by Denise Daisy
The moon faced her directly, and seemingly took up the entire sky. She had never seen it so enormous. There seemed little room left for anything else. The water lay still before her, as if she were standing on glass. There were no trees, no towering mountains, nothing blocking this midnight canvas--only moon, stars and still waters. She stood frozen, eyes locked on the grandeur of the moon. All was quiet, save for the gentle melody of a pan flute playing in the unseen orchestra. Its soulful tune called to her, and she felt like she was literally standing in the heavens.
She stepped forward. The tears continued to flood her eyes as her heart ached. Her soul could hear a song; a tender voice of a woman, singing a haunting melody. The language was unknown to her yet, strangely familiar. Each phrase, each note entranced her, calling to her as it had just two nights before. She felt as if her feet would leave the ground at any moment, allowing her to take flight, soaring past the moon, amongst the stars, flying with no regrets, no fear, no disappointments - only laughter and peace.
Her legs began to tremble uncontrollably. She found it impossible to remain standing. Giving into the weakness, she sat down where she was and allowed the water to gently wash over her. It seemed as if it was cleaning away her past and washing away her broken dreams, along with the ugly bitterness of disappointment. She felt as if she were being re-born in some way. She rested on her hands, leaning her head back, drinking in the euphoric feeling. For the first time in her life, she felt inspiration, as if her great story was climbing its way out of the rubble of her life where it lay buried. Her heart began to race, the heat sensation beginning again in the soles of her feet and rising upward through the rest of her body. The heat was much more intense than before. The feeling was so rapturous that it became frightening. There was an instinct to run as far away from this place as she could, yet an inner urge to remain close to this spot and never leave. The heat within her continued to rise, the two opposing feelings began to wage a war inside her.
“What is this?” She whispered softly as her mind began to scramble. Good thoughts gave way to darker thoughts, evil and disturbing thoughts--terrifying thoughts. Then, just as suddenly, they snapped back to good, pleasant and virtuous thoughts. Her pulse continued to race and the heat continued to rise as she trembled. She wanted to scream, yet there was no air, no voice. Never in her life had she felt such terror mingled with peace. Opposing forces seemed to be fighting over her. She could sense the fear and the darkness begin to overpower. It was so strong, convincing, enticing. She felt its presence overshadowing her, to the point where she could almost see the invisible manifest itself before her. Terror and dread began to overwhelm her as she began to make out a horrific shadow approaching her.
“Enjoying the view?” Travis spoke from behind her. At the sound of his voice, the shadow dissipated and took with it the extreme distress.
Relieved, she desired to turn and face him; however, her weakened state would not allow it. She attempted to answer him, only to realize her voice was gone. All she could do was nod.
He studied her for a moment and then sat down in the water directly in front of her. His expression was serious and she wondered what he saw as he looked at her. Maybe her face had become paralyzed on one side, the exertion of the climb too much for her. This would explain why she could not open her mouth.
“Can you speak to me?”
She was able to open her mouth, however, her voice was gone. She was only able to communicate a small shrug of uncertainty. He moved in closer, positioning his body between her and the moon. He gently brushed her hair away from her face and as he did his hand fell slowly, stroking her face. She swallowed hard as she felt heat rush into her cheeks the intimacy of the moment catching her off guard. He let his hand fall slowly from her face, as he continued to stare into her eyes. He reached into the shallow water and tenderly lifted her trembling hands. He clasped his strong palms over hers and looked directly into her eyes as he placed her left hand over his heart. She could feel the steady rhythm of his pulse.
“Shut your eyes and keep them closed. You will want to open them but don’t. Do not open them until I tell you.”
She obeyed and closed her eyes; deciding it might be in her best interest to trust him. Her hand continued to feel the slow steady rhythm of his pulse beating against his chest. With every beat his skin warmed, until it was almost too hot to touch. A bright light shone against her closed lids the warmth of it burning into her face. Her instinct was to pull her hand free and open her eyes to see what was transpiring in front of her. He must have anticipated her reaction, for he held her hand tighter against his chest and whispered a quiet no.
Within a few moments, her pulse slowed to a natural rhythm, her hands calmed and she felt her voice enter her throat once more. Still, the heat sensation remained intense. This was becoming a normal experience with every encounter involving him.
“I am going to lift you to your feet and turn you around facing the other way. Do not open your eyes until I say.”
She nodded.
He removed her hand from his chest, but continued to hold it as he took her other hand and lifted her to her feet. Her legs buckled as she struggled to stand. He instructed her to take her time, promising her strength would return.
She nodded again, keeping her eyes shut, still feeling the warmth radiating around her. In her mind, she pictured the orb of light she first saw around the man in the road. She longed to open her eyes, yet feared what would happen if she did.
“I’m going to turn you around now. Are you ready?”
She nodded again, clutching his hands, allowing him to gently turn her body in the opposite direction. Immediately she regained her strength, standing on strong legs, his hands still clasped tightly in hers until the warmth dissipated. He waited a few moments before giving her permission to open her eyes. She opened them slowly. The night was much darker. Her view revealed a moonless sky covered in lofty pine trees, and mountainous terrain. The water rushed over the rocks and cascaded into the pool of water in which everyone else swam. Travis stood in front of her.
