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Chapter Five - Awakening
'I love you Wilhelm' Katherine whispered…
(It can't be, it can't be him) .. Karen screamed inside her head as she watched the scene thru Katherine's eyes.
'I know this is too much to ask of you under this kind of circumstances, but I need you to decide right now Kath, we need to runaway tonight, we don't have much time.' He pulled away from her hug , held her by her shoulder and looked directly at her soft green eyes.
'What..why..' she asked breathlessly, unable to hide her surprise to what he said.
'Katherine, listen, something is going to happen, something bad, your fa…' Wilhelm quickly turned his head towards the unmistakable sound of a dry twig breaking. Standing behind the low rose bushes is the little girl that Wilhelm talk with earlier, her face covered with bruises, her tattered clothes ripped in different areas, slow steady tears flowed from her big scared eyes.
'Cara..'.Wilhelm uttered.
Karen woke up with a gasp. 'No, it can't be, I'm losing my mind'. Karen jumped out of the bed, hugging herself as sweat covered every pore on her body. She closed her eyes and pictured Will inside his office, reading stacks of papers on his desk. All those years, she could not understand why she was always angry at him, then it dawned on her..on that special night, that night with him, when he kissed her during the spotlight dance…She hated him because of the feeling that she awakened inside her. She feels vulnerable whenever he's around. She hides behind her cold and insensitive facade not letting anyone see the pain behind her mask. She hated Will, no, she doesn't hate Will, she despised him! The first time Grace introduced them to each other, she knew, from that moment, she loved him, every bit of her screaming, wanting to run towards him and tell him she loved him, but no, that's stupid! That's crazy! And besides, she's married to Stan that time, and Will is… he is different.. 'He is gay for crying out loud Karen, so STOP IT!' . But now, Stan's dead, he's never coming back, no one to tell her how beautiful she is, to kiss her longingly, to make her feel safe. Nobody to call her own. She wept for days after Stan passed away, not only because of his husbands death. Stanley's death set something free. And that's what she's been afraid of, terrified of the thought. 'The only man whom she'd ever dream of giving her heart to will never take her love'. She know he'll never love her the same way she loves him. She felt her body touch the soft carpeted floor. Her pains flowing thru her eyes. 'Is it not enough that you torture me in life that you haunt me in my dreams too'. Karen uttered.
Karen walked around the garden, not being able to go back to sleep. She was wearing a long sleeveless white gown with a deep square neckline. It's was still dark and the moon faintly made its presence known behind the thick clouds. Her hair gently moving in the quiet breeze. She sat by the stone bench near the fountain. . The coldness of the stone made her whole body tremble. 'Will……' she whispered. She closed her eyes trying to hold her tears.
'You're still waiting for him.' An old woman said
She looked around and saw Mary .The old lady was struggling to keep her self from shaking violently due to the icy cold night.
'Katherine….'
She felt chills run down her spine as she heard the familiar that familiar name again. Karen just smiled 'I'm sorry you've must have mistaken me for someone else. My name is Karen, Karen Walker. Why don't you go back inside honey, your freezing'
'No, I've waited long enough. And now that I finally found you, I must tell you, I must tell you what happened..'
'I'm sorry, I just need to be alone right now.' Karen stood up and started to walk towards the other side of the garden .
'Don't you want to know what happened to Wilhelm?'
Karen stopped walking, she felt herself frozen in the very spot that she's standing. 'Wilhelm…..how'd you know about my dreams. Who are you?'
'I know who I am my child, its you who needs to know who you are.'
Mary walked towards her, and held her hands. 'I have something of yours'. Mary drew something from her night gown pocket and handed it to her. Karen took it with both of her hand and closed it. She was afraid to look at it, somehow she knew what it was , the feeling of it against her hands .. reminds her of something, someone…. She opened her hands and saw a piece of velvet cloth .Suddenly, her thoughts we're flooded of memories.. of that night, the last night she saw Wilhelm, the way his velvet trousers felt against her skin while he's holding her…
'She loved you Katherine, more than you know, more than you can ever imagine'
'Enough!' Karen screamed. Her throat felt dry and achy. She could feel her head pounding due to the mix emotions that's she feeling. 'Why do you do this to me!'. Karen kneeled in the moist earth, her head low and both of her hands still clutching the velvet cloth.
'I am not the one who's causing you pain' The old lady started in a very worried tone 'That's the last thing I would ever imagine doing to you ,you're suffering because you don't know………….you don't remember………..but I'm here now…' Mary kneeled beside Karen and held her on her arms, her hands gently stroking her hair.
'Katherine, the only key that will free you from your misery is the truth..'
Karen looked at Mary's face, she looked older than the last time she saw her, the lines on her face seemed much deeper now, her eyes seemed to heavy for her to open, and the sadness .. The sadness that radiates around the old lady, it seemed that she's been carrying it all her life..
'Katherine, you came back for a reason, you're here because you made a vow to your love, that you will forever search for him until you two are together again.. You said it that night, as your father took him away. And you waited for him , night and day.. Waited, here …. ..patiently. Your plead to your father to ask him where he is fell on deaf ears. Days turned to months,……and months to years, Katherine, you don't have to wait anymore… I know he's back…and you've found him already….'
