Her ambiguous farewell unsettles him, is a writing prompt from my current work in progress, as yet untitled. The section it comes from is shown below. The story is a sequel to River Witch and a dual timeline.
Aaron sets down the mug, taps the table top with his long fingers, moving on to Mother Lovell. Her ambiguous farewell unsettles him. Yet, when he thinks rationally, she has always been ancient despite her occasional sparkling eyes and youthful voice. Perhaps she is ready at last to depart this earth for wherever her kind go. And if the warning was for him?
Aaron shifts on the bench, closes his eyes. He sighs. Fate will deal whatever hand it has chosen for him, as it has done so far. Futile to think too hard on such things, even when muttered by Mother Lovell. Her friendship has always been a double-edged sword.
Aaron weighs the good and the not-so-good on a mental balance-scale. In one shiny brass pan lies the learning she instilled in him, the love of healing, the hints of magic, the means to help sufferers in body and mind, and soul too, when needed. This pan gleams with light and warmth, white-haloed.
The other pan – he lets out a ragged breath, tries, too late, to stifle the memory. The other pan buckles with red hot flames which scorch and destroy. This soot-smeared pan holds Marianne’s ambition, her foolhardiness, the death of her body in the white fire above the river.
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Interesting passage.
My contribution:
HER AMBIGUOUS FAREWELL UNSETTLES HIM
Does she love him, or no? Her ambiguous farewell unsettles him.
Until this point, he had thought her feelings for him were genuine.
Now, after the indifferent goodbye, he is not so sure. She didn’t even bother to kiss him – not even a peck on the cheek.
After two years together, he expected something more – obviously not forthcoming on her part.
However, despite what he thought was a loving relationship, she had packed her bags and was leaving without so much as a backward glance.
Sam was devastated, heart torn in pieces. Tina was every man’s dream. Beautiful, fun loving with a great sense of humour and an impish grin, and willing to try any and all new adventures.
Maybe that was why she was leaving – off to explore new horizons, the next chapter in her life.
Yet, something she said left him wondering.
“I just need to go visit my ageing aunt Maud, make sure she’s all right. Then I’ll be back, I promise.”
On the surface, the words were fine. However, Sam knew Tina didn’t have an aunt Maud (not that she had ever told him, her brother said they had no other living relatives) – so what was she playing at.
Perhaps she just needed breathing space, time to consider whether or not to commit to him long-term.
Or maybe she had found someone else – somebody with better prospects. After all, he wasn’t the wealthiest dude in the world and Trevor was sure there were plenty of other men who could offer her a more secure financial future.
The doubts flooded Sam’s brain, unanswered questions a perpetual torment. Would he ever see her again, or was she to be relegated to a loving, but aching memory of a life that might have been.
Several months passed and, although he tried desperately to concentrate on his somewhat demanding job, memories of Tina kept haunting his waking hours. Sleep, too, was difficult as he lay in bed tossing and turning – imagining all the activities she might or might not be following.
Sam’s health was beginning to suffer, as was his work, until one day his boss called him into his office and began to ask the reasons for his poor performance.
The older man listened attentively as Sam explained his predicament and the effect the loss of his girlfriend was having on his life.
“Well, I’m afraid Sam if you can’t get over her and concentrate on what you are doing here, we are going to have to let you go,” his boss said, not unsympathetically.
Sam thanked him and knew that he must put all thoughts of Tina from his head and try much harder than he had been in recent months.
Gradually, the hurt lessened and, although he had not found another girlfriend, he was able to adopt a more positive attitude to life in general.
Then, one day, out of the blue, Tina turned up on his doorstep, her familiar smile lighting her face.
Sam couldn’t believe it. Almost speechless, he managed to mutter:
“Where have you been all this time? And don’t tell me with your aunt Maud because I know you don’t have one.”
Tina’s smile disappeared and she began to cry.
“I..I..didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to worry you – but I have been having chemotherapy for breast cancer and the treatment’s only just finished.”