The Valley

by Annie Graefnitz

  His eyes blinked, confused, but said nothing and gave me a mischievous smile and then he was gone.

  I opened the door just as Dorothy made it to the middle of the staircase.

  “What was that noise?” she asked sleepily.

  I hoped she was referring to the swing and not the voice. “I’m sorry Grandma, I got into a fight with a moth,” I lied.

  Night had fully set in before the noise in Dorothy’s room ceased. I crept across the unforgiving wood floor, stopping after every creak. I held a flashlight to my heart as I strained in the absolute silence to hear any commotion upstairs. So far, so good. The door to the basement seemed a hundred yards away. It would take me all night to get to it at this pace. I sighed and tip toed a little quicker down the hall. Making it through the door, I climbed down the weak staircase to the basement and crossed the chilly room to find the door to the back yard.

  I was able to escape with rare ease. That door hadn’t made much noise at all, which was more than I could say for my own voice when I shut my finger in the door trying to close it. I paused, trying to let my eyes adjust to the darkness. Why am I doing this? The doubts poured in. Would Will even be there? Had I taken too long? He probably gave up, thinking I wasn’t coming and left.

  I hurried across the yard to the fence that bordered the ally. It had been a while since the gate had been used so, of course, the latch whined as I pushed the rusty piece up and back. I paused again, looking back at the house for anything.

  I opened the gate slightly and squeezed through. One last look at the house and I was off down the alley. With the exception of my neighbor’s annoying beagle, I was unbothered. I navigated the streets of town quickly until I reached the opening of the trail. This would be the tricky part, although it was a short distance to the top, it was very steep. Even during the daylight, most people would take the second trail. It was longer, but easier.

  I’d taken this trail hundreds of times at night; however, Irelynn was usually leading the way. When I’d reached a point on the trail where the lights of town no longer lit the path, I switched the flashlight on. It was strange how different the forest sounded at night, it was still. The usual hum of activity from various small creatures and rustling trees was absent. It was so still that any snap of a twig made my tight nerves strain further. I gripped the flashlight tighter, ready to use it as a weapon if I had to.

  The high moon, aided by my dim flashlight, created just enough light to guide me as I huffed my way up the rest of the trail.

  When I finally reached the clearing, I shined the flashlight around. No sign of Will. Great, I knew it. It had taken me fifteen minutes to hike the trail, probably a personal best, and I still missed him. I slumped to the ground still breathless.

  A flood of light shined in my eyes and washed the doubt I was wallowing in away.

  “Thought you got lost.” His voice echoed off the mountains.

  I held up my hand to block the light. “Never. I’m just a little slow.”

  When he reached me, he pulled my hand down and tugged. “C’mon.”

  I followed, holding his warm hand as we approached the dock. I groaned when I saw the boat

  “It’s okay,” he reassured me.

  I reluctantly followed. What could he possibly have to show me out here? Was he going to show me a new dive he’d invented?

  “Look,” he beamed when we made it to the boat.

  I groaned again, didn’t he get the clue last time? Boats aren’t my thing.

  I shined the light on the shabby structure. I didn’t see anything. Actually, it looked exactly the same as the previous night, old and scary. Will grabbed my hand holding the flashlight and moved it to the right, down the length of the boat. The end where he’d replaced the plank with his jacket was now stuffed with cushions and blankets. It was much more inviting than how we found it the previous night.

  “When did you do this?” I asked.

  “Just after I left your house.”

  I inched closer to it. The boat was not as menacing when it was full of soft fabrics. He did this after leaving my house. Tonight, which meant…?

  “This isn’t what you wanted to show me,” I lead.

  He held up a small bag.

  “No, this is. But it can wait, hop in.”

  I was pretty sure there would be no hopping, unless I wanted to end up in the lake.

  He hopped in with ease, barely rocking the boat and gently held my arm as I stepped in. I grabbed his other arm to steady myself as the boat trembled under my feet. He chuckled as I sat tentatively on the plush new interior. Impressive, I silently admitted. It was definitely more visually appealing than the water cracking floorboards, not to mention far more comfy.

