Ghosts of the Past: Meetings
I could see the ship from my post in the tree even before it pulled into the small harbor that had been built. I'd know that ship anywhere. Abandoning my breakfast, I ran down to the dock, not even bothering to put on shoes, ignoring Mother as she told me to get dressed properly before leaving the house.
It was very early in the morning. The sky was gray, because the sun had not risen completely. I'd known that today, Solan would be here, and of course I hadn't been able to sleep.
Running through the town, I realized how quiet it was. No one else was awake yet. I was one of the few children in this town, well, I wasn't a child anymore, but, enough of one that everyone knew me and said hello or some other type of greeting as I ran down the street.
The quiet was good today, though. It let me think about when I had first woken up this morning.
*
"Miri, I thought you weren't going to sleep." A woman's teasing voice said.
Miri? Who's Miri? I'm Raine.
I sat up in bed, rubbing at my eyes, expecting any moment to hear Ellone's tiny footsteps in the hallway and to see her face peering around the door.
"Miri? Are you all right?"
I shook my head. "Mother?"
"Of course. What's the matter?"
"Nothing. . ." I said, standing up.
*
For a moment there, I hadn't been myself. I'd been an entirely different person. I'd been a young woman named Raine, with a daughter named Ellone.
Ellone? Was that a coincidence, or were they the same person?
I was in hearing range of the ship now. "MIRI!" I heard someone yell, breaking my concetration. Looking up, I grinned.
"Solan!" He was coming down the ladder as fast as he could, and as he ran towards me I was only too conscious of what I was wearing and the way I looked.
I was wearing old clothes. Loose black shorts that went about halfway to my knees and a gauzy white shirt. It had straps that held it up instead of sleeves and was just this side of see-through.
Since I hadn't put up my hair this morning it hung straight down my back, falling in my eyes and waving down more than halfway to my waist. Usually I combed it to perfection and braided it back, but today I'd been looking forward to seeing Solan again and I forgot.
My feet were bare, as usual. The only time I put on shoes was during the winter, and even then only if I had to go outside. The bottoms of them were dusty, which was a comfortable feeling to me.
Why did I care now? This was Solan. He's my best friend. I don't care what he thinks, and why should he care how I look anyway? We've only known each other all our lives.
He ran up to me just then and hugged me tightly. I was only too conscious of how much bigger he was than me now.
His birthday was in February, three months after mine. He'd been sixteen earlier this year, I would be fifteen in November. He was at least three inches taller than my 5'2. He had brown hair like his mother did, and hazel eyes, as opposed to my emerald green. Solan didn't really have a lot of muscles, he was mostly just slender like I was.
"Miri, it's been so long."
"Since last winter, same as usual." I laughed. We'd gone through this since we were old enough to talk.
"I got you a present." He said, smiling.
"Really?" My eyes widened. "Where? Tell me tell me tell me!" I jumped up and down, grabbing his wrist. I was mostly putting on a show and he knew it.
"You sound like a little kid."
"Mention presents and she is," A new voice said. I turned.
"Hi, Ellone." I said without thinking. Then, I turned back around and screeched.
She laughed and patted her stomach, which was somewhat bigger than usual. "I'm due in September."
"Do you know if it's going to be a boy or a girl?"
"A girl."
"What are you going to call her?"
"I'm not sure yet. I'm thinking of letting Solan name her."
Of course, I turned to Solan and made a pleading face. "Can I help?" He laughed.
"No."
"Please?"
"No way!"
"Come on. . ."
"Absolutely not!"
"You're MEAN!" I said, glaring at him.
"I know."
"And to think I actually missed you!"
"Oh, you know you did." I followed him up onto the ship, still bickering.
My mother and father had walked down to the ship and joined Ellone and James. "They're growing up so fast." My mother said wistfully.
"I know." That was Ellone. There was a hint of something in her voice. Almost like she was. . .hiding something.
*
Solan led me through the ship down to the captain's quarters. "Here." He said.
I looked around. I couldn't see anything, and was about to tell him so, when I heard barking. I turned around and a small puppy made its way over to me. As I knelt down the puppy jumped onto my lap. It was gray and white with a wolf-like face.
"She's part wolf. When we were leaving Trabia she stowed away. I thought you might like her."
"Thank you." I said, petting the little dog. After setting her down, I stood up and walked over to Solan, hugging him again.
"I missed you, Solan."
"I really did miss you, too." He said softly. I stepped back a little and looked at him.
"This time, you have to stay. We can hide you in the. . .closet!"
"That's the first place they looked last time."
