She knocked on the window getting his attention and beckoned for him to hurry up and get the last of the stuff loaded so they could be on their way. It would be nice to head out before noon and miss some of the traffic. They had a good drive ahead of them to get to Judge Magney State Park and then they had to make it all the way in and set up camp. She was glad they had thought to make arrangements to take a few personal days off of work if they decided they wanted to stay longer. They had chosen this destination after watching that movie on TV about this crazy waterfall and they’d both become intrigued with it. She still got goose bumps thinking of Devils Kettle and how mysterious it all seemed. No matter what went in there, it never seemed to come out. That fact alone had fascinated them and they had a plan to do their own experiment with some colored balls they had bought at a discount store. She would throw them in and Dalton would be at the end of the waterfall waiting to see if they came out. They both would video tape it all so they had proof either way.
Marissa closed the zipper on the small navy blue overnight bag where she had packed a little surprise for Dalton. It was a lacy black number that she’d originally purchased to wear on his birthday in a few weeks but had decided to pack it and wear it early. Wrapped delicately in the middle of it was the ring she had been holding on to for what seemed like forever. As much as she’d visited estate sales and going out of business sales, you would think she could remember exactly WHERE she had picked it up, but for the life of her she just couldn’t place where she had gotten it. Regardless, she knew deep down inside, it had been practically made for Dalton. Goosebumps danced along her arms as she pictured how she would give it to him. She’d had a million different ways cross her mind but none of them seemed right. Under the stars in the middle of a forest was a setting she knew he would love and appreciate. It would certainly be memorable that’s for sure. She knew that despite the fact that he hadn’t asked her yet, marriage was in their future. She’d thought she had been in love before but nothing compared to this. Nothing compared to the way she felt about him and she knew he felt the same way about her. He had never hidden his feelings from her and for that she was grateful. He had even gotten down on one knee once and told her that she was the only one for him, carefully twisting the tie off of the bread bag into a faux diamond and slipping it over her finger. They had laughed for hours over that but something in her soul had known he’d meant it. She slung the bag over her shoulder and walked back out to the living room so she could lock up after Dalton grabbed the last bit of stuff.
As she entered the room she heard him bolt up the stairs, probably taking them two at a time like he usually did. The guy had legs like a giraffe. They were long, yet muscular, and she just loved to look at them. She loved to look at him period. He reminded her of the marble statues of the Greek Gods with the chiseled chins, the high cheekbones and eyes that seemed to bore right into your soul. She could sit and stare at him for hours, and at night when she lay awake and he was sleeping, looking like the proverbial angel, she did just that.
Dalton reached for the lantern and cooler, their eyes meeting and connecting in that special gut wrenching way, and he smiled. Marissa melted and they both stopped, frozen in time as they started at each other. Butterflies danced in her belly and goose bumps rose on her skin. She watched as his smile faded to be replaced with a look of hunger and Marissa knew it was either get the hell out of there or they would be spending the whole day in bed, again. Playfully she rustled his hair and laughingly said, “Ok my sex crazed he-man, enough of that, let’s get out of here while the gettin’s good!”
The corners of his mouth curved back into a smile and the faint blush that she’d always found so endearing, crept up his face as he reluctantly agreed and turned to go. Marissa took one last look around making sure they had everything and then followed him out, locking the door behind them. They were finally on their way. She checked her hiking watch and was happy to see it was still only 9:30. They were actually ahead of the game and might even get there early enough to check out the waterfall before it got too dark. She hoped to set the tent up close to the water line. She could think of nothing better than falling asleep to the sounds of rushing water and crickets, with maybe the occasional howl from a hopefully distant wolf. Life just didn’t get better than that.
***
DALTON FIDDLED WITH the radio trying to find something that wasn’t static-filled to listen to, finally giving up and jamming in a CD. They had been driving for about three hours and Marissa, true to her nature, was fast asleep in the seat beside him. She never could handle the long drives she always planned and he found it amusing that he always ended up relying on the radio for company. He glanced over at her and was once again, for what seemed like the hundredth time this week, awestruck by his feelings for her. He thanked God every day for bringing her into his life, which up to that point had been pretty barren and lonely. It surprised him that he seemed to be more of a homebody than the party boy he’d always thought he was since he’d met her too. If you would have asked him five years ago where he would be today, he would have answered “VEGAS BABY!” He’d never have thought he would be going to a state park to camp, away from all the amenities life had to offer, with a girl who had somewhere along the line, stolen his heart. He had known for quite some time now that she was the one he wanted to see when he came home, the one he wanted to lay in bed with at night laughing, touching, loving and sharing his dreams with. The one he wanted to wake up to while the sun made its way across the horizon to say good morning to the world. She was “the one”. Last Friday after work, he had stopped at the jewelers and had purchased a ring that he hoped would show her just how he felt about her. It was a whimsical heart shaped pink diamond that sparkled so brightly it was almost blinding. It seemed to jump right out at him as soon as he’d walked in the door. The jeweler had tried to interest him in other rings, bigger, fancier ones but he’d been taken with this one from the start, just like he had been with her. Strangely, he had thought he would be feeling nervous by now but he wasn’t. He was feeling more calm and relaxed than he’d felt in months. That had to be a good sign right? As Marissa stirred in the seat beside him, he laid his hand over hers in a protective gesture to let her know he was there beside her.
