The market was busy, like it was most Thursdays and Dixie's day hadn't started as planned. She made haste only stopping to pick up some bits and pieces at the Market before arriving at Doctor Shepard's Office.
A bell ring above the door as she entered.
"Be right with you" came a voice from a back room.
Dixie didn't answer, she just waited.
Will Shepard came out of the room wiping his hands. "I knew it would be you Dixie he said smiling. Always punctual. What does punctual mean?" he throw the question at Dixie quick like.
Even quicker she replied "to be in good time"
"Good, good. Well we best start as I have to call out to the Paterson's before dark as Amy Paterson is about near her time for the Baby to arrive" he said.
Dixie nodded and sat across from the Doctor at his desk.
"Right then. I think we should take it from where we left off last week, just go back a few lines or so to refresh our minds alright? said the Doctor placing THE AMERICAN SPELLING BOOK in front of Dixie"
She wasted no time.

"The Section is used to divide chapters.
An Asterisk, and other references, point to a note in the
margin or bottom of a page." Dixie Paused and looked up from the page.

"Good, Good, now onto Page one hundred and twenty" said the Doctor.


It was near four on the Clock when Dixie left Dr. Shepard's Office.
She always felt a sense of having ate a good meal after her Thursday meeting there.
In fact it had given her an appetite as although she may have felt the same sense of staifaction that came from finishing a good meal, her stomach was near empty.
Although hungry Dixie felt to go by Joe Crawford's Stables again to see if the Grey Mare was still there.
She thought nothing of the Bucket lying on it's side just outside the entrance to the Stalls.
She put her head inside and called Joe's name but her only reply was from the Horses, snorts and movements in their Stalls. The Grey Mare was gone.
Slightly disappointed at not having seen the Horse again before she had been collected by her Owner Dixie turned, but then had a strong feeling of evil around her. It made her, just for an instant, struggle for a breath.
Something was drawing her further inside.
She walked in to the Stable and up to where the Mare had been stalled.
Lying face down in the Stall was Joe Crawford and it took no guessing to know he was dead. The pitchfork buried deep in his back made that fact quite clear.