Emerald Eyes (2 page)

“What the shit?” Then she remembered that raven’s had a guttural, frog-like sound. The bird took up the bottom half of the window; had to be a raven. Though she’d only seen one or two ravens in her entire life, they had been here in the Pacific Northwest; one of their natural habitats. That was when she had heard that sound before. “Look, bird. I need to sleep. Go away!”

The bird croaked one more time, flapped its wings and flew off.

“Thank you!” She fell back on her bed and covered up, this time her head as well. Once more, she almost went to sleep; even began to dream, but was jolted awake by a wolf howling nearby. She sprang up. “What the shit?” She flipped back her covers, jumped out of bed and raised the shade halfway up the window to get a better view. The fog was much thicker and had an odd bluish glow. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Again the wolf howled, but this time much nearer. Was it the same wolf? Or was it one wolf answering the other?

She about leapt out of her skin then, for the bird was suddenly back, landing on her sill. It hit her than that she might not be getting much sleep tonight. “Dammit!”

She sat on the side of her bed, staring at the bird that was staring in at her, trying to remember if she’d had problems sleeping in the cottage before. Thinking about it, she remembered that there had been animal sounds, but they hadn’t bothered her that much then. Mattie had been in the house with her, and she hadn’t been alone. But being alone now, all the nightly animal noises were more than a bit unnerving. “Guess I didn’t realize,” she mumbled to herself. “Dammit!” she sputtered again. She got up and padded barefoot to the kitchen, switching on the lights as she went but stopped at the refrigerator. “Shit! I don’t have any milk! I haven’t been to the store yet!” Muttering a few more expletives, she headed back for the bedroom, turning out all the lights except the one in the hall. The bird was still at her window, sitting sideways now. She got the weirdest feeling that it was not just watching her but somehow guarding her. She frowned. “Now why would I think that?” She dropped back onto her bed and once more covered her head, and finally, at last, fell asleep.

“Hey, there!” Chuck greeted, sitting his pricing gun aside and meeting Madison halfway down the middle aisle to shake her hand as she came into his store. “I was wondering if you would try shopping here.”

“Didn’t feel like driving far. Thought your store was the closest one.”

“That it is. I don’t have a huge variety of vegetables and meats, but I do have plenty of your staples – flour, milk, rice, coffee, things like that.” He glanced to the right of the store where the camping supplies were. “And of course, sleeping bags and lanterns.” He chuckled. “And some ammo, if you ever need it for hunting.”

“Probably not. Just groceries for me, I think. I really do need some milk.”

“Dairy case is in the back just to the left of the meat counter.”

“I see it. Thank you.”

She went to get her milk, and just as she reached the cooler, she noticed a large painting of a pack of large gray wolves running through the snow. It was a beautiful painting, but what really got her attention was it was signed Chuck. She turned and looked at him, as he was behind the register now, ringing up an elderly man who was buying ammo. She went ahead and picked up a few more things she needed, but soon as the man walked off, she went on up to the register and sat her groceries on the counter. “You did that painting of the wolves there?” she indicated with a tilt of her head towards the painting.

“Yep.” he said, eyes twinkling. “Not the greatest, but I try.”

“I think it’s beautiful! I paint too.”

His brow shifted with interest. “You do?”

“Yes! One of the reasons I moved here. Want to paint the splendid scenery and the wildlife.”

His face brightened. “Awesome! Maybe we could get a painting session going sometime?” Then he seemed to think about it. “That is…If you think you’d like to do that?”

She wriggled her head up and down. “Yes! It might be fun.”

“I’m sure we could find something to paint together.” He scratched his temple and then dropped his hand down. “Indian Joe watches the store for me some days. No set time, other than weekends and some late afternoons, just when I want a day… or a few hours off.”

“Indian Joe?”

“Yeah…Full name’s Joe Flying Eagle. We’ve been friends ever since I moved here. He used to own the store, but wanted to retire. I bought it from him right after I moved here with money I had left over from my mother’s insurance when she passed away.”

“Oh! I’m sorry to hear about your mother.”

