Mist
It was just like Rob to wait until the last minute, rather (the last drink). I hadn't wanted to come in the first place but, as usual he promised he wouldn't get drunk, as usual, he did, and as usual, I went for it..
So here I am driving through a thick soup. I stayed as close to the mountainside as I could. There was no one on the road,, that was good, no one behind me, that was even better because, I think I was doing twenty mph.
I looked at Rob, slumped over in the seat.. if it hadn't been so foggy, I would have pushed him out of the car and left him under a tree but, as it were, even drunk, I was glad he was there..
Ilooked at the area where the trees should have been...just shapes and outlines was all I could make out. They were like faint lines dancing in the air, nothing below or above..
The man came out of nowhere and even as slow as I was going, I had to slam the brakes.. He raised his hands in the air beckoning me to stop..I stopped just in front of him, my bumper almost touching him, I cracked my window and looked over at Rob..damn drunk.. what help was he? The man leaned down, his mouth close to the crack in the window.. I cringed, his breath was bad, that wasn't quite true, it was sickening, putrid, the only time I had smelled that, had been when I'd found a dead rat under my hot water heater... I pulled my head back and fought against the nausea that tried to overtake me. He stared at me for a moment and told me that there was something going on up ahead and we should follow him to safety, he said he had a hotel up the road a bit, and we were welcome..I didn't remember seeing a hotel on the way up and it had been clear.. I asked him what had happened.. he told me some people had been killed on the road up ahead.. said it was a couple and a man in a truck. He said for me to just follow the road and turn at the big tree, said I couldn't miss it, said make sure to turn left..he said I didn't want to go right..I turned around in my seat to look at Rob, I didn't know why.. when I looked back, the man was gone. I didn't know what to think about it, didn't know whether I should follow the mans advice or not.
I started driving again, seems I was driving even slower than before..
I almost hit the rock before I saw it..it sat in the middle of the road. just an outline in the mist but one moment of clarity, saved us. Just ahead, sat a huge tree, no outline, clear as water...the road split in front of it..On one side I could see the hotel I am sure belonged to the man with the foul breath, I swear it looked like bats flew around it..that was silly I knew but, it had an old porch with a swing, shutters on the windows, the door hung to one side, the trees looked like anorexic arms reaching into the air. It was dark, it looked cold, It made me afraid... On the other side, the hotel of my dreams, it was bright blue, three stories, all the rooms had french windows, there was a sparkling fountain in the front and a valet. There was no thinking on my part, I knew where I was going..
As I was manuevering my car around the huge rock, I turned my head and there was the man again.. He stared at me and wiped his eyes, he said I was turning the wrong way..he said I didn't want to go there.. that the hotel wasn't right for me.. he repeated, that I didn't want to go there, but, he was wrong, I did want to go there. Funny thing, there was something beseaching in his eyes, something that touched me. but the appearance of the hotel pushed those feelings to the bottom, I headed to the posh hotel.
I left Rob in the car, the valet looked at me with a raised eyebrow.. I told him he was drunk. he asked if I wanted him to help take Rob upstairs..I shrugged my shoulders, before leaving though, I took his wallet out of his pocket, why should I have to pay for the room.
I was welcomed so warmly.. the light was welcoming, the air was welcoming, no mist....There weren't many people in the lobby, those that were there, all were men, all had on black, don't know why I noticed that..
I had my head back, eyes closed, the water felt so good, I sipped the complimentary champagne took one of the complimentary strawberries, dipped it in the complimentary chocolate and ran my tongue over the fruit..I laughed as I thought about what Rob would say if he was able...After that nice hot bath, I was so drowsy, didn't think I was going to make it to the bed.. I lay across the bed, intending to close my eyes for a moment......
Rob still wasn't in the room.. I dressed and headed for the lobby..It was cold. There was mist...swirls, like smoke from a candle..wispy..it was sitting at the bottom of the stairs. I went down slowly.
The lobby had changed..yes it had changed..it was dark, cold, smelled of rotting wood and mildew. The mist sat on the floor. I couldn't call out, my voice wouldn't come, then I heard Rob oh god I was never so glad to hear a voice in my life, anyones voice! I moved towards the voice, I couldn't see him, the lobby was so gloomy it was hard to make out anything, there were others there, what had happened,, finding my voice I called back to Rob, I asked him what had happened.
The man touched my shoulder, I knew him, the same fetid breath assailed my nostrils.. I pulled back from him, he stared at me for a moment and, I thought I saw pity, sadness, then he spoke..
"I offered you safety, but you couldn't see beyond the outer shell, if you had looked closer, you would be alive now."
Before my eyes the world changed, it was as if I floated above, we weren't in the hotel anymore, we were on the road, in the mist. Rob and I were in the twisted mangled car, it was hanging precariously off the side of the road, the truck lay part on top of us and part on the ground, the driver was the third fatality..
The man floated next to me. "Don't feel bad, I have warned many and most have turned out the same" I asked him why, why didn't he just let them know, just tell them what was ahead.. He smiled at me "Think back, I did let you know.. this is, a test of sorts, to see how important life really is, not many pass" He blew me a kiss that swirled in the air, and disappeared.
Rain
Once she had been regaled. She had been the one they listened to, she predicted the rain, protected the crops, the animals and, their lives. But they had found the source of water,, it welled up from the ground. It was fresh and sweet,, there seemed to be an endless supply. So they left her, they ridiculed her, they pushed the memory of her, to the back of all they had learned, and in her anger she had cursed them...cursed them like God had cursed the ground in the bible. No rain until they gave her her rightful due.
Now they had a meeting,, they plotted against the old woman. Who was it to be? My draw, short straw….i placed my foot on the creaking stair.. the old porch was dilapidated and threatened to collapse under my weight. she sat in the old rocking chair, her hair white like snow, the eyes floating in the stew of cataracts. she was small very tiny,, her hands gripped the arms of the chair, her nails long and hooked like an eagles talons. she looked up at me and i was surprised at the strength in the voice.. “so boy,, they picked you” she cocked her head to the side. “i say this,, get on with it,,you will have sealed their fate” she turned her head.. i struck her….
The sky was cloudy,, it had clouded over the same day the old witch had died. you could hear rain, smell it but,, it didn’t touch the ground.. i walked to the edge of the village.. rain fell outside the perimeter,, none inside,, thunder rolled,, lightening, but no rain fell on them,, i looked around. it was like being under a large dome and i knew, i remembered. “you will have sealed their fate”
