03 The Fate Of The Muse - Marina's Tales (28 page)

I fell asleep the moment my head hit the
pillow, and surprisingly, I slept soundly. At noon I woke to look
out my window onto Abby’s beautiful sunny garden. It always
reminded me of Ethan, and I wished he was in it. Last night seemed
like a dream, but I knew that I’d seen Stella again, only this time
she’d delivered a warning, and her confusing words replayed
endlessly in my mind.

The redhead she mentioned must be Olivia, but
I didn’t need to be warned to be wary of her. It struck me as odd
that Stella would appear to me as her younger self, and I wondered
if perhaps the warning she sent had been meant for my mother. Maybe
it was some sort of wrinkle in time, like a recording of an
exchange that had really occurred long ago.

My mind kept straying back to Stella. The
second time around, the thought of seeing a ghost didn’t seem as
weird, and I wondered what Ethan would think if I told him.
When
I told him, I reminded myself.

If I was going to stop him from working
himself to death, then I had to change too. I knew that my
secretive nature only made him more anxious. Maybe if I could learn
to be more open, he could learn to deflect my influence, and gain
the immunity to my muse powers that he clearly had to Evie’s.

I spent the rest of the day with Abby,
painting the walls of the nursery a soft sky blue and standing on a
chair to brush some fluffy white clouds across the ceiling. I
finished off the room with a border of vines twining up and around
the window.

“I can add some pink flowers later,” I smiled
at her, “If it’s a girl…”

She laughed, rubbing her belly as she
addressed it, “Hear that sweetie?” Dutch and Abby had decided to
wait to find out the sex, repeating the old saying that they didn’t
care what it was, as long as it was healthy. Abby sat down in her
new rocking chair with a little groan and watched me paint.

“Is everything okay with you?” she asked,
“Are you and Ethan getting along?”

“I’m fine,” I reassured her, “Ethan and I are
going to spend the whole day together tomorrow.”

“That’s good,” she rocked slowly, “He could
use a day off. He sure has been working harder than usual
lately.”

I nodded in agreement, all of my worst fears
confirmed.

Charlie the cat slept curled up alongside me
that night, purring madly whenever I stirred as if to try and
entice me to stay. I patted him absently, and though I was tempted
by the siren call of the waves, I denied myself the satisfaction.
Ethan was coming early, and he said I’d need my rest. I wondered
what great new surfing break he’d show me, and I remembered our
trip to Monterey with a shiver of anticipation.

I tried not to dwell on Stella, but eerie
dreams plucked at my mind all night long, and I couldn’t help but
wonder about the afterlife and what it might be like for her. It
was funny, for Ethan thought her passing made me doubt my choice to
remain mortal; on the contrary– I had a renewed faith that I was
exactly where I was meant to be. Stella had shown me that common
ordinary people could be every bit as mysterious and amazing as
mermaids.

I was reminded of a line from another
Shakespeare play, and I struggled to recall it. “There are more
things in heaven and earth”, I remembered it going, “than are
dreamt of in your philosophy”.

Evie certainly understood this, but I
wondered what my father and Ethan would think of my ghostly
sightings. I pet the cat again and rolled onto my side, snuggling
deeper under the covers. I was going to do my best to make tomorrow
a perfect day.

My fate was in my own hands.

CHAPTER TWENTY

RIDE

Sunlight streaming into my little room woke
me up, and I rolled out of bed and hurried into the kitchen. Ethan
was already there, talking with Abby and politely eating her tofu
scramble. When he looked up to see me his face broke into my
favorite smile, and only Abby’s presence kept me from hurling
myself onto his lap.

“Good morning sunshine!” she chirped, “Let me
get you a plate.”

“OK, but just a little,” I shrugged, smiling
at Ethan. If he could take it, so could I. Abby set a plate of
unappetizing looking white and green mush before me with a
brilliant smile.

“It’s a new recipe… with kale,” she announced
proudly. “Greens are very good for you.”

“Thanks,” I said, meeting Ethan’s amused eyes
and taking a bite defiantly, “Where’s Dutch?”

