Post by Sarah Andrews-Cross on Jun 20, 2007 10:38:06 GMT -4
Chapter 1
A cool autumn breeze blew through her hair as she strolled along the beautiful beaches of Aruba. The carnations embroidered into the fabric of the ankle length sun dress draped along her frame effortlessly becoming one with her movements along the vast area of land...A glimmer in her eye shining brightly as her dark brown eyes continuously took in an coveted each passing image of the waves crashing along the beautiful landscape at her feet. The constant sounds of young children, boys and girls alike running and playing along the stretch of land gradually increased the moment of joy and reflection she seemingly became more and more lost in as each second passed. Her head slightly tilts towards the powdered blue skies, noticing the different shapes and textures scattered along the skyline above...Soaking in the moment, reminiscing on days of yesterday when she along with her brother and sister played endlessly, frolicking without a care in the world it seems...
That time was so much more simple...So much easier to exist in as well as enjoy she thought. Oh how she would love to experience the joys and carelessness of being young again. To not have a worry or a care in the world. To truly know what it meant to covet each and every waking moment of each and every day, past, present and future...
Her joyful and reflective stroll continues on for what seemed like hours and hours, never once questioning the time frame in which this moment existed...Complete happiness...As well as contempt. Until finally coming across a small area, filled with different booths set up for the distribution and sale of a vast array of items along the shore...Her steps quickly lessens the space between her and the displays, her eyes slowly scanning each and every area, taking in each and every facet of each individual "vendor" exchanging smiles along the way...The endless rows of fruit being sold to children's books and clothes as well as tourist souvenirs all catch her eye, her hands seemingly constantly brushing along the items second by second as her finger tips take in each specific texture and feel of the merchandise along the beach front property...
Her steps are halted, a small bump to her backside just as her eyes were caught by a small display of children's books and Cd's alike...A twist of her body as she glances behind her, her eyes lowering and coming directly in contact with a small child, a boy with a smile as bright and wide as the beauty of the horizon above meets with her gaze, causing for her smile to increase until the moment where it matched that of his. Before she can address the brief moment of meeting, the boy had scattered off, as suddenly and seemingly from out of nowhere a small group of boys and girls quickly scamper off behind him as well. Their laughter was music to her ears...Placing a smile upon her heart and thoughts of joy in her mind. Her sights remained fixated on them entirely until they seemingly scampered out of her line of vision, just as a voice is caught by her ears from nearby...
"Ahhh. Children. Are they not the epitome of happy times and the culmination and combination of all that is right with the world?"
A sudden movement of her head, bringing into focus the face of an elderly woman, standing motionless with her arms crossed across her body behind one of the booths along the beach property. A smile crosses her face, as her hand raises slowly placing a strand of hair behind her ear as she responds to the unknown woman a few feet away...
"Tee Hee...Yeah. I just love kids so much...It'd be nice to have some of my own one day. Running along this same beach...Laughing...Playing...Lost in the moment and living just for the moment."
Her eyes immediately downcast towards the "merchandise" before her, grasping one of the many children's books in the set up in front of her, taking it up in her hand as the elderly woman's voice chimes in...
"And who says you won't my dear? Perhaps you should just have a little...Faith?"
Her eyes immediately raise from the book she now held in her hands fully open, a look of confusion on her face it seems as the long snow like hair of the elderly woman blows in the constant flow of wind, a devious smile crossing her face as she gazed endlessly in Sarah's direction...
"Well...I'm sure one day in the far future yes. But not now. I'd love to but...It would complicate too many things right now so...Just not the right time really I guess."
Her eyes downcast once again, and just as her eyes meet the text of the pages before her the voice once again responds...
"Oh my child...Please don't believe that YOU have a choice when someone is destined to come into this world my dear. Existence is not by choice. It is by destiny and destiny alone. When it's time dear...It's time. It is as simple as such."
Sarah's eye brow raised, her focus shifting from the book in her hands back to the woman once again. She shut the book closed in her hand as she slowly placed it back among the display of various other children's books and merchandise. Her arms raise, gazing back in the direction of the woman...She looked as if she had seen everything possible in this world. As if she had lived a long and hardened existence here and had accumulated knowledge unthinkable to someone Sarah's age. There was something...Strange about her...Something about the way she stared into Sarah's eyes with that smile across her face. As if...She knew something that Sarah didn't? It was...Weird...
"O...K...Tee Hee...If you say so Miss. I guess we'll see. Maybe you're right. When it's time it's time. Well..."
Sarah releases a long sigh, glancing over the merchandise in front of her once again before turning to make her departure from this booth in particular. As she does so her head raises, making eye contact with the elderly woman once again giving her parting words...
"...Thank you for the kind words. I'll see you later Miss..."
She stops momentarily tilting her head slightly...
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. Mines..."
But before Sarah's words could exit her from her mouth, the woman chimes in, the smile on her face even brighter now...
