Chapter 1-
I was running, faster than I had ever run
before in my life. What was chasing me,
I wasn’t sure but I knew there was danger.
I tried to look behind me but couldn’t see anything but I knew that I
couldn’t stop. My breath was coming in
short spurts and I knew I wouldn’t be able to last too much longer. When I reached the edge of the lake, I didn’t
stop- head first into the water swimming; it seemed, faster than I had been
running. By the time I reached the old
wooden platform I knew I could stop. It
wouldn’t follow me into the water. I
grabbed onto the platform to catch my breath as I surveyed the shoreline. Everything looked pretty normal; the small
stone cottage set back off the lake looked the same as it always had. I could just make out faint wisps of smoke
from deep in the woods to the left of the cottage. This was unusual for this time of year. When my breathing returned to normal,
Slowly at first I started back for the shore. I threw myself down on the soft mossy grass
breathing heavily. As I lay there
panting, I knew I wasn’t alone, I could feel someone nearby. Opening my eyes, I scanned the surroundings,
looked out over the lake. That’s when I
saw the boat, not far from shore.
Someone was watching me from the boat but I couldn’t make out his
face. I wasn’t sure why, maybe it was
the rain, but everything seemed to be shrouded in fog. I tried to move, to get up and see who the
mysterious person was but I was frozen, couldn’t move. As hard as I tried I couldn’t budge from my
resting spot on the ground. I was beginning to panic but as hard as I tried I
couldn’t get my voice to cooperate, no sound, no scream. I wanted to scream for help but no sound came
out, I could feel the muscles on the side of my neck straining to try to get a
sound to escape. I lifted my head off
the ground and the world began to swim around me.
12/17/11
(Day 1)
I
decided it was time to get some groceries and start cooking and settle in. I
had been in my new home for 2 days now and was more than ready to explore my
surroundings. My stomach grumbled under
my shirt reminding me that food was most important right now. Aunt Cathy, bless her heart, had the
groundskeepers leave some food in the refrigerator as well as a beautiful
bouquet of flowers that now greeted me happily from the kitchen table. I know there was a little market at
the end of the road, it would be a long walk but certainly not impossible.
I saw a bike under the porch last night which had a nice large basket in
the front- perfect.
The day was beautiful, couldn't have been more perfect. Not a cloud in
the sky, birds chirping in their nest as they wait for their morning
meal. I felt like chirping myself as I climbed on the bike and
started out the drive. Then it dawned on me that this was the first time
I had felt content and somewhat happy since I left The States. I suddenly
felt guilty but pushed that thought right back out of my mind. This was
my new life and I had to embrace it, it's what my Mom would want me to do- this
had become my new montra. The last 2
nights had been difficult, I was alone in a new place and really wasn’t sure
what I was doing there. The dreams had
been the worst part, strange, bizarre dreams that clung to me throughout the
day like a heavy cloak. I shook my head to clear my thoughts of the dreams, I
didn’t want to ruin how I felt at this exact moment.
The ride down the lane was pleasant; the stone walls on either side of the road
propelled me forward and gave me a nice sense of security. The
little market was at the bottom of the lane right before the bend in the road
that would take you to the docks and the public access to the lake. I found a
spot for the bike and leaned it carefully against the building and turned to
face the small cottage. It looked like it had once been a house but now
had a sign hung over the door that read Hollings Market. As I approached
the door the smell of cinnamon and sugar snuck out the open window and it made
me stop short as I remembered this scent from my childhood.My mom would make cookies at Christmas time and our house smelled like cinnamon and sugar from October through December. The smell paralyzed me for a minute as I was transported back to the comfort of my Mom and my perfect childhood in North Carolina. For just a moment I wasn't sure what to do. Move forward, turn around and run? But to where? This was my life now, keep moving forward was all I could do, what my Mom would want me to do. I quickly opened the door, barely noticing the tiny tinkling of the bell that announced my arrival. The smell doubled in intensity and I decided to take in a deep breath and let it cleanse me anew. Embrace it. I stood there taking in the scene and getting my Barings. I noticed a small counter by the door with the old time register, 5 or 6 rows of groceries and far in the back what looked like a bakery. This must be where the smell was coming from.
She appeared to be about 45 maybe, obviously beautiful But humble looking. She fit into this little space as if she were build out of the stone, sugary smells and stories that made up this curious little store.
