A Heart of Stone
Chapter 2
I woke up, the sun pouring through the window, the seagulls squawking their calls. The smell of the sea was familiar and all-encompassing on this fine day. I felt some strange thing inside me that could probably be called happiness although it was demented and strange. I got out of my bed, stretching out my long porcelain legs. I walked to my closet pulled out m white crocheted robe, well-worn and good-smelling. I slipped it over my shoulders, feeling the fabric against my skin. This had been my mothers and I had kept in my possession from the second it was available to me. I wore it every day before I got ready, and there was even a pocket in it for my heart.
I felt a shot of pain at that thought…sometimes when I woke up I forgot it all…my mind liked to play tricks on me and forget that my life was color-less, empty, flat. I soon got over that feeling though, because as usual I couldn’t really feel it. Today I turned 16.
That thought crossed my mind and suddenly I was small again. Only age 8 and I could feel the wind from the sea pulling at my dress as I followed my mother and father down through the long grass to the cliff where we would sit and eat lunch, watching the wave’s crash on the rocks. When we reached our spot I sat there smiling, my long black hair blowing in the wind. My mother looked at me and said in her deep soft voice
“Elva dear, today father and I have a story for you.” My father smiled at her and put his hand on her knee. This memory was one I rarely recalled simply because it was the day before my mother disappeared. The story she told that day however was one I often thought about.
“Your father and I met when we were 16….we each were walking through this very field. I was upset because my brother was going to leave for a battle in a far off kingdom, and your father was upset because he had convinced himself he would never find love. Your father is a romantic.” She smiled at him again and looked out at the field, our small quaint house in view, along with the woods to the right that stretched an acre back before reaching a village.
“We happened to run into each other and he looked into my eyes and….well it was love at first sight.”
My eyes widened and I smiled at them. How my 8 year old self longed to be 16 walking in a field meeting my own true love. My entire life I longed for that moment. That memory was one that was only for today. A memory that would normally cause so much pain and hurt that it was allowed to be there today. Had I thought of it that day mother left it would have been too horrible, too painful. Yet I only would have had one days’ worth of pain considering the next day my heart was stolen. I often thought about how strange it was that only a day after my mother disappeared my heart was stolen from me. Why? I asked myself. Why me? This question would never ever be answered for me. It would forevermore haunt my dreams.
I walked through the creaky old cottage to the kitchen where I saw my father happily frying eggs and Alec shuffling a deck of cards, preparing to play a game with himself. Alec was the best at cards; I had only ever beaten him once one year at Christmas when he had been too drunk to know what was going on.
“Mornin’ sunshine!”
“Alec!” I exclaimed and embraced him, his musky scent filling my senses. I never got tired of Alec, even when he was kidding me around. Alec was truly an angel sent from above. His freckles poked out at me as he said
“How ya been Elvy? How does it feel to be 16 finally?” I smiled at him and said
“The same as always…honestly, I don’t know what the big deal is with 16.” I walked to my father and kissed him on the cheek saying
“Good morning father” he smiled at me and turned his attention back to his eggs. I was good at feigning emotion and I had Alec convinced it was real, even though I knew it wasn’t.
“You’re looking nice and rested this morning.” Alec said to me and I looked at him, waiting for him to make the face he always made when he was joking but on his face I saw nothing but seriousness. This was Alec’s way of complimenting me.
“Why thank you, I took extra care to look ‘clean’ this morning” I smirked and heard him laugh slightly. I grabbed a piece of bread and slipped a pair of slippers on, heading out the door.
“Where you headed?” Alec asked me. Without turning I said
“Just to the sea for a bit. Sounds nice” He nodded and I shut the door slowly. I walked and walked, feeling the sun on my skin and the grass on my feet, the wind in my hair and the salt in my mouth. All was beautiful and green and new. I felt an odd sensation in my chest and I knew it must be content. I walked back an hour later, my feet tired and my stomach empty. Once inside I saw Alec and my father had left to go collect fire wood. I frowned and went to my room where I saw a package neatly placed on my bed.
My eyes widened and I went to the package, picking it up and feeling the brown paper on my fingers. There was twine tied in a bow around it and it said
For Elva, Happy Birthday
I smiled and began unwrapping the brown paper. Once I got it off I realized I was holding a small cardboard box with something in it. I took of the top and gasped when I saw a small beautiful abalone shell on a golden chain. I picked it up and put admired its beauty, the pretty rainbow colors reflecting off the shell. I put it around my neck and walked to the mirror, looking at myself with it on. It was beautiful.
