Twine Page 3

  Part 3

  As the weeks went by John saw Jillian more and more. They had lunch every day during the week, and saw each other as much as they could during the weekends. There wasn’t much to do in the town of Smithville but they often left it and drove to Hamilton or Niagara Falls. John found that Jillian loved movies as much as he did. Though going to the movies was one of his favourite things, he hadn't being able to do so for years because of all the people. Being alone among so many strangers made him an anxious mess. But now, with Jillian by his side, he felt confident.

  His disposition in general was changing thanks to Jillian. Whenever he saw her he felt a great high happiness that filled him up. Conversely, when she wasn’t around, the happy mood left him and it was replaced with angst and scowls.

  There came a day when the man who had wanted the grass put on the dirt field returned to Printsy’s print shop.

  “Young man,” he said in a rough, demanding tone. John was sitting at his computer playing a block-puzzle game. He raised a finger at the old man, signalling him to wait. It wasn’t until a slow minute had passed that John paused the game and turned to him.

  “What?” John said.

  The man was fuming. “What do you mean what?”

  John stood up. His shirt was untucked and his hair was messy.

  “I’m busy, old man. Go bug the old lady. She’s in the back.”

  The man turned bright red and stormed off out the door. He didn't come back to Printsy’s again. Lauren came over to the print shop and stared at John.

  “What was that about?”

  John only winked and leaned against the counter. Lauren blushed and gave him a smile just as the doorbell chimed and Jillian walked in. She cast a suspicious glance at Lauren, frowning, and didn't speak until John's co-worker was back behind the register.

  “What is she so happy about?”

  “Who knows,” John said and laughed.

  Though the times with Jillian were getting better, the night terrors persisted. They were happening every night now. It was the same creature that continued to plague his dreams. The witch came in the night and hurt him while he lied paralyzed. Focusing on moving his arm woke him up and he was getting better at it, though it was always a struggle.

  Once he tried to sleep on his back, hoping that doing so would stop the dreams.

  When he became paralyzed he couldn't see the witch. He sensed her presence in the corner as he stared at the ceiling in the darkness. After some tense moments he heard the click of long fingernails and closed his eyes. He didn't want to see her. The witch mounted his chest and her long fingers wrapped around his neck.

  Amidst the pain, he felt a warm breath on his cheek. The witch had placed her face right next to his. He tried to shake her off, tried to kick and punch but to no avail. He tried to move his arm but he was panicked and couldn’t focus. He opened his eyes. The face in front of him was like old leather. The witch’s eyes were sunken and black like the night. Her grin showed teeth that were jagged and rotting. She opened her mouth wide and with a black tongue she licked his cheek.

  John woke up screaming.

  It was soon after that night that he met one of the new neighbours. He was out at the edge of the lawn putting out his single bag of trash when he saw a woman smoking on the porch across the street. She was wearing a red robe and sitting on a plastic chair, staring off into the night. When she noticed John looking in her direction she gave a wave, stood up, and walked over to him.

  “Hi. I’m Jill.”

  “Hi,” John said. Jill was short and had dark hair like Jillian, but she looked decades older.

  “So I guess we’re neighbours now, huh? What’s your name?”

  “Oh, I’m John.”

  “Nice to meet you, John. It’s funny, my husband’s name is John too.

  “Oh. That's weird.”

  “Do you want a smoke?” Jill said. “You smoke, don’t you? I’ve seen you around before but you’re always in such a hurry with that girl. She’s very pretty. Reminds me of myself when I was younger.”

  “Yeah, you two look alike.”

  Jill laughed and John heard Jillian’s laughter in hers and he missed her.

  “I have to go,” John said and went back to his door. Jill made him feel strange, like she was not right. Before he entered his house he turned back and took another look at her. The woman was walking away and as she passed under the tree on her lawn, when she entered the shadows, her silhouette resembled the one that he saw every night.

  Some days later John and Jillian went to the movies in Niagara Falls. They sat at the back row and held hands in the near dark, with only the flickering light of the moving pictures showing him occasionally leaning into her for a lingering kiss. He couldn't help but smile the entire time and it made him feel like a fool but he didn’t care. He was happy when he was with her and he thought of nothing else, not of the shadows that haunted him in the night, or of the woman across the street who reminded him of them.

  They were driving back to Smithville, on the highway, when Jillian became distant.

  “I think Lauren likes you,” she said from the passenger’s seat.

  “Likes me?”

  “Yeah, like, she wants you.”

  “Jill, she’s engaged,” John said.

  “That doesn’t matter,” she said. “And don’t call me Jill. Seriously, I hate that.”

  She looked away and stared out the window, watching the trees beside the highway. John felt as though he had done something wrong but had no idea what to do or say. He was crazy about her and didn’t want to do anything to make her angry or sad.

  “Pull over,” Jillian said.

  “Sorry?”

  She turned from the window and there were tears welling up in her eyes.

  “Pull over, John.”

  He didn’t know what else he could do so he pulled onto the side of the road. The highway wasn't busy. As soon as he had come to a stop she got out of the car and walked to the edge of the trees and looked over a fence that stood in her way. John ran up to her.

  “What is it?” He said.

  “Lupins,” Jillian answered pointing at long stalks with purple flowers growing out of them. “Can you get them for me?”

  “Jillian,” John said. “We shouldn't have stopped here.”

  His words caused a flood of tears and Jillian’s manner and facial expression made her look young and small, like a little girl. With a tinny voice she said, “But I want them.”

  He couldn’t say no. He climbed the fence and came back with a bouquet of lupins. Instantly her demeanour changed and she was happy, making John happy too. They went back to the car and she clutched her lupins to her chest all the way home.