Chapter 4

Later on that night, Aria tossed and turned, unable to shake that eerie feeling.  She woke up in a cold sweat and forced herself out of bed.  The full moon shone through the bedroom window as she got out of bed half-wake.  She walked toward the window, not knowing what she was feeling.  Aria looked out toward the dark, twinkling sky.  She followed the moonlight down the dark, empty road.  A streetlight stood at the end of the road.  As she looked toward the light, it flickered; a brief shadow shape, like a man, stood at the side of the light post as it was flickering.  Aria blinked and rubbed her eyes, and then the shadow was gone.  Her heart started pounding as she stood there frozen.

         For a moment, she didn’t move; she just stood there, not knowing what to do or think.  The eerie  feeling intensified.  There was a change in the air, almost as if something unseen was watching.  Aria stepped back from the window slowly.  She questioned herself quietly, “Was I the only one who saw that, or am I going crazy under stress?”  A few more moments passed as Aria attempted to rationalize what she saw.  As the shock began to fade, a sense of familiarity took its place.  There was something familiar about the shadow, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.  Aria went to her bathroom, splashed cold water on her face, and stood there at the sink.  “I’m exhausted. I must be just seeing things due to not getting enough sleep,” she thought to herself.  She went back to her bed, crawled in, took a deep breath, and said, “I have to try to get some sleep.”

            The alarm blared.  After about the seventh beep, she slammed the button and flopped onto her back, starred at the ceiling.  Exhausted, she sat up to braced the day.  What she’d seen last-night left her confused, not scared-and that unsettled her even more.  She got out of bed, gave a good stretch, then started getting ready for the day.  

           She went to get Jane up for school.  She knocked on Jane’s bedroom door and called to her, “Come on, sleepyhead, time for school.”  Jane rolled over, gave a stretch, laid there for a minute, then started getting ready for school.  Aria was getting herself ready as well, for today was her unemployment meeting.  She finished getting dressed, then went downstairs.  Aria went to the kitchen, turned on her coffee, then flipped on the morning news.  She listened to the broadcast faintly as she poured her coffee.  She muttered to herself as she listened about the president and his goings-on, or lack thereof.  “Yep, I knew I had a bad feeling about him, right from the beginning,”  Aria muttered.  

           She glanced at the clock, “Jane, let’s go, or you’ll be late.”  Jane came  down the stairs seconds later, phone in hand, with her book bag slung over one shoulder. ‘Let’s get this day over with,’ she sighed and walked out.  Aria smiled, grabbed her keys, and followed.  As she drove, she couldn’t stop thinking about how fast time flies—one minute you're being them home from the hospital, the next they’re ignoring you right in the passenger seat.  As they approached the school, Aria reminded Jane about her phone.  Jane nodded while getting out of the car.  

          Aria shook her head with a slight grind and pulled away from the curb, heading to her unemployment meeting.  A strange feeling came over her—she couldn’t figure out what it was.  She glanced at the rear-view mirror and shook her head as shivers went down her spine.  She had to shrug it off, get her mind clear, and calm herself for her meeting.  Aria pulled up to the building, parked the car, and took a couple of deep breaths.  She got out of the car and went inside the building.  As she waited to be called to her meeting, the same strange feeling came over her again.  This time it was like she was there and not there at the same time.

          She shook her head as she heard her name called.  As the caseworker reviewed past work searches from the month, Aria tried to get her mind in focus.  “Aria,” how is the job search going?” Claire asked.  “Discouraging, I haven't heard back from anything,”  Aria replied with a slight sigh.  “Really, you haven’t heard anything?”  Claire asked.  “Well, I had a couple of interviews, but nothing came of them.”  Aria answered.  Claire took a breath and began going over more job openings and other job search resources.  Aria still  feeling half-there, looked out the window as Claire spoke.   Her mind began difting.

          As she looked out the window towards the moving trees, her eyes caught something different- a field of flowers.  She blinked, and she was there.  This time dawn was breaking.  The field was covered with hawthorn blossoms, primrose,and Gorse.  She heard the music again, the some melody from before.  She looked around.  All she could see was the field of flowers she didn’t know about.  Aria began walking but before she took her first step a rush come over her.  In a blink, she found herself right at the gazebo.  It was white again with no lights this time.  With the music playing she couldn’t help but look.  Aria looked in, saw nothing but the radio playing that melody.   She was about to take a step towards inside the Gazebo, when a feeling of being watched from behind come over her.  The presents seemed familiar however.  She turned around but the was nothing there.  

