Annabelle held Joseph’s hand as he helped her down the ladder of the cliff wall side. Behind them were Tony and Madison.
“You never told us how this ladder ended up here.” Joseph said. “Oh, well, my mom smoothed the rock face all the way down. The she carved the ladder steps into the rock herself.” Annabelle said descending down.
“All by herself?” “Yeah. She’s done a lot of things all on her own. I’m going to show you one of them.” “Why?” “Because…I honestly think you need it.” Annabelle said looking up at him.
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Joseph sees the sail boat parked at the man-made dock out of the cliff rock. It was beautiful, white with a beautiful sky blue streak all around it. He looks at Annabelle with a smile on his face. She smiled back at him.
“Something going on between them?” Tony asked in a whisper to Madison. “I hope so.” Madison said looking at him. He blushed a little bit.
“Your boat…made by your mom I’m guessing?” Joseph said. “Yeah. What gave it away?” Annabelle asked genuinely wondering. “Nothing comes to mind.” Joseph said. “You sail?” “I pretty decent at it. My grandpa taught.” Joseph said with no emotion coming up.
“He can buy his own you know.” Madison said. Tony and Joseph turn to her. “Oh…sorry.” She apologized. “What’s that mean?” Annabelle asked as Joseph helped her on the boat.684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkbTszUVH1
“I’ve inherited $450 Million. Uh, the reason my father doesn’t get it is because of a disagreement between my grandfather and my father. So, I was chosen to inherit it all. I can do a lot more than buy a sailboat.” Joseph said. Annabelle was not impressed.
“I never cared for money.” Annabelle said. “Heard that sister.” Tony said.
“You mind if I sail?” Joseph asked Annabelle completely ignoring the statements. “Go ahead. I’ll tell you where you need to go.” Annabelle said.
Joseph hoists the sails and then takes the helm. They sail near the cliff side for about 40 minutes before they make it to where Annabelle had in mind. Joseph drops anchor.
Madison and Tony were looking at something with their mouths dropped. Joseph turns to the impressiveness on the side of the cliff face. He blinks a few times in disbelief.
On the face of the cliff was a perhaps the world’s largest painting…it was beautiful picturesque. It was the true beauty of nature. Joseph’s eyes followed the painting from the beginning to the end.
They all stare for about 10 minutes till the awe wears away. Joseph turns to Annabelle.
“Annie…who…” She raised her eyebrow. Joseph bit his tongue as he heard her verbal backlash at him. She then permitted him to continue. “Annabelle, who did this?!” Joseph asked.
“My mom. She did it all. It took her years to smooth the surface. Then it took her a year or two to paint it. She wasn’t hurting for money to by the paint, just time. She made all for this for me.
She told me, that she knew that she was going to have a child one day. She wanted to do something way before I came along. She wanted something memorable for me. She made this boat about the same time too.” Annabelle said staring at her mother’s precious and delicate work.
“Your mother did everything.” Joseph said. “She did a lot.” Annabelle said. She looks at Madison and Tony. “Hey, you mind giving us a minute?” Annabelle asked.
“Sure. We can give you your privacy.” Tony said. “Privacy.” Madison said in a British accent to taunt Tony. He shook his head lightly. “Where can we go?” Tony asked.
Annabelle points to the ladder going up the cliff. The boat docks to the rock face dock. Tony and Madison climb the ladder and disappear over the cliff.
“What do you want to talk about Annie?” Joseph said. She smacks the back of his head. “Annabelle.”
“I need to talk to you. You’ve been one of the better things in my life. I feel like I can do anything with you around Jas. I’ve never wanted to take anyone out here before. I’ve never wanted to do anything with anyone since my mom died. I just wanted to thank you for your friendship.” Annabelle said.
“Well…thank you, for everything you’ve done for me.” Joseph said. “Yeah. I want to help though Joseph. I want you to be you again. My mom has secrets, so many that I don’t understand.” Annabelle said.
“Well, yeah, she sure does.” “I think, she can help you though. I looked over her diary. She burned the library down for a good reason.” “Why?” “Under the library, was asbestos. She was the only one who knew. She found out after looking at a map of the town. There was a mine that went straight down to get the stuff.” “Straight down.” “New Heights is a strange place Joseph. They didn’t dig outside of the library’s premise.”
“There’s more isn’t there?” Joseph asked. “Yeah. There was a formula. It was of interest to the IOSTA. I just…I can’t find what it was. I need you help to figure it out.” “That’s it?” “Well, yeah, for the most part. I just felt like, I needed to talk to you.” “Why?”
“You beat yourself up for no reason Joseph. You need to have a little faith in yourself. You’re strong…wise…caring. You’re not lost to your humanity completely.
I don’t know how I would feel in your shoes. I really don’t. But, you’ve demonstrated this…talent to overcome ordeals. Just, need to figure this one out to.” She said to him.
Joseph looks at her appreciatively. Then a winter blast of wind comes through and chills her. He takes off his jacket and puts it on her.
“How long?” she said looking up. Madison and Tony were kissing each other. Joseph glances looking back at Annabelle. “I’ve known about that?” He said adjusting his gloves.