"Hello there" she said in her musical voice.
It took me a minute to find my voice. "Hello" I felt like I was intruding and I shouldn't be here but then I remember this was a market and I had a purpose for being here. "I'm Ava" I said almost as a question. "I’m staying out on the lake in The Murphy’s cottage, for the summer"
"Welcome to Rudyard’s lake Ava, it is nice to have a new face around here. I am Elise Hollings and I own this little slice of heaven with my husband James."
I knew in an instant I wanted to know everything there was to know about this couple, this lake and this tiny market. From around the corner emerged a man, rather short, and somewhat round. He seem to be a little older than Elise and looked warn but had a friendliness in his eyes. There was an air of familiarity to him, like I had met him in some other life. He didn't say anything but nodded in introduction as he wiped his hands on his apron. I knew at once that he had been around the corner making whatever smelled so appealing and for this I like this man.
"What can we get for you dear? We don't have everything here but we hope to have everything you need" How profound her statement sounded to me.
"Well I’ve only been here 2 days and I would like to get some things for the pantry and fridge at the cottage"
Elise guided me through the aisles as she and I both slipped things into the 2 small baskets that she and I held. She chattered on about the lake, the market, and even the weather. I hardly noticed her words but was comforted by the melody of her voice. When we had gathered all that we could we started up toward the register. After ringing up and bagging my item, Elise called toward the back "James, bring up some rolls for Ava please" She added 4 cinnamon buns to my bag and told me to enjoy them. I wanted to hug her but realized this would be a bit awkward seeing as how we just met. I thanked her and told her I would be back.
I could just faintly hear a woman’s voice,
lyrical almost like she was singing. No she was talking to someone,
laughing. I knew instantly I liked this woman and her voice propelled me
forward. I started down one of the aisles, toward my childhood smells and
the laughter. At the end of the aisle, I stopped short. There in
front of me was a long counter of the most delicious baked goods I have ever
seen. Behind the counter was a woman, her back to me, a long braid down
her back. From this angle I couldn’t tell her age but she was round
with age and her stance showed an air of purpose, of many years of hard work,
determination and grit. She was talking to someone that was just out of
my eyesight, around the corner. She was telling a story about a cat that had
appeared on her doorstep earlier that morning. It didn't matter what she
was saying, her voice was mesmerizing and I just wanted to stay in this moment
for a little while longer.
My
eyes fell on a small picture frame clinging to the wall behind the
counter. It was an old picture of 2
young people locked in an embrace on the edge of the lake. Above the picture, etched into the frame it
read My Dream man and it made me
giggle. A little noise escaped my lips
and the woman turned slowly to look at me.
I headed out of the market with 4 bags and
instantly realized that they would not fit in the bike basket. I
hadn't even thought about this as we made our way around the aisles. Now
what to do? I put 2 bags in the basket, all that would fit and hung the
other 2 from the handlebars. As I straddled the bike and tried to get it
moving, the front bars twisted and turned under the weight and I knew this was
not going to work. I stepped off the bike and contemplated walking back,
I would have to come retrieve it later.Just as I removed the bags from the bars, I heard steps behind me. I turned to see a boy about my age. He was leaning against the rock wall by the road with a look of almost amusement on his face. How long had he been standing there? My face blushed in embarrassment. We looked at each other for a long time. Something inside me was stirring, it almost felt like it was trying to wake up- a feeling I had never felt before and I wasn't sure if it was fear or familiarity. I tried to ignore it. This boy was tall and thin with the faint traces of muscle under his shirt. He looked to be right on the edge of manhood, but not quite there yet. He appeared to be somewhat wet like he had not been long been out of the shower, or perhaps the lake. Finally he spoke "Need some help?" Again that feeling of familiarity, yes it wasn’t fear, it was a familiar feeling, similar to the one I felt when I first saw James. This boy had to be their son, he looked like a perfect combination of both James and Elise.
I wasn’t sure what to say and before I could even think I blurted out "Yes that would be lovely thank you. I am Ava and I am staying out on the lake, at the end of Pine Lane". I waited for a response but he just stared at me for a minute. Was he feeling that familiarity feeling too? What was it about him, I just couldn't place it. He glided forward, arm extended and as he shook my hand he said " Jack Hollings, nice to meet you Ava". His eyes were laughing. I was just as intrigued by Jack as I was his parents. He grabbed the bike as I adjusted the 2 bags in my hands. He started out the lane pushing the bike with ease.
