Moonlight Passage

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“You just don’t get it, do you?”

Lucas took in the entire scene.  The evening waves kissed the sand of the beach.  Above, the stars sang a melody of beauty with the crescent moon as their accompanist.  Candle flames danced on the blanket that served as both table and chairs.  Gourmet tastes lingered on his lips and tongue.  White and yellow rose petals encircled their private dining area.  Floral aromas mixed with the salty scent of the ocean creating a natural perfume that manufacturers could never duplicate. 

As far as Lucas could see, he had created perfection.  Anna should be melting, losing herself in his dreamy eyes.  Somehow he was pretty sure that was not what was registering in her glare.

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to walk on the beach on crutches?”

“Well, I would’ve brought the wheelchair, but all you’ve done all day is say how glad you are to be out of that thing.”

Anna’s auburn hair fell across her shoulders in loose ringlets.  Her ivory skin emitted an angelic aura.  Had her eyes not been shooting looks that the devil himself would cringe away from, she might have appeared to be an angelic apparition. 

“I don’t want the damn wheelchair.  I have a broken leg, and you make me traipse a half of mile through sand, only to be met with a blanket to collapse on.  Seriously Lucas, do you ever think things through?  How am I even supposed to get up?”  No tears slid down her high cheekbones; even if they had, the fire in her eyes would have evaporated them.

Lucas, determined not to be defeated so easily, responded, “You know I’ll help you up.  I thought this would be a welcome escape from being cooped up.  But once again, I was wrong.  You always find something wrong.”

“Really?  Find?  I didn’t ‘find’ the throb in my leg.  It found me about ten feet into this expedition.”  Most people raise their voice when angry, not Anna; hers became almost too steady.  Words were spaced out for effect, and had an almost low hiss quality to them.

Lucas knew fighting with her was fruitless.  She was wittier and quicker than he could ever care to be.  Not that he was stupid, far from that - but Anna possessed a talent for words and delivery that few could tend with.  And she was always so damned beautiful, even at her angriest.  It seemed an unfair advantage.  He brought his glass of merlot to his lips.  He wasn’t thirsty, merely stalling.  However, the liquid did feel refreshing and comforting.

Daring a slight grin, he asked, “So, have you told anyone what really happened to your leg?”

Anna looked down at her plate of uneaten food.  He knew she was attempting to hide her smile, trying to stay mad.  “Anna, you haven’t, have you?”  He was chuckling, feeling a little braver now.  He reached for her hand.  She didn’t pull away.

“Luke, how can I tell anyone I broke my leg by slipping on a dryer sheet while running for the phone?  Who does that?”

Only Anna called him Luke.  It was a name he’d always despised.  He claimed it sounded like a name on an old cheesy western show.  But when Anna called him that, it made him tingle.  Heck, everything she said and did gave him that ‘butterflies in the stomach, life doesn’t get better than this’ feeling. 

“Besides you?  No one.  What are you telling them these days?”  The tense moment was a fleeting memory, humor and adoration landing in its place.

“Mainly, I tell them you beat me.”

He laughed harder.  “You do not.”

“Well, I only tell my relatives that.” 

God, she was amazing.  The way her lips curled up in an ornery grin, yet retained their poutiness, made Lucas want to trace them, with his tongue, his finger, anything.  He just had a deep need to experience them.

“Anna, you’re so beautiful.”

“Luke, you’re so random.” 

“I’m sorry.  Well, not that you’re beautiful.  Actually that’s a big bonus.  I’m sorry I’m random, and I’m sorry about tonight.  Come on let’s go.  I’ll give you a piggy back.”

“No, Luke.  I don’t wanna go.  I’m sorry, baby.  It’s all perfect.  You thought of everything. . .  Almost.”  She was teasing, and he knew it.  Leaning over to kiss him, she knocked her wine glass over.  Neither of them cared. 

