The Telling

Chapter 3

Sarah:

When Sarah opened her eyes again, she was home, lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her bones felt as if they had been turned to cement.

     “What the hell happened last night?” Sarah thought, burying her face in her pillow case.

    “Honey wake up!” Marcia called from the kitchen. Sarah rolled onto her side.

    I feel like I got hit by a truck.

    Sarah climbed down anyway, her legs nearly giving out beneath her.

    “Frell.” She whispered. That was the first thing she said that morning. Sarah put on her glasses, and caught her reflection in the mirror.

    There was dirt on her face, a few scratches on her cheek, and her hair was standing up on the side of her head.

    “Uhm... well... that’s interesting.” Sarah mumbled.

    It came back, forcefully, making her stumble. The night before rushed into her mind.

    The meteor, as it fell. The crater, as she slid down the sides.  The  stone.

Her sneakers, covered in mud, rested by the door, her shorts and tanktop lay in a bundle next to them.

    What the hell happened? Sarah rubbed her eyes beneath her glasses, and ventured out to the hallway. Her Mom was downstairs, and she could hear the hose running outside when she slipped into her bathroom. She took a shower. The water stung her cuts. As she wrapped herself in a towel she heard her Mom calling again.

    “Hey, Sarah, can you go into town today? We need fruit and you need to get your bike tuned up.”

    “Yeah mom!” Sarah called, pulling on her clothes. A FFA t-shirt, and more jean cut offs. She pushed up her glasses as she tied her converse. It was about ten in the morning, and already hotter than it should have been.

    “Put on some sunscreen!” Marcia called.

    “Don’t nag me woman!” Sarah shouted, thundering down the steps, and taking an apple up out of the fruit bowl.

    “Can you get the mail in town too sweetie?”

    “What did I just say?” Sarah joked. “Yeah sure mom no problem.”

She took her house keys and headed out the door. Sarah mounted her bright red bicycle that looked like it was from the sixties, and started peddling into town. She lived ten miles away. On a cooler day this wouldn’t be a problem, but it was so hot today that the ten mile ride should have felt like twenty. But the ride didn’t leave her the least bit winded. She wasn’t even sweating when she got to Mike’s Bike Repair and Bait.

    Usually there were a few people sitting outside the Chatterbox Cafe, but apparently the prospect of fresh Rhubarb Pie and coffee couldn’t even draw out the old farmers from their fishing boats.

    When Sarah wheeled her Bike into Mike’s shop, the bell above the door rang. A couple of old guys turned their heads to look at her.

    “Hey Sarah, just bring that old thing round back honey.” Mike said, leaning against  the air conditioner.

    “Alright, no problem.” Sarah smiled at him, moving to the back of the shop, and through a door marked “Employees only”.

    The sound of metal on metal emanated from behind a row of bikes.

    “Hello?” Sarah called. Wrenches, old tires, cans of paint, and bike pumps lined the walls.

“Hey, yeah, one sec!” A boy shouted.

“No worries take your time.”     Sarah said, kicking the kickstand down on her bike, balancing against her handle bars.

And this part is important. So pay attention.

Theo stood up, and looked at the girl, in her FFA t-shirt, her jean cut offs. In short, he thought she was beautiful. Her glasses obscuring her golden eyes. It was a split second of boy meets girl before he recognized her. His heart nearly stopped.

Sarah stared back at him. His eyes were a clear sort of blue, like sea water.  They widened when he looked at her.

“Yeah- so. . . my bike just needs tuning.” Sarah mumbled, looking down.

“Yeah, uhm- no problem. I can do that.”  Theo stuttered.

“Well, I’d hope so, because, if you couldn’t, you wouldn’t, you know, have like... a job.” Sarah grinned at him, sensing his nerves. Theo grinned at her, his eyes taking her in. In his mind, he was reliving the dream. The blue glare on her glasses, the way her face lit up with fear.

“Well hurdur.” Theo said, reaching to take the bike. As he did, his fingers grazed Sarah’s.

Images flooded Sarah’s mind as a brilliant white light exploded throughout the room. The night before, the rock, the glowing. It was as if she didn’t belong in her body. Her body felt very heavy all of a sudden, and before she knew it she was falling backwards.

Theo’s mind raced, his eyes closed. A collection of dreams flashed before his eyes. The falling of the meteorite. The girl stumbling into the pit. Her fingers grazing the stone.

Theo felt Sarah falling, and he caught her before she could hit the ground.

“Hey, hey are you alright?” Theo said, his nerves escalating. They called him paranoid, and yet there was this girl, this real, tangible girl, here in his arms-in a non romantic way- that he had seen in a dream. A DREAM. Theo’s heart was racing as he lifted her up, and brought her to a bench on the other side of the maintenance room.

    Sarah’s body started to glow.