Winds of Fate

by Thomas H. Reed

  Even now, Carol could feel the needle prick at her own heart and the pull of the magic string that drew her in. Carol turned to take in the cozy and comfortable living area, and then paused. Is this the needle and thread that has found its way into my son’s heart and seeks to find it way into mine? Is this what I have feared and now stand wondering why I harbored such fears.

  Curled in the overstuffed wing chair, her hands pillowed under her head as she slept soundly, it was here Carol discovered the source of all of her concerns. Such a small thing, beyond anything she could have imagined and more than she had ever feared. Carol’s heart skipped a beat in her chest, her breath catching in her throat. She had expected to see a girl with too little clothing and too much makeup, perhaps a bit pretty, but still a tramp. Now that image shattered into a thousand pieces as she stood taking in the beautiful creature sleeping in the chair. She was wearing a pretty cotton dress, its length ending just below her knees. Her hair was a long and a luxurious brown; her face was that of an angel. She was so small! And looked as if she could have been made of crystal. The girl looked like something right from the pages of one of her childhood fairy tale books. Perhaps it was the cabin and the flowers that had put her in this frame of mind. Whatever, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had stepped into some other world or some other time. Nor could she take her eyes off the sleeping girl. Watching her, Carol knew the look of love, there was no doubt in her mind that this little thing was deeply and hopelessly in love with her son.

  She knelt and placed her hand on the girls’ cheek, stroking it gently. The girl suddenly opened her eyes; startled she sat up right in the chair. Then as the sleep faded from her eyes, she recognized Joey’s mother from the photos in the frame that sat on the fireplace mantel. She smiled and in a soft and sleepy voice said “Hi. . .

  Carol caught her breath, and thought, My God, those eyes! Those beautiful brown eyes. It would be so easy to get lost in them. Then she thought. Joey never had a chance. Neither of them had a chance. Not Joey and not this girl sitting in front of me. They were lost to each other long before they even knew it themselves.

  “Good morning,” Carol said to the now, wide-awake girl.

  “I must have fallen asleep. Is Joe home?”

  “No, he most likely won’t be home for another two hours. I came over to straighten this place up for him. It looks as if I may have been mistaken and on more than one topic. I’m Joey’s mother, Carol Spanner, and you are?”

  “I’m Sara Martin, Joe’s fian—Joe’s friend.”

  “I thought as much.” Carol sat on the ottoman and then said, “Did you know that I flew 2800 miles just to meet you?” Sara rubbed her eyes then said, “Joe said that you were in Hawaii, but we weren’t expecting you back for another month and a half.” Carol nodded then said, “We weren’t supposed to be back and then just a little over thirteen hours ago while I was sitting on the beach drinking cocktails, I get this phone call from security that my son is shacked up with some girl.”

  Sara started to say something and Carol placed her hand to Sara’s lips, and then continued, “Well of course I hopped the first plane I could find so I could make my way back to the mainland. Then drove like a mad woman just to get here. And why? Because I thought my son was making a mistake.” Carol smiled and shook her head. “My son, make a mistake. Can you believe that? Me, of all people thinking that my son could be mistaken about a girl? And it wasn’t until just a few minutes ago that I realized the reason I traveled all this way was so I could meet the girl special enough to capture his heart.” Sara studied her for a moment then asked, “Then you are not angry?”

  “Angry? Child I am furious. People are calling my future daughter-in-law a tramp and that makes me very angry”

  Sara was stunned. She wasn’t prepared for such abrupt and candid language. Yet, it was the frankness of her speech that caused Sara to open up to a woman who she had only just met. She began her explanation of how she ended up in Joey’s life in a calm manner. But when she realized that Carol had been listening calmly to her explanation without a hint of contempt in her expression, Sara’s hold on a calm and cool demeanor weakened considerably.

  Carol had listened with an obvious deep interest that Sara had never before experience from any person she had ever spoken with. Long before Sara had reached the summit of her explanation, and much to her chagrin, a pent-up dam of emotions came pouring out in a confusing jumble of events:

  “Everyone kept calling me such ugly things. My father took me to the clinic and the doctor hands were cold, and the man at the dry goods store tore up my application and called me a whore, and no one would believe me when I said I didn’t but, then we did, and it hurt but Joey was trying to be so careful, and it’s my fault because I needed someone to be with, someone that didn’t hate me. And Joey gave me his coat and he carried me to his car and gave me a ride home, and I loved him for it and I just wanted someone to hold me, and everyone was angry and I didn’t know why! I tried to do everything right, got good grades and studied hard, I came home on time and did what I was supposed to do, but they just kept saying that I was, I was a slut. Easy Sleazy. And I just wanted to be loved for once, to know someone cared. —Someone that didn’t think I was a whore and Joey was...was always kind to me and—“Sara broke down and started crying. “It’s all my fault, I did something wrong but I don’t know what it was that I did and I couldn’t make it better and—”

  Carol reached out and put her arms around the girl and held her. She rubbed the girls’ back and held her head against her chest, then said, “It’s okay baby. Everything is okay now.” She rocked the girl in her arms for a long time while Sara cried out the anguish and loneliness that had built up inside her over the years. Finally, she subsides and looked up at Carol. “Please don’t hate me? Carol shook her head, then said, “No I don’t hate you. I would have rather you waited, but I don’t think I could ever be angry with you, or Joey for falling in love with you. Heck I have only seen you for a couple of minutes and I am already in love with you.”

