The Boxfield Elm

by Cinda Swans

  Then Ila came back in and stood near the table. Bri noticed for the first time in a while that the bar was becoming more crowded, that it was dark outside now, that her beer was empty, and that she had Ila's plate in front of her.

  "Where's your friend?" blurted Josie.

  "He left," said Ila. "Who's your friend?" she asked.

  "Oh!" Bri squeaked, trying to keep herself from taking in the information Ila had just shared. "This is my friend Mark. We grew up together."

  "Ah," said Ila. "Um, I'm going to look for another chair?"

  "Okay," Bri nodded.

  Ila strode away and disappeared into the crowd. There weren't really any spare chairs, except for one at the table closest to theirs.

  "She mad I'm sitting here?" asked Mark. "I coulda left. I mean, I meant to go back over to those guys anyway." He waved an arm at the corner where the hooting and hollering and clapping was coming from.

  "Those your bros?" asked Josie, now joking around with Mark, too. He did inspire some kind of really comfortable air around himself, where it seemed right to kid each other more.

  "Yep," he sighed. "Stayin' with my buddy around the corner, for the weekend - I get Thursdays and Fridays off, work Saturdays."

  "Weird," said Bri.

  "Well, lotta people like to be home when we're doing the fancier restoration carpentry stuff, so they can check up on it." Bri sipped on her beer - she was beginning to feel tipsy again, and imagined the type of people Mark probably worked for - people who were in some scale between awkwardly and tastefully rich, people who had money to spend on antique wood-work and the skilled labor to install it. Bri hadn't minded those types of people when she was growing up, but she'd visited Boxfield in the past few years and seen how many more of them there were. Every old standard fried-haddock-and-chicken-fingers New-England-type restaurant had turned into some fancy place. All the lovely old houses that had once been picturesque and crumbling were now getting polished and refurbished. And that's what Mark and his brother did for work. Bri frowned.

  She looked down, and Ila's plate was still in front of her. "Well," she said, wanting to change the subject, "at least Ila's food won't get cold. I mean, it is cold."

  "Hm. Yeah. I guess . . . I guess she sat somewhere else. I don't know. It's annoying, but I wouldn't worry about it. She'll come back when she wants. She's like that," said Josie.

  "Well, I don't - I mean, I'm happy to see you, Bri. It sounds like maybe we should get together sometime. You been up to Boxfield since you been back in town?"

  "Not really," she said. As the words came out of her mouth, she realized that what she meant was, yes, but not to any of the places that meant anything. She'd gone back to the house where her father still lived, she'd slept a night in her old bedroom, she'd cooked breakfast and drank coffee with him while they read the newspapers together, and then she'd left for the city. He was a strange man, and difficult to spend time with, especially since her parents had separated. Her mother had moved to Burlington a few years back – which, Bri thought, was for the best. In the meantime, she had grown farther from the place where she grew up, and each time she went back, it was harder and harder to remember what she'd loved about it when she was a child. Or maybe it was that things there had changed so much.

  But she hadn't been back to visit everything she'd loved about it. It had been so long since she walked far up into the woods behind her father's house . . .

  She looked at Mark. Mark was part of the changes to their hometown - he spent his days out in the sun making those changes. Bri remembered how when they were children, she and Mark knew every corner of those woods behind their houses - up on the hill. She wanted to visit those woods again with him, suddenly.

  "Maybe I'll come up with you this weekend?" she said, suddenly. "You go back to work on Saturday?"

  "Yeah. I can pick you up from the train after work, if you want. Or you got a car now?" he asked. "Damn, where are you even living?"

  "I'm house sitting for my aunt in the city. Remember, Claire?" she said.

  "The opera singer!" he said, grinning. "So no car. I'll pick you up? There's a train that gets in at six. You can take that one?"

  "Sure!" she said.

  "Ok. Man, I'm glad I ran into you, Bri." He put his hand on her shoulder again, and she smiled, remembering climbing trees with Mark when she was ten. It would be really nice to spend time with him, even if their lives had taken really different paths. They would have so much to remember together, even if they didn't say it out loud. "It was nice to meet you," he said to Josie.