“He had another fishing charter this morning.
Boy, business sure is picking up ever since he got the new
boat!”

I avoided looking at Ethan, assuming he’d
still be wearing a knowing smile to tease me. I shoveled the rest
of the mushy tofu in my mouth and sprang up from the table, putting
my plate in the sink and announcing I was off to get dressed.

“Where are you two going today?” asked
Abby.

“It’s a surprise,” Ethan told her.

I turned around with a smile, “I’ll go fetch
my wetsuit.”

“Nope,” he said, “We’re not going surfing.”
He got up and walked to the counter, looking back at Abby, “Do you
mind if I take a couple of these?” he gestured to a bowl of small
apples on the counter.

“Sure honey,” Abby smiled.

I raced for my room with a lighthearted
feeling of suspense, curious as to what he had planned. I brushed
my hair and slipped on some jeans, topping them with a pretty green
blouse embroidered with white daisies. Ethan stood with a smile as
I climbed in the truck, leaning over to plant a kiss on my cheek
before he closed the door. He drove us inland, to the park in the
woods at the base of the redwood forest.

“Are we going hiking?” I asked, looking down
at the flimsy ballet flats on my feet.

“Nope,” he smiled at me, driving further up
the country road. He continued on, turning into a gravel driveway
and going under an arch with a bunch of horseshoes nailed across
the span. A carved wooden sign read, “Skyline Riding Stables”. My
stomach dropped, and I looked over at him with wide eyes.

“Horses? No way.”

He grinned at me, pulling into a parking area
alongside a big barn and oval arena, “Yes way.”

I looked at the saddled horses standing
behind the fence, and suddenly felt like I was a scared seven year
old again, “I’m not going,” I announced, tensing up.

He looked surprised, “You’re kidding,
right?”

I shook my head no, biting my lip, “I
can’t.”

“You’re afraid of horses?” he asked
incredulously.

“I had a bad experience when I was little,” I
said with a shudder.

He reeled back in his seat, “Lemme get this
straight… You go surfing at night… at the point… and you’re afraid
of
riding horses?
”

“I’m not going,” I repeated.

He looked puzzled, “I thought you loved
animals.”

“Not big scary ones that can hurt you.”

His brow knit together, and he got out of the
car deliberately, coming around to my side and opening the door,
holding out his hand, “C’mon, let’s just go see them.”

“I’m not getting on one.”

“Come on,” he said firmly, offering me his
hand.

I took it and climbed out of the truck
reluctantly. He slipped his arm around my waist and steered me
towards the horses in the corral. One was dappled grey with a
silvery mane and tail, the other, a rich chestnut brown with a
white star on its forehead.

Their heads turned towards us, large brown
eyes regarding us with curiosity. Ethan called to them, speaking in
a low, soft voice, and I was surprised to see them turn and slowly
plod towards us. I squeezed his hand a little tighter and he pulled
me right up to the fence where the two horses converged on us,
snorting softly through their wide nostrils.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Ethan asked
as he dropped my hand and reached out to pat the gray one’s jaw. It
flinched a little, but held its ground. He continued crooning soft
reassuring words to the big animal, taking an apple from his other
hand and passing it through the fence. The horse snuffed at it
gently and delicately gripped the fruit with its lips, working it
back into its mouth and chomping away happily.

Now the other horse nudged the first one out
of the way, its curiosity piqued. Ethan handed me the other apple
and instructed me to offer it flat on my palm.

“How do you know it won’t bite my hand off?”
I asked, having noticed the size of the first one’s teeth.

“Don’t worry, they’re vegetarian,” he teased
me.

“We should have brought them the tofu,” I
grumbled, gingerly reaching through the fence with the apple
cradled in my palm. The horse looked at me with big calm eyes and
took my peace offering. Its warm breath and velvety lips tickled my
palm and I giggled nervously, pulling my hand back and wiping it on
my jeans.

“See?” said Ethan, “He likes you.”

“Bribery works wonders.”

I felt a little braver and reached out to
stroke its cheek, running my hand down its strong neck. The horse
stepped closer, lifting its head over the top rung of the fence and
pressing its nose into my shoulder.

