The Hunters moon

Come Back To Me

Angel

I lay in bed looking up at the ceiling. The memories from the prior night playing over and over in my head. Nothing makes sense and yet I know what I felt. He has to be real. Unless something disastrous took place and this is all in my mind. Still, with the amount my eyes consume I hardly believe my imagination could come up with something as elaborate. Rolling over to my side, the books resting beside the mug reads back to me in large letters, ‘The Last Witch’. Then again, maybe not.

Pulling myself out of bed, I stumble down the steps to Bree who sits on the couch with a cup of coffee in hand.

“Any good?” I ask plopping myself beside her on the couch.

She shrugs, “It’s coffee.” Bree hands it to me allowing me to taste. It’s bitter and rich, nothing of my interest at all. She lazily flips through the channels.

Sitting it down on the table before me, “Plans for the day?”

Leaning back she stretches wide. “We’ll be on the other side of town today. There’s a hay ride-ish thing we’ll be on to show us around. Then later tonight is when we go to the first trail.”

Stretching back onto the couch, I use the pillow as a back support. “At any point will there be an edible coffee shop along the way?”

“Yes, or I won't make it.” Jessie is the one who answers. He plops himself in the recliner across from us. “Oh and by the way, did any of you have any weird nightmares last night?”

Bree and I share a look, then shake our heads no.

“Great just me then.” He slaps his legs and leans back.

Leaning forward, my eyes search Jessie’s face for answers. When we were children sometimes Jessie would have these weird dreams. Ones that made his mother consider medicine. After that incident Jessie only ever told me about them. “Do tell.”

Bree turns down the Tv so we can hear him clearly. “So to set the scene it’s all three of us. Well we are in the woods, and no matter how far we run there's these things chasing us. After a while we all see the light and go towards that direction. But Angel you couldn’t cross the line into the light. Something pulls you back into the darkness. Once you’re there, this wolf and crow circle you. But before they attack this snake slithers up around your neck and takes you.”

Jess’s eyes are wide and alert. Like this was something that’s been plaguing his dreams all night. Clearing my throat, “Did you have any others?”

His hands shake slightly. “I think. But those are hard to remember.”

Bree and I share a look. “We’ll babe, maybe the house yesterday just got to you.” Bree tries to calm his nerves.

Jess nods, “Yeah, probably.”

A small silence calls over us. Clapping my hands together, I stand. “I’ll start getting ready so that way we can go get some good coffee and get everyone out of this freaky funk. Meet everyone back down here in thirty?”

“Forty five.” Jess pipes up.

“Forty five minutes. Then I’ll be ready to go.”

Climbing the steps I try to dismiss the dream Jessie had. Normally what he sees doesn't jar me, somehow this time around it feels more like a warning.

Back within the confinements of my room, I gather all of my things. After a quick shower and blow dry, I apply light makeup with the dark plump color of lipstick. I braid two French plaits through my hair before dressing in my regular dark attire. Fishnets peak through the gaping holes in my pants to match the black belt. Throwing a comfy crop sweater overtop, my neck gets a simple cooker and a sun necklace. Heading back into my room I snag my bag from the bed crossing it over my chest.

Slipping my boots on the same familiar feeling comes over me causing my feet to halt in place. Instantly, I peek out the window to see if he is there. Nothing stands outside my window besides a lonely crow with glowing red eyes. Red eyes that match the strangers from the night before. The ghost of his presence dances over my lips.

Just as my fingers dust the tender skin upon my lips the crow tilts his head. The being acting as if he too is watching me in return. Jessie’s dream plays over my mind causing those presence to turn into a darker one, one not so kind. Being alone up in this room even with the sunlight reflecting off of the crow’s feathers an unsettling feeling creeps into my chest. One that forces me to close the drapes blocking anything else from slithering too close. I don’t bother to look back when the door shuts.

Jessie waits on the porch watching the leaves fall from the wooden swing. He’s so quiet, I feel bad when the door shuts loudly from behind me. He looks back, “Bree ready yet?”

“Almost.” I sit down in the wooden chair watching the leaves with him. We are both quiet, enjoying one another’s company. Resting back, my head lays against the backboard. Moments like this take me back to when we were teenagers. Jessie and I never really need to speak to one another to be together. With our hectic family it’s always been like water between the two of us.

Finally Bree steps out of the cabin with a warm smile on her face. Jessie gives her one in return. “Ready?”

