Mae was piling pancakes on their plates that night when Jesse finally
emerged from his bedroom.
"Jesse? Look. I made pancakes. They're your favorite," Mae smiled meekly.
"I'm not hungry," Jesse sat at the table and poked at the large stack of them with his fork.
Mae sat down and asked Tuck to say grace. After he did so, they began to eat. Jesse still did not touch his food but gazed out the window.
*** Grace stood in the clearing wondering where Jesse had gone, the hot afternoon sun looking down upon her. She looked around a moment and spotted a well-traveled path. She began to follow it.
She had been walking for a long time when a lake and small house came into view. Saying in the water, there was a small two-person boat tied to a low hanging branch. A freshly chopped pile of wood with an ax still lying beside it could be seen, too.
Grace smiled as she looked at this wonderful place that her mother had described so vividly. It was exactly as it was in the stories her mother had told her as a child. It brought back the fondest memories of Winnie to her.
She decided that she would stay in the woods until it was a bit darker.
*** "Jess, not eating won't help. I promise," Miles insisted.
"I said I'm not hungry," he snapped back.
"Leave him be, Miles," Tuck said.
Jesse was still starring out the window when he suddenly snapped back to reality. "I just saw something move outside the window!"
Jesse jumped out of the chair and ran to the door.
Grace was huddled under the window, hoping he wouldn't see her.
"Grace!"
She stood and smiled, "I wanted to see you again."
"Come inside, child," Mae said from the door.
"You must be Mae?" Winnie asked her.
Mae smiled and nodded. "You look just like your mother.
"Are you hungry, dear?" Mae continued.
"Yes, ma'am."
Mae fixed up a plate for Grace who was sitting by Jesse.
"Tomorrow," he said, "I'm gonna show you everything, everything I showed Winnie."
"I'd like that. I've heard so much about you and this place."
*** Jesse lay in his cot thinking when Miles whispered to him. "Are you awake?"
"Yeah. I was thinking about Grace."
"She's just like Winnie! She even looks just like her."
"Yeah. It's like looking 25 years into the past. I loved her so much." Jesse was thankful that it was dark because a tear was trying to escape his eye.
"You love Grace, too. I can tell."
"I just met her."
"But she reminds you of Winnie and you can't help but think she is Winnie."
"I guess you're right," the tear slipped down his cheek and fell onto the sheet.
"Where are you gonna take her tomorrow?"
"Everywhere. I want to get to know her; see if she really is like Winnie."
"Well, if you're going everywhere, then you need to get some sleep," Miles suggested.
Jesse smiled as more tears fell.
*** The sunrise was beautiful; Jesse and Grace were right there to see it, too. Jesse had not changed his mind about taking Grace everywhere. First he would go to the Eiffel Tower. Then they would swim at the waterfall below it. From there was the meadow. Then to the pond for a quiet talk. That was the extent of his plans; he would let his heart led the way from there.
"Where are you taking me?" Grace asked, as she was lead by the hand into the woods.
"The Eiffel Tower," he looked back at her and smiled.
"Two feet taller then the one in Paris?" she asked returning his smile.
"You are just like your mother. And yes, two feet."
The rocks were fairly steep, though Grace didn't have any trouble scaling them. When they reached the summit, Grace was breathless. The view was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. All she could see for miles was trees. "My Eiffel Tower," Jesse sighed.
"Beautiful," Grace whispered.
"Yes, you are." Jesse wasn't looking at the view that he had see thousands of times, he was looking at the angel that he had brought to see it.
"Do you swim?" Jesse asked.
"Hum? Oh, yes," Grace said as if coming out of a trance.
"Then, I have something else to show you."
He led her off the Eiffel Tower to the waterfall near by. "Come on." He pulled his shirt off and dove into the cool wetness. Grace followed not even bothering to take anything off.
Jesse couldn't help but think of Winnie as they floated together. Grace sent a wave of water toward him, which began a splash fight. After a while of splashing, they were thoroughly soaked. Jesse reached around Grace and held her in his arms.
"Jesse," Grace whispered in his ear. "I think I love you."
They kissed under the falls. When they separated, Jesse smiled, "I love you, too."
The rest of the day went something like that with a kiss or two here and there.
It was late in the afternoon when they reached the oak tree in the middle of the wood where they met. Jesse removed the rocks and drank some of the water. When he was finished, he stood and walked to Grace. "What are you doing for the rest of my life?"
"Do you want me to drink the water?"
"Not if you don't want to. I want you to do what you think is best for you. Not me.
"Just remember you'll be sacrificing your life for me. You can't get your life back once you give it up. It's like being stuck in time, right where you are. You don't have to give your life up just for me," Jesse said.
"Would you like it if I did give it all up for you?"
"Yeah, I guess so I mean."
"I've been thinking about this for sometime now. You just made up my mind, though."
"I told you I don't want to force you to do-" Jesse stopped.
Grace had knelt by the pool of water and was holding it in her hands to drink. "I love you, Jesse." She drank it. "Now we can see the real Eiffel Tower together."
