Hermia

With a disappointing outcome to my quest from Delilah, I didn't see any hope to the case again. But I don't have the heart to quite just yet.

After much contemplation, I went to visit Sally but this time I wasn't even allowed to go near her. I was told the visiting hours were over and she only needs to be seeing her lawyer.

That was so unethical.  I thought slamming my feet on the brake until the car screeched and came to an halt.

I hopped out of my car and started to walk into the dark forest, on my way to the lake. A series of nostalgia attacked me as it's been years I came here. I'm still wondering why I came though. I thought I said I was done with revisiting those bad memories.

But here I am back at this spot. My happy place.

It's said everyone in the planet earth has that one special place where they can let it all out, go to when they are either too sad or too happy. A place they help no secret from.

Some have theirs in their journals, dairies, coffee shop, wherever it may be. But mine,  is here.

The noise produced as a result of the dry leaves getting crushed under my boots was a constant thing I heard, along with the few ones the bush animals made. There was no sign of a soul. Except those, ut was all  very quiet.

The normal buzz in the city was the exact opposite her. I was relieved no one  else used this place ever since I didn't.

Like they say,  everything has its history. That includes this particular lake.

Decades ago, I heard a myth. You could call it a story I got from my mom while I was still very  young.  A young American lady, Catherine, fell in love with a boy from the family that had a grave animosity towards hers. So they could never be together. They had so much love for each other that every fortnight, they came here to live in their own world, without their parents' knowing.

Years passed,  they both got married to different partners while they kept their secret affair going on. It happened one unfortunate night that the girl's father found out and was infuriated. He felt the daughter betrayed his trust and the family legacy.

He didn't even think twice before slaying his daughter's lover whose name was Alwin. Consequently, Catherine cursed her father to never die and remain unhappy. She left her home and took Alwin's corpse with her.

This was the same place she came and lived with her dead lover, until she got fed up. As it was said, his ghost beckoned on her to join him and she did, by jumping into the lake before dying of drowning.

Since 73% of Americans in this time and era unfortunately believed in the existence of ghosts,  not many people wanted to build a house here.

This place was isolated and called The Hunted Lake. 

Over centuries,  it was renamed The Lake of Alerine, combining Alwin and Catherine's names. The Government even identified it on the map and soon it became a distinct area in America.

But no one had the courage to step in— until I did.

I was just two when I came across this place. An old man chastised me for stepping in here and I had asked my mom why he did that so she told me the history. And one surprising fact was that the next day,  the old man who claimed to be Catherine's father and who spread the rumors laid to rest forever.

I know instead of being creeped out or scared, I was only amused. I felt this unknown anxiety to always come back here and see if anything like ghosts existed. But it was alas, a mere myth that was never going to be real.

Over the years,  it turned to my happy place. I loved being here because no one else could come there. I felt contented.

I was made to remember vividly what happened the night my father walked out on my mom. He claimed to be fed up trying to uphold a relationship that never existed. With or without me. It turned out he was only with my mom because of me, even though he said he was unhappy.

My world was shattered. My happy family was a pathetic one. I flashed back to those times they  argued but I found it cute not knowing I was in a delusion.

That night, I ran out out of the house, leaving my broken mother and a frustrated father. I was angry. I felt vulnerable.

I told myself I was Catherine and so I dived into the lake,  hoping to be taken away from the ugly reality. Only that I failed to realise Catherine revolted to die because of Alwin. I had no one to die for.

So I made up my mind that I don't need any Alwin in my life. I'll love for myself. No man in my life and it had been going on since then. The sudden transformation of the girl who loved toys to one who loves skating, the girl who loved to play with dolls to the one who loved to play hockey,  the girl who loved being feminine to the tomboy.

I killed the girl in me.

That night when I vowed to do so,  I felt someone was watching me. And so I yelled out afraid for the first time it was probably Alwin or Catherine. But perhaps again It was my delusion.

Fifteen years later and here I am,  revisiting this place. And I don't know why I have exactly come here. Maybe because the burden of life was weighing on my shoulder, again. I had a promise to fulfil,  or—

I lose Sally.

I knew I could easily get just any lawyer for her but hers was a complicated case. It takes only the best lawyer to help us,  one who wasn't ready to.

I sighed, grazing the tip of my fingers on the bark of the mangrove tree I just passed before I stopped right at the foot of the lake.

The almost full moon reflected on the clear water body causing me to heave a sigh again. I missed this place. I misses these sights. I missed this solitude.

Gently, I took a seat on the dry land beside the lake, fallen dead leaves forming a bed on it.

The thoughts of recents events in my life started to replay in front of me like a series of projected images.

-

It was as if someone just awakened my already dead brain cells. Why didn't I think of this earlier?

My lips broke into a smile and instantly I brought out my phone. It was just past six in the evening by the way.

I hurriedly drove back home to search for his number. I remembered my mom writing it in one of my notes because she wanted me to be friends.

I dashed into my room and literally messed everything up. Finally I got it. It was in my jotter. I didn't hesitate to save it on my phone.

Yeah,  you got it. Aaron.

I just figured twenty minutes ago,  his father is the grumpy lawyer's fiancé and I could get him to persuade her somehow.

Anxiously, I drew my curtains apart  to see if he was in his room. He wasn't. There was no reflection of light on the curtains.

Disappointed again, I went back downstairs but sent two messages hoping he would  reply and understand it's me.

It was already half past seven at night when I was still in the living room trying to get resources on how to find evidences to help Sally.

It's past an hour now. And his curtain was still closed. Not that I checked again after the other time anyway.

My phone suddenly made a sound which startled me. I stopped whatever I was doing on my laptop to take a glance at it.

And my lips broke into a smile again when I saw his message.

Aaron:

What??

07:38 pm

I was quick to reply.

I need your help. I sent with paused lips. I hope he acknowledges this.

Soon a reply came.

Aaron:

Okay?

Don't know why I am grinning right now. Well,  maybe because he was nice enough to reply me.

~~~

A!N: So here we go phew! I had to rewrite a whole chapter, you know? The original got deleted and hella it contained funny stuffs but I agree this was more of a challenge too. I wanted to write something about history lol.

(You might be shocked to know I love history while I made my character hate it 😜)

The Lake of Alerine is a fictional place. It's not real but for this story,  assume it is. 😽😽

I hereby implore you to please show you love this chapter by clicking that star at the edge. It makes my day!! 🐱