“Ready.” He replies back.

With our knowledge of the trails the walk is brisk. Still, my eyes search for him. To see if those red eyes will be watching me from the dark of the woods. He is not there, but something else feels to linger, to watch me from the dark.

“Angel, you alright?” Jessie asks me.

My head whips back to him. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

He doesn’t say anything, just gives me an understanding nod, as if he too feels the creatures that lurk within the woods. I shake my head to release whatever has its hold on me. There was no reason to be watching for that phantom of a man, or to worry about what’s in the woods in the day. All is well, all will be well. This leftover feeling is still from the house the day before, nothing more than that.

Finally we reach the end where a bus takes us to the far side of town. By the time we are all sitting around the bakery table all thoughts of the horrors before are gone. In my hand is a large green tea with oat milk with extra honey to go with the lemon tart on my plate. Krista and Ashton sit across to my left while Bree and Jessie sit to my right. They dabble on and on about things my mind doesn’t wish to think about.

Instead, my mind goes back to the man with the scarlet eyes, so vibrant and alive. They almost remind me of the eyes within those weird visions. But that’s just a coincidence, right?

I nibble on the lemon tart. Most of the morning moves in a daze and I don’t come back to everyone until we are all sitting on the large wooden benches behind the tractor, readying to roam over the grounds.

The tractor takes off at an unsteady pace throwing us forward. My hand hooks onto the wooden pole to steady myself. Finally my eyes take in the large green barn with white trimming. How far out had we come?

Before everyone, a woman stands in old vintage clothes, or what it meant to be olden clothes but are closer to a steampunk fashion.

“Welcome to the tour, I am Sylvia and will be your tour guide.” Her eyes reflect the sky’s color, a shine overtaking them when she turns.

The wagon rolls onto a worn dirt path. “We will be seeing some historic landmarks today, ones that include the original barn built to first harvest apples, the first bridge, and where the notorious gold apple tree was burnt to the ground.”

Resting back into the wood beneath me I suppress my sigh. This was all within the book I’d read last night. After my encounter with the mysterious stranger my eyes ate up every word within those passages. The lore behind the place was very simple, the town was founded by old settlers and turned into an apple mill. The lord of the lands gave his two sons the company which they broke it down into two, one side who sold sweet red apples where the other sold rich green ones. Most of the landmarks they discuss within this tour have actually been redone or were burned within the fight.

Turning my attention from the woman before, my eyes take in the lush hills. Out of the buzz of the town life the countryside of everything was quite peaceful. The darkness that felt to follow fully lifting from upon my shoulders.

I half listen through the tour, only really paying attention to certain facts I may not know to research them later, not much came up. The wagon rolls to a stop by the old bridge. One that is close to the new local bridge but severely worn down. The wooden thing looks ready to fall at the slightest breeze, only being held up by the two main large logs and luck.

Everyone exits for us to look or take pictures. Walking over to the old thing, I go close down by the water while others explore. The water laps at the edge of the river. Cold droplets sprinkle through the holes in my pants. Crouching down I take in the scenery with no one nearby. The soft bable of the brook loosens what has wound itself deep inside. Breathing in deep, I exhale slowly. As my eyes scan the bridge they catch on what looks to be something dark carved under the old thing. Squinting, I try to makeout if it is a burn.

“What ya’ doing?” Jess comes beside me.

Jolting, my head whips around to him. I smile from my spot on the ground. “Taking in the view.”

He nods, eyes cast on the water.

Reaching down, my fingers glide through the chilly liquid. “I’m okay Jess, honestly.”

“I know,” he sighs, “You’ve just been very quiet.”

“I don’t want to be all up on you two. I already crashed your vacation.”

Jess rolls his eyes to look at me. “You know neither of us mind that you're here.”

“I never said that. Just that I don’t want you two to feel like I’m intruding constantly. All couples need to feel like they can get away.” It was a half truth. I didn’t want them to feel like they had to be with me the entire time. I also didn’t want them to know about the man who I may or may not have made up last night.

It’s possible that Jessie could sense the half truth. If he does, he lets it go. “Alright, but like I said you're not intruding constantly.”

“Only partially?” I joke.

“Eh, yeah, partially.” He jokes back.

Bree waves to us from the top. “Hey, we are loading again.”

With that my cousin and I make our way back to the wagon to continue on.