Lake Larson

The shop whistled low as the wind screamed between the broken edges. An unfamiliar front door with wood boards was now up, blocking the entrance. Emily's voice echoed in my head, helping me out with bringing back Ian. I flopped my head onto the chilly sidewalk, closing my eyes while my wet clothes stuck to my skin.

A purr had me opening my eyes to the cat. It rubbed its fur onto my cheek, meowing in a sweet tone. Bright hazel eyes shined in the flickering street light, trying to turn on.

I stood, stumbling slightly toward the door. "Hello," I said, knocking on the wood planks. "I will return if I can't get Ian back!" I yelled, banging until the glass from the broken window fell. "You hear me. You two witches will not get away with this!"

I collapsed to my knees, cupping my palms to my eyes. A spell had frozen Ian. He had not died, not a ghost. The witches forced Ian to miss so much of his life for something he had zero control over. They bewitched him, trapped in time.

Pulling my hand away from my eyes, seeing the water pooled up from my tears. "I need to tell Ian how I feel." I stood, looking at the bare winter trees. "How do I tell him if I can't find him?"

The darkness behind the trees caught my attention. How long had I been in the shop? I reached for my phone, seeing the forty-three missed calls from Alex. Where did the time go?

I clicked, dialing Alex. With only a half ring, Alex screamed into the phone. "What the shit, Lake!" she yelled. "How could you do that to me?"

"I know, I—"

"No! You do not know! Lake, you had been missing for hours! Nothing! I thought something happened to you!" A sob escaped her lips.

"Sorry," I whispered. "I truly don't understand how I had been in the witch shop for that long?"

I wrapped my arms around my torso, shivering as I walked to my apartment. The cat followed me from building to building, staying in the shadows.

"I just need a minute," Alex said between sniffles. "You are going to be the death of me."

"I am truly sorry, Alex," I huffed, watching the fog float around my face. "Promise, I am walking back to my apartment now, and I will never return to that shop again." I lied, knowing I would do anything to get Ian back.

"I told you not to go."

"It's understood."

"Text me when you get to your place, okay?" Her frustrated voice, lacing with slight anger.

"Okay, boss," I replied, hanging up the phone.

The cat jumped from the alley, rubbing between my legs before clawing up my pants, wanting me to pick it up. I reached down, grabbing the soft fur and petting it between the ears.

"Are you coming home with me?" I whispered, letting it tuck its head into my torso.

It flipped in my arms, twisting and turning while letting a sweet purr escape its sharp teeth. I rubbed the warm belly as its claws connected to my wrists, almost like he sensed a tickle.

"Hey, watch the claws, buddy boy," I said, giggling with sorrow. "Will you help me find Ian since I saved you?" I asked, listening to his high-pitch meow as a response.

A snowflake dropped onto the cat, and I glanced up, seeing the flakes dance in the wind. A meow soothed my heart to sorrow, feeling a tear fall from my eye. Another white crystal landed on the black fur, reminding me of the photo of Ian.

"The picture," I whispered. "Maybe I say how I feel about Ian to that," I said to the cat, rushing along the path.

I quickly set the cat to the bricks, running in the falling light snow. No matter how fast I walked, the cat remained right by my side, casting a constant shadow. My building arrived into view, and I dug deeper with my steps.

Nothing would stop me from bringing Ian back. I would climb mountains, fly to the moon, jump from a cliff, anything to see his face again.

I swung open the door into the stairwell, letting the cat sneak in. We raced up the steps into my room and stumbled into the warm air. Like a fish out of water, I pleaded for the photo.

My next step would be the beginning or the end. Even puppy love could grow to the heart-stopping, breathtaking, vow to-the-end type of love. Ours grew and will continue to expand if fate gave it to us.

Ian spent his time with me, not being selfish. He helped me become a brave person. To stand up for myself and even get a date with a guy I obsessed over. My voice now talked against bullies. Ian pushed me to be the woman I hid away long ago.

I glanced at my bookshelf, wanting the one thing that brought back Ian the first time. I needed the photo. The simple piece of paper that turned our lives upside down.

"Where is it?" I asked, not seeing it on the shelf.

I pulled all my books off, tossing them across the room. Overwhelmed by panic, I clutched the wood shelf, causing it to lose balance and crash to the ground before I collapsed to my knees with it. Shaking with sadness and anxiety, I held back the tears.

The coffee pot I bought Ian reflected the ceiling light toward my eyes as anger built. I stood, stomping to the glass jar. My hand swooped across the counter, sending it across the room and shattering the glass.

"Stupid coffee pot!" I yelled, remembering Samantha mentioning she cursed Ian with what he drank that morning. The black magic they cast upon him. "How dare you?"

The glass spread across the floor like frozen rain, sparkling the wood panels. The cat tiptoed on the books, jumping to the table to avoid the broken pieces. He meowed at me, propping itself on its back legs.

I arched my brows at the black cat. "How could they?" I cried to the poor animal. "Ian didn't deserve to go through any of this. He was born into the wrong family. They lost a friend, but their anger hurt the wrong person."

Lost in the brokenhearted, I shook my head, upset with myself for breaking the coffee pot. The picture would be impossible to find with the books and glass scattered around my room.

