Overhill and Underhill

Chapter 3

Author's Notes: I apologize for the delay but I hope it was worth the wait. If you feel the urge, please let me know what you think! I injured my finger earlier so I'm having trouble typing. - Scarlette

The Cliffs of Moher were hailed as one of Ireland's most visited natural attractions. The rocky cliffs towered above the Atlantic Ocean and hosted one of Ireland's most beautiful coastal walks. The imposing cliffs offered incredible views of Galway Bay, the distant Twelve Pins Mountains, and the Northern Maum Turk Mountains. It was so rare to see the cliffs without people walking along them but Emma had devised a wonderful plan to avoid them. After loading up her rental the night before, and that had been a lot of fun with the large painting she couldn't seem to be parted from. Every time she thought about boxing the portrait up and shipping it, she found herself slightly sickened. She hadn't heard back from August and had attempted a few more pictures of the woman's face specifically only to get the same results. She was more intrigued though then upset about it. What about her camera and the camera phone couldn't capture the woman's face? She had asked the desk clerk if he could see the woman's face and he'd looked at her funny but once she'd explained the problem she was having he'd responded by pulling out his own phone and testing it out only to receive the same results. The poor kid looked more panic stricken than she did, crossing himself and asking her to remove the portrait from the hotel which she'd done with a little help from another clerk that seemed as equally upset though at least willing to help her lift the heavy picture and move it to her car.

Playing luggage Tetris had proven interesting with the large portrait but she'd finally made it work and had to pull the seat forward only a couple of inches to accommodate it. She woke up hours before the sun was due to rise and got on the road heading steadily towards her destination. The sky looked hazy, the water was crashing on the cliffs, making the deserted area look almost otherworldly. She pulled her camera from its bag and walked down towards the cliffs, lining up a shot and snapping the photo. She looked at the screen, studying the image before nodding in satisfaction. As the sky began to lighten, reds, oranges, and purples made the cliffs look otherworldly. The water and the different shades of browns, tans, grays and even lush green down towards the bottle of the rocky cliffs stood out in beautiful relief. It was breath taking and Emma found herself sucking in a breath as she shifted and moved around, finally getting down on her knees towards the edge to snap a photo of the crashing waves and the cliffs themselves.

"Beautiful." She breathed, ignoring the rock that was biting into her left jean covered knee. She smiled at the small preview screen on her Nikon. It was the type of shot she was certain would be exactly what she needed to diversify her portfolio and show her ability to adapt as a photographer.

Carefully, she eased her way back and stood up, dropping her camera to rest against her chest by it's red padded lanyard she moved carefully back to a safer distance.

"You know that was quite dangerous." A low voice rang out. It should've been hard to hear but it was as clear as if the person was standing right next to her. She whipped around, blonde hair flying, and sending her sunglasses which were resting on her head, falling to the ground.

"Who…?" Emma asked, trailing off as her green eyes bugged slightly. Standing a few feet from her was the shapely pretty figure of a woman. She was dressed in a burgundy dress with long lace sleeves. A small black belt sat at her waist revealing her tiny figure. Breasts that barely peaked out from the v-neck of her dress were set off by the simple gold necklace that rested against her collarbones. A large floppy brimmed black hat rested on her head along with a pair of large black square sunglasses. Black hair flawlessly kissed the woman's shoulders, flipping at the ends and blowing slightly in the wind. Tanned legs peaked out from the short hemline of her dress and resting on her tiny feet were a pair of…stilettos?

"Don't you think you're a bit overdressed to be out here?" The blonde blurted out without thinking then cringed at the woman's perfect eyebrow that shot up behind her sunglasses.

"Don't you think it's a bit early for you to be out here?" The woman shot back ruby lips tilting up. She tilted her head, the rising rays of the sun catching along her flawless face and causing Emma to catch sight of one thing. She had a small scar that bisected her top lip.

The photographer sucked in a breath, feeling her heart rate accelerate at the sight before she shook her head. Get it together Em; she thought forcefully to clear her head.

"Well…I can't get the best shots of the sunrise if I'm not out here early." She fiddled with her camera.

"Why are you taking pictures? To remember your trip?"

"No, well partly but not really. I'm an aspiring photographer. I have a lot of pictures of architecture and people but not many of nature shots."

