Facing the Past

Everything was a blur. How could time go so fast? She had managed to put her past behind her, but now… it would soon be in her face again.

Cassie tossed and turned in her bed. There was a crack of light shining from underneath her window shade, which hadn’t been pulled down all the way last night. Dawn was slowly breaking, and Cassie did not feel well  rested.

Climbing into her soft,  fresh, laundered fushia sheets last night had felt heavenly. She had been exhausted last night and was sound asleep within seconds.

But then the haunting  dreams had come. Not a fun way to get tangled in the sheets.

In her dream, she had tried to get out of the house, but when she opened her front door, it was like she had stepped into the deep jungle! Her front porch was shadowed by tall, large, leafy plants. She couldn’t see through them.  If she stepped off the porch to go down the walk, there was a giant spider in a web blocking her path.

When she tried to go out her back door, it wasn’t a simple step outside. Instead, Cassie found herself looking up at a towering mountain that she would have to climb. Closing the door, she had sank to the floor in frustration  and confusion. What was going on?

She woke up, relieved that it was only a dream, but it wasn’t long before reality sunk in, and she knew what had inspired her bad dream.

All the memories of her past that she had tried to bury were back full force, now that Griffin would be back in town.

Cassie stepped out of her bed onto her cool hardwood floor. Staying in bed wasn’t going to slow down time so she may as well face the day.

Not being able to help herself, she peeked out her front door. Phew! There wasn’t any overgrown jungle with a huge spider blocking her path.

She got dressed in a tank top and shorts. Put on her new, Nike running shoes, grabbed some Gatorade and walked out the door to greet the day.

Feeling determined to chase her worries away, she took off running.

Five miles later, she stopped at the park. This was the perfect place to end her run. She sat down on the bench in front of the lake and admired the swans.

The park was quiet. There were only a few people in it this early in the morning. 

“Excuse me, Is this seat taken?”

Cassie turned her head and drew in a sharp breath. It was him!

“What are you doing here already? I didn’t expect to see you for another week.” Her peace from her run was evaporating quickly.

“I managed to come a week early. By the look on your face I can tell that you aren’t pleased by that.”

Cassie stood up. “Did you really expect me to be happy to see you ? I don’t have anything to say to you.”

Griffin looked down at the ground. “I am only asking for a chance.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, Cassie’s voice dripped with sarcasm, “A chance? Sure, why not give you a chance to ruin my life again!” She threw her hands in the air.

“You are unbelievable! Stay away from me!”

She glared. The fire in her eyes boring into him. Then she turned around and took off running.

Griffin stood there wth his hands in his pocket, wearing a solemn expression. This was going to be harder than he thought. He knew he messed up before, but after all this time, he thought she would have cooled off.

He wasn’t always the greatest judge of what women were thinking, but judging by the lasers that shot from Cassie’s eyes, he wouldn’t say that she cooled off.

Griffin shook his head. At least she didn’t have to serve as long of sentence as he did. He had been the one that had  stolen the money. Cassie  had only been his  getaway driver. Even if she hadn’t realized that until the cops pulled them over.

Oh well, she may come around. She couldn’t hold a grudge forever, could she?

The Blabbering Blatherskite

Pinterest image

Kate held the flashlight under the covers. Look at the back of the clock. She was holding her breath as she read on. Why wasn’t he checking the clock? He was walking to the door. “Noo!” Kate yelled out, forgetting for the moment that her sister was asleep in the other bed.

Hannah sat straight up, “What happened!”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Hannah groaned at seeing the flashlight in Kate’s hand.

“Again! Normal teen girls are reading romance novels under the covers.but not my sister! Another mystery, right?”

“I need to study to become a detective. This is my research.” Kate replied in her defense.

“Well, dear sis, this is the fourth night in a row that you disturbed my sleep. I was dreaming about Rhett, who was about to take me in his arms, when you screamed No! Wake me again, and there may be a murder to solve. Though you won’t be the one to solve it. Goodnight!”

Kate was glad Hannah couldn’t see her face. Hannah, the drama queen. But Kate figured it may be wise of her to stop reading for the next few nights. Let her sister calm down. Though tonight she had to finish the book. There were only a few more pages left.

Was the detective really going to leave without checking the clock?  Surely he had to know about the secret compartment. Kate had figured it out.

She resumed reading, and her body relaxed at the next words from the detective. He was almost at the door when he turned around. “One more thing…” He had figured it out.

One day. One day, her time would come. No longer would she only be reading about mysteries. One day, she would solve them. With that thought, she turned off her flashlight and fell fast asleep.

Years passed, and she kept believing that someday she would be a detective.

