Book One First encounter

3

The first thing I heard was the sound of my alarm clock going off, like a pneumatic drill in my head. Still half asleep, I stifled a yawn, reaching out groggily to switch the accursed thing off, before it drove me mad.

Easing myself upright I grimaced at the pain that followed the action, my features contorting with each movement of my already fragile feeling body. Then wiping the sleep from my eyes I looked over to see what time it was.

Twelve o'clock?damn?I thought, mentally scolding myself?I had overslept, which wasn't like me at all, usually I was up at first light?.but then again? I'd had a restless night?and couldn't even remember going to sleep.

What I could remember was lying awake in the dark, on the couch, too tired to make it to my bedroom, but unable to sleep. The silence in the room, an almost tangible presence; my tired mind flooding over with thoughts of Annabella, and when sleep finally descended down upon me, she followed me into my dreams.

I was standing on a deserted stretch of sand, caught up in the wrath of a raging storm. In the far off distance, on the edge of the sand I could make out a lighthouse, its powerful searchlight tracing a path over the turbulent ocean; the thrashing waves seeming to have a life of their own. Rising up swiftly to such a height, that I stepped back in fear, sure that at any moment I would be swept out to sea.

She was standing directly ahead of me, at the waters edge, her back facing me, staring off into the distance; still dressed in white, but the dress she had on this time was of a more elaborate design than the one I had seen her in last. Drawn in painfully tight at the waist, so that it left little room to breathe, or move, it billowed out across the sand; the front of it spilling into the ocean before her; the long silk skirts trailing behind her.

Her hair swept up off her face, a few stray ringlets having come loose cascaded softly across her cheeks. Small slivers of moonlight reflected in the darkness of her eyes, taking my breath away. Moving towards her I reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, and then she turned round to face me, her dress sweeping round in an arc as she did. Her eyes meeting mine, the expression on her face one of sheer disbelief, and then immense sadness.

Unsure of what to do?all I could do was stand there, watching, waiting, feeling the emotions radiating out from her as if they were my own?anger, fear?pain?and sadness so much sadness that it was unbearable. Quiet at first, like the static you get on a radio station, they became gradually louder, and louder, until I couldn't stand it anymore. The intensity behind them so overwhelming, so overpowering that it made my head hurt, and my heart felt as if it would break. I could feel my whole body shaking, and it felt as if I had swallowed a shard of glass.

Walking towards me, she had her arms stretched out in front of her, the white of her dress making her appear almost ethereal. Tears in her eyes as she laid her hand upon my shoulder, and then I think I woke up to find myself crying aswell?after that I must have fallen asleep again.

The thing I found most troubling though was no matter how many times my mind went over, and over the imagined scenario in an attempt to make some sense of it. I still couldn't figure out why her seeing me and touching my face as she had done would make her cry? Or why seeing her in such a state would disturb me so?when I hardly knew her.

Shifting myself on the couch, I glanced quickly back over at the clock?.the digital letters blinked 12.30?damn?I cursed?the day was halfway through.

I'd planned to do some work on my book?but I had also made plans to go back into the harbour, and look around the shops.

But the prospect of getting any work done on my book looked bleak at the moment, and I couldn't have begun to make an attempt on my writing even if I had wanted to? my head still hurt terribly, and I couldn't concentrate or focus on anything?at least not until I came up with a sufficient answer for the dream I'd had.