by Mary Akers
Elora smiled and looked around, surprised to see that he was right. She didn’t remember the grass being this tall when she’d sat down. The blades rose above her shoulders and were brushing against her cheeks in the hot wind.
“Why did I pick to sit here?” she wondered, seeing that the grass was short and recently trimmed just a few feet away.
Danny reached down and took her hand, pulling her up out of her grassy nest.
“Hm. I suppose Robert missed a spot when he cut the grass yesterday,” he mused, shrugging his shoulders before turning to fill his canteen from the well.
Elora took a few steps toward the field, intending to return to work, when she noticed her mom standing rigid in the midst of her crop, staring past her with wide eyes. She turned to see what her mother found so startling and gasped. The area around the supply barn was well-tended and the wild grasses were trimmed frequently. All looked as it should except for the spot surrounding where Elora had been. There was a semi-circle of knee-high grass extending 5 feet from the place where Elora has been resting.
She turned back to find that her mother was no longer staring at the grasses, but at her. There was a look of anguish on her mother’s face and it sent a chill down her spine. Elora quirked her head, confused and uneasy. Her mother quickly averted her gaze and dropped back down to her knees, returning to work as though nothing were amiss.
Elora walked slowly back into the field and resumed her work harvesting the bean crop. Occasionally she would peek at the tall grasses, baffled. By the end of the day she had convinced herself that the grass must have been that tall all along. What other explanation could there be?
After the dismissal bell rang, Elora gathered her tools and stored them in the barn. She waved to her mother and started the long walk home, utterly exhausted. Before the barn was out of sight, she glanced back for one last look. What she saw made her stop and catch her breath. There was her mother, alone, frantically hacking the tall grass down. The task finished, Elora watched as her mother paused to wipe at her eyes before gathering up the clippings and walking away to the compost pile. Scared and mystified, Elora turned and slowly hiked the rest of the way home.
Chapter 4
The week dragged on until at long last, it was Saturday. Elora awoke in the morning with a delicious feeling of freedom, languidly stretching her arms as she lay in bed, enjoying the prospect of a day without sore muscles and sweaty hair. She took a deep breath, loathe to leave her comfortable spot but anxious to meet Alysa for their dress making appointment.
It had been a few days since she’d had an opportunity to spend any significant time with her friend. It was unusual for them and left her feeling out of sorts. Alysa had been busy with Trig and the preparations for their binding ceremony all week. Elora knew it was just a precursor to how life would be once they were bound to one another and she couldn’t help the sadness that tugged at her heart. She tamped down her negative feelings and threw her legs over the side of the bed, determined to be happy and excited for her dearest friend. Besides, she would have Alysa to herself for a while today and she desperately needed to talk to someone about the odd things happening around her lately. She scurried around the room, quickly pulling on her clothes for the day.
A short while later Elora emerged with her chestnut hair neatly braided and wearing her sage dress, the seed necklace safely hidden beneath the modest neckline. She slid her feet into her leather slippers and made her way down the hall. She found her parents sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a cup of coffee, still dressed in their nightclothes.
“Good morning!” Elora said, greeting them with a smile.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” her father said, rising to wrap his arms around her in an affectionate embrace.
She turned to look at her mother, who gave her a small smile. Ever since the incident at the barn, her mother had been different. Her normally cheerful demeanor was muted. She barely spoke to Elora, barely spoke to anyone actually, and she always seemed preoccupied. It was confusing and truthfully, was starting to scare Elora.
She walked over and leaned down to give her mother a hug. “Momma, are you sick?” she asked quietly, looking her in the eyes.
“No, dear girl,” she replied, her face softening as she looked lovingly at her concerned daughter. “Everything is fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“She’s fine!” her father chimed in boisterously. “She’s just worried some fine young man will come snatch you away like Alysa,” he teased. “I can’t believe how quickly this is all happening!”
“I know!” Elora agreed. “Though if you’d seen all the moony looks and romantic angst I’ve witnessed the past few years, you might not be so surprised,” Elora said with a laugh, walking to the stove to pour herself a cup of coffee.
She turned in time to see her father looking at her mother with reprimand in his eyes. Her mother dropped her gaze to the table and her father quickly returned to the jovial expression he’d worn only moments before. Elora knit her brows. They were hiding something from her. Uncomfortable and suddenly desperate to leave, she took a gulp of coffee and winced as the hot liquid scalded her throat. She put down her cup, no longer interested in finishing it.
“Well, I have to run! Alysa wants to make me a dress and needs to measure me,” she said.
“I can’t wait to see it, sweetheart!” her father said with a bit too much enthusiasm.
“Me too!” Elora replied with a smile, waving as she hurried out the door and closed it firmly behind her.
She paused on the doorstep and took a deep breath, shaking her head. Something just wasn’t right. Her parents had always been very private and sometimes even secretive, but she’d never seen her mother so worried before. She couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Elora took a deep breath and mentally tamped down her negative feelings. She forced a smile and set out towards Alysa’s house. The day promised to be full of laughter, and Elora intended to savor every moment.