  "You too, Mark," she said, holding out her hand and shaking his for the second time. "Maybe I'll see you around? I'm playing a show at Stachia's place next weekend. Come if you can!" she said, smiling sweetly.

  "Ok," he said. "See you," and with that he stepped away to go join his 'bros' over in front of the giant TV.

  Bri ate three French fries in one bite.

  "I'm tipsy," she said. "This night is weird."

  "Yep," said Josie.

  "I'm glad you're my friend," said Bri.

  "Yeah," said Josie. "I have a feeling things are going to get a lot more interesting, and I'm glad that you're here, too.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Bri! What do you think I mean? There's something kind of dramatic happening here! Isn't there? Come on."

  "Okay yeah," Bri said, giggling. She was remembering Aeyr. Had he come back into the bar? No. He was gone. He had left. Wait, she hadn't even talked to him! she realized.

  "I didn't want to tell you before, but Aeyr and Ila just broke up. They're working on being friends, and it's kind of hard on everyone. I've known Ila for a long time - she's a pretty good friend of mine. Aeyr has been kind of, well, I don't know. I guess I'd say flakey at worst, irresponsible at best. To Ila, I mean. I don't know him myself. I just heard a lot, when she was upset about things."

  "Oh," said Bri, computing the information she was being told. "That's why you didn't follow them outside."

  "Yeah. Just, I know you're interested in him, but, like, be careful, okay?"

  "I mean, I didn't even talk to him, let alone exchange contact information. He seems way too mysterious for me."

  "You'd be surprised," said Josie, like she knew something.

  "Um," said Bri. "Why was he here, even?"

  "He lives upstairs," Josie explained. "And works in the kitchen."

  "Ahh," said Bri. "Well whatever, you said it, he was . . . I don't know."

  "You're going to hang out with Mark, huh?" asked Josie. "I told you you'd meet someone from the past tonight."

  "Yeah!" Bri said, grinning. "I don't know, Mark's - I mean, we were kids together, you know? I just imagine drinking soda pop at the corner store and climbing trees with him."

  "Is that what you do when you go on dates?" giggled Josie.

  "Maybe," giggled Bri. "But I don't want to date Mark."

  "What? Why not?" Josie said. "He's cute!"

  "Why, you like him?" Bri teased.

  "No!" Josie said. "But I think you should!"

  "Should?" said Bri.

  "Well, whatever," said Josie. "He's cute, you've known each other for a long time, you're going to hang out, it will be nice."

  "Yeah. Hey where's Ila? Or what should we do about her beer? Her salad?"

  "Um?"

  "Well, I gotta go use the bathroom, maybe I'll look for her."

  Chapter 3

  The night dragged on for a long time. The bar became totally packed full of people. Ila eventually floated back to the table with more friends in tow, and Josie was flirting and talking to someone, and Bri felt suddenly very tired. She was having a hard time thinking of what to say to any of the near-strangers surrounding her, and the night had been overwhelming. She didn't want to interrupt Josie's conversation, but she also wasn't sure she wanted to walk home alone.

  She reached down to grab her purse, and realized that after all these weird chance meetings, she hadn't exchanged contact inform
ation with anyone - not even Mark. Maybe she should go try to find him? He had said to take the train that got in around six on Saturday. Would he be there if she just showed up at the station in Boxfield? What if he forgot? No, Mark had always been reliable, and she could assume that he still was. He'd be there.

  Still though, maybe it would be good to look for him. She stood and gathered her things and started to step away from the table. Josie saw from the corner of her eye, and beckoned her over.

  "You going?" she said.

  "Yeah," said Bri.

  "I was thinking I might leave soon, too?" she looked over at the guy she was talking to, whose eyes had gone batty from staring at how pretty she was.

  "It's ok, you don't have to leave with me or anything. I'm just tired, is all."

  "You don't mind walking home alone?"

  "I guess not."

