5
He had watched her wander up the path. Even heard her breathe the evening air deeply into her lungs as she approached. His eyes were sharp and he recognized her as the girl who had helped him at the library. She had been kind to him. His heart leaped as he realized he had nothing to fear. She had been kind and she was coming to his door! A kind person was coming to his house! Someone to see, to listen to! A face to see! He only had memories of faces. But here was a real person coming to his house! His chest tightened with joy and anxiety.
He wasn't sure what to do. He sat in his chair and listened. He heard her open the door and let herself in. He heard her walk across the floor and start up the stairs. It became clear to him that she didn't know anyone was in the house. He listened as she climbed the stairs. He heard her reach the top, then suddenly stop and after a few moments start back down. He knew she had seen him and that she would leave.
"No! No! Don't go!" he shouted inside his head as his heart sank. But all that came out of his mouth was a quiet "Don't go."
"Ed...Edward?" Nora's voice cracked and she began to tremble..
"Yes. Don't go," he answered. She heard an earnestness in his voice.
"I'm sorry Edward. I had no idea you were here. We all thought you were dead. I'm sorry. I'll leave. I just didn't know. I thought the house was empty. I'll go now," she stammered. But she didn't want to go. She didn't want to go at all. A million emotions surged through her being and she wanted nothing more than to be with Edward there in the night, in the dark. She hoped against hope he would ask her again to stay, but she didn't want to endanger his existence in any way and she knew no one else must ever know that he was still alive.
"Please stay," he answered.
"Are you sure?" she asked quietly.
"I...I have a chair for you," Edward said and he rose from his seat and started for a chair that was in the shadows near the wall.
"Oh, that's ok. I can get it myself," she said and hurried across the expanse of floor and reached the chair about the same time he did. They both were aware of the scent of the other in the dark and their closeness and the sound of each others breath. She was shaking harder now as she often did in difficult situations. Although it was dark Edward's pale face was apparent, his dark eyes shone and his hair was blacker than the night that surrounded them. Their eyes met for a moment then Edward looked away as they both fumbled for the chair. Edward let her carry it as he led the way back to the spot where his chair stood. She was thankful for that because if she was busy carrying the chair she trembled less.
She followed him and sat her chair next to his but slightly back. She knew she would be uncomfortable if she was unable to see whether or not he was looking at her. If her chair was just slightly back she could look at him from the corner of her eye without him knowing and he'd be less likely to see her trembling.
"I really just wanted to see the town's lights from here," she said lightly but her voice quavered. "You have the best view from up here."
She sat carefully in her chair and he sat down next to her. "Don't you think so, Edward?" she asked softly.
"Yes, I like to look out from here," he answered .
"I like the dark," she said under her breath.
"I like the dark too. Very much. The lights shine so beautifully in the dark. And....and I can't see the people then."
"Yeah, the people," she answered, thinking of the cruelty of the townspeople. "You're lucky you have this place, Edward. You have it all to yourself with no one to bother you."
There was silence as a warm breeze stirred about them. Her trembling wasn't so bad now.
"I...I get lonely though," he said quietly.
"Lonely?" she thought. She so much wanted to be alone and this was the most wonderful place for that.
Suddenly she felt Edward's loneliness and it made her heart sink. "Oh," she said, not knowing what else to say. She remembered the intelligence in his dark eyes and all that he had gone through rushed through her mind. How he had been brought to town, made into a celebrity and then been driven back up here and she realized how awful he must feel.
"You're in a bad situation, Edward," she said thoughtfully. "Everyone thinks you're dead and you have to keep it that way or they might take you away from here," she said, trying to make the logic ease his pain.
"Yes, that's just it." He paused, then spoke again, "I miss the town."
"Even though they were so mean to you?"
"They were nice to me at first," another pause, then,"I miss the children the most. Some of them didn't care that I'm different," his voice was quiet. "And the dogs," he said as an afterthought.
She glanced toward him and saw his dark eyes shining in the night. She thought they might be shining from tears and without thinking she put her hand on his wrist to comfort him. She stopped trembling. His scissors clicked softly at her touch and then quieted.
They sat quietly together looking out at the night and Edward felt a warmth seeping over him. "This is good," he thought. He couldn't have hoped for more as he sat in the dark with the kind girls hand on his wrist.
