Disclaimer/Note: Donna Jo Napoli wrote "Crazy Jack". This is my fanfiction based on her novel. I really hoped that there was more to it than just 134 pages!! There should definitely be a sequel!! WELL, this is what happens to Flora and Jack after the last sentence, in MY opinion. Please read and REVIEW!!
Chapter 1 : Early Morning Joy
After I hug Flora, she gently pulls away. "We have to make things right, Crazy Jack." I had thought that today would be the worst day of my life, knowing and seeing Flora getting married to William the Toad. My Flora. To who?!
I admit thinking sometimes, during the darkest hours in my mind, that it would never be possible to reunite with Flora…she seemed so far away, so far out of reach and getting even farther after Father died and I became…Crazy Jack. And she started fearing me…to the point of agreeing to marry William.
No – there were still surprises. Sweet surprises. I laugh and pull her against me, my eyes taking in every detail of her beautiful face. I have known her all my life; I know every line in that face and can recognize her features anywhere. Her pink-red lips, her rich brown skin, her eyes. In her dark olive eyes – darker than pooled night-- I see a reflection of me. Smiling? My heart thuds loud enough for both of us to hear. Can you see me in your eyes, Flora? I glance away up at the sky – the tiny raindrops still fall softly, the sky a brilliant turquoise blue. The whole world is shining, glowing with ethereal light. My lashes are sticky against my skin. Am I crying? I examine hers. Thick and dark, like someone painted them on her eyes with a paint brush. God.
"I know, Sensible Flora." I stroke the back of her neck with my fingers. Her skin is warm and feels like satin. She slightly shivers. It's still chilly this morning – or is it because of me? I grin. "My Jack," she whispers softly, her heart close to mine's. I can feel her heartbeat. I lean over to her and softly bite her left ear. She giggles and tries to push me away. Her eyebrows knit in the way I love. I laugh again, the sound muffled by her sweet shoulders – she smells like sweet lilacs after the rain.
The soft melodies and tunes of my magnificent lyre still haunt my ears at this very moment. I had laid it down on top of the stone floor of my courtyard. I glance at it. Our courtyard. Her Courtyard. Flora's. The Courtyard of the Flower. I can still hear myself playing Flora's private hums and songs on the lyre, the songs that only she alone can create in that talented mind of hers. That I helped her discover all of herself fills me with strange giddiness. Dare I moo? I grin like crazy. Not really crazy, but – I shake my head, my grin still there.
The early morning sunshine slowly warms us while we stay united, our shadows merged as one person, one heart. It slowly warms my bones, and as I hold Flora strong and tight in my arms, I feel like I am a real person again. Not anymore Crazy Jack. Or at least not the one who slammed himself against the base of the cliff for the last seven years. I feel new, healed, empowered, loved. Is this love? It's enough to take away the pain – it's all too much.
The euphoric tunes that I hear in my head make my blood warm with happiness.