“You should ride that one,” Ethan said,
laughing.

I was afraid to move, “I don’t think so.”

“Why not? It’s fun.”

I described the spill I’d taken at the polo
match with a grimace. A dog had spooked the horse I was sitting on,
making it bolt and rear up. I clung onto it as long as I could, but
it finally flung me off, dragging me a little ways until I rolled
down into a ditch. As bad as the accident was, what had really
frightened me was the look on Evie’s face when she reached me.

I could still remember the blood, and the
sharp sting as she picked the gravel out of my scrapes. I suppose
I’d connected those feelings to the horse, and I’d avoided getting
on one ever since. I knew it wasn’t very rational, but it had never
really come up before today.

The horse nudged me gently, as if in
sympathy, and I smiled despite myself.

“So… since when have you been such a cowboy?”
I asked.

“I used to go away to summer camp a lot when
I was a kid. There was always horseback riding there.”

“Really?” I was surprised. I suppose I’d
always imagined him at the beach, surfing the summers away with his
friends.

“I think dad needed a place to stash me when
he was off working,” he said.

“After your mom left?” I asked.

“And before. I think she wanted to get rid of
me too.”

I put my hand on his back, “That can’t be
true,” I said softly.

He shrugged it off, turning towards me with a
smile, “Remember after I got hurt… and you told me that I needed to
get back on that horse?”

“
That
was a metaphor.”

“And this is the perfect time to practice
what you preach.”

“You would remember that,” I grumbled.

“I remember everything you tell me,” he said,
brushing past the horse and coming in sideways for a kiss. He wound
his hands in my hair and pulled me close, covering my mouth with
his. I would have followed him just about anywhere at that
moment.

The sound of a throat clearing behind us
brought me crashing back to reality. I looked up to see a
mustachioed man, standing bow-legged and pigeon toed, regarding us
with annoyed amusement.

“You my nine o’clocks?” he asked.

The next thing I knew, I was back in the
saddle, and it wasn’t bad at all. My horse walked along the narrow
trail behind Ethan’s, and I listened as the soft thumping of hooves
on dirt pounded out a rhythm. The steady rocking motion reminded me
of ocean swells, relaxing me. I might as well be on a surfboard, I
thought, surprising myself by wishing we could go faster.

Ethan turned back to check on me, “How are
you doing?”

I smiled, “Giddyup, cowboy.”

I saw my horse’s ears swivel back towards me
at the sound of my voice, and I had the strangest sensation that it
had understood me. It picked up the pace a little, nudging Ethan’s
horse in the flank. I reached down to pat its neck, grateful for
its calm, steady bearing. It was nothing like the high-strung,
skittish polo pony I remembered.

We rode along a wooded trail, and the deeper
we got into the trees the more my worries faded away. It was
peaceful, and I felt tranquilized by the woodsy smell of redwoods
and sharp bay leaves mingling with the musky animal scent of the
horses. The steady pace lulled me into a state of torpor, and I was
feeling perfectly contented when Ethan pulled to a stop in a little
clearing.

He slid off the horse in one fluid motion,
looping the reins over a low hanging branch. He helped me down and
tied my horse as well, finally encasing me in a warm embrace.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“You were right,” I acknowledged, “It is
kinda fun. But why are we stopping here?” My horse turned its head
and blew a giant raspberry as if to ask the same question. Ethan’s
eyes met mine and we laughed.

He took me by the hand, gesturing with his
head for me to follow him down a narrow path. I could just make out
the faint sound of flowing water, and we emerged from the brush to
come upon a rocky creek bed with crystal clear water running over
the rocks.

“I know this place,” I said.

The big boulders alongside the water were
familiar, as was the path on the opposite side. Ethan had brought
me here a couple of times, only not on horseback. The last time we
were here we’d pledged to stay together forever, and I smiled at
his romantic gesture.

“This is my favorite spot,” he said.

“How did you find it?” I asked, wondering
what this place meant to him.

He led me to a smooth rock and sat me down,
telling me that when he was a kid he used to ride his bike up here
when he wanted to be alone.

“Being here always made me feel better,” he
explained.