by Paul Rice
In no time at all they were back out on the porch, swigging cold beer and laughing at Red as he danced around the courtyard with his new boots on. “Yeehaaaw – I’m a real farmer now, look at my fancy new boots, they is gonna last me fer years and years!” He was so pleased, almost overcome, with the gift Jane had presented to him that the young man had fallen to his knees in front of her.
Seeing him kneeling there with tears running down his face had almost made Jane cry herself. “Ahh, Red, honey… it’s only a pair of boots, sweetheart, don’t cry. A man like you needs a good pair of boots on his feet?” Red had leaned forward and hugged Jane as she sat on the chair. Even when he was kneeling, the young giant was still taller than her sitting height.
Strangely, and unbeknownst to the others, as he placed the boots over his bare feet, Red felt the man inside of him break free from the child he had been for nearly sixteen years. He cast off the shackles of all that he was and their weight dragged the Demon of his future with them. As the chains slunk into his past, rattled their nasty way downwards, Red became the man he was supposed to be. Right in front of his friends, Red became a man and they never even saw it. Not yet they didn’t. He stood and smiled down at their happy caring faces and ran onto the courtyard to begin his antics. In amongst his joy and new found manhood, Red never realised a certain fact, a well known fact, one which states: ‘Demons know of more ways than one, in which to skin a cat!’ How could he have known, he’d only just become a man and he never saw it coming.
George did, though. He had been a man for a while, a long, long while, and he knew a lot of facts, too. He saw this particular one coming quite clearly, he saw it driving through the night, and he heard the grinding gears and straining engine. George saw and heard it all, but there wasn’t a blasted thing he could do about it. Events were in full flow and the wheel was turning. They had laid their bets and now it was the croupier’s turn to call the shots. No going back, ever, not for anyone. Not in this dimension. In truth, George had only recently begun to wonder if perhaps there really was a God, after all. The experience with Jane and her father had made them all think, and think hard. They were unsure as to the exact cause of the strange event because Jane’s reaction to the dream, her almost impossible return from the darkness, had baffled them. Yes, George was currently plum out of ideas. As he sat in the dark of his worried loneliness, the old man talked to whomever and whatever ‘God’ was. He prayed long and he prayed hard. In the soft blue glow of his workstation, George prayed out loud: “Please, God!”
Perhaps George managed to get a direct line to him – God – or maybe he simply got lucky or something, eh? You know, the heavenly switch-board, so usually jammed with calls, suddenly lighting up with George’s own personal number.
‘Brrr-Brrr… Brrr-Brrr…’
‘Click’
‘Hello… God speaking…’
Perhaps that’s exactly what did happen. Then again, perhaps there’s never been any such thing as God, and all George was doing was consoling himself with his own inner strength – fighting his own Demon with positive thoughts? Either way, it was later that night, after having had a quiet meal with her grandmother, when a certain young lady began dreaming again. She had gone to bed early for a change and had fallen asleep almost instantly. Tori hadn’t dreamed for quite a while. It was the usual dream and she felt comfortable with it, all was as normal, just the same little dream where she walked through the familiar long grasses as they grew upon the luscious plains of her, regular, dream world. However, this time she saw a lake and also an apple tree. Beneath the apple tree there were two men, both were tall, she couldn’t see quite who was the taller as one of the men was lying down and seemed to be very still. Tori could still see that he was tall, though, she knew he was… she knew him. The girl had been in this place many times before and she had never seen anyone else here, the men’s presence was a surprise to her as this had always been her own, secret place, a place where she wandered alone through the long grasses, merely walking and looking with no other sound or sensations. She’d never been sure as to why exactly she was here, or even what she was looking for? Tori knew every inch of this place and had never seen that tree before, or the lake, and she’d certainly never seen the men. Tori had always been alone in this place, coldly alone. But tonight was different, tonight she could see the men as clear as day and most strangely of all, she felt them, a strange sensation filled her mind, it was as though they were pulling her. She felt drawn