Second Harvest

Shops in town dreaded the Cready visits and would often close up for the day, just to avoid them. The twins were a constant source of headaches for the sheriff, although he could never obtain enough evidence to arrest them. When Mrs. Cready waddled into the street, people would scamper in every direction, covering the sensitive ears of their children. It would require several days for the Cready stench to clear the air after they departed home. The only person in town, who seemed to get along with and tolerate the Cready family, was the local drunk. Evidently, they were somehow related.

Mr. Cready died one day for reasons unknown. The twins found him face down, in a pile of pig manure and assumed he was drunk and passed out. Mrs. Cready was beside herself over the loss of her husband. The incident inflamed her caustic attitude and language to levels unheard of, yet no one understood how the woman was even capable of human sensitivities.

As usual, it was Mrs. Cready who always led the charge against the pigs when it came time to kill the animals. So, during one butchering season, a tragic accident occurred with troubling proportions. News of the incident spread like wildfire through the town. Although most folks were disgusted by the Cready family and their nasty pig business, somehow hearing of Mrs. Cready's death was met with mixed emotions.

According to the sheriff, the pigs were sent into a frenzy and started trampling Mrs. Cready. Swearing a blue streak and wildly swinging her ax, Mrs. Cready fought the pigs until one five-hundred pound bore fell on top of the screaming woman. The male pig shattered her pelvis and from there the rest was history. The sheriff indicated the pigs then started biting the woman and tearing off her flesh. It took four deputies shooting the wild horde before they brought things under control.

The Cready twins were so incensed over the senseless killing of their livestock that they resorted to setting the entire farm ablaze. It took nearly two months for the smell to disappear and now most of the townsfolk refuse to eat bacon to this day. The Cready twins continued to live in the charred remains of their farm, without any restoration whatsoever.

Just the mention of the Cready name made Roy's stomach churn. Sara took her time but revealed her story to Roy with difficulty.

"Abe and Billy were helping me water the garden. I had them pulling weeds when the Cready twins wandered on to the place. I didn't see any horses, so I'm not sure how or when the Cready twins arrived. They smelled awful with a mixture of charcoal, burnt bacon fat, and sweat. No amount, of talking, would send them away, so at one point, I made a dash for the house. Olof owned a shotgun and I wanted to scare the twins away. Thankfully, Abe and Billy stayed in the garden the whole time."