Okay, if you're reading this, you know I'm not into the whole shout out
thing, but that's because I'm well..old, but I would like to thank all of
those who have reviewed and to make a couple of comments. I know that you
all are thinking there is going to be a romantic thing between Emerson and
Jack, no comment here, you'll just have to keep reading to find out what
happens. *maniacal grin and little chuckle* As for my daughter and her
Barbie, she's just too cute to say "no" to and being an only child often
gets her way. Yes, her parents are softies too. =) Anyway..thanks again,
I hope you enjoy this chapter and that it leaves you guessing a bit...
Shivering, Emerson woke to find she kicked the covers off during a nightmare and remembered she was not tucked in cozy and sound in her own bed, in her own home, with her mother and father. How she missed them both terribly. Mother, her warm, friendly smile could always steal the bad thoughts from her mind. Anne Lewis had a way of lighting up the world with that smile. Father, his kind heart and gentle nature was soft-spoken. John was the custodian of good deeds. He never walked away from the outstretched hand of someone in need. Their caring ways, the need to help others is why she was lying here on this mattress on the cold floor.
************************************ During her parents funeral a man approached her to convey sympathies and condolences. He wrapped his arms around her in a most unexpected hug, leaning into whisper in her ear. Well-spoken, Emerson would learn later the man began his college education before his father passed away leaving him to support his mother, two sisters and a sickly little brother. It only lasted a minute or two, but seemed much longer for what he said would change her life even more.
"Don't be afraid, of me Emerson, I mean you no harm."
Fighting the trembling urge, she spoke instead, "Who are you?"
"I am an employee of the factory where your parents were murdered."
"Murdered? You must be mistaken there was an accident."
"You have to believe me, please, your parents were murdered. You were meant to be at that place with them on the tour, you were meant to be murdered as well. Emerson, you are not safe."
"Surely, you must be mistaken. Who would want to harm my family?"
"There was a young man, a slow learner, you might say, cleaning up a spill near the pipe which caused your parents tour to be delayed. It was no accident the acid spill happened just beside the pipe. You see, this interruption in their visit gave the steam time to build up pressure."
"You mean Sammy..?"
"No, of course not, Sammy would never hurt anyone. It wasn't in him. He was sent by someone to clean up that spill."
"You mean Mr. Blackburn, don't you? Why would Mr. Blackburn want my family dead? Father was a major contributor to the company."
"Things were running quite smoothly for him too, until you came along one fate filled afternoon. When you saw that little boy, the one who died from the burns, telling your father about the working conditions for the children, Blackburn knew your father would pull out his investments. Unless there wasn't a member of the Lewis family around to talk to the lawyers, he would lose everything. You are in danger now because you knew."
Emerson pulled away from the man, the look in his eyes telling her everything he told her was true.
Aloud the man spoke to her again. "I'm so sorry for your loss." *****************************
Moonlight feel across the floor as another cloudless night filled the sky. Standing to stretch she realized she slept the whole day away, missing all meals and the setting sun. Neglecting to eat was not as important as missing the sunset.
Every evening she and her father would watch the event together, ending the day as perfectly as it started. Remembering her father caused Emerson to smile through her tears. He had been such a wonderful father, helping her to see things in a different light. She learned not to take such things as sunrises and sunsets for granted, to make the most of the time between, to reach out a hand to help anyone in need, for someday she might be the one in need.
Standing beside the window, she looked out at the stars, thought silently to him that now she needed that hand and hoped he would help guide it to her. So lost in thought Emerson forgot to watch where she walked and being the catlike nature she hoped for had not kicked in, tripped over an abandon stack of newspapers causing her to fall and whack her elbow on the windowsill.
Funny bone, what fool came up with that term? There was hardly anything funny about the pain shooting from her elbow to her wrist, it should have been called the hurts-like- hell bone. Sitting up, she rubbed the sore spot trying to regain her bearings with total disregard to the noise made while performing her acrobatic fall.
Jack woke to a dull thud above the bunkroom. Looking around he observed no one else had been disturbed by the noise, probably just a mouse knocking something over. Something inside nagged him to go up and check just to be sure, he was after all the one in charge.
