Coffee with Stacy

Chapter Six: A Place Like This

Stacy hoisted a large red rug out of the living room and onto the front porch. As she slammed the rug against her wall, clouds of dust filled her lungs and she began coughing. Stacy dropped the rug and fled from her porch.

"Okay then," she said to herself, "Looks like it's time for a break." She peered down a small path leading into the woods beside her house. It looked safe enough and she had nothing better to do, so she began walking down the trail. Stacy smiled as the sun cut through the trees and lay in patches across her skin. It was the first warm day in Caribou since she had arrived. She wanted to capture the moment in splashes of paint, but she couldn't exactly paint the warmth of the sun. After a few minutes, she came upon a clearing filled with tall grass speckled by wildflowers.

A memory of a nearly identical place flashed into Stacy's mind. It had been a windy summer day just last year when she and David had stumbled upon the field. She remembered how the wind had snapped the grass on their ankles and how David had picked her up to protect her from their whipping blades. She remembered him laughing as she complained about his choice of hiking days. Then she recalled seeing him in the grocery store just a month later, acting as if she were a stranger. Suddenly the field felt like nothing but a drab, empty pile of dead plants.

Just as she was about to turn around and head home, a rustle came from the grass. Stacy stopped short, holding as still as humanly possible. The rustle became louder and stopped when she shifted her weight. Her heart pounded in her chest and her mind raced through her options.

Rustle Rustle!

Stacy ran from the clearing as fast as she could. The lump in her throat developed into a terrified yell as she bound back to her house.