Satisfied that the screw was tight, Kate let her mind wander back to Anna. There was something suspicious about her, but she didn’t know exactly what.

“Were you able to fix it?” Miss Anna walked into the room carrying a cup of tea.

“Yes, it should be as good as new now. It was an easy fix. I only needed to tighten a screw.”

“Thank you so much. I am glad you found the screw that needed tightened. My eyes aren’t what they used to be.” She pushed her thick glasses up as if to emphasize the fact.

Kate doubted that her vision was as bad as she said. How did she sew if her vision was so poor?

“Here is some fresh peppermint tea for you.” She handed a rose tea cup to Kate. “Come, have a seat in the parlor.”

Kate really didn’t want a cup of tea, and she had other things to do, but she followed Miss Anna into the parlor and took a seat.

Two hours later, Kate finally was able to leave. Anna had talked and talked. She was a real blatherskite.

Now she had to quickly get to Mr Pinkerton’s office. He wanted to see her for her first assignment. Two years ago she had started working for him as a secretary. Recently, he had been sharing more and more of his cases with her. Told her he was impressed with her mental power.

He had a case for her to try, and today, he would give the details. She was to go undercover. Kate was thrilled. Someone believed in her! She wouldn’t let him down.

The day had come. As promised, Mr Pinkerton had given Kate the details of the case, and today, she would put her plan into action. Looking at herself in the mirror one more time she tried to catch her breath. Right now it was if she had swallowed a bunch of Mexican jumping beans. Her insides were shaking. She couldn’t mess this up.

Her disguise was perfect. She looked the part of a fortune teller, and she had her crystal ball. Putting on a brave smile, she headed out to the shop that Mr Pinkerton had set up for her fake Fortune Telling business.

Okay, she was ready. Tapping her fingers nervously on the table, Kate waited for them to arrive.

“Hello!” A voice called out. Kate recognized the voice.

“Welcome, come on back.” The two customers pushed the long beads in the doorway back and entered the room.

Kate bit her lip and sucked in her breath. Miss Anna was one of the customers!

When they sat down at the table, Kate introduced herself, changing the sound of her voice. Pretending she had an accent. “I am Camille, glad to meet you ladies.”

While Anna seemed hesitant, her friend was excited.

“Tell us what does your crystal ball show about my friend’s future. She doesn’t believe in these things, but I want to show her how accurate they are.”

Kate pretended to study the crystal ball, and then her face got really grave.

“Oh, this is bad, truly bad. I am sorry, you may not want to hear this.”

Anna leaned forward. “Yes, tell me!”

“Well, I see a casket. It must be someone you know for you are standing in front of it. I am so sorry.”

“Does the person have short black hair and a scar on his cheek.” Anna’s friend asked.

“Why yes he does.”

“It’s him. It worked Anna, your plan will work!”

Anna glared at her. “I don’t know what you mean.” She said in a terse voice.

She stood up to leave, telling her friend to come.

Her friend stood up. “Oh, one more thing, can you tell us what he died of and his name.”

“Ted.”

Anna’s friend looked confused, “Maybe its not him after all, isn’t your brother named Frank?”

“Stop talking…” Anna hissed.

Kate was trying her hardest not to laugh. Her friend was rambling on paying Anna, no mind.

“Was he poisoned?’ She yelled right before the front door slammed.

Kate couldn’t wait to get to Mr Pinkerton’s office and tell him everything. It looked like Anna’s brother had been right. He feared Anna was trying to poison him and his girlfriend. Apparently, Kate had been right as well. She knew there was something suspicious about Miss Anna. Though she had never suspected her of attempting murder! That sent a shudder through up her spine.

She had done it and she couldn’t be more proud. Mr Pinkerton had continued to be impressed with her detective skills and asked if she wanted to join the Pinkerton Detective Agency as a detective, no longer a secretary.

Dreams do come true!

*Kate Warne was the first female detective to work for Pinkerton Detective Agency, and she was highly respected. Helped in the Civil War as a spy and helped uncover an assaination plot against Abraham Lincoln. While I don’t know if she had a sister and read detective novels at night, the part about going undercover as a fortune teller was true. Captain Sumner was convinced that his sister Anna Thayer and Mr.Pattmore were trying to poison him and Mrs Pattmore. He hired the Pinkerton Agency. Thanks to the blabbing of a friend who Anna had confided in, they uncovered the plot. True life can be stranger than fiction sometimes. Hope you enjoyed the history lesson.* 😊

Pirate Trouble!

Here is the conclusion to Monday’s post,The Vanishing Act! Thanks to those who provided some interesting details for me to use in this story. Enjoy the story!

