Chloe's Life - 3

She stayed at the stable rowboat with the sun a speck to her eyes in far and the ocean waving with every breeze with the thought being great absurdities. And she waited and waited there for the sun to rise but she had already known that the sun has already been debilitated by her own shadows, her own grieving shadows but she still waited but this time she was not alone, this time she was with someone, her son Ethan. Her appearance had been captured in his implacably eyes and she felt nothing but scared. His face was jarring from what she remembered him and she had wanted to hear his persuasive voice once again so that she could confirm it was her son, she could feel her heart stutter with every breeze surpassing them. "Mama," at last he broke the surrounding infused with the deeply hurt saddened silence. "Are you scared?" she heard him as the horror flitted away from her face and the tears waddled in her eyes. "No," she said, "No my son, I'm not scared." Now pale with fatigue, all she could do was to sit there and stare at her son. "Mama," he said, "You know what you've to do, right?" the wind stride once again and his voice was impenetrable at that moment. "Wha----? What do I have to do?" she asked as her voice shattered. "Mama, you know you need to let me go!" As his words seeped inside her ears she felt him veer.

"Thank You, Mama."

She finished her breakfast and was ready to go to the apartment and read the book but Lucas, he was already been indulged in a conversation with his friends at the café, at first their conversation meant interesting but sedately it became boring for her. She plunged from her seat and was ready to leave. "Going home?" Lucas asked, she nodded and gave an indulgent smile with tiredness. She placed the book in her bag and the glossy door swished open and the cold floor got filled with her steps and she walked to the apartment but her sweet urchin cheeks were infused with a brilliant smile and her mind was all thinking about Harper and his sweet diligent smile. "It was just a smile and nothing else." She could see the apartment but before that, her eyes had caught the saddened house and Harper standing outside and his focus was on his phone. She slowly stopped and let her gaze survey him, she found him scowled and yet enticing but she quickly understood he wasn't the one to give smile to some strangers. "I think It was my imagination." She slowly began to walk and let herself settle on a sofa. For now, she couldn't care less about that moment. She took out the book and ran her finger to the pages. She always felt pampered whenever she reads a book and her feelings were always stringent towards the books. A smirk jutted on her guileless face as the words glimmered in her eyes, in her mind she had been playing the act, 'The wicked guy killing everyone coming in his way for his love' she loved him although she knew he was a psychopath but he had a picturesque vibe. She kept reading for hours, ignoring Lucas when he came home and being reverent to the book. By the time she stopped, it was already time for lunch. She rose and stood at the window. The sky deliberately poured the snow. She saw in the shadowed eyes, A man held grief, his clothes battered with the pristine snow and he seemed cold, and yet she knew he stood in the snow deliberately as it was Harper standing in front of his house. She walked to the kitchen with her stiffened stomach. The sandwich felt like nothing but a gift from god. She ate with the compelling hunger and then she heard the door swish open in the rhythm of the wind outside. It was Lucas, and the floor rippled with the dirt on his feet. "Lucas? I thought you were in your room, sleeping," she said, "What were you doing outside in the snow?"

"Sis, have you heard about Anna?" he seemed in hurry.

"What about Anna?"

"She died!" she felt her heart shudder, and the old memories rushed into her eyes, reading her books, her amazingly written stories, and her own mother. A tepid hand touched her and she stared at Lucas. "Is it a joke Lucas?"

"No sis, I heard people talking about it, they said she overdosed her medicine," she reluctantly believed him and rose and rushed to the window. "What are you doing?" said Lucas, she stared out. "I saw Harper here a few moments ago," but there was no one besides an ambulance and some neighbors. She sat on the sofa and by her side, the book was there and she felt disengaged, and yet she didn't avert her eyes. "Lucas," she said, "I think we should go and see what happened." She rose and with her doleful heart. She left the house behind with Lucas and walked to Anna's. A crowd had already hovered over the poised house but her eyes were compelled reluctantly, to search for Harper. But he was nowhere to be found. "Where's the son? Harper." She asked a pedestrian but all they gave were their hints and thoughts. "He's probably inside with his mother." And then the body came out, draped with white clothes, and soon she was settled on the ambulance. Still, there was no sign of Harper and the door stood open. "The snow turned heavy, isn't it?" Harper said. "I think I should go for a small walk," crowd had already begun to disperse. "Right now? we don't know when this weather gonna change," said Lucas, "I don't think it's a good idea, let's go home and stay there," The wind helped her hair flutter and she felt cold. "Just give me your jacket and stay at the house," she took his jacket with her uncovered fingers. "Go straight to the house," she said as she wore his jacket. "I still don't think you should be out in this weather, snow gonna be pretty bad today,"

"Just go and wait for me there, I'll be back soon." She walked with the snow touching her shoulder and soon the big glinted lonely road swallowed her. The roads were mostly white and she could see the swirl of snow getting heavier and the sound of the high-paced wind. "I need to hurry to the lake," the sky kept soaring the snow and she kept her feet in motion. "Snow is pretty fine for now but it will get worse, I'm sure!" the amenities of the lonely road were pretty in her eyes, and yet she didn't want to be there. She watched the sky with a bland expression, the snow kept falling and all she wanted was to sit beside a warm kindling, the air was bright and cold on her face but she didn't stop, she kept walking with a smile on her face. "I love you!" The words kept running in her mind and she loved to remember those words. Soon she stopped and watched the snow settling on the delicate lake and then she avert her eyes from the lake to him. "I knew it!" it was Harper, sitting beside the lake and letting the snow fall on himself. She walked to him. The cold breeze rummaged through them and the silence stayed alive. "Hi," she said as she sat down beside him. He turned his gaze to her but she already witnessed the grief, the sadness, and the pain. "Oh, You're Lucas's new girlfriend, right? she smiled. "I'm his sister, idiot,"

"Oh right, sorry about that, So what're you doing here in this weather?"

"Nothing, just taking a walk,"

"Isn't the weather too bad for a walk?"

"What about you? What're you doing here?"

"Well, I really have a soft spot for lakes and ocean so I come here very often at a time like this,"

"You know it has so many lakes and an ocean in the town where I live so I think I understand your feelings,"

"Where's your town located?"

"Uh, it's a bit far from here,"

"Oh well now I understand, you're here to take care of your brother? Because he seems to be enjoying his life too much with his friends and different girls every other weekend and only God knows what kind of drugs are ruining his life,"

"No, I'm here to take care of you right now,"

"What do you mean?" he seemed shocked

"Did you hear the news about today's weather? It would be no less than snow storm and you're here sitting in the snow, you'll catch a cold if you stay here longer,"

"Yeah, I know….. I just love this place," he said, "You know I used to come here with my mother when I was a kid and..." tears were evident in his eyes. "Look I know what happened with your mother but you should take care of yourself, your mother would be so proud if you do that," the hurried wind rushed in and she saw his hands, quivering. "Come on, let's go now," she rose

"Just give me a minute, I'll be going," she looked at him and his eyes whipped to hers. "Here," she said, offering her jacket, "This should be enough for you I guess,"

"No…. No, I really don't need that, I'm fine," the wind prowled again and she looked at the alive lake, it was gorgeous and the lake's sadness was evident and congruous to Harper's.

"Just take it, you know you're cold and you need it for now," she hurled it to him and knew he felt some sort of familiarity with her. She was ready to leave but before that, she leaned towards him, closer to his ear, and whispered

"I still remember YOU!"