  She brushed the hair out of the girl’s face and said, “You are a wonder! Did you know that? A gorgeous, beautiful, marvelous wonder!”.......

  ♥

  Here we leave. Here we let them live their lives and go about their business. We have ridden along with the fates upon the wings of the winds and played witness. Now we must go and let them be. It was never meant to be a tale of epic proportions, but only a glimpse into the workings of the fates and how when they look into the hearts of mortals, they too sometimes take measures. It is never good to look too deep or pry, for the fates are fickle and like the winds can change from fare to fowl.

  Do you ever wonder why they call them dust devils? Those swirling gust of air, born on the hot desert winds, full of sand, and grit. Those dancing devils that skip down the streets, peeking under the lady’s skirts and doffing men’s hats from their heads. They are children of the wind, playful and full of mischief. Like children in search of adventure, no freshly raked mound can go unmolested from their devilish appetite as they fill their bellies with whirling, brightly colored leaves.

  In the autumn months when the sun gradually moves south for the winter, and young couples seek the comfort of each other’s arms, the children of the wind have grown into adults. The devils wind no longer playful, becoming towering, ponderously moving titans, slowly traveling across the empty deserts in the fading autumn sun, slowly, somberly, seeking out their winter graves. In their search for their final resting-place, they spread the seeds of spring, and lay behind them the next generation of swirling, mischievous playfulness. So, if you ever find yourself alone in the winter’s desert, with the stars of a clear moonless night for company, and the crisp night air nipping at your nose. Listen. Listen to the silence, and the stillness of the empty night. If you are good of hearing, and just at the right place, you just might, just maybe, just possibly will hear the first beginnings of cheerful laughter deep under the sands, happily ch
ipping away at their shells, waiting for the first warm rays of the sun to set them free.

  ....Is there ever really an end?

  Jump

  Darkness lay across the high mountains of Montana, the pale moon painting the scenery with monochrome shades of black and white. Here, from high above, looking down at this part of the world, one can see a deep rocky canyon with sheer sides of gray walls. Gray walls built of granite, huge blocks of stone, and tumbled boulders sculpted by the upheavals of nature and time’s worrisome hand.

  Along the eastern exposure of the canyon, an abandoned railroad bridge stretches across the expanse. Its intricate network of steel girders and I-beams forming a delicate web of modern man’s ingenuity; a discarded, uncared-for toy, misplaced and forgotten by the unfixed, unsettled children who erected it. Far below the bridge, a fine ribbon of water, turned black by the night, flows along the bottom of the canyon. The pale eye of a waxing moon is a sole witness as the river snakes along its winding course. Here, circumstance, fate and chance have come together to conspire and scheme, shifting the rivers of reality; and forever changing cause and effect.

  Jack peered over the edge of the railing and into the darkness. The single eye of the moon unable to reach into the inky black oblivion that lay below. At three hundred feet, the small stream of water that rambled around the tumbled rocks and boulders was invisible to him. Yet, even at this height, he could hear the water laughing up at him. Jack fished a quarter from his pocket, flipped it out into the abyss, and waited for the coin to make its way to the bottom. Long seconds passed before the tiny clink from below answered back up at him. He nodded with satisfaction, and then said softly to the uncaring night. “Yep, that should do it.” Then he thought. I wonder how long it will take to make the trip to the bottom. Will my body make a tinkling sound when it crashes among the rocks? Will I feel it, or will everything just go black? He stepped closer to the edge then climbed over the railing. He sat without effort on the outer lip of the bridge and made himself comfortable. The night was warm and the breeze light. He could feel a slight amount of moisture in the air and when he looked down again he saw fog rolling into the canyon. Leaning against one of the steel beams, he inhaled deeply and then looked up at the night sky. Above, the sky was clear and a thousand stars glistened like jewels in the infinite blackness. He removed a battered flask from of his pocket, uncapped it, and took a sip. Feeling the cold steel of the support beam against his back, he closed his eyes taking in the warm summer breeze and the stillness of the night.

  He must have dozed off for a minute because without warning a foot appeared over the railing behind him, followed by a leg then another foot. The feet were connected to a very nice set of legs. He craned his neck and looked up to see shapely hips, a narrow waist, nice breast, and a beautiful face. Although, the face was now a mask of fear and confusion. The woman holding on to the railing with a white-knuckle grip, she leaned out over the edge, her breathing rapid and knees shaking. Her fear so great, he almost believed he could see her heart hammering in her chest. He cleared his throat saying, “Don’t you think it a bit rude to cut in line like that?”

  The woman screamed at the sudden surprise of finding someone else on the bridge. She quickly pulled herself back, clinging tightly to the bridge’s rail. “Who…who are you? What are you doing here?”