Just then I heard the door open and I walked out of the room to see Alec and my father back with bags and bags of food that they had bought at the market in the nearby village. I ran to Alec and embraced him saying
“Thank you so much Alec! You have no idea what this means to me!” He chuckled and said
“No problem Elvy”
My father walked past me to the kitchen as I let Alec get some air into his lungs. We all began preparing a meal of turkey, stew, bread and wine. It was to be a feast.
I felt a shot of pain at that thought…sometimes when I woke up I forgot it all…my mind liked to play tricks on me and forget that my life was color-less, empty, flat. I soon got over that feeling though, because as usual I couldn’t really feel it. Today I turned 16.
That thought crossed my mind and suddenly I was small again. Only age 8 and I could feel the wind from the sea pulling at my dress as I followed my mother and father down through the long grass to the cliff where we would sit and eat lunch, watching the wave’s crash on the rocks. When we reached our spot I sat there smiling, my long black hair blowing in the wind. My mother looked at me and said in her deep soft voice
“Elva dear, today father and I have a story for you.” My father smiled at her and put his hand on her knee. This memory was one I rarely recalled simply because it was the day before my mother disappeared. The story she told that day however was one I often thought about.
“Your father and I met when we were 16….we each were walking through this very field. I was upset because my brother was going to leave for a battle in a far off kingdom, and your father was upset because he had convinced himself he would never find love. Your father is a romantic.” She smiled at him again and looked out at the field, our small quaint house in view, along with the woods to the right that stretched an acre back before reaching a village.
“We happened to run into each other and he looked into my eyes and….well it was love at first sight.”
My eyes widened and I smiled at them. How my 8 year old self longed to be 16 walking in a field meeting my own true love. My entire life I longed for that moment. That memory was one that was only for today. A memory that would normally cause so much pain and hurt that it was allowed to be there today. Had I thought of it that day mother left it would have been too horrible, too painful. Yet I only would have had one days’ worth of pain considering the next day my heart was stolen. I often thought about how strange it was that only a day after my mother disappeared my heart was stolen from me. Why? I asked myself. Why me? This question would never ever be answered for me. It would forevermore haunt my dreams.
I walked through the creaky old cottage to the kitchen where I saw my father happily frying eggs and Alec shuffling a deck of cards, preparing to play a game with himself. Alec was the best at cards; I had only ever beaten him once one year at Christmas when he had been too drunk to know what was going on.
“Mornin’ sunshine!”
“Alec!” I exclaimed and embraced him, his musky scent filling my senses. I never got tired of Alec, even when he was kidding me around. Alec was truly an angel sent from above. His freckles poked out at me as he said
“How ya been Elvy? How does it feel to be 16 finally?” I smiled at him and said
“The same as always…honestly, I don’t know what the big deal is with 16.” I walked to my father and kissed him on the cheek saying
“Good morning father” he smiled at me and turned his attention back to his eggs. I was good at feigning emotion and I had Alec convinced it was real, even though I knew it wasn’t.
“You’re looking nice and rested this morning.” Alec said to me and I looked at him, waiting for him to make the face he always made when he was joking but on his face I saw nothing but seriousness. This was Alec’s way of complimenting me.
“Why thank you, I took extra care to look ‘clean’ this morning” I smirked and heard him laugh slightly. I grabbed a piece of bread and slipped a pair of slippers on, heading out the door.
“Where you headed?” Alec asked me. Without turning I said
“Just to the sea for a bit. Sounds nice” He nodded and I shut the door slowly. I walked and walked, feeling the sun on my skin and the grass on my feet, the wind in my hair and the salt in my mouth. All was beautiful and green and new. I felt an odd sensation in my chest and I knew it must be content. I walked back an hour later, my feet tired and my stomach empty. Once inside I saw Alec and my father had left to go collect fire wood. I frowned and went to my room where I saw a package neatly placed on my bed.
My eyes widened and I went to the package, picking it up and feeling the brown paper on my fingers. There was twine tied in a bow around it and it said
For Elva, Happy Birthday
I smiled and began unwrapping the brown paper. Once I got it off I realized I was holding a small cardboard box with something in it. I took of the top and gasped when I saw a small beautiful abalone shell on a golden chain. I picked it up and put admired its beauty, the pretty rainbow colors reflecting off the shell. I put it around my neck and walked to the mirror, looking at myself with it on. It was beautiful.
Just then I heard the door open and I walked out of the room to see Alec and my father back with bags and bags of food that they had bought at the market in the nearby village. I ran to Alec and embraced him saying
“Thank you so much Alec! You have no idea what this means to me!” He chuckled and said
“No problem Elvy”
My father walked past me to the kitchen as I let Alec get some air into his lungs. We all began preparing a meal of turkey, stew, bread and wine. It was to be a feast.