In Time: Lost and Found

08/07/2012 by SAM | 7 Comments

You can read the preceding part here.

Pain wrapped itself around Viola and smothered her in its cloak. She found an opening between two willow trees  large enough to accompany her size and lay down. Convulsions rocked her. Beads of sweat moistened her forehead. Her eyes closed. She wanted to die.

*~*~*~*~*

Cage’s eyes searched the town for any sign of Viola Grace. It had been a week since he’d proposed and she’d taken off through the woods. If she didn’t return soon, he would send a search party to look for her. He still couldn’t believe her father refused to help him look. The conversation hadn’t been pretty. Even now, he could hear her father’s voice in his head.

“She’s run off, and that’s her business. She’s never appreciated what I give her. Ever since her ma died, she’s been chomping at the bit to get away from me.” His wizened face loomed at the forefront of Cage’s mind. “She’ll do the same to you, Mr. Ridley. Mark my words. If I were you, I would seek a wife elsewhere.”

The problem was he didn’t want to seek a wife elsewhere. Viola Grace held his heart prisoner. Every day she was missing, a new chain stretched across his chest, suffocating him. He had to find her. His guilt consumed him. If only he hadn’t proposed; if only he had waited, she might be here now.

“Tomorrow,” he thought.

*~*~*~*~*

Vibrations in the ground woke her. Even with her clothes soaked through and still feeling feverish, Viola felt more like herself. She didn’t know where she was and had no idea how she’d gotten there. These woods were unfamiliar to her. With sudden clarity, she realized she was far from home. Her mind raced trying to remember, but the only memory that would come to her was Cage, on bended knee. A new ache filled her heart but before she could dwell on it, a man crashed through the trees and invaded her space.

She stared at him, soaking in his familiar yet strange dress and the markings on his bald head. A feeling of déjà vu came over her, but she had no idea how she knew this man. When he smiled at her, every instinct in her soul told her to run, but she was too weak physically to do it.

“Ah, there you are, my dear. I’ve been looking all over for you.”‘

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This week’s Flicker of Inspiration was: Lost and Found. We were given 500 words to tell the story of something that was lost (an animal, an item, a person) and then found. I chose to continue Viola Grace’s story from my WIP: In Time.

I am always looking for feedback to improve my writing. Won’t you please help by sharing your thoughts in a comment?

Thanks for stopping in!

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