In between

Chapter Two

I found a strange place.

Well, not strange in a physical sense but rather the overall feel of it and its previous inhabitants. The vast greenery and spurting wildflowers wouldn't make other people stop on their tracks and look twice at the unassuming land.

Unfortunately enough, I am not like any other people.

The moment the horses gallops pass the plot of land, all sorts of imagery hits me from every direction and I was so overwhelmed that I Immediately shouted to halt the coach. I paid the gentleman generously for his kind service as I stepped down, pointedly ignoring his questioning stare. The wonder in his eyes was as clear as day, but I didn't have the heart to explain my reasoning.

I barely know what I am on about.

It's truly my employer's fault that I am doing something out of the ordinary here. Utterly out of place in my normal and sensible routine.

'Why don't you leave for the day?' He says when he saw me spacing out for probably the third time this fine morning. The amusement in his voice cancels out any possibility of an incoming punishment, such as a possible deduction to my salary or a new replacement for my inexcusable behaviour because God knows how many times he had seen me preoccupied in my own head and not doing work at this point. 'Go on and bake cakes, or perhaps knit a handkerchief, eh? All the lovely things girls your age goes crazy about.'

I scowl at him which makes him bark out a laugh. I should delight in the fact that my employer's not a nightmare to work for, however I cannot help but feel that he's mocking me whenever we are conversing.

'I would rather poke my own eye out with a needle." I say 'do you have a better suggestion?'

He scratches his growing stubble then hummed, as if he's truly thinking about my question.

'Go out for a walk then.'

I might have taken it a bit too far, calling out for a coach and daring to travel to the farthest place I could think of. I am pretty certain that I had passed this particular land once or twice in the past, however it did not capture my attention in the same degree that it does now, making me willingly put myself through possible danger just to feel the grass on my bare feet, risking my way home for the sake of easing the curiosity that this place gives me.

I looked out towards the outskirts of trees as I carefully went down the small hill, clutching my slippers in one hand and lifting my gown in the other. I may look like a madwoman that has lost her sanity, however in this period of time, it's truly not too uncommon to finally resort to the unwanted force that's been pulling this country down for the past few decades.

These particular groups of people though...

Insanity doesn't seem applicable, neither any other negative words that had been commonly used in the papers regarding the present day. Harmonious, united, a civilisation that stood by hand in hand at all times. They seemed modern too, strangely modern, in fact I had a stray thought that I may be looking into the future and not in the past. The identical houses and buildings were neatly aligned as it extends deeper into the lands where the thick woods now stood, people cladded in clean cut blouses and, what appears to be, short skirts and suits going about their day and fulfilling the jobs that were personally set out for them. Everything appears to be methodical during the day however when midnight strikes, laughter fills the cold air as they gather around bonfires. They sang, they ate, they talked, their muted voices blending with the warmth of the atmosphere, making me feel oddly counted.

Not once I had felt this way before.

I am always a bystander of every history that I witness, seemingly impossible to touch nor change the events that had already occurred, however as I sat cross legged, clutching grass between my fingers in order to ensure that I am still here, where I belong, something warm blooms within my chest and for once in my life, the curse that I possess isn't too much of a curse anymore.

Time flew by quickly since then, the blue skies turning into warm hues of colours and If it weren't for the youngster who happens to be cycling by, I wouldn't have budged from my post until dawn. The young man was kind enough to offer me a ride to the nearest train station however he was rather a curious one and asked questions that I would certainly have ignored if he wasn't doing me a favour.

'Miss, if I may ask, what were you doing staring off into the deepest depths of the forest?' He asks. His voice was high pitched and his shoulder blades were small like a girl's.

'Well, young man, I would have answered your question if you had let me stare off for a few more seconds,' I say, then I cleared my throat as I look down at my gloved hands 'however I cannot deny that it was wise of you to not leave a vulnerable woman alone to her own devices, especially if one's not right in the head.'

'Are you not right in the head, miss?'

'One of the many questions that could have been answered.' I sang. I heard him laugh and I grin in return. He peddles through the cold wind quite skilfully and despite myself, I became quite impressed as his limbs did not shake nor waver from the temperature alone. Me on the other hand, my teeth chatter non too discreetly while I kept on struggling from falling off the damn thing he calls "an extra seat for the unfortunate"

'I am happy that my mother had sent me out to get feed for the cows then,' he says when we can finally discern the headhouse of the train station 'I wouldn't have passed by otherwise.'

'Being happy on account of others? A kind young man indeed.' I say quite teasingly, however I cannot help but feel genuine gratitude towards him because God knows where fate would have led me if it weren't for him.

Probably face down, in a meadow somewhere.

——

After I got off the train, I immediately went home and took a warm bath to wash the day off, particularly the blades of grass which somehow got inside my clothing without my knowledge. I may confidently say that this day has been successful despite its lack of planning and productivity. I assume that I will have to thank my stingy employer for that, again. Nothing with his seemingly brash ideas, it seems.

I let an arm dangle against the side of the tub, touching a cold wet tile floor with a single finger absentmindedly, mind aimlessly wandering towards earlier and the strangeness of it all.

Thump!

My back straightens as the water sloshes around me from the sudden movement. Alarmed, I heightened my senses and did not move a single limb for a few prolonged seconds. I try to rationalise it inside my head. Maybe a book fell somewhere, or perhaps a single frame landed squarely on the carpeted floor, anything but what it really sounded.

A heavy boot.

Goosebumps litter my skin when I attempt to get out of the tub without falling flat on my face. My fingers immediately clutch at the towel which was splayed carelessly over the counter and then I made a quick move of wiping myself dry. I slowly opened the bathroom door with nothing but a nightdress and a burning lamp in hand, I was gripping at it quiet shakily as I held it closely to my face. The clothing itself was not really revealing however it is indeed thin and not really appropriate to be seen in, especially by a possible male intruder.

The bedroom is faintly illuminated by the candle sticks which reside in every corner, I momentarily thank myself for having such a disdainful relationship with darkness. A quick survey of the room and not seeing anything strange did not dampen the sentiment of hearing an unmistakable thud of a boot from the other side of the door. Too scared to check downstairs or do anything else that is remotely bold, I was quick to cross the room and go under the covers of my bed.

I let a few minutes go by without moving, even trying my utmost to minimise my breathing. Eventually everything seems to simmer down a bit, for me at least, as I pick up the sound of a chiming clock behind the closed door.

Maybe my mind is just overly active tonight, I faintly thought as I slowly and unintentionally drift off towards a dreamless slumber, although before I became completely dead to the world that night, I caught a glimpse of a mysterious silhouette at the foot of my bed.

And my mind decided that it was useless information and merely disregarded it the next morning.