to them. As she turned to face them, the girl heard the sound of the man, the one who was standing, crying out in anguish. It was a sound of terrible mourning, or perhaps pain, and came from deep within him. As Tori heard his cry erupting into the violet sky swirling above them, the girl knew that she had to go to him, she must go… She looked up and then started to run towards him. As she did so, the tree began to shed its fruit and dozens of small red apples began to fall like hailstones. They rained down, hitting the ground and then bursting into splashes of light… like Roman candles… little fountains of sorrowful green light. The standing man turned towards her and she saw him more clearly, he was carrying a shovel. Tori stopped as she saw him dig it into the ground and then stand upright, leaving it impaled beneath the tree, the handle of the tool looked like a makeshift burial cross and she shivered at the sight. Then she felt him pull on her mind again and without being able to stop herself, Tori began to move towards him once more. She knew him, too, she felt sure that she did. He was the one who they had all waited for, the unknown one, the one who all the different worlds had been fighting to change. He was the one whom she had dreamed of, imagined and yet never seen. Tori’s great grandfather had told her that this was to be her time, the time to make a change, the time for sacrifice, the time for giving…
She knew all of those things and the undecipherable knowledge filled her soul with fear, yet Tori still ran towards the man, ran like the wind, her long, silken legs racing across the grassy field, white tennis shoes barely touching the earth beneath her – she couldn’t stop herself. Tori ran towards him, that beautiful jet-black hair soaring out behind her head like a shimmering wedding veil.
As she approached him, she called out: “Who are you, is that you… are you the one, hello?” She felt the fear grow within her chest, it made her hands feel heavy and she looked down, expecting to see them turning to stone. There was nothing there to be seen except the blackness of her dream, a thick darkness accompanied by a deep chuckling noise, an awful sound of rusty metal that echoed through her mind. Suddenly she had the almost physical sensation of having run into a wall – thick, impassable, and made of glass.
Tori looked through the invisible barrier and watched. She saw the man fall to his knees underneath the apple tree and kneel in the grass, he remained there, kneeling and waiting for her – kneeling and screaming. Tori knew that she could go no further, not yet, not in this dream. Not tonight.
Later would be the time for her to go, and go she would.
Gladly, she would.
Chapter 26 - Soul Mates
It wasn’t too many days, which passed, before the two women visited the farm. With a squeal of worn brake pads, Maggie’s red Mazda eased to a halt on the dry forecourt. Jane heard the sound and made her way outside from where she had been finishing one of the paintings. She and Red had been doing a scene of the mountains and it was coming along rather nicely. He was the ideal student as his natural talent and untarnished view of the world allowed his imagination to run free. If the truth be told, it was he who taught Jane more than she managed to get across to him. His was an amazing talent and together they fed each other a constant stream of ideas. There was already a nice little crop of finished paintings and sketches stacked neatly by the window. Stepping onto the porch, Jane held her hand up to guard against the warm glare of the mid-morning sun as it flooded across the house. Maggie gave the horn of her car a little toot and after she had ratcheted the handbrake on, the old woman climbed from the Mazda, waited for Tori
, and then made her way over to the house with the young woman in tow. Jane beckoned them up the stairs and pulled two chairs into the shade of the canopy. “Hi girls!” she said. “Oh lovely, some female company at last, I was beginning to wonder if you two were going to let me down?” She laughed and asked if they would like a cool drink.
Shortly afterwards, she rejoined them on the porch and placed a large jug of fresh lemonade and three glasses onto the table. “There we go ladies – Red and I made it this morning. He’s got quite a talent for things like that!” She said, and poured them all a long, cool drink.
Maggie was the first to break their pleasant silence. “So, what do you know, Jane – how are things here on the farm?” She leaned forward and placed her empty glass back on the table. Looking around at the tidy courtyard and the dazzling white walls of the house, she commented: “My-my, you guys have sure made some changes around here, just look at those flowers Tori, my dear!” Tori nodded and smiled.