She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. She was back in the office,  “Aria?” Claire called.  Aria shook her head again, “Sorry, Yes...” she replied.  “Are you feeling alright,” Claire asked.  Aria nodded with a small grin.  Claire then handed Aria some information forms.  “Lets set up next meeting hows 9:30am a month from now?”  “That work,”  Aria replied.  As she walked out of the office her head seemed clearer but now she was starting to feel a bit frightened.  As she left the building, she couldn’t shake what she’d experienced.  Her heart pounded as she walked to the car.  “I must be losing my mind,” she thought to herself shaking her head.

           As she reached her car, the wind picked up.  Another chill ran down her spine.  She shook it off as she opened the car door, blaming the wind.  She climbed in the car and just sat there with her thoughts back in reality.  She thought to herself of what she said in the meeting.  She had applied to nearly everything, everyplace and still nothing.  It has been a couple of weeks and she hadn’t even hear from the coffee cafe.  A sinking feeling came over her as she gripped the stirring wheel and leaned her forehead against it.  She questioned at this point if she was doing something wrong.  Was her resume good enough or was her intervew apporch not strong enough?

          As she sat there thinking on what to do next her cell phone rang.  “Hello,” she answered.  “Hello”, is Aria avalible?”  “This is she,” Aria replied.  “Hello Aria this is Lilith from the cafe, how are you?”  “I’m doing alright,” Aria replied.  “Great to hear, I am reaching out to see if you are still interest in  the position you applied for,”  Lilith said.  “Yes I am absolutely.”  “Great, hows next week Thursday around 10:30?”  “That would be great.”  “OK, see you then.”  “Yes, thank you.”  Aria hung up and let out a sigh of relief.  A smile came across her face, she couldn't wait until next Thursday already.  Just then a smell came to her senses.  She looked around her car to see where it was coming from and what it was.  Her eyes stopped at the passenger seat.  She moved her purse and papers and there it was, a flower.

           She didn’t know what kind of flower it was.  All she saw and knew was it was soft, yellow with a sweet honey sent. Her eyes widen as she realized but it didn’t make sense. She thought to herself, “How is this even possible?” “What is the important of this flower?” She stared at the flower in a state of confused shock.  She then slowly reached out to pick int up.  As she smelled it a flash came across her eyes.  The sent brought her back to a memory of her childhood.  It was summer, she remembered walking in a field of flowers.  The colors of gold, white, purple, and blue spread across the field as she walked.  A light breeze rustled through the trees.  The smell of honey carried by the breeze filled her senses.  Birds flew overhead in a dance-like rhythm.   

           Just then, her phone rang.  She blinked, put the flower down and answered it.  “Hello?” she answered.  “This is Mr. Lee, the school nurse.  I am looking for Miss Aria, Jane’s mother.” “This is she.”  “Miss Aria we are going to need someone to pick up Jane.”  “Is she okay?” “She has been complaining she doesn’t feel well, her temperature was taken and it’s a bit high.”  “Okay, I will be right there.” She hung up and looked at the clock.  ”Wow, its that late already, this flower thing well have to wait” she thought to herself. “  She then headed off to get her daughter.

            When she got to the school Jane was waiting in the office looking a bit pale.  Aria told the office staff she was there to pick her up.  The staff had her sign Jane out for the day.  As they walked to the car Aria looked at Jane and asked her how she was feeling  “Terrible, my stomach hurts and I feel like throwing up,”  Jane replied.  Aria stopped to feel Jane’s forehead, “You do feel a bit warm and clammy, when we get home I want you to straight to bed.”   Jane responded with a sight head nod and climbed in the car.  On the way home Aria stopped for a few things for Jane, ginger-ale, chicken soup, broth and gatorade.  When they got home Jane went right to her bed and went to sleep.  Aria put what she picked up in the fridge then looked at the clock.  It was noon already and chores still needed to be done.

            She began working on cleaning the house.  She threw in a load of laundry then went to the dishes.  Midway of doing the dishes a feeling of warmth flooded through her chest.  As it came over her a brief flash of the flower struck her mind.  She stopped, closed her eyes and shook her head.  She shrugged it off as anxiety and sleep deprivation.  She then remembered the flower that was left in the car.  After the dishes were finished she hung the clothes outside then went to the car for the flower.  When she got there it was gone.  She thought to herself, “Well that strange, I wonder where it went?”  She attempted to look for it for a bit then decided to continue on the house chores.  When the chores were finished she went upstairs to check on Jane.  “How are you feeling honey?”  she asked.  Jane just rolled over in as groan with her hand on her stomach.  “Do you want your ginger-ale?”  Aria asked. Jane nodded slightly.  Aria got her soda, brought it to her and checked her temperature.  “Still a bit high,” she said.  She then fixed her blankets and went back downstairs.  It was now late in the afternoon.

