The Cradle

The Cradle

by Terry Burres

The waves that swept the coast during the storm of 1876 were higher than anyone in the village could remember. The hurricane raged and battered the shoreline for days. Everyone up and down the coast raced the storm to reach higher ground. By the time the storm wore itself out, all the fishing villages in its path were flooded and wind tussled. It took several days for the people to move back into their homes.

Jeb returned ahead of his wife Effie so that he could have the cottage ready for her. Effie was expecting their first baby any day, and she wanted to have her child in her own home. She had wanted to stay in her home and try to weather-out the storm instead of leaving, Effie finally gave in, although she was furious and would have not moved from her chair except that had Jeb not told her that he would carry her out of the house over his back if she insisted on trying to stay.

Jeb fought through the debris on the beach to finally reach the cottage. The door was open, and water had washed through the room. Anything that had not been nailed down was gone.

Jeb worked all night to get the cottage ready. By the time the sun was making it’s way over the waves to kiss the shore, their home was livable once again. Jed walked down to water and started the cleaning the beach. As he moved wood and sea grass into piles Jeb kept a look out for anything that was of value that may have washed up onto his beach.

He found some fish in a washed out hole. They had been stranded and Jeb marked the pool with a makeshift flag. Jeb put a board over the hole pleased that he and Effie could have fresh fish for several days.

Returning to the job of clearing the beach, Jeb worked until hunger started to remind him that it was time for dinner. Just as he started for home he noticed something under a tree at the top of the beach.

Jeb chose a route back to the cottage past the thing under the tree. As he walked closer, he realized what he had found. There in the shade of the scrubby tree was a babies’ cradle. Jeb was so overjoyed with his find, he forgot about being hungry. Gently, Jeb carried the cradle to the cottage and set about cleaning it.

The more he cleaned the more he could read the details on the cradle. The carvings showed that it came from the ship called ‘The Cora Rhea’ out of Boston. Besides the name of the ship, and her home port, the cradle had been made for the captain’s child. Jeb had lived around the sea long enough to know that when the sea gives you a gift, you are happy to use it.

By the time Effie finally made it home Jeb had the cradle in the corner by the bed. Jeb proudly showed Effie the cottage that just a few days before had been totally washed-out. She was overjoyed to find the cradle ready for their child.

Effie went into labor two days later. She soon gave birth to a healthy boy that Jeb named, Frank. After Effie and Frank were cleaned and ready to rest, Jeb put Frank in the cradle. The cottage grew quiet. Jed dozed on the bed between his wife and son.

Dawn was just pinking the sky line, when Jeb hear the creaking of the cradle, and the whispery hum of a lullaby. Jeb smiled without opening his eyes. Thinking that Effie was taking care of the baby, he rolled over toward her side of the bed so that she could get back into bed on the side nearest to Frank. Jeb’s arm touched Effie’s body. He sat straight up into bed and gaped at the cradle that was gently rocking his son.

Jeb jumped out of bed as fast as he could. He lifted his son into his arms. Effie awoke when Jeb returned to the bed. They sat for long moments watching the cradle sway in time to the lullaby. Effie fed Frank as Jeb carried the cradle to the other side of the cottage. Jeb and Effie decided that even though it was a gift from the sea, they didn’t want their baby boy sleeping in a haunted cradle.

While Jeb burned it outside with the rest of the beach debris he heard the sound of a baby crying. The crying didn’t end until the last embers lost their glow.