Chapter 4

I'm sitting at the table in our small kitchen tapping fingers furiously on the tabletop. I barely notice as Meg shoves a dinner plate towards me. "Have you heard a word I just said?"

My mind comes into focus at her annoyed tone. "Sorry sis, what were you saying?"

"What is with you this afternoon? You've been distracted ever since lunch."

I'm infatuated with a mysterious woman I dreamt of today. Nope, I can't tell her that. She'll lock me up in an asylum. "Oh yeah… just feeling, I dunno, inspired I guess."

Meg stops everything she is doing and stares at me rather dumbstruck. "Really? You haven't composed in years. Not since…" her voice drops off quietly and I know she's reliving the night of the fire. The night our parents died. The night I was nearly burned alive failing to save them. The last time I played the piano or my violin, let alone putting pen to paper in composition.

"So what were you saying about Mrs. V? She called earlier?" I ask, trying to pull Meg back to present time.

She shakes her head for clarity. "Yeah she called after you and Sasha went out to the barn to take the cows out to pasture. She wants to stop by tonight after dinner and bring one of her blueberry pies over. Said it's been too long and she's been terribly delinquent in checking on us. She's so sweet. She wanted to bring over some family as well from out of town."

I roll my eyes slightly at the thought of meeting strangers. Ever since the farm fire ten years ago, I've become somewhat of a hermit. The burns sustained in the blaze scorched and melted whatever handsomeness I may have had from half my face. The right side of my body mangled from the hot flames. To hide the scars, and perhaps to hide my shame of being unable to save our parents, I keep a neoprene mask upon my face. The only ones who seem to be bothered by it are Meg and Sasha. Probably because it gives me false confidence that I'm somewhat normal looking. These two are the only ones who prefer my face unhidden.

"I know that look, E. Come on. Mrs. V is the sweetest lady we know and I'm sure her daughter and family are just as nice. And besides, I already told her it was fine for them to stop by." She sticks her tongue out in a "ha, I got you backed into a corner and you can't get out of this one" look.

"You are such a turd, Meg Giry."

"Takes one to know one, Erik Giry! Now bring the cows to the barn and I'll get dinner started so we can get cleaned up before they stop by later."

We finished our late afternoon snack and tea, casually teasing each other in typical sibling ways while Sasha sits impatiently between us, drool bubbles popping as he licks his chops anticipating whatever scraps he can weasel out of us.

"Sasha, come," I gently command as I push the screen door open to head to the pastures. The setting sun caresses and kisses the treeline as we head out to the barn. "Good evening, Mary Ellis," I say as I pat our oldest cow on the back and watch her march into her stall. Glancing at my watch, I sense I have a little while before dinner is ready and decide to take a walk. Sasha is showing his age and decides not to follow me and insteads heads to the house to no doubt drool while watching Meg cook dinner.

For some reason I'm drawn towards the orchard, to the tree at the edge of the farm, the spot where I first saw her in my dream. As I approach the emerald-leaved tree, I see someone climbing over the blueberry hedges onto my property. I squint my eyes to block out the glare from the western sun setting through the trees. That's not Mrs. V. Suddenly I watch this mysterious trespasser's body jolt in fear, dropping a basket of picked blueberries. As I approach, the most beautiful voice cries out, "What do you want? Who's there?" Her voice is shrill with panic and I grow annoyed at someone trespassing on not just my land but on Mrs. V's too.

"Perhaps it is you who can tell me who you are and why you are trespassing onto my land?" I demand, shaking my head. I watch as this small figure of a woman turns slowly around to face me. "It's you…" I choke out astonished, my feet planted firmly in the grass. "My God, it's you…"

I watch her dumbstruck as she swallows the knot in her throat, her eyes growing wider and wider, the sunlight catching sparkles of emerald green in her eyes. My God they are the color of the leaves on the tree in the middle of the orchard. I'm looking at her and she is beautiful. I can't believe it's her.

"My God," she whispers and quickly grabs her basket. I hardly have time to process what is happening as she leaps over the hedgerow and sprints towards Mrs. Valerius' home. I feel light headed and dizzy and feel my knees giving out, my feet twisting over each other as my body slams against the emerald tree. Who is she?