       Aria decided to get a weather update, for the next week so she and turned on the news.  She ignored most of the broadcast up until with weather.  She sighed, “Rain, again really? When are we getting some sun?” She turn the TV off again after the weather and decided to make some dinner.  She know Jane wasn’t ready to eat anything so she just made herself some soup and a sandwich.  After she ate she looked at her phone to check on emails, text messages and voicemails, nothing.  She looked out the window.  “Well, at least the sun is out today. I think I will go for a brief walk then check on Jane again.”  She went for her walk choosing to enjoy the sunshine while she can.  

       She started walking down the road, birds were chirping, lawns were being mowed, and life was just moving on as always.  As she reached the end of the road she realized-the light post.  She stopped and stared. It was the same light post from the other night.  She put her left hand on it and closed her eyes.  A sudden jolt went through her and she jump back.  She instinctively started running back home, fear coursing through her.  When she got back to the house she ran inside, heart pounding.  “What the hell is going on?” she mumbled.  “What is happening to me?”

       She paced back and forth, not knowing what to think or do.  She decided it was all in her head.  After a few moments she calmed down and went to check on Jane.  Jane was still sleeping when Aria opened the bedroom door.  She went back downstairs, then went to get the clothes off the line and brought them in.  After she folded them and put them away, she decided she could use a warm bath to calm her nerves.  She drew herself a bath and climbed in.  The warmth of the water made her muscles relax so well that she almost fell asleep.  She shook herself awake, climbed out of the tube and got in  her PJ's.  It was now almost 8:00 in the evening.  At this point she was ready to go laid down.  She decided to find a book out of her little library and read for a bit.

          As she was going through the collection of books she notice one in particular stood out.  The title of the book was The History and Makings of Witchcraft.  She picked up the book, sat on her bed and started reading.  In the book it talked about the origins of witchcraft across different cultures, persecution and the witch trials, different traditions like Wicca or folk magic, tools and rituals, herbalism and spell work, moon phases and sabbaths.  It also went into how it evolved from ancient practices to modern day.  Aria sat there glued to the page.  She found each page more fascinating the more she read.  Before she knew it it was 9:30 at night.  She put the book down after marking where she left off and notice the bathroom light on.  “Jane are you up?” she called out.  Jane replied in a gruff, “Yeah, Mom I’m up.”  “How are you feeling, do you want anything?” “No, my stomach still hurts a little bit, but I did sip on some water a little while ago.”  “Okay, honey that’s a start.”  Jane then went back to her room.

           Aria looked at the clock decided to go to bed.  She still felt completely relax from her bath.  As she covered up and laid her head down she took a deep breath.  Tonight is the night she was going to get some much needed sleep.  

           She closed her eyes and drifted off.  Dreams started coming through.  Dreams of cherished celebrities, ex partners and childhood memories came and went.  Then she saw the field.  It was night again, the stars twinkled as they lite up the night sky.  The breeze was a little stronger then it had been carrying the smell of the flowers blanketing the field.  The smell of honey with a bit of muskiness come to her.  She recognized the sent from earlier.  Music was playing in the near distance, it was the some song as before.  She recognized where she was and started walking as the breeze guided her.  The music became louder as she got closer.  Her path lead her back through the trees and there it was.  The gazebo was back to white with lights all around it.  As she came closer she saw again, the radio, the wine bottle with the wine glasses on the little table.  

            Her eyes searched around for anything that may have been different, for everything seemed the same as the first dream but at the same time felt different.  Her eye stopped and starred.  On the right side of the gazebo there he was back toward her.  Her heart started pounding, her palms started to sweat but she didn’t flinch this time.  No, this time was different, this time she choose to say something.  “Who are you?” “What do you want from me?”  The man just stood there and said these haunting words.  “You already know.”  “You already know who I am.”  

            Aria gasped and put her hand over her mouth.  She dropped to her knees hitting the bottom step.  Her mind started racing, her heart started pounding harder as if it was going to burst out of her chest.  “This can’t be happening.” she said to herself.  She looked up, “I don’t understand, what do you mean.”  The man simply raised his right hand.  As he raised it she saw the flower, the same flower she found in her car.  Aria woke up in cold sweat screaming, “This is not real, this is not happening.”