She walked at a leisurely pace, trying desperately to think happy thoughts. She plucked a leaf from a nearby bush and played with it absentmindedly as she strolled. She wondered if anyone would be traveling to Windom from afar for the wedding. The prospect of meeting a handsome new stranger made her smile. But could she have a future with a foreigner? That would mean someday leaving Windom and her parents and everything she’d ever known. No. Nope. She immediately dismissed the possibility and decided she might as well steel herself to a life with Phillip Rawlings or the like, because she would never leave Windom. She frowned at the idea, suddenly depressed with her options.
Reaching up, she fingered the seed dangling beneath the hollow of her throat and her thoughts shifted to the Woodlands. What might it be like to actually visit her forest someday? Would it be the way she imagined it? Her last daydream had truly frightened her and she’d been hesitant to even venture a thought of her forest refuge ever since. But she couldn’t seem to help herself. The forest called to her. It filled an emptiness in her soul. The idea of leaving Windom terrified her, but she wondered if perhaps she could overcome that fear if it meant actually experiencing the peace and contentment she only found in her daydreams. Could she overcome that fear, she thought, if it meant perhaps finding the man she’d encountered there. She felt ridiculous for thinking so often of someone who was obviously a figment of her imagination. But the dream had felt so real. It haunted her. She knew nothing about him but the sound of his voice. And yet the memory of it made her stomach flip and the back of her neck tingle.
Lost in thought, she had walked nearly the entire distance to Alysa’s house when the snap of a twig jolted her out of her reverie. She looked up just in time to see a young blond man disappearing around a bend in the road. She gasped and froze. It was the Highlander again. She just knew it. He must be following her!
Looking around, she realized just how vulnerable and alone she was on th
e road. What should she do? Her heart was pounding out of her chest, her pulse throbbing in her ears. She stared at the spot where he’d been, frightened and panicking. What could he want with her? She had no idea how long she stood there, too afraid to move, when she suddenly felt something brush against her arm. Startled out of her panic, she jumped and bolted a few steps before peeking back to see what had touched her. She gasped.
It was a rosebush. Except this was unlike any rosebush she’d ever seen. Most roses were already long past flowering by this point in the season but somehow this bush was still covered in vibrant blooms. It was magnificent. Every branch was covered in giant, bright red roses. She reached out to touch a flower, gently stroking the velvet petals.
How had she not noticed this before? How had she walked near enough to brush up against it without seeing it? She stood, bewildered, staring at the most beautiful plant she’d ever seen, knowing in her heart that she could never have missed it. It was as if it had appeared out of nowhere. As if it had grown in an instant. She immediately thought of the tall grass near the supply barn and subconsciously started shaking her head in denial.
“You’re crazy. That’s crazy,” Elora chastised herself. “You cannot make plants grow.”
She slowly backed away from the rosebush, disconcerted. She felt a sudden urgency to get to Alysa’s house and leave the bizarre happenings of this morning behind her. Picking up the skirt of her sage dress, she took off running. As she neared a bend in the road, she couldn’t help but look back once more before it was out of sight. She stared with wide eyes at the glorious rosebush growing on the side of the road, it’s branches reaching out towards the place where she had stood. She shook her head and ran even faster.
Alysa was patiently waiting on her front porch steps when Elora came sprinting around the corner. She smiled happily upon seeing her and stood, ready to embrace her friend. Elora slowed to a walk, struggling to catch her breath after her frantic run. She made a weak attempt to return Alysa’s smile as she walked into her arms. Alysa frowned in concern as Elora hugged her tightly and let out an audible sigh of relief.
“Did something happen, Elora?” she asked.
“I don’t think you would believe me if I told you. I hardly believe myself,” Elora said with a bemused laugh.
“I would believe you!” Alysa replied indignantly, leaning back to look Elora in the eyes. “You know I would!”
“I’m not sure even you, my devoted friend, would be able to set aside common sense enough to believe the absurd things I’ve been thinking,” Elora said, shaking her head. “I’d rather just go inside and get started. I’ve been looking forward to spending time with you all week.”
“Me too. I haven’t seen you in days!” she exclaimed.
She looked with concern at Elora. After all these years as friends, she was able to sense the anxiety that Elora was determinedly trying to downplay.
“Are you sure you won’t tell me what’s wrong?” she asked, her brow furrowed.
“Very sure,” Elora nodded, looping Alysa’s arm through hers and turning to walk up the front steps of the house.
No matter how fervently she wanted to talk to someone about the strange things happening around her, now that she had the chance, Elora was too embarrassed to give voice to the ridiculous ideas swirling around in her head.
“Let’s get to work!” she exclaimed.
“Alright, well, that’s probably a good idea since there is literally not a second to waste,” Alysa said. “Can you believe it? This time next week Trig and I will be standing in front of everyone, our arms wrapped in the Binding Cord, making our promises!” Alysa gushed, letting out a little squealing of excitement and drawing a laugh from Elora.
“So you’re sure about this? Because I’m just not sensing any enthusiasm, Alysa.” she teased.
Alysa giggled, poking her in the side good naturedly.
“Any more enthusiasm and I think I would explode,” she said with a laugh.
