Girl In The Red Coat

by Gemma Owen-Kendall

‘Be careful out there and if you walk down the old railway please keep to the footpath. Oh, that lovely Ben dropped in your college work this morning.’

  ‘Well, I’ll have to find him to thank him. I guess I owe him a lot for what he has done for me.’

  I gave Grandma a quick hug and kiss on the cheek and walked out to the back garden to say bye to Granddad but he was deep in his ritual meditation, so I didn’t bother him. I would see him later on that evening for dinner when my parents visited. I hadn’t seen them in a week and was looking forward to catching up. Walking out around the passageway to the front gate that took me to the main road, I headed for the old overgrown railway route. Maybe there’d be clues as to what had happened to me, or perhaps I’d remember once there. The weather had changed from when I was last outside, the sky overfilled with grey clouds and a wind that blew so strongly that my hood on the red coat would not stay over my head. I approached the opening of the old railway pathway and paused, I took a deep breath to prepare myself for what might be and hoped to seek some answers.

  I was also longing for Ben to appear.

  I started to walk again but at a slow pace, the wind howling through the overgrown trees and grass. I tried to hold the hood up on my red coat. As well as the strong wind, I still felt quite weak from my episode, but I was not going to give in. And I was determined to find Ben. Up ahead I saw a shadowy figure heading in my direction. I carried on walking. I hoped it was him. Just a few steps further and I would have had a clearer vision to see who it was, then something caught the corner of my eye. Ruffled up on the overgrown vegetation was what looked like some material, an item of clothing that was screwed up and damp as though someone had tried to hide it. I knelt down to investigate, the damp substance felt awful onto my fingertips and bits of brown leaves and grass clung onto it. I unravelled it and saw it was a t-shirt, but it was ripped apart. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was the t-shirt Daniel was wearing the last time I’d seen him along this walkway. I dropped it back onto the ground where I had found it and looked along the path to see if the person was still ahead of me. But they’d disappeared and feeling disappointed I decided to just carry on walking in the hopes I would find more clues as to why I had lost a week of my life when I last was along this pathway.

  I figured I’d check out where this person had just been; something inside me told me it was Ben. I so wanted to see him. I liked him, I really liked him a lot, especially because of the encounter I’d with him by the lockers when he took me by surprise. He had intrigued me from that first time I’d seen him looking at me through the doors, watching me dancing. But there was Daniel, who I also liked. Yet since the dream about him being a wolf I felt a bit off towards him like I should avoid him. I knew this would be a difficult task especially that we were doing the same course and so he was in all my classes and we had started a project together, as well. I would keep my cool and make sure to never be alone with Daniel and ensure all rehearsals were carried out in college and in the dance studio, preferably with other people around. If there was always someone close by and I was in a situation where I felt uncomfortable… But then Daniel was so kind to me on the first day of college. And he had great friends who’d been nice to me too.

  The muscles in my body had not gained back their strength from this illness I’d apparently had. The wind blew stronger against the overgrown greenery and leaves fell down quicker from the trees. I held my hood up even tighter, but it was such a struggle for me. My vision started to become blurry. What was wrong with me? That morning I was feeling so much better but walking along this pathway, something had struck me again. I would not give up though, I was determined to find out what was going on.

  ‘Grace.’

  I heard my name being called; the voice was male and familiar.

  ‘Grace, please turn back, it’s not safe.’

  Where was the voice coming from? I chose to ignore this warning and carried on walking with the strength I had left in me. The more steps I took the more drained I became and the more blurred my vision was.

  ‘Grace, please stop. You look so unwell.’

  ‘I’m fine, leave me alone, whoever you are,’ I yelled back. ‘If you cared you would show yourself.’

  ‘Grace, I do care but for your own safety I can’t be near you, not yet anyway.’

  ‘Fine, play hard to get, I don’t care anyway. Ben, I know it’s you.’

  ‘Please Grace, don’t be like that. I do care I really do, I just can’t let you near me. For your own safety please stop and go back.’

