Dying in Wine
XII.
Back at home, I couldn’t detect a soul. It felt as though nobody had lived here for years. My parents must have been asleep, and I didn’t want to disturb their rest, so I called for Gregory but was left with no answer. I checked the kitchen, but not only was Gregory not there, but so were the cook and the maid. Usually the cook has something brewing at every hour of the day.
Feeling a cold breeze on the back of my neck, I turned and saw the patio door open with the curtains blowing with the wind. This was strange seeing how we haven’t had the door opened since the first snow fall. The patio, which was typically snowed in, was clear of any snow. I walked out, looking at the concrete beneath my feet. We thought it was pointless shoveling the patio since it snowed every other day. The iron wrought patio tables were free from any kind of snowflake and even rust. They looked as though they were bought yesterday.
“Val?”
I looked up but no one was there. It sounded far away, but yet still close. I tried to follow the voice. Without thinking, I tried to follow the voice into the woods. There was a big fog today, which was strange.
“Val?” The voice sounded more urgent. My steps turned into a jog until I reached the edge of the lake. I completely forgot about Lake Crystal. The last time I was here, Grandmother was making a necklace out of the little shells while I helped find some in the water. Mother was horrified that I took a swim in the murky, germ-infested waters.
But now the lake was covered in ice. And apparently it was thick since there was a figure near the center of the lake. I took a tentative step onto the ice, making sure it wasn’t going to crack under my weight. I had no idea why I decided to go to the figure, but something in my mind told me to go. As I got closer, the figure became more familiar. I wanted to jog towards my Grandfather, but when I took the next step, my feet came out from under me.
“Hoho, be careful out here. You can fall and break your neck.” Standing up was a little difficult, considering my shoes weren’t made for ice.
“Obviously,” I told him, rubbing my bottom. “What’re you doing out here anyway?”
“Ice-fishing. Always wanted to do it.” I looked at his equipment. He was sitting in a foldable chair with an auger and bait to his side. But what concerned me was his lack of warm clothing.
“Where’s your jacket and gloves? Aren’t you cold?”
“No, not anymore."
“Grandpa, you need to come inside. You’ll freeze to death.” Grandpa just chuckled. From his other side, he pulled out another chair and offered it to me. I wanted to question where he had the chair hidden, but I just turned the other cheek.
“Did you catch anything?” He shook his head.
“I don’t think anything has been biting for the past decade.” He changed his bait, and we both just sat there in silence. It was nice. But it was also weird. Grandpa didn’t even look like he was cold. Just wearing a flannel shirt and pants, he wasn’t shivering. His cheeks weren’t red and his nose wasn’t runny. I was wearing two more layers than he was and I was sniffling like crazy.
“You should head inside, Val.” I opened my mouth to argue that he should, too, but he cut me off. “Just remember, be careful who you trust.” Without question, I nodded. “Oh, and watch out around the south area over there,” he said pointing to area to the side of the lake. “Thin ice.”
“I love you, Valerie.” He smiled, and it made my heart ache, but I had no idea why.
“I love you, too, Grandpa.”
I head back inside the house to see it was almost three. I had to hurry up before it was too late.
Feeling a cold breeze on the back of my neck, I turned and saw the patio door open with the curtains blowing with the wind. This was strange seeing how we haven’t had the door opened since the first snow fall. The patio, which was typically snowed in, was clear of any snow. I walked out, looking at the concrete beneath my feet. We thought it was pointless shoveling the patio since it snowed every other day. The iron wrought patio tables were free from any kind of snowflake and even rust. They looked as though they were bought yesterday.
“Val?”
I looked up but no one was there. It sounded far away, but yet still close. I tried to follow the voice. Without thinking, I tried to follow the voice into the woods. There was a big fog today, which was strange.
“Val?” The voice sounded more urgent. My steps turned into a jog until I reached the edge of the lake. I completely forgot about Lake Crystal. The last time I was here, Grandmother was making a necklace out of the little shells while I helped find some in the water. Mother was horrified that I took a swim in the murky, germ-infested waters.
But now the lake was covered in ice. And apparently it was thick since there was a figure near the center of the lake. I took a tentative step onto the ice, making sure it wasn’t going to crack under my weight. I had no idea why I decided to go to the figure, but something in my mind told me to go. As I got closer, the figure became more familiar. I wanted to jog towards my Grandfather, but when I took the next step, my feet came out from under me.
“Hoho, be careful out here. You can fall and break your neck.” Standing up was a little difficult, considering my shoes weren’t made for ice.
“Obviously,” I told him, rubbing my bottom. “What’re you doing out here anyway?”
“Ice-fishing. Always wanted to do it.” I looked at his equipment. He was sitting in a foldable chair with an auger and bait to his side. But what concerned me was his lack of warm clothing.
“Where’s your jacket and gloves? Aren’t you cold?”
“No, not anymore."
“Grandpa, you need to come inside. You’ll freeze to death.” Grandpa just chuckled. From his other side, he pulled out another chair and offered it to me. I wanted to question where he had the chair hidden, but I just turned the other cheek.
“Did you catch anything?” He shook his head.
“I don’t think anything has been biting for the past decade.” He changed his bait, and we both just sat there in silence. It was nice. But it was also weird. Grandpa didn’t even look like he was cold. Just wearing a flannel shirt and pants, he wasn’t shivering. His cheeks weren’t red and his nose wasn’t runny. I was wearing two more layers than he was and I was sniffling like crazy.
“You should head inside, Val.” I opened my mouth to argue that he should, too, but he cut me off. “Just remember, be careful who you trust.” Without question, I nodded. “Oh, and watch out around the south area over there,” he said pointing to area to the side of the lake. “Thin ice.”
“I love you, Valerie.” He smiled, and it made my heart ache, but I had no idea why.
“I love you, too, Grandpa.”
I head back inside the house to see it was almost three. I had to hurry up before it was too late.