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Chapter Six- "A Walk Through the Woods"
"No, I didn't" was all Jesse replied.
Lily smirked at his mysteriousness. She assumed that he didn't want to tell her his name because Grandma Winnie might have mentioned him in the past. She was amused at the thought that he was worried about her knowing his name, when she knew so very much more about him.
Since Jesse didn't seem inclined to talk, Lily looked at her surroundings. There wasn't much to see. Dusk had passed into full night and very little moonlight was filtering down to them through the trees. Lily suddenly got the image of eyes watching her out of the blackness around her, and quickened her pace to catch up with Jesse.
"So," she said, trying to sound conversational, "What kind of wild animals are there out here?"
He looked at her, amused. "Mostly squirrels. Besides, I won't let anything get you. My mother would be so disappointed if you got eaten before she got to meet you."
Lily laughed. Maybe Jesse had more of a personality than he was letting on. Although, even if he didn't, she told herself, great heartbreak can permanently damage people. Jesse shouldn't be any different. Her heart once again softened towards the boy, wondering when he had come back and realized Winnie hadn't waited for him. It must have been awful.
She shot him a sidelong glance. He looked chipper enough now, but she had seen his tears the day before and would never forget them.
"Did your mother know my great-grandmother well?" Lily asked, to change the subject in her own mind.
"She didn't know her for long, but Mae loved Winnie when she was here." Jesse replied. Lily knew he must not have been thinking about what he said, or he would have called Grandma Winnie Mrs. Jackson. Saying 'Winnie' told that he had known her well when she was young. And Lily knew he hadn't meant to give that away, although he didn't seem aware of his mistake. She could mention it and tease him a little, but she decided against it. She didn't want to tease him about Grandma Winnie.
"These woods are, um beautiful." Lily said, not sounding very sincere.
"Are you afraid of the dark, city girl?" he asked with a laugh.
"I'm not a city girl. I'm a suburb girl. And no, I'm not afraid of the dark. I just don't usually go traipsing through unfamiliar woods at night." Or any woods for that matter, she added to herself.
"Well, don't worry. They're not unfamiliar to me. I know every bit of these woods." Jesse reassured her.
Lily smiled. After having lived in them on and off for about 175 years, she bet he knew them well.
Suddenly, Lily was relieved to see, a soft light appeared ahead of them. A little bit further and she realized they were coming up to a homey little cabin nestled on the edge of a lake. The trees grew up close around it, but the light coming from the cabin make the surroundings look like the friendliest woods Lily had every seen. But then a thought struck her.
"I thought this burned down?" She wondered out loud, even though she was only talking to herself.
"What?" Jesse asked sharply.
Lily realized her mistake. She had repeated a bit of information Grandma Winnie had told her.
"Oh, I just remember hearing about a fire in a cabin in these woods a long time ago." Lily replied, purposefully vague. "And I thought I had heard it was the only house out here."
Jesse looked relieved.
"Yeah, well, a cabin did burn down near here close to a hundred years ago. Some incident involving angry townspeople. But my family, they were the ones who owned it, came back a long time after and rebuilt it close to the original site."
Lily was amused at the way he said 'my family'. Of course, anyone would take him to mean his ancestors, but he worded it in a way so he wasn't actually lying to her. All she replied, however, was,
"I see. It's a nice spot."
"Yeah," Jesse said, leading her inside.
Chapter Six- "A Walk Through the Woods"
"No, I didn't" was all Jesse replied.
Lily smirked at his mysteriousness. She assumed that he didn't want to tell her his name because Grandma Winnie might have mentioned him in the past. She was amused at the thought that he was worried about her knowing his name, when she knew so very much more about him.
Since Jesse didn't seem inclined to talk, Lily looked at her surroundings. There wasn't much to see. Dusk had passed into full night and very little moonlight was filtering down to them through the trees. Lily suddenly got the image of eyes watching her out of the blackness around her, and quickened her pace to catch up with Jesse.
"So," she said, trying to sound conversational, "What kind of wild animals are there out here?"
He looked at her, amused. "Mostly squirrels. Besides, I won't let anything get you. My mother would be so disappointed if you got eaten before she got to meet you."
Lily laughed. Maybe Jesse had more of a personality than he was letting on. Although, even if he didn't, she told herself, great heartbreak can permanently damage people. Jesse shouldn't be any different. Her heart once again softened towards the boy, wondering when he had come back and realized Winnie hadn't waited for him. It must have been awful.
She shot him a sidelong glance. He looked chipper enough now, but she had seen his tears the day before and would never forget them.
"Did your mother know my great-grandmother well?" Lily asked, to change the subject in her own mind.
"She didn't know her for long, but Mae loved Winnie when she was here." Jesse replied. Lily knew he must not have been thinking about what he said, or he would have called Grandma Winnie Mrs. Jackson. Saying 'Winnie' told that he had known her well when she was young. And Lily knew he hadn't meant to give that away, although he didn't seem aware of his mistake. She could mention it and tease him a little, but she decided against it. She didn't want to tease him about Grandma Winnie.
"These woods are, um beautiful." Lily said, not sounding very sincere.
"Are you afraid of the dark, city girl?" he asked with a laugh.
"I'm not a city girl. I'm a suburb girl. And no, I'm not afraid of the dark. I just don't usually go traipsing through unfamiliar woods at night." Or any woods for that matter, she added to herself.
"Well, don't worry. They're not unfamiliar to me. I know every bit of these woods." Jesse reassured her.
Lily smiled. After having lived in them on and off for about 175 years, she bet he knew them well.
Suddenly, Lily was relieved to see, a soft light appeared ahead of them. A little bit further and she realized they were coming up to a homey little cabin nestled on the edge of a lake. The trees grew up close around it, but the light coming from the cabin make the surroundings look like the friendliest woods Lily had every seen. But then a thought struck her.
"I thought this burned down?" She wondered out loud, even though she was only talking to herself.
"What?" Jesse asked sharply.
Lily realized her mistake. She had repeated a bit of information Grandma Winnie had told her.
"Oh, I just remember hearing about a fire in a cabin in these woods a long time ago." Lily replied, purposefully vague. "And I thought I had heard it was the only house out here."
Jesse looked relieved.
"Yeah, well, a cabin did burn down near here close to a hundred years ago. Some incident involving angry townspeople. But my family, they were the ones who owned it, came back a long time after and rebuilt it close to the original site."
Lily was amused at the way he said 'my family'. Of course, anyone would take him to mean his ancestors, but he worded it in a way so he wasn't actually lying to her. All she replied, however, was,
"I see. It's a nice spot."
"Yeah," Jesse said, leading her inside.