Mist

4.2K words

MIST

Another bitter cold Virginia winter was finally behind us, and we were just starting to thaw out, getting some color back on our pitifully pale hides. Looking forward to a few welcome days of vacation, we wanted to go somewhere, but couldn't decide where. Catching some rays and sipping iced lemonade:

"Meagan, where should we go? Just pick someplace," I said.

"Umm...French riviera."

"Nice idea, but pretty hard to do in the three days we have. Something a little closer, maybe?"

"Really I just want someplace where we can get fresh air and exercise. I have something in mind but you may not like it."

(Elvis cover) "Anyplace is paradise, when I'm with you."

"Thank you very much, Elvis. We've never been to the Cabin in summer. It's secluded and quiet, and there must be some hiking trails there. We could at least get the kinks out of our legs. What do you think?"

(puzzled expression) "Cabin, what cabin? I don't remember any cabin."

"Silly, see if you remember after this!"

(a sweet embrace and a long taste of those honey lips, I felt my temperature rising and blood rushing)

(laughing) "Oh, now I remember it vividly! Make me remember some more!"

(another tender kiss and groping caress) "There, and that's all you get until you agree!"

(Laughing) "Okay, okay I agree!"

Next day: "Meagan, I called the agency, the cabin is available next week, if Wednesday through Friday is ok for you, then I'll confirm it."

"Okay I can make that work."

"Okay done, so we can leave Tuesday evening. Did you tell Josie?"

"Yes, but she had asked to sleep over with Tiffany next week, so I'll be taking her there Monday after work."

"She probably doesn't want to be with us old fuddy-duds anyway." I said.

"We better take some light jackets and rain gear. It will be mild here next week, but the weather Is different where we're going."

"Okay and let's take flashlights. And remember coffee, and some energy bars." I said.

"You and your coffee! It's like you're hooked on it."

"Not really, but it does go well with...vanilla pudding...and on that I AM hooked," kissing her neck.

Smiling, "Okay, I'll take care of the...pudding." she said.

Monday evening, I had just finished my day's work and was stretched out on the lawn getting some sun, when Meagan's jeep pulled In. At the same time, a light rainfall began.

"Hi sweetie, get Josie settled?"

"Yep, she's at Tiffany's now. But we forgot her favorite pajamas, so we'll have to drop them off tomorrow."

Handing her an iced tea, "Okay, here, this will cool you down."

"Thanks. Did you order this rain?"

"Nope, I think you brought it. By the way, you look beautiful, as always," kissing her cheek.

"No I don't! I'm all rumpled and sweaty and ucky, and now my hair is frizzing up!"

"Relax, just lie down beside me awhile and rest, and everything will be alright."

"Okay," she said and we both stretched out on the warm grass.

Rain kissed the hot driveway and hissed softly, forming a soothing cool mist around us. The evening began to cool as the sun went low, but I didn't care...she was with me.

**********

Tuesday evening, finally. We loaded the jeep, then dropped off Josie's pajamas and at dusk we were onour way. The sky was clear when we left the beach, but two hours later, ominous dark clouds gathered above as we drove into the forested hills. We turned off the radio when all the stations became full of violent static.

"Kind of strange." I said.

"What's strange?"

"Static. Usually it doesn't affect FM radio that much."

"We must be headed into a honey of a storm. And here comes the rain!" she said.

And down it came with all the fury of a nor'easter, with raindrops the size of ping-pong balls, We were driving directly into the gale, and it was actually slowing down the jeep. The rain was coming at us almost horizontally.

I looked at Meagan and forced a smile, "Isn't this great? Stimulating outdoor adventure!"

"Shoulda gone to the Riviera. Better slow down a little."

"Yeah, we'll have to creep along at twenty five until it lets up. That rain must be ice cold, the way the windshield is frosting. Where is that Ma&Pa place? I hope we didn't pass it."

"No, I'm sure we didn't. Can you see those lights way up ahead? Looks like their parking lot," she said.

"Bless your beautiful baby blues. Let's pull in there and wait out this storm. I hope they have plenty of hot coffee...and some vanilla pie...and maybe raisin."

An hour later, after pie and coffee, the storm had lessened to a light drizzle, and after collecting some groceries and take-out dinners, we were on our merry way again.

"GPS says we'll be there in about four hours. Storm really stretched it out."

"It's ok. Look on the bright side, it's cold now, so we can light a fire and have some nice cozy heat."

