Visions and Daydreams

♡

"Perfect love is rare indeed - for to be a lover will require
that you continually have the subtlety of the very wise,
the flexibility of the child, the sensitivity of the artist,
the understanding of the philosopher, the acceptance of the saint,
the tolerance of the scholar and the fortitude of the certain."
~Leo Buscaglia~
(March 31, 1924 - June 11 1998)

Gothic street lamps had shone dimly against the cobblestone asphalt while timber leaves swayed in the breeze. The autumn heavens had been increasingly frigid and pierced my ears sharply. Affixed to my head, I wore my usual black bowler; one my mother had bought me for my twelfth birthday. On my body, I wore my black cutaway coat with a white dress shirt, black Callahan dress trousers, and black captains mid-calf boots. Inside my coat pocket, I held onto my late father's silver shield watch with a matching chain and my midnight blue coin pouch. Beside me, my six year old brother - Samuel - stood, holding onto my hand tightly. He had worn his favorite formal tailcoat, a red dress shirt, black Callahan trousers, and red button spats. On his head, he wore his gambler hat our uncle had given him. I could tell that he was heartbroken by the way he stood; he'd always act mature whenever he was distressed to seem more "manly".

In the distance, I caught the sound of echoing horse hooves trotting against the asphalt. Behind them, was a carriage with an older looking gentleman governing the single steed. The coachman had gradually delayed his pace once he had seen my brother and I. He was a tad bulky with a seemingly fitting inverness coat, a grey dress shirt, vigilante pants, congress gaiters, and the usual coachman hat.
"Young man," he had said with a kindly smile, "where do you wish to go?" His voice was deep and the way he chose his words made me uneasy.
"Wisconsin, Sir. Or is it too far?"
He chuckled, "You're trying to amuse me, right boy?"
I felt my face take ablaze while my body stiffened, "N-no Sir... I'm being grim. My brother and I wish to go to Wisconsin... Please."
He examined me, "Are you sober boy?"
"Sir, I'm clear headed. I assure you."
"Where's your Pa?"
"He's passed, Sir. We wish to go to Wisconsin to live with our mother."
A sigh exited the man's beefy and fractured lips.
"Please! I have the money, I swear!" I took my coin pouch out of my pocket and dangled it in the man's face, "See?"
The man looked at us with worried eyes, then to the heavens, "Dear lord, don't let me regret this." He looked back at us, "Alright boys. I'll take you. You pay me my full amount and no schemes."
I could feel a smile crafting itself to my face, "Thank you Sir!"
"First, before you put yourselves in my carriage, I want to know your names and how old you are."
"I'm Jedediah, Sir, and I'm thirteen. My brother, Samuel, he's only six."
A smile tugged on the corner of the man's lips, "And you both wish to travel all that way to be with your mother? God bless your souls."
Not like we have a choice... I thought but didn't bother to say.
Samuel and I placed our bags on the carriage and then sat ourselves behind the man.
"Well, boys, we have a long journey to go through." The man lashed his whip and his steed began to trot it's way to Wisconsin.

I closed my eyes within moments of the ride beginning and I unwillingly began dreaming of the girl again. The girl I only knew from my dreams. She had pure hazel, almond sized eyes and she seemed averaged height considering she reached the bottom of my chin. Her hair was long, reaching a little above her waist, and curly with a dark chocolate color. Covering her slender yet exotic, caramel skinned body, she wore a purely white dress that reached a bit above her knees. Her feet, though, had no shoes.

Around me, I could feel warmth and heard the merciful melodies of mockingbirds. On my chest I felt a heavy weight. My eyes fluttered opened to reveal Samuel using my body as a pillow. I looked around me; sunlight shone happily as the coachman and his horse continued to take us on our journey.
Gently, I moved Samuel off my body and placed him on the bottom of the carriage. I stretched, letting out a large moan which surprised me. The coachman glanced back and smiled.
"You have a good rest boy?" He asked kindly.
I crawled closer to him and shielded my eyes from the bright sun, "Yes sir. I did. Do you know of anywhere to eat nearby?"
"There's an inn a little up the road. I was planning on taking a rest there, for my horse and I, if you don't mind?"
"No, not at all. Please, rest as long as you need. We're in no rush to get to our destination."