My response to the A Picture is Worth 1000 Words Challenge #6: The Campfire
I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think :)
(Thanks for the eyes, mr-and-mrs-bates)
The sun having just set, the sounds of the evening were becoming more evident. Crickets chirped in the distance singing for those gathered on the beach. Waves sloshed gently against the shore as children laughed and ran by on the soggy sand. Looking up to the sky, Anna could see smoke swirling in the breeze high above before dissipating. The nearby fire-pit crackled and spit while it's light cast dancing shadows against their blanket. Jack, having long since succumbed to exhaustion, lay splayed out against the soft material. He was still a baby in many ways. His little fingers, arms and even legs were still plump and pudgy. She wasn't sure which of those chubby features was loved more between herself and her husband, for he was altogether precious. But as much as he tried to act like a "big boy" and keep up with the other children, he was never far from his "mummy" and was certainly no match for the siren's call of sleep. Anna reached out to comb through his fair hair with her fingers. The tell-tale marks of a day spent near the salty water of Bridlington were clear to her as his hair became quite curled and unruly. Looking at his slumbering features, she could make out the tiniest of freckles bespattering the edge of his nose.
The soft sound of a football landing in the nearby sand and the chasing feet that followed it broke her from her reverie.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Bates, I didn't wake Jack, did I?"
"No, it's alright James," she answered in hushed tones. "Just keep your voice down else you will," she teased.
Whispering in response, "I guess we wore out the little mate, then, eh?"
"Ooh, yes you did," she laughed. "Well, run along now, your friends will be missing you," nodding to the ball in his hands, "and give my love to your mother for me."
"Yes ma'am," he called out over his shoulder as he ran back to join his friends passing several of the small fire-pits dotting the shoreline.
It was a special night. Nearing the end of their second season in Bridlington as owners of the local hotel and pub, the Bates' wanted to commemorate the achievement by welcoming their patrons and neighbors to a seaside roast with the help of some local fishermen. The fresh catch of the day was hauled up, cooked and served right along the edge of the beach. The tantalizing scents wafted into the air intermingling with the smoke from the various encampments fashioned along the sand.
Anna smiled contentedly as she sat with her son towards the farther end of the festivities. Filling her lungs with the relaxing scent of salt and sea, the coolness of night was fast approaching and she was ever more grateful for the heat of the flames to her side.
They had become of a welcome fixture in their new town. With their arrival and subsequent improvements to their quaint inn, they ushered in a revival of business and Mr. Bates was well respected by all. That fact was never more evident to Anna as she watched him greeting and visiting with their guests as he paced the confines of their party. Men would stand to shake his hand and offer a hearty slap on the shoulder in warm congratulations, and, in Anna's mind, he deserved it.
"That handsome beggar," she grinned to herself, "he's made for this."
He looked so tall and confident; he'd blossomed in his new role. Her husband always said to her, "why should I be social when I have you?" She laughed now at the thought. Looking at him now, one would never know his quiet, brooding tendencies.
"Not social, my eye. May as well put wings on him and call him a butterfly," she muttered to herself.
As if sensing her attention, he turned to look at her and offered a cheeky wink that sent shivers right through her. Shaking her head at him gently, she giggled.
Standing before her, feet half buried in the sand, he couldn't look more boyish and charming to her if he tried.
"Mister Bates," she greeted.
"My dear, Mrs. Bates, I trust you're having a pleasant evening," he bowed before her with a flourish. "May I join you?"
"You may," she replied, biting her lip with barely restrained glee.
He came to rest behind her on the blanket, and she leaned to press her back against his chest relishing the warmth radiating from him.
"After all this time I can still make you blush," he teased, whispering in her ear. "Oh, you think you can hide it, but you can't fool me."
She shivered before answering, "and why shouldn't I? With a husband as devastatingly handsome as you, who could blame me?"
He chuckled into her neck before he pressed a kiss there.
"You don't regret any of this, do you?" John asked, suddenly turning somber.
"Are you mad? I couldn't regret it, not ever. Look at what we have here, John." Turning to face him, she met his eyes with her own, scolding him, "don't you dare start your brooding, John Bates, not now."
Taking in her pursed lips and disapproving features, he raised his hands mollifyingly,
"You're right, of course, I know, love." Placated for the moment, she twisted back into his chest again.
Glancing across the blanket at Jack, John released a soft laugh. In his sleep, his thumb found his mouth whilst the other wound it's way into his mussed hair. "Our little man is all spent, isn't he?"
"He's had quite a day. It's exhausting spending your day playing," she reasoned.
"And you, my darling, how are you feeling? You looked to be feeling poorly this afternoon. Was it just the sun?"
"Mmm…perhaps…" She smirked to herself mischievously as he pondered her cryptic answer.
"Anna…is there something you're not telling me?" He grasped her shoulders and brought her around to face him, continuing, "I thought we agreed not to keep secrets from each other anymore."
She couldn't help but laugh at his endearing protectiveness. He could be such a mother-hen sometimes. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes as she tried to put his worries to rest, "But John, it's the best kind of secret."
"Eh…bu…I don't understand," he stammered. Still unconvinced, his brow remained furrowed.
"I didn't want to tell you today, honestly. I wanted to wait until business quieted some…so you wouldn't worry, but…"
"Please, Anna, what are you saying?"
"I'm pregnant, John." She released a quick breath and chewed her lip, nearly bubbling with happy tears.
The breath left him as his eyes widened slightly and his jaw slackened. She felt his hands slide reverently the down the length of her arms to grasp her hands.
John grunted to clear the lump forming in his throat, and tenderly managed, "My darling…really?"
"Really." she uttered, reaching to caress his cheek, humbled by the glistening she perceived in her husband's eyes. Bringing his forehead to set against hers, they lingered in the peace of the night.
They had wished for a future like this long ago in the quiet of Downton Abbey's servant's hall. Despite all of the obstacles and pitfalls slung their way, they held onto the hope that their dreams would still be realized. Knowing better than most that time stops for no one, they became the masters of their own destiny grabbing with both hands the path marked out for them. The firelight licked and played against their silhouettes in that moment, the heat and smoke billowing upwards causing the stars to appear warped and in constant motion. Here, their reality surpassed their greatest envisioning.