Dawn Haven Page 2

was creepy. I wish that I could rewind the day and start over again. This should not have happened.

  "Christian, do what you think is best, but I cannot take part in it. Death freaks me out."

  His head tilted as he searched my eyes. Then after some thought, he drew a breath and nodded.

  "I will take care of it, Autumn. I promise you."

  With his arm wrapped around me, he led me back to the apartment above the Mercantile Store. Then he paused before descending the stairs.

  "I'm really sorry, Autumn. I didn't consider how this might stir recent events in your life. I hope you can forgive me."

  I could see the compassion in his eyes, and knew that he meant what he said.

  "No problem, Christian. I appreciate that."

  And with that, he left me to my thoughts. What if there were other bodies hidden in Dawn Haven? This brought me back to my first question. Why was the town abandoned? Maybe only the dead dwelled here now. Could this place be a memorial of some kind?

  I laid down and closed my eyes. My only hope was that when sleep finally came for me, that it would be dreamless, without any nightmares.

  March 18

  Dear Journal,

  In only three days it will be already be two weeks that I've been here. Whatever it was that I anticipated when I left Mill Valley, it certainly wasn't this. For better or worse, I have survived.

  But without this journal to write my thoughts down, I'm pretty sure I would have gone completely bonkers.

  I was happy that my night passed uneventfully. No dreams and no other disasters... yet. The sun was out again though it was cloudy. The beach was still soggy in spots from the rain the other day.

  And there was no sign of the hand rising from the ground, yet no sign of Christian either. I wondered where he went when he disappeared.

  But just as I was thinking this, his voice came from behind me.

  "Happy Thursday, Autumn" he called. "How are you?"

  I turned around and saw that he was leaning against the remains of a cotton candy stand.

  "I'm feeling better today, thank you. So what's on the agenda?"

  His face became wistful as he approached me.

  "I have something for you. I've been waiting for the right moment to give it to you."

  Now I must confess that I was curious. Having no idea what he wanted to give me.

  "What is it?" I asked.

  That familiar smile spread across his face.

  "Now, now, I have to take you to it."

  He paused and cocked his head mysteriously.

  "So, will Autumn give me the pleasure of her company today?"

  I laughed at the way he spoke. Christian reminded me of someone from out of the past. He dressed in old fashioned clothes and had that nostalgic air about him.

  Maybe he was a time traveler.

  "Well, are you coming?" he prompted me again.

  "Yes, of course."

  He clasped my hand and led me closer to the sea. And as we drew near, I could see what it was that he had made for me.

  It was exquisite in every detail. He must have spent the entire night working on it. There at the edge of the sea, was the most beautiful fairytale sandcastle that I could ever imagine. He had carved turrets, porticos, and even crafted a makeshift drawbridge out of driftwood. And in the castle windows, tiny candles illuminated the moat surrounding the sculpture.

  I fell to my knees before it, in sheer awe. I could not even find the words to express how I felt. Sitting beside me, I saw that he was happy because I loved it so much. I turned, and without even thinking I wrapped my arms around Christian and embraced him.

  Then suddenly I realized what I was doing and became flustered drawing back.

  He saw my reluctance and touched the back of my head.

  "It's alright, Autumn. Please don't feel embarrassed. I enjoyed creating this for you."

  He smiled tenderly.

  "I realize that, and I feel so unworthy of all that you've already done for me."

  He rubbed the top of my hair playfully.

  "You don't have to worry about such things. It has nothing to do with being worthy."

  I looked closely into his eyes trying to figure out what he meant.

  "Then what is it?" I implored.

  He seemed reluctant, but then began to explain.

  "It's because I love you, Autumn."

  The word "love" took me completely by surprise. Except for my mother, nobody had ever told me those words before. It was completely foreign, and a bit frightening to me.

  Christian removed a ring from his finger and held it out.

  "Autumn, would you give me the honor of being my soul mate... forever?"

  That choking feeling returned and I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure how to respond. I looked around for an answer.

  "Are you alright?" he asked, noticing the expression on my face.

  I tried to explain my feelings to him and hoped he would understand and not be offended by my inability to reciprocate his affection. Though I was attracted to Christian, I did not really know or understand what love or a soul mate meant.

  "I'm sorry Christian, but I cannot accept your ring."

  Then I turned and ran as fast as my two feet could carry me.

  March 19

  Dear Journal,

  I awoke to the sound of emptiness. I looked around and something did not seem right. Then suddenly I figured out what it was. The photograph of Christian was missing from the wall. Was he upset with me for not accepting his ring, friendship, and love.

