by Pam Tribble
Chapter V.
Lyra did her best to compose herself before she walked into the house. She knew her father would be waiting for her, and he was. She assured him Jonah was happy to pick her up for school, and then quickly headed to her bedroom.
Her mind was full of what she’d seen in Jonah’s back yard. Had her eyes deceived her? Was that log really as large as she at first had thought? How heavy could it actually have been? Was it so inconceivable for a man to lift and toss a piece of wood that size as effortlessly as he had? She shook her head. Her eyes had not lied. She had to admit to herself that what she had witnessed was real and incredible. What was more, she had seen Jonah with his shirt off. His body, gloriously well-developed as it was, was not that of a heavy-weight body-builder. His muscles were long and lean. She’s seen clips of those ‘strongest man’ programs on television where the competitors lifted, carried, or pushed impossibly heavy loads. Those guys were enormous. As long as she lived, she would never forget what she’d seen or understand it.
Then there was his terrible anger when he caught her secretly watching him. If what he had been doing were not impossible, would he have been so mad at her for seeing it?
Her head ached from the strain of trying to unravel the mystery of it. She eventually gave up and climbed into bed. She wondered instead what the ride to school tomorrow would be like. She had been so hopeful earlier in the evening, thinking he might open up to her a little more if they were alone together. She doubted very much that would happen now. She sighed and rolled over to go to sleep. The sadness had closed around her heart again and she didn’t want to think about him anymore. “Talk about impossible feats,” she said into the dark.