Strings Of Time

IV

"Twinkle, twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are..." as Elise stared outside the small airplane window she saw how beautiful the night sky was while humming and singing the same song over and over again. She wondered what it would feel like if she laid down on the clouds, stretching her hands to touch the stars, feeling happy and free. As a child she envied the clouds as they hover above the earth, floating carelessly, as they separate and separate until they all meet again. Clouds travel all over the world and without a doubt they have seen everything.

And now, Elise Summerhall has indeed travelled the world... together with her very good friend Cindy Johnson. The old lady retired as a nurse and decided to travel the world with Elise. She taught Elise everything she knew about the new age era to catch up with everything she skipped. She told her about the rest of the 40's, the 50's, the 60's until the present time. They both struggled when it comes to gadgets and all sorts of technology because Cindy was just beginning to learn how smart phones work. The good thing was, Cindy's grandson Olly came along with them and taught them how to use almost all of the gadgets. It was pretty handy for both gals.

In their travels, they met a lot of people with all sorts of cultures and diversities. Every day was a festive moment, every country gave them excitement, new flavors, adventure, and a new sense of spirituality. Especially when they came to an Asian country. It was their last stop before they head home. Elise never forgot what the mystifying old man told her. She and Cindy together with Olly were just passing by a beautiful temple. It has those hand crafted pillars with an enigmatic monument standing inside every corners of the building. Elise was taking pictures of the idols when she suddenly heard an old man say, "Time can be misplaced sometimes. When one is misplaced the other gets taken. A life for a life." The old man smiled at her then walks away with his hands on his back. She was baffled and scared at the same time. What could have been taken away, she thought?

As their plane draws near their landing place, Elise saw a mansion near the cliff of the shore with a very tall lighthouse facing the sea.

"Hadleigh Hall..." said Cindy who's also taking a peek at the majestic residence. "They said it's haunted and I say it's a load of Bullshit." Added Cindy with a sneer forming from her mouth. "I've been there once, my father was to give a business proposition to a man that once live there. Hadleigh Mathews. Pfft! Stupid name, eh?" said Cindy while nudging her grandson. "Won't be long now..."

Elise snatched a peer at Cindy and wondered, "What do you mean by that?"

The old lady looked at her good old friend and said with a smile, "We're heading home."

The blue eyed girl smiled, "Ashton Town?"

"Yeap! Got a new house there, fully renovated might I add and... I got a new job as a nurse again in the town's small clinic. And you my friend, will be living with me. What do you say?" asked Cindy with great enthusiasm that Elise will say yes.

The young lady paused for a moment and thought about the idea. It was really nice of Cindy to let her live with her but then again, it might be a burden because Olly will be living with them for a while. She thought that she will be an extra mouth to feed for Cindy. But then again, "Um, what if I find a job as well... you know... to help with the bills...?" Elise held Cindy's hands and looked at her eye to eye, "It would be a big help."

"Oh honey, I made sure that we don't have to worry about the electric bills. My handsome ol' grandson here introduced me to... um...um..." Cindy looked at her grandson and scrunched her eyebrows, "What do you call those chalk boards again?"

Olly hinted a small laughter and said, "They're called solar panels, grandma."

Cindy nodded and wiggled her finger, "Right, solar panels. They put those things on top of your roof and then it stores energy for the whole household. We also don't have to worry about the water bill. Senior citizens on that town are free of charge. So exquisite, eh?"