"Sounds good. I like it when we're cozy," I said.

"Hmm, I know you do", she smiled.

Arriving around midnight, we parked and unloaded the jeep. It was still raining and really cold, so I started a fire, then went to get more firewood from the porch. It was feeling more like winter than summer, but the cabin was getting warm and cozy. When I came back in, Meagan had already changed into her cottony blue pajamas and furry slippers. I added a couple of sticks to the fire, and said "Come here by the fire and warm up."

Putting my arms around her, pulling her close, I said,

"You look beautiful in blue, or even in nothing at all. And do you know how much I love you?"

"No, tell me, how much? Tell me!"

"More than Antony loved Cleopatra, more than Romeo loved Juliet, more than Napoleon loved Josephine, need I go on?"

Tender kiss, then,

"But why...why do you love me?"

"I love you most of all because you're you."

A long, heartfelt embrace, then,

"That was from an Elvis song, wasn't it?" she said.

"Yep, I confess."

Her eyes were misty, then closed, "Promise you'll never let me go."

"I promise. I'll never let you go, little darlin'."

"Another Elvis, right?"

"Yes but I promise. I won't let you go...you're part of me."

"Which part?"

"My heart, my soul...if I had a thousand years, I couldn't tell you everything that's in my heart...why are you crying?"

"Don't know. Tired, maybe. Just crying for happy, I guess."

Her warm tender hands moved gently on my back and shoulders.

"Are you trying to seduce me? .. I certainly hope so," I said.

Drying her eyes, "Ha ha, well, maybe. Why don't you go freshen up and get into your pj's, then I'll have a little surprise for you."

A few minutes later we were sitting by the fireplace having coffee and tea, and she brought over a covered plate.

"What's this?"

"Your surprise. Open it and see."

"Raisin pie! You are a doll! Where did you get it? The restaurant didn't have any."

"After work, I stopped at a little bakery on a hunch. It was their last one."

"You are too good to me. It is delicious. But now I feel bad, I didn't bring anything for you."

"Oh yes you did."

"I did?"

"Later on, you can give me an...energy bar...vanilla please," smiling.

"Another reason for loving you," I said.

**********

After supper, we stretched out In bed, just trying to relax.

"Do you want up at any certain time?" I said.

"Nope, let's just get a good sleep and rest. The birds will wake us when the sun comes out."

"You warm enough?"

"I will be as soon as I have that energy bar..."

"Jeez, what a one-track mind! How did you get that way?"

"You were a good teacher."

"And you, my best...and most beloved student."

The wind and rain played gently on the windows, bringing fond memories of other nights spent here.

I drew her close in the darkness, and the rest of the world ceased to exist..

**********

I woke at first light, moving slowly, so not to wake her. I just lay there a while, watching the gentle rise and fall of her sweet breasts as she sighed, chasing the rainbow in her dream, so far away. The fire had gone out, so I gently pulled up the covers to keep her snug. Then I slipped outside for an armful of firewood. The rain had stopped, and it was amazing out there: lush deep green grass, brilliant wildflowers everywhere, butterflies, honeybees, hummingbirds, and milkweed fluff floating on the heavenly cool breeze. Returning to the cabin with a bunch of lavender and daisies, I looked around for something to hold the flowers, and spotted a large vase on a cornerstone of the fireplace. Beneath the vase, there was some sort of map, cut into the stone. I put the flowers and some water in the vase and put it on the table, then went to check on Meagan; she was still sleeping soundly. Good, I had time to fix a little breakfast for her. I restarted the fire and brewed some tea, then put the teapot on the fireplace to keep it hot.

The mid-morning sun began its day's work, and the forest came alive with the sounds of sparrows, finches, canaries, and furry little animals. I was sipping coffee when Meagan got up.

"Morning, sleepyhead," kissing her cheek. "Coffee, tea, me?"

"Tea, please. You seem frisky enough this morning! And thank you for the flowers," as she kissed me.

"And would you care for a bear claw? I warmed them by the fire."

"Bear claw?"

"That's what they're called up north. Flat sweet roll with icing, fruit, nuts."

"Wow, very tasty. Bet Josie would like these."

"Got 'em at Ma&Pa. Sweets for the sweet. When you finish, I have something to show you."

"Have a look at this map cut into the stone. No way to tell how long it's been here."

"Did you see this...there's a small 94 in the top left corner. That must mean the year built," she said.

"It can't mean 1994, this cabin is way older than that."