  "Well, ok, I might stay a while longer, then."

  "Yeah. Call me tomorrow?"

  "Definitely." Josie nodded, like, they'd meet up and sit and drink coffee and have a whole lot to discuss.

  Bri made her way through the cramped knots of people and tried to see over to the corner where Mark and his friends had been. She saw some of the same guys, but not Mark. It seemed like too much work to try to get closer. She suddenly felt a little claustrophobic, and like she wanted to breathe the night air again. So she squished around people until she got out the door, and then she stepped outside.

  She breathed in deeply. Again, she could smell the sea, and how the ground was warming and the trees were budding. The night had gotten cooler, especially compared to the bar, and she pulled on her sweater. Once she got walking, she'd be warm.

  There was still a bit of a crowd outside the bar, too - people smoking cigarettes on the sidewalk and talking loudly. She felt some of them looking at her, and she felt suddenly self-conscious about being alone. She had a pang of wishing that she had a nice boy to walk her home, someone to kiss at the door and say goodnight to. She sighed, admitting to herself that she had been hoping to have her night end like that.

  Bri started to walk around the bar and turn down the next street toward home.

  Then she saw a shape in the shadow, the spark of a cigarette moving from its hand up to its mouth. The shape made her nervous - she couldn't see a face in the shadow. Then it stepped forward into the streetlight and said, "Brianne."

  It was Aeyr. It was Aeyr! Aeyr was there, and saying her name!

  "Oh," she said. "You - I - you left."

  He laughed strangely. "Not exactly," he said. "I live here. It gets pretty hard to leave the place you live for very long."

  "Ah," she said.

  "But you are leaving."

  "Yes," she said, totally unsure of what on earth else she could say to this strange, bewitching man.

  He put his cigarette out, and then stepped closer to her, and her heart began to pound all through her body. His black hair was as black as the night, and his eyes glinted in the strange, otherworldly light of the street lamps. He lifted up his hand and reached slowly toward her face, and then with his thumb he caressed the skin of her cheek, just under her eye.

  His touch was so surprising that Bri just stood there, frozen, unable to speak or move.

  Then Aeyr laughed again, even more strangely than the first time. "Yup," he said. "I knew it."

  "Knew what?" she said.

  He stared into her eyes. "Well, do you trust me?"

  "I don't even know you!" she blurted back at him.

  "Ah," he said, looking a little bit hurt, and almost like he didn’t quite believe her. "Well, will you talk to me more?"

  "Oh," she said. She looked at him longer. He was glowing. She suddenly wanted to touch his face exactly as he had touched hers - she wanted to feel brave enough to do that, but her hand seemed to be made of lead. It hung motionless at her side. “When?" she asked.

  "On Saturday."

  "Okay."

  "I'll come meet you at your aunt's place. At four."

  "Okay."

  He let out a little sigh of air, that wasn't quite a laugh, and an elfish-half grin lifted one side of his mouth.

  "Come closer," he whispered, so quietly she could barely hear him. She obeyed, leaning in so that his lips were next to her ear. He raised his hand and touched two fingers very softly onto the space between her collarbones. "I'll see you soon," he breathed, very quietly, the warmth of his lips so close to touching her, and then drawing away suddenly. He stepped back, and without even giving her a chance to look him in the eye one last time, he turned quickly and walked away, toward a darkened back door in the brick wall. He opened it and disappeared inside quickly.

  Chapter 4

  Bri woke up underneath the giant puffy down comforter on her aunt's luxurious bed. She felt happy, swathed in light that was as refreshing as it was warming. She blinked her eyes open, and saw that she was under a white blanket, in a gleamingly white room with sun streaming through the gauzy curtains that hung before the tall windows.

  The color of the room surprised her, and she had to blink a few times before she remembered where she was. Where had she been? Somewhere green . . . with the sound of leaves rustling, the hum of growing trees. Where had that been? A dream . . . of the forest . . .