“Thank you…It was her time. Was sick for a long time with stomach cancer. She was ready.”

“I see.” She dug in her small purse for the money to pay for her groceries and handed it over.

He rang it up and asked her if there was anything else he could help her with.

“That’s all for now, I believe. I’ll know better later what I need to get. I just need to get settled in. Take inventory of what all I want to buy.”

“I understand.”

“Later,” she said, smiling brightly.

He mirrored her smile and reminded her to yell if she needed anything. She assured him that she would and left. When she arrived home, there was that big black bird sitting on her porch railing, as though he’d been waiting for her return. She eased in the drive, got out, took her bag of groceries out of the trunk and went up the steps. The bird just sat there on the railing turning, and adjusting his position in order to face her as she moved up the steps. “
Weird!”
She went on in and closed her door, taking her groceries to the kitchen and putting them away. Finished, she went to the living room and peeked outside. He was gone. “Okay…” she sighed and let herself forget about it.

Madison spent the rest of the day cleaning and dusting. Mattie’s old television still worked, and she turned it on so she wouldn’t feel so totally alone, now beginning to think she should get a cat or a dog. Only she had no idea what she really wanted. Though she loved dogs, she found cats easier to care for, as they pretty much took care of themselves. Only, she was afraid if she got a cat that Shep might not take too kindly to it. It was something she’d have to think about.

She finally finished up the living room by running Mattie’s old vacuum cleaner. It, too, was practically an antique. It still required bags. However, it worked, and she decided she didn’t want to spend any money that wasn’t necessary. Though she had plenty for now – hoped it would last her until she could start making money selling her art – she didn’t want to use it up on any unnecessary expenditure. Just in case she did have to get a job eventually. Although, she figured she had enough to do her for several years, and didn’t consider it a major concern at the present.

She tucked the vacuum cleaner away in the hall closet next to the water heater’s cubby hole and then went to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. That was when she saw the bird again.

This time, perched on the back porch railing. “Bird! What is it with you?” she said, going to the door, yanking it open and shooing the bird away. It squawked this time, flapped its wings wildly and took off. Only the next thing she knew it was back again. She rolled her eyes. “I give up! Guess it isn’t hurting anything.” She made up her mind to ignore it then, unless it tried to attack her or something. “Oh well,” she mumbled with some sarcasm, “guess I’m
not
alone.”

Just as night settled in, Madison found herself wishing that Chuck would drop by. This so-alone feeling she was experiencing now was new to her; hadn’t been anticipated. She just figured she’d come here, be free of her mother and do her thing.

It wasn’t happening quite as easily as she had envisioned. She was quickly learning that loneliness was a bitch. She made herself a quick hamburger and plopped down into one of the kitchen chairs. As she sat there eating her burger, she realized the bird was no longer there. "Hmm“…” Curious now, wondering if he had abandoned her, she put her burger aside and went to look out the living room window. No raven anywhere.

Then she let out a little gasp and stepped back. For she thought she saw – though it was hard to tell in the darkness of night – a man standing in the road in front of her cottage, wearing a long dark trench coat, staring in her direction. “What the hell?” It took her a moment, but she dared to look again. No one there! “I could have sworn…” She knew she shouldn’t, but she did anyway. She unlocked the front door and stepped out onto the porch, but stood with the door open so she could rush inside if she needed to.

She did notice that the moon was at crescent, coming out of its dark stage. Wasn’t giving off a lot of light, but what it did generate was better than nothing. The sky wasn’t as clear as the night before. There were some clouds scattered about, and off to the south they formed a solid line; looked to be heading her way. She hoped a storm wasn’t coming. She hadn’t prepared for one; hadn’t thought to buy candles.

Surely Mattie had left some stored away in a drawer someplace. With that thought, she returned to the house to search for candles, and was almost overjoyed when she found some white ones in a bottom kitchen drawer, along with a box of kitchen matches. She held them up in the air. “Thank you, Aunt Mattie!”