Pinterest image

There was silence when Mrs Van Cleeve left the breakfast table. Emily was barely touching her food.

Emily stared after the widow and after a little bit Gina spoke up, “A penny for your thoughts? They look deep.”

Emily sighed, “I feel bad for even thinking it and you want me to say it out loud?”

“You think the old bag knocked off her husband? Pushed him overboard?”

“You don’t sugarcoat things, do you?” Emily said.

“I call it how I see it. Anyone could tell her crying was fake!”

“We don’t know that for sure.”

“Oh pleeease! It was fake. Are you going to eat your sausage?”

Emily shook her head, passing her sausage to her friend. “I have known you for years and never saw you eat as much as you have this past week!”

Gina stabbed the sausage with her fork. “You know that saying, “Fat people are barder to kidnap. Stay safe. Eat Cake!”

Emily couldn’t help but give her friend a laugh. “You are hopeless!” It felt good to have a little something to smile about. The tension on the ship was getting stronger each day.

A few hours later Emily was walking around the deck. A lot of people had taken to their rooms, trying to stay safe. Emily felt like she would go stir crazy in the tiny room she shared with Gina.

Gina had gone to the bookstore to buy a book. hoping it would provide some distraction. She had told Emily she would join her on the top deck soon.

Where was Gina? Emily’s skin began to prickle and her stomach felt funny. “Quit it!” She told herself, nothing happened to Gina. Maybe she ended up going back to their room for something. Emily headed back to their room to check.

Gina wasn’t in the room, but she had been there. There was a sea green book on … Hey, the book looked identical to Emily’s book. Even the title had an eerie similarity to it. “Midnight Love” Was it a sequel to Emily’s book, “Moonlight Love”?

Emily would check out the book later, now she had to find Gina. She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

A hand covered her mouth and she saw a knife. “I wouldn’t scream if I were you. ”

There was terror in Emily’s eyes as she looked at her captor. A pirate! What was a pirate doing on the ship? Her captor pushed her forward, ordering her to walk.

Where were they going? Emily wrote a goodbye letter in her head to her mom.

Up on the top deck Emily was in for a surprise there were pirates everywhere! Passengers were tied up. Emily’s heart sank, would she ever see Gina again? Would they at least get a chance to say goodbye?

“Attention! We have claimed this ship as ours. Don’t look so scared. We may let some of you live.” She cackled.

Emily couldn’t believe what she was seeing right in front of her. Mrs Van Cleeve was a pirate! Their leader! Who would ever expect an 80 year old to be a pirate!

“But so you all know that we mean business I am going to show you a demonstration of what happens if you try to cross us.”

Emily felt herself being pushed towards Mrs Van Cleeve or whoever she was. She saw another young woman coming from the opposite direction. Being pushed roughly by a pirate. The poor victim was Gina!!

They insisted on being able to walk the plank together.

Both had tears coursing down their cheeks. “I wish I had eaten more cake. Leave it to Gina to try and make Emily smile one last time

What was that sound? A bell was ringing. A huge creature was in the water. What was it? It was brown and white and , a cow’s moo rang through the air! Betsy, the cow, the legend, had arrived to save the day!

“Emily! Emily! Wake up+”

Emily rubbed her eyes, her heart was poundng.

“Gina! What are you doing here?”

“Ummm….did you forget? We have our college project to work on. I brought us some delicious chocolate cake with peanut butter icing to give us energy.”

Emily looked around her, she was home, not on a ship! But how? What?

“I see how exciting your book was, You fell asleep, with it lying on your face.” Gina laughed.

A dream! It had all been a dream! Emily couldn’t stops smiling as she jabbed her fork into a big piece of chocolate cake. One could never be too safe.

The Missing Puzzle Piece

This is the continuation to Saturday’s post The Recurring Dream

Classical music was playing on the radio while Sherilyn rested her head on the new velvety soft pillows she bad bought for her couch. It had been a long day.

Somehow she had managed to walk back to Tippner’s bike shop after her lunch break. But for the rest of her shift she couldn’t get the mysterious little girl out of her mind. Now, back at home she still was on her mind.

Sherilyn hadn’t been able to finish her lunch after seeing the little girl earlier. The woman and girl had only come to the diner to pick up an order to go, so they weren’t there long. But long enough for Sherilyn to have goose bumps all over. What was going on? She had to find out who the little girl was. Had to try to piece together the puzzle in her brain.

She tried to concentrate on the music and let her brain be still. Around two am, she woke up, and realized she was still on the couch. Dragging herself to her bedroom she promptly fell back asleep, and once again she dreamt of the golden-haired little girl.