  I was not giving in, I wanted to see him and whatever his warning was it did not put me off. I would carry on walking and get to the other side of this pathway. In the distance I saw a blurry figure approaching towards me. Was it Ben? I couldn’t really tell as my vision was so blurred now, and my head became heavy.

  ‘Grace is that you?’ Another familiar male voice.

  ‘Erm yes, it is me. Daniel is that you?’

  He approached me very quickly, too quickly but at the time I was not with it enough to realise.

  ‘Grace, are you ok? You don’t look well at all,’ he sounded so concerned.

  ‘I will be fine. I have to get to the other side and head into town.’

  ‘Well let me walk along with you to ensure you’re ok.’

  For a moment I froze, feeling on edge and remembering the dream about Daniel and how he’d almost taken my innocence from me.

  Oh, get a grip, it was only a dream… I thought to myself. How can humans become wolves?

  I laughed out loud to myself, not realising that Daniel was in ear shot. He probably thinks I am such a loser right now laughing to myself and looking like I’m at death’s door.

  ‘Does my kindness humour you, Grace?’

  ‘Oh sorry, no not at all. I was thinking I must look ridiculous in front of you right now.’

  ‘No you don’t. You still look just as beautiful since the first day I saw y…’

  He stopped himself, like he’d never wanted to mention that at all. I was touched by this compliment as I had never had anyone tell me that I was beautiful before. It was like all my worry about him had just vanished and I felt towards him as I had on the day we first met. My feelings for Ben vanished for this moment in time. How could I be so fickle? For now, Daniel was all I wanted to think about. It was as if he’d suddenly cast a spell on me and I just wanted him to kiss me. I gazed into his sky-blue eyes for a brief moment and felt myself drawing closer to him. However, the drained feeling still struck through every ounce of my body, my head was spinning like I was on a merry-go-round and I felt an acid reflux spike my throat. The burning sensation was unbearable, and I had no choice but to throw up. The orangey substance that came out of my mouth burnt the back of my throat. I just couldn’t look at Daniel in the face, I was so embarrassed. Luckily, he seemed to have vanished without a trace. This struck me as odd, but I was too sick to consider it fully as I collapsed to the ground. Through my blurred vision, I could just about make out the clouds that had filled the sky, leaving no opening for the sun to appear through. Everywhere looked dull and grey but I was not sure if this was really the weather or because I couldn’t see clearly.

  The strong feelings that I’d had for Daniel during our brief encounter had gone again. I did not want to see him again. It was Ben I wanted right then. But was he avoiding me? Was he trying to warn me to go home just to keep me away from Daniel? Gazing up at the sky I wondered why they didn’t seem to like each other. The incident by the lockers when Ben tried to kiss me, then nearly getting into a fist fight over me... It was just a harmless kiss that I wanted from Ben at that moment in time, just as I had wanted from Daniel a moment before. I figured that liking boys was too complicated. Maybe I should just stick to keeping myself to myself really. I was not one for superstitions yet I’d had nothing but trouble since I’d met them.

  Still gazing up at what I could make out of the sky, I hadn’t realised someone had knelt down by my side.<
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  ‘Grace, are you ok?’

  I recognised the voice instantly, of all the people it had to be it was him, it had to be Ben. Was it not actually him who’d run away from me before?

  Again, his soothing voice spoke to me. ‘Grace, please answer me, are you ok?’

  As much as I wanted to answer him back, I couldn’t find my voice, I just didn’t have the strength in me to speak. What had come over me? He tried to look me in the eye but still my vision was unclear, and I couldn’t return his gaze. I felt his hands touch my cheeks then he placed a hand onto my forehead.

  ‘Oh no, Grace, please stay with me, follow my voice and stay with me. I knew I shouldn’t have let Daniel go near you. What has he done to you?’

  Far as I knew Daniel had not done anything to me. What could Ben be on about? I felt him collect me up into his arms and cradle me whilst walking along the pathway. Then again, I must have passed out.