“Since after she came back here from L.A. I knew something was up with those too. They just don’t want to tell me yet. He came here because he was instructed…no doubt, but, I’m kind of in second place.” Joseph said.
“I know how that feels.” Annabelle said zipping the extra coat up as another chill came through. Why won’t he just lean in? She thought to herself as she looked at him. He was looking into the ocean now. His thoughts wandered between the girl beside him with her long dark brown hair flurrying in the wind and the pain of being him at the moment.
Far above though, was Marilyn and Annabelle’s stepmother. They had driven there together to see where Annabelle was going. The stepmom had ensured that she bugged Annabelle’s coat to follow them.
As soon as they saw the sails back in the air moving south again, back towards New Heights, they came from their hiding place. They each climbed down the ladder, again etched into the cliff rock face down to the man-made back carved in the rock face.
“I don’t get why she was here.” Marilyn said looking out into the sea. The stepmom shook her head. She grabbed the girl’s face, smudging her makeup a little pointing her head at the side of the cliff. They could only glimpse at the beautiful picture. It was seeable nonetheless though.
“That is why she always came out here…” the stepmother said to herself. “Who?” Marilyn asked. “Someone long dead kid.” The step-mom said. “So what do you want me to do about it?” Marilyn asked.684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9w6XoRFb1
“She’s your problem, not mine kid. I just want to know what she’s up to…to make her life…as hard as I can. The more I know…the easier.” The stepmother said. “Why?” Marilyn asked. “Like I said, it’s before your time.” The stepmother says.
She turns to the ladder then returns to the top. Marilyn follows her and they head back to town.
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Joseph was at the park in the middle of the night. He wanted to get out of the house. He couldn’t sleep but he didn’t want to disturb the people in the house with the noise he’d make bumping around, so he squeezed on out to the park.
He sat alone in the dark looking straight ahead. There was nothing that he really was focusing on as far as his thoughts went. He was pretty random in his head. He saw something pass by his eyes though.
It had moved swiftly. He squints as his mind comes to focus, throwing his arm out and stopping. The person was behind him.
“Madison?” he asked. She comes around to his front with a small smile on her face. She drew her red hair behind her head and sits beside him. “Looks like we both couldn’t sleep.” She said.
“Why you?” he asked. “I didn’t tell you about me and Tony. What about you?” She told him. “No reason. I just couldn’t sleep. Sometimes I feel like prowling the night.” He said.
“Okay. I believe you, this time.” “So, you and Tony.” “You’re not surprised. How long have you known?” “Since I moved to New Heights, I knew something was going on between you two. How…just a feeling. His letters changed slightly in tone…more…romantic in his wording. Tony doesn’t take the time to think about what he is writing. Something had him focusing. So, I guessed it was you. I mean, you’ve been batting your eyes at him and Ron for the longest time. I knew you’d break one of them down eventually.”
“Who did you think would break?” she asked with a whimsical smile. “Ron to be honest. He’s doesn’t have the strongest will power.” Joseph said with not an emotion flurrying through him. The smile on his face was gone…just straight up coldness.
“Well…it’s me and Tony.” She said drawing his mind away from Ron. She didn’t want him to turn into a zombie. Joseph looks at her and returns to his soft calm smile. “You see this going somewhere?” he asks of her.
“What do you mean by that?” she asked chuckling. “Oh you know what I’m saying Madison. Do you really foresee a future together? Because if you don’t…break it off before you and he get hurt. Neither of you really need that.” Joseph said looking ahead.
Madison looked ahead with him with her baby blue eyes speaking for her. She wondered the same question. “I don’t Joseph. I have a good feeling, but there’s the apprehension.” She told him.
“Why?” “You know him. Tony…” “Tony can rarely make up his mind. There are other women out there and each of them are a threat to your happiness. I get it. I want you to be happy with him and yourself, I really do. Honestly, I think Tony is the direction you need to go. He’s a disciplined for a man who can’t make up his mind. You’re wild…ready to do anything.”
“You keep me sane enough.” Madison said to him punching him in the shoulder. “I try. Want me to talk to him?” Joseph asks her. “I wouldn’t mind it. I don’t want to force him into something he doesn’t want to do, but I don’t want to keep this going and we’re not…you know.” “I know. I’ll talk to him.”
“What about you and Annabelle?” Madison said with a perky smile on her face. Joseph’s stoic expression with the faint smile flinched slightly but it was barely noticeable to anyone but Madison. “She twists you huh?”
“Uh, I don’t know Madison. All I know is I value her. I really do.” Joseph said. “Value her…if that isn’t the coldest way of expressing your feelings I don’t know what is.” “Stop making fun of me Maddie.” “Okay Jas.”
They sat there looking into the park into the wee hours of the morning. Madison had fallen asleep on Joseph as he stayed awake, fully alert, but drifting into his random thoughts, particularly those of Ron.
He tried everything to get an emotion to barrel its way up. There was nothing there but an empty hole of desperation. It was killing him to be the way he was. He knew one thing….Annabelle didn’t need to be around him the way he was. He’d do that favor for her for as long as it took to get a hold on the inhumanity that clawed its way to the surface, and tried to come out at completely random times.684Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjW7UNwGYt