Jesse smiled. "That and so much more."
The End
"Jesse? Look. I made pancakes. They're your favorite," Mae smiled meekly.
"I'm not hungry," Jesse sat at the table and poked at the large stack of them with his fork.
Mae sat down and asked Tuck to say grace. After he did so, they began to eat. Jesse still did not touch his food but gazed out the window.
*** Grace stood in the clearing wondering where Jesse had gone, the hot afternoon sun looking down upon her. She looked around a moment and spotted a well-traveled path. She began to follow it.
She had been walking for a long time when a lake and small house came into view. Saying in the water, there was a small two-person boat tied to a low hanging branch. A freshly chopped pile of wood with an ax still lying beside it could be seen, too.
Grace smiled as she looked at this wonderful place that her mother had described so vividly. It was exactly as it was in the stories her mother had told her as a child. It brought back the fondest memories of Winnie to her.
She decided that she would stay in the woods until it was a bit darker.
*** "Jess, not eating won't help. I promise," Miles insisted.
"I said I'm not hungry," he snapped back.
"Leave him be, Miles," Tuck said.
Jesse was still starring out the window when he suddenly snapped back to reality. "I just saw something move outside the window!"
Jesse jumped out of the chair and ran to the door.
Grace was huddled under the window, hoping he wouldn't see her.
"Grace!"
She stood and smiled, "I wanted to see you again."
"Come inside, child," Mae said from the door.
"You must be Mae?" Winnie asked her.
Mae smiled and nodded. "You look just like your mother.
"Are you hungry, dear?" Mae continued.
"Yes, ma'am."
Mae fixed up a plate for Grace who was sitting by Jesse.
"Tomorrow," he said, "I'm gonna show you everything, everything I showed Winnie."
"I'd like that. I've heard so much about you and this place."
*** Jesse lay in his cot thinking when Miles whispered to him. "Are you awake?"
"Yeah. I was thinking about Grace."
"She's just like Winnie! She even looks just like her."
"Yeah. It's like looking 25 years into the past. I loved her so much." Jesse was thankful that it was dark because a tear was trying to escape his eye.
"You love Grace, too. I can tell."
"I just met her."
"But she reminds you of Winnie and you can't help but think she is Winnie."
"I guess you're right," the tear slipped down his cheek and fell onto the sheet.
"Where are you gonna take her tomorrow?"
"Everywhere. I want to get to know her; see if she really is like Winnie."
"Well, if you're going everywhere, then you need to get some sleep," Miles suggested.
Jesse smiled as more tears fell.
*** The sunrise was beautiful; Jesse and Grace were right there to see it, too. Jesse had not changed his mind about taking Grace everywhere. First he would go to the Eiffel Tower. Then they would swim at the waterfall below it. From there was the meadow. Then to the pond for a quiet talk. That was the extent of his plans; he would let his heart led the way from there.
"Where are you taking me?" Grace asked, as she was lead by the hand into the woods.
"The Eiffel Tower," he looked back at her and smiled.
"Two feet taller then the one in Paris?" she asked returning his smile.
"You are just like your mother. And yes, two feet."
The rocks were fairly steep, though Grace didn't have any trouble scaling them. When they reached the summit, Grace was breathless. The view was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. All she could see for miles was trees. "My Eiffel Tower," Jesse sighed.
"Beautiful," Grace whispered.
"Yes, you are." Jesse wasn't looking at the view that he had see thousands of times, he was looking at the angel that he had brought to see it.
"Do you swim?" Jesse asked.
"Hum? Oh, yes," Grace said as if coming out of a trance.
"Then, I have something else to show you."
He led her off the Eiffel Tower to the waterfall near by. "Come on." He pulled his shirt off and dove into the cool wetness. Grace followed not even bothering to take anything off.
Jesse couldn't help but think of Winnie as they floated together. Grace sent a wave of water toward him, which began a splash fight. After a while of splashing, they were thoroughly soaked. Jesse reached around Grace and held her in his arms.
"Jesse," Grace whispered in his ear. "I think I love you."
They kissed under the falls. When they separated, Jesse smiled, "I love you, too."
The rest of the day went something like that with a kiss or two here and there.
It was late in the afternoon when they reached the oak tree in the middle of the wood where they met. Jesse removed the rocks and drank some of the water. When he was finished, he stood and walked to Grace. "What are you doing for the rest of my life?"
"Do you want me to drink the water?"
"Not if you don't want to. I want you to do what you think is best for you. Not me.
"Just remember you'll be sacrificing your life for me. You can't get your life back once you give it up. It's like being stuck in time, right where you are. You don't have to give your life up just for me," Jesse said.
"Would you like it if I did give it all up for you?"
"Yeah, I guess so I mean."
"I've been thinking about this for sometime now. You just made up my mind, though."
"I told you I don't want to force you to do-" Jesse stopped.
Grace had knelt by the pool of water and was holding it in her hands to drink. "I love you, Jesse." She drank it. "Now we can see the real Eiffel Tower together."
Jesse smiled. "That and so much more."
The End