Hannah was tired after a busy day at work. All she wanted to do was just sleep.
It was late. Hannah had a long day at work followed by a hectic drive through the rush hour traffic. She was exhausted by the time she arrived home; too exhausted even to fix herself a sandwich and drink. She hung up her coat and kicked off her shoes then without looking at the mail or checking the phone’s answering machine she went straight to her bedroom. The room was a little stuffy thanks to above average temperatures for this time of year so she opened the small window to let some of the fresh countryside air in. She then closed the curtains, undressed and climbed into bed. After staring into the darkness for a short while, her mind elsewhere, she finally turned over on to her side and closed her eyes.
"Hannah." a voice whispered.
Hannah opened her eyes with a start, reached out her hand and switched on the bedside lamp and looked over her shoulder. There was no one there though she noticed the curtains fluttering.
"Hmm, must be the sound of the wind."
She switched off the lamp, lay down on her side and closed her eyes again.
"Hannah!" the voice whispered once more, though this time it sounded familiar.
"Sean?" she asked as she raised her head and strained to see in the darkness.
Again there was no one there and this time she noticed that the curtains were still.
"Tch, I must be hearing things."
She lay down again and gradually fell asleep.
"Hannah, wake up; go to the tree."
This time Hannah was sure about the voice and knew what the words meant. She looked at the clock: it was 2am.
"Hope I don't wake the neighbours when I start the car up," she muttered as she hurriedly readied herself then quietly slipped out the house to the car.
The journey to the picturesque village of Shade was just over half an hour away, half that at this time of night. The silhouetted village was fast asleep with its street lights out, and the only sound was from Hannah’s little car as it tip-toed its way over the gravel parking area beside the old church and stopped. She turned off the headlights, quietly closed the car door and found herself almost in total darkness, the starlit sky providing the only glimmer of light.
She carefully made her way across the car park towards the dirt track that sloped up the length of the cemetery wall and beyond. The track was extensively used during the day by ramblers and people on horseback and therefore was quite muddy in places. Although it was dark, Hannah was familiar with the track and managed to negotiate its incline by keeping close to the wall and then the fence. Finally she reached the top that led into the open countryside. She was now only a few yards from the tree.
The sturdy majestic oak tree with its spreading, overhanging branches was their Penistone Crag; their secret meeting place from where she and Sean surveyed their make believe kingdom all around. Hannah approached the tree and placed the palm of her hands gently upon its rugged bark for a moment in order to feel its energy. After a few moments she turned and leaned her back against it, just as she and Sean always did, and waited for him.
"Hannah," a gentle voice suddenly spoke from the darkness.
Hannah turned her head sideways to see Sean standing next to her leaning against the tree. He took her hand and held it tenderly in his.
“Thank you for coming,” he said.
"Oh Sean, it's been so long."
“I’m so sorry.”
“Please, my love, there are no sorrys between us, this is the way it has to be.”
“Yes, it has to be.”
He turned to face her, placed his arms tenderly around her waist, gently pulled her close and began exploring her face with the tip of his nose and lips in turn, scenting and tasting her cheeks, the nape of her neck and her wild hair; gingerly biting her ear lobes that made her laugh and gently breathing into her ears, causing her to quiver. He ran his lips along hers to the corners of her mouth, then back to the soft, inviting centre and paused for a moment to smell her sweet breath.
“Mmm,” he groaned. “Such aromatic splendour.”
Sean stared into her eyes.
“So gorgeous.”
Their lips met in a deep long passionate kiss.
Sean finally pulled his head back and gazed longingly at her.
"Oh Hannah."
"I'm floating," she replied, her face flushed.
Hannah closed her eyes as they kissed once more.
A breeze suddenly blew between them causing Hannah to shudder and open her eyes and find herself in bed with her arms wrapped tightly around her moist pillow. She heard a familiar sound and looked scornfully across at the curtains that were fluttering again.
“You,” she sighed with not a small hint of disappointment in her voice.
She switched on the lamp and opened the bedside cabinet drawer and pulled out her bible. She opened it and found a newspaper cutting, which she read.
'On the 5th of February, Sean Harper aged 41 beloved son of Mary and Alan, loving brother of Celia and Margaret and dearly loved uncle to Oliver and Rebecca and beloved fiancé of Hannah, suddenly left us.'
“I must go to the cemetery this weekend and place flowers on his grave,” Hannah said as she carefully folded the cutting and placed it back between the pages of the bible and put it back in the drawer.
She looked at the clock. It was only 3.30am. She rose and closed the window then went for a drink of water.
Stepping into the kitchen she stumbled over something on the floor. She switched the light on and was startled to discover that it was one of her shoes. Moreover, when she picked it up she noticed mud and grass on the sole. Her coat, which was on the back of a kitchen chair, held the faint imprint of tree bark across the shoulder.
I thought this was going to be a ghost story. I'm so glad that it wasn't.
You have a gift for suspense. Would love to read more. You also have an interesting pseudonym. I'm not sure why. But that's your choice and I'll honor that.
It was late. Hannah had a long day at work followed by a hectic drive through the rush hour traffic. She was exhausted by the time she arrived home; too exhausted even to fix herself a sandwich and drink. She hung up her coat and kicked off her shoes then without looking at the mail or checking the phone’s answering machine she went straight to her bedroom. The room was a little stuffy thanks to above average temperatures for this time of year so she opened the small window to let some of the fresh countryside air in. She then closed the curtains, undressed and climbed into bed. After staring into the darkness for a short while, her mind elsewhere, she finally turned over on to her side and closed her eyes.
