By the River

Chapter 4

For Candy

Better late than never - Happy belated birthday.

I looked up to the scene around me and took it all in. The forest behind me, the mud between my toes, the reeds...and when I looked at the ancient willow I saw her, she was back. I was back. She drifted easily through the long willow fronds as they seemed to part on their own. As the sunlight hit her, her hair shone silvery and I noticed that her entire being had an ethereal glow. She reached out her delicate hand to me and said something I couldn't hear. Trying to read her lips I stepped forwards and reached out to her. I tried to grasp her fingers but they were always just out of reach. "I don't understand. I can't hear you!" I cried desperately. She wandered backwards easily into the shelter of the willow's fronds and shadows encompassed her face. I ran forwards now but some force held me back, I was trapped in this loop, unable to move my body at all.

Sofia smiled at me and said something again, she was laughing now. That joyous face I had missed so much was almost in my reach. But a dark figure came up behind her to take her away. I tried to scream, call out, do anything, but I couldn't. Her laughter was cut off when a large hand came up to cover her mouth. A strong arm wrapped itself around her and she tried to struggle but he had hold of her arms. She was screaming now, I could hear her through his hand. I cried out, "Stop it! Please stop it! Take me instead, please," my voice became hoarse from screaming but it made no difference. She was pulled into the shadows of the forest by the dark figure until I could no longer see her. My body was finally free from the unyielding hold on it and I fell to my knees, crying into my palms. I took my hands from my face and looked down at them, in one was her locket glinting in the light, but both were covered in something dark. It first looked like dirt but when I held them up to the light it was fresh blood.

I jolted out of sleep with a gasp. I felt someone's presence in the room and looked around quickly, my heart beating frantically, a remnant from the dream. Cook had her round face poked in the door. "Rise and shine, Rosalie," she smiled. "Your aunt is almost ready to go." I frowned, "Go where?" "To the service, church, silly," she chuckled at me. I made a groaning sound and sank back into bed, pulling the heavy covers over my head. "Tell her I'm sick, I don't want to go." "No, Rosalie, don't be so negative. You're even going to eat early today because you're going to tea with the Reverend again," she walked into the room and looked down at me. "What?! No. I'm not going back there, I don't like that man, he makes me uncomfortable," I launched out from under my covers and looked her dead in the eye. "Rosalie Edwards, don't you dare talk badly about a man of the church who has dedicated his life to serving this community, serving you," cooks face had grown lined and serious. "That is not the kind of treatment that man deserves," she was about to go into a lecture, I could tell. "Alright, alright," I sank down into my pillow, "I'll go. Just give me a few minutes to get ready." "You had better hurry up, Miles has already brought the car round," she said sternly as she turned and made her way to the door. She turned quickly in the doorway and said, "Wear that pretty blue dress you have, it shouldn't waste away in the wardrobe." And then she disappeared into the depths of the house.

I huffed and fell back down into my pillows and stared up at the ceiling. For the past week my dreams had all been the same, nightmares. And they had all been about her and the woods. I was starting to feel sick from lack of proper rest and I had taken to falling asleep while reading in the library during the day, but no number of short naps was going to catch me up on what I needed. I crawled out of bed and readied myself for the day to come. Every week I dreaded going into town for church at the off chance we would be invited to tea or I would have to speak to the reverend again. Aunt and I saw him nearly every week after the service for a few minutes of chatter but those few minutes were enough to put me off. Something about him was just off, and his tone when he spoke to me was not one I had experienced before but I knew it was one I did not like.