  “I am here for the same reason you are. However, I was under the impression that I had exclusive rights to the bridge. So you will have to find your own bridge, or pick a different night.”

  “Go away!”

  “Why? I was here first. If anyone is going to leave it will have to be you.” She cautiously sat down on the lip of the bridge, fearful and untrusting of the narrow shelf of steel and dew slippery surface. Holding tightly to the I-beam she looked over at Jack, saying. “You don’t understand, I…

  “Oh I understand.” He said, cutting off anything she was about to say. “Probably more than any other person on the earth I understand exactly why you are here. You are planning on jumping off the bridge and splattering that beautiful body all over the rocks below.” He shook his head and then said, “Kind of a waste actually.”

  “What would you know about it?”

  “Why do you think I am here? The view?” He picked up his flask and took a sip, then offered it to her. She shook her head then said, “I don’t drink.” He gave a short laugh, “I totally understand. Alcohol can do terrible things to your body and your rational thinking.” She hesitated then took the flask and sampled it, made a face then tilted it back. She handed the flask over to Jack and then leaned out looking into the blackness. “It’s so dark. You can’t see anything?”

  He shook his head, “The moon has set, but even with the moon you couldn’t see much. A fog rolled in earlier, made it kind of spooky looking, but a breeze came up and pushed it all out about thirty minutes ago.”

  She rested against the structure then asked. “Are you going to do it?”

  “That was, still is, my plan. However, I didn’t think I would be having company. One of the reasons I picked this bridge is because it is abandoned and no one ever comes out here, especially at night.” He chuckled and then said, “Just my luck.” He picked up the flask and took another sip, then capped it, looked up at the night sky and said, “I have been admiring the stars, it really is a beautiful night don’t you think?”

  “I… I haven’t really noticed. My mind has been on other things.” He nodded and then said. “I didn’t really notice either, not until I got out here. It has been a long time since I have actually taken the time to look at anything.” He paused, inhaled deeply, and then looked out across the canyon. “It really is beautiful, even if you haven’t noticed.” She made an irritated noise, and then said. “If you’re trying to talk me out of jumping just forget it...”

  “Why would I do that?” He interrupted.

  “Isn’t that what people usually try to do? Talk you out of jumping?”

  “Wrong person, remember me? I have the number one ticket for this amusement park ride…and then the bridge is all yours.”

  “So, jump already.”

  “Why? Are you in a hurry? Anyway, this is my jump and I will do it according to my schedule, not yours. Don’t like it, then go find your own bridge. Or come back when you have it to yourself.”

  “Well, if you aren’t going to jump, you won’t mind if I go ahead of you will you?” She stood up and looked over the edge. He gave her a gracious look and waved a hand over the empty expanse, saying, “Sure, I’ve always considered myself a gentleman. Be my guest.”

  “You aren’t going to try and stop me?”

  “Why should I? Isn’t it why you came here?” She nodded then leaned over the edge and looked down, took a breath and leaned forward, tipping her body weight over the edge.

  “One question?” His voice startled her and she leaned back quickly saying. “What?”

  “Did you leave a note?”

  “A note?” She asked irritably. “Why should I?”

  “Well, isn’t it customary? I mean people will be looking for you.”

  “No, no one will be looking for me.”

  “No one? Mother, father, brothers, sisters—bill collectors?”

  “I’m an orphan; the people that have taken care of me over the years are not the kind of people to worry about where I am. As far bill collectors, let them look.”

  “No “So-long-cruel-world?” Or “Bite me?” Just whoops and then no more… who ever you are?” He looked at her expectantly thinking she would give her name but instead she said. “I came in to this world unwanted, and I am going out the same way.”

  “I can’t believe that. You are one good looking woman, seems to me that a lot of guys would be pissing all over themselves just to get to know you.”

  “First off I’m not that good looking. Second, any man that has ever paid attention to me just wanted to get into my pants.”

  “It ain’t that dark here lady. I can see just fine, a
nd you are one good looking woman.” He smiled then said, “But you do fill out a pair of Levis’ real fine; I can see why men are trying to get into them.”

  “Believe me there isn’t anything down there that is all that great.”

  He leaned over a bit and gave her the once over, then said, “Looks good from here.” She brushed at the leg of her pants then said, “You don’t mince words do you? Don’t you think you are getting a bit personal?”

  “So file a complaint with the, “I don’t really give a shit” department. Anyway, in a day or two, or maybe sooner, depending on how long it takes someone to find our bodies, there are going to be a lot of people looking at you. They will be very personal; doing things you would never allow any man do.”

  “I will be long beyond caring by then.”

  “But right now it matters?” She considered the question then asked. “Should it? I mean really, does it matter one way or the other.” She began unbuttoning her blouse, pulled her arms out of the sleeves and wrestled her way out of it. Then, holding it out over the edge she let it go. Her Levis’ quickly followed the blouse. Jack leaned forward and watched the clothes flutter away, disappearing into the darkness below. Then he gave her an amused look asking. “Aren’t you going to get cold?”