When Saturday came, Sherilyn finished cleaning her house and was looking forward to lunch with Cara. Maybe Cara would know who the little girl was.

She arrived at the diner a little early. The place was pretty full when she walked in. Sherilyn was realizing that Mason’s Diner was a popular place.

It was especially popular with the young ladies, who were charmed by Mason’s wavy hair and his good looks. Amanda liked to visit and flash her beautiful diamond around, making sure the young ladies know that Mason was taken.

A few young ladies, all dolled up with their lipstick and perfume, were loitering around the cash register when Sherilyn arrived. Mason was trying to count the drawer, and they kept talking to him, batting their eyelashes. Cara walked by, rolling her eyes at Sherilyn.

She walked over to her at the booth. “You should hear them gushing, it’s pathetic, and Mason is taking it all in, smiling away. I will be off soon, and …Ooh, I have an idea.”

“Uh-oh! I have seen that look before. What are you up to??” Sherilyn asked, noticing the mischievous glint in Cara’s eyes.

Cara only smiled and walked away. Soon Sherilyn saw her come out holding a water pitcher in her hands and walking towards the girls. Then she suddenly tripped spilling the water.

There were shrieks from the girls and cold looks directed at Cara.

“Oops! So sorry, I can be clumsy at times, ask Mason.”

Mason shook his head, “Yes, she sure can, just the other day….”

“Anyway I am terribly sorry. Here are some gift cards for you. I am sure you want to go home and change. ” The other customers were looking at them. The girls mumbled thanks and walked out the door, looking none too happy.

“Just doing a little crowd control, could be a fire hazard you know.” Cara said to Mason.

“Riiiight!” Mason gave her a wry smile.

Cara joined Sherilyn at the booth and started laughing at the look on Sherilyn’s face. “I probably won’t be getting any tips from them anytime soon.”

Choking back her laughter, Sherilyn replied, “I think you are right.” She wiped her eyes, shaking her head.

They were having a good chat, when Tippner came in and stopped by their booth. ” Hey, you need to make my special order. Who said you could go on break?”

Mason passed by right then. “I did, Miss Butterfingers dropped a pitcher of water earlier.”

“Crowd control”, Cara replied, feeling smug.

Tippner looked confused, but that often was a normal look for him.

“I will get you your order of bbq chicken legs and cheese fries.” Mason told him.

Thank you. Nice to know that someone cares about my hunger pangs.” He directed his gaze towards Cara, who pretended not to hear him.

He walked away and Sherilyn was getting ready to ask Cara about the little girl. Then the woman who had been with the little girl the other day, entered the diner. Sherilyn had assumed it was the little girl’s mom, but today she had come by herself.

Tippner spit out his water when he saw Lorinda walk into the diner. He hadn’t seen her in years, but how could he forget, the summer of 69′ and the memories they made.

What was she doing here? He had heard that she married the football player, Cole, but it was short-lived. Tippner had never thought too much of him, but Lorinda had always held a special place in his heart.

“Tippner is that you?”

Sherilyn and Cara watched them embrace. “Thats the same lady who was here before. She must be new to town, for I hadn’t seen her or her little girl before. But it looks like she knows Tippner.”

Well, that answered Sherilyn’s question. Cara obviously didn’t know anything about the little girl.

About fifteen minutes later, Cara had to get back to work and Sherilyn started to leave. She couldn’t resist looking at Tippy and the woman again. They seemed engrossed in conversation. Maybe she would find out more on Monday, when she went back to work.

Sherilyn didn’t need to wait until Monday. She found out later that night when Cara called her. Lorinda was desperate. The little girl, Cassidy, needed blood. She was back in the hospital due to a rare condition and unfortunately her blood type was AB-negative, very rare.

The puzzle had come together and Sherilyn was overwhelmed. “Thank you”, little Cassidy had said in Sherilyn’s dream. At the time Sherilyn had no idea why she was thanking her, but now she could barely speak, due to the emotion filling her heart. Her blood type was AB-negative too.

Lorinda had tears in her eyes when she walked into the hospital room and saw Sherilyn with the needle in her arm. “You don’t even know me and you rushed over here to help my little girl. How can I ever thank you?” Her voice trembled.

Sherilyn reached out and took Lorinda’s hand, giving it a squeeze. No words were needed. A little, golden-haired angel had already thanked her in Sherilyn’s dream.

The Many Faces

Thanks once again to Jason, (the not-yet-World Famous photographer) for this photo. See more of his photography adventures at http://jasonfrels.com/2023/05/22/afternoon-at-colorado-bend-state-park/

Laura’s nerves were on edge. She was wound as tight as a ball of string, feeling that the slightest thing would cause her to unravel.