They lay in each others’ arms watching nature perform for only them, with Anna’s leg elevated on the ice chest, of course.  Luke stroked her hair as Anna played with the whiskers of his five-o’clock shadow.  This was the kind of moment love struck teenager’s daydream about while listening to sappy songs on their I-pods.  Though their teenage years were more than a decade past, both Luke and Anna felt that rush of young love encompass their hearts.  It wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last.

“Do you hear that thumping sound?”

“No, not unless you mean your heart.  That’s all I hear, except for your stomach digesting your food.”  Anna lifted her head from his chest to listen.  “I think I hear it.  Like a low thud, thud, thud?”

“Yeah, that.”  Lucas sat up, careful not to jar Anna’s leg.  “What could it be this late at night?”

“Maybe Long John Silver is digging up his buried treasure.  We best go investigate, matey.”

“Funny, Anna.  You can’t walk remember.  No pirate escapades for you.”

“You promised me a piggy back ride, remember?”

He knew that look in her eyes.  No way would Lucas be able to persuade her otherwise.  They were going on an adventure.  More than likely all they’d find were kids up to some bizarre antics.  The beach wasn’t patrolled well, making it the perfect playground for teenagers with too much time on their hands and too little supervision at home.  Standing, Lucas brushed the sand from his body, and gingerly helped Anna up.  She wrapped her arms around his neck, stealing one more taste of his sweet mouth.

“Giddy up!” Anna commanded in a child-like voice as Lucas hefted her on to his back.  She shined the flashlight over his shoulder, thinking how glad she was that Luke always thought of everything.  Well, almost, she thought with a smile.  Her full casted leg hung awkwardly to the side.  With every step the top of it pushed into Lucas’s lower back.  He never said a word.  Any amount of pain was worth hearing Anna laugh.

“We must be going the right way.  I think I hear the natives,” Anna whispered in his ear.

Lucas stopped.  “Seriously, Anna, maybe we shouldn’t be doing this.  I mean it’s not like you can run if we come upon something we aren’t supposed to.  And as much as I’d like you to think I’m your hero, I don’t think I could outrun much of anyone or anything with you on my back.”

“Luke, you’re being silly.  It’s a thumping sound.  It’s not like someone’s screaming in pain.  Yet.”

“You had to add that, didn’t you?”  He continued walking toward the sound.  It had a steady rhythmic quality.  Where had he heard that noise before?

“Luke, stop I see someone.”  Anna ducked her head behind his neck as if that would hide them both. 

Lucas saw it too.  He slid Anna from his back, and she draped an arm over his shoulder leaning on him for support.  Their eyes focused a figure in the distance.  It seemed to be a rather large man wearing a trench coat and a fedora-like hat.  He appeared to be leaning to one side slightly.  A small fire burned near him.  Nothing they saw explained the phantom noise.

“Maybe it’s the beach mafia,” Anna spoke softly with a teasing tone that at the moment made Lucas a tad uncomfortable.

“I don’t like this, baby.  We’re going back.”

“Luke, stop being dramatic.  We haven’t even figured out the thudding sound.”  Anna began hopping closer.  Lucas had no choice but to follow since she was practically attached to him. 

“Harder.  You have to do it harder.  Like you mean it, boy.”  The voice growled gruff and commanding in the moonlight.  Lucas and Anna froze.  Hearing the figure speak brought a reality to the situation that hadn’t existed moments earlier.  They waited for someone to respond, but all they heard was the thudding become stronger and faster, more urgent.  Neither dared even a whisper. 

“A man has to do these things.  You can’t stay a boy forever.  A rite of passage don’t come easy.”  Irritation was evident with every spoken word.  “Every man in our family for generations has lived through this; it ain’t like you’re the first.”