“What happened to me?” She asked, her voice quivering. “I heard music, and a song. I felt entranced.”
He remained silent, offering no explanation. He only searched her face as she in turn searched his. There was so much behind his dark eyes, so many hidden secrets.
She longed to reach out and stroke his cheek as he had done to her. She found herself drawn to him, yet she knew she must not give into her feelings. She must never allow herself to cross that line, though she knew he was indeed drawn to her in some way as well. She wondered how he knew she was at the top of the falls. Had he observed her leaving the rest of the group and followed her there?
He cut his eyes away before answering. “You must have climbed too fast. The intensity of the climb, combined with the increased altitude and the cool waters, more than likely caused your temporary paralysis.”
She felt as if the wind had just been knocked from her lungs. His patronizing diagnosis irritated her. He was an innkeeper, not a doctor. She felt betrayed by him. After all, something out of the ordinary had just happened. Some sort of supernatural experience had just transpired. Even the treatment he had given was hardly standard treatment for paralysis. Bronwyn realized that he actually knew something, yet he continued to hide secrets.
She released his hands suddenly.
“You don’t believe me?” He read her expression.
“Why do you insult me by expecting me to?” She brushed past him, heading for the stony path.
He suppressed a smile. “Going back down the long way?”
She stopped, dreading the thought of a long, slippery downhill hike in darkness. Besides, she feared her legs might become wobbly once again, causing a tragic fall on her way down. “Is there a better way?”
He nodded to the falls. “It’s a big jump, but you get there in four seconds.”
Her stomach dropped, as she looked over the edge of the falls. �
�You’re kidding me,” was all she could say.
“It’s the best way down.”
She peered over the edge again, her heart now in her throat. “I don’t think I could do it.”
“Sure you can. It’s easy--just let your feet leave the ground, and fly toward the water.”
Again she sensed mystery in his words. Why was he encouraging her to jump 55 feet? It was if he was leading her, baiting her, yet every time she asked a question he was evasive. Why?
“I know you can do it.” He was saying as he poised himself to jump. Then, gently, “I’ll be waiting for you at the bottom.”
Again, the heat began to rise with intensity. She felt that this event had happened before. A vision flashed into her mind so quickly, that she couldn’t make sense of what it was. A dream perhaps and in it she could hear someone saying those same words, “I’ll be waiting for you.”
He dove from the cliff, and into the water. She watched him as he flew, gliding majestically like an enormous hawk. He broke the waters, resurfacing almost immediately. He looked back up and motioned for her to join him.
Part of her screamed, “No!” Yet another part eagerly desired to fly off the cliff, soaring just as he did, breaking through the swirling waters below. Her soul longed to be near him, to be where he was. She could see his face, so inviting. So intriguing.
She felt her feet leave the ground. Her body soared through the night air, cutting through the spraying mist and as she descended toward the water, her spirit soared upward. The unseen orchestra began playing its rapturous song once again. Its melody rose to a crescendo just as her body broke through and she entered into the dark balmy, swirling waters.
The music was gone. Only silence. A strong hand clasped onto her, pulling her up.
She resurfaced to the pleasant sight of his black, mystifying eyes.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
DAY THREE
The early morning breeze gently pushed the linen curtains away from the window, allowing the warm sun rays their grand entrance. Bethany and Lillian were unmoved, sleeping in after returning from the night hike around two in the morning. However, Bronwyn had woken off and on all night, with an anxiousness growing inside her; she wondered why she felt so agitated. Was she forgetting something? She lay in bed, staring at the spinning ceiling fan, trying to decipher the feelings inside. She dozed off and on. Ryan usually occupied her dreams, but now, Travis was the one she dreamt of. When she finally awoke for good, she felt somewhat guilty about her night-time fantasies.
Quietly, she climbed from the bed as a rooster crowed, then dressed and headed outside for an early morning jog. She ran in the soft, dewy grass alongside the river bed, clicking off the miles. The brisk morning air filled her lungs with the perfume of mother earth. She did her best thinking early in the morning, when no one was around to distract her. She tried to concentrate and plan the re–writing of the dreaded scene. However, thoughts of Travis and the waterfall continued to invade her head.
Nearing the inn, she smelled the delicious aromas of breakfast. She decided against the heaviness of country waffles, eggs and biscuits, choosing instead a glass of juice and a small bowl of fresh fruit, which she ate alone on the porch. Afterward, she returned to her room, showered, dressed, and hurried back outside with her computer, just as a groggy Bethany and Lillian raised their waking heads.
“Hey, where are you going?” Bethany asked.
“Re-writes.”
Lillian noticed Bronwyn’s wet hair. “How long have you been up?”
“Woke with the rooster. I couldn’t sleep.”
“So, what’s going on with you and Travis?” Lillian asked as she stretched and yawned.
“What?”
Bethany gave a sarcastic laugh. “Don’t act so surprised, Bronwyn. It’s so obvious.”
