place.”
“Now William, I thought you liked innocent games,” she teased.
William blushed. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
“Of course not,” she said and laughed. “As if you could ever mean anything like that. Fine. You want to see my secret place?” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
I waited anxiously. I was in awe of Liane and her straightforwardness. Her uncouth behavior from the way I was raised was refreshing. I wished I could be just like her.
Without warning, all the candles blew out, plunging us into darkness. Both William and I gasped at the same time. Boaz didn’t make a sound, but his cool hand slid across mine. His thumb caressed my palm, sending chills through my whole body. Inwardly, I moaned. I was beginning to enjoy his touch way too much.
Just beyond the patio, high in the sky, a dim light appeared and continued to grow as the walls of the home disappeared behind us. A thick fog rolled in, blanketing the ground that was no longer concrete but now appeared as dirt. Rising from within the fog, differently shaped stones took their places in rows all over what used to be Boaz’s back lawn.
“Amazing,” William whispered. “It’s a graveyard.”
He was right—it was amazing. The light in the sky had formed a full silver moon, and all around us were what looked like endless headstones, mausoleums, and statues.
Liane opened her eyes and stood up suddenly. She tapped me on the shoulder. “You’re it!” She turned and scurried away.
William stood up quickly, too; his chair tipped over as he ran in the opposite direction of Liane. I looked over at Boaz who was pulling his hand away from mine.
“Apparently, you’re it,” he said, and he walked away from me into the maze of statues and graves, gray fog billowing up behind him.
I grinned. I’d never played games like this before, but I was more than ready to start. I called out, “I’ll have you all know that I am the queen of sneakiness!”
A giggle erupted to my left. I headed in the direction of the laughter, quietly stepping around old headstones and angel-like statues. Out of the corner of my eye, a shadow crossed where I had just walked. Someone was following me.
I continued forward, but when I passed a tall cross-shaped headstone, I stepped behind it and hid. Liane walked right by me unaware of my presence. I reached out and touched her back. “You’re it!”
Liane screamed and jumped. “Oh, you little witch!”
When I ran away, she tried to follow me, but I lost her in the fog. I ducked behind a stone mausoleum, smiling big and trying hard not to laugh. Sliding with my back against the wall, I inched forward to peer around the corner. Liane’s shadow was on the other side, walking up and down the rows of headstones.
“I can hear your heavy breathing, William,” she called.
I was about to cross over behind a statue when arms wrapped around me and pulled me through the open iron doors of the mausoleum. Instinctively, I opened my mouth to scream, but a familiar hand closed over my mouth. Boaz’s partially shadowed face smiled at me in the dark.
“Are you having fun?” he whispered.
“Surprisingly, yes. How is she doing this?”
“Magic.”
“It’s incredible.”
“Not really, love. Look around, I mean really look, and you will see this is just a simple illusion.”
I reached out to touch a stone coffin lying inside the mausoleum. It felt solid. I pushed harder until the coffin dissipated along with the entire illusion. The lit candles returned, as did our table, which lay a short distance away. Not far on the lawn, William was hunched over in a ball; Liane was almost to him.
“Do you see it?” Boaz breathed near my neck, sending a wave of chills down my body.
“I do, but it doesn’t make what she did any less remarkable.”
“It’s simple magic, just a trick of the mind. You would be able to do so much more with your power.”
I sighed, not knowing how to respond.
“Now William, I thought you liked innocent games,” she teased.
William blushed. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
“Of course not,” she said and laughed. “As if you could ever mean anything like that. Fine. You want to see my secret place?” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
I waited anxiously. I was in awe of Liane and her straightforwardness. Her uncouth behavior from the way I was raised was refreshing. I wished I could be just like her.
Without warning, all the candles blew out, plunging us into darkness. Both William and I gasped at the same time. Boaz didn’t make a sound, but his cool hand slid across mine. His thumb caressed my palm, sending chills through my whole body. Inwardly, I moaned. I was beginning to enjoy his touch way too much.
Just beyond the patio, high in the sky, a dim light appeared and continued to grow as the walls of the home disappeared behind us. A thick fog rolled in, blanketing the ground that was no longer concrete but now appeared as dirt. Rising from within the fog, differently shaped stones took their places in rows all over what used to be Boaz’s back lawn.
“Amazing,” William whispered. “It’s a graveyard.”
He was right—it was amazing. The light in the sky had formed a full silver moon, and all around us were what looked like endless headstones, mausoleums, and statues.
Liane opened her eyes and stood up suddenly. She tapped me on the shoulder. “You’re it!” She turned and scurried away.
William stood up quickly, too; his chair tipped over as he ran in the opposite direction of Liane. I looked over at Boaz who was pulling his hand away from mine.
“Apparently, you’re it,” he said, and he walked away from me into the maze of statues and graves, gray fog billowing up behind him.
I grinned. I’d never played games like this before, but I was more than ready to start. I called out, “I’ll have you all know that I am the queen of sneakiness!”
A giggle erupted to my left. I headed in the direction of the laughter, quietly stepping around old headstones and angel-like statues. Out of the corner of my eye, a shadow crossed where I had just walked. Someone was following me.
I continued forward, but when I passed a tall cross-shaped headstone, I stepped behind it and hid. Liane walked right by me unaware of my presence. I reached out and touched her back. “You’re it!”
Liane screamed and jumped. “Oh, you little witch!”
When I ran away, she tried to follow me, but I lost her in the fog. I ducked behind a stone mausoleum, smiling big and trying hard not to laugh. Sliding with my back against the wall, I inched forward to peer around the corner. Liane’s shadow was on the other side, walking up and down the rows of headstones.
“I can hear your heavy breathing, William,” she called.
I was about to cross over behind a statue when arms wrapped around me and pulled me through the open iron doors of the mausoleum. Instinctively, I opened my mouth to scream, but a familiar hand closed over my mouth. Boaz’s partially shadowed face smiled at me in the dark.
“Are you having fun?” he whispered.
“Surprisingly, yes. How is she doing this?”
“Magic.”
“It’s incredible.”
“Not really, love. Look around, I mean really look, and you will see this is just a simple illusion.”
I reached out to touch a stone coffin lying inside the mausoleum. It felt solid. I pushed harder until the coffin dissipated along with the entire illusion. The lit candles returned, as did our table, which lay a short distance away. Not far on the lawn, William was hunched over in a ball; Liane was almost to him.
“Do you see it?” Boaz breathed near my neck, sending a wave of chills down my body.
“I do, but it doesn’t make what she did any less remarkable.”
“It’s simple magic, just a trick of the mind. You would be able to do so much more with your power.”
I sighed, not knowing how to respond.
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