The Muses

The Muses: Chapter Two

THE MUSES

By: Rachel Kramer

Chapter Two

Ames, Iowa is such a small town that, by the end of the day, nearly everyone had been alerted to Eden Wright's "accidental" death. I had received a call from my mom, who had spoken with our neighbors, about the unfortunate news. It seems everyone, including Candice, has easily accepted the story that's been broadcasting around our little town, but I...I still don't know what to think.

I find the circumstances surrounding Eden's death to be unnerving. According to the police, Mr. and Mrs. Wright were out of town and had not wanted to comment on the tragedy of their daughter's death. First of all, who leaves their sixteen year old daughter alone in the house for a week? My mom would not have allowed that. She would have made me stay with family. Stranger still, the only thing the police know for sure, is that Eden drowned in Clear Creek sometime during the late hours of the evening and early this morning. What I do not understand is why on earth Eden was in the woods at such a late hour. And why, pray tell, was she alone? It doesn't make any sense to me.

I think back to the nightmare I had just hours ago, and goosebumps rise along my spine. An image flashes across my mind of Eden running from something - a dark shadow I could not discern. Could it truly be murder? Here, in Ames? Such a thing is practically unheard of. But what makes even less sense is why I dreamt of Eden's death in the first place.

Candice's cell chimes to indicate a new text. "It's Melody," she tells me. We're still in her house, hidden away from the outside world. Sort of.

"What'd she say?"

Candice reads on wearily. When she finishes, she says, "She just wanted to know if we heard about what happened."

"I'm sure everyone in this whole freaking town has," I mutter, pulling my knees to my chin, as tears threaten to fall. The corner of her leather coach is determined to swallow me.

Candice purses her lips together. "Don't take this the wrong way, I mean, I know this is pretty heavy stuff, but don't you think you're being a bit dramatic? You hardly knew Eden."

I shift uncomfortably and suddenly I am feeling suffocated by the leathery couch. My skin feels moist and I notice for the first time that I have a fever. I begin to wonder if I might have become claustrophobic over night.

My voice is monotone, sounding numb like my thoughts. "Everyone handles grief differently." It is the only response I offer.

Ѡ

The sky is a brilliant orange and pink as the sun sets. I stand on the lawn between Candice's home and my own, to admire the candlelight atmosphere. It isn't that late, barely even seven, but the sun is setting early - a sign that fall is fast approaching.

Fall is my favorite season, though I cannot exactly say why. Perhaps, it has something to do with the magic of it all. I've always admired the way the leaves change color, and how the air grows brisk. It's neither too hot nor too cold, and I swear the air tastes different - fresher, sweeter. It seems almost as if a spell has been cast over the landscape. It is all so very enchanting.

I do not know how long I stand there, but it is only after the sun has fully set and the landscape is cast in blue and grey shadows, that I finally go inside.

Mom and Seth are snuggled up on the living room couch watching Aladdin. I realize I did not see my father's truck on the way in; he must still be out. The thought makes my stomach sink. I had been so sure they would have made up by now.

I sit next to mom on the couch, and Seth climbs between us, laying his head in my lap, and resting his legs on my mother's.

Seth whispers to me, "You just missed the best part - when Aladdin finds the lamp in the Cave of Wonders."