Without even realizing it, Anna and Lucas found themselves creeping closer, almost as if they had no control.  Clutching on to each other for comfort and necessity, Lucas walked and Anna hopped.  A few yards from the man they could see a palm tree and a shadow of someone else, but they couldn’t make out any details.  Anna had long since turned the flashlight off.  No need begging to be discovered.  Walk, hop, walk, hop.  Their pace was in cadence with the thudding.  Walk, hop, walk, hop . . .

Without warning they found themselves yanked down by the beach.  It all happened in a flash.  Anna screamed with pain.  Lucas reached blindly for her.  The thudding halted.  They felt, rather than saw, the man turn towards them.  He shone a flashlight in their direction.

A deep voice demanded, “Who goes there?”

If her leg hadn’t been shooting spasms of pain through her body, Anna might have laughed.  Who goes there?  That sounded like something from a bad Disney movie.  The light was enough to see what had caused their fall.  Anna had hopped in a hole about two feet deep and pulled Lucas down with her.  Though it was no use being quiet anymore, they still found themselves whispering.

“Baby, are you okay?  Let me handle this.”

“Yeah, I think.  Luke, don’t leave me.”

“I’m not leaving you, ever.  Just let me do the talking.  I’ll think of something.  Please promise me you’ll stay here.”

Anna almost laughed.  “It’s not like I can go anywhere.”

“Damn it, I asked ya who goes there!”  The man was limping toward them.  They understood why it had seemed he was leaning before.  He walked with a cane, dragging his right foot like dead weight.

“Look, we don’t want trouble.  My girlfriend has a broken leg.  Stay back, mister.  I don’t wanna have to hurt you.  I have a knife.”  Lucas rattled on; his voice betrayed his fear and his love for Anna.

“No you don’t, ya liar.  And ya wouldn’t know what to do with it if you did.  Now get outta that hole and stand up like a man.”

As Lucas scrambled to his feet, he noticed a shovel not far in front of the hole.  The man seemed to read his mind.  Scratching his scraggly beard, he warned, “Don’t even think about it.  A shovel ain’t no match for an axe.”

A boy about thirteen-years-old appeared next to the old gentleman.  The axe rested on his shoulder with a confidence that implied it was a tool he was familiar with.  He wore only cut-offs, and his body was drippy with sweat and grime.

Lucas straightened himself trying to emit more confidence than he felt.  “What do you want with us?”

“What do we want with YOU?  You are the ones come spyin’ on us.  What’re you doin’ sneakin’ up like Nancy Drew and one of the Hardy Boys?  And I don’t mean the good lookin’ one either.  Get your woman outta that hole for God’s sake.”  The man was shaking his cane at Lucas as if he was lecturing a tardy school boy.  “Bring her over by the fire so we can check her out.  Make sure she ain’t broke somethin’ else.”  His tone seemed to soften as he spoke of Anna.

“Actually, we’ll just be on our way if it’s all the same to you.  I can take care of her.”

“Yeah, I see that.  Shut your kisser and bring the lady over here.  I ain’t gonna hurt you.  Yet.”

Always a ‘yet’, Lucas thought as he picked Anna up into his arms.  He glanced again at the shovel as they passed it. 

Nearing the fire, they could see what the thudding sound had been.  Mystery solved, sort of.  The boy had been cutting down a palm tree.

Anna spoke their thoughts, “Why were you cutting down a tree?”

The boy remained silent.  The man turned to the tree as if he had forgotten about it.  Looking back at Anna, he spouted, “Why are you on the beach with a broken leg?  How smart is that?”

Lucas tightened every muscle in anger and embarrassment.  Anna giggled.  “It’s a long story.”

Setting Anna down as carefully as if she were a new born baby, Lucas again tried to appear in charge.  “I’m pretty sure it’s against the law to cut down palm trees on the beach.”  His stare met the man’s for a moment.  It would have seemed almost challenging if the man hadn’t bellowed out a loud laugh.

“No, it ain’t.  We been doin’ it for years, and never got in no trouble.”

“You cut down trees on the beach all the time?”  Anna didn’t seem frightened anymore, simply curious.

