This is a work of fiction. All concepts, characters and events portrayed in this book are used fictitiously and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.
Copyright Evelyn Hively, 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher, nor be circulated in any form of bind or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.
January 3rd, 2012
What insane chaos do I have to deal with now? Couldn't the universe just for a few moments just let me have been killed in the wreck? I don't want to be here anymore. I find myself saying this, screaming this at the top of my lungs at a mirror that can't do anything. Then my cat trills at me, and the laughter ensues.
Gods help me, I would be worse off if it wasn't for that cat. There's only so much that she can do though. She can't have the dreams and nightmares for me. How the hell do you deal with something that you wake up from screaming in terror but can't remember what it was you were dreaming?
- Lacy's journal
Winter in the Appalachian foothills varies depending on where you are along the chain. Farther south down into Georgia, it's not uncommon for it to be chilly with snow sometimes at the tops but farther north into Maine and West Virginia, it's uncommon for roads to not close down from winter snowfall several times each winter season. Eastern Tennessee Appalachians were a mixed bag. Down closer to Chattanooga, it almost never snowed. Near Bristol though, snow was normal.
Lacy had found herself with the fortune of a friend needing a cabin babysat for a few months. It couldn't have come at a better time. Then Mace, her cat had been gifted to her. The cabin and the cat, had been a turning point in Lacy's life that she hadn't expected nor realized she needed.
This particular morning was no different. Lacy leaned backwards to look at Mace.
"I take it you want your piece a bit more crispy today since you didn't eviscerate the mouse this time?"
Mace tilted her head to the side and meowed at her, her eyes twinkling. Lacy snorted. If folks could see how expressive and communicative Mace was with meows, eyes and facial expression they'd have no problem with understanding why she dearly adored that cat. Mace was still getting used to being an indoor kitty though when the fire place was going Lacy was certain that that cat would crawl into the fire if she knew she wouldn't get hurt.
Lacy pulled out and cut up a piece of the bacon. Putting it on a small plate, she set it down it on the steps between the dining room and kitchen for Mace. Mace mewed her thanks and munched down slowly on her morning treat.
"Now if I could get you trained to kill them outside, we'd be golden," Lacy sighed. "At least you aren't dropping them at my feet half-dead anymore."
Mace ignored her rather pointedly. Lacy laughed and sat down for her own breakfast. Sunrise was always her favorite time there at the cabin because she never knew what kind of animals she'd find curled up on the porch or coming down to the creek to drink. There were deer, raccoon's, coyotes and she was positive she had seen a couple of Appalachian wolves. Small shy little creatures that they are, she still counted herself lucky to have seen them.
Mace mewed again appreciatively and retired herself to her favorite spot next to the chimney. The oak that had been the fire's food last night was still a decent bed of coals that morning. Lacy breathed a word of thanks. It would mean setting the fire back up to a slow burn for the day would be less work than normal. She finished up her breakfast and scrubbed down the dishes. Her normal day were always like this.
Fill the wood box back up. Set some of the slower burning woods into the stove for the day, finish cleaning things up, flop onto the futon and crochet or knit. Mace would curl up nearby but never to close to the yarn. She didn't like the sound of the yarn coming out of its holder.
Lacy had already gone through two journals since arriving in October of last year, and the new one was already several pages into it's use. She doodled until thoughts came to her or until fragments of dreams arrived. After last night's dream though, she found herself having written dozens of times over after mapping out the dream for the several hundredth time, What does it mean?
It was important. It was relevant to herself, her past and her future. But how? How did a meeting of Gods, Goddesses, mythic races and the Supreme Creator have any kind of bearing on her? Why her? Lacy shut her journal with an irritated sigh. The same questions all over again with the same resulting answer: not enough information to even allow for speculation. It wasn't just those dreams. It was other dreams as well, night terrors re-living prior events that left Lacy shaking.
Mace trilled loudly at Lacy causing her to chuckle. Trills were what a mother cat would give her kittens and Mace used trills to talk back to Lacy frequently. Mace always used a certain pitch to pull Lacy's attention away from what was irritating her.
Lacy scratched her feline friend's chin. There was still several hours to the day left and plenty of coffee left. There would be time for more rumination. Right now, there was a Mace deciding she wanted to be the certain of her human's attention. Lacy, gladly obliged.
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