If you have read Double Sunset you will see that this part is exactly the same so I will jump ahead to the next dream where the obvious differences can be seen.
The caw of the crow seemed right next to my
ear, beckoning me to the woods. I was
running toward them, knowing this was where I must go. The more I ran, the farther away the woods
seemed to get. I felt like I was so close,
but then I always seemed to have more ground to cover. I felt a hand in mine and looked up into Jack
Holling’s eyes. His grasp propelled me
forward and the crow’s caw got louder.
When we finally reached the woods, Jack pulled me to the closest
tree.
“Be very quiet, it is close.” I knew exactly what Jack was talking about
and I plastered myself into the tree.
Jack’s face was right next to mine, his breath coming out in spurts. Above us was the crow, the flaps of his wings
beating out a rhythm which seemed to match our heartbeats.
“Ava I saw its eyes. They were red, and it was as if he was
floating.” Just as Jack said this we
heard a long howl in the distance. Jack immediately
relaxed knowing that the creature was not close. He pulled me off the tree and we walked hand
in hand back to the lawn. The feeling of
urgency had now past.
We lay on the patio, legs entwined. My hand, wrapped in both of his, lay on his
chest. He stretched up on his elbows and
motioned with his chin toward the woods.
“What’s that?” he whispered.
In the distance I saw a faint line of smoke
rising about the trees. It was pink, I
shook my head to make sure I was seeing it correctly.
“Looks like smoke of some sort.” Jack and I
looked at each knowing what this meant.
We would be investigating the source of the smoke.
The smoke seemed to reach out to us and the
strange pinkish fog settled around the patio.
As if it was the most natural thing in the
world, Jack and I leaned into each other and our lips met. We kissed at first gently, exploring each
other’s lips. A feeling of contentment
and purpose took over and I rolled Jack over and off the patio onto the
grass. As we lay there wrapped in each
other, the crow caw blared in our ears.
I looked over to see him perched on the patio chair.
The
alarm blared in my ear shaking me from the dream. I sat halfway up as the remnants of the dream
drifted away into the pillow. It was if
I had to lift my head off the pillow to separate myself from the dream.
It
was 9:00am and I could not remember why I had set the alarm. It took me a few minutes, while I wiped the
sleep from my eyes and decided against stifling a few yawns, to remember that I
was going to make some structure to my days.
First
on the agenda, shower and eat some breakfast on the patio. It was drizzling when I stepped outside and I
instantly noticed the chill in the air.
Well I would have to make some minor adjustments to my plans but maybe
the rain would allow for cleaning up of the place.
Just
as I was retrieving the broom from the closet my cell phone blared.
Meet me
at the Sailing Clubhouse
I
chuckled thinking about Jack, wondering if his persistence was going to be a
problem. I couldn’t help but feeling
relieved, tho, that he was going to provide something for me to do today, at
least I hope that is what it meant.
Bagging
my structure and doing something so uncharacteristically spontaneous, I
text him back, probably a little too quickly.
Sure, what time?
His
reply came back just as fast.
Now silly
I
sent back a quick K in reply and
grabbed my small backpack to hold my keys and a few other things, stuffing an
umbrella in on my way out the door.
I wasn’t even sure where the Sailing Club was. I thought back to the exploring I had done
online before I came here and the details I had gained using Google Earth. I knew that the sailing club was a bit north
of my cottage, the opposite direction from the market. Lost in thought as I reached the top of the
hill, I was almost accosted by Jack, his timing impeccable.
“Phew
Jack, you scared me.” I put my hands on my knees to catch my breath. “You had to have sent that text on your
way.”
“Well,
look who ran right out the door as soon as I text.” Jack punched my arm lightly and skipped
ahead. I pretended to be hurt and rubbed
my arm jokingly as I rolled my eyes.
“So
what’s so special about the Sailing Club today? Looks like the rain might head
back in.” I scanned the grey sky for signs of rain that were everywhere.
Jack and Ava went to the Sailing Club and had one of my favorite exchanges but when I changed the story it just didn't fit in anymore so I took it out sadly. I will post more from this part of the story in other blog posts.
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