I woke upon my worn-gray couch with several heavy blankets covering me from my shoulders down. Mr. Toddson pale white visage watched from the shadow covered corner of the room. He was sitting in my wooden chair patiently awaiting me to waken. I quickly checked myself and appeared to be still clothed with all my private garments still in-place and undisturbed. I do not believe that I was harmed in any manner by my intruder.

"I sorry 'bout the door, mam," he muttered, "I'll get to fix'n it, afftas we talk a spell"

His voice was low and almost mournful, and he truly sounded repentant for his actions. My confusion was profound and obvious.

"I did'n comes for cause'n you no harm, mam," he said, "Facts be'n facts. I's uhs sent here ta save you. Mist'r Charles got to changin' me somin how. He told me ta watch afftas you befor; what happined got ta happinin."

His dialect was almost indiscernible. I found his intelligence wanting before, but now he struggled with each word like his mind was receiving words from a long distance away. I found it at first pitiable.

"Go on," I said. My guard was lowering toward him believing him in his intent of aid rather than harm. 

"Mist'r Charles, said'n I should be yous keeper, 'Keep her well for all of her days.' he told me. An that is what I's plan'n ta do, mam!" He locked down at his feet as he said "That was before what happin; happined." he looked up and continued with, "Aftah; she told me to get that string to you, and git it on your neck, so you can git well. You see?" He said this with a confidence that he had just explained everything that needed explaining on the subject.

"She told you, so Ms. Vastow was there?" he nodded in acknowledgement. Then I remembered the "string",I pulled what looked like an ancient necklace from beneath my drying gown and examined it. As I attempted to remove it from my neck to more easily examine it, Mr. Toddson became agitated, "You mussin mam," he said shaking his hands in an unambiguous "NO!" gesture. I left it about my neck but raised it to examine it further. It was made from three thin strands of "rope" braided together. Each strand was composed of three-inch long worms, no thicker than  a few hairs wide. The worms were interlocked somehow each appeared to be "eating" the tail of the previous. It made me recall the ancient Ouroboros symbol but the Ouroboros was a dragon eating its own tail. My mind must have been playing tricks upon me but one of the worms adjusted its grip on the tail of the preceding worm.

Toddson must have scene what I was thinking on my face as he said, "I know's mam, it creeps me too. Da whole trip over here I sweared it was alive; movin in my hand but Ms. Vastow said it needn to stay in contact with skin so's I couldn't put it in my coat pocket. And you mussin take it off," the last word he spoke to emphasize the point "EVER".

When pressed to elaborate on the events that led him here he was at an utter and complete loss when it came to a large section of time. There was a profound gap. At one point he remembers arriving at the feed store where Charles hailed him to talked to him the next Ms. Vastow was sending him to me with the necklace. Pressing him further to explore his missing time, only agitated him further, "Please mam, Ms. Vestow will'n be explainin' that when she gits here."

"She's coming here?"

Yes, mam."

"I'll consult with her then."

"I'll get to fixin the door then if it's pleasin' ya."

"There will be no need for that. You may close it and may be on your way."

"No mam, Mist'r Charles said 'for all her days,' and he scares me mam. Scares me somthin' bad."

"Mr. Toddson; is Mr. Charles still alive?"

He struggled visibly for a moment then said, "I don't know for sure, mam. But I's don't rightly see how he could be, mam"

That's all he said before setting to quietly fixing the door, as I rested for a bit. I was certain at this point that, whatever happened to him in that missing time, he was no longer the threat he appeared to be upon first encountering him. That morning, Mr. Toddson became my loyal guardian and one of the best friends that I would ever meet throughout my life. Ms. Vastow and I on the other hand would never be friends; that was very clear when she thundered upon my newly mended door that very afternoon.

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- D.Alan