Jane looked at her and was breath taken by her beauty once more. Breaking away from Tori’s gaze, she answered Maggie. “Yes we have and it’s been so much fun – come on, let me show you around, you’ll love it!” Jane stood and waited for the other two to join her on the grand tour. The old house never let her down.
Maggie, who hadn’t been out to the place for: “At least ten years…” could hardly believe her eyes. “You have done such a wonderful job, Jane… yes, my goodness, a wonderful job! It’s just what that poor boy needed, exactly what he needed!” She looked at Jane and smiled warmly.
Tori loved the place. “It feels like… like home?” She said to them. “I can smell the country, the earth and the lake, too, it has got a lake hasn’t it, Jane?” She looked down as if expecting to see the expanse of water in question, suddenly appearing between her feet. Looking up sheepishly, she laughed and said, “Why, I do believe that I may be losing my mind, it must be this fine country air which seems to have gone straight to my head…” She shook that head and Jane saw the sun glisten off the ebony locks as they jumbled on the girl’s shoulders.
They continued with the guided tour and spent a long time looking at the artwork that Jane and Red had completed. Maggie asked if she could buy a few of the pieces; Jane smiled and told her to take her pick. “If ever I’m down on my luck, Maggie, then you can repay me in kind?” Maggie laughed and spent a few moments choosing her favourites with Tori. After making a cup of coffee in the kitchen, the three women retired back to the porch once more.
As they sat in the warm, flower scented breeze, they heard the sound of men’s voices drifting up from the fields below, and Red’s braying laugh as it reached out to the house. “Here comes trouble, I expect they’ll need a drink?” Jane said, and stood up. “The boys have been out since dawn ‘fixing fences and things’ well, that’s their story, but it’s more likely that they’ve been fishing and messing about!” She left the two women for a while before returning with a recharged jug of the cool lemonade. Jane was just in time to see the back gate opening and she stood and watched as the men passed through it. Her guests watched too – Tori never took her eyes off Red. He was the last one through the gate, and after closing it behind him he turned back towards the house and looked up at the veranda. It was then Jane felt it, absolutely one hundred percent she felt it. The immediate link that flashed between Tori and Red was so tangible it may as well have been a bolt of brilliant, white lightning. Red stood stock still for a moment and looked at her over the heads of the two men that walked towards the house in front of him. Red, as Jane had done earlier, placed one hand above his eyes to shield them, and then stood there and gazed at the dark haired girl who sat calmly on the porch. If Jane hadn’t known better, she would have sworn she heard him say: “It’s you ain’t it – you’re the one. I know you…” But it wasn’t possible, he was a least fifty yard’s away and as far as she knew, Red never seen the girl before.
Tori’s movement broke the spell as she rose to her feet and moved to the front of the veranda. Mike stepped lightly up the stairs; he was followed closely by Ken who was clutching two dead wild fowl in his hand. They reminded Jane of pheasants, or guinea fowl, but not quite, they were bigger and had deep ruby coloured feathers inlaid amongst the brown. He laid them on the floor and leant the twelve-gauge against the wall. “Well,” he said. “This is nice little gaggle of trouble makers if ever I saw one!” He smiled at Maggie and then both he and Mike were introduced to Tori. She hardly noticed them and her eyes kept slipping to one side, the side where Red was approaching from.
“Tori my dear – Tori…!”
Maggie clapped her hands once and Tori snapped out of the trance, which she had been sharing with Red. “Oh, I’m sorry, it’s just that…” She looked at the men and then stepped forward to shake hands with first Ken, and then Mike. “So, you’re the saviours I’ve heard so much about?” She looked down at Maggie. “My grandma has told me all about you – it’s a fine thing you’ve done here, both for the farm and also for my…” She paused to alter her sentence “That you’ve done for Red…” As she spoke, the young man in question approached the porch. Red climbed the wooden steps and then paused at the top tread.