  Will took the rope that was looped around a plank on the dock and tied the free end to a metal ring on the boat’s side. An empty ring. My body stiffened.

  “Where are the oars?”

  He gave a slight push on the dock and we began to drift out.

  “Dunno,” he grinned.

  I stifled the panic that had switched on.

  He laughed sensing my undue fear. “Relax, Cami, that’s what the rope is for. This is what I wanted to show you.”

  He twisted, facing me and held out a book. He wants me to read? I snatched the book out of his hand and shined the flashlight on the cover. What I discovered was not a book, but a photo album. I looked up at him confused. He simply smiled and shuffled around to face me, rocking the boat as he moved. I grabbed the side again.

  He took the flashlight from me and held it above my head letting the light fall on the pictures.

  I opened the cover. Inside was a message scrawled in a foreign language and while foreign languages were not my strong suit, I guessed it was French. Whatever it was, it looked beautiful. To the right was the first picture. It was of an extremely old building, but it was the glass structure in the distance that caught my eye.

  “No way!” I sucked in a deep breath dangerously close to choking. He of course laughed. “The Louvre?”

  He looked down his arrogant nose at me smiling. “Yup.”

  My hand clutched the album of famous works, positioning it high above my head ready to spring forward and catapult it into the lake. I wasn’t going to do it, of course, but I thought it would be fun for me to see him sweat a little. Maybe knock his smugness down a notch or too. My attempt failed.

  He lunged forward catching my wrist just as I was about to let go. “Cami, no, wha…uff!” His knee slipped on one of the cushions as his other hand stretched to grab the book. He fell on top of me. The weight of his body forced the short breath I had managed out of my lungs. My hand released the book, dropping it safely into his hand.

  A sigh of relief escaped his lips. His head lowered. Even in the moon’s shadow, I felt his eyes piercing into mine. He didn’t have to speak, he was angry. That may not have been a strong enough word for it. I froze underneath him, waiting. His breaths became slow and forced against my face. I was positive I could hear his teeth grinding together, but he did not move. Probably debating on whether to chuck me into the lake or leave me here. If he had been about to toss something of mine in the lake, I absolutely would have found a way to throw him overboard.

  He remained hovering over me until the sound of my own gasp broke the silence. I’d not been breathing. I hadn’t noticed until the dizziness forced me too.

  “What are you doing?” he asked without moving.

  That was a good question. What was I doing?

  “Just kidding? I wasn’t really going to throw it in.” The weakness in my voice was barely above a whisper.

  His voice was icy when he spoke again. “That’s not funny, Camille.”

  Did he just say my whole name? What? I was joking, hello!

  “Um, I’m sorry,” I squeaked out. My heart pounded through my ears waiting for him to accept my apology. His eyes narrowed as his face moved closer to mine. Oh God, he’s going to —

  Suddenly, he was flo
pped at my side laughing. “You are way too gullible, get a grip will ya? He began flipping through the rest of the album.

  “What?”

  “You thought I was going to take you out, huh. I’m not that kind of guy. And, I have copies. This is the digital age, you know. But seriously though, I thought you were gonna do it.” He held the book up shaking it.

  My flushed cheeks were thankfully hidden by the evening. “No, I didn’t think you were going to – I…” My voice trailed off into some sort of nonsense babble about possibly tipping me out of the boat to cover up what I really thought he might do. Kiss me. The more I tried to cover up my mistake, the worse my babble became.

  Will stared at me in amusement. My face obviously didn’t hide the fact that I was completely flustered. Looking for a distraction, I grabbed the book back.

  “Are you done?” He smirked.

  I flipped open the book again. “Shut up.”

  Page after page was filled with snapshots of every famous work of art I had ever studied. Every piece I could only dream to see for myself someday.

  “The Mona Lisa!” I gaped at the picture, completely dumbfounded.

