CHAPTER FIVE:
"Come on, Phoebe." Derek grabbed her hand and dragged her. "I'll show you my favourite place in town."
She walked with him, they passed people and buildings until they reached a fence. Derek jumped over it and offered her a hand. Phoebe grinned and jumped over too without taking his help.
"Wow." He said while raising an eyebrow.
Phoebe winked and answered. "Don't underestimate me."
He laughed and raised his palms "Okay."
"Okay." She answered. "Are we here?" she asked while looking at the forest in front of her.
"Not yet. Follow me."
They walked together. The light was fading, creating new shadows and dark patches around them. Eyes glimmered from tree hollows. The wind wailed between distorted trunks, carrying the sickly stink of wood rot. Phoebe moved faster, ignoring briars that caught at her jeans, the damp leaves that grimed my skin.
She lifted her face, letting the light and shadows dance across her skin. Bees hummed in and out of the pennyroyal. She inhaled its minty smell and continued on, delighting in the sound of her feet sliding through the leaves.
The trees stood utterly still, statutes in a living museum where no leaf dared to fall. They looked like they were guarding the place.
Phoebe closed her eyes and concentrated on the sounds: branches creaking, Derek's feet shuffling through detritus, squirrels chattering, leaves rustling, wind whistling around trunks, birds chanting, insects humming, groaning trees.. She listened to everything. And for a moment, she felt like she belongs here.
"I love this place." She said while turning her head to Derek.
He smiled at her and answered. "Same. Come on, a bit more and we're there."
He grabbed her hand again, it was warm and sweaty but she liked it.
They walked for another two minutes and she was able to see something different in the horizon. The surface was shivering and reflecting the sun's light. It was a lake.
The lake was glimmering in the callow light of morning. Local legend had it that a giant hand had scooped out a gash of rock aeons ago. Then a great heap of argent-silver was moulded and poured into it, hemmed in by precipitous hills.
A broad span of Tuscany-blue sky was slashed above it, making it appear like nature's amphitheatre. The hollowness of the valley magnified all sounds, from burbling streams to the bumble of bees. The visage of the lake was veneer-clear and tranquil, flanked by an avenue of cedar trees. There was feng-shui perfection to the scene, while the water was gilded moonlight-pale lilies. A phalanx of flies was patrolling the water's edge, called into service by the heaven-filtering light.
"Wow" Phoebe exclaimed.
"Told you." Derek answered.
They sat on a rock, admiring the glorious luster of the water. The dale fell confessional-quite. Phoebe had an alleluia moment then and yearned for a time when the world was young. A small thorn had spiked her foot, but it didn't break her reverie.
"When I was a little dork, my dad used to bring me here. He called it the Halcyon Paradise." Derek explained.
"What does it mean?" Phoebe asked.
"No idea." He answered.
She laughed and then said: "It is really a paradise. It's rare to find a place like this these days."
"It is. I consider it a memento of my dad. It's like something he left for me."
On impulse, Phoebe reached down and sipped from the stream. The taste was a mixture of rosewater and chalybeate that thrilled the tongues.
As she reached for the water, Derek glanced at her wrist and saw scars. When she sat back on the rock he grabbed her arm gently and passed his finger on the scars. He looked at her and said:"Why?"
"Long story, but it became a habit. I had no one to talk to, the agony was consuming me. It was the only way to ease the pain. I wanted to change the moral pain into a physical pain because the physical one ends, while the moral one never ends." She couldn't tell him about Felix, the entity that lives in her body. Not yet. She glanced at his face and he was looking at her with a straight face. Derek felt her voice cracking while she spoke. "Great. Now you think I'm freak who cuts herself." Phoebe added while she glanced at the lake.
He grabbed her hand closer and he kissed the scars on her skin: "You're not a freak, I still think you're beautiful. And I don't want to lose you, so instead of hurting your beautiful body, you can talk to me and we'll figure something out. Okay?"
"Okay." She answered.