I scanned the room, seeing the mess while the cat jumped from the table to the tipped-over bookshelf. He danced to my bed, meowing while circling in my blankets.

My heart sunk to my stomach. What if the picture was gone forever? It was my only chance at bringing back Ian. Would he be stuck in the eternal darkness, frozen forever? He was counting on me, and I failed.

I grinned slightly at the cat as it kept circling on the bed. "I am worthless," I whispered, cupping my palms over my face.

My breath quickened, feeling thick air blocking my throat rapidly, like I had run a race. My heart slammed loud in my chest, thudding in my head. Blood rushed in my ears, blurring my eyes. I sucked in uneasy air, choking while I removed my palms, looking at the cat, swallowing hard.

The cat jumped to me as I fell to my knees, hysterically crying into its fur. He curled into a ball in my lap, soaking up my tears. As I petted the black cat, I could feel its gentle purr reverberating through my fingers, soothing my anxious heart.

"I'm sorry, Ian," I sobbed.

The cat meowed, wiggling out of my arms. He jumped on the bed again, digging at the sheets like a dog. My head tilted instinctively, unable to comprehend the actions unfolding before me.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He stepped from the bed, pawing at the side of the mattress, trying to get under. I crawled over, placing my hand between the mattress and frame, feeling an object trapped between, pulling out a folded paper with Ian's handwriting on the outside.

"To Lake," I read out loud to the cat, unfolding the paper. "Because my words get stuck in my throat. Here is a poem I wrote, assuming I disappear without saying goodbye."

A note for me, a love letter every girl dreamed of getting from the guy they poured their soul into, the perfect way to win a woman's heart. Ian couldn't tell me how he felt in person, the nerves, the emotions, the overwhelming feeling of rejection.

I understood how he felt, living in the shadow of fear. We were both afraid of the simple four-letter word.

The cat nudged my arm while I read the poem for the second time. His fur was shiny black, and perfectly clean. White sharp teeth dug into my arm, growling before dropping to its side and digging at a book I tossed on the floor.

I lifted the orange book, slowly watching the picture drift in the air. Catching it, I brought Ian's photo to my heart, allowing a tear to escape. With every doting movie, a happy ending begins here, and in every romantic book, the main characters fall in love.

"Ian Cros," I cried with a quivering jaw.

But this was not a happy ending. Prince Charming didn't rescue the princess from the fire-breathing dragon.

"Ian Cros!" I yelled, causing the cat to jump.

A dagger to my heart by the wicked witch while Ian sank his teeth in the poison apple.

"Ian Cros, come back to me!" I yelled before I placed my forehead on the wood floor. "Come back," I cried. "I'm sorry." Tears flooded down my face, soaking the ground. "I'm sorry I didn't see it earlier. Sorry I didn't tell you how I felt. I'm sorry I failed you."

I glanced at the cat, crying to the poor animal. "This should work!" I yelled, tossing the picture. "Why isn't it working?"

The photo slowly drifted back and forth, floating into the pool of tears on the ground. I panicked and picked it out of the water, seeing the written cursive ruined. The blackish-red lipstick melted across the white, smudging into the other side.

"No!" I yelled, glancing at the cat with sadness. "Why?" I cried, crumbling with sorrow. "I love him," I whispered, blowing on the photo, trying to dry it.

The cat rubbed on my arm, flipping to its back, wiggling. A meow purred into its body, trying to cheer me up. It quickly spun, tucking its head into my hand.

"Ian Cros!" I yelled toward the ceiling. "Please."

I slammed my fist on the ground.

"Ian Cros! Ian Cros! Ian Cros!" I yelled. "Why?"

Slumping, I lay on the ground, placing my back on the chilly floor. I exhaled, watching the blurry ceiling, trying to focus with my tear-filled eyes. Lifting the photo to my view, I blinked away the depressed water. Ian's smile, the bright red beanie, and the innocence in his stare. The colors faded before me, crumbling at the corners. Shattered glass from the coffee pot poked into my bare skin in areas while I watched the vivid colors of the photograph turned to dull gray, aging years in my hands.

"What?" I asked, watching the photo dissolve into dust, floating onto my face. "No," I whispered, feeling the sparkling glitter of the vanished picture.

I sat up quickly, watching the glitter illuminate in the air as gold. The sparkling dust lit up my room like fireflies in the night. It danced around the space as if there was wind blowing through. Slowly, I stood, reaching for the ashes while it twisted into my hair and sang a song of love.

Smiling, I wiped my face free of tears as it darted at the cat, lighting up its torso within. The cat shifted, disturbed by the spark that illuminated the non-beating heart, creating an eerie glow in the room. Without warning, the cat disappeared in the blink of an eye, dissolving into a mesmerizing swirl of gold dust that gradually transformed into Ian's hazy figure.

"Ian," I cried out, my hands yearning to connect with his as he extended his arms toward me.

As if in an instant, he pressed his hand against his heart, his gaze becoming gentle as he disappeared into the flickering glow of a firefly. The lightning bug darted toward my face, illuminating my cheeks with its soft glow, and then bounced off my nose before quickly flying toward the door. 

Thank you for reading. Please share, comment, and push that beautiful star.