Winter
The Diarist
From her diary: Lachlan flew away this morning, he circled the house once and waved his wings at me and was gone. I watched the little yellow plane until it disappeared into the clouds over the ocean. I really don’t know how to describe the feeling I had. I feel now that we wasted so much time, he’s so very special and though I tried not to I did fall in love with him.
So now I am facing another season and what do I do; I watched Alex’s movie again tonight to reinforce myself. Is that crazy? There are all these DVD’s that I have not watched and I watched Alex Ross again. He is still strong in my heart. He needs to be; tomorrow winter comes.
I was able to get into his room tonight, I don’t know what it says really, it’s rather rugged looking, it reminds me of something but I can’t think. It’s foreign, not from around here. There’s an earthy scent, warm and musky but not unpleasant, quite the opposite. A big sturdy bed and a mish mash of furniture but it’s cozy like. There’s a guitar and some CD’s but no books. A warm plaid comforter on the bed looks inviting and I sat on it.
I suppose I’ll be in that bed with whoever. How crazy is all of this?
Wild in Winter
The House of Four Seasons
By Atonia
Part 1
He came over the rise leading the horses, their breath blowing in the cold morning air making a fog around their heads. He could see the house now, a large uneven lump on the land and he paused, raised himself up in the stirrups for a better look. He wouldn’t admit it but he was a little frightened. Maximus had come to him and he’d known who he was, he still couldn’t get over that, but he had explained what was about to happen to him. Magic, he was wary of magic the old people blamed mishaps on magic, fairies and elves and such, bad crops, a run of bad luck but this was good magic as it had been explained to him, and somewhere in that lump of a house was a woman.
As he neared the stables he dismounted and let the horses go, he’d stable them up later, there was still some grasses to graze. He unsaddled his mount and gave him a slap on his rump sending him out with the others. He began walking toward the house, the sun was just over the horizon sending its rays across the sea beyond the house. He stopped and gazed at it for a moment, dawn, dawn of a new day and he was here to be a companion for a woman he did not know, a woman he would have to fall in love with and marry. All this in three months. This was baggy magic, it was.
Sometime in the night Hallie had awakened, got up and went to the bathroom and instead of going back to her own bed, she’d gone down the hall and climbed in the bed prepared for winter. Snuggled up in the big bed is where he found her. He’d let himself in the house and quietly walked about having a look around. He stood by the bed watching her sleep and his instinct was to get in bed with her, cuddle her a little bit maybe. He was a man who lived by his instincts, animal instincts perhaps, illiterate and governed by social mores, yet he was still a bit wild and free and so he took his clothes off and eased himself under the covers, quietly.
Hallie shifted slightly in the bed, something entering her consciousness had roused her from a deep sleep. It was the scent, that warm musky smell that was so strong she seemed to be drawn to it and rolled against him, his arms went around her and he cuddled her spoon fashion against him. Her eyes came open and she turned quickly, eye to eye.
“Who are you?”
“East, East Driscoll, g’morning.”
“But…I don’t know you.”
“You do now,” she had a warm exotic smell about her, some kind of flower, she was warm and soft and his hands began to explore.
Her mind began to protest she should run him out of her room, who did he think he was getting into her bed and she didn’t even know him, then she realized she was in his bed and his rough hands underneath her sleep shirt were breaking her down, what did it matter…this is where it would go anyway. His soft lips found hers, her hands began to explore, hard muscular arms and shoulders, a strong back…oh!
He entered her slow and easy at first and then he took her for a ride.
“East,” she called out digging her fingers into his back.
Later he rolled off her, still with her arms around him she said, “Nice to meet you,” and began giggling he joined her and giggled too pulling her on top of him resting his hands on her bottom.
“Your name is Hallie Madison,” he said her name rolling it’s unfamiliar feel around his tongue, “Hallie.”
“Yes.”
“Are you Australian?” he sounded kind of like it but not like Lachlan or even Andy.
“Yeah I am, I know I’m in America but I forgot where.”
“Massachusetts.”
“Mass…a…I can’t even say it.”
Hallie laughed a little, “Yeah it’s a hard one, I don’t know anything about you East, I’m sorry I haven’t watched all the movies.”
