Read the tease:
When she arrived
home, he was in his usual place on the patio. It was an exceptionally dark
night. The moon was covered with dense cloud. Rain fell in huge drops. He heard
the Land Rover long before she pulled into her path and parked. Jasper heard
her humming. She went through her front door. If she had been to a hide
somewhere other than in the local area she was home early, he decided. He
listened to the sound of her making a hot drink in her kitchen. He smiled. He
couldn’t stop smiling. The sound of her voice flowed over him. It trickled into
his mind and heart, lifting his spirits, and giving him hope.
Jasper stood
silently by the holly tree and close to the biggest potted trees. One of them
was shaped into a ball. He liked that. When the conservatory door opened and
Claudie stepped out, he froze in the darkness and the shadow of the holly. The
house security lights had recently failed on that side of the wall, but she was
silhouetted in the glow from the working lights by the other side of the door.
Jasper watched
her sniff the night air. He saw her expression. She looked puzzled. Then she
was walking towards him. He tried to melt further into the shadows.
She picked up a
garden fork that leaned against the house wall and held it out in front of her.
The row of metal prongs looked lethal.
“I can see you.
Who are you? What do you want? You have ten seconds to beat it, buddy, and then
I scream for my husband.”
Jasper’s
surprise pinned him to the spot. She can see me. How is that possible? Unless,
unless, she is the one.
He saw her
hesitate. He knew there was no husband, and now she must be deciding he’d
called her bluff. If she could see him, then maybe she’d be able to hear him
too.
“I’m sorry. I
was only taking shelter from the rain for a few minutes. I don’t mean any
harm.” He held out his hands by his sides in a gesture meant to convey that he
was harmless.
She raised the
garden fork a little as if his movement scared her.
He bent his head
and his shoulders drooped. “I’m really no threat. I’ll leave, if you let me
pass.”
She put down the
garden fork. “What are you doing out here? There’s nothing around for miles.
The road leads nowhere.”
Jasper edged
sideways to leave. His thoughts tumbled in his head. A weight of sadness
threatened to force tears from his eyes. He could only just bear the thought
that she was afraid of him. He stuttered. “I…I’m lost.”
Claudie looked
at him intently. He saw her frown.
“I can call you
a cab. Where are you going?”
He shook his
head. “No. I’ll walk back along the lane to the road.” Jasper moved, this time
more quickly.
Claudie stepped
back, but called. “Wait. You’re drenched. I can’t see anyone just wander off
into the night like that.”
Jasper’s heart
contracted. He wished he’d met her in the day, on the road, or somewhere she
wouldn’t decide he was a threat. She could be the one and he loved her. His
stomach ached with sorrow. He turned and in a burst of speed, he fled. A mist
of spruce perfume hit Claudie and she stared after him.
He stopped at
the bottom of the garden and looked back. She was inside, locking the door and
he could see she still had the garden fork leaning against her hip in
readiness. She’d taken it in for a weapon. He shook his head. How strange, he’d
watched her all summer, and she’d shown no sign of knowing he was there. What
alerted her to his presence this night? He felt desolate. He leapt the box that
hedged the back of her garden and ran the length of the field.
****
At her bedroom
window, Claudie saw a blue glow flashing through the rain. She stared out into
the darkness. She pressed close to the glass, and as her eyes adjusted to the
darkness, she could see the puddles on her garden path. They too had a weird
blue glow. She shook her head.
There was
something strange about the man on her patio. He reeked of the forest. She
wondered if he was homeless and lived there. Maybe the rain drove him out
tonight to stand under the roof overhang.
Claudie took a
shower and went to bed.
A line from a review of Forever Blue, because I love this comment, it's one of the best things ever said I think. (smiles)
"Wait until you find out what, 'Forever Blue' means."
Aww, another heart wrenching teaser. What is he and if she can see him, what is she?
ReplyDeleteOh, the story sounds to be going to be very sad. :'(
ReplyDeleteVery nice snippet, Elodie. I completely felt his joy in the opening section and then at the end I was very intrigued, just like Jasper, to know what had alerted her to his presence on this night.
ReplyDelete"He reeked of the forest." short but to the point description. Nice! Thanks for sharing a peek into your story. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope these two will find their happy ending. I'm most intrigued :-)
ReplyDeleteI really like the visual of Claudie staring at the glow through her window at night. Great tease!
ReplyDeleteYou've definitely got my attention. Now I'm wondering about the blue glow!
ReplyDelete