Move
A cool breeze passed over their faces, a subtle hint of the brisk autumn weather that was on its way to Yorkshire. Beautiful, full and fluffy white clouds drifted through the early September sky as the husband and wife reclined on a blanket under a large tree at the edge of a meadow. Each drifted on the precipice of sleep, their contented stomachs full of bread, wine and cheese.
"I couldn't move if I wanted to." Charles head rested in Elsie's lap as she sat leaning against the trunk of the tree.
"I take it you are enjoying our picnic, Mr. Carson."
"More than I can say. It was a lovely idea, Mrs. Carson."
Elsie leaned over, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead as she ran her fingers through his thick hair. "I am very glad to hear it."
Elsie watched Charles' eyes slowly surrender with a last flutter as he drifted into sleep. She was careful not to move and disturb his slumber. She loved to watch him sleep, always struck by how young he looked in this peaceful state. The lines around his eyes and mouth virtually disappeared, as did the creases in his brow as his face relaxed. She could clearly imagine what he had looked like as a small child.
Studying her husband's beautiful face, Elsie felt her own eyelids grow heavy. She let her mind wander as her eyes closed, her head resting comfortably against the tree.
The picture of a long legged little boy, perhaps six or seven years old, with a mop of unruly black hair appeared in her mind. She watched the handsome boy jump from stone to stone as he crossed a small stream in pursuit of a bright orange butterfly, a smile on his lips and an errant curl resting on his forehead. Relaxed by the sound of the nearby stream and the warm rays of the sun on her legs, Elsie drifted to sleep, taking the child along into her dreams.
"Move! Move faster of we'll lose it." The boy tugged on her hand as they traversed alongside the stream, dodging rocks and mud as the butterfly fluttered and flirted in her flight. He stopped suddenly, spying the monarch resting on a sapling only a few feet away from them. "Shhhh…." The boy had his finger to his lips as he looked up at her. She was startled to see bright blue eyes briefly shining up at her as the child smiled with glee before turning back to the butterfly. The lad was built like Charles, but it was her broad smile and dark blue orbs that she had glimpsed. She suddenly knew the hand tugging hers' belonged to their child; the boy time, nature and circumstance had denied them.
"Oh! It moved! Come on!" The boy pulled her along as their pursuit continued. She desperately wanted him to relent in the chase so she could look at him more closely, talk to him, but as she called out for him to stop, he refused, "No! We must move! Move! Move!"
The chase continued for several minutes, the joyful child moving too quickly for her to get a better look. "Move faster!" he laughed, pulling on her hand as they approached a large tree. He stopped short at the base of the trunk that separated the wood from the edge of a meadow. Elsie had a sense she had been to this place before as she looked past the tree at the sea of green.
The little boy looked up at her with a sweet smile, "You have to stay here. I promise I'll see you again, but you have to stay here, Mam." Elsie opened her mouth to beg him to stay, but having let go of her hand, the child slipped around to the other side of the tree. She rushed after him, but upon reaching the meadow she saw no trace of anything but the waving green expanse.
"Come back! Come back!"
"Elsie, wake up. Wake up, love." Charles voice was gentle in her ear as her eyes fluttered open to see the same vast green field that had just filled her dream. Startled and confused, she looked around the side of the tree having the sensation she had just stood behind it.
She turned back to her husband's concerned face, "Where is he?"
Charles took her hand in his, "Who? Who are you looking for?"
"The boy. We were chasing…he told me to move faster because it was getting away."
"You were dreaming, love. It was just a dream."
Elsie blinked as she fought to make sense of her experience and current state. A sudden sadness filled her as she realized the child had only been a figure of her imagination.
"What was getting away?"
Elsie's eyes welled up with tears as she debated whether to tell Charles about the beautiful lad with the black curls and blue eyes. She opened her mouth to answer, but a blurred flash of orange caught her attention. "Look, Charles."
He looked down at the spot upon which her wet eyes rested. A large orange monarch perched at the edge of their blanket. He was unable to discern what she had said next, her whispered words had been accompanied by a sob. It had sounded something like "He came back," but he couldn't be sure. Rather than ask her to repeat it, he simply wrapped his arms around her shoulders as she wept. Charles kept an eye on the butterfly as Elsie wiped her eyes with the handkerchief he had pulled from his pocket.
While a sense of loss lingered, Elsie began to feel an odd sense of comfort as she looked at the bright orange creature. It was true the boy wasn't real, but he had seemed so very real to her in the dream. She looked down at her empty hand, the sensation of his small hand against her palm still lingered. She smiled as she realized that while only a trick of her mind, the dream had been so vivid that the child was now indelibly etched in her memory; the memory of him as strong as those she had of her parents, William, Mr. Crawley and Lady Sybil.
Her tears dried, Elsie reached over and took Charles' free hand, gently squeezing it, prompting him to turn and kiss her forehead. Elsie watched the butterfly suddenly alight as Charles' lips rested against her temple. She smiled and whispered, "Goodbye," as she watched the monarch disappear among the waving blades of grass.
"Are you all right?"
"I am now."
"Good." Charles lifted her hand to his mouth, gently brushing his lips over her knuckles, "Shall we make a move then?"
Elsie looked up at her handsome husband and smiled, "Yes, let's make a move."
Blanket and basket gathered, the couple joined hands as they began their journey around the tree that would lead them along the stream and back to the road that led home, unaware of the flutter of orange behind them that follows their every move.