What had she done? She washed her hands down by the river repeatedly but they still didn’t feel clean. Would they ever be clean again?

The breeze blew across her face and a turkey vulture flew by. Thinking of vultures made her feel queasy. She wiped sweat from her brow. She waa burning up, but it had nothing to do with the weather.

What would she do now? She couldn’t return, not that she had anything to return to anyway. Her mama had died and she had never met her dad.

Laura kept running, making one foot go in front of another. Tears burned her eyes. She couldn’t stop thinking of him. He may not have been tall, dark and handsome, but he had stolen her heart.

One look from his honey brown eyes and one could see the depths of compassion that they held.

The times they spent togetber had made her feel as rich as a fairy tale princess. Life with him made her forget feeling lost and alone. He had promised that he would build a life for them. Oh, the many promises he had made. He only needed to finish college and then they would be together forever. She had held onto that promise to get her through the lonely nights.

Another tear ran down her scraped cheek. The bleeding had stopped, but it still burned. She continued running.

Memories flashed through her mind. She would see Joel’s happy face and then it would transform and give her the shivers. Transforming into the other guy. The one whose eyes were hard and cold.

Oh, what was this? She never had wandered into the mountains before. Now she stopped in her tracks as she looked ahead of her. Was she becoming delirious or did the mountain ahead of her really have haunting faces in it?

Her legs began to wobble. The adrenalin which had pushed her to keep running was fading. Laura sat down, before her legs gave out on her.

How she wished that Joel was near. She needed to feel safe in his arms once again. If this was a Hallmark movie, he would appear. He would be tall, dark, handsome and honest. He would have picked up her trail and followed her, ready to rescue her from this nightmare.

But this wasn’t a Hallmark movie and she was exhausted, sitting by a haunted mountain. Putting her head between her knees, a heavy sigh escaped her.

The faces flashed in her mind once more. The charming smile of Joel, the guy she had trusted. The guy she thought she had known.

Then his charming smile mocked her, turning into a sneer. His compassionate eyes were as hard as steel. Right before they widened in fear, as he fell backwards off of the cliff.

Another vulture flew overhead, she wondered if the vultures had found his body yet.

In The Storm

Threatening clouds were darkening the sky. An icy chill ran through her. She wasn’t cold, but she had a strong sense of danger lurking. Danger that had nothing to do with the severe thunderstorm approaching, and everything to do with the storm in her heart.

Renee walksd around the house making sure she had her flashlights close by, in case she lost power. Finding some candles she decided to light them. A citrus orange aroma soon filled the room. Hopefully power wouldn’t be out long if she lost it. Being that it was the dead of summer, it wouldn’t take long for the house to get too hot.

The low rumblings began. It was coming. Renee felt goosebumps on her arms. She wtapped her arms around her to ward off the chill. But that doesn’t work when the chill is coming from the heart. What was going on with her? One would think that she hadn’t been through severe storms before.

Storms were something she knew about all too well. Thunderstorms didn’t scare her. She wished she could say the same for the storms of life. Times when her heart was full of rain.

Lightning cracked, streaking through the sky. Renee was momentarily stunned at the bright flash in her window.

The clouds gave in to the pressure, bursting open, as the rain fell in torrents from the skly. It came down in sheets that Renee couldn’t see through. Made it impossible to see her flowering dogwood or small shed in the backyard.

Lights flickered a couple times than CRACK! Renee jumped and the lights went out. It was pitch black except for the light of her candles.

Sitting at the table Renee watched the dancing flames. Focusing on the flames helped her forget the storm that raged outside and more importantly the one that was presently stirring up fear in her heart.

Why the fear chose to creep in now, she didn’t know, but it wouldn’t let her go.

Renee let out an ear piercing shriek. It was him! She saw his face, pressed up against her window. Ligbtning flashed again and Renee almost fainted. He was here. He had found her! Beads of perspiration trickled down her face. Now what would she do?

Her address was unlisted, she was back in the woods, yet he had found her. She knew he was a crazy stalker, but this was scary. She had already filed one police report for when he came to where she worked.

She checked the deadbolts on her doors and called 911. The house shook violently and Renee dropped the phone. A tree had crashed tbrough her roof!

Renee was in shock and couldn’t stop shaking. The EMT’s had blankets wrapped around her. She kept seeing the tree right where she had been sitting. If she hadn’t got up from the table to call 911, she would be dead right now. That made her stomach do flip flops.

Then she saw him, well part of him. Her emotions were like a pot boiling over. Tears streamed down her cheeks one moment, mixed with great relief to be alive, plus relief that she no longer had to worry about her stalker. She had only been able to see his one foot. The rest of his body was crushed.

