Page 7 of A Song of Death and Desire

“Don? The other guys?” I question, afraid of the answer.

Tears fall down Kelly's face and my heart sinks when I realize her answer before she says it.

“You were the only one they found,” she whispers. Sobs wrack her body, and all I can do is hold her as I try to comprehend that I am the only survivor. I didn’t know it was possible, but I feel numb and heavy at the same time. It’s as if I am witnessing this happen to someone else like I’m an observer of my own life. Don, Steve, Brenton. Three great men. Yes, I know we weren’t, and wouldn’t have ever been best friends, but this situation is horrific. I want to pinch myself to see if I can wake from this nightmare.

As Kelly’s tears dry, I try to grab hold of something tangible, something real. I ask her if I was severely injured. I feel sore all over but I'm pretty sure I can move all my extremities. I wiggle my fingers and toes to check.

“You were really lucky, Eagan. A few cuts and bruises, a bump to the head. It's really a miracle that you aren't more injured. The doctors said that your body temperature was dangerously low, and you had swallowed a lot of water, but they were able to help. They said you'll be just fine. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you.” She shudders.

“How long have I been here?”

“They found you on the beach at about three in the afternoon. We don’t know how long you were there before the man stumbled upon you. You’ve been in and out of consciousness for a few hours since they brought you here.” The view outside the window confirms that I have been here for a while. It's dark now and the storm has passed through. All that remains is the soft sound of rain as it falls onto the windowsill outside.

“I was so scared, Eagan. They told me you would be fine, but until you woke up and spoke to me, there was a part of me that wasn’t sure you would. I’m so sorry that you were out there because of me. I know you wouldn’t have gone on the fishing trip if I hadn’t pressured you to make more friends.” She squeezes her eyes shut and immediately begins to cry again. She's a crier, my Kelly. I decide to let her get it out of her system. I can tell how afraid she was for me. I honestly have no idea how I survived the storm when the others are nowhere to be found.

“Mr. Reynolds? Mr. Reynolds, can we speak to you?” The voice stirs me after I had fallen back asleep, too tired to deal with my current reality. With a groan, I pull myself up to a sitting position in the uncomfortable hospital bed. Kelly isn't here. Shewent to get something to eat. When we spoke before, she looked tired and stressed. I hope we will be able to go home soon.

Instead, two deputies from the sheriff's station stand at my door, their faces solemn.

“Sorry to wake you, Mr. Reynolds, but we need to ask you a few questions about what happened.” I nod in response.

“What do you remember?” I filled them in on the same information I relayed to Kelly. The fishing trip, the storm, Don turning the boat around.

“I can't remember anything about what happened after that. Everything between turning the boat around and waking up in the hospital is gone apart from a flash of a memory of swimming for my life.” The deputies look at each other.

“Have you been told that you are assumed to be the only survivor?” I nod gravely.

“More victims of the witch’s curse,” the shorter of the two mutters. The other elbows him and rolls his eyes.

“So, you don't remember what happened to your friends?” He asks.

I shake my head. “I'm sorry, I really don't. The doctors said I bumped my head really good, so that may have messed with my memories a bit.” They glance at each other again.

“Do you think there was anything wrong with the boat? Anything that may have caused it to crash? Who was driving the boat?”

I shake my head. “No, not at all. Everything was perfectly fine until the storm. Don was driving. As far as I’m aware, he is a competent fisherman—goes out all the time.”

“Okay, thank you for your time. Please let us know if you remember anything else. As you are aware, we don't normally find anyone alive after these boating accidents. The waters are treacherous. It would probably be best if you fish somewhere else after this. Stay out of Witches Cove waters.”

I agree, and when they leave, I find myself in the room alone. My body feels sore and stiff. My head pounds. I’m looking forward to going home and falling into my bed. I know I won’t be able to forget what happened. Every day at work, I will be faced with Don and Steve’s absence and will remember. I’ll remember that they are gone, and I survived and I’m sure memories of the accident will haunt me. I’ll let myself mourn their loss tomorrow. I don’t have the energy to work through my emotions right now. The numbness continues to dull everything around me, and I hope to fall back to sleep.

The noise from the door makes me open my eyes. For a moment, the most beautiful woman stands before me. Her deep, sunset hair, long and flowing down her back, her skin pale and flecked with a scattering of freckles. Her sharp green eyes look so familiar and bring about an overwhelming sense of longing.

I blink, and the red-haired woman disappears, Kelly taking her place. I can’t help the feeling of disappointment that crashes into me when I see her and not the beauty I thought was there. It takes everything in me not to call out to the vision—wait! Come back!But I reluctantly pull my attention back to Kelly.

“Doctors say you’re all good to go," she says with a tired smile that I return.

Slowly and with care to avoid all my bumps and bruises, I slip off the scratchy hospital gown and into the sweats and t-shirt Kelly had brought to the hospital for me. I sign the discharge paperwork, and we are on our way home. Thank fuck. I need to sleep for a week. I rest my head against the cool window, the splattering of rain on the glass a calming rhythm. I softly begin to hum, a slow tune that creeps unbidden from somewhere in my memory.

“That's an interesting song. I don't recognize it," Kelly comments. I don't respond. The melody, while unrecognizable to me, is pushing at another memory buried deep beneath thesurface. The more I try to grasp it, the more it trickles away, like sand through my fingers, and my frustration grows at the gaps in my memory.

Chapter 7

Iwander slowly into the kitchen the next morning. The sound of bacon and eggs sizzling and popping in the frying pan greets me, along with the smell that has my stomach growling. Kelly turns to look at me, and I am relieved to see the worry lines and exhaustion that were so prominent on her face yesterday are not as noticeable today. After arriving home last night, I fell face-first onto my bed, fully clothed, and I don't remember moving again until this morning. Despite the hours of sleep in the hospital and last night, it's going to take a while for me to recover fully from my near-death experience.

“Good morning, beautiful,” I murmur, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.

She giggles, “Morning? It's practically lunchtime! Though we definitely needed the sleep.”

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