  The pleasant feeling lingered as she stretched in the big bed. It was the most comfortable place she had ever slept - it was like lying inside of a cloud. Every morning, Bri woke up feeling like she was a couple thousand miles above the earth, floating in bliss. It was a nice place to wake up to.

  Slowly, she sat up and blinked in the sun. It was bright enough to hurt her eyes. It must have been late in the day already. She fantasized about someone making her a breakfast as luxurious as the bed where she was sleeping - she'd eat raspberries on waffles, drink coffee with whipped cream.

  But she swung her legs over the side of the bed and went to take a shower.

  She stepped into the warm water, trying to remember what had happened last night. She had a strange feeling that her life had changed somehow, even in only a night. Why did she feel that way? Just a night out with Josie . . .

  Bri remembered working at the office, coming home. Drinking wine with Josie, her talking about planets, and the old man in the street, and meeting Ila, seeing Mark, and . . .

  And Aeyr. He hardly seemed human. She thought of the look on his face when he had stepped out of the shadows at the end of the night. His breath on her ear. She would see him again? She would see him on Saturday - they had a plan! She felt suddenly giddy.

  Then she tried to imagine seeing Aeyr in the daytime, walking in the street with him, making causal conversation. How was she supposed to do that? Why did he even want to hang out with her? He acted so strangely, and yet, it only made her more curious. What was happening to her?

  She washed her auburn hair and looked down at her own body for the first time in what seemed like ages. It had been so long since she'd felt this kind of nervous, this kind of excited. It was waking up some part of her body she'd forgotten about - her hips felt more gently curved, her nipples felt warmer. She imaged Aeyr kissing them, she imagined lying beside him in a green forest.

  Then she turned off the water, and in the same gesture, she remembered suddenly: the forest! The woods! She was supposed to go to the woods with Mark on Saturday!

  Her whole dream shook apart, and she plunked her feet back on earth. She put on a robe and went to the kitchen and poured a big glass of water and plopped down on the kitchen floor.

  Blanco the cat mewed from his stool. He hopped down and sauntered over and climbed into her lap.

  "Blanco!" she said. "What am I doing? Yesterday I was worried that my life was too boring, that I didn't know anyone, that I was going to break all of my aunt Claire's wine glasses. Now suddenly I have all this real drama."

  Blanco purred, like he was enjoying her story. She stroked along his spine and scratched under his chin.

  "Josie is right, Blanco. There's definitely something we
ird about Aeyr. Why am I so susceptible to it? Usually I don't have patience for creepy guys!"

  The cat rolled onto his back, borrowing deeper into her robe, then shifted back around to rub his head against her wrist. "I know, I know. I mean, is he, though? Is he creepy? Or just really attractive? And what am I going to do about Mark? Oh!"

  Bri thought about getting back into bed - today was her day off, afterall. But she figured that she'd better catch Josie before she went to work. Someone had to help get her head straight.

  She found her phone in her purse, which took a little digging. When she pulled it out, she also found a piece of paper, torn from a notebook and folded into quarters.

  Bri drew the unfamiliar paper out of her purse and opened it. In black ink, there were soft, curling black letters, and the words said,

  Bri—

  Aeyr is tricky, but not untrustworthy. Things didn't work out between us, and it's still complicated, but don't let that bother you too much. If he asks for your help, I think you should try to give it to him. I think you can help him more than me.

  -Ila

  Bri could hardly believe her eyes. Everything seemed to be getting more and more serious! Suddenly she wanted not to think about any of it anymore. She wanted everything to return to being calm and normal, and to stop feeling like everyone she met was conspiring to involve her in some ridiculous hocus-pocus game where every goddamn thing was coincidentally related to every other goddamned thing.

  It was silly, and annoying. Maybe she'd just fallen in with some group of weird people. She liked Josie a lot, but how well can you really know someone in a month? And what was Ila's deal? Who leaves notes for people in their purses when they're not looking? That was kind of creepy, too. Bri pawed through her purse to make sure everything else that belonged to her was still inside - her wallet, her keys, the novel she'd been reading, her slim diary with its crowded pages. Everything was there, but everything was still too strange for her.