A Place to Call Home Pt. 03

We walked back to the house hand in hand, laughing and talking. I took the opportunity to point out some of the local flora and fauna, including a large buck and doe that stepped out in front of us and crossed the path before heading around the hill. I showed her how to identify oak leaves by the shape of their lobes; all red oaks have points, and all white oaks are round. I also taught her how to spot that pesky east coast vine, poison ivy.

"You know so much, Jack." Jill said with a smile. "I want to learn everything you can teach me. I still can't believe those deer just walked out in front of us like that. They weren't even the least bit afraid."

"Nobody bothers them here." I explained. "I only hunt what I need, and they don't get a chance to tell the others. No one else around here hunts, although we used to have a problem with poachers until one year I caught them on the ridge where the house is now. I fired a round of 00 buck over their heads and no one ever had any issues after that. My southern boundary is against an 8,000 acre state park. That big mountain you see out the windows is part of it, and it's seven miles away. All that space is essentially my back yard.

"There's deer, beavers, turkeys and the occasional black bear. I used to have a sow that denned up right along the path we just took. I knew she was here somewhere, and I must have walked right past her a couple dozen times before I noticed the den."

"She didn't attack you?" Jill inquired, her eyes as big as saucers.

"Nope." I responded, shrugging my shoulders. "We got along just fine. She'd even bring her cubs by to watch me when she had them. Then she just disappeared. I guess she died."

"Wow. This place is just so cool, Jack." she said in awe. "I want so badly to stay here with you."

"Well, let's get showered and have some breakfast." I suggested. "Then, we can start looking into Sylvia Silverstar, and see just exactly who you really are and where you come from."

"Finally." Jill sighed. "Finally, I'll have some answers."

"We both will," I added, "and no matter what, I'll support you one hundred percent. Even if it's bad. Now, I worked up a hell of an appetite, fucking you in the creek like that. How about if I fix us some scrambled eggs and venison sausage for breakfast?"

"Sounds wonderful." she replied. "I love you so much."

We showered and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast together of sausage from one of my deer, and local eggs from a farm up the road. By the time we were finished eating, it was almost 10:00 AM. It was a beautiful sunny day, and neither one of us felt the need to get dressed. I dragged an extra chair into my office and parked it next to mine. The computer stirred to life, revealing a panoramic shot of the mountains outside the window as my wallpaper.

"I just can't get enough of that view." I explained. "Even at night, I can still see it."

"I don't blame you." Jill replied. "I know I've said it a thousand times, but that view is absolutely gorgeous."

"Just like you." I said with a smile.

I opened my browser and took a deep breath.

"Ready?"

Jill nodded.

"Okay then," I continued, as I typed her name into the search engine, "let's find out who you are. Oh Miss Sylvia Silverstar, come out come out, wherever you are."

And with that, I took another deep breath and hit the "Enter" key.