by Tia Wilson
They reached the curve in the road and looked ahead, the road curved up at an increasing incline and then took a sharp turn and disappeared into the woods.
“You continue on that way and the road becomes a dirt one after a mile or so, and then it leads deep into the forest and connects the clan members who live solitary lives to the town. Do you want to turn back?” Anne asked.
Grace looked back down the road from atop the hill they had climbed, sun dappled the dark shadows of the overhanging trees and the shadows swayed back and forth with the movements of the breeze. The vantage point looked across the tree tops towards town on one side, behind her was the gentle slope as the elevation increased towards the mountain range. She could picture herself living here with Tom, the place seemed like a slice of paradise. Wide open spaces, fresh air in abundance and a feeling of community with the people in town. This would be a perfect place to. Anne cut her thought off and said, “I’ve seen that look before. You’re imagining your future here, maybe what it would be like to raise a family, how peaceful and unreal this slice of heaven seems.”
“How can you tell?” Grace asked.
“I saw the same look on my husbands face when I first brought him up here. We were only dating a week and I brought him up this road to a spot higher up to have a picnic in the woods. I remember stopping up here and he turned around and looked back over town like you are doing now. He had this lopsided goofy grin on his face as he surveyed the land. What is it I asked him? He turned to me, and I’ll always remember the look on his face, he said he was picturing growing old here, taking hikes up this hill with our children and our grand children. Tears had begun to sting my eyes as he said this to me. He got down on one knee pretty much where are standing now and proposed to me. We were married in town three weeks later, and it’s been twenty years together. The best years of my life. I told you we shifters and the humans we fall for have intense feelings,” Anne said wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.
Grace rubbed her eyes too, it was so beautiful she thought to herself. Everything about this place made her feel good and she could feel an ache in her heart at Toms absence. Anne threw her arms around Grace and hugged her tight.
“Don't worry about Tom. He's one of the best trackers this clan has ever seen. He can nearly sense danger before it even happens. He’ll have his team with him and be back from the border before you even know it. I know how separation from the one you love feels. In our first two weeks of dating we spent a total of three days apart. On those days I was despondent, with no energy and I felt grey. Thats the only way I could describe it. It felt like all the colour had been sucked out of me while he was gone. Once we were back together at the end of those three days apart we vowed never to do that again. We have never spent a night apart for more than twenty years now. I don't think I’d be able to handle it. If it really effects you especially at night you are more than welcome to call into my place and I can make up a bed for you to stay the night,” Anne said.
“You’re too kind,” Grace said. “Do you want to head back?” she asked Anne.
“Sure thing. The walk has worked up an appetite for some of Al’s waffles. I think I could eat a stack of them,” Anne said.
“I could do with some too. I didn't have anything to eat this morning I was in such a daze. I sat around thinking of Tom and staring into space for most of the morning. If you hadn’t of come and got me I would have spent the day in a funk,” Grace said.
“That’s what friends are for,” Anne said smiling.
They headed back down the hill towards town. The forest was silent as they passed by the thick foliage crowding the sides of the road. The air was cool as the sun was blocked out by the overhanging canopy of the trees. Anne stopped and sniffed the air her eyes wide. Her whole body stiffened as she moved her head side to side inhaling the air. “Whats wrong?” Grace asked.
“I don't know. Somethings not right. Lets get moving,” Anne said picking up the pace. They started to speed up and Grace could feel panic start to rise within her. What had Anne picked up that she hadn't Grace wondered. She could see the clearing ahead, another minute or two and they would be out of the forest.
Gravel crunched behind them and they both jumped and Grace let out a frightened whimper. They turned around and standing behind them in the middle of the road was a man with a scarred face and one damaged and unseeing eye.
“Ladies, don't take another step. I have three rifles trained on you right now and if one of you as much as twitches my guys have orders to shoot,” Nasak Tresode said.
Grace looked wide eyed and frightened at Anne who nodded her head.
“Listen to your friend. She can smell the rest of my group, she knows they are out there,” said Nasak.
“I could scream and the whole town would be out searching the woods for you,” Anne said through gritted teeth.
“Try me. It will be the last sound you make before we blow your head off,” Nasak said.
Anne edged in front of Grace, putting a barrier between her and Nasak. Grace could feel her body awash with the surge of adrenaline, her muscles felt like tense piano wires and the thought of turning and running was flashing in her mind, the only thing holding her back was what would happen to Anne.
“What do you want,” Anne said in a low rumble. Grace could feel heat coming off Annes body in waves, a dry warm heat of a blast furnace. She's going to change Grace thought, her feet rooted to the spot.
“I want what any child who has been lost for an age wants. I want to go home,” Nasak said and glanced towards the forest.
Grace heard a buzz like an insect whizz by her ear and she saw a metal dart with a feathered yellow end dig into Annes neck. Anne turned to Grace, already going down on one knee as her eyes began to darken and her skin pulse on the edge of transformation. “Run,” she said in an animalistic growl.