"And you're not from here." The woman added, lips moving as she took a small step towards the taller woman.

"No, does my accent give me away?" Emma asked, feeling a lump form in her throat. She tried to swallow and started to fiddle with the lanyard holding her camera to her chest.

"A bit. You're from Boston yes?"

"You're right. I am. And you're…not from here either?"

The woman's lips tilted up and the photographer found her throat get dry. It was a Mona Lisa type smile. Something that said I know more than I'm letting on. She felt the brief urge to run, the woman's presence almost felt otherworldly which didn't seem right at all but her feet were firmly planted. There was no getting out of this.

"On the contrary, I am from here."

"You don't have an accent though?"

"I spend a lot of time abroad. I've lost it over the years." The woman held out her hand. "I'm Regina."

"Regina…wow…um…uh…I'm Emma." She finally offered taking the woman's hand in her own slightly calloused one. Her skin was soft and silky and Emma hoped the sweat wanting to cling to her palms didn't turn the other woman off.

"You seem nervous."

"Um…I guess I didn't think anyone would be out here this time of the morning."

"Oh it'll pick up here shortly. Plenty of people enjoy viewing the cliffs especially since it'll be a beautiful day today."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

Regina's lips tilted up in that same mysterious little smile. "You'd be surprised."

"So you're a photographer? And you're here expanding your portfolio for your work?"

"Well yes but I'm trying to get a job. I'm trying to make sure I've got a wide variety of shots to show my diversity." Emma shrugged as she and the smaller woman despite the stilettos made their way along the cliffs at a slow pace. The wind was picking up and it was blowing quite roughly but they ignored it in favor of their conversation.

"May I see your photographs? Or the ones you've taken so far?"

The taller woman blinked as the woman's perfectly manicured hand was held out to take her precious Nikon. She swallowed before removing the camera from her neck and handing it over.

"I doubt you'll be able to see with those sunglasses on." She remarked when Regina hit the button with the green triangle in the square and flipped through the various photos Emma had taken.

"These aren't really that dark. You're taking photos of food too?"

"Well those are more for me. To remember my trip by." Emma blushed slightly and shrugged, looking out across the lush landscape that was really beginning to look quite beautiful with the warm sun beating down on them.

"That's a good thing to do." Regina offered, flipping through the rest of her photos. "You have a real talent. I admire that."

"Thank you…" The blonde scuffed her booted toes into the grassy soil. "Um…so you said you're from here?"

"Yes. County Clare."

"You don't look Irish." She smiled softly causing Regina to let out a bell like laugh.

"That's true I do appear more Italian than Irish but I am from here and that won't change. No matter if I try to deny it or not."

"Why would you want to deny it?"

Regina offered her mysterious little smile with a small shrug. The conversation died and they walked along in silence before Emma plucked up the courage to ask her next question of her enigmatic companion.

"You said you travel a lot for work…what is it you do?"

"I'm an art curator."

"Wow, so you work for a museum?"

"Something like that," another inscrutable smile from her companion.

"Right, really keeping with the mystery there aren't you?"

"Is that a problem? I thought you Americans liked a bit of mystery."

"Maybe some do but I prefer things to be rather straight forward."

"Yet you're an artist. Is art not all interpretation?"

"I'm a photographer. I think there's a bit of a difference between the art mediums. Doesn't mean one is better than the other or anything like that but that my photographs in particular I feel are a bit more straight forward."

"Then maybe you need something more abstract to photograph. Art is all about emotion and the invocation of those emotions. Different people see different things when they look at any of the mediums an artist may employ. That's what makes it art."

Emma parted her lips, looking at the woman beside her. She closed her lips then pursued them, thinking about Regina's words. "That's not something I ever thought about."

"Then perhaps you should start. Just because you photograph things doesn't mean you don't capture an emotional connection. Nature, humans, even architecture can all be interpreted in so many different ways all due to the human experience."

Emma fiddled with her camera than nodded, "You're right. I guess I just never thought of it that way. To me, photography and my camera…they were almost a way to hide. If I was behind the lens, I didn't have to face what was going on around me."

"A picture is worth a thousand words. I believe that's a phrase you Americans use sometimes yes?"

Emma shrugged, "I suppose so."

"Perhaps it's time for you to stop hiding Emma. It's time to come into the light."