Chapter 1: Harvest Lake

A red and gold leaf floating through the air brushed over the surface of the lake, swirling water and earth together in an elaborate dance. Norah watched from the edge of the rickety peer, her dark eyes transfixed as the calm waters were awakened by a simple touch. The fine autumn breeze sent a soft chill along her tawny skin, instinctively making her tighten the ends of her auburn scarf closer around her neck.

Fall had officially arrived to Harvest Lake.

The drive up the mountain had been a long, winding journey from her place in Seattle. Unlike the evolving urban city, the small town in the Washington heartland had not changed in her seven-year absence. The tall fir, white elm, and oak trees still towered over endless stretches of lake, enclosed by the slopes of the mountain valley it sat under. The serenity was the reason why her parents had moved the family here back when she was a little girl.

But now all she could see was death.

"This was such a mistake," Norah murmured to herself as she let her gaze wander from along the landmarks of her earlier life. "You should have brought Mama back to Seattle instead of coming here."

Even as the words slipped from her mouth, Norah knew she was being callous. Her mother had lived in their cabin home over twenty years; it was where everyone remembered her father the best. Taking her mother away from Harvest Lake would break her fragile health. One broken heart in the Walker family was enough.

Norah sighed as she tried the release the tension invading her shoulder muscles. Taking the teaching sabbatical had been no problem. Even leaving her life back in Seattle had been surprisingly easy. Her mother was sick, and she loved her mother. It was as simple as that. The moment she had driven over the county line, however, a dark cloud had fallen over her mind.

Her hand instinctively drifted to the pendant hanging under her thermal shirt. There was never a day she didn’t think about him. There was never a second when couldn’t feel his tiny body still cradled in her arms. Oh, what she wouldn’t give to have him back again.

The strange, vivid feeling swelled and swamped her being. Too soon, her heart had warned her as it beat wildly against her rib cage. Norah tried to take a deeper breath, tried to calm her raw nerves, but the air in her lungs had suddenly evaporated. Gasping for air, she fell to her knees on the wooden deck, praying for the pain to stop. Alone, in the forest of her childhood, she gave birth to her first anxiety attack.

“No,” she gasped. “Not now.”

The agony came in waves as she grabbed at her chest. Instead of fighting against the pain, she rode out the current, letting the anxiety take its course. It felt like dying.

A good amount of time had past before Norah felt somewhat in control again. Sighing, she brushed the dark, damp curls off her forehead with the back of her hand. Laughter bubbled up in her chest, the sudden humor sounding hysterical to her own ears. Determined not to give in again, she slowly got back to her feet, doing her best to stand straight.

Norah stared back out on the lake’s blue waters. The calm was gone from her gaze now, only a harsh determination now left. “You can’t hurt me. One day I will look at you and not remember the pain you’ve brought me.”

“Still talking to yourself, I see.”

Norah jerked as heavy footsteps followed up behind her. Her fingers tightened into fists at his presence; she shoved her hands into the pockets of her brown suede coat keep the evidence of her disturbance from his sight. No matter how far apart they were or what stood between them, he always seemed to find her at her most vulnerable. Once, she had loved him for it. Now, she could only feel angry at the intrusion.

“Luke.”

He stopped a few feet away, leaving a good amount of distance between them. The sharp lines of his face were drawn, but he stood with his crossed over his chest as arrogant as the say he was born. “I heard in town you were coming today.” He shook his head slightly. “I couldn’t believe my ears. Had to come out and see it for myself.”

“I guess that finishes up the pleasantries.”

Luke snorted, his black eyes daring her to meet his stare straight on. “Pleasant is a soft emotion, Norah. You and I both know that nothing we had has ever been soft.”

Silence filled the space around them, making the world seem smaller and smaller. He was right; nothing had ever been placid about their relationship. Knowing it, and hating the fact, Norah turned away, her lips pressed in a tight line.

“So,” he replied a moment later. The tension between them could be sliced with a knife. “How has my wife been doing in the big, bad city?”



Prompt 1: In your story, it has to be fall, at least in the beginning. In this chapter something has to be born.

"14 Days, 7 Prompts, 1 Story Contest" 
Word Count: 850
Total Count: 850