Grace turned and ran, her legs freed from the concrete shackles that had held her in place. If I can just make it to the edge of the forest I might be seen by someone, her panicked mind screamed. All sound seemed to be extracted from the world as only the sounds of her heavy breathing and footfalls echoed in her ears. She got a few steps and thought I’m going to make it. The sound of a dart whistling through the air broke the spell as it dug into her neck in a burning pinch. I feel like I’m running through glue Grace thought as her legs began to slow down. She turned around and her legs gave out under her and she hit the ground hard. The cracked gravel of the road dug into her cheek as she felt the debilitating effects of the tranquilliser course through her body.
Nasak pushed Anne with his boot and her body lay motionless. He nodded towards the tree line and walked towards Grace. She moved her lips and nothing but a weak moan like air being released from a tire came out. Nasak looked down at her and then knelt down beside her. His damaged eye stared ahead while his other one looked down at Grace. “Don't fight it,” he said stroking her cheek. “It will soon be over.”
Grace could feel her heart beating as if it was buried under layers of cotton, it felt disconnected from her as if it beat in someone else's body. She tried to move her arm to push his hand away from her face, her hand twitched feebly by her side. I’ve been poisoned and I’m going to die in these woods and never get to see Tom again, she thought as she stared into the scarred and bearded face of Nasak. Her vision began to dim as she saw movement at the roadside. People emerged from the undergrowth and her mind went into free fall as twisted aberrations left the woods and walked towards Nasak. Creatures more beast than man walked over to their leader and stood watching Grace as the tranquilliser dart overpowered her body. Grace looked up at the twisted and mutated faces of the creatures watching her. I am in hell she thought to herself, before the darkness engulfed her and everything turned to black.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Short Story 1
1
Black Versus White
Everything was as it should be on my table. My notepad was open and my pen w
as placed at a ninety degree angle to the crisp white pages. To the right of my notepad sat my cup of coffee with wisps of steam rising off it. My purse was placed to the left of my coffee mug and aligned to the top margin of my notepad. I let out a small sigh and felt myself relax a little.
Only now would I allow myself my first sip of coffee. Deep down inside I knew nothing would happen if I didn’t have my table set just right, but I still followed my rules. So many rules and so much order, but it kept me sane and allowed me to navigate through the world a little easier.
I can’t remember when I first started running my life in regimented and interlocking systems. If I could trace it back to one event it would be an early memory I had. My mother had bought me a new dress and shoes for a birthday party at a cousins house. The dress was in the prettiest shade of blue and my patent leather shoes were a deep crimson. My dark skin accentuated the blue dress when I tried it on and my Mothers eyes started to glisten with held back tears as she told me how beautiful I was going to look at the party.
The weeks leading up to the party I had laid on my bed with my wardrobe door open and stared at my new dress and shoes. Thoughts of the party to come danced through my mind. I knew I would look great in my new attire. The weeks went by and the morning of the party arrived and my excitement increased.
My mother helped to dress me and as I slipped my left foot into my new shoe my mother clicked her tongue loudly and began shaking her head back and forth.
“No, No, No this won’t do,” she said. She licked her thumb and rubbed it along the side of my shoe. I looked down at my Mother and I could already feel tears welling up in my eyes.
“Whats wrong?” I asked, confused with how close to tears I already was.
My Mother pulled the shoe off my foot and held it up for my inspection. “Look,” she said brandishing the shiny crimson shoe close to my face. I couldn’t see anything wrong. The shoe looked perfect to me, the leather was buffed to a high gloss and I could make out a distorted reflection of my face, my eyes already reddening as I was close to tears. My Mother pointed at the side of the sole, running her finger along the ridged plastic that was stitched to the leather of the shoe. One of the ridges had a tiny scratch and a small flake of plastic protruded from the sole.
My Mother dropped the shoe to the ground and pulled me close to her. “You can see it can’t you,” she whispered in my ear, “Of course you can”.
I started to sob against my Mothers neck as I knew then that I would not be going to the party. The scratch had ruined everything. I would not let something so small ruin my life again.
As time moved on I organized my life so that a scratch, or a loose button, or an errant thread would not derail my whole day. From the chaos around me I carved a path of order protecting myself from any upsets or wrenching changes. Sometimes my systems didn't always work and the unexpected would happen. Times like that would be the hardest for me but I usually came through it with a new set of rules to help me manage the unexpected change.
A typical day for me would go as follows: Up at 6:00 A.M every day. Brush teeth for two minutes. Exercise for ten minutes on the stationary bike. Make breakfast consisting of porridge with strawberry jam, two pieces of buttered toast and a cup of chamomile tea. I could already feel myself relaxing a little as I ran through my daily routine in my mind. I let the sounds of the cafe wash over me as I continued down my list. After breakfast I would wash up and clean my bowl and cup. Then I would shower for six minutes. After showering I would. I was abruptly pulled from my thought as a white man sat down at my table directly across from me.