No sooner did she say it and the lights went out, but only for a few seconds, for they came on again. “Jeezze!” Quickly, she took two of the candles and, striking a match, melted the bottoms of two, centering them on saucers, placing one on the table and the other on the coffee table in the living room, leaving several matches with both. “There!” she said to herself rather proudly. “Ready.”

A strong wind blew up, whistling through the doors and windows. “Jeezzz!” she shrieked, as it was followed by several more consecutive gusts, not only whistling but rattling the panes. Shivers went through her, and it wasn’t just the cold. She was frightened; didn’t want to stay in the cottage by herself. Not when it was doing this! Especially if the lights went out. Wasting not a second, she lit the candles just in case, only to find to her horror that the strong breeze coming through the various cracks snuffed them out instantly.

“
Shit!”

Frantic now, she surveyed her surroundings and noticed the sink. She sat one of the candles in the sink and lit it. When the wind blew through again, it remained lit. “Thank you! Thank you!” She was sure it wouldn’t be much light, but it would be better than total darkness. Then she almost went through the roof as a clap of thunder hit so loud it left her ears ringing. Once she composed herself, she muttered, “Dammit all to hell!”

What had she done with the flashlight? She couldn’t remember. She ran to her bedroom, praying the lights would stay on, and did a quick search through the top drawer of the dresser. Sure enough, it was there. She grabbed it up, trying it. Still lit up bright. Now, she was really thankful for the lights went out again. This time, they didn’t come back on.

Swearing like a sailor, and seriously questioning her sanity for ever having moved out here by herself, she carefully made her way through the little cottage with nothing but a flashlight beam to light her way, until she reached the kitchen where the candle remained aglow. There was a brilliant flash of lighting and that was when she saw him – the tall dark figure silhouetted in the back door window.

She screamed a keening scream, dropped her flashlight and it rolled across the floor over to the door. “No!” Then he was gone. She stared at the spot where he had stood. Had she only imagined him? Lightning flashed continuously now, in a way she could never recall it doing in all the times she had stayed with Mattie. In Texas, yes. But not in the Pacific Northwest. “What the hell?”

She screamed again, as there was a loud knocking at her front door that startled her. She breathed out, calming herself and ran over and retrieved her flashlight. Whoever it was, knocked again with more determination, and this time she could hear him calling her.

“Madison? Madison? You okay? It’s me! Chuck!”

She couldn’t get the door open fast enough. He stepped inside and she flung her arms around him, still holding her flashlight in her right hand. “Thank God! You’re here!”

“You okay?” he questioned, obviously perplexed.

Realizing what she’d done, she pulled away from him. “I’m sorry…”

“I heard your screams…and so did Shep,” he turned and looked on the porch where the dog stood patiently waiting. He whistled and Shep came on in and he shut the door. “You’re shivering.”

“I’ve been so stupid!” she confessed.

“I don’t believe you’re stupid.” He laid an arm around her shoulder and walked with her to the kitchen, where the candle still burned. She realized then that he didn’t have a flashlight. “How can you see in the dark? You didn’t bring a flashlight with you?”

“I take a lot of walks in the evening. Very familiar with the road. The lightning was constant enough, too. Had no problem seeing my way. And Shep, being a dog, has no problem finding his way in the dark.”

Again, she muttered that she’d been stupid.

He took back his arm and asked if it was okay to sit. She said of course it was. He dropped down into a chair and glanced out the door window. “Now! Please tell me it’s not just the storm that caused you to scream like you were being murdered.”

She quickly told him of the man she’d seen staring in the back door window at her, and how she’d dropped her flashlight, and when she looked up he was gone.

“Seriously?” he said with abrupt concern, jumping up and going to the back door. “Let me have your flashlight?”

She handed it to him, and he opened the door and stepped out on the back porch. He walked the length of the porch, shining the flashlight all around, focusing the beam along the line of threes on both sides of the cottage, and then to the trees at the back. He stepped back inside. “I don’t see anyone…You’re absolutely sure there was someone there?”

“I…I thought there was. Looked real enough at that moment.”

“Our minds can play tricks on us sometimes…Especially, if we’re a little scared.” He took a seat again. “At least the storm is subsiding.”