Crossword
Page 39
They separated and both looked across the car to their grandchildren running in the field, their arms held high as they zigged and zagged trying to catch a butterfly in their reaching hands.
"But you will get it fixed, won't you?"
"Yes, of course, dear. Why don't you keep an eye on them while I get out the blanket and picnic basket."
"I'll help you," she said. "You take the chairs and the blanket; I'll take the food." They walked around to the trunk and he reached into his pocket for the key.
"You left them in the ignition."
"Oh, yes. Thanks."
She stared out across the field, smiling, watching her grandchildren chasing the elusive butterflies. Her husband returned and together they removed their "picnic" from the trunk and walked onto the field, angling toward one side where the grass was shorter and then gave way to sand and pebbles along the edge of a broad, but shallow stream that ambled through the meadow. He set up their lawn chairs and laid out the blanket, glancing several times at the thick woods that bordered the field. His wife followed his gaze and she frowned, her face momentarily darkened although the sun shone brightly in the almost cloudless sky.
"Anything else, dear?"
"No. Why don't you go play with the kids. You know how they love it."
"I think I'll take a little walk. You can keep an eye on them, can't you?"
She paused while setting out the various containers of food, outwardly seeming to consider whether or not she was up to the task, although, in reality, she struggled with a subject that was difficult for her to bring up. At last she said, "Yes, but sweetie..."
"What?"
Nervously she looked down, watched herself placing the jars and foil wrapped packets on the blanket, as if engrossed in a culinary chess game. He mistook her apprehension for forgetfulness.
"What?"
"Be careful, won't you?" An audible sigh. A part of his life into which she hesitated to venture. "Please."
"Yes, of course. I'm not completely decrepit yet," he said as he turned towards the wooded border of the field and set out with a purposeful gait. The grass yielded here and there to low scrub and small stands of aspen and hemlock with an occasional large oak. Soon pine needles were mixed with leaves and the few remaining blades of grass to form the beginning of the forest carpet. In a minute he had entered the woods proper, the temperature noticeably cooler, a dampness to the air, and an earthy smell filling his nostrils. He paused, turned his head slightly as if listening, and was enveloped by silence which, as he stood there, was slowly replaced by the small noises of the forest —— the distant chirp of a bird, the humming whine of a passing insect, branches rustling slightly from a passing breeze, and that eerie, hollow knocking sound coming from nowhere and everywhere, that seemed to be so common in the deeper reaches of a forest. He inhaled deeply, and as he exhaled, a brief chill washed over him. When he entered the woods, the bright light of day fading to twilight, a sadness overcame him. An old man, he was haunted by dreams of youth, of people gone forever and actions regretted, and so, most mornings he awoke with a profound sense of melancholy. Walking on, he followed what appeared to be a path, lost in his thoughts and almost oblivious to his surroundings. Twigs snapped under his feet, echoing in the stillness, and a startled squirrel looked up from its midday meal as he passed; but his awareness had already retreated inside himself and he noticed none of this. After ten minutes his breathing was somewhat labored although his pace had not increased, and a small bead of sweat formed at his temple. Entering a clearing, he paused and cocked his head as if straining to hear something, then slowly turned in a circle, looking, his breathing coming in shallow gasps. The old man's hands went to his temples. In the center of the clearing was a large rock, its surface polished by the force of a rushing river dried up for millennia, even before the emergence of the forest. The sun, shining brightly through an opening in the canopy overhead, reflected off the myriad flecks of mineral embedded in the rock. Bright light dazzled the eyes and he squinted, his hands still pressed to his temples, as the light expanded and filled his field of vision, then seemed to enter his very being, blinding him, suffusing through his brain, intertwining with his memories, flowing, expanding, taking over. His lips parted but no word was spoken.
He remained standing there for some time, he had no idea how long, but he thought that it must have been quite a while, because when the voices of his grandchildren roused him, his muscles and joints felt quite stiff, particularly that knee that had been bothering him recently. The scurrying sound of their little feet now reached his ears, and in a second the two children popped into view in front of him.
"Grand pop, why are you crying?" asked Lauren.
"Did you lose some thing?" chimed in little David. "I cried when I lost Mr. Wiggles."
He put his hand to his face and felt the moisture from the silent tears of which he was unaware. A female voice sounded behind him. "Grand pa was just remembering some sad times. He'll be OK, won't you, Larry?" She reached up and put her hand tenderly on his shoulder, and as she did so her short hair lifted to reveal two small circular scars on her neck, their pale color contrasting with the adjacent tanned skin.
He turned to his wife and embraced her. She was the one person who could always lead him from his nightmares and banish the gloom. "Yes, I'm OK."
"I always said you were." They kissed. The children giggled.
"They're always kissing. I hope I'm not like that when I grow up," squealed David.
Maria shivered as the chill of the forest enveloped her, and she took hold of Larry's hand as they strolled out of the woods. When they emerged onto the meadow, Larry put his arm around her waist. "Larry," she said as the warmth from the midday sun warmed them, "isn't it nicer out here?"
End
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
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