The Amulet- part III
Posted: Thursday, April 23, 2009
by Ken McCreless
RMS1437
Her jet black hair was interrupted by flickers of auburn and glints of silver. Her stride was easy and effortless, almost as if she were as subject to gravity as a duckling and as carefree as a child.
He knew he was either dead or dreaming, but the sting of an ant bite verified that he was neither. The pain caused his mind to flash on an incident from his future past, an arrest he made in his rookie year as a cop. The crook had thrust a large dagger into the chest of his corporal, the man assigned to train him, and it was his first night on the beat. The murderer looked into his eyes, smiled, winked, and allowed himself to be cuffed by the scared, greenhorn peace officer.
But the sight of her yellow cotton dress offering scant resistance to the light breeze, rustling gently against her dark brown skin removed that image; if only for the moment.
Now she was 20 feet away. He stared at her, having the vantage point of looking up from his position under the oak tree, leaning on his right side. She appeared heavenly against the bright blue sky, the white, puffy clouds drifting along in a lazy attempt to distract his gaze.
It was an exercise in futility. She came within two feet of him and knelt with her hands folded in her lap.
"There is a lot we need to talk about," she said.
All he could do was look at her shining countenance, the soft features and warm aura of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
He felt that same overwhelming feeling of complete happiness that he had felt the first time he laid eyes on her. He was returning from a day in the field, sweaty, sunburned and utterly exhausted. That is, until he spotted her.
She had taken a late afternoon stroll and had wandered out of her usual territory, tumbling into a shallow pond. It served the needs of her fathers cattle but had fallen victim to a drought. There was enough mud to keep her stuck, but not enough to stop him from rescuing her. The attraction between them was sudden and complete.
He wanted to ask where they were, but couldn't speak.
"You and I are where we belong," she said, " together."
"This place came to be when I swore my love for you. I promised to help others find this place too, but I could not keep that promise. Remember the couple that had the stone before you? They were here for a while, but I did not want to share this paradise with them."
He looked around, then back at her and she knew his question.
"Where they went does not matter. What does matter is that I have you here now."
Her eyes could no longer hold the tears and her cheeks barely slowed their downward dance.
He twisted his body to sit up and that was when he felt the stone, the amulet, in his left hand. He had brought it back with him, but how? And why?
She noticed it too. The sight of it caused her to fall to her knees, nearly catatonic. Her eyes were fixed on the amulet while her shaking hands covered her open mouth.
As if in an agitated response to its discovery the stone began to shake, its frequency growing by the second, until he could no longer hold it- but it would not leave his hand. He screamed as the bones of his hand cracked and splintered, held together by skin alone. After several seconds the stone fell to the ground.
Her body stiffened, her heart raced, and her mind strained to comprehend the event she had just witnessed. She began to sob, buried her face in her hands, and cried out "forgive me!"
He knew he was either dead or dreaming, but the sting of an ant bite verified that he was neither. The pain caused his mind to flash on an incident from his future past, an arrest he made in his rookie year as a cop. The crook had thrust a large dagger into the chest of his corporal, the man assigned to train him, and it was his first night on the beat. The murderer looked into his eyes, smiled, winked, and allowed himself to be cuffed by the scared, greenhorn peace officer.
Now she was 20 feet away. He stared at her, having the vantage point of looking up from his position under the oak tree, leaning on his right side. She appeared heavenly against the bright blue sky, the white, puffy clouds drifting along in a lazy attempt to distract his gaze.
It was an exercise in futility. She came within two feet of him and knelt with her hands folded in her lap.
"There is a lot we need to talk about," she said.
All he could do was look at her shining countenance, the soft features and warm aura of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
He felt that same overwhelming feeling of complete happiness that he had felt the first time he laid eyes on her. He was returning from a day in the field, sweaty, sunburned and utterly exhausted. That is, until he spotted her.
