Ruby

A week after Junie Rankin’s funeral, the rumor mill is abuzz with gossip about Ephram. Townsfolk deliberately pass by the Bell land to report back to Celia on what they see.

Ruby and Ephram are living happily despite the gossip. After Ephram carried her over the threshold, Ruby thought he would expect sex, but he reassured her that he intends to wait until after they are married. Every morning, Ruby takes care of her visiting ghost children and wanders through the woods, communing with nature.

One night Ephram asks Ruby to look into his eyes and accept that he will stay by her side. He asks what she wants, and she replies that she wants to sleep next to him every night and wake up next to him every morning.

A storm breaks out, and rain begins to pour. Outside, the crow screams a warning. Ruby races out of the house clutching Ephram’s pocketknife. The ghost children crowd around her, and she sees the Dyboù lurking close by. Ephram begs Ruby to come inside, but when she explains that a demon is after her babies, he joins her in the yard and asks for the entire story of her life.