Firestorm
Chapter 10 - Richard

Why didn’t I fight for her? Why didn’t I dive into the dark depths of the lake, letting myself drown until she had to save me? The sound of the last horse following out from the oasis echoes through the empty desert. Then a pain rips through me like a knife slicing through my heart, leaving it to be crushed in front of me. Hot, moist air fills my nostrils, mixing with the salty taste of my tears. Each step I take further away intensifies the agony in my chest. Why am I doing this?

I turn to go back, but the dark thunderous clouds hang low and hide where I’d just come from. The rain patters down, soaking into the ground, giving the earth much needed life.

My heart aches.

I grit my teeth and swallow down the sharp, burning pain that threatens to escape my lips. The tears that prick at my eyes are a testament to the agony I’m feeling, but I hold the rest of them back.

The horses all look healthy and replenished, so I mount Lipton and with a fuzzy mind, I start the trek back home. Do I even have a home left? So many questions float around in my head.

The rain keeps falling and making it impossible to see, and I’m not sure if I’m going the right way anymore. Great, we go from a drought, to being flooded and swept away in some land slide or something instead.

Despite the rain impeding my vision, the horses push forward with their persistent trudging. The ground changes from muddy to grass? How is this possible? A bleak and barren landscape had surrounded the world, devoid of any signs of life.

The rain eases off and the low heavy clouds lift. I shake my hat and replace it on my head, confusion filling my mind as a wide grassy landscape sprawls out in front of me. The sun pops out from behind the cloud and the heat is normal. Steam rises as our rain soaked skins evaporate from the heat.

We carry on and an hour later I spot the ranch. Tears fill my eyes as we near. How is this possible? My dad waves at us. He is alive and what he used to be like about a year ago. No limps, no cough.

“You found them,” he calls as he spots us coming back.

My heart fills with happiness and confusion. Am I in heaven and dreaming all of this?

I bring the horses in, and dad shuts the gate behind me. The fields and meadows stretch for miles and I can’t get my head around it. We were in a drought for weeks before the heat became unbearable.

I dismount and lead Lipton up to the fence and remove her saddle, placing it over the bar. Dad hands me a brush so I can brush her coat and remove the sweat marks.

“Where did you find them? You’ve been two days, and I was getting worried.”

“Two days?” I am thoroughly confused.

“Yes. The lightning struck the tree over there and the horses bolted. You went off to find them.” Dad furrows his brow. “Do you not remember?”

“What about the drought?” I ask him.

“Drought? Are you sure you didn’t hit your head or something?” He grazes my cheek with the back of his hand.

I remove the bridle and let Lipton go join the others. Then I hug him and he feels real in my arms. I thought I had lost him. Tears roll down my cheeks, but my heart feels heavy still, like someone I’ve lost.

“You are home now, son.” Dad squeezes me and it is very real.

The house is still standing, and the pastures are green and lush, no sign of a drought. All the horses I brought back run in the paddocks, but the images of Storm are clear in my head.

As I sit here, I attempt to unravel the tangled mess of thoughts and emotions in my mind, but the more I try, the more perplexed I become. Meanwhile, my heart beats erratically in my chest, and my head throbs with the weight of it all. Despite my best efforts, I can’t seem to make any sense of the jumbled mess inside of me.

Dad is alive. It is possible that everything happening now is a dream, or perhaps what took place before was a dream. My head throbs harder, the pulse at my temples ready to explode.

“Let’s get you in. I think the sun has gotten to you.”

I almost laugh at his words.

A week later, I’ve accepted this is real, and what happened before was a dream. There is a possibility that I banged my head. My nights haven’t changed a bit, and the same dream of her fills my mind. Her fire red hair cascades down her back, and her emerald green eyes stare deep into my soul.

As I make my way across the field to gather the horses, the sun beats down on my skin, warming it with its gentle rays. The tall grass rustles against Lipton’s feet as she trots through it, and her hooves pound the ground. A strange sensation tingles in my fingertips, slowly spreading through my body. The hairs on my arms stand on end, and my heart pounds with increasing intensity. Then the scent of waterlilies fill my nostrils, as a cool breeze blows against my face.

Dad waits at the fence line and smiles. He started coughing last week, and I made him go to the doctors. Bronchitis. We caught it early, and the doctors gave him some antibiotics. I thank my lucky stars every night I go to bed, but there is always one thing missing.

Her!

She appears and I can’t take my eyes off her. She is exactly as I remember, but she has legs.

“Evening, miss,” my father beams at her. “Are you lost?”

“No sir. I believe I have found what I am looking for.” Her gaze moves from my father back to me and a firebolt shoots into my heart. Yet I still can’t speak.

“Miss, would you like a cool drink?” Dad holds out a hand. “I’m Jeffery Tallon.”

“Ella Storm.” She shakes his hand, and dad trows me a wink to encourage me.

But I’m lost.

“A beautiful name for a beautiful lady.” He kisses the back of her hand before letting it go. “It has been a long day, but I shall give you a moment. My son seems to have forgotten his manners.” Dad raises an eyebrow at me and walks off, leaving us together.

I move towards her, my feet on auto pilot. How is this possible? She is here, in real life. I stare at her in utter disbelief. She can’t be real, yet my dad saw her, spoke to her, and shook her hand.

Tears brim in her eyes, and a sharp pain stabs through my heart, freezing my body completely. Flashes of our time together invade my mind. She was a mermaid. We swam together, kissed, and orgasmed.

A tear rolls down her cheek and I reach up to brush it away with my thumb. As soon as my hand touches her, I let out every emotion I was holding onto. I cup her face and gaze into her eyes, my lip trembling.

“Please tell me you are real?” I blink away my tears.

“You remember?” she whispers out.

“I never forgot you. You were in my dreams every night.”

Her hand reaches up and touches my cheek the same way she had done the last time. “Fate played a cruel game, but it brought us together.”

“Am I dreaming now?” My mind is absolutely confused.

“Do you want this to be real?” She brings me closer to her lips.

“Yes. I want you to be real. I want my dad to be alive for many years to come. To share memories with you, bring our children up together, show them how to ride a horse.”

Her lips meet mine, silencing me completely. It’s a breathtaking kiss, one that feels like magic. I can hear the crackling of sparks in the air as our lips touch. My heart swells with every happy memory that I know we will create together, and I feel alive in a way that I never have had before.

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