The Last Night
By rayjones
Sat, 02 Nov 2024
- 116 reads
2 comments
Chapter 2
Ariel The Taken
3
Ariel lay upstairs, bathed in moonlight, flawless, well not quite. Four long vertical scars marred the otherwise perfect skin of her right wrist. Had her father not found her bleeding out in her bathtub, tightly bound her lacerated wrist with a towel, and rushed her to the hospital, she would have died more than a year ago.
Macon Pace never put any stock in all this alien abduction nonsense. But the sight of his little girl shoulder deep in bloody water, forced him to face the fact that something awful was hurting his baby. A year of therapy and heavy medication had ended the night terrors but turned her into a shuffling husk of the cheerful young girl that once filled his world with light and joy.
Then she found Wyatt on the internet. Macon had no idea what this faceless stranger said or did. But little by little her inner light grew bright again. She was smiling again, so when Ariel announced she was going to meet this Wyatt guy at a local fast-food place he was all for it. But he followed her and watched them from the parking lot, just to make sure this stranger truly cared for her.
It was never Wyatt’s intent to win her father over or curry any kind of favor from him. He simply wanted the same thing Macon did, for Ariel to be happy and healed.
Wyatt had managed to do something for her Macon failed to do for his wife. Save her. It was almost four years to the day that he found Marla’s pale lifeless body in the same bathroom. She had not cut her wrist. An overdose of sleeping medication took her life, just as tragically. He never forgave himself for poo pooing her bad dreams and talk of nighttime visitors. Visitors he never found any evidence of, not counting his wife’s dead body.
How much is a daughter’s life and happiness worth. Well for Macon Pace it was worth a beautiful seaside home in Duck, North Carolina, stock in its multimillion-dollar real estate company and a generous weekly stipend…
The black panes of Wyatt’s ocean front bay window seat were a far cry from the first windows that triggered impossible memories and desires in him so long ago. Those windows were the cheap roll out kind usually found in old single wide trailers, the only kind of dwelling his parents could afford.
4
Wyatt never dreamed reaching out to a poor lost girl on the internet could end so wonderfully. But as the rising sun slowly washed the stars out of the sky he was reminded that nothing in this life is ever permanent much less static. The horizon always hid, always promised, but rarely revealed until it was too late.
Sunlight gleamed and sparkled on the rolling surf. Maybe he’d take up surfing, no, he was not about to become a beach bum. He was going to learn the real estate business and make himself a true asset to his father-in-law. Ariel’s love for him was something he was determined never to exploit.
“Hey early bird.”
Wyatt turned to see Ariel gliding down the white spiral staircase that curved into a spacious elegantly furnished seaside living room.
“Hey yourself, sleepyhead.”
“Sweet dreams?”
She nodded yes. He rose from the window seat when she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his pajama clad body. “Daddy says he’s got some classes set for you next week.”
“Yeah, that’s good, but you sure you’ll be alright here alone?”
“No, but we have to test the water sometime, don’t we?”
He pulled away just far enough to reach down and gently clasp her right arm, pulled her scarred wrist up to his mouth and kissed its ragged ridges.
She jerked her arm away. “You know I don’t like to be reminded, of, that.”
“I’m sorry, but I worry, you know.”
“Yes everything is so good. Too good.” She hesitated, “and they’re still out there.”
“Behind the air?”
Her eyes darted up at him. “Yes. They’re out of my head, but I still sense them.” She hesitated, “maybe closer than before, how that could be, I’m not sure.”
“The greys?”
5
“You’ve never seen them, have you.”
“No not like you. I feel bad sharing my stuff with you sometimes.”
“Then don’t, I mean don’t spoil the sunshine.”
“Spoil the sunshine. That’s kinda cute. But I know what you mean. We shouldn’t borrow trouble.”
“You know what I would love?”
“A walk on the beach.”
“So, we’re an old married couple now. You read my mind.”
“Yeah, maybe I did, for real.” He smirked.
“Wyatt don’t joke like that. Can’t we just be normal.”
“Of course, still living in the past. I guess.”
“Maybe the past will just die. If we let it.”
“You’re right, let’s get dressed.”
“And brush your teeth, you’re breath, not so great.”
“Hey! I got coffee breath. What’s better than that?”
“Toothpaste breath. Silly.”
They kissed and walked hand in hand back upstairs…
The sun was well above the eastern horizon when they emerged from their impressive two-story home, a gleaming cylinder of white and glass. It towered over the languid surf on ornate concrete pylons that looked more like pieces of art than utilitarian stilts.
Dressed in white shorts and tan tank tops they strolled through the pool area and down the winding brick and concrete steps that led to the beach. Their fingers interwoven, their mirrored sunglasses tiny pictures of blue sky and shifting waves when they stepped out on the shattered shell covered sand.
6
Silent gray crosses slid over them. A flock of sea gulls glided toward the sea to pluck their morning meal from the flaccid surf. A cool light breeze teased at Ariel’s long white tresses when Wyatt bent down and kissed her forehead.
“Do you really want to sell real estate?”
“Well, I don’t want to let your father down.”
“That’s not what I asked?”
“No, not my first choice, but…”
“Then what is? And don’t say making me happy or safe.”
“Thought we were going to let the past die.”
“You want to know, don’t you?”
“Yeah, but not at any cost.”
“Back to keeping me safe.”
“Always.”
“Always? You’re never going to be happy with that. I can see it in your eyes. That’s why you kissed my scars.”
“If you sense them.” He fell silent.
“They’re not finished.”
“You sleep with the light on. Well, we do. Which is fine.” He quickly added.
“I, I want to know too, but then I don’t. It’s a mystery and waiting for the other foot to drop weighs on my mind.”
“You should have told me.”
“I know but, everything has been so perfect, was hoping it would all just fade away, but like I said. I feel them squirming around behind the air.”
“Squirming, know something about that. But we both know when you poke at a hornet’s nest you are going to get stung. You’ve already been stung. I couldn’t bear to lose you.”
“They don’t want to lose me either.”
“Don’t put it like that.”
7
“But it’s true. Not sure how you were able to help me. That’s just another nagging mystery.”
“Yeah we’re different. But I think we’re like two puzzle pieces from the same puzzle.”
“So, our children will be more pieces, or…”
“That was a leap. Hadn’t give it much thought.”
“Would it be right to bring innocent children into our mystery?”
“We’ve got time. Maybe it will, just fade away.”
“Maybe.”
“You don’t sound hopeful.”
“We can’t live in the past no matter how intriguing or threatening. It might be”
“Just so long as it stays behind us.”
“Behind. It’s, they’re not behind me.” She expelled a long sigh. “They’re all around.”
“Even now, right now.” He said gathering her up in his arms, a moment before he felt her entire body nod yes. “Oh baby. You haven’t seen them, right?”
“No, but sunshine, bright lights, your light has pushed them out of sight.”
“Let’s keep it that way.”
“We can try.”
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Comments
Hi Ray,
Permalink Submitted by skinner_jennifer on
Hi Ray,
sorry I've taken so long to comment, my recovery is taking up a lot of my time.
I'm still loving your story and realise it must be challenging to write on a subject that's close to you.
I can't imagine knowing that feeling of being abducted, yet not knowing when it could happen again. I suppose writing a story about the subject might help, but it's still scary to imagine. I'm glad they've got eachother for that all important understanding and help.
Keep writing, I'm still enjoying.
Jenny.
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