I had a bad experience when I was fourteen with a white guy in school. His name was Billy Grant and he was the football captain and admired and feared by most in the school. He could have any girl in the school and he was usually seen with a hot blonde cheerleader on his arm. I should have been suspicious when he started talking to me one afternoon when I was alone in the library studying. I was sure that a slightly chubby African American was not his usual type, but here he was being all charming and interested in me. I was flattered and blinded by his patter and my raging teenage hormones only made things worse. Before I knew it he was leading me off to the far corner of the library. My mind raced and my skin prickled with anticipation. I couldn’t believe that we were about to kiss. This would be my first ever kiss and for bonus points with a white guy. My whole body was tingling. We got into a corner and locked eyes. He bent in towards me and started to kiss me gently, my toes curled in my shoes. Then just as abruptly as the sweet sensation had started it was wrenched away from me. The laughing started and he stepped away from me wiping his mouth. Hidden behind the shelves three of his friends came out and all were laughing uncontrollably.
“You did it Billy,” said one of his meathead friends, “You nabbed a black one. Whats next an asian and then an indian?”
“I nearly have the full set,” Billy said as he turned and winked at me.
They walked away laughing as I felt a hitching sensation in my chest and tears started to stream down my cheeks. I had been nothing more than a colour on a checklist for those guys. I pretty much swore off white men from that day on.
“Do you mind if I sit here?” he asked as he sat down before I could answer. His accent sounded like he was from the mid west, but there was also a soft lilting quality to it.
I composed myself and said, “I’d rather sit alone”.
He didn’t move and looked me direct in the eyes and said, “Do you want some adventure?”. I could feel my skin prickle hotly under his gaze but I made sure not to drop my stare. He was handsome in a plain and almost predictable way, but there was something about his eyes, the way they danced and sparkled with a mischievous gleam. He had a grin that was warm and welcoming and he repeated the question again “Do you want some adventure?”.
I knew my answer before I said it. “No. I am happy to sit here and enjoy my coffee, which I was until you rudely barged in and sat at my table.” I said. I glanced down and my pen had been knocked out of alignment by this man jostling the table. I moved it back into position.
The man put his hand out for me to shake and I let it hang in the air for a beat before taking it and shaking it.The palm was course against mine and he enveloped my hand in his large meaty grasp.
“I’m sorry for coming on strong. Let’s start over. I’m Tom Bradshaw. Nice to meet you,” he said grinning widely.
“I’m Grace Taylor” I said releasing my hand from his. I took a sip of my coffee and I could feel my knees shaking a little. This change from the norm was not good. I would try to get rid of him quickly and gracefully. Even though I wanted him gone there was another distant part of me wanting to stay and talk to him. There was something about him that sent tiny shocking tingles through my skin every time our eyes meet momentarily. Was I fooling myself thinking that his eyes had darkened since we first meet?
I was already planning my exit strategy when he stood up abruptly from the table. “I can see I am making you nervous,” he said. “I will leave this with you and let you decide when you are ready”. He slid a small white card across the table to me and then turned and left. I looked at the card and written on the back was the number twenty six. I flipped the card over and it was a business card for a hotel situated a couple of minutes drive from here. I could feel my face heat up at the nerve of this man. Was he expecting me to go to his room and hook up with him? To put it bluntly I was pissed. Here was another white guy presuming I was an easy black woman. Who did this random man think he was intruding on me enjoying my coffee and my perfectly ordered day. Why did he pick me?
I looked around the cafe and he was gone. I scanned the other patrons wondering why he choose me. There were a group of young woman sitting at a table in the corner, all of them much more attractive then me. Why did he not approach them I wondered. Even though I was pissed and my mind was reeling with the brashness of this man I could feel my nipples harden under my sensible clothes and between my
legs throbbed a pleasurable heat.
I weighed up my options. I could go about the rest of my carefully planned day, everything happening as expected and planned and be back home in the safety of my apartment tonight and put all this randomness behind me. The rational and ordered part of me knew what the right thing to do was but my psychical reaction betrayed me. I couldn't deny it, this brief encounter thrilled me and I was turned on. I don’t think I’d ever been turned on by someones physicality so quickly before. The way he had moved there was something strong powerful and assured about everything he had done. He had been insistent but not too brash, and what did he even mean by adventure? Such an odd choice of words for a hookup.
I twirled the card between my thumb and forefinger, the green logo of the hotel flicking back and forth. I squeezed my thighs together and it sent a shiver up my spine. My decision made I payed for my coffee and bought another drink before returning to my table.
I stared at the glass of red wine before me still not committed to going ahead with it. I raised the glass to my lips and my nose was filled with the crisp scent of summer berries and vanilla. I downed the glass in one and could feel immediately the wine relaxing me and spinning warming tendrils through my body.
Outside the cafe I hailed a cab and within a few minutes I was outside the hotel. It was a new hotel with a modern minimalist design. I walked through the lobby and with each step closer to his room I could feel my self getting more turned on. My arms moved smoothly in their joints and I could feel a rosiness in my cheeks from the wine.
His room was on the third floor. Alone in the elevator I checked myself in the mirror. I was a curvy woman in her mid thirties with my black tied back. Two hours ago I would have never considered myself as someone who would meet with a strange man for an afternoon tryst, but here I was. I smiled at myself in the mirror knowing this was the right thing to do, I could do with some adventure.