“He said you might not, that’s orright.”
“Who said, who was ‘he’?”
“Maximus.”
“You know Maximus?” Hallie’s eyes got big.
“Don’t ask how I know him but I did, he came to me last night and told me what was going to happen today, told me about you.” He met her eyes.
“I wish he’d told me something about you.”
“I’m glad he didn’t,” he moved her off of him. “You might not want me here if he did.” He began to kiss her lips, her face, her neck.
The sun was higher in the sky sending light into the room so that she could see him more clearly now, short haircut, smooth shaven, deep, deep eyes when he looked at her. She would be glad to look into them in bright sunlight, and see what was there. Her hands already knew his body, his skin was smooth and cool to the touch except where he was about to enter her again. He was good…so good.
The House was happy and a little surprised. He certainly was starting out bringing the love that was needed between them. He’d been a gamble it thought and perhaps if he’d come a little later in the day when Hallie had been awake and alert it might not have gone as smoothly as it had this morning. Hallie was already acquainted with passion and recognized it in him.
Now that they were lovers it could concentrate on more important matters such as decorating for the winter season. The House did enjoy being decked out for the seasons. And a wreath of holly decorated the front door, a basket of pinecones on the hearth where a warm fire burned. Candles and a pine swag across the mantle.
They finally got out of bed and went down into the kitchen, she was curious about his clothes and him in general.
“Tea or coffee?” she asked him
“Tea.” He was looking out of the glass kitchen door toward the sea.
Hallie made his tea and set some muffins on the table, a proper breakfast would come later.
“Ta,” he sat down and picked up his teacup.
“Okay, I’m going to show just how ignorant of you I am, questions: how old are you, what era are you from and what do you do?”
He looked up at her strangely and said, “I look after horses, train ‘em, break ‘em, ride ‘em and sell ‘em”
“How about the rest of it? She sipped her coffee.
“I don’t know,” he looked down into his cup.
“You don’t know?”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-five. East you don’t know how old you are?”
“No, I don’t know what year I was born. I don’t know what an era is?”
“It doesn’t matter, I guess you’re somewhere close to my age.” She thought back to his room, old furniture, dark woods, ah she wished she knew period furniture. She would have to look at his DVD. He certainly was…different. “It’s going to get really cold here and snow will your horses be okay?”
“I’ve never seen snow you know. Ah yeah, I can bed the horses down you’ve got a nice stable set up.”
“I noticed a guitar in your room, you’re a musician?”
“I play a little guitar, sometimes.” He finished his tea and crumbled the muffin and tasted it.
“I noticed CD’s in your room too, you must like music.”
“You’ll have to show me ceedees, I do like music, like to listen to it.”
She saw the ring he was wearing and reached out and took his hand, “That’s nice, unusual but it fits you being a horseman.”
“Yeah, somebody gave it to me.” He let her hold his hand a moment then he squeezed hers and smiled a little.
Hallie liked his smiles and his eyes they were very expressive. She smiled back.
“I think you’re really nice Hallie, I’ll tell ya I was a little afraid when I first got here because I don’t know any good magic. But it’s okay now…now that I have you.”
“You made sure of that…that you would have me from the beginning didn’t you.” She teased.
He didn’t understand, “No…I just wanted to love you and you let me.”
The simple way he’d said it made her stop and think a minute and wonder what was behind those beautiful eyes.
They walked up to the stables and he called the horses in, she watched him with them, talking to them touching them he seemed to be of them and yet he controlled them. He told her they were wild horses at one time but they weren’t anymore. It occurred to her that he might have been speaking of himself, a little wildness beneath the surface, she wondered just how tame he was. She made a mental note to watch his movie the first opportunity she got.
A few days later she got the opportunity. The sky was heavy with unshed snow and the air was cold and crisp. He went riding taking all the horses with him for a run, he said they’d be closed up for awhile and he wanted them to exercise. So Hallie popped his movie, Hammers Over the Anvil in and watched it. She cried at the end for what happened to him. She’d just dried her eyes when he came back I; she heard him downstairs and got off her sofa and went down. She felt she understood him a little better now, he was a very simple uneducated man with deep emotions that drove him. She thought she might have to be careful around him, not that she feared him but the depth of his feelings might be a problem for her. She still held Alex to her heart.