  I would have felt rejected if someone had done that to me. I really needed to apologize for my behavior. It wasn't as if he was asking for my hand in marriage. It was just a friendship ring. Isn't that what soul mates were? Christian was acquainted with love, and I'm certain he could teach me. Just because I had not the benefits of most people my age, did not mean that I could not start over and reinvent myself.

  Every day was a new beginning, and I would start this one with a plea of forgiveness.

  I dressed and walked down to the shore. The sandcastle was gone. Perhaps it was swallowed by the sea. Or maybe it never was there at all. Christian was nowhere to be found. Everything had been erased.

  I looked around and called his name. Still nothing… I shouted it louder. Only to be met with silence.

  I searched the stalls and trailers. There was no evidence of him anywhere.

  Falling down upon the beach, I began to cry and could not stop. Christian had left me and gone away. I was alone again, and the feeling overwhelmed me. I curled myself into a ball. The pain was so agonizing that I felt sick. I thought I was going to die. Could someone die from loneliness?

  I went back to the apartment and lay down, rubbing my eyes since the tears still stung.

  There was something behind the bed. I reached down to see what it was. When my hand came back with the photograph, I experienced a wave of emotion. Christian had not taken the picture with him. It had only fallen behind the bed.

  I placed it back on the wall and lay back down again. The walls of the room like my head seemed to throb, so I shut my eyes for a moment. Something touched my hand and I jumped.

  It was Christian. He was sitting at the foot of my bed.

  I sat upright and in a sudden fury beat his chest with both my fists.

  "I thought you were gone!" I cried.

  He seemed surprised at this.

  "I just went for a morning walk." he said gently. "Why are you so terrified of being alone?"

  My guilt had overcome me and now I felt even worse for my behavior.

  "Oh Christian," I began crying again. "Please, please forgive me. I am so sorry for what I have done. I thought you had left me."

  Christian moved closer.

  "Left you?" he echoed. "I could never leave you, Autumn. My heart is with you."

  He seemed more hurt by this then from my rejecting his ring.<
br />
  "Don't you know that I love you?"

  I heaved a sigh. There was that word again …the elephant in the room. How could four letters cause such turmoil in the world?

  "Yes Christian. I believe that you love me. But I really don't know what love is. If you could be patient with me, I would be willing to learn from you."

  For the first time, his eyes filled with tears and I could see that they were indeed happy ones.

  He reached over and held me tight and placing his lips over mine, he kissed me passionately. We remained locked in that embrace for what seemed like forever. And for the first time, I felt good. I knew he had forgiven me and provided a new chance to start over again.

  I held out my hand expectantly and he placed his ring on my finger.

  March 20

  Dear Journal,

  Today I awoke to the sound of birdsong and Christian sleeping beside me. I guess after everything I imagined about him, he was just a human after all.

  I gently combed his soft hair with my hand. His sleepy eyes yawned open and looked up at me. Not the photograph, but the real color version. It felt so good to know that someone loved me and was watching out for me.

  There were questions I still had no answer for, like where he got all that food from.

  Christian leaned over and kissed my forehead.

  "How are you, my Autumn love?"

  For the first time, I believed I truly knew what bliss meant. My life was complete now with Christian.

  Nothing could stop his love for me, neither time, nor death.

  And with that assurance, I let my body be wrapped by his as we swam beneath the covers in an embrace of forever.

  Autumn Taylor rose the next day and checked the wall calendar.

  It was Sunday, March 21st.

  She reached for her journal beneath the pillow and read her entry from the previous day.

  Remembering the night she spent there with Christian.

  Turning the page, she began to write a new entry.

  "Dear Journal," she wrote.

  "Christian and I awoke this morning to the sound of..."

  She stopped writing. Autumn heard voices coming from somewhere.

  She quietly crept down the steps.

  There were two strange men in the shop below.

  The first man seemed surprised.

  "We didn't know there was anyone here."

  The second man tipped his hat and introduced himself.

  "I am Roy Clemens and this is my partner, Carl Whitcomb. We're here to clear the premise. We have to evacuate all the properties."

  Autumn was confused and didn't understand.

  "I'm sorry, but this building is condemned." the first man spoke.

  Autumn shook her head.

  "No, you don't understand. I have nowhere else to go."

  The two men looked at each other.

  "We have a warrant to begin tearing down this Strip Mall by sunset this evening."

  "But you can't, my friend Christian is still here... somewhere."

  "Do you have any idea where he might be right now?"

  Autumn shook her head.

  "Then we will need to find him. Is he the only other person here?"

  "Well as far as I know." Autumn replied.

  "Can you help us find him? What does he look like?"

  Autumn disappeared upstairs, and after a moment she returned with the photograph.

  "Here" she said, handing them the framed picture of Christian.

