All But Her Strings
Chapter 3
"Where you from lil' girl?" Louis asked sweetly in a strong Tennesseean accent.
"I... Uh..." Laela looked up at his deep blue eyes and his soft, sun-kissed skin, framed by messy, ash blonde hair.
He smiled, mistaking her stuttering for an attraction.
"Come with me lil' girl." An amused smile folded onto his face as he held out his dirty, calloused hand.
Laela looked at him, annoyed.
Instead, she lifted herself up off the ground, standing at least an inch taller than him.
"I'm not little." Stubbornly she picked the guitar up by the neck and stood beside him impatiently.
"Ok, 'm'sorry. Didn't mean to offend you or nothin'." He smiled the most radiant smile.
His beauty made her weak.
"Uh. It's ok." Uncontrollably she smiled back.
"But seriously, where you from, sweetie?"
"You'd think I was crazy." She said helplessly
"Try me?"
"I... Well... I just woke up here. I... I have no idea what happened. Where I came from. All I remember is that my name is Laela. And... And, well I can play the guitar still?"
"Laela? Laela. No, it can't be...? Not possible. But I thought they..." His face was taken over by a bittersweet expression.
"Huh?" She said, puzzled.
"Oh uh... Nevermind. Just keep following me!" He grabbed her hand tightly and began running towards a row of poplar trees hiding what seemed to be a small wooden cottage, similarly designed to the shed.
The metal screen door squeaked open.
"Louis! That you?"
"Yeah pa. Ya'wouldn't believe who I found!!" He replied eagerly.
Laela, standing shyly in the door frame with a guitar in her left hand looked around at the old cottage.
There was a framed newspaper article about a massacre in Adamsville.
And another one about a 'Whiskey Trade Scheme" being busted by the police.
"Laela??? Laela Patterson!?"
Patterson... Patterson... Patterson...
"I loved him so much, mother! You don't understand!" Tears ran down her face as her mother placed a loving hand on her shoulder.
"He's a bad influence anyway. You don't want to curse this family's history.
We've been clean for 4 generations. Don't go ruin it now, sometimes you just 'gotta ignore those raging hormones."
"Hello? Laela, 'ya there, sweet thing?" Laela opened her eyes to find a buff man shaking her like a leaf.
He had an aging face and wirey grey hair.
"Thought I'd lost you there for a second, darl'." He laughed and stepped back.
"Patterson..." She mumbled, staring zombie like into the dark abyss that was the old cottage.
"I... Uh..." Laela looked up at his deep blue eyes and his soft, sun-kissed skin, framed by messy, ash blonde hair.
He smiled, mistaking her stuttering for an attraction.
"Come with me lil' girl." An amused smile folded onto his face as he held out his dirty, calloused hand.
Laela looked at him, annoyed.
Instead, she lifted herself up off the ground, standing at least an inch taller than him.
"I'm not little." Stubbornly she picked the guitar up by the neck and stood beside him impatiently.
"Ok, 'm'sorry. Didn't mean to offend you or nothin'." He smiled the most radiant smile.
His beauty made her weak.
"Uh. It's ok." Uncontrollably she smiled back.
"But seriously, where you from, sweetie?"
"You'd think I was crazy." She said helplessly
"Try me?"
"I... Well... I just woke up here. I... I have no idea what happened. Where I came from. All I remember is that my name is Laela. And... And, well I can play the guitar still?"
"Laela? Laela. No, it can't be...? Not possible. But I thought they..." His face was taken over by a bittersweet expression.
"Huh?" She said, puzzled.
"Oh uh... Nevermind. Just keep following me!" He grabbed her hand tightly and began running towards a row of poplar trees hiding what seemed to be a small wooden cottage, similarly designed to the shed.
The metal screen door squeaked open.
"Louis! That you?"
"Yeah pa. Ya'wouldn't believe who I found!!" He replied eagerly.
Laela, standing shyly in the door frame with a guitar in her left hand looked around at the old cottage.
There was a framed newspaper article about a massacre in Adamsville.
And another one about a 'Whiskey Trade Scheme" being busted by the police.
"Laela??? Laela Patterson!?"
Patterson... Patterson... Patterson...
"I loved him so much, mother! You don't understand!" Tears ran down her face as her mother placed a loving hand on her shoulder.
"He's a bad influence anyway. You don't want to curse this family's history.
We've been clean for 4 generations. Don't go ruin it now, sometimes you just 'gotta ignore those raging hormones."
"Hello? Laela, 'ya there, sweet thing?" Laela opened her eyes to find a buff man shaking her like a leaf.
He had an aging face and wirey grey hair.
"Thought I'd lost you there for a second, darl'." He laughed and stepped back.
"Patterson..." She mumbled, staring zombie like into the dark abyss that was the old cottage.