King. King was obviously hurt and bleeding profusely. He was badly wounded, and they could only imagine what might have happened. The other men, Henry, Johnny, and Harry, had arrived on the scene by this time and they quickly made carriers of their pants for the child and the dog.

Harry and Johnny carried little Nancy and Red, and Henry carried the dog. Tears were streaming down Red's face. "This dog probably saved little Nancy's life, and he may die before morning," he thought to himself. And that thought proved true. When they got Nancy and the dog to the house, they called the doctor, and Maggie called a Vet for King. Ben called the police.

The doctor came swiftly, as did the Vet. When the doctor arrived, he pronounced Nancy unhurt physically and aware. He said she had fainted and probably didn't know what had happened. He had looked her over carefully and decided not to cause her more trauma by sending her to hospital. The Vet checked King over and said his condition was grave and that the next few hours would tell his fate.

The police came and very quickly found the owner of the bloody and torn jacket. He was hiding in the woods near the creek. His right arm and hand were bloody, and his clothes were torn. The dog had put up a great fight, and the man had run when he heard the whistles and calls for the child. He claimed he had found the child and the dog in the woods and meant no harm to either of them. The police nevertheless took him into custody, where he was treated and placed in jail.

Red and Ben told the police about the dog trying to warn them earlier. It turned out the man had been lurking in the woods and had no good intentions on his mind. It was an incident none of them would forget. The next morning, the old dog passed away. He was treated as a real hero with all the neighbors coming to his "funeral."

Becka and Red delayed their return trip for a day or two, until all settled down. Nancy told Peggy's mother that "someone had put a cloth" over her face and that that was all she could remember. Indeed, the police found the chloroform-soaked cloth near where the dog and Nancy were found. They had treated the cloth as evidence.

Mikki decided to let Nancy alone with no more questions until they got her back home to Florida and her parents' home. It would be time enough then to review what had happened. Peggy told her parents that she and Nancy and King had been playing hide-and-seek in the woods near the house and when she couldn't find Nancy or the dog she "just thought they would come back soon." Harry reminded Peggy and Nancy that they must always remember to play where they could be seen by their parents or other adults. However, they did not dwell on scolding the girls. They had had enough trauma for one day.

It was the summer of 1962. World War II had ended in 1945, and the Korean Conflict had ended nine years earlier. John F. Kennedy was president, and there was an atmosphere of confidence and the anticipation of a bright future.

The World War II veterans, who had returned home, had resumed their lives, finishing school, finding jobs, and starting families. Although they had scars, both mentally and physically from their wartime trials, they put them behind and charged full speed into their lives.

Becka's brothers, twins Harry and Henry and older brother Will, had returned. Harry finished graduate school, and he and his family moved to Pensacola, Florida, where he became dean of a dental school. He authored several medical books about dentistry, doing the illustrations himself for each book. He enjoyed his work and his children. He and his wife, Mikki, had four children, three boys and a girl. When Harry talked about his wartime experiences, it was always with fun and humor. He related the more humorous aspects of his time in the military, talking little about the dangers and hardships. Their oldest son, Stephen, visited Becka in California when he was grown. He enjoyed Becka's home and seeing Southern California, and he and Becka enjoyed talking about Harry and family memories.

Becka's youngest brother, Henry, married his favorite girl, Helena, soon after he returned from combat. He had been in the worst part of the war, if indeed any part of the war could be called "good." He had landed on the beach battleground at Normandy on "D Day minus four" and had fought his way through France and Germany. He had endured the "Battle of the Bulge" and was involved in close combat in both...