"Well, my tree then."
"Two winters ago. I froze my butt. Remember?" He rolled his eyes. "That is the last time I go outside in February. Lovely birthday present, to have a numb butt!" He glared at me and I giggled. I turned to the puppy who was whining. "She needs to go out. I trained her."
"How can you go out on a ship?" I wondered as Solan scooped up the little puppy and ran with her. I trailed after him, thinking still.
*
"What are you going to name her?" Solan asked later after Ellone and James had left.
"I don't know. How old is she?"
"Couple months."
"You haven't named her yet?"
"No. You do it."
I surveyed the puppy. She was tugging at the chair right now. She lost her grip and tumbled backwards. Solan laughed along with my parents, I was too busy thinking.
"Iceheart!"
"What? What kind of name is that?"
I tossed my hair. "A good one. Anyway, I wouldn't talk. You were probably calling her 'hey, you'."
He had the good grace to blush. "Actually, yeah."
"See! So there. And she'll grow into it."
"Mmm-hmm. Whatever." He stuck out his tongue.
"That's MY line!"
"Whatever?"
"NO! Don't stick out your tongue."
"That's not a line."
"So?" I pushed him and he fell backward onto the floor. Mostly his own doing. I didn't push him that hard. Iceheart bounded over and licked his face. I laughed this time.
*
Later that night, after dinner, I changed into nightclothes and walked over to the guest room. Solan and I usually talked late into the night for the first couple nights he was here. We had catching up to do. I usually shut the door so we wouldn't disturb my parents, but as I started to, Mother told me to leave the door open.
Puzzled, I stepped back. "How come?"
"Just do it, Miri." She said shortly. Mother never spoke to me like that. I nodded meekly (something I rarely did) and went inside the room. Watching after her, I didn't move until she'd left the area. Then, I turned and jumped onto the bed. Solan looked up from his book, exasperated.
"Hi! Whatcha reading?"
"A book about sorceresses."
"Echh." I made a face.
"That's so becoming." He said.
"Why'd Mother make me leave the door open?" I asked, in a pique of curiousity.
"Because you're older now."
"Fourteen. . .So?"
"Well, it's not proper for us to be in a room together by ourselves with the door shut."
"Iceheart's in here."
"She's a dog."
"So?"
"You say that too much."
"Well, you leave too many questions unexplained."
"It wasn't a question."
"So?"
"MIRI!" I grinned. I knew when he was irritated and he was now.
"Are you mad at me?"
"No."
"Yes you are."
"No, I'm not. Quit asking that."
"I didn't before."
"Suure."
"I didn't!"
"You did lots of times last winter."
"Well, I thought you were."
"Guilty conscience?"
I kicked him.
"Ow."
"That's what you get."
"Yeah. So, anything interesting happen lately?"
"Not really."
"You haven't destroyed anything all year? I'm shocked."
"Solan. . ."
"No, really! I didn't think you had it in you."
"It was only TWICE."
"Three times. Three years. In a row."
"It wasn't my fault that he left that in his boat!"
"No, but it was your fault that you messed with it."
"How was I supposed to know it was a firecracker?"
"You can't explain away the flood in the basement, though."
"Watch me."
We both laughed. I'd really missed him.
"So, nothing, really?"
"No." I shook my head. The incident on the hill didn't seem important then.
We talked for a while more, and then I had to go to bed.
*
"Solan." I whispered. "Solan! Wake up."
He rolled over and blinked up at me in the dim candlelight. "What?" He had the gift of waking up clearheaded, something I'd never possessed.
"I had a nightmare." The tears on my face were evidence enough of that.
"Oh. . .Again? You're still having them?"
"Yes."
"C'mere." He moved back towards the wall and I climbed under the covers next to him.
"You don't care?"
"Of course not. You always sleep in here when you have nightmares, right?"
"Well, only when you're here. If you're not I go sit in my tree for a while."
"I know."
"But it's better when you're here."
"I know."
"Stop that. . ." I whined sleepily.
"Sure. Go back to sleep, okay? It's late." I felt something jump on the bed, and remembered Iceheart. She wriggled up next to me and I remembered something.
"I bet Mother gets mad. 'Member what she said earlier?"
"I'll talk to her. Okay?"
"'Kay."
"Now go to sleep, Miri."
-End chapter two
Author's Note: I don't know why I added that scene at the end. . .Solan is falling in love with Miri, and though she doesn't know it yet, she's falling in love with him.
I know it's been slow, but there'll be more interesting stuff in the next chapter. . .I promise! And we all know I always keep my word. . .*grin*