"Could be 1894. If it's 1794, then it's over two hundred years old."

"Any idea what the map means?" I said.

"It must be a trail map. Seven main lines, with crossovers, all branching out from the map's center, which must be here. There are letters at the ends of three of the lines: L, R, C. No idea what they mean."

"Well, when you're ready let's see if we can find some of those paths."

Wrapping her arms around me, "Okay, but first I think I might be needing another..."

"Energy bar? I was hoping you would say that..."

When we finally emerged, the sun was at its highest, so we took plenty of tea and water for coolers.

"I wonder if we'll find any paths. They'll be overgrown, unless lots of people walked them over the years." I said.

"Let's split up and walk in circles around the cabin, call on our cells if we find anything," she said.

"Let the safari begin! I hope there are no lions, tigers, or bears!"

"I'll go clockwise, you go counterclockwise."

A few minutes later my cell lit up:

"Nick, I think I found one. I'm about a hundred feet north of the cabin."

"Okay stay there, I'll be right over."

The path was narrow, but not completely overgrown.

"On the map, did this path have a letter?"

"I think it was the one with 'L'." she said.

"Okay, you lead, let's see where it takes us."

So we forged ahead. The sun was out in full force in a cloudless sky, but our way was so shaded by dense forest, that it was fairly cool. After a two hour trek, we stopped to rest and linger in the shade of a kind old tree.

"You look as fresh as a daisy," I said as we sipped some tea. "What's in your knapsack?"

"Just plastic raincoats, some chocolate granola bars, a couple pb&j sandwiches, and some raisin pie."

"Oh, you are a good girl."

After snacking, we continued on our way.

"I wonder if that 'L' means 'lake'?" I said.

"You may be right; the land seems to be sloping downward, so maybe we're coming into a basin."

"Hope we find something soon. My cell pedo says we've walked five miles, and we have to walk back too."

"Big sissy, that's just a good stretch of the legs! How about we race on the way back?" she said.

"Do you realize that "just a good stretch of the legs" is a quote from a classic movie? You are waxing poetic!"

"Oh sorry I didn't mean to," she laughed.

"And no, thanks, on the race, marathon maiden. But you can run if you want, I'll just follow along in low gear."

"No, I won't leave you alone, there may be lions and tigers and bears!" she said.

"Yeah, on second thought we should stick together, not good to be separated in the woods."

After we had trudged about another mile, the air was considerably cooler, and there was a gentle breeze from the north.

"Feels like we are getting close to a body of water. And what is that wonderful scent?

"Well it is not coming from me, dear, my cologne gave out an hour ago! Must be a ton of wildflowers near."

The light was growing dim, but ahead there seemed to be a clearing, and bluish light filtered through the dense foliage ahead of us. When we came fully into the clearing, we were taken aback by what lay before us.

Upon first sight, we thought we were on the shore of a vast purple-blue lake, shrouded in a concealing mist.

But as we advanced to the edge of the perceived lake, the mist was somewhat dissipated, revealing not a lake but seemingly endless beauteous rolling fields of lavender and daisies, in all directions as far as we could see. The cool scented air was so intoxicating and delicious that we wanted to drink it as well as breathe it! The beauty of the fields defied description, and the absolute silence made me feel that we were on hallowed ground.

She said, "I never thought mere breathing could be so pleasurable. What is this place?! Have we died and is this a gateway to Heaven?"

"I wish I had your answers. And look at these flowers, they are all perfect, simply perfect. Not a petal missing, not a weed to be seen. I think if we walk further, we should take off our shoes."

"Yes," as she kicked off her sandals.

"Let's find some stones to make a landmark, so we can find the path on our way back."

We proceeded into the misty purple field about a hundred meters north, then stopped to rest and drink. The earth felt cool and reassuring, and we lay down among the lavender to relax and collect our thoughts.

"You know, we will never get back to the cabin before dark, so we may as well go on further. I brought our jackets, so let's look for some kind of sleep shelter soon. An apple tree would be nice, gettin' kinda hungry," I said.

"Okay, on the menu we still have one pb&j sandwich, two granola bars, and a little bit of raisin pie."

"Sounds wonderful. And I was thinking, that this field was a lake, long ago; then somehow the water disappeared, and then flowers flourished on the rich lake-bed earth."

"That seems plausible. But why only lavender and daisies, and who cared for the acres of flowers, and how is it that they are so perfect, and there are absolutely no weeds or crabgrass?" she said.

