Meeting

Hello my name is Amber Grace and I’m 16. I am about 5'6”, I have hazel eyes and long wavy dark hair. My Grandpa used to tell me I had lips made of rose petals from the first bloom in spring. I am about to tell you how my life went from normal to crazy. As they say, “Curiosity killed the cat.” Well, this cat came back... to start us off, we will go back about... lets say... 6 months. I am walking down an old dirt road with a Pepsi in hand, in Vermont. The smell of sweet white violets and red tulips is in the air. The sound of my feet, dragging lightly along the road, distracts me slightly as I get lost in my memories. Vivid memories of when my Grandpa and I used to walk down this road, on our way to catch frogs, bringing a half-smile to my lips. The mid-summer sun warms the path as I stroll to my favorite spot in the forest, kicking a small stone, gazing at the tall evergreens, and taking a sip of my favorite drink. My jeans a little muddy, my blackish brown hair in a high ponytail with my bangs loosely hanging over my left eye, wearing my favorite necklace... black lace with a little glass bottle hanging from the middle, brings me back in time to when I was innocent and pure, running through these woods dreaming of what kind of woman I would become. Coming around a bend in the path, I take the last swallow of my bubbly beverage. With the bubbles still slipping down my throat, I blink my eyes and out of nowhere a huge house appears. Seriously, out of no where! And well… it was more like a castle. “I don’t remember that being there.” I whisper softly to myself as I set my, now empty, can on a nearby tree stump.

 

    Curious, I start walking to the castle. As I get closer, I notice it’s decorated with black-eyed gargoyles. Their faces twisted in hideous glares and grimaces. Some had their wings stretched as if ready to fly, while others had them closed, hiding their body from the eye's of invaders. There is a black stretch limo out front, and a girl about my age standing in the fifth floor window, on the far right of the castle. As she slowly turns my way, I hide behind a tree hoping she doesn’t see me. Glancing back at the window to find the girl gone, I pick my pace up to a light jog and go around to inspect the back of the castle. Expecting foul odors to come from the castle, I am surprised to find it actually smells like rain. I can hear the dirt shuffle under my feet reminding me of childhood adventures and scary stories as I move back around to the front of the castle. I duck behind a rock I recognize from my childhood visits...but there was no castle then?... to get a better look at the ancient, massive oak doors. A shield with a huge two handed sword above it is carved deeply into the wood. “Now, those will be easy to open!” I think sarcastically as I stop in front of them.

 

      With a groan, I push on the door . The wood is rough against my hands and the doors are even heavier than I thought they would be. The hinges squeak and groan in protest as I get the door open just enough to slip inside. I look around in amazement. The whole room is lit by candles! There are Gothic-era portraits on the wall and I am sure one is of the girl I saw in the window! The carpets are a deep red with silver patterns of various long shapes in the middle. A dark maroon valet table sits about 4 feet away, against the wall, with white doilies randomly placed and two tall purple candles sitting at each end. There are several hall ways and a large stair case. I choose the last hallway on the right, walking until I come to a study. It smells musty, like an old library. I glance around and notice there are books from floor to ceiling! There are stairs and ladders, even a few half-hidden places to sit. As I walk to look at the magnificent, stained-glass window I notice a solitary desk and chair. The desk has books on it; a few of them open. I walk closer to the desk, setting my hands on either side of the books, moving them closer to the window. I look down to see the letters dancing across the page. Shocked, I quickly retract my hands as though the letters would dance onto them! Then I glance at the window and gasp! An apparition, looking eerily like the girl I had seen earlier, had appeared on the smooth cold glass and the letters on the book are coming together, forming a sentence. “Her beauty radiates, a sunset over the sparkling ocean. Her beauty, a piece of glass amidst the sand.” I read aloud, feeling oddly melancholy. There is something familiar about that girl that makes my heart race. “What is it with this girl being everywhere?” I wonder aloud to myself, a bit unsettled. “Spooky, though you have to admit she is very beautiful.” I smile nervously and laugh a little at my thoughts.

 

      I hear footsteps behind me and stop. Her voice floats across the distance “So you finally show up.” she says with a tone that suggests I know who she is. Confused, I turn and ask stupidly “Show up?” She smiles. I freeze. She had wavy black hair down to the small of her back; her bangs, hanging effortlessly over her right eye; eyes of the most beautiful shade of hazel. Her skin was pale, her lips the soft red of a spring rose, her smile enchanting. She looked about 5’5’’... an inch shorter than me. I stared, mouth agape. She laughed. A sound, like tinkling fairy bells, that seemed to fold time over onto itself. With a mischievous smile she asked, “Well…don't you recognize me?”

Author's Note

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