She grabbed Elora by the hand, pulling her hastily through the front door and into the small sewing room off the foyer. She turned to block Elora’s view of the room for a moment and stood grinning shyly at her. Elora looked back with a confused and expectant smile. Alysa let out an excited giggle before stepping aside to reveal a dress form in the middle of the room.
Elora gasped. The mannequin was draped in the most gorgeous gown she’d ever seen. It was a light, earthy green color embroidered with intricate ivory vines. A modest sweetheart neckline rose into wide, delicate lace straps. It was a slender A-line cut, flowing from a form fitting v-shaped bodice into a generous skirt that was hemmed a bit shorter in front than in back.
“It’s exquisite, Alysa! Your mother has outdone herself! You will be stunning in it,” Elora gushed.
“Oh no! This isn’t my dress,” Alysa said, breaking into a smile. “But I can’t even tell you how thrilled I am that you thought my mom made this. I must be getting pretty good.”
Elora’s mouth fell open.
“You made this? I had no idea you could do something like this!” she whispered in awe.
“Well, lucky for you I can! Go ahead and undress behind that screen over there and I’ll bring you the dress when you’re ready,” she said, pointing to the corner of the room.
Elora stood stunned for a moment.
“This is my dress?” she asked, shocked.
“Made especially for you, my sweet friend,” Alysa smiled.
“It’s too much,” Elora said, her voice catching with emotion. “I don’t deserve it. This must have taken you months!”
“It did. I was making it to practice my embroidery and also because I love you, of course. But it works out perfectly that you can wear it as my Witness! And you do deserve it, by the way. Now don’t ruin my fun by making a fuss. Go get behind that screen,” she ordered, shooing her across the room to the shoulder height panels of stretched fabric where she could undress in privacy.
“How do you know it will fit?” she asked, pulling her dress over her head.
“I snatched one of your dresses a few months back to get your measurements. I expect I might need to make a few adjustments though. And you wear that sage dress all the time, so I figured green was your favorite,” Alysa chattered as she gathered the dress and draped it over the screen.
“I can’t believe you did this!” Elora exclaimed as she stepped into the dress.
The fabric was cool and soft as she gently pulled it up and slid her arms though the straps. Holding the lace up to her shoulders, she stepped out from behind the screen.
“Can you fasten the back?” she asked.
“Of course! It’s a little different, Elora. I hope you don’t mind. I was feeling inspired,” she said with an anxious look. “I designed it to be open in the back, with just a bit of lace stretching across your shoulder blades to hold the straps in place. I know how modest you are, so don’t worry, it’s not terribly low cut. There’s a small button just here,” she said, fastening the delicate fabric at the nape of Elora’s neck. “Let’s take a look!” she said, her excitement bubbling over.
Both girls turned to the full-length mirror leaning against the wall.
“You are so gifted, Alysa,” Elora whispered in awe.
“And you are so beautiful,” she replied, a satisfied smile on her lips. “Truly, Elora. I bet you’ll have a letter or two waiting for you after the ceremony once the town gets a look at you like this.”
“I do look rather pretty,” Elora admitted. “It must be the dress.”
“You’re crazy. You’ve always been lovely, with that thick chestnut hair and those sparkling green eyes,” Alysa admonished, clucking her tongue. “Not to mention your long neck and creamy skin, which I’ve accentuated perfectly with this dress, if I do say so myself,” she gloated, knotting Elora’s braid into a hasty updo.
El
ora turned to see just how revealing the back of the dress was and couldn’t help but frown. Her eyes immediately focused on the birthmark in the middle of her back. It was almost as though the dress had been designed to specifically draw attention to it, the one part of her she had always sought to keep hidden.
“I guess there’s no hiding my birthmark in this dress,” she remarked with a nervous laugh.
“What birthmark? Your skin is flawless!” Alysa replied, a confused expression on her face.
“Right there,” Elora said, pointing to the mark. “It’s impossible to miss it. Please don’t pretend you can’t see it.”
“Are you playing with me?” Alysa asked.
“No! Really? You don’t see that?” Elora asked, bewildered.
“Oh, stop it Elora! There is nothing there. You are so silly sometimes,” she said, dismissing her with a wave of her hand.
Elora looked at Alysa for a long moment. She really couldn’t see the birthmark! Elora reached for the seed at her neck. Her testy exchange in the market the other day with the merchant came to mind. He had insisted that he couldn’t see the seed on her necklace either. She shook her head, refusing to believe the strange things that were going on around her. She was holding the seed between her fingers. It was very real. She’d hated that birthmark her entire life. It was definitely there. Why couldn’t people see them?
She turned to regard her back in the mirror again. Her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the light brown seed shaped mark. It was different. It had changed. There was a short, fine line extending upwards from the mark along her spine. She took a step closer for a better look. It really had changed! She quickly turned away from the mirror, a pebble of fear settling in the pit of her stomach. What was happening to her?
Alysa brushed her hand against Elora’s arm and she jumped, startled out of her private musings.
“You seem very distracted Elora,” Alysa said, her face lined in worry. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
