Crimson Pines

Deceit

I leant against the doorway, staring aimlessly at my surroundings. A bookstore, small, cosy, not much inside to really search through. The bell above the door continued to ring as I stayed, unmoving from the large wooden frame around me. It was cold, my arms broke out in goosebumps since I hadn't brought a jacket and was only wearing a thin, long sleeved shirt.

My shoulder length hair billowed around my face as the door remained open. Suddenly a middle aged man made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat and came to the front of the store to figure out what was going on.

I stepped in quickly, closing the door and moving behind a shelf, pulling out a book to examine. He looked uneasy and scanned the store, "Did you see who came in?" I shook my head.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see," giving a small smile and lifting the book to indicate my attention was elsewhere. He simply gave me a short, curt smile and returned to his shelf stacking out the back. I placed the book back on the shelf and left the store, one last ding to be heard before I disappeared around the corner and into a shadow.

My hand brushed someones arm as I made my way home, their intake of breath wouldn't have seemed disconcerting if they hadn't stopped walking. I picked up my pace and turned around to see if they were still there, except the only thing there was a lone flickering street lamp.

I pushed open the door of my Aunt's house, which I'd arrived at this morning. I'd never been here before, a strange cold town. The smell of dinner floated around the house, making the small cottage seem less stale with its plain and un-homely decorating plan. I slid off my shoes without untying the laces, something that would have agitated my mum. I rounded the corner and sat at the table.

My Aunt placed a plate in front of me, "How was your day?" She smiled and sat down with her own meal. I shrugged, "I don't know, it was alright I guess. I went to the bookstore you suggested." I said pushing the pasta around my plate, but never picking it up.

"It's gonna be hard for a little while Jeany" She sighed putting her fork down and staring at me intensely. I had no idea what to say to her, I would rather be at home looking after my mum but no one thought that was a good idea, so here I am. I mean I like it here, the places I'd been in town seemed nice, it just wasn't home. I decided to actually pick up some pasta and eat it, "This is really good!" She knew I was avoiding her statement but thanked me anyway and we finished our meals in silence.

I left early the next morning. I was too uncomfortable to actually have another awkward conversation with my Aunt this morning, and I just didn't have the energy. I grabbed my bike and rode down her long driveway and turned into the street. I was wearing a coat today to ensure that I didn't freeze again. My mind drifted back to the man, maybe this year was the year for me to finally get a boyfriend? My mum mentioned it a lot, 'why don't you bring a boy home to meet me Jeany?'. I smiled at the thought, she was happy, when she wasn't out of it.

I heard a car from behind me and I drove closer to the edge of the road, I saw it come up beside me and pass, it was a convertible, the roof was down and whoever was driving clearly had no respect for the peaceful countryside as he revved his engine and simply drove faster, almost as though he was trying to get away from me. A girl with long, platinum hair sat beside him, his arm curled around her shoulders.

The noise quietened as the distance between us increased until I could no longer hear the engine and the only thing around me was the sound of birds and a cold breeze.

"Hey! Jean right?" A middle aged woman asked, standing behind the counter of an old-fashioned coffee shop.

"Yea, Jean, you must know my Aunt..." She grinned and nodded. "She's been talking about you coming constantly for days now!"

I smiled at her and ordered a double shot cappuccino. I found a window seat while I drank my coffee and watched all the people mill around town. The sun was still low in the sky, casting uneven shadows from every object. The sound of the door opening and closing as customers came to and fro was comforting as I continued to watch what was going on outside. Eventually I grabbed my backpack from the ground and left, I heard the woman make an attempt to say goodbye but I pretended I didn't hear and kept walking.

I found myself standing in front of a path, like a dirt track your family would walk down on weekends to have a picnic. Without even thinking I began walking forward, further and further into the underbrush of the trees, small signs directed me to a waterfall somewhere, if I kept walking. My feet began to ache and I began to collate small cuts on my arms as I kept brushing past sharp sticks that hadn't been trimmed.

The sun was rising higher and higher until it cut through the trees above and lay on my face. I could feel the UV rays slowly burning me. I never turned around, I never slowed. Soon a bridge came into my vision and I crept up to it. The bridge was where the lookout was, a vast opening with a creek at the bottom, steep rocks seemed to go on forever as I kept looking upwards at its vastness. I stood for a long time until I saw a deer, it looked around wearily as it approached the water. I crouched a little, even though I was so far away it wouldn't have even noticed me. I felt as though I was intruding a private moment.

It was so beautiful, a mix of light and deep browns, I didn't know where they began, where they ended. Suddenly a feeling of unease washed over me, the sun was sinking, I must have been walking for hours and now standing on this bridge I felt exposed. I hadn't even thought about time until now. I looked around and when I went to take one last glance at the deer, I saw it unmoving and lain over a boulder, blood sinking down the pale stones.