Bonfire Of The Heart
At
The House of Four Seasons
by Atonia
Part 2
Toni woke again with the sun streaming in from her balcony; the doors were open and a stiff breeze from the ocean had her sheer curtains dancing. Terry was not in the bed and she thought he might be running, although how he could run after last night she had no idea.
She closed the doors and looked for the coffee pot the house provided, pulled on a robe and hit the sofa for awhile. Downstairs the house was preparing an enormous breakfast, after all they had not eaten since Toni cooked breakfast the day before and they needed sustenance.
Terry was running, it took him a bit to get his rhythm but he was on it now. His mind kept rolling over the day before and last night trying to put all the puzzle pieces together that was Toni. She fascinated him, she consumed him, she drowned him and he loved it. He had no idea what spark lit the fuse yesterday that set off the explosion, but explode they did. They’d reached a new level he knew it; he felt it he was on it.
He ran lightly up the stairs and down the hall to catch her coming out of his room with a towel around her head.
“You’re not even out of breath,” she said stopping to give him a soft kiss.
“G’mornin’ something smells good.”
“Yes, breakfast awaits, I’ll see you at the table.” Toni quickly dressed, pulling her damp hair back in a clip, and went downstairs. It was a huge buffet and she couldn’t wait for Terry. Filling her plate she sat down at the table. It wasn’t long before she heard him bounding down the stairs; the man had energy to spare.
“Whoa,” he said rounding the kitchen island, “I’m ready for some tucker.”
“We didn’t eat all day.” Toni said between bites.
“Did you get hungry?” he gave her a side look and smiled.
“No, not until this morning. I can’t believe you ran after last night.”
“I always run no matter what,” he sat down at the table.
“It’s cool out this morning.”
“Yeah it is, something brewing out over the ocean, storm coming in I think.”
“Hmm, guess we’ll have to find…indoor entertainment then.” She continued her breakfast.
Terry bit into a piece of toast, his eyes smiling.
“Yeah, plenty to read in the library, board games on the shelf, TV to watch.” He cut into a sausage.
“Naps to take, Terry to shag, puzzle books.” She glanced up and forked a sausage.
He laughed.
Toni looked up and smiled, it was good to hear him laugh out loud.
The storm came ashore twirled around and blew back out to sea in another direction. It rained all day and most of the night, the winds at time rattling the windows. Toni and Terry managed to get in most of their to- do list.
The next morning the air was colder but clear, dark clouds still out over the sea. After breakfast they decided to walk down to the beach and see what might have blown up in the storm.
“Lots of seaweed and driftwood,” Toni said as they walked down the beach.
“Yeah, not sure all that’s driftwood, Toni, looks like a boat might have broken up.”
“I hope nobody was in it.”
They walked along a little further until they came to an outcropping of rocks where a lighthouse sat. Terry was all for going up the light house, but Toni held back, something…she didn’t know what, it was telling her to stay away. She was standing on the edge of the rocks and Terry had walked out a little farther, noticing more of the painted wood he thought there might be somebody needing rescuing, or something left of the boat.
“Terry,” she called, “don’t go any farther, come back.” Toni was noticing how the water seemed to come from all directions around the rocks, he wasn’t listening to her. “Terry…please come back.”
He stopped and turned, and a rogue wave hit the rocks and took him.
Toni screamed and started out on the rocks herself but she couldn’t make any headway, it was as if the wind or something stopped her from moving forward, she ran back on the beach calling out for him, screaming for him. She went down in the sand on her knees and screamed and cried. She ran up and down the shore but there was no sign of him. He was gone.
Somehow she managed to get herself back to the cliff behind the house and fell down on the ground.
The house was beside it’s self, this is the second time something had happened, and this time it was devastating. There she was prostrate in grief outside alone. It summoned all the magic it held and hoped it would be enough.
Toni came to on the cliff in a wave of nausea. She vomited and got to her feet and headed for the house. Once inside she rinsed her mouth out and sat down at the table and began crying and keening for Terry. The house wrapped its love around her but she was beyond that and could not be comforted. It would take more than a loving atmosphere.