"Of course...Sarah. I'm Annette. And you are very welcome. Hopefully next time I see you, you won't be alone. "
Sarah instantly noticed a glimmer in the old woman's eye. There was something inviting about them, something that seemed to want to draw a person closer to her...A feeling of...Familiarity it seemed. It was indeed strange she thought as she nodded her head in response offering her last words before slowly walking off...
"Thank you...Annette. We can hope can't we?...Well...Until we meet again..."
One last smile was exchanged between the women, as the elderly lady slowly nodded her head over and over before Sarah turned, continuing her stroll along the beach. With her head slightly tilted, her eyes down cast once again as a smile comes across her face, returning to her previous moments of just enjoying the day here in her favorite place in the entire world...The constant flow of sand beneath her feet was relaxing...Calming as well as therapeutic.
A few moments pass as her walk continued, her vision now focused on the endless waves coming crashing into the mainland as each second passes...Barely able to see it all through the sea of people all around. Her thoughts then go back to the elderly woman she had just encountered...Her words...Why she chose to say them to her...As well as the true meaning behind them. She tried to shake it off as she now stood motionless, arms folded staring out into the vast blue sea before her. She was a nice one to encounter she thought. Something so rarely seen in this day and age. The world even...Suddenly her smile begins to dissipate...Her thoughts once again thinking about to the encounter moments ago as she tilts her head slightly to the side, towards the ground beneath. The words given by the elderly woman were comforting to say the least...They actually assisted in reassuring that one day she and Jason would have a family of their own. She believed that as well as Jason believed it. They would. It was just a matter of timing...Or so Sarah thought anyway...But one thought in particular reoccurred in her thoughts as she stood motionless staring at the sand beneath her feet...One single fact about the entire day, from all of her exploring, and all of the numerous moments of happiness she felt How DID the elderly woman know what her name was?
Her mouth was agape, as she turned her head back towards the booth where she had encountered this strange woman...Only to see...That she was nowhere to be seen. The booth seemingly abandoned all but for the merchandise she had examined no more than five minutes ago...
Suddenly Sarah opens her eyes, immediately focused on the ceiling fan above the bed Jason and she shared in their suite inside of the Angel Tower. A slow stir ensues, her body lifting slowly from the bed, turning allowing for her body to be supported by one of her arms. The opposite arm raises, her hand rubbing a bit of the sleep out of her eyes as she gazes across towards Jason's side of the bed, directly at the clock sitting on the nightstand. A long sigh escapes her lips as she notices just what time it was. Her eyes flutter slightly, as she slowly lets her body back down onto the bed, folding her hands across her abdomen as her eyes begin frantically dance across the ceiling above it seems, as if in conjunction with her thought process at the moment in time...The dream was the only thing on her mind...The meaning behind the dream was even more so as she fought each second attempting to decipher just what all of it meant...She knew without a doubt...She wouldn't get much more sleep on this night...
That time was so much more simple...So much easier to exist in as well as enjoy she thought. Oh how she would love to experience the joys and carelessness of being young again. To not have a worry or a care in the world. To truly know what it meant to covet each and every waking moment of each and every day, past, present and future...
Her joyful and reflective stroll continues on for what seemed like hours and hours, never once questioning the time frame in which this moment existed...Complete happiness...As well as contempt. Until finally coming across a small area, filled with different booths set up for the distribution and sale of a vast array of items along the shore...Her steps quickly lessens the space between her and the displays, her eyes slowly scanning each and every area, taking in each and every facet of each individual "vendor" exchanging smiles along the way...The endless rows of fruit being sold to children's books and clothes as well as tourist souvenirs all catch her eye, her hands seemingly constantly brushing along the items second by second as her finger tips take in each specific texture and feel of the merchandise along the beach front property...
Her steps are halted, a small bump to her backside just as her eyes were caught by a small display of children's books and Cd's alike...A twist of her body as she glances behind her, her eyes lowering and coming directly in contact with a small child, a boy with a smile as bright and wide as the beauty of the horizon above meets with her gaze, causing for her smile to increase until the moment where it matched that of his. Before she can address the brief moment of meeting, the boy had scattered off, as suddenly and seemingly from out of nowhere a small group of boys and girls quickly scamper off behind him as well. Their laughter was music to her ears...Placing a smile upon her heart and thoughts of joy in her mind. Her sights remained fixated on them entirely until they seemingly scampered out of her line of vision, just as a voice is caught by her ears from nearby...
"Ahhh. Children. Are they not the epitome of happy times and the culmination and combination of all that is right with the world?"
A sudden movement of her head, bringing into focus the face of an elderly woman, standing motionless with her arms crossed across her body behind one of the booths along the beach property. A smile crosses her face, as her hand raises slowly placing a strand of hair behind her ear as she responds to the unknown woman a few feet away...
"Tee Hee...Yeah. I just love kids so much...It'd be nice to have some of my own one day. Running along this same beach...Laughing...Playing...Lost in the moment and living just for the moment."
