A Collection of Turn: Washington's Spies Drabbles

Star Gazing Anna Strong and General Washington

The air was so clean and crisp, so far removed from the putrid stench of the tavern, its occupants, and the ales that were served. It was on rare occasions that she had been given permission to turn her face upwards long enough to consider the starry host above. The vastness of God's creation had always caused a fluttering stir to sweep through Anna's heart... but even more so now. Now, that she stood out in an unadulterated clearing, safe within a camp of like-minded individuals. A place where the endless stars in all of their magnificence twinkled flirtatiously down at an earth they could never fully embrace. It is here that her soul could truly gain a sense of freedom.

The breeze ushered the secretive and hushed utterances between the lovers (the sky and earth) through the thick tangle of trees surrounding the camp. Each longing word wrapping around the coarse and unrefined bark trunks and branches like a blanket does a slumbering child. It brushes over the blades of grass, which responded like gossips, leaning over to the next and passing the message along before returning to their upright stance; until the reply comes.

How tragically does the same story unfold night after night? How heart-breaking it was to know that the Heavens could only long to reach down to the earth, desiring to see something something more than the moon's pale reflection spread across the land and the ghostly glow, dancing upon the glassy waters of the sea; night after night with no avail. No proof that their most intimate passions would be someday fulfilled. The stars, knowing the depths of their limited power, would enchant the hearts of all who dared to absorb their beauty. They beckoned individuals to turn their thoughts to God, to see their own frailty in the tremendous magnitude of the arms of The Almighty Father. They could even inspire others, like Anna, to move out of their comfort zones.

She had once been taught to look at the glowing orbs with something more than the uneducated eye that would only see a chaotic mess, instead of a series of portraits, masterfully painted by the hand of God.

Anna's gaze fixated upon the brightest star of the bunch visible above the tree-tops. She found the North Star, or so she assumed, it was supposed to help lead the lost home again. But where was home in the times of war... when everything seemed so jumbled and confusing? How far could the stars carry someone? Could they truly bring a weary individual back to a place of security and comfort?

Andromeda, to be fated.... The words sailed casually through her mind as she continued to peer upwards. Perhaps, the North Star and Andromeda were collaborating, indicating harmony between fate and home? Anna mused. Perhaps, Washington's camp was to be her designated home, the place she was meant to be, rather than Setauket.

The soft breeze tussled her dark coils and tossed them round her face. She instinctively pulled her covering closer to her slender figure. The brunette had been so engaged in gawking at the stars and lost in her own imaginings that she startled at the sight of a figure coming to stand beside her. Her arms prepared to swat him but lowered immediately, upon the realization that it was none other than His Excellency, General Washington.

"It be such a pleasant evening. Wouldn't you agree?" Comes her gentle but nervous inquiry. Her maple-syrup and honey colored hues shifted ever so slightly to half gaze at him and half keep her attention on the darkened shimmering sky. "Even more so now that I have been blessed with your company, George," she adds with a gentle smile tugging at the corners of her lips. 

((to be further edited and possibly added to))