He had watched her wander up the path. Even heard her breathe the evening air deeply into her lungs as she approached. His eyes were sharp and he recognized her as the girl who had helped him at the library. She had been kind to him. His heart leaped as he realized he had nothing to fear. She had been kind and she was coming to his door! A kind person was coming to his house! Someone to see, to listen to! A face to see! He only had memories of faces. But here was a real person coming to his house! His chest tightened with joy and anxiety.
He wasn't sure what to do. He sat in his chair and listened. He heard her open the door and let herself in. He heard her walk across the floor and start up the stairs. It became clear to him that she didn't know anyone was in the house. He listened as she climbed the stairs. He heard her reach the top, then suddenly stop and after a few moments start back down. He knew she had seen him and that she would leave.
"No! No! Don't go!" he shouted inside his head as his heart sank. But all that came out of his mouth was a quiet "Don't go."
"Ed...Edward?" Nora's voice cracked and she began to tremble..
"Yes. Don't go," he answered. She heard an earnestness in his voice.
"I'm sorry Edward. I had no idea you were here. We all thought you were dead. I'm sorry. I'll leave. I just didn't know. I thought the house was empty. I'll go now," she stammered. But she didn't want to go. She didn't want to go at all. A million emotions surged through her being and she wanted nothing more than to be with Edward there in the night, in the dark. She hoped against hope he would ask her again to stay, but she didn't want to endanger his existence in any way and she knew no one else must ever know that he was still alive.
"Please stay," he answered.
"Are you sure?" she asked quietly.
"I...I have a chair for you," Edward said and he rose from his seat and started for a chair that was in the shadows near the wall.
"Oh, that's ok. I can get it myself," she said and hurried across the expanse of floor and reached the chair about the same time he did. They both were aware of the scent of the other in the dark and their closeness and the sound of each others breath. She was shaking harder now as she often did in difficult situations. Although it was dark Edward's pale face was apparent, his dark eyes shone and his hair was blacker than the night that surrounded them. Their eyes met for a moment then Edward looked away as they both fumbled for the chair. Edward let her carry it as he led the way back to the spot where his chair stood. She was thankful for that because if she was busy carrying the chair she trembled less.
She followed him and sat her chair next to his but slightly back. She knew she would be uncomfortable if she was unable to see whether or not he was looking at her. If her chair was just slightly back she could look at him from the corner of her eye without him knowing and he'd be less likely to see her trembling.
"I really just wanted to see the town's lights from here," she said lightly but her voice quavered. "You have the best view from up here."
She sat carefully in her chair and he sat down next to her. "Don't you think so, Edward?" she asked softly.
"Yes, I like to look out from here," he answered .
"I like the dark," she said under her breath.
"I like the dark too. Very much. The lights shine so beautifully in the dark. And....and I can't see the people then."
"Yeah, the people," she answered, thinking of the cruelty of the townspeople. "You're lucky you have this place, Edward. You have it all to yourself with no one to bother you."
There was silence as a warm breeze stirred about them. Her trembling wasn't so bad now.
"I...I get lonely though," he said quietly.
"Lonely?" she thought. She so much wanted to be alone and this was the most wonderful place for that.
Suddenly she felt Edward's loneliness and it made her heart sink. "Oh," she said, not knowing what else to say. She remembered the intelligence in his dark eyes and all that he had gone through rushed through her mind. How he had been brought to town, made into a celebrity and then been driven back up here and she realized how awful he must feel.
"You're in a bad situation, Edward," she said thoughtfully. "Everyone thinks you're dead and you have to keep it that way or they might take you away from here," she said, trying to make the logic ease his pain.
"Yes, that's just it." He paused, then spoke again, "I miss the town."
"Even though they were so mean to you?"
"They were nice to me at first," another pause, then,"I miss the children the most. Some of them didn't care that I'm different," his voice was quiet. "And the dogs," he said as an afterthought.
She glanced toward him and saw his dark eyes shining in the night. She thought they might be shining from tears and without thinking she put her hand on his wrist to comfort him. She stopped trembling. His scissors clicked softly at her touch and then quieted.
They sat quietly together looking out at the night and Edward felt a warmth seeping over him. "This is good," he thought. He couldn't have hoped for more as he sat in the dark with the kind girls hand on his wrist.