He knew he would have to pull over soon thanks to the three cups of coffee he had foolishly drunk before they left. He needed that caffeine rush in the mornings or he’d never make it through the day. Not without being in a half a grog anyhow. Maybe they could grab a quick bite to eat before getting back on the road. Neither of them had grabbed much to eat this morning, both anxious to get going and beat the traffic that usually built up pretty good by noon, even on the weekends. A stale donut and a coffee at about 7 this morning was all each of them had eaten; Marissa grabbing the honey dipped one and graciously leaving the Boston cream for him.
Aerosmith belted out one of his favorite tunes and he hummed along as he watched the signs for the exit that would take them to a half decent place to stop and eat. After a few minutes, he threw the blinker on and eased the Jeep over into the exit lane. He reached over and squeezed Marissa’s leg and said, “Hey beautiful, I’m getting a little hungry, how about you? Want to stop and grab a bite to eat?”
Marissa groaned and stretched and rubbed her eyes as she answered in the affirmative. Trying to drag herself out of the deep slumber that always seemed to envelope her on long drives; she reached over and rubbed his shoulder.
“Sorry for falling asleep… again…” she mumbled.
“I’ve grown to expect it. Good thing we have some excellent tunes or I might not be so accommodating,” Dalton laughed. “No worries babe, I had Steven Tyler keeping me company on this one…”
Marissa looked over at him and smiled. She stretched again stifling a yawn and pulled out the map to see just where they were and how much further they had to go as Dalton swung the Jeep into the parking lot of an IHOP.
***
DALTON’S INITIAL IDEA ha
d been to just grab a quick bite at a fast food drive through but since they might not get another chance to have a real “sit down” meal, he decided to splurge and go all out on this one. Besides, Marissa looked to him like she was losing weight again and he needed to start taking advantage of times like this where she could sit and actually enjoy a meal. Lately everything had seemed to keep such a hectic pace with so little time to just enjoy each other. Ever since her mom had passed away, she seemed so lost and listless and he knew the sadness in her heart weighed heavy. He also knew Marissa had a deep weakness for Swedish crepes from this place and he knew she’d be powerless to refuse the International Breakfast she loved so much. He looked over at her and winked as he pulled into a parking spot and put the Jeep into park.
“Now that’s low…” she laughed.
“No, that’s love; there’s a difference…” he countered back, kissing the tip of her nose.
“Besides, I figured this would be a good opportunity to just sit and have a hot meal before we throw ourselves at the mercy of the wilderness…” Dalton’ eyes sparkled with good humor as he led her towards the door, gently guiding her by the elbow.
“Love huh? Well, how can a girl say no to love?” Marissa felt the warmth in her belly grow and it had nothing to do with the thought of food. For the millionth time, she thanked her lucky stars for leading her to this wonderful, caring, thoughtful man.
The hostess led them to a booth at the back of the restaurant and set their menus down on the table while asking if they wanted coffee. Both answered in the affirmative and slid in on opposite sides of the booth. Before he got too comfortable, Dalton nodded towards the men’s room, told Marissa he would be right back and was off to purge himself of the three cups of coffee that had been the main reason for leaving the highway in the first place.
Marissa glanced at the menu more to pass the time than to look for anything to eat. The smells in here had her mouth watering and feeling like she was actually hungry. She hadn’t felt that in a long time and it was nice to know the urge still existed in her body. Thoughts of her mothers’ death robbed her of her appetite more often than not. Despite the specials and new items IHOP always seemed to be adding to the menu, her heart was set on the International Breakfast and the mouthwatering Swedish Crepes. She absolutely loved those things. She glanced up in time to see Dalton coming around the corner from the restrooms and watched as his legs ate up the distance between them.
“Looks like you are hungry for more than just pancakes Mon Cherie!” Dalton whispered in a terrible imitation of a French accent, leaning across the table to kiss her forehead.
Marissa giggled and wiggled her eyebrows back at him, “Mais oui monsieur, what do you have in mind?”
Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the waiter bringing the urn of coffee to the table and pulling out a pad to take their order. Marissa ordered hers and Dalton ordered the same thinking he could give the crepes to her.
They talked and laughed over breakfast and after weighing the pros and cons, they agreed it just wasn’t worth it to rush. They decided to call in and take the few extra days off of work and just relax and enjoy the time they had. Deciding to get a motel room for the night they agreed they could just get up early, head to the park, and hike in to where they wanted to set up camp in the morning. The whole point of the trip after all was to relax, not try to break any speed records. It was nice to linger over coffee, with Dalton noticing that although she had picked at them slowly, she had eaten the crepes from his breakfast that he’d placed between them, just as he had hoped she would. They got up and Dalton paid the bill while Marissa adjusted the collar of her fleece lined denim jacket. As they climbed back in to the Jeep, Dalton suggested she might want to take some pictures. Although the camera lay between them, it was hardly ever used on the drives they took. He had already seen some awesome sights and he was sure there was bound to be more before they found a hotel. She agreed and thought that maybe it would help keep her awake too. The more she thought of it the more disappointed she became at not thinking of the idea sooner. If she’d kept busy taking pictures on their outings, they could be taking up space in a photo album rather than only for her enjoyment in her mind. She’d never been able to figure out why she couldn’t keep her eyes open on these trips. It was as if she had narcolepsy or something. It never happened when she was driving, only when she was the passenger. It was nothing personal, it happened with everyone she drove with. Perhaps Dalton was right and it was more boredom than actual tiredness.
