Dark Escape

Chapter 3

Tara healed and grew stronger as time progressed. She spent her days doing light jobs and keeping contact with Dennis via telephone and computer. With their father overseas, he'd taken on the role of head of family. He'd also gotten annoyingly protective since the accident. It took a while, but he eventually loosed his grip to a tolerable level.

Although the peace and solitude was initially a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, it was wearing thin. Dennis did his best to come on the weekends, but work was demanding, and his visits were not as regular as Tara would have liked. She longed for companionship; to have someone to talk to, laugh with, and even fight with. She'd yet to venture into the small village in the heart of the valley five miles east. She was content to explore her new home and ride Sugar to the country store to purchase any of the staples they might need. She decided it was time to break up the monotony by exploring the nearby town.

Wearing a light gingham sundress and a broad rim straw hat, she headed toward the shed meant to house the field equipment, but now garaged her twenty-year-old mustang convertible.

Her face twisted in disgust at the bird droppings that covered the canvas top. She brushed as much of the dried droppings off the car as she could with an old broom and tackled the rest with a water hose while hoping the ammonia in the droppings hadn't damaged the finish; shuddering with revulsion the entire time. There was something about bird droppings she found repulsive, which was odd considering she shoveled horse manure daily.

Satisfied with her work, Tara eased herself into the driver's seat and started down the drive.

Her mare's silken mane and tail flowed as her lean muscles worked to keep up with the convertible on her side of the paddock fence. She reared and squealed as Tara turned onto the macadam road and picked up speed. Then, with surprising aloofness, she returned to grazing.

Taking one more glimpse at her mare in the rear-view mirror, Tara pondered what it must be like to be a horse. How quickly and easily they fluctuated between being entertained and bored. She shook her head as memory of telepathically communicating with Sugar flashed through her mind. She touched her forehead lightly to help shake the thoughts free, so she could focus more clearly on driving down the unfamiliar road toward an unfamiliar town.

Enormous trees lined the winding and hilly road, giving it a stately air. She longed to feel the full effects of the warm, fresh air coming through her opened window. She decided her top was probably dry enough to lower. Noticing a narrow dirt road leading off into the trees, she eased her car onto it; making sure that she was far enough away from the main road to avoid any mishaps with cars zooming by.

For the most part, Tara enjoyed driving her retro vehicle, but this was a time when she'd have appreciated the convenience of mechanical automation.

As she stepped out of the car and she felt the familiarity of musty foliage beneath her feet, her thoughts flashed back to her accident. Her body trembled as she peered up at the sky through the trees and remembered looking up into the sky from the depths of decay and rot filled well.

The sound of snapping branches caught her attention. She turned to discover a beautiful deer standing completely still while it watched her warily, poised for flight at a moment's notice. She stilled her body and breathing as quietly as she could while her eyes locked with those of the statuesque creature. To her dismay, their encounter was cut short when she unexpectedly let go a riotous sneeze that sent the deer flying into the depths of the foliage.

She didn't notice the woman approach her while she fussed to set her nose aright until the sun's rays created a shadowy outline of her. As the woman moved to the left, Tara was able to get a clearer view. She was about Tara's height, but doubled her width and triple her age. Flecks of gray topped off her sun kissed auburn hair that was worn in a long straight braid down the middle of her back, almost touching her waist.