  “Oh yeah,” he whispered.

  “Are these for real? Or did you just cut and paste them.” I said, finding it impossible to peel my eyes from the pictures.

  “Hey! You have no idea what I had to do to get those. They are very much real.”

  He rolled onto his side, grabbed an unused pillow and shoved it under his elbow and narrated each picture. Of course my heart began attacking me within my chest again. It was devastatingly difficult to pay attention to what he was saying when he was so close. Every fiber of my body was completely aware of him. I peeked out of the corner of my eye to watch him pour over the pictures.

  The slight smile his mouth held when he spoke faded and he stopped flipping.

  He was fixated on the picture.

  “This is my favorite,” he whispered.

  Will and another boy were outside of the Louvre, standing next to the glass pyramid that stood in front of the museum, smiling. The delicate faced boy was slightly shorter and slimmer than Will. He was definitely not the muscle in the duo. His straight dark hair was cut in a shaggy mess that fell around his pointed ears. Whoever he was, his face mirrored Will’s mischievous expression; a wide toothy smile. The contrasting darkness of the night and museum lights produced a glow around them, a reoccurring thing with him apparently. They looked happy.

  My curiosity was boiling over. Not only had he traveled Europe, my ultimate dream, he did it with a friend. I imagined what kind of trouble Irelynn and I could get into. A smile stretched across my face as I pictured the two of us, totally inept, wandering hopelessly through Europe. It sounded fantastic.

  “Who’s that?” I asked.

  I waited, studying the boy, as patiently as I could for him to finish his internal rumination.

  “Huh?” Will jumped out of his deep thought. For the first time since he bulldozed into my life, I saw a hint of embarrassment. Any other moment I would have jumped on the opportunity to tease him, but I could see this wasn’t the time. Not to mention he’d figure out a way to turn the situation around and embarrass me.

  “Who’s that?” I asked again.

  “That’s Jack. He’s John’s son.”

  “Oh, a cousin,” I said. I finally received a little more information about him, but then something crossed my mind. “I didn’t know John had any kids.”

  Will snorted. “Just one. That was enough.”

  “I guess I didn’t realize he…well… he never…” I stumbled, “no one ever mentioned that he was married.”

  “John’s a very private person. His wife left him when Jack was young. So you wouldn’t have known I guess. It was a long time ago.”

  In the next picture Jack’s face was twisted with his tongue hanging out. Will’s hands were wrapped around his neck as if he was strangling him. I laughed again. I would love to see these two together in person.

  “Where is he now?”

  He sighed heavily. “Oh, he… He’s not… A few weeks after this picture was taken.”

  Time stopped. The lake beating lightly against the boat filled the silence.

  “Oh,” I whispered. It was all I could manage. What was I supposed to say to something like that? Other than that’s the saddest thing I’d ever heard. Aside from my grandfather’s passing, I had never had anyone that close to me die. I couldn’t imagine how that felt. I didn’t want to.

  He looked so sad slumping at my side gazing at the picture. I just wanted to grab him and never let go.

  “Will, I am so sorry.”

  He looked at me and smiled. A very melancholic, tear-my-heart-out, smile. “It’s okay.”

  I chewed on my lip, deciding if I should ask more or just let it go. Did he have anyone to talk to about it? Did he even want to talk about it? I would give anything to be able to read his mind right now.

  “He was a funny kid,” he cleared his throat. “Before this trip I hadn’t seen him for years. He wanted to be just like me when he was little even though I wasn’t much older. I wasn’t prepared for just how much he’d grown up when I saw him. And he spoke in a funny French accent. I had to mess with him. He’d get all upset and start swearing at me in French. Of course, it would make me tease more. I mean, it’s impossible to get mad when someone calls you a son of a bitch in French. It just sounds too pretty to be a slam, you know. Like getting punched by a flower.”

  I could imagine it. I never met Jack, but I did know Will. And I knew how completely antagonistic he could be. I’ve had some words for him.