  The men looked at each other and then back at the photograph.

  "This is your friend Christian?" he asked her. There was consternation in his voice.

  Autumn nodded her head.

  He handed the photograph back to her, then went to the front door and leaned outside. He seemed to be motioning for another person to come in.

  Autumn looked up surprised to see Christian. She ran to him and threw her arms around him.

  "Where have you been, Christian?" she cried.

  But he did not answer her and looked confused. For he did not recognize her or the name she had given him.

  Autumn stepped back inspecting him carefully. Looking at the photograph she held and then back at the man. They looked exactly the same, but there were some subtle differences. The person before her was somewhat older and his hair was shorter in length.

  "I'm sorry", he said abruptly, “I don't know who Christian is, but my name is Joshua."

  He looked at the photograph in her hand.

  "I see you have my old picture. That must be ten years old. Or rather I am the one who is ten years older."

  She noticed he was continuing to stare at her hand.

  "Where did you find that ring?" he asked.

  Autumn looked up at him, feeling her world of dreams merge with reality.

  Joshua pointed to her hand.

  "That's my engagement ring." he said, "We lost it when we had left the town."

  "We," Autumn repeated.

  "Yes, that would be my wife Grace, and daughter Mary. I owned this store and we lived upstairs. There was a flood seven years ago in Dawn Haven. Everyone here had to evacuate immediately."

  This reminded Autumn of the body she had discovered on the beach. That poor person must have drowned in that flood.

  "Everything was ruined from the water," Joshua continued. "The tenants were not able to return. And time passed and people eventually moved on, building new lives in other towns."

  He paused to look around. "I came today to open the door for the inspectors, but apparently the door was already unlocked."

  "That would be my fault, I'm afraid." Autumn answered sheepishly. "So then, you must be Joshua Morton."

  "Yes that would be me." he said, "But could you tell me what led you here?"

  Autumn introduced herself, and told Joshua her story. She explained how she left Mill Valley after her mother's passing. And since she had nowhere else to go, she purchased a bus ticket to the end of the line.

  Joshua's eyes brimmed with compassion and were deeply moved.

  "I'm so sorry for your loss, Autumn. I recently lost my mother too."

  He reached out and took her hand.

  "And thank you for finding my ring."

  Joshua eyes peered deep into her soul. He could see that she was honest and felt deeply moved to do something. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

  "You know, we have a guest room at our house, and my wife is looking for someone to sit for our daughter."

  "Where is your house?" Autumn inquired.

  "We live in Winfield. It's a short ride up the coast.

  "That's really very kind of you, to welcome a stranger."

  Joshua smiled.

  "And you are most welcome, Autumn. I think we will be good friends, you and me."

  And then he winked.

  Autumn experienced a feeling of déjà vu.

  "There's just one last thing I need to do before I leave." she said.

  "We have some time, be my guest."

  Then he made a sweeping gesture with his hand.

  Autumn ran up the stairs to the apartment, and uncovered her journal from beneath the pillow.

  She wanted to finish writing today's entry.

  "Dear Christian,

  Thank you, for being my friend the past couple weeks and keeping me company. If it were not for you, I wouldn’t have been able to go on. You gave me a reason to live each day. And for that I am grateful."

  Autumn removed the photograph from the frame.

  She remembered the first time she saw the young man in the picture and fell in love with his image. Autumn instinctively knew he would look after her. Christian was an imaginary product of every childhood hero combined together. Though he only lived inside the pages of her journal, reality now had come to Dawn Haven, and it was time for her to wake up. For the tides of life had rushed in to destroy her sandcastle dreams, the delicate world she had carefully sculpted. And all that was
left now was this journal, a two week testament of isolation. It had served its purpose: To survive a time of incredible loneliness.

  "Goodbye Christian, my good friend." she finished. Then placing the photograph between the pages, she closed the journal and returned it back to the dwelling of dreams under the pillow.

  Downstairs, when she looked at Joshua, the imaginary memory of Christian still lingered. Though only a resident of her mind, her real savior stood before her at last. Though he was older and with a family.

  Autumn removed the ring from her finger and placed it in Joshua's hand.

  "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

  "Yes, I'm ready."

  They walked outside into the warm fragrant springtime. A breeze came and stirred a small whirlpool of leaves. Autumn whispered goodbye to the lane that had once been her home. And soon would be no more, in her world or this one.

  Then turning to the open door of the old Studebaker, she climbed into the seat beside Joshua.

  He waved at the two men and started the engine. The car rumbled down the small lane. And Autumn turned her head around to take one last look back at the empty town. And like her own emptiness, it grew smaller and smaller, until it completely faded away into the distance.

  THE END