As I laid half asleep upon the couch that Autumn evening, I was startled by the clock in the study chiming the hour of midnight.
As I counted down the hour I tried to focus on the events of my cousin's wedding, aware that there had been a darkness about it, something in the background that I may have put out of my mind at the time, but was there, and I was trying to remember just what it was....
Odd really, I remember thinking as I lay there, the room spinning a little as I tried to remember what it was that had scared me?
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My cousin (with whom I also had shared classes with at University) was getting married at the end of that summer week, on Saturday at a small church located in the village at the opposite end of the lake.
I was to be her maid of honour, and with the Groom's best man, we were the sole other members of her wedding party aside from the bride and groom.
I had taken a week from work to be there, coming down on a Wednesday and staying till the following Tuesday.
My thoughts were, jokingly, that I should be sober enough to drive back on Monday and work on Tuesday!
The week went fast, planning, getting ready for the guests.
What little time I had to myself, I spent on a small deserted island in the middle of the lake, just off of the bottom hill landing above which sat my Cousin's family's lakefront cottage.
The island is a rather secluded, private spot, a great place to just think.
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Then came the day for the wedding to be held at the lake village church with reception at the community park on the opposite side of the hill located behind my Cousin's family lakefront cottage.
The Groom and his Best Man had arrived early Saturday morning.
We kept them busy outside, while we girls were getting ready inside.
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My Cousin had selected a dreamy gown of dazzling virgin white satin.
Sleeveless with a Lacey bodice and a daringly plunging neckline. The skirt fell to her silver heels in a glistening flow of sleekness. An emerald green rippled satin sash encircled her jealousy petite waist with a glittering crescent-shaped emerald rhinestone broach pinned to the centre. Long green satin gloves all added a splash of colour for her naturally red hair and freckled face.
As the Maid of Honour, I was wearing the rather elegant, ocean blue coloured, slick satiny gown she had helped me pick out.
A sleeveless halter top, the neckline is squared, the skirt was long, tickling down to just past my ankles.
It also had a darling matching flat satin waist-hugging sash that was detachable and tied snugly in the back, and a matching caped wrap to wear over it!
Actually, the whole outfit was a rather tightly snug fit, but my Cuz liked the look and I will be able to have it let out before wearing it out again (which unexpected happened to be later that year).
But it was fun that I appeared to have a pair of noticeably rounded breasts for a change!
Compliments of the gowns fairly tight moulded cleavage!
Now, since my Cousin had decided on wearing her a rather handsome collection of pearls, I decided per protocol, not to wear my good pearls, but instead opted to wear my set of sparkling sapphire rhinestones.
Also, amongst the fine jewels I was wearing, was Included at the last minute, a rather daring diamond brooch which I had just that week picked up in an antique store that is located in the village at the northernmost end of the lake.
It was quite a dazzling pretty overall effect we both were putting on, as noted when we poised giggling like a brace of school girls before the bedroom mirror hanging on the backside of our basement bedrooms' door.
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My cousin's younger 'sweet' 16-year-old sister, who has just finished her A levels, overhead us giggling and sauntered down in from the upstairs kitchen.
Now, I will have to come clean here. The reason there was only one female attendant in the bridal party was that my older cousin did not wish to have to deal with the "little drama queen" that was the soul being of my younger cousin!
She is fair-skinned redhead also, and on that day was wearing a thin band of rhinestones holding back her hair, so that it fell flowing behind her like a sheet of silk!
She was also fetchingly wearing a green taffeta gown, pouring lithely down along her figure. She was vocally unhappy with re-wearing It from a dance she had attended that spring.
She also was conceitedly displaying along with her figure, the new set of my Aunt's expensively matched emeralds, consisting of a pendant, bracelet, and earrings!
Which I was told had to be allowed to prevent an atomic level hissy fit the evening before my arrival!
I felt her gown was rather to slinky in my silent opinion, and the "always gets my way "careless party girl a bit too immature to be wearing good jewels, but the ensemble certainly grabbed one's attention I will with a bit of envious jealousy, admit to that!
But then I guess that is what weddings are all in about, and the bride and I were certainly in no position, glammed up as we were, to caste the first (Gem)stones!
After a bit more girl talk before being summoned, the three, no, make it two, of us put on our serious faces as all us girls swished upstairs from the basement to begin the day-long festivities!
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I could write a whole book about the wedding and the reception. But just imagine any fancy wedding or prom/dance you may have been lucky enough to attend, then place it all in an outdoor setting by a lake, and I believe you will have a pretty good idea of what I had the pleasure of experiencing that day!
The wedding and reception proper went off with very few minor hitches and we killed much time pleasantly, dancing and drinking till midnight!
It was a very pretty affair in many aspects as one can well imagine!
And my twin brother was held in check by his fiancé, so there were none of his well-known mischievous thieving games played upon me!
The only blemish on the event came from a pair of strangers whom I did not know from Adam, and wished it had remained that way!
A creepy male in a houndstooth sports jacket, and a lady wearing a long black satin dress with vertical gold stripes, who admired everyone's jewellery, though she wore none herself!
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Next Up
Chapter 4
A Midnight Escape
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Midnight Occurrence at the Lakefront Cottage
Mystery / ThrillerThis story is based from a rather intense experience my twin sister had had while staying at our uncles Cottage last year. The photo of the cover is one of the gown and jewellery she wore. It was taken at a wedding she was in last summer at the sam...