  “When John invited me on his trip to see him after all this time, I knew I had to go. His memory of us was pretty limited, but it didn’t take long at all for him to warm up to us. And after a few months, it was like they hadn’t been separated at all. So you can imagine you hard it was for John. He was just getting to know his son again, and then…” His voice trailed off.

  No, actually there was no way I could imagine. A hot tear fell down my cheek. Until then, I didn’t even realize how watery my eyes were. “That’s awful.” I whispered into my sleeve. The sleeve that was originally purple was now a wet plum. Don’t cry. Do not cry. I demanded.

  I thought about how Mark and Jillian would take that kind of news; that I had died.

  “His poor mom and dad.”

  “It was just John.”

  “What?”

  “The reason we took the trip over there was because Jack’s mom had just passed away and he found John’s information when he was going through her things.”

  That was it. “Oh, no!”

  The trickling from my eye became a waterfall I had no control over. I searched through blurry eyes to find something to wipe them. My sleeves were no longer enough. But before I could grab the closest blanket, Will was wiping my face with his sleeve.

  “Great,” I mumbled. “Now we’re both soaked.”

  He continued wiping. “I don’t mind. I’m really sorry I upset you. That wasn’t my intention tonight. You told me about your love of art. I thought you’d appreciate the pictures. I would love to go again. You should come, too.”

  I sat motionless as he dried the rest of my face. He swept my soggy bangs behind my ears and looked into my eyes. While the thought of a trip like that with Will sounded amazing, I imagined it would be a sad trip.

  “New topic?” The brilliant smile returned, just the medication I needed.

  “Anything.”

  His face squished in thought before he grinned again. “What’s with the old dude at the Inn?”

  “Ha!” I snorted. The new subject was a relief, and totally unexpected.

  He shrugged innocently. “What?”

  I cleared any remaining sorrow from my throat. “I wasn’t expecting that. Tom?”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah. Every time I’m there, I swear, he’s eyeballin’ me. Not rude or anything. Just…persistent.”
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br />   “He’s harmless. Tom’s been around a long time. He’s seen a lot.”

  Will’s suspicion wasn’t appeased. “I don’t think he’s too keen on me,” he declared.

  Probably not.

  “He’s just very protective. Small town, you’re an outsider and all that.”

  He leaned against the boat again. “I guess so.”

  I wondered what Tom did to make Will suspicious. What was so interesting about a hundred year old doorman that barely spoke? I didn’t have time to think long about it; Will’s ever-wondering mind brought him to the next topic.

  “On the other hand, I think your friends like me.”

  “I’d have to agree, although I didn’t get the chance to read the gossip column yet.”

  He raised his arms into the air. “What’s not to like?”

  “I don’t know. Couldn’t be that you’re madly in love with yourself.”

  He didn’t disagree. I thought I’d stumped him for the second time but I stopped short of congratulating myself. I was wrong. Something had caught his eye. He sat up slowly, staring into the darkness. I strained to find what he was looking at but I couldn’t see anything.

  I moved my head a little closer to his for a better view. “What is it?”

  “I’m not sure. I thought I heard something. We should go now anyway. It’s late.”

  When did he start caring about what the time was?

  A shiver ran from one side of my neck to the other instantly. It wasn’t a simple suggestion. I stopped moving to listen more intently but heard nothing; only the sound of the surrounding water lapping against the boat.

  Will grabbed the rope and slowly pulled us back to the dock. Before I could move myself, he’s scooped me up and set me on the dock. He reached back to grab the bag, photo album, and flashlight. He jumped out and with his free hand he grabbed mine. “Come on,” he ordered.

  I had no choice but to follow along like a helpless rag doll. His grip on my wrist was nearing the painful stage, but I did not object because he was moving at that pace for a reason. Guided by the moonlight, he rapidly pulled me down the mountain trail without even a glance over his shoulder.

  He didn’t have to. I could feel we were being followed. My sudden stop pulled Will back. “Cami, come on.”