Millie went to the front door and waited.
He came through the front door running and stopped at the kitchen door. What he saw went straight to his heart. She was wet and covered in sand and grass and leaves, her wet hair covered her face and she sat rocking herself back and forth, he went down on his knees in front of her.
“Toni.” He touched her face.
The front door opened again and again.
“What’s happened?” asked Max also going on his knees
“I don’t know she won’t speak.” John held her hands.
Bud ran in and joined them, the first time he’d been with John and Max, “What’s going on?”
“Where’s Terry?” asked John standing up
“I’ll go look,” Max got up and ran upstairs going from room to room.
Bud picked up a towel and tried drying her hair and pushing it out of her face, “She’s been crying a lot.”
“She’s wet Bud find me a blanket or something,” John picked her up and held her on his lap.
Bud came back with a blanket and John wrapped it around her rocking her in his lap. “So where’s Terry?”
Max came in the back door, “I don’t think he’s here John, I checked the house and around the outside.
“You don’t think he hurt her do you?” Bud asked his blood beginning to boil.
John looked up at him, “No, Terry would never hurt her. He loves her, Bud same as you and I and Max.”
“Something has happened to Terry.” Max turned and looked out of the back doors.
“How? What?” John asked.
“We need to get her out of those wet clothes and warm,” Bud said feeling his eyes wet.
“Yeah, if you’ll carry her upstairs I’ll do that,” John replied his own eyes wet.
Max turned, “She’s been on the beach; I’m going down and have a look.”
“If you’ll wait a minute I’ll go with you,” Bud picked Toni up from John’s lap and carried her to her bedroom. John followed and checked her bath to see the house had filled the tub.
Tenderly John bathed her dried her and pulled a nightgown over her head and put her to bed. It was almost more than he could bear. She was in some kind of catatonic state where she couldn’t hear him or talk to him.
The house had put her in that state to save her. It would remain to be seen whether the big magic worked or not.
Meanwhile Max and Bud had scoured the beach walking down as far as the lighthouse following their tracks.
“Something happened on the rocks,” Bud stated.
“How do you know that?” Max asked
“Because Max there are two sets of prints coming and only one set going. I’m going out and have a look around.” He got about two steps on the rocks and the same force that would not allow Toni to go any farther held him. “What the..?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t move,” he turned to Max.
“It’s the magic Bud trying to protect you.”
“Why didn’t it protect Terry?”
Max didn’t know. It upset him to think the magic didn’t protect Terry. They hung around for awhile and headed back to the house
. 
Max and Bud went upstairs to check on Toni; John was sitting on the side of her bed.
“How is she?”
“I don’t know, Max, she’s catatonic. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with her no injuries or anything.”
“It’s her mind that’s injured.” Bud ventured.
“I think it’s her heart.” Max said taking a breath.
“We can’t leave her like this what can we do?” Bud wanted to know.
“Nothing Bud, there’s nothing we can do, the house will heal her.” John touched her cheek.
“I need a drink,” Max ran his hand over his face.
“Why don’t you make a pot of coffee, I think we all could use a cup,” John requested.
Max went down to make the coffee and Bud wandered over to a chair and sat down. “It seems strange being here with you guys.”
John turned, “That’s how it is Bud, we’re brothers here, we’re all in this together, and this woman here is what holds it all together. Something happens and the house summons us to do what we can. Toni and I got locked out last year did she tell you that?”
“Yeah she did.”
“It was Terry and Max that got us back in, saved our ass and now he’s…” John teared up and blinked turning back to Toni.
“We don’t know what happened, but he never came off the lighthouse rocks. Some kinda force wouldn’t allow me to go out there to see. Why did it let Terry go out?”
“I don’t know, Bud, Terry courts danger…but I don’t know…we may never know.”
Max came back in, “Coffee’s made and our rooms are unlocked so I guess we’re here for the night, Terry’s is open too, I hope that means something.”
John met his eyes, “I hope so too.”