“What is so obvious?”
Bethany and Lillian exchanged knowing glances, and then Bethany said, “The obvious attraction between you two.”
“I am not attracted to him.” She lied.
“Maybe not, but he definitely is to you.”
“Sh-sh!” Bronwyn closed the door and then poised herself on the edge of the bed. “Why do you say that?”
Lillian’s tired voice came alive with excitement. “Because, he kept his eye on you all night last night, and he followed you when you took off rock climbing.”
“You two sure were gone a long time.” Bethany added sourly. “Just what was going on?”
“Nothing. I didn’t know he had followed me. I thought I was alone until I reached the top. Then he showed up.”
She paused, deciding not to try and explain what had actually happened on top of the falls. How could she possibly explain such a supernatural moment? They would never understand. So she told the girls Travis’s explanation of the story.
“Did he have to give you more mouth to mouth?” Lillian teased.
“No” She said, trying not to smile. “You two are terrible.”
“You better watch yourself,” Bethany warned. “All kidding aside, I think he is attracted to you.”
“I think so too,” Lillian agreed.
Bronwyn shook her head. “We’ve been alone twice now, and he’s certainly kept his distance. He’s been nothing but a gentleman.”
“Give him time, Bronwyn,” Bethany warned. “He’ll find the opportunity. Then what will you do?”
She stood and smiled coyly. “I’ll do nothing. He is a married man, and as beautiful and mysterious as he may be, if he would cheat on his poor crippled wife, then I would not want him. That would take all the beauty of him away and place him in the same good-for-nothing, cheating scoundrel category as Ryan and a hoard of other common men.”
“Hear hear!” Bethany gave Bronwyn a high-five.
“I’m off to write,” she said. “Wish me luck. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
“Please don’t write me ugly!” Lillian yelled after her.
Bethany leaned back against her pillow and stared at the door as Bronwyn left. Her stomach knotted. Her mind went back to the café, and Trent’s psychiatric analysis of Bronwyn’s heart break. She hated to admit it, but his foreboding predictions of the progressions of a broken heart were playing out. She remembered stage two, the desperate attempts for attention. True, Bronwyn had stayed out of sight during a storm, claiming to have nearly drowned, and then last night, walking off alone, professing to have experienced some sort of altitude sickness. Both times, she needed the aid of the dashing Travis.
The thought of stage three sickened Bethany--the self-destructive stage. The one, as Trent said, will justify affairs with married men. Bethany sighed. Her concern lay with Bronwyn’s well-being. She knew first-hand what it was like to be involved with a married man. She fell quickly for an amazing man once, only to make the gruesome discovery that, unfortunately, never surfaced during months of long walks, lunch dates, endless conversation, and random intimate nights. It so happened that she ran into him leaving a local theater, one arm around a tall, slender, beautiful woman, his other occupied by holding the hand of a ten-year-old girl, whom he promptly introduced as his wife and daughter. Even though Bethany had appeared strong, it hurt more than she had ever revealed. She knew Bronwyn hurt badly from her broken engagement to Ryan. The last thing she needed was to give her heart away again, this time to a married man who would only betray her in the end. As Bronwyn’s best friend, she would keep a careful watch on the situation, preventing any more alone time between the two, if necessary.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Bronwyn found a shady, secluded patch of thick green clover, far down the river, bordering the entrance to the woods along the edge of the property. The sun burned intensely, casting its warming rays upon her skin and glistening on the gently flowing waters. A line of large trees offered a nice canopy shading her from the beating sun.
Several large natural rocks lay scattered in the grassy area. She discovered that one of the smoother boulders made an ideal desk.
Scooting next to it, she opened her computer and her script file. Whatever inspiration had fallen upon her at the waterfalls was gone. She sat in the grass, staring at the screen, unmoved and uninspired. Her attention wandered to a large hawk flying overhead, then back to her computer screen, and then back to a bird singing on a nearby tree branch... and finally back to her computer screen. The pattern repeated over and over again. Within a couple of hours, she had tracked a hawk, some blue jays, a vivid red cardinal, and several birds whose species she did not know. She dug the moss out of the corners of the rock, lay across the grass, followed the route of a strange insect, picked several wildflowers, pulled at the sticky sap oozing down a nearby tree, and became engrossed in the antics of her friends who had recently gathered at the river for some fun in the sun. She was too far away to hear their conversations. She was only privy to their laughter and playful screams.
Her interest piqued when she noticed Travis and Mavis heading toward the river. Mavis carried a picnic basket, while Travis balanced an ice cooler on his shoulder. Mavis waved and called out to the group as she spread two large cloths on the ground and unloaded the food basket. Bronwyn could only imagine the amazing lunch she had prepared for her hungry guests. Mavis finished spreading out the feast and then, without warning, took a staggering run to the dock. Grabbing the thick rope, she swung far out over the river and fell into the water, causing an enormous splash and earning a round of applause from the group. Bronwyn noticed Travis watching Mavis, a genuine smile across his lips. Mavis must have challenged him, because he removed his shirt and dove into the water, much to the kids’ delight.