He was in front of the fireplace warming up.
“Your coat is not nearly warm enough for this weather, East; have you looked in the wardrobe in your room?”
“Yeah I have, I didn’t know it was going to be this cold.”
“It’s going to snow; you said you’d never seen it before.”
“I haven’t,” he smiled and she went over to him and kissed him lightly on his cold lips.
“You’re frozen, you should get in the bath.”
“Will you get in with me?”
Hallie tilted her head, it was mid afternoon, “Okay, follow me.” They went up to her room where she had a deep long soaking tub in her bathroom, the water was all ready and scented lightly with his scent. They stripped and got into the tub.
“Oh yeah,” he sunk back into the warm water, “Come here you’re too far away,” he pulled her so she lay against his chest. “I love you Hallie, I just wanted you to know,” he said against her ear.
Did she love him yet, no but she felt a lot of tenderness toward him and that would suffice until love developed, until it bloomed.
By the time they emerged from the bath it had begun to snow and Hallie called him to come look off her balcony. He walked out in his sleeveless vest and looked up at the sky letting the snowflakes fall on his face, “This is snow…all these tiny little drops is what makes the ground turn white?”
“Yes, by morning it will probably all be white..” She had to smile at his smiling face.
“Ooh it’s cold and crunchy, he said the next morning when they went out for a walk in the snow. She made sure he put on a warm coat and some gloves. He was like a child running in it, making big steps and laughing.
“We could make a snowman and a snowwoman, I’ll show you how.” Hallie began making a ball and rolling in the snow, he got the hang of it, he wanted to make the woman, she had nice round breasts when he finished.”
“I know that’s not me,” Hallie laughed, she found sticks for arms and some pebbles for eyes. “They need hats and noses. You’re supposed to use a carrot for the nose.”
“A carrot, why?”
“I don’t know, tradition I guess, let’s go find hats and noses,” she smiled and reached for his snow-covered glove.
“How long does the snow last?”
“Around here probably most of the winter, oh and there will be more.” They went inside the front door stamping their feet on the mat. In the hall closet they found a big floppy hat for the woman and a nice top hat for her man. The kitchen had just the right size carrots for noses.
After they finished dressing and applying noses, “What are their names?”
“Hmm I don’t know, East what would you like to name them?”
“Hallie and East,” He looked over to her for approval.
“Okay that’s who they are. Now how about we go in and eat something nice and warm.”
“Sounds good to me.” He was cold and had been for a long time but was having so much fun with her he hadn’t said anything.
The house had provided a nice big pot of vegetable beef soup and homemade bread and butter. For dessert an apple-blackberry pie with warm custard.
“I love the food here,” he said tucking into his dinner.
“So do I and I don’t have to cook it.”
“This is good magic,” he smiled biting into the buttered bread.
All of a sudden Christmas was upon them, Hallie took East into Gloucester to find a tree. She had explained exactly where they were going, how they were going to get there in her car and what they were going for so he was at ease with her.
He was very interested in the village and she held hands with him as they walked up the street and back to the tree lot.
“It’s different but kinda the same thing I know.” He commented on the way home.
“Yeah some things don’t really change you know, people have markets or grocery stores, pubs you know about, they haven’t changed that much.”
When they got home the house had decided what ornaments should be on this season’s tree and they were all in boxes by the sofa.
“Looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us tonight. We have to decorate it East.”
“Yeah I know,” he looked in the boxes of balls and small toy ornaments and smiled. “I never had a tree of my own, but I’ve seen them.”
“You have one now.” She slipped her arm around his waist and he looked down at her and kissed her.
East went to take care of his horses on Christmas Day and was gone for a long time, Hallie was beginning to worry about him when she heard something out side and opened the front door. It was a sleigh with bells and everything, East had his horses pulling it to the front door. Hallie grabbed her coat and ran out.
“I found it in the stables in an empty stall.”
“It’s wonderful East, what a nice surprise.”
“You like it?” he helped her into the sleigh and tucked a thick fur lined blanket around her.
“It’s absolutely perfect.”
“I’ve never driven a sleigh but I thought it couldn’t be that much different than a wagon.”