“Hi y’all, Missus Jones, its real fine to see you ma’am, and…”
He stopped and looked Tori. The static between them became almost audible. Then, as if startled into action, Red said to her: “Hi to you too, ma’am, I’m Dwayne – Dwayne Tolder ma’am. But most o’ my friends call me by the name o’ Red?”
Tori stepped towards him. “So I’ve heard – Red it shall be then! I’m sure that we will be friends, too. Oh, I’m Tori, by the way.” Red took the last of the stairs and joined her on the veranda.
Jane had the distinct impression that she, along with Maggie, Ken and Mike, had suddenly been transferred to a cinema where they were just about to witness a sneak preview of a forthcoming blockbuster. They were excluded from this dimension, this moment, a slice of time that only existed for Red and Tori. They watched as the two young adults touched for the first time. If she had been expecting clap of thunder, or that bolt of white lightning, perhaps, then Jane would have been sadly disappointed. The only thing which did happen, as Tori and Red touched hands, was a deep reddening of the young man’s neck. They all saw it flush upwards and settle just below his ears. That’s all, no pyrotechnics or flashing lights, just a long, deep pause – during which the sound of a pin dropping would have as loud as a lump hammer striking an anvil. The one thing, which Jane did notice, was the large flock of starlings suddenly rise into the air in the far distance. They swirled above the tree line for a few moments and then, almost as one, soared into the air in a seething black cloud before turning and heading south. The two young adults disengaged from their handshake and stood looking at each other for a few moments. For a moment it had almost looked as though they may have been quite content to stay there all night, perhaps all week, or maybe just forever… Whatever the time span would have been, it was broken by Jane: “Right then,” she said. “Who would care for some refreshments?”
Red looked up and smiled at her and Tori returned to her previous position on the chair next to her grandmother. Red said he was going to get cleaned up and went to join the other two men in the kitchen.
It was a bit later when, between them, they decided their guests should stay for some food, “Are you sure, we don’t want to be of any trouble, my dear?” Maggie’s concerns were laid to rest when Jane laughed and handed her the salad knife.
“You peel and I’ll chop!” She said, and turned to the fridge to pick out the fresh produce.
Mike lit some kindling in the metal barbeque stand, which he had made during the week, and in no time at all the old oil drum was smouldering nicely. Red and Tori were still hanging around on the veranda and as he tramped up the stairs, to get some more charcoal for the fire, Mike said, “Why don’t you two clear off for a bit, there’s nothing happening here just yet, and anyway, you look like you’ve got ants in your pan
ts!” He grinned at their relieved faces. “Hey Red, why don’t you take Tori out on the Harley, it could do with a good run?” He said, and nodded towards the barn.
Not waiting for a second invitation, Red grabbed Tori’s hand and with a wide grin, flew down the steps and headed for the barn with the girl in tow – moments later the two of them popped and banged their way out of the barn. Hearing the commotion, Jane joined Mike on the veranda and together they watched as Red wobbled down to the gate. Tori dismounted expertly and lifted the latch. She waited until Red had passed through and then closed the gate behind them. Just before she turned back to the bike, Tori looked up at Mike and Jane saw her mouth the words: “Thank you!” Mike waved and Tori waved back as though they had known each other for ever. The girl turned, and with the ease of an expert, vaulted straight onto the pillion seat. Red twisted the throttle and with the sound of laughter, and a few misfires, they clattered off towards the lake. Mike and Jane waved again and stood watching them until they had disappeared.
Mike grinned once more and then turned back to the smoking fire. He and Red had spent hours getting the old bike into some kind of working order, it had lain under an old tarpaulin for years and Red said that he doubted it would ever start? Mike had told Red not to worry about it and then Red had watched in wonderment as Mike did his thing. By that night, the Australian had the bike running and had also shown Red how to ride – the two of them puttering around the courtyard like school kids. There had a couple of things on the bike that still needed sorting out, but Mike had said it was good enough for now. He appeared to have been right, because at present, Red and Tori seemed to be making the very best of his efforts.