Death and Life

“Where is that dog?” Aria said. Her daughters’ dog Freddie had a mind of his own and liked to take off exploring at the worst times. The dark sky looked ominous and the wind was picking up. Tropical storm Ella was coming and everyone needed to get inside. The sky lit occasionally by flashes of lighting, it was no time to be out for a walk.

“ Maybe he’ll come back once the rain starts,” said Willow, who was Aria’s oldest.

“ Mmm, I really don’t want to deal with a soaking wet dog, that’s why I’d rather get him inside before the rain starts.”

The youngest, Eve, looked anxiously outside the window hoping to see Freddie.

“ Eve is gonna be really upset if we don’t find him,” said Willow

“ I know, that’s why I’m out here.”

Since the divorce was final last fall the girls had not seen much of their father. When Aria discovered Mark was cheating on her it was devastating. The girls had the most difficult time as all kids do. Willow, who was 11 was disappointed but was doing her best to adjust to this new life. Eve was only 5, and a much more sensitive child. The whole ordeal caused her a lot of insecurity. Aria had gotten the dog to give her a companion of her own through these tough times. If Freddie had run away Eve would not take it well.

“Wills, go inside, I’m going to walk into the woods a little to see if I can find him.”

Willow looked unsure but did what her mother asked. Aria went into the woods to continue the search.

Aria liked living close to the woods. Her dad had left her a few archers of land when he died. When she divorced her husband she bought a trailer and had it put there. It wasn’t her ideal home but it was a roof over their heads. One day she hoped to have a house built next to where the trailer stood now. It would for her, no one could take it from her.

The air surged with electricity. It felt as if the rain would begin pouring at any moment. The woods seemed like another world when it was about to strom. The stillness was otherworldly, that something strange and different could happen at any moment. Sometimes, she wondered how trees had stood for all these years. She knew they had been there long before she was born. It made her wonder about all the animals and people that had been there over the many years. What events happened here, what lives were lived that were now gone and left no trace. It spooked her a bit, but it also filled her with awe.

Thunder boomed above her, shaking her from her thoughts.

“Freddie” she yelled

She heard a whimper not too far in front of her. The dog was trapped a whole, not very deep but Freddie was not very big, only standing a foot high off the ground. He wagged his tail vigorously upon realizing she was there to rescue him.

“What have you done to yourself now,” she said out loud.

Aria thought she could climb down into the hole and lift Freddie out, then they could get inside before they both get drenched.

As she bent down something happed so quickly she wasn’t sure it was real. The brightest of light flashed in front of her. Stunned, she could do nothing. Electricity coursed through her, from her head to the tips of her toes she could feel it running through her veins. Then, a great wind picked her up and pushed her. It all happened so fast she lost track of reality. Unsure of what was happening, she thought maybe she had slipped into a different world for a moment. Then, she was standing on solid ground again, Freddie patiently waiting next to her. Aria gained control of herself again, looking up she had a hard time believing what she saw.

He appeared out of nowhere. A man, she thought, but he looked like he belonged in a painting, like an angel. Her mind went to the paintings from the renaissance, beautiful figures depicting a scene from the bible. Perfectly proportioned, muscular, angelic figures who looked too beautiful to be real. He had dark blonde hair, deep blue eyes and stood tall at least 6 feet. Mesmerized, she stood, locked in his eyes. In a flash, he was gone.

Confused, Aria’s thoughts went back to the rain, drops began falling. She grabbed Freddie and ran for the trailer.