Inside were two pictures: one of Curtis, and one of Alice.
But they weren’t photographs. Instead, they were tiny sketched portraits, each one full of life and personality, etched into the metal of the locket.
It’s beautiful…
You could truly see the love Curtis had had for his wife in every tiny line he’d carved. It was a testament to the kind of love that lasted a lifetime – and beyond.
Chloe looked up at Ethan, smiling, even as she felt a few sentimental tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.
Ethan smiled back. “Curtis really was just a thwarted creative type, wasn’t he?”
“He was certainly a romantic. I think this is what people refer to asrelationship goals.” Examining the tiny portraits, she sighed. “I suppose we should take this to him, and let him reunite with her. I know it’s for the best, but I’ll miss him.”
“So will I,” Ethan said. “Though I won’t miss him messing with my electronics. He’d probably crash the clinic’s systems before the end of the first day.”
“That’s true,” Chloe laughed, finishing off her coffee. “Okay. Let’s get dressed, and then get going. We’ve got a restless spirit to return home.”
Chapter 15
Sitting here in Eula’s kitchen, the reality of the situation suddenly hit Ethan hard.
If this worked – and it was a big if – he would never see Curtis again.
And sure, a few days ago nothing would’ve made him happier. But now, he realized that things had changed.
Ethan was a different person now than he’d been last week. And Curtis was a huge part of that. Without his interference in Ethan’s life, Ethan would have never gone to Girdwood Springs, would never have met Chloe.
Beyond that, though, Curtis himself had been a positive influence. His general upbeat attitude and fascination with things that Ethan found mundane had been refreshing, bringing Ethan a whole new perspective on life.
Yes – as unbelievable as it seemed, hewouldmiss Curtis.
I won’t,the pegasus sniffed. Ethan decided that for the sake of its near-nonexistent dignity, he wouldn’t comment on the tremble in its voice.
He was pretty sure that the pegasus was over its fear of ghosts, now – or its fear of Curtis, anyway. The two of them seemed to be getting along pretty well.
He sighed. The longer he sat here ruminating on things, the more difficult it would be to say goodbye. Probably best to get started – especially since Chloe was waiting outside in the cold with the locket.
They hadn’t wanted to bring it too close, just in case its presence would cause Curtis to disappear into the ether before they could talk to him. She’d done a little swap with Janie when they’d arrived so that she could come in and say hello to Curtis, then gone back outside to take possession of the locket once more.
He turned to Curtis.
“How was yesterday?” he asked. “Sorry we couldn’t bring the locket then – things were a bit hectic.”
Curtis waved an airy hand.~Please don’t trouble yourself about it – Miss Chloe’s health was much more important. And in any case, I had a wonderful time catching up with my descendants.~
“Yeah,” said Janie. “We went bowling, then we came back and made popcorn and watchedBelow Deck.”
~The boats of this age really are quite something.~
Ethan stifled a sigh. Probably it wasn’t fantastic that Janie had been poisoning poor Curtis’s mind with the most mediocre things the modern era had to offer, but at least it seemed like he’d been enjoying himself.
“And then Great-Grandpa Curtis Zoomed my parents and brothers to say hi,” Janie said, wrinkling her nose at the wordbrothers. “He’s real good with Zoom – much better than Grandma. Even though he’s dead.”
I’m well aware of Curtis’s proficiency with Zoom,Ethan thought, though his mouth twitched with the beginnings of humor.
Eula smiled fondly. “It was a really good day, Ethan. I’m glad we had the opportunity.”
Her voice was tinged with a nostalgic sadness, and Ethan felt that he understood why. It must have been an amazing thing, to meet an ancestor you’d only ever known through a dusty photograph – and to know that you had to let them go again.