Her eyes immediately downcast towards the "merchandise" before her, grasping one of the many children's books in the set up in front of her, taking it up in her hand as the elderly woman's voice chimes in...
"And who says you won't my dear? Perhaps you should just have a little...Faith?"
Her eyes immediately raise from the book she now held in her hands fully open, a look of confusion on her face it seems as the long snow like hair of the elderly woman blows in the constant flow of wind, a devious smile crossing her face as she gazed endlessly in Sarah's direction...
"Well...I'm sure one day in the far future yes. But not now. I'd love to but...It would complicate too many things right now so...Just not the right time really I guess."
Her eyes downcast once again, and just as her eyes meet the text of the pages before her the voice once again responds...
"Oh my child...Please don't believe that YOU have a choice when someone is destined to come into this world my dear. Existence is not by choice. It is by destiny and destiny alone. When it's time dear...It's time. It is as simple as such."
Sarah's eye brow raised, her focus shifting from the book in her hands back to the woman once again. She shut the book closed in her hand as she slowly placed it back among the display of various other children's books and merchandise. Her arms raise, gazing back in the direction of the woman...She looked as if she had seen everything possible in this world. As if she had lived a long and hardened existence here and had accumulated knowledge unthinkable to someone Sarah's age. There was something...Strange about her...Something about the way she stared into Sarah's eyes with that smile across her face. As if...She knew something that Sarah didn't? It was...Weird...
"O...K...Tee Hee...If you say so Miss. I guess we'll see. Maybe you're right. When it's time it's time. Well..."
Sarah releases a long sigh, glancing over the merchandise in front of her once again before turning to make her departure from this booth in particular. As she does so her head raises, making eye contact with the elderly woman once again giving her parting words...
"...Thank you for the kind words. I'll see you later Miss..."
She stops momentarily tilting her head slightly...
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. Mines..."
But before Sarah's words could exit her from her mouth, the woman chimes in, the smile on her face even brighter now...
"Of course...Sarah. I'm Annette. And you are very welcome. Hopefully next time I see you, you won't be alone. "
Sarah instantly noticed a glimmer in the old woman's eye. There was something inviting about them, something that seemed to want to draw a person closer to her...A feeling of...Familiarity it seemed. It was indeed strange she thought as she nodded her head in response offering her last words before slowly walking off...
"Thank you...Annette. We can hope can't we?...Well...Until we meet again..."
One last smile was exchanged between the women, as the elderly lady slowly nodded her head over and over before Sarah turned, continuing her stroll along the beach. With her head slightly tilted, her eyes down cast once again as a smile comes across her face, returning to her previous moments of just enjoying the day here in her favorite place in the entire world...The constant flow of sand beneath her feet was relaxing...Calming as well as therapeutic.
A few moments pass as her walk continued, her vision now focused on the endless waves coming crashing into the mainland as each second passes...Barely able to see it all through the sea of people all around. Her thoughts then go back to the elderly woman she had just encountered...Her words...Why she chose to say them to her...As well as the true meaning behind them. She tried to shake it off as she now stood motionless, arms folded staring out into the vast blue sea before her. She was a nice one to encounter she thought. Something so rarely seen in this day and age. The world even...Suddenly her smile begins to dissipate...Her thoughts once again thinking about to the encounter moments ago as she tilts her head slightly to the side, towards the ground beneath. The words given by the elderly woman were comforting to say the least...They actually assisted in reassuring that one day she and Jason would have a family of their own. She believed that as well as Jason believed it. They would. It was just a matter of timing...Or so Sarah thought anyway...But one thought in particular reoccurred in her thoughts as she stood motionless staring at the sand beneath her feet...One single fact about the entire day, from all of her exploring, and all of the numerous moments of happiness she felt How DID the elderly woman know what her name was?
Her mouth was agape, as she turned her head back towards the booth where she had encountered this strange woman...Only to see...That she was nowhere to be seen. The booth seemingly abandoned all but for the merchandise she had examined no more than five minutes ago...
Suddenly Sarah opens her eyes, immediately focused on the ceiling fan above the bed Jason and she shared in their suite inside of the Angel Tower. A slow stir ensues, her body lifting slowly from the bed, turning allowing for her body to be supported by one of her arms. The opposite arm raises, her hand rubbing a bit of the sleep out of her eyes as she gazes across towards Jason's side of the bed, directly at the clock sitting on the nightstand. A long sigh escapes her lips as she notices just what time it was. Her eyes flutter slightly, as she slowly lets her body back down onto the bed, folding her hands across her abdomen as her eyes begin frantically dance across the ceiling above it seems, as if in conjunction with her thought process at the moment in time...The dream was the only thing on her mind...The meaning behind the dream was even more so as she fought each second attempting to decipher just what all of it meant...She knew without a doubt...She wouldn't get much more sleep on this night...