The sun arced and fell, indifferent to the quake in my nerves, or the weight I carried behind my eyes. By the time the sky bruised purple, lanterns lit one by one, I had worn out the soles of my resolve, and my boots. To no one's surprise, certainly not mine, I was entirely unsuccessful in finding a new job, or even a place to stay… I was trapped. This was likely the way Crowe had planned it.
There was salvation in the trees, yes, some did still linger here. To the west was the desert land, but if you traveled far enough east outside the town, you ran into the beginnings of a lush forest. Here the trees were only sparse, but they did exist. This was also where you would find the home of Doc June Hart. She said that if I needed anything, I knew where to find her. She was right. Now was the time to put that to the test.
I went up to my room at Vellum's Inn for what would be the final time. I grabbed my things. Took one last long look around the room to make sure I didn't forget anything. Forget? How could I forget? This was the place where I first laid my head after arriving in this town. It was a cold night in December. I had been following Sammy out to Georgia when I ran out of cash in this small town.
The plan initially was to stay for a few months, find a job, or work odd ones if not, to make enough money to get back on the trail again. Somehow a few months turned into 7 years before my very eyes. Before I knew it, this place was home. These plastered walls and ceilings saw me through some of my best and worst days. Now I was going to have to leave it all behind. I was about to take my first steps out into the wild unknown, when I remembered there was one final thing I needed to do before I left. I went over to the window and opened the shutters. There was no more reason for them to be closed. With that, I left my room, locked it… and I took a deep breath, and my first steps into the unknown.
I went to the front desk to turn in my key… Neither Mr. and Mrs. Vellum or Jessica were there. I rang the bell for service, expecting one of them to come out to say goodbye. I had lived here for the last 7 years of my life. We were as close to family as people can be… while keeping a businesslike relationship. Still, nobody came. I sighed and left the key on the counter with a note I wrote on some paper I found sitting next to the register.
Mr. Vellum,
A Special thank you, to you and your family for everything over the past seven years.
~ Anna ~
I didn't know where they were, or why they hadn't shown. It didn't matter; I wasn't going to hold it against them. With one last quick glance around the lobby, I took in the lavender-colored walls, the beautiful floral mural Mrs. Vellum had painted, the smell of raspberry and vanilla potpourri she kept on the check-in desk, and the portrait of her father, Mr. C. M. Worthington the First, hanging above the back door of the inn. It was very likely I was never going to see it again…
With each step through town toward the forest on the east side, I kicked up dust and dirt. It wasn't uncommon for my shoes to be plastered with the stuff, but somehow this seemed thicker than normal.
The closer I got to June's house, the more greenery was starting to pop up around me. The greenery came in shy little patches at first, barely daring to grow. But the farther from town I went, the bolder the earth became, thicker, greener—alive. Trees were even starting to appear now. Though they were mostly young saplings, it was good to see that not everything out here on this side of the country was dead and forsaken.
While I would love to say that June's house was a remarkable little thing, as unique and friendly as she was, that—just isn't the case. No. Compared to the June I know, the kind-hearted, witty doctor I'd come to depend on, this place was—average... Boring even. With so much greenery, I expected to at least see some flowers growing outside. Plain unfinished wood on the outside, not even whitewashed to try and make it stand out a little. But then, maybe she likes the natural look.
I approached the first step feeling, and looking tired as hell, I'm sure. By the second, I told myself everything was going to be alright, and I felt it. Or at least imagined I did. When I reached the third step I had managed to plant a fake smile on my face. I hoped it was a convincing one.
I crossed the porch and reached the front door, and knocked—three rushed, nervous times
Seconds that dragged on for hours, three seasons might have passed, then the door opened, and I was greeted by that friendly face.
"Anna!" She said with excitement. "What a pleasant surprise."
"June, I need your help."