Once Before

17 - Clementine!

The town square was slowly being deprived of its usual daily hustle as most of everyone had gone home for the day. It was just like any other day, and as I have accustomed myself to the daily rituals of the townspeople, the routine was beginning to feel therapeutic.

Corliss had just received a fresh batch of chamomile flower from a friend of hers over at the town just south of Ashford, and as it was one of the best sellers in her apothecary, she had asked me to hang them upside down by the store front window to attract new customers.

From the position of where I was standing, above a stool by the front door, I could see almost everyone in the store and outside. Whereas Corliss had begun to light up candles to anticipate the darkness that was yet to come, everything outside was softly turning gold. I can only imagine the view of the sun setting into the ocean.

As I tied a string around the last stalk of chamomiles, a sudden wave of feelings overtook me. For all the amount of serenity I felt at that instant, there was the same amount of anxiety, and with that came the feeling of assurance - the same kind I felt whenever I asked myself of the purpose of my presence in this time.

My skin crawled as my heart yearned to go, it was as if my whole body suddenly became erratic - my head, my heart, my body all responded according to their own free will - yet it was as if all of them were trying to convey the same message.

Something clicked in my mind - more of an instinct than a realization. It was an invitation, it was the pull.

The more I tried to contain it to understand what was going on, the stronger the feeling grew. Butterflies started to swarm at the pit of my stomach, a sensation that had become more of a distant memory ever since Arthur.

Arthur.

It was time to go, and yet we had not mended our relationship - whatever was left of it anyway. Perhaps this was how it was destined to be, that this was the outcome I could never run away from. Perhaps it really was for the best.

The yearn in my heart grew even stronger, and I felt like a child who had been given a glimpse of the playground, and now could barely do anything to contain herself from running to said playground. I knew I couldn't stay any longer.

"Corliss," I called out.

"I feel it," She nodded, walking quickly out of the small storage room under the stairs, "It's time. Time to go home."

For all the times she had stood by my side, giving me advice which I had been reluctant to take until it was too late, providing me with shelter not only once, but thrice, and the friendship we will continue to forge in the future - I hugged her tight.

"It must feel like forever until you see me again, oh but Corliss, this might make me a selfish person but I am beyond grateful that I would still have you by my side when I return. Please forgive me for all the trouble I've caused you," I sniffled quietly, pressing my cheeks against her shoulders.

"You shouldn't worry about me dear, it has been my honour to have accompanied you in this journey... safe passages my dear." She smiled, stroking the back of my head.

For a fleeting moment, I wondered what it must feel like to be Corliss. To have watched people be born and grow and die, yet knowing that she had met that person before, and having to go through that tangle of back and forth multiple times, for no one knows how long.

I could have forever in the palm of my hands yet I could never figure out whether it would be a blessing or a curse to have such knowledge.

"You've nothing to fear my dear, everything will take its course as it should, all you need to do is follow your heart," She smiled.