They spent most of the day out riding in the sleigh. Mindful of young people the house had provided a basket of food and a couple of flasks. It was in the stable that they had their meal and drank the hot chocolate.”
East took care of the horses while she sat on a bale of hay wrapped in the fur lined blanket.
“Don’t go anywhere,” he said to her.
“I wasn’t, I’m waiting for you.”
He took his time caring for the animals and when he came back to her, the look in his eye told her he was ready to take care of her. He spread the blanket out on the hay in one of the stalls and made love to her there.
“You’re the best present a girl could ever hope for,” she said to him and meant it.
“I’ve got something for you,” he reached over in his jacket and pulled out a ring, it was similar to the one he wore but the horseshoe was brightly colored stones, rubies, sapphires and emeralds.
Hallie was overcome by the ring because she knew he had asked for that particular design. “It’s beautiful East, beautiful.” She put her arms around him.
“I’m marrying you Hallie, you’re mine now.” He lay her back on the fur and again made love to her.
“I want to be yours, I love you East.”
“It’s getting dark,” he said when they sat up, “we should go back to the house.”
Without his body warmth she was feeling the chill and reached for her clothes. She turned back to him as he was dressing and smiled to herself. For all the things he wasn’t, what he was made up for it.
On a cold January day they were in front of the fireplace in her room, he had his guitar with him and strummed it a little.
“Can you play something?”
“Not very good, I play by ear you know and just make up the words.” He finally settled on it and began to play and made up a song for her.”
It was so sweet, the words saying what he wanted to say to her, she found herself in tears when he finished and shyly put the guitar down.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry, was it that bad?”
“Oh East, no; you touched my heart.”
Valentine’s Day and Hallie wanted to make it special, she’d explained to East about valentines and they’d gone down into Gloucester and secretly bought each other a valentine. That evening she planned a special dinner with music if he would dance. They had less than two weeks left together and although he knew he was going to have to leave he didn’t want to.
East had fallen in love with Hallie from the first day; he also liked the house and everything about the place. He’d begun to feel a little panicky when he looked at the calendar.
They shared a bottle of wine before dinner and another with dinner and then were in the large living room dancing to the soft music that was playing. East made an announcement.
“I’m not going to leave here at the end of the month.”
Hallie looked up at him, “You have to East, you don’t have a choice.”
“Yes I do, I won’t go.”
“I don’t think that’s possible.”
“We’ll see.”
The song finished and he went back to the liquor cabinet and opened another bottle of something, Hallie said she didn’t want anything else to drink, but he did.
“It’s not right Hallie, you know it’s not.” He turned up his glass. “This is not good magic.”
“If it wasn’t for the magic I would never have known you, East.”
“Maybe that would have been better for both of us then, but it’s too late now. I married you, you’re my wife…I can’t go back…I don’t want to go back.” His voice held a note of desperation; it was out of his control.
Hallie went to him and put her arms around his waist, “East we don’t have much time, please let’s spend it together in love.”
“Love…” he looked down at her a moment and crushed her to him, “I just know I love you and I can’t have you, I can’t take you with me and I can’t stay its not good, Hallie.”
The next two weeks were difficult for both of them. She could see the anger just below the surface in him. He kept her close to him taking her up to the stables when he fed and watered the horses. The day he was to leave began like any other, he made love to her, and they had their morning tea in his room.
“I love to watch you shave in the morning.” She sat on the side of the tub in his bathroom.
“He turned and looked at her, “You won’t forget me will you?”
She was glad he had finally accepted his fate, “No, I will never forget you and I will always love you.”
“If there is any way for me to come back Hallie, you’ll be seeing me again.”
Hallie knew this would not be so and she didn’t comment. He dressed wearing the clothes he came in and went downstairs.
“I’m not good at saying goodbye, I could never tell you good bye and so I won’t.” He took a breath, “Don’t come with me to the stables.”
“East, you’re not going to do anything crazy are you?”
He smiled, “No, no it wouldn’t do me any good…I’m just…going.” He kissed her and put his hat on and left.
Hallie leaned against the door and wrapped her arms around herself and ached and cried for him. He was right about the magic…it wasn’t good.