Reaching the top of the stairs, he stopped and saw her sitting in the moonlight holding her left elbow. Stunned he realized his wish finally came to fruition. There she sat in the light cast over her by the moon, his Sarah.
Shivering, Emerson woke to find she kicked the covers off during a nightmare and remembered she was not tucked in cozy and sound in her own bed, in her own home, with her mother and father. How she missed them both terribly. Mother, her warm, friendly smile could always steal the bad thoughts from her mind. Anne Lewis had a way of lighting up the world with that smile. Father, his kind heart and gentle nature was soft-spoken. John was the custodian of good deeds. He never walked away from the outstretched hand of someone in need. Their caring ways, the need to help others is why she was lying here on this mattress on the cold floor.
************************************ During her parents funeral a man approached her to convey sympathies and condolences. He wrapped his arms around her in a most unexpected hug, leaning into whisper in her ear. Well-spoken, Emerson would learn later the man began his college education before his father passed away leaving him to support his mother, two sisters and a sickly little brother. It only lasted a minute or two, but seemed much longer for what he said would change her life even more.
"Don't be afraid, of me Emerson, I mean you no harm."
Fighting the trembling urge, she spoke instead, "Who are you?"
"I am an employee of the factory where your parents were murdered."
"Murdered? You must be mistaken there was an accident."
"You have to believe me, please, your parents were murdered. You were meant to be at that place with them on the tour, you were meant to be murdered as well. Emerson, you are not safe."
"Surely, you must be mistaken. Who would want to harm my family?"
"There was a young man, a slow learner, you might say, cleaning up a spill near the pipe which caused your parents tour to be delayed. It was no accident the acid spill happened just beside the pipe. You see, this interruption in their visit gave the steam time to build up pressure."
"You mean Sammy..?"
"No, of course not, Sammy would never hurt anyone. It wasn't in him. He was sent by someone to clean up that spill."
"You mean Mr. Blackburn, don't you? Why would Mr. Blackburn want my family dead? Father was a major contributor to the company."
"Things were running quite smoothly for him too, until you came along one fate filled afternoon. When you saw that little boy, the one who died from the burns, telling your father about the working conditions for the children, Blackburn knew your father would pull out his investments. Unless there wasn't a member of the Lewis family around to talk to the lawyers, he would lose everything. You are in danger now because you knew."
Emerson pulled away from the man, the look in his eyes telling her everything he told her was true.
Aloud the man spoke to her again. "I'm so sorry for your loss." *****************************
Moonlight feel across the floor as another cloudless night filled the sky. Standing to stretch she realized she slept the whole day away, missing all meals and the setting sun. Neglecting to eat was not as important as missing the sunset.
Every evening she and her father would watch the event together, ending the day as perfectly as it started. Remembering her father caused Emerson to smile through her tears. He had been such a wonderful father, helping her to see things in a different light. She learned not to take such things as sunrises and sunsets for granted, to make the most of the time between, to reach out a hand to help anyone in need, for someday she might be the one in need.
Standing beside the window, she looked out at the stars, thought silently to him that now she needed that hand and hoped he would help guide it to her. So lost in thought Emerson forgot to watch where she walked and being the catlike nature she hoped for had not kicked in, tripped over an abandon stack of newspapers causing her to fall and whack her elbow on the windowsill.
Funny bone, what fool came up with that term? There was hardly anything funny about the pain shooting from her elbow to her wrist, it should have been called the hurts-like- hell bone. Sitting up, she rubbed the sore spot trying to regain her bearings with total disregard to the noise made while performing her acrobatic fall.
Jack woke to a dull thud above the bunkroom. Looking around he observed no one else had been disturbed by the noise, probably just a mouse knocking something over. Something inside nagged him to go up and check just to be sure, he was after all the one in charge.
Reaching the top of the stairs, he stopped and saw her sitting in the moonlight holding her left elbow. Stunned he realized his wish finally came to fruition. There she sat in the light cast over her by the moon, his Sarah.