She had taken a late afternoon stroll and had wandered out of her usual territory, tumbling into a shallow pond. It served the needs of her fathers cattle but had fallen victim to a drought. There was enough mud to keep her stuck, but not enough to stop him from rescuing her. The attraction between them was sudden and complete.
He wanted to ask where they were, but couldn't speak.
"You and I are where we belong," she said, " together."
"This place came to be when I swore my love for you. I promised to help others find this place too, but I could not keep that promise. Remember the couple that had the stone before you? They were here for a while, but I did not want to share this paradise with them."
He looked around, then back at her and she knew his question.
"Where they went does not matter. What does matter is that I have you here now."
Her eyes could no longer hold the tears and her cheeks barely slowed their downward dance.
He twisted his body to sit up and that was when he felt the stone, the amulet, in his left hand. He had brought it back with him, but how? And why?
She noticed it too. The sight of it caused her to fall to her knees, nearly catatonic. Her eyes were fixed on the amulet while her shaking hands covered her open mouth.
As if in an agitated response to its discovery the stone began to shake, its frequency growing by the second, until he could no longer hold it- but it would not leave his hand. He screamed as the bones of his hand cracked and splintered, held together by skin alone. After several seconds the stone fell to the ground.
Her body stiffened, her heart raced, and her mind strained to comprehend the event she had just witnessed. She began to sob, buried her face in her hands, and cried out "forgive me!"
Ken McCreless is just a guy who loves to write, and was born to do so. He is a freelance writer with several projects ongoing, including books and magazines. A huge fan of both irony and history, Ken has dedicated his life and his writing to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)Bro, what an incredible imagination. Future history? Reminds me of Ted Dekker's black, red. and white. Your tale is fancinating! Looking foward to more. SisHi Sis!My imagination got me into so much trouble as a kid. My sister would call me "Ralph," after a cartoon character whose crazy, vivid imagination always caused problems.Thanks for reading, commenting, and for the support. It means so much to me.
It just keeps getting better and better, so many twists, I can't wait to see what comes next!!!Me too!! This story has taken on a mind of its own. Maybe I've read too much Stephen King?NAH!!!!!Thanks for reading and commenting, it's greatly appreciated.
hi ken,captivating.i guess we have different parts of our brains that work in different ways, because this is so different than what you normally write, which i also love, but this is also so comfortable while being read. the first line is a definite winner: "Her jet black hair was interrupted by flickers of auburn and....." i don't believe hair has ever been that accurately explaine before, at least i never heard it in 52 years. i know these words probably just come to you, (because i don't think we writers can just think these things, they must be coming from a Higher Power) but i would imagine there is a lot of thinking, and planning, and plotting, to create such a gorgeous spin on these people's lives. magical, mystical, real, whatever one takes away from the words. very well done, and i can't wait for more.my best to you,sueSue, you have no idea how much I appreciate your words. I definitely will take them to heart.Thank you.
I still get dibs on playing the role of the transit cop, and now I know why!! Don't know if I want my hand broken tho, but hey I need to know what is up with this Amulet?What secrets does it hold? I want to see where this is going..you have me hooked, I gotta know.....Great job, and I am with Susan on the descriptive writing, great job my friend....I am waiting for four.......Your fan and friend.....Gary....I am so glad to be back to read my favorites!!!!!Gary, Tom Cruise could not get that role from you.The Amulet is indeed an amazing stone. Its powers are revealing themselves as we speak. But it is a mere tool.Thank you for the support. You are quite an inspiration, to me and others. And, it is GREAT to see you again!!
You have read too much Stephen King! But then again, so have I and everyone else. Your story is well-crafted and I really wish you would put the rest in ASAP! But, as with many things, we have to wait . . .Very well done, Ken.And I haven't read half of his work!Thanks, Michael.
Great story. Well done.Going on to read part 4.Thanks, Connor, I am honored.
OK, the plot is thickening; I'm still a little confused but intrigued. I'll keep reading.
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