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  I opened my eyes into an unfamiliar room. My gaze saw a candle, burning on a windowsill and the orange flame danced gracefully throwing the smell of toasted marshmallows into the air. The next thing I saw was a framed picture of a white wolf and next to the wolf was a silhouette of red; it looked like a red cloak, worn by a young girl. This illustration of Red Riding Hood drew my eyes to it and I found it impossible to look away. There was not a speck of dust on the glass that protected the picture. The girl was holding onto the wolf like she needed protection and he was her guardian, as if she feared someone or something just out of sight. I wanted to get even closer to the picture and touch it. I could feel what this young girl was feeling and thought that maybe if I touched it, I would get the same reassurance that she herself craved from the wolf. As I tried to move, my body would not allow me the strength to do so. My focus moved on to other areas of the room I was in. The bed I had been placed on was so comfy and spacious, there was enough room for some else to lay by my side. The duvet had cocooned over me nicely. I was that comfortable I had not noticed I was wearing next to nothing. Where was I and who did this room belong to? I opened my mouth to yell out but still no words cam. My eyes became heavy again and I tried to fight off the tiredness that struck me, but it was no use, my body gave in and I had slipped into another deep sleep.

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  I opened my eyes and I was back in the snow of my previous dream. I was wearing my favourite red coat with the hood up, gazing up into the sky to look at the snowflakes falling down upon me, one landing right on the tip of my nose. I felt the coldness of the snowflake upon my face and then as it melted against the warmth of my skin. A slight shiver ran through me. Then, there was a male figure before me. It was Ben and this time he was not acting strangely towards me or keeping his distance from me as he had been on the pathway. He was standing in clear view right in front of me with a slight smile on his face as if he was also happy to see me. He wore a thick, black coat and snow boots.

  ‘Ben, I can’t believe this, you are actually right here in front of me.’

  ‘Hello Grace.’ He spoke to me so softly

  ‘What is this place Ben? I’ve been here before with you.’

  ‘This is the realm between our world and the spirit world. There is so much you need to know Grace, but at the moment you are not ready for it.’

  ‘Ready for what? I don’t understand, what is happening with me?’

  ‘Shh, you will know someday, I promise.’

  He moved in closer and put his arms out. I fell straight into his warmth and let him hold me for a moment. Calmed, I did not want this moment to end. Even if this place was not where we needed to stay, I was glad to have Ben there with me at this moment in time and to not be so alone. I wanted him to kiss me, I wanted to be with Ben whether it was real or not, if it was our world or the spirit world, he was going to be the first guy I ever properly developed a relationship with, I wanted him to be my first. I tilted my head back to look right into his face. He was gazing into my eyes and he had such a smile that it made me go weak at the knees. I had no idea why one moment I was caring so much for Daniel then the next it was Ben, but both seemed to be playing hard to get. He did not move in to kiss me. Then he broke from our embrace and he just ran away. I shouted after him.

  ‘Ben! What are you doing? Please come back! Please don’t run away from me!’

  I dropped to my knees onto the wet, cold and snowy ground. I could not understand why one moment he was caring and affectionate towards me then suddenly just vanished. I let the tears fall down my face, then a feeling of anger hit me. What goes through a guy’s head? Why do guys play so hard to get? Letting out an almighty scream, I screamed so high and so hard that I felt the veins through my body tighten and surface, I screamed that much that I struggled to breathe, then became light-headed and collapsed further into the snowy ground. I just wanted to be swallowed up. I didn’t care right now if I was to be taken onto the spirit world. I closed my eyes and just waited to see what would happen next.

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  The next time I opened my eyes I was back in my room at my Grandparent’s house. Had I been in that other room at all or was that part of my dream? Climbing out of bed I looked at my phone. I had messages from my Mum asking how I was doing and if I was any better. There were also messages from Daniel apologising for leaving me when I was sick and then a message from a number that was not recognised on my phone. It was from someone saying they were sorry, sorry for everything. I chose not to respond back to anyone for the time being as my head still felt fuzzy from having slept so much. Then there was a knock on the door.

