I seem to have left my eyes with my soul up on the ledge, because I am watching myself fall, hit the ground with a thump and watching the dust swirl and rise over my lifeless body.
***
JOSHUA'S POV
"Oh shit,"
"Josephine! Josephine?"
My body feels like it hit the ground with her. The impact causes an electric shock effect to surge through me. My outer body isn't moving but my lungs, heart, brain and vital organs smash into my skin and bones like waves on the rocks in a storm.
I know straight away that there's nothing I can do. I'm no medical professional, that's what mother's are for. Mother's... My mother doesn't want me, my father certainly don't. I promise I will never neglect my offspring.
Someone pushes me out of the way, I can't see through the blood and tears but my guess is Thomas. Great, another reason for him to call me 'Prissy Boy' and then she'll fall in love with him and I will live under a shell for the rest of my life.
Pull yourself together man! Your girls dieing and you're feeling sorry for yourself? Fuck you!
I while all the crap out of my eyes and see it's not Thomas bending over Josephine, but a blonde haired man.
"Never were one to work were you Joshua?" He puffs once he's worked his magic.
I'd recognize that expression anywhere, seriously joking. His shoulder length hair clings to his square jaw with sweat and his face is covered in what looks to be soot but those warm brown eyes were once where I called home.
"Henry?"
"Josh?"
"Henry!"
"Yes?"
"Henry, It's really you!"
"Yes, Josh." He picks up Josephine and carries her inside the windmill.
I look over at Thomas, a smug smile on my lips and becon him using swooping movements with my arm.
It's dank inside the concrete cylinder, Thomas follows me in and perches on a crate beside the door.
Henry climbs up the rusty rungs on the windmill walls and opens a small hatch on the roof. He then returns and creates a small fire with dries up branches.
"She needs to independently sustain all the body heat she can to keep her brain functional." He says.
I am gobsmacked.
A million questions bubble out of my mouth at the same time, all ending up sounding like something that would seriously scare a six year old!
"Settle down lil' bro," Henry says tying his hair back with an ancient elastic band. His hair pulled away from his ears reveals several home piercings, animal fangs that have been jammed through the lobe. When he looks like this there is no other way to describe him, cool.
It is now, more then ever that I feel like the little brother. Pfft and I thought running away made me feel grown up, well certainly not in Henry's presents.
"What happened, after you were banished?" I ask.
***
THOMAS'S POV
This is rubbish, Prissy boy's having a splendid reunion with his hobo brother, Josie is dieing on the floor and I am sitting on this crate.
The brothers don't really look like there father, I've never seen the mother so I can't just jump to assumptions but there was something dodgy about them.
Why would you run away for a life of luxury? There had to be a legdit reason behind this. The answer to that question I have been pondering over for so many days is spilling straight from the elder ones lips.
"Since the cave wasn't a secret anymore, I ran into the woods. Scavanged off dead rats. One time this giant pig charged...."
Sorry I don't really want to hear you heroic story, I pull out of the conversation and let my eyes wander.
The building doesn't look like it has contained human contact for quite a while. There is moss creeping its way up and along the walls, the planks high up in the roof I see are infested with rot and the door is being proped up with sticks.
The fire crackles loudly as the smoke is sucked to the ceiling.
And Josephine's chest rises and fall steadily, which I take as a good sign.
I become quite sleepy as I listen to the soft pitter patter of rain making it's way down the broken spouting and soon enough I drift off into a dreamless slumber.
Rays of weak moonlight dance across Josie's lifeless face.
I sneak out to check one thing.
Yes my suspicion has been confirmed. To night is much like that night three years ago.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I smell her before I see her, that sweet sent of watermelon.
She touches my shoulder ever so slightly but it still sends a shiver down my spine.
"Couldn't sleep either?" I ask.
"No, must be something in the air." She whispers back.
I pull her into my lap and bury my head in her soft blonde hair, feeling very vulnerable.
"Thomas!" She wines.
"Josie!" I mock, realizing I'm holding her very tight, as if afraid that when I let got I'll loose her.
My eyes are closed but I can feel her studying me. I picture the moon reflecting on her beautiful green eyes and smile.
Suddenly my stomach is filled with longing of a kind I have not yet experienced.
"Promise me somthing Josephine Smith?" I ask, the name is so magnificent it flows off my tongue.
"Anything Thomas Munfreu" She say playfully.
I look down at her, and just as I had imagined the moon glints in her eyes and her long hair flys on the breeze like a kite behind her.
"Promise you'll always come back for me."
"I'll never leave you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'll never leave you."
How I wish I could still believe those words.
***
JOSEPHINE'S POV
They say when your about to die all those good moments in life flash before you eyes.
For me it was only one, not even a full 'moment' just a sentence and a thought...
"Promise me you'll always come back for me?"
"I never leave you."
Back then I didn't know what that meant, but now I understand.
Oh how I've let Thomas down.
-----------------------
Spiritual, that's how I'd describe that.
But anyway I re-read the book all the way up to here and I realize I need to edit it... so hopefully I'll get that done before February!
So yeah, I will continue to update it and I hope you enjoy.
P.S don't be shy to say hellow and let me know you're been following the story alright! Love to meet new people and I don't bite!
But I do have very bad hayfever... ^_^ =( Achoo! )
YOU ARE READING
Finding the Fourth Hill
Romance(Temporarily abandoned) Josephine is a seventeen year old young lady in the 1800's. She is naive and refuses to believe the way the world is moving. Her own world, however, has been slowly crumbling away for the last fifteen years and every thing sh...