Again he laughed.  “Heck no, we only do it when a boy turns thirteen.”

Lucas settled himself next to Anna wrapping his arm around her protectively.

“Why would you do that?” Anna continued the conversation.

The old man looked at the boy.  “Go finish your cuttin’ while I talk at these strangers for a bit.”  Without a word, the boy obeyed.  When the thudding commenced, the man spoke again as he, too, sat by the fire.  “Well, it ain’t much of a story, but I guess I can tell it iffin’ you want.”

“Yes, please.”  Anna gave him one of her smiles that few men had ever been able to deny.

“Well, as far back as I know when a boy in our family turns thirteen he has to do something to bring him into manhood.  No frilly birthday parties, no more.  He’s gotta do somethin’ that’s hard work.  Prove he’s capable of determination and perseverance.  Nothin’ does that more then choppin’ down a tree.  So when the moon comes out on the night of his thirteenth, we grab the ax and go.  He has to have it chopped by sunup.  You may be wonderin’ about the hole and shovel.  Well, personally I think this part is some crap somebody’s mama made up one generation, but the boy’s supposed to pick a branch with the prettiest palm leaves on it, and bury it.  According to legend, it will give him his choice of beautiful, strong women when it comes to marrying time.  I think it’s bunch of bunk, ‘cause I buried the best damn branch and my wife looks like she been hit with that dern shovel.  God bless her soul.”

Everyone laughed except the boy; he was too intent on his task, which was probably for the best. 

“So what’re you folks doing out here besides spyin’ on us.”

“Luke made me a romantic dinner on the beach.  I was going nuts being stuck in the house since I broke my leg.”  She smiled at Luke and gave him a peck on the cheek.

“So how’d you break the stump anyways?”

Lucas and Anna burst out laughing.  “Actually, I slipped on a dryer sheet while I was running for the phone.  I have hard wood floors so I went flying and landed with my leg bent grotesquely behind me.”

“Ouch.  Who was on the phone?”  The man seemed to be undaunted by the unusual accident.

Anna laughed even harder.  “To tell you the truth, it was Luke.  Good thing too, because if it’d been anyone else I would’ve killed them.”

“So to make it up to her you play Casanova on the beach, huh?  I guess it’s as good of reason as any.”

Lucas smiled at the man.  “It wasn’t the only reason.”

“Oh yeah?  What else you got on your plate?”

Pulling a felt tip pen from his shirt pocket, Lucas answered, “I was hoping to sign her cast.”

“Luke, you’re crazy.  Kids do that kinda thing.”

Despite her protests, he began autographing her cast.  Returning the pen to his pocket, he asked, “So what do you think?”

“I think you take way too much pride in signing your name, Honey.”

“Come on, I worked hard on it.  You didn’t even look at it.”

Humoring him, Anna tilted her head and looked down at her mammoth cast.  Blinking her eyes to focus, she silently read the scribbled message.  Anna, will you marry me?

Lucas waited with growing anticipation.  Rarely was Anna at a loss for words.  The man leaned over and read the proposal.  “Well, I’ll be damned.  Girl, don’t keep Hardy boy waitin’!”

“Of course, I’ll marry you.”  Her words were followed by one last thud and the crashing of the palm tree.  Celebration filled the ocean night air. 

“Ya’ll wait here.  I’ll go get my truck.  It’ll make it down this beach.  I don’t think that stump of yours can stand much more excitement for one night.  Boy, you finish up your job.  I’ll be back quicker than a flash.”

Lost in their love, Anna and Lucas had almost forgotten about the boy until he tapped Lucas on the shoulder.  “You really getting married, Mister?”

“Yes, yes I am.”  Luke kissed his bride-to-be again.

“You done good.  You musta found the best branch on your palm tree.”

He went to bury his chosen branch.  Lucas and Anna watched knowing more than one rite of passage had occurred this night.



WC - 3000 words