the canopy of the trees bounce off her and
she glows. She illuminates the surrounding space with beams of
gold.
“Who is she?” I ask.
“Ivy, your grandmother’s sister.”
A relative. A blood relative . Before now, I only knew of one,
Dad. I’m embarrassed to meet her. I not at all presentable. What
will she think of me?
The horses are unable to stand completely still. Rowen jumps
down from Ruamna’s back without effort. He stands below me with
his arms open wide. It’s a long way down.
“I’ve got you,” he says.
I slide off the giant sorrel’s back and drop into Rowen’s arms.
We are eye-to-eye, pausing to absorb a glance that without restraint
will lead to a secret kiss.
Alder, Ruis, and Coll have already gone up to the house.
Rowen sets me down. I’m nervous, but his arms feel safe. I don’t
want to go in and face rejection. I can already tell Alder and Coll
have a problem with me. Rowen senses my apprehension.
“Come on. She’ll love you.”
My balance is tested by gravity. My feet won’t move and I fall
to the ground. Rowen reaches down to catch me. He helps me up,
but I’m unable to stand. Rowen looks down, his expression filled
with shock, like a deer in the line of fire. Below my right knee
there’s nothing, but a hazy shadow of what was once my extremity.
My leg has disappeared again.
“What’s going on, Ashe?” Rowen asks as if I have the answer.
“I don’t know. So, you don’t see it either? I thought I was
going
crazy.”
He
sweeps me up and runs
toward Ivy
never
becoming winded, never showing the least bit of strain.
“Get her inside,” my Aunt Ivy insists. She looks worried, but
not surprised. If I didn’t know better I would have thought Nuin’s
picture on the mantle had come to life. She makes my mother real.
Her beautiful wavy amber blonde hair winds its way down her
shoulders stopping at her waist as her radiant blue eyes distract me.
I can’t stop staring at her.
“It’s going to be all right, dear.” Her voice is soft and musical.
I wonder if my mother’s voice had been the same.
Rowen lays me on the couch and Ivy rushes out of the room.
“What’s wrong?” Alder asks.
Rowen points to my missing leg. “What’s going on Rowen?
What’s wrong with her?”
“Come with me.” Ivy looks at Alder with a shovel in her hand.
They rush out of the front door.
“What’s going on, Rowen?” Ruis asks. His innocence shows
through his childish expression.
“He’s probably screwed up again,” Coll says, releasing his
bottled-up sarcasm. Rowen gets in Coll’s face. They are exactly the
same height and nose-to-nose.
“That’s enough. There’s something wrong with her. This is not
the time,” he growls at Coll.
“When will be the time, Rowen?” Coll asks after a short staring
match and he backs away.“There will come a time, Rowen, and
this matter will be dealt with.”
“Come on, Ruis.” The youngest of the group starts to follow
Coll outside when Rowen redirects him.
“Ruis, get the medication for her hands.” The youth is unsure
of his place and hesitates before he does as Rowen instructs.
Rowen kneels down beside me, putting his hand in mine. My
leg still has not reappeared and I am feeling weaker by the minute.
Alder walks in through the front door.“Ashe, how long has
this been going on?” he asks.
Ruis brings in a bowl. Alder removes my soiled bandages and
places my hands in a solution of teal blue water sparkling with
glittering light. The pain goes away immediately and the sores
begin to heal instantly.
“I don’t know. Two or three days, I think. Time seems so
different here.” Alder removes my hands from the bowl and Rowen
dries them off. They look as if they were never injured.
“That feels so much better,” I say amazed by the miraculous
healing.
Ivy rushes in holding a jar covered in dirt. She sprints passed
us into the kitchen. “What is it, Ivy?” Rowen asks.
The stunning regal woman darts back into the room with the jar
cleaned
she glows. She illuminates the surrounding space with beams of
gold.
“Who is she?” I ask.
“Ivy, your grandmother’s sister.”
A relative. A blood relative . Before now, I only knew of one,
Dad. I’m embarrassed to meet her. I not at all presentable. What
will she think of me?
The horses are unable to stand completely still. Rowen jumps
down from Ruamna’s back without effort. He stands below me with
his arms open wide. It’s a long way down.
“I’ve got you,” he says.
I slide off the giant sorrel’s back and drop into Rowen’s arms.
We are eye-to-eye, pausing to absorb a glance that without restraint
will lead to a secret kiss.
Alder, Ruis, and Coll have already gone up to the house.
Rowen sets me down. I’m nervous, but his arms feel safe. I don’t
want to go in and face rejection. I can already tell Alder and Coll
have a problem with me. Rowen senses my apprehension.
“Come on. She’ll love you.”
My balance is tested by gravity. My feet won’t move and I fall
to the ground. Rowen reaches down to catch me. He helps me up,
but I’m unable to stand. Rowen looks down, his expression filled
with shock, like a deer in the line of fire. Below my right knee
there’s nothing, but a hazy shadow of what was once my extremity.
My leg has disappeared again.
“What’s going on, Ashe?” Rowen asks as if I have the answer.
“I don’t know. So, you don’t see it either? I thought I was
going
crazy.”
He
sweeps me up and runs
toward Ivy
never
becoming winded, never showing the least bit of strain.
“Get her inside,” my Aunt Ivy insists. She looks worried, but
not surprised. If I didn’t know better I would have thought Nuin’s
picture on the mantle had come to life. She makes my mother real.
Her beautiful wavy amber blonde hair winds its way down her
shoulders stopping at her waist as her radiant blue eyes distract me.
I can’t stop staring at her.
“It’s going to be all right, dear.” Her voice is soft and musical.
I wonder if my mother’s voice had been the same.
Rowen lays me on the couch and Ivy rushes out of the room.
“What’s wrong?” Alder asks.
Rowen points to my missing leg. “What’s going on Rowen?
What’s wrong with her?”
“Come with me.” Ivy looks at Alder with a shovel in her hand.
They rush out of the front door.
“What’s going on, Rowen?” Ruis asks. His innocence shows
through his childish expression.
“He’s probably screwed up again,” Coll says, releasing his
bottled-up sarcasm. Rowen gets in Coll’s face. They are exactly the
same height and nose-to-nose.
“That’s enough. There’s something wrong with her. This is not
the time,” he growls at Coll.
“When will be the time, Rowen?” Coll asks after a short staring
match and he backs away.“There will come a time, Rowen, and
this matter will be dealt with.”
“Come on, Ruis.” The youngest of the group starts to follow
Coll outside when Rowen redirects him.
“Ruis, get the medication for her hands.” The youth is unsure
of his place and hesitates before he does as Rowen instructs.
Rowen kneels down beside me, putting his hand in mine. My
leg still has not reappeared and I am feeling weaker by the minute.
Alder walks in through the front door.“Ashe, how long has
this been going on?” he asks.
Ruis brings in a bowl. Alder removes my soiled bandages and
places my hands in a solution of teal blue water sparkling with
glittering light. The pain goes away immediately and the sores
begin to heal instantly.
“I don’t know. Two or three days, I think. Time seems so
different here.” Alder removes my hands from the bowl and Rowen
dries them off. They look as if they were never injured.
“That feels so much better,” I say amazed by the miraculous
healing.
Ivy rushes in holding a jar covered in dirt. She sprints passed
us into the kitchen. “What is it, Ivy?” Rowen asks.
The stunning regal woman darts back into the room with the jar
cleaned
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