Dream

Chapter 5

Lucy worked steadily for what little time was left in her day before she could head to the safety of her home to regroup. She had hoped that Thomas would return to tell her more about what had happened earlier, but he must have gotten held up somewhere because he never did.

As her little car pulled up at the end of the dock that lead to her grandmother's house, she gave a silent sigh of relief. Here was her normal, she knew that her grandmother had made them a delicious supper. They would eat and then she could spend the rest of the evening working on her grandmother's birthday present. It was an old ornate four poster bed frame that she had found in the attic. It had seen better days, but it had been in the family for years. She was going to restore it to its former glory and then buy her grandmother all new bedding, bedding fit for a queen. It was something her grandmother had told her she had wanted for a long time, and now she had the money to make it happen.

As Lucy got out of the car, Shy, their protector, came prancing down the dock towards her. It amazed her that, for such a bedraggled dog that had led a rough life in the few short years he had been on earth, he managed to carry himself with such assurance and swagger. So much in fact, one automatically thought he was larger than he was, and he reminded her a lot of Zebadiah in that sense. Shy also reminded her of Zebadiah because he didn't trust anyone, and she had a feeling that Zebadiah didn't trust many people either. However, despite his trust issues Shy had chosen Lucy and her grandmother, Etta, as his to protect, and she was glad that they had him, especially since their house was in the middle of nowhere.

Her grandmother's house looked old and dilapidated on the outside, like an old shack that sat over the water, but inside was an oasis of color and antiques that was welcoming and warm. Her grandmother had been born in the house and had lived there her entire life, and she wouldn't consider living anywhere else, although Lucy had tried to convince her to move to the city with her many times.

Lucy once again thought of Zebadiah as she started down the pier, pausing to look out over the still marsh water. The evening sounds of frogs and cicadas all faded, as did the gentle breeze that stirred the warm night air and moss hanging over head. She wasn't thinking of any one thing but all of it thrown together, his eyes, the feel of his hand, his smile. She frowned when she remembered the vision of breaking glass and seeing red, it wasn't good, but she didn't think that it was a given, only a warning; but of what she couldn't be sure.

"Baby Girl, why are you just standing there looking at nothing?" her grandmother asked from the doorway of their house.

"I met him today Etta," she said, not hearing the words as she said them, it was as if she was in some sort of trance.

"Yes, I know." Her grandmother walked up to her, placing her hand on her arm. "Come eat and tell me about it?"

The contact startled Lucy as she looked over at her grandmother's weathered face. "About what?"

"About him," she explained as she led the way into the house.

Lucy blushed, she had never really talked about boys or men with her grandmother before, or with anyone before, it was new territory. "How did you know?"

"You just told me," Lucy followed her into the house and moved to the kitchen in the back of the house to wash her hands. Then, still in a dream like stupor, she joined her grandmother at the table without paying any attention to the delicious meal spread there.

"So, tell me about him," the woman insisted. She was small like Lucy and her eyes were just a gray as was her hair. The only difference was her lined face.

"He was large, dark, and cold." Lucy shivered at the memory, astounded that such a man had her hypnotized.

"But?" the older woman asked as she watched the beautiful young woman in front of her eat absentmindedly.