It had been almost a month but Claire knew each turn to find her lake. At almost noon she reached her destination. The shore looked exactly like she remembered, except now the trees surrounding the lake were multicolored with rich vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges. Green was definitely the minority. Certain varieties of deciduous trees were completely bare. She suddenly wondered what made some trees lose their leaves earlier than others. She had some research to do.
The scent of autumn filled the air, thick, poignant, fresh, and spicy. After yesterday’s wind and rain the air was still, the remaining leaves didn’t rustle, and the lake was calm. The water resembled a giant mirror. The colorful trees on the shoreline reflected on the water. Claire wished she had a camera. The simplistic beauty made a picture-perfect postcard.
The sounds of nature were everywhere: bees or yellow jackets buzzed in the autumn sunshine, birds sang, and forest rodents scurried through the fallen leaves. She watched as ducks swam on the beautiful smooth lake, leaving wakes as their trail. Some floated near the shore, occasionally dipping their heads under the water, filling their stomachs for their flight south. September was almost half done, she would head south too if she could. Hopefully she would be going to Atlanta before long.
When Claire dressed, she put on jeans, a workout T-shirt, and a jacket. Now that the sun glowed high and strong, the warmth allowed her to remove the jacket. By late afternoon she even took off her boots, rolled up her jeans, and waded into the water. Part of her understood the possibility that she may not make it back to the lake before winter. She wanted to experience as much of it as she could. Of course, she hoped that her debt would be paid soon. More realistically she recognized that her duties now included travel. If she were expected to accompany Tony out of town, she wouldn’t be home to explore.
The cold water made her feet tingle. She watched her brightly polished toes as she stepped on pebbles and her toes squished in the underwater terra. When she stood still the minnows swarmed, investigating the bright red toenails. Some even nibbled at her toes, it tickled.
Claire ate her lunch midafternoon, but her stomach told her she needed dinner soon. Finding some coffee in the thermos, no longer warm, she pretended it was a frappuccino without the crushed ice. It helped to fill the void until she reached the promise of Catherine’s dinner.
The daylight hours were decreasing and before she knew it the sky began to redden. Glancing at her watch, it was after seven; she wondered where the day had gone as the most beautiful scene unfolded before her eyes. Sitting on the shore she watched the sky as the sun settled over the lake. She couldn’t make herself get up and go back to the house as the lovely postcard picture transformed into a stunning explosion of crimson. The setting sun caused the few cumuliform clouds to change from white to gray to pink, and then to a vibrant red. The radiance beamed onto the leaves, altering their color. The scene continued to improve in brilliance. The beauty continued to grow. Claire sat patiently and watched with a new sense of contentment.
Once the sun reached the line of trees at the far end of the lake, the darkness quickly extended over the land. Claire remembered Catherine, she would be worried. The idea of walking back in the dark woods should have frightened her, but it didn’t. She knew her way back. In the daylight it took her an hour and forty-five minutes to reach the house or an hour to reach the clearing.
When she stepped into the clearing the illumination from the moon allowed her to see her watch, eight thirty. She wasn’t making bad time but it would be almost nine-thirty before she reached home. The air had cooled but still tasted fresh and clean, she inhaled and set off as fast as she could. Direction wasn’t the issue, it was safety. The ground not only had limbs and roots as obstacles, but the rain had left muddy areas that made her slip. One time her left foot slid making her right knee muddy.
When she stepped into the backyard her eyes focused on her watch, it was nine thirty-five. The last leg of her trip took longer than normal. Her stomach growled for dinner, but her first priority was removing the muddy boots, jeans, and taking a shower or a nice bath. She left the boots on the back stoop.
The carpeted floor of the southeast corridor felt soft under her feet compared to the hiking boots. It also quieted her steps. As she opened the door to her suite, her thoughts ran between removing her muddy jeans and a warm shower. Although the room was dark, navigation was easy. She even considered leaving the light off. Then she remembered Catherine. Turning on the light would let her know she’d returned. As she reached for the light switch she sensed his presence. Before she could speak an arm come down over her neck and her head turned sharply upward as her ponytail was pulled back. It all happened so fast, she gasped.
His fierce voice in the darkness was unmistakable, “Where the fuck have you been?”