The Willow Tree

Chapter 1: Girl In The Dark

Hands firmly on the steering wheel of my old Mercedes, I am reminded of how old the car is. My fingers squeeze the worn leather as the hum of rubber on the road keeps me awake. The dimly lit dashboard displays my law abiding speed as I travel on the country road, at the ready for any deer that may pop out at any given moment.

Black dress pants and leather coat are consumed by shadow within the car as I quickly glance in the rear view mirror. The tail lights are the only source of illumination behind me, which fail to inform me of anything that might be following me in the dark.

Farmer's fields are bare, minus the rolls of hay that have been left scattered throughout. My imagination was getting the better of me as I refocused on the road, forgetting about what the moonlight was touching outside.

I had left my parents' place an hour prior after a nice Easter dinner with relatives I hadn't seen in quite some time. Everyone was interested in how I was settling into my new house in the country. They asked how my writing was coming along since I was now getting a heavy dose of fresh air. Naturally I told them the truth, informing them that things were still new for me and that writing was a long process, however, promising them I would have another first draft of a manuscript ready by the end of the year.

It wasn't easy leaving home, even after my first book was published and earned me enough money to buy my first house. I longed to be on my own, but now that I was, I felt lonely. There was no one within a mile of my property, so there hadn't been any introductions from neighbours with casseroles. One afternoon as I headed to my car, a farmer seemed to wave to me from his John Deere tractor as he worked in the field surrounding my property, but that was as close to a welcoming as I was going to get.

The head of a deer on the side of the road made my heart jump, causing me to veer slightly, gripping the steering wheel of the twenty-five year old vehicle even tighter.

"Geeze," I mutter as I catch my breath. That was close.

Adrenaline was now being pumped throughout my veins from my heart that was nearly in my throat. If the usually prancing animal had jumped out in front of me, I doubt I would have avoided contact.

Looking down, I saw that I had reduced my speed to below the limit. Not feeling the need to readjust it, I opened my eyes wide to stretch them, then ran my hand over the right side of my face.

Hand back on the worn leather-wrapped wheel, I continued to fight off the grogginess I blamed on the glass of wine I had at dinner, combined with my insomnia of course. I rarely drank alcohol, which meant I was a lightweight. Add in the fact that I wasn't sleeping well in my new house, and well, I was bound to have issues driving late at night.

I assured my parents the drive wouldn't be too much, but as I struggled to maintain focus on the road illuminated in front of me by high beams, I began to question if I had given myself too much credit. Home was another twenty minutes away by now, but one dangerous slip of the wheel was all it would take to send me into a ditch. If I managed to not roll the car and get out alive, I could walk home; not something I was planning on doing.

My guardian angel must have been in the passenger seat for those final twenty minutes, because I was soon pulling safely into my winding stone driveway. As I flicked off the high beams, I noticed the willow tree that sat halfway between the house and road. What looked to be a little girl darted in front of the car, causing me to slam on the brakes, sliding a bit on the loose stones.

"What the hell..." Breathing heavily, I pried my hands from the steering wheel and placed the shifter into park. The dome light turned on as I opened the door and slowly stepped out onto the driveway. Cool air – refreshing air – hit my face, then was sucked up into my nostrils to travel into my lungs. I suddenly became wide awake, walking away from the ajar door towards the willow tree where I thought I saw the little girl disappear.

Passing through the light shining from the head lamps, I stopped a few feet from the car, listening as the leaves of the willow tree rustled. I strained my eyes to see further into the dark, but there were no signs of anyone.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I mustered, "Hello?" There was no voice in response, just the willow swaying as the wind continued to caress it. I hesitated for a moment before turning around.

A cold sensation rushed through my body before I took my second step. Quickly twisting around, I saw the little girl again. She looked ghostly, see-through. Wearing what looked to be a summer dress, she continued on toward the willow tree before seemingly disappearing into the low hanging branches that swayed.

Tilting my head down I placed my right hand on my abdomen, then resumed focusing my sight where the girl had disappeared as warmth returned to my body. Lips parted, I thought about calling out again, but decided against it.