She was there for you when Dylan proposed under a line of stars in the park. She was there when he put that diamond on your finger and the world was full of sparkle, promise.
And she was there now, watching over you still trying to protect you from the chaos and doom. When she visits you on a Tuesday, it is with a wobbly heart. “Listen,” she whispers, “please listen to me, that strange woman is lurking in the woods by your house, again! I’ve seen her more than once when I’ve come to visit. You know, she’s mad, obsessed. I just have a bad feeling about it, all of it.”
You glare at her, with a look that says, I cannot swallow any more gloom, not another dark day. And Ella did what she always did in moments like these, she grabbed your hand and said, “Come, come, let’s walk down by the river to clear our minds.”
Your steps are quick but you keep looking over your shoulder. Ella is there. She begins to sing a familiar tune from your days in the creek as kids. She’s there as you inhale the Georgia breeze, taking in those tall massive pines that seemed to kiss the sky. Ella is there but the strange woman is not far behind. Dylan had threatened to have her arrested if she did not leave him alone. He changed his cell number and relocated to another office so she would be out of sight.
You can hear footsteps now.
You jump when a tree limb snaps and lands with a thud on the ground. You jump all the time now. Memories of the strange woman sitting outside your house, refusing to leave! All those letters, filled with garbage, and ugly threats. It was clogging up your brain so you stay by the river close to Ella. The footsteps behind you are louder-louder-louder but the rush of the water is mesmerizing, beautiful.
The rapids are high today, so powerful, and there are two of you.