This was going to be a long night. She had called her mom and her mom said that she and her dad were on their way. If one was fortunate to have a good relationship with their parent’s, then one thing will never change. No matter how old one is when traumatic things happen, you need a mommy or daddy hug to make everything alright. That thought made Renee smile.

Hidden Secrets

Is Camille guilty or not? Here is Part 2 to Thursday’s post,For Camille

Tony was drinking his fourth cup of black coffee. He was a nervous wreck. Tiday they would meet with the lawyer that had been highly reccomended to him by his good friend, Arthur.

Arthur, was residing at the Golden Oaks retirement home now, but Tony had visited him last week. That was the one day, since all this drama began  that Tony had been able to laugh. One couldn’t be around crazy Arthur and not laugh!

For a moment in time, when with his friend, Tony was able to forget the looming trial. The one that hung over them like a ticking time bomb. But for a moment Tony felt his stress lighten. A priceless feeling in this cesspool of worry and fear, trying to suck him under.

Camille barely spoke on the drive to see the lawyer. It was all becoming too real. Here she sat. Sitting in a  lawyer’s office. She looked around, pulling nervously at her hair. The rich tones of the hardwood floor had a glossy shine to them,  Monet’s paintings hung on the wall. Everything looked perfect, compared to her life which was falling apart.

Camille enjoyed painting, she wanted to be an artist. Was working hard on some pieces for a portfolio. Were all her efforts in vain now? Would she have to say goodbye to the chance of a job at New York’s Museum of Art?

Say goodbye to her dreams because of one horrible night? Tears threatened but she drew in a deep breath and sat up straight.  She would not break down in front of the lawyer. The door opened.  “Let the show begin.” Camille thought, she could do this. She had to do this.

“Good Afternoon! My name is Ronald Diber.’ He shook Tony and Camille’s hands and then sat back in his chair. “I read the police report but now I want to hear it from you directly. What happened Camille?”

His piercing eyes made Camille want to disappear. She gulped, and took a deep breath. Her hands were already sweaty as she kept clasping and unclasping them.

Ronald handed her a stress ball. “This may help give you something to do. Squeeze it as hard as you want.”

After a few squeezes she apoke. “I was at a party with my best friend Gina. A guy named Carl introduced himself to Gina, and she danced some with him and then was done. But Carl wasn’t. He tightened his  grip on Gina and was hurting her. All I did was give him a strong kick that made him bend over in pain. Then Gina and I left the party. The End”

Camille held her gaze as the lawyer stared “So, you are telling me thats all there is to the story? Seems to me that you forgot a critical detail, for how did Carl end up dead in the woods? Some people said they heard you threaten Carl at the party. Is that true?”

“I may have said some things, I was upset.”

Ronald tapped his pen against the table, not saying anything.

She squeezed tue stress ball hard. Her heart hammering. Her mouth was dry. It felt like the lawyer could see right through her.

There were more visits with the lawyer. Camille’s stomach was in a perpetual knot. Finally the day they had anxiously been waiting for came. The judge’s decision about whether there was enough evidence to go to trial.

Camille froze when the phone rang. Her dad answered it. They had been waiting all morning for the call.

He gripped the phone hard, “Hello..”

“Thank you sir. Yes, I will tell her. Goodbye.”

Tony’s hand trembled, letting the phone drop to the floor. He pulled Camille into a big hug, tears running down his cheeks. They clung to each other.

“Due to insufficient evidence they aren’t proceeding with the trial. You are cleared!”

Never had Camille known such relief! It was over. Her nightmare was over. No one would ever know the full details of what happened that horrible night. The night she had to walk through the woods to go home.

Many years passed. Camille had ended up moving to New York and selling her artwork. Tony beamed with pride.

Her painting, “Hidden Secrets” was the most expensive painting yet that she had sold.

Once Upon a Winter’s Night

Pinterest painting

Melvin trudged along as quickly as possible. He breathed a prayer for his little boy as he walked. The temps were falling and it was already close to freezing. He had to get little Kolby shelter from the freezing temps. The boy whimpered in his arms and Melvin’s chest ached. Partially from the cold wind blowing and partially from his son’s cries.

Melvin gave Kolby a gentle kiss and could tell that his son was burning up with fever.

His hands were growing numb from the biting cold. A thick pair of gloves would be nice right now but he could handle the cold. It was Kolby who he was worried about.

He needed a Dr and Melvin didn’t know where to find one. This was all unfamiliar territory for him. His car had broken down. Perhaps he should have stayed in the car, but they were on a dark country road. Melvin didn’t think that there was much chance that any cars would drive by.