"I don't know...maybe God wanted an earthly flower garden?"

"My thought, exactly."

I had spoken in jest, but I saw that she was entirely serious.

"It wouldn't be the first time that a heavenly event has occurred around here", she said, recalling the Christmas star.

Once rested, we continued through the misty purple, always north. As dusk drew near, I was so tired I felt like dropping on the spot and sleeping. Suddenly...

"Nick! Straight ahead and a little to the left!"

"What? I don't see anything..."

"Wait!" and she ran toward the mist-obscured object. "It's an apple tree! Can you believe it!"

"Are you sure? Apples?" I said.

"I'm sure now, I just tasted one! Come on!" she yelled excitedly.

Hobbling to her fast as I could, I threw my arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"Here, take a bite of this!" she said.

"Rather have a bite of you...wow, that is delicious, and so sweet, and no sourness."

"And look, look what's growing around the base of the tree!." She said and ran to the gigantic trunk, returning with a handful of blueberries! "And that's not all. I saw strawberries, and black and red raspberry bushes too. This is unbelievable! You thought of apples and an apple tree appeared. I had some thoughts about berries, and berry bushes appeared. Just where in the world are we?"

"I don't know Meagan, I really don't know," I said.

"And look, now we have a place to sleep. The tree branches form a canopy which should keep rain out."

Taking another juicy bite, "Now I have it all figured out! We are in the Garden of Eden, and this is the Tree of Life...and I'm the first man...and you're the first woman...Meagan..."

The evening shadows caressed us as we lay down under the great tree. Her golden hair came down as I gently kissed her neck and shoulders, then I felt her body rise as I kissed her mouth...and I thanked God for our lives, and for this time with her.

We slept a long, long time, then woke to the morning sounds of the forest. A curious little red rabbit stopped to stare at us, twitched his ears, then hopped on his way. Meagan had just opened her eyes and was stretching. We were both naked and luxuriating in the wonderful morning sun, when I saw him coming out of the mist...

"Meagan, we have company!"

"Yikes!" she said as we both scrambled to cover up with our jackets as best we could.

The man was smiling and laughing merrily, "Be not alarmed youngsters, you have nothing to fear from me."

Although he looked elderly, he walked very spritely. His white beard was long and flowing, and his dark purple hooded robe suggested he was a monk, some sort of clergyman.

He sat near us, smiling, "Good morning, I am Talos, I am the guardian of this place. Are you enjoying the garden?"

"Uh...yes. Good morning, I am Nick and this is Meagan."

"Yes, I know. I have been expecting you for some time. How was your journey?"

"Oh alright, I guess. Are you the keeper, do you care for this place?"

"No, I am he who welcomes and guides all those who pass this way. The Master cares for the garden in His own way."

"The Master?"

"Yes, it was He who summoned you."

"Summoned? We came here of our own volition, or so we thought."

"Only those who are summoned will come here, and only those in His favor are summoned."

"Are we...Is this place...Are we on earth?"

"Yes, in a manner of speaking. As I said, you have found favor with the Master. Therefore He has granted you this single opportunity to witness one small glimpse of eternity. You may choose to go on, but you are welcome to remain here and enjoy the abundance of the garden for as long as you wish, and here you will want for nothing. Or you may return whence you came. But know that if you do go on, you may not return whence you came."

"Then if we go on, we would not see Josie again?" Meagan said, finally finding her voice.

"That I cannot answer. I can only tell you that if you cross the entirety of this purple field, that you will then find our Master, and His everlasting love, and with Him the answers to all of life."

I glanced at Meagan, and her face was alabaster, as I'm sure mine was.

"Then we take it sir, that here we are not on Earth or in Heaven, but somewhere in between." I said.

"You may think of it that way, and I know it must be confusing. However you are indeed still on earth and you are also in this heavenly garden. Some would call it purgatory, or a gateway to Heaven. I choose to call it simply the Master's Garden."

"We wish to thank you, kind sir, but the lady and I wish to return whence we came."

"Then go with His blessing, and leave here some of the happiness you bring," he smiled. "And here, please accept this poor talisman, for remembrance of your journey here. And now I must take my leave, there are others needing my guidance."

And with that he bade us farewell, then walked off into the mist. The talisman was a simple ring of crude silver, seemingly glowing with an inner light, circumscribing a silver flower with four petals of blue, yellow, pink, and green. I put it in my jacket pocket and zipped it shut.