The Stranger

A short story

The move from everyday suburbia to a sleepy rural village was beginning to have an adverse effect on Lily, although she knew in her heart that the enforced change was one that could not be avoided.  

 Mum had retreated to her safe-haven that only the happiest of childhood memories could secure. Surely, this would bring her the solace that she deserved, as the poison that is cancer slowly taking her already ebbing life away.  

It had only been a couple of days and Lily’s thoughts were turning to those of a stereotypical 17-year-old girl, boys, fashion, magazines, music and of course boys. 

                 A far cry from the girl thrown into an austere adult world, with all its ugliness, helpless events and unjust consequences. These thoughts seemed selfish in the extreme but came as a necessary escape, and Lily was allowing herself that little luxury for the time being.  

The smell of lush grass and blooming scent filled flowers burst through Lily’s open bedroom window, as if tempting her outside to an awaiting dalliance, or so she would wish. 

Long brunette locks trailing in the warm summer breeze, Lily was about to swap her unexciting existence for emancipated escapism. She walked for a straight sixty minutes to the end of a narrow undulating bridle path which opened to reveal a splendid lake, not vast in size yet aesthetically pleasing to the eye. As she walked closer, the sound of the fish breaking the surface grew louder.  

The sun had lowered and the sky painted an array of pink, orange and yellow. On the distant horizon the moon was telling her that twilight was not far away. Still it was warmer now than when she left home and the breath-taking view was, for a short while, eclipsing her thoughts of the imminent change to her life. 

As Lily lay amongst the vibrant blue and purple flowers that seemed to stretch as far as her eyes could see, she realised once again that for all the beauty that surrounded her, she was still lonely, isolated and fearful of something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Lily slowly closed her eyes and drifted off with her happier thoughts, as time drifted too. An age could have passed unnoticed. Lily stretched out before opening her eyes, however, as she did, she let out a scream befitting the most chilling of horror films. 

Through blurry eyes struggling to focus, a towering figure stood over her slowly became visible and gradually appeared more amiable than had first struck her. In a matter of seconds, this sinister, rampant assailant was fast assuming a page from one of her glossy magazines. Tall, broad shouldered, with a mop of dark hair and heavy brows that were offset by his boyish grin and oh my god…sapphire blue eyes. Attracted to him…there was no doubt whatsoever in Lily’s mind.  

Moving backwards awkwardly, trying to put some sort of moral decency between them, she nearly fell over a couple of times - causing slight embarrassment, but to all intents and purposes it was to better her vision of this perfect looking stranger.