I show myself in, using a key underneath the small pelican statue, to the left of the front door. Just where my parents said it would be. Little specks of dust try to dance across the soft lit room as I step into the classical dwelling. It appears as if the flecks of lint are attempting to spin and swirl, much like the memory I commonly revisit at night.
I hear something… snapping me from my thoughts, Kingston urgently trots up with happy tail wags. I oblige by collapsing to the floor and burying my face in his Frito scented fur. I love his deliciousbagged chipsmell. After a substantial number of good boys and belly rubs, I find my way to the kitchen, where I set my stuff down. I also sent a quick text to my parents and Andrea.
Arrived Alive!
I happily wander around the massive house to get a lay of the land, Kingston right beside me. The largest bedroom is right off the kitchen and appears to be the most lived-in. It must be where my parents reside while watching this home. Attached to the sleeping area is a lovely sunroom with an antique, wooden table and matching chair. I could see myself sitting out here, finishing up projects for the Craft Bazaar. Kingston follows every step of the way, being the best tour guide. Just past the kitchen is the living room, complete with reading nook and a grand, navy-blue fireplace. This house has to be worth over a million bucks! An extra bedroom just off the sitting area is set up as a study, but my mom mentioned a guest suite outback was made up for my stay.
Hot on my heels, Kingston and I race from the back door to the guest house, about a hundred feet away from the main structure. He wins.
The door opens right into the sleeping area, resembling a miniature version of the house I just toured. The room is large enough to be comfortable for a short stay, but you have to go from one dwelling to another if you want to access food. My favorite part is the romantic, clawfoot tub in the corner of the bathroom. I look forward to washing the stench of the ‘rental car’ off me, in that incredible bath. After unpacking a few of my things and participating in a spirited round of fetch in the yard with Kingston, I plan to use the rest of the daylight hours to craft, out on the deck.
My parents were right; it is very peaceful here. It was an ideal time to “get away.” Andrea and I didn’t part on good terms. I regret not trying to see her before I left this morning. I replay our conversation, trying to analyze if it’s something I said or was she blowing this whole,new guy thingout of proportion. Should Ihave led with the earbud and stalker bit? Of course not, because that sounds like a situation that would incite a whole lot more concern than some innocent flirting with your boss.
Okay. Let’s play devil’s advocate. If it’s not Eamon… then. Who else could it be? A regular customer at the bar? Someone from Star Mart? No one comes to mind, but it only takes one misinterpreted smile to make some weirdo become obsessed with someone who is just trying to do their job.
Really… is it only one-sided? I was stupid enough to take the lonely device home. If I just left it there… I wouldn’t be having this perpetual feeling of being followed or watched wherever I go. I played a part in this. Be that as it may, trying to get rid of it has backfired each time.
Technology was much simpler when I was younger, although it was extremely cumbersome. Back then, headphones had to rest over my hearing aids. Now, everything is so advanced I can use my hearing aids to listen to music or earbuds as hearing aids. They have the capability of doing both. Although, my earbuds have a better sound quality and farther range. It’s also nice to wear them and appear as if I’m occupied. I find people don’t bother interacting with me, if they see the little antenna hanging from my ear. After a while, they do become uncomfortable. My hearing aids are made for my ears, so I can tolerate them for a much longer period. Technology may have come far… but it also has the capability of being truly terrifying.
Placing my sparkly Caboodle onto the corner of the wooden desk, I run my hands along the surface appreciating the grooves and notches that the natural wood birthed. Whether it is the view of the mountains, the cold-crisp air, or the pleasant home; I am keen to create art. Especially atop something so instinctively beautiful.
I line up rows of rainbows, silk threads on the desk, then carefully arrange earring hoops and metal teardrops in a smalldish next to me. Most of my larger handmade items were back at the apartment, but I want to add accessories, so my booth’s table wasn’t bare at next week’s event. After some trial and error, I taught myself how to make silk thread and tassel earrings. Items like these not only draw people into your tent but increase the quantity of items sold per customer.
The bottom tray in my glimmering box has a sea of beads to rummage through. I am searching for pearl-colored accents on the first piece. My fingertips glide over the filled container, pushing around colored plastic, when I feel something that doesn’t belong. My hand stills above the uniquely shaped item. No… there’s no way! I left it at home! This weekend was meant for me to get away… away from everything.
I close my eyes, willing myself to slow my breathing, my heart picking up pace. Opening my eyes as I let out the air evenly, pulling the item from its obscure location.
The white tech sits in the palm of my hand, with exactly as I feared would be on it. A crude purple star on the long side.
Before I can think better of it, I quickly stand from the desk, startling poor Kingston in the process. He tilts his head, probably wondering why such a peaceful moment warrants such urgency.
I open the outer door to the windowed room and throw the stowaway headphone into the yard.
There! Instant regret racks through me. Wait… was this just a means to an end? I already realized those things have trackers in them. Oh fuck! I scurry outside and begin searching frantically for the stupid earbud.
“Where is it?! Where is it?!” I mutter, as I crawl around on hands and knees, pushing past fallen leaves, parting dormant blades of grass. It might as well be a needle in a haystack! I wasn’t sure if I was shaking from anger at myself or fear; that someone could know precisely where I was because of thatblasted device. I need to find it! Consequences be damned, I have to destroy it!
My mind keeps circling back to the unknown. Did they already know where I was? Out here in the middle of nowhere, alone.
The trees dance slowly to a song I can’t hear. When the sun begins to set, I make my way back inside. Shit. Shit. Shit. I couldn’t find it. The shadows soon disappear along with the last trace of light. Perhaps if I busy myself with making earrings again, I won’t think about it… but I am thinking about it.
I find myself paying more attention to the tree line than embellishing earrings with beads. I feel uneasy. Watched.
Kingston whines to be let out and fed. I take the opportunity to rummage around in the kitchen for something to eat. Canned soup seems to be the only thing my parents have.
I sit in the bay window enjoying the microwave bowl of soup, while Kingston’s shadow sporadically moves about the grounds. He’s likely sniffing out a mole or locked onto the scent of something that has passed through. Golden lights automatically come on, illuminating a narrow perimeter around the house, but not much of the expansive mountainside yard.
I polish off the contents of roasted lentils, place my phone in the waistband of my skirt and call for Kingston to come in. Hanging half out of the back door, that’s when I notice something glowing on the ground. Kingston runs past me into the house for his own meal; however, my feet are moving in the opposite direction. Toward the source of the white light. It beckons me out to the edge of the yard, where I reach down to the illuminated object. Is it really…?
I pick it up, turning it over in my hand, and I find the purple taunting star. It lights up?! Someone is toying with me. Now that I’ve found it, I must get rid of the thing. I wasn’t going to play this game any longer. I march over to the end of the propertythat overlooks the tree capped valley. Making sure to keep back far enough from the edge. It was dark and I wasn’t about to fall off the side of a mountain. Just as I wind my arm back to throw the earbud into the abyss, my phone vibrates against my hip.
I freeze, unsure what to do next. I palm the illuminated tech and withdraw my phone.Take a deep breath, fills my screen. I hit accept.
“Hi, Mom.” I scan the area while walking quickly back toward the house with my cell phone to my ear.
“Hi, sweetie! We arrived a little while ago. Sorry, we didn’t call right away; we ran into some old friends from Boston. Do you remember the Colbys? Such a nice family. They have a son around your age.”
I have no idea who she’s talking about, but that doesn’t stop her from rambling on. Standing with my back against the door, inside the locked house, I stare at the haunting earbud in the palm of my hand. I am barely listening to the person on the other line at this point. What am I going to do with this damned thing?!
