Kylie Ravenlock Jonas untacked the
neatly penned notice from the wall inside the DragonMyst Inn and rolled it up in
her hands. She felt blessed by the goddess to have found someone to help her
manage the stable. The young man, Zurvan, spoke little common language and
possessed a charming sense of humor, but more importantly he had already proven
his knowledge of raising horses. The future goal of racing the Khalar pair was
suddenly seen as attainable. Already Kylie knew her and Zurvan would work well
together; it was something she could feel. And it would be such a relief to
share the workload. Kylie couldn't wait to tell Jackson, hoping it might allow
both of the busy parents to spend more time together with their daughter. As she
left the inn, she thought back over the past several days...
A visit from
the spirit world. A soon-to-be printed interview with the MystHaven TownCrier
that left the Jonas household unsettled. A dream about leaves that made little
sense. A crawling, teething nine-month old baby who required more and more
attention. A rapidly growing business that would soon be in shambles without
help. A marriage that still struggled silently with the loss of memories. Yes,
it'd been just another average week for Kylie.
Between the riding lessons
and charity meetings for WinterFest that she had crammed into her days, Kylie
came back to analyzing the dream even when she kept one eye on the baby and
mucked out stalls. In the dream, she was feeding her family plates of leaves!
And they were happily eating them! From her baby daughter, to her husband, to
even her mother! Kylie would have chalked the dream up to too much focus on
mulch for next spring except an eerie voice had undertoned the images with a
repeated phrase, "If I can't have you, then no one will..." The voice seemed
neither male nor female and Kylie only remotely considered it being Sephyr and
his demonic alter ego Theros for a hint of a moment. They'd been long gone from
her life, thankfully.
She also spent a lot of time thinking about
the visit from the ethereal image of Emma Dravis, Jackson's first love, out by
the grave site down behind the thick grove of trees. For months, Kylie and the
baby had gone for long walks, always bringing flowers to remember the young
woman whom the child was named after. But that evening, the spirit chose to
reveal herself, bearing an important message to a bewildered Kylie and a
delighted baby Emma who reached out to touch the energy of
light.
"Jack.. my love.." The young image of the
woman whispered softly, the smile of nothing short of utter and complete love on
her face. She wore a sundress of white, long to her bared feet, and her hair is
loose to fall around her shoulders, a crown of wildflowers around her head. The
very image of what she looked like the day she was so brutally
murdered.
Kylie chewed her bottom lip and nodded. Yes, your love.
My love. Our love. And suddenly, tears sprang up behind Kylie's eyes as she
faced the woman. "I'm afraid to lose him again...he can't remember
anything..." She sighed and kissed little Emma's forehead. "I wish you
could help him Emma, watch over him." She stared at the undeniable light of
being, "I think Jack is lost somehow inside."
"He is lost, and you must
find him.." The woman's whispery, ghostly voice spoke out softly, the smile upon
her lips still there. Pushing to stand, the young woman literally glides over
the ground toward Kylie and Emma.
And Jack's wife stood rooted to the
ground as if she were a birch tree. "I keep trying but I don't know how...I
don't know if he wants me to help him." The baby girl reached out her arms to
the warm light and cooed enthusiastically.
The woman then paused just in
front of the two, a lingering scent of honeysuckle amidst the breeze, lifting a
glowing hand toward the little girl. She touched, though the baby's hand passed
straight through her own. "You will find him."
Kylie just stared in
stunned silence as she felt a special moment of connection. "We named her after
you Emma. We will always remember..." Kylie watched the woman's image. Jackson
had painted her so true.
"Yesss.." The woman tipped her hazel eyes to
Kylie, the soft smile on her face lingering there for a moment. She cantered her
head some, and reached one hand out to touch the other woman's cheek, leaving
her own special tingling sensation there. "I will be here.." The spectre begins
to fade then, as the smile fades somewhat.
It was the
exhausted mind of a young parent that barely pondered if the two events held a
connection, a key perhaps to give Jackson back his memory. Next week, she would
have Lashette and Palthion over for dinner, and perhaps she'd question the mage
about his theory on the dream and the spiritual visit. After all, he'd been the
one to suggest that maybe Jack had internalized something to cause his loss of
memory.
Once home, Kylie found Jackson and their daughter curled up in a
cozy, slumbering nap in the master bedroom. Clasped in Jack's hand was the small
orb they'd gotten as a wedding gift last planting season. Kylie's throat
tightened, realizing he was watching the images of their wedding
again. She gently pried it from his fingers and set it to the bedside
table. Then she curled up next to her husband and watched him sleep before her
own eyes closed. There would be time to talk of all things when he
woke.
To learn more about the Kylie and her family:
http://www.bittersweet.f2s.com/kylie/
~~~~~~
"she
looked so fine,
i said baby what's on your mind?
she said 'i want to run
like the lion
released from the cages,
released from the rages
burning
in my soul tonight...' "