She held the camera close as she gazed out the window at the passing scenery. The sun shone through the trees, sometimes shining through and looking like a radiant rainbow, inspiring her to raise the camera to her eye and hold it there for the next “perfect moment.” A movement caught her eye and she automatically depressed the button capturing the moment forever. As she lowered the camera for a closer look, she was thrilled to see a doe and her fawn cautiously peeking out of the trees back at her. Marissa opened her mouth to point them out to Dalton but at the speed they were going, she knew he would never see them in time. At least now she could show him the picture.
She had longed to get away together, just the two of them alone, for such a long time. Finally it was happening. Everything just seemed to fall perfectly together as if it were preordained. She snapped a few more pictures, one of the lazy progressions of the blades of a wind turbine in the middle of a farmer’s field, another of a bunch of cows grazing in a meadow, and then lay the camera down between them, no longer able to fight the drowsiness that threatened to overtake her once more.
***
MARISSA STARED AT the spot on the floor waiting for it to move again. She was sure that just seconds ago the inky black mass had slithered its way out from under the sofa. Surely it wasn’t a play of light when it was so bright outside? The spot didn’t move at all but somehow seemed to breathe. The stench wafting from it was horrid and she started to gag. Out of the corner of her eye, she was sure she saw something else move but when she looked, there was nothing. She must be going crazy. She had been pretty stressed out since her Mom died. It seemed that her luck had followed the old adage of coming in lumps of three. First she had lost her mom in that horrific fire, then the company she had been working for had gone bankrupt and she had lost her apartment to the landlord’s nephew who all the sudden needed a new place to live. Her apartment hadn’t had the rent adjusted in years and she figured the owner had found her the most expendable. Of course looking back on it, she realized it must have been fate because now she had a better apartment, a better job that she loved, and Dalton. She’d gone to the grocery store to buy the meat for her goodbye dinner party for the friends she had made where she’d worked previously and that’s where she had found him. Fate was a funny thing. Sometimes you had to suffer through some bad times to get to the good ones, and sometimes the good ones were better than good, they were great! Marissa was an optimist at heart and it was usually true, good luck usually followed bad.
There! It moved again! Not in the slow, lazy way a shadow from the light would move, but in a sudden, jerky, unnatural way that had Marissa frozen in her chair and afraid to move. In some primal spot of her psyche, something told her that if she moved she would die. Panic started to constrict her throat and she struggled to breathe, trying to draw in just one more breath. Her knuckles were white on the arm of the black leather chair she was in and the muscles in her arms ached from the tension. She drew her knees up to her chin as the ink spot, which had now grown to the size of a small dog, started to inch its way up the chair in which she was sitting. Her heart hammered in her chest so hard it felt like it would explode. Her head shook back and forth in denial as she tried to make any kind of sense out of what she was seeing and feeling. Finally, a scream tore through her fear and she blindly reached out grasping for anything or anyone that might save her.
Dalton had turned the CD player off so it didn’t disturb Marissa’s sleep so when the blood
curdling scream issued forth from her lips, he almost crashed the Jeep. She scared him so badly his scream matched hers in intensity thinking someone had hidden in the back of the Jeep while they were in IHOP or something and was now trying to kill them both. He started inching the Jeep over towards the curb lane, hand on his chest where his heart now banged out an insane rhythm at a tempo far faster than normal, checking the rear view mirror and at the same time pulling his hand from his chest and placing it on Marissa shaking her and trying to bring her out of the nightmare she was desperately fighting to get out of. Finally on the curb of the road, Dalton threw the Jeep in park and reached over to hold her.
“I’m here babe, its ok! It’s just a nightmare… Marissa! Wake up!” he shook her again, watching as her blind eyes watched a horror he couldn’t even imagine. “Marissa!” he yelled, “Wake UP!”
Finally she came back to reality, shaking like a leaf in a hurricane and looked wildly into his eyes.
“What in hell was that?” she asked with a tremor in her voice.
“That,” Dalton replied, “was the worst nightmare I have ever seen anyone have.”
“Oh my God, it was so real, and no matter what I did I couldn’t wake up. It felt just like I was really sitting in the living room at home and this black mass was coming for me. Dalton, it was horrible!”
“Well thank God it’s over now. I don’t think I have ever been that panicked in my life,” he laughed nervously, trying to rid himself of the uneasy feeling that refused to go away. “You really gave me a scare.” Dalton confessed as he caressed her arm with his fingers while both of their hearts struggled to return to a normal rate.
Lost Souls Page 3