Surely he would come to a house soon. Find someone that would help his ailing boy. Kolby was all he had left and Melvin would do anything he could for him as long as he still had breath. He looked into Kolby’s eyes, he had his mother’s eyes.

The wind was blowing stronger now making it harder to walk but Melvin continued on. Thoughts of his precious Kelly kept him going. She had swept him off his feet when they first met.

Eyes that danced in the sunshine and whenever Melvin was near. Eyes that had captured his heart with their spark. The spark between them had turned into a flame of love. A flame that Melvin had thought would last forever.

Kolby whimpered again, “It hurts Papa. It hurts.”

“I know … I am getting you help…. we will be there soon.” Frantically Melvin looked around him. It was like he was half expecting a house to suddenly spring up in front of them but all he could see is that it was growing darker. His hopes were growing dim.

He tried to think of a song to sing but the wind made it too hard. It was only the sound of the wind that filled the air as he kept walking. Then his heart leapt he saw a light. There was a light up on the hill, yes, help was close by.

Oh, the house was big! They should have a spare room for him and his son. With confidence building he rang the doorbell and waited.

A young woman opened the door. Her eyes reflected shock seeing Melvin and Kolby. She found herself staring and then a redness crept up her cheeks.

“Hi! I am so sorry for staring. I was expecting someone else and it shocked me to see you. May we help you? Please come in, out of the cold.”

Melvin walked in and the warmth of the house enveloped him. There was a blazing fire going in the fireplace. An older lady was sitting in a cbair doing needlework.

The young woman ushered them into the sitting room. “Let me take your coats, and warm yourselves by the fire.”

“Thank you, our car broke down and I didn’t know where to go. My son is sick.”

Kolby had fallen asleep. The young woman took him from Melvin and laid him down on the couch, bundling a blanket around him. Meanwhile the older lady was watching, not saying a word, until Melvin turned her way and faced her.

“I am sorry, I didn’t get your name.” Said the young woman,

“Melvin! Is that really you?” The older lady had risen to her feet.

“Katherine …” Time stood still as their eyes locked upon each other.

(To be continued…)

Her Empty Heart

This is the next part to Stolen Memories

The credits for the movie were rolling. She must have dozed off, for she didn’t remember the ending. Happy music played. Darcy Rose turned it off. She wasn’t in the mood for happy-go-lucky music.

Today was supposed to have been a day of answers. A day of being reunited with her real mom. A day of endless joy. The night before she had dreamed about how thrilled her mom would be to see her again. In her mind everything would unfold like a Hallmark movie. But what was she thinking, when had reality ever been like a Hallmark movie?

There was knocking on the door. Yay, it was here. She opened the door, gave a generous tip to the bell hop and took the food from him. Setting it on the table, sbe changed into her cozy pajamas and put on her fuzzy pink robe. Now she was ready to indulge.

Cherry cheesecake, chocolate lava cake and sausage pizza. Comfort food! She stabbed her fork into the cheesecake. If only she could stab her fork hard enough to take away the stabbing pain in her heart.

Before when her heart was broken, her mom’s loving arms were always where she found comfort. But now she couldn’t run into her mom’s arms, her dad couldn’t make her laugh, not this time and maybe not ever again.

No, 20 year old Darcy felt all alone. Tears once more filled her eyes. Her parent’s, or the couple she had known as her parent’s since she was 5 years old were away right now. She was glad that they were gone, for she couldn’t face them. How could she think of them as kidnappers but yet how could she not after seeing the newspaper clipping?

Finding the newspaper clipping had been a total shock. She was looking through boxes in the attic for some of the baby dolls she used to have. Opened a box of old papers and almost closed it up, but was curious. Now she knew what the saying, “Curiosity killed the cat” meant, for after today’s experience, a part of her felt like dying.

Impulsiveness was a trait of hers. So when she found the newspaper clipping and read the address in the article she packed a suitcase and had headed down the road. Drove through the night. She hadn’t even called her best friend who she told everything too. Darcy Rose had a one track mind, and all she needed was to find her real mom and dad!

When she had reached the town, she found a hotel and crashed for a few hours.

Yes, there had been a jumble of knots in her stomach about just showing up at the address in the paper, but she had to do something or she would go crazy!

Upon driving up to the house, her heart had plummeted. The house was falling apart. Grass was overgrown, windows broken, surely no one lived here anymore.

Shock had made her feel unable to back out of the driveway. What did she do now? Where.did she go? Back home and wait for her fake parents to get home from their trip? Finally she backed out, driving back to the hotel. Throwing herself on the bed, she had numbly turned on the Tv.