  ‘Grace, are you awake?’

  ‘Yes Grandma, I’m awake.’

  ‘Can I come in, please?’

  ‘Yes, you may enter.’

  Grandma opened the bedroom door without the sound of a creak, a deep look of concern on her face. Again, it struck me how young she looked. There were hardly any lines, wrinkles or crow’s feet upon her face. Her skin looked fresh, clean and silky all the time but she never had much colour on her cheeks; she was just pale, like snow. She sat on the edge of my bed and I slowly sat up to face her properly. I could tell there was something on her mind, like she wanted to tell me something but was unsure how to. I placed my unbrushed hair behind my ears to help me focus on what she was about to say to me. She looked around the room first of all, I think she knew I was a bit of a typical teenager as there were things around my room that looked untidy and out of place, even my clothes I had last worn were scattered on the floor. I felt quite embarrassed about the state of the room, so I started to bring myself up off the bed. I thought it would be a struggle, but all my strength had again returned to me. I felt like my own self again, ready to be up and about, no longer drained or weak. I got the feeling that my Grandma coming into the room had injected me with energy, as crazy as that might sound.

  ‘Grace, I am sorry to sound like your mother, but you really need to be careful with yourself. Every time you take the shortcut to college you come back home really sick, you must be allergic to something down there.’

  Her voice sounded straight to the point, but there was something else. I got the feeling that she was trying to hide another theory she might have as to why this alleyway made me so unwell. The text from Florence, my ancestor’s journal, flooded my mind. An old railway walkway… Strange things happening to Constantine and Magnus… a mysterious stranger they met who looked to be a Native American.

  ‘Gran? Is it ok if I read Florence’s journal again? I am feeling a little bit better and fancy reading something. I didn’t bring any books with me from home.’ I pretended as if I was simply trying to change the conversation.

  My Gran’s worried expression started to turn into a smile. I suppose she was relieved to hear me say I felt better.

  ‘Of course, I will fetch it for you. Oh, your teacher, Miss Hogg, she phoned me this morning just checking in to see how you are. She has kindly offered to give up her free time this weekend to have
a one-on-one tutorial session to catch you up. She mentioned something about a project for the upcoming Christmas show.’

  This news made me feel even better. It was so lovely of Miss Hogg to offer this. Even though I’d only had one lesson with her before getting poorly, I was determined to ensure I was going to put on an amazing routine for the show. I smiled.

  ‘I gather as you are starting to feel well, that I can tell Miss Hogg “yes” to this weekend?’ I nodded. ‘I shall call her and let her know. I will drop you off and pick you up as well, as I can’t be having you poorly again for the third time.’

  With my new-found strength, I wrapped my arms round her. I saw that my arms were looking a bit thinner than usual and put it down to the illness.

  I then remembered the different world I had gone to, the world between the land of the living and the spirit world. It had felt so real standing in the snow and feeling the snowflakes falling around me. I was wearing my red coat and standing with who I believed was Ben. Then I remembered the other guy who I believed was Daniel. It was as if he was evil because I remembered that when I’d kissed him, my body froze as though I was paralysed. A cold shiver went through me as I recalled the dream. It was like he’d tried to take away my innocence. The contents of the journal then flashed through my mind and I had a feeling like this was déjà vu.

  ‘Grace, are you ok?’

  ‘Yes, sorry, I’m still trying to adjust from being bed ridden.’

  ‘Oh, bless you my dear, I am sure you will be back to yourself in no time. I’ll go make you a nice cup of tea to see if that will help perk you up a bit more.’

  ‘Thank you, Gran.’

  ‘Right, I will phone Miss Hogg and get your Grandad to put the kettle on.’

  My Grandad always made lovely cups of tea, whenever someone was down or sad, he would always offer to make a cup of tea and believe it or not, they did always work. The simplest of things my Grandad offered to help make people better always worked. I still didn’t understand what it was about my grandparents that made them so special. I often wondered if what I read from the journal was actually all fact, if it really did happen and my Grandparents were the guardians of this century.