Now here she was, her belly full but heart empty. It wasn’t just finding out the conditon of her home that had rattled her, it was the old lady. The lady who had come up to her car before she had left the dilapidated house. The stricken look that had appeared on the old lady’s face, she couldn’t get it out of her mind.

The old lady had come up to her car, asking if she was lost. Darcy Rose told her no, that she had lived here for a time when she was a child. You would have thought the lady saw a ghost as she abruptly walked away.

Had the lady remembered her? If so, why did she leave? This day had only brought more questions. Pulling her robe tighter, she hugged her pillow. She felt so alone. Grabbing her phone she placed the call. It rang and rang.

“Hello? Natalie, are you Ok? Its 1am girl.” Hearing her best friend’s voice felt so good.

“I….I…Oh Melissa, I don’t know who I am….!”

(To be continued next Wednesday)

In the Blink of an Eye

FB image

The aroma of spiced cinnamon coffee wafted through the air, plus the sweet smell of freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookies.

Lucy looked at her daughter Hayley, huddled under the blanket, with it drawn up to her neck. One would think that it was freezing inside instead of it being a nice cozy 74 degrees.

“I know you are awake, even if you aren’t looking at me. Please have some cookies, they are your favorite. You can’t hide away from the world.”

Hayley turned her head at those words and she looked at her Mom. “Who says I can’t?” She pulled the blanket over her head and turned away once more. The cookies were left untouched.

Sighing, and not knowing what to do Lucy left the room. She started loading dishes into the dishwasher and when it was full she started it.

Standing at the sink she listened to the dishwasher running. It wasn’t loud, they had bought the quietest one on the market. For now though she wished it was loud.

Maybe the loudness would have helped to drown out the worry and questions in her head. What was she going to do about Haley?

For the past 2 weeks now Hayley had been like a zombie. Eating the bare minimum which she wouldn’t if it hadn’t been for Lucy making sure she got some nutrients inside her.

She tried so hard to get her to talk, but her heart had closed. It was sealed tight eversince the dreadful day. The day that had taken them all by surprise.

Hayley wasn’t popular but she had good friends. Lucy and her husband knew them and were glad that Hayley hung out with a good crowd. But then things changed.

It was gradual, but Lucy noticed her friends not coming around anymore and whenever she asked Hayley about them, she would just shrug and go back to listening to her music. Headphones on, closed off in her own little world.

One never knew with teenagers from one day to the next so Lucy and her husband didn’t worry too much. Not until the day that the sheriff came to their door. The day that was still fresh in her mind.

John had just got home from work and the doorbell rang. When John answered it he was surprised to see the sheriff standing on the other side of the door.

Lucy had walked into the room with a dish towel in her hand to see who it was.

“Good Evening Mr. Winz, is your daughter Hayley home?”

Lucy’s breath had caught in her throat, what did he want with Hayley?

John had looked at Lucy and she could only nod her head, as she watched him go upstairs to Hayley’s room.

Hayley walked down the stairs like she was walking on a sheet of ice. So slowly, and Lucy could see the apprehension in her face.

When she reached the bottom at last she stood there as if she was frozen in place.

“Hi Hayley, I am Sheriff Zimmer, I have a few questions I would like to ask you about a Sarah Jane Marten.”

Lucy thought Hayley may faint at first, her face got so pale. She heard Hayley say “okay” in the softest voice.

“Let’s talk outside, if you will excuse us please Mr. and Mrs. Winz.”

“But…” John had touched Lucy’s shoulder. “That would be fine sir.”

“Good day, Mr and Mrs.Winz”, the Sheriff tipped his hat and Hayley walked out the door with him.

It had felt like forever that they were out there but it really wasn’t that long. They had heard the sheriff’s car drive off and then Hayley had come inside.

“Hayley dear, what…?” But Hayley had ignored her parent’s and ran up the stairs. That day she crawled into her shell and now 2 weeks later, she still hadn’t come out.

Walking back out to the family room where Hayley was Lucy looked at her under the blanket. The coffee cup was half empty and 1 cookie was missing. Lucy tried to find some satisfaction in that but her heart ached for her daughter. What was going on? Her overactive imagination was driving her crazy!

Looking like Hayley had fallen asleep Lucy headed down to the basement to do some laundry.

Hayley heard her mom walk out of the room and heard the basement door close. What was she goimg to do?

One moment her life had been like a stained glass window, beautiful and vibrant and then the picture had shattered into a thousand pieces. All in the blink of an eye, and she didn’t know how to put the pieces back. Her heart thudded with fear, as silent tears streamed down her face.

(To be continued…)