Page 91 of The Cabin in the Storm
Instead of reacting right away, I slowly stride toward her, giving her a short moment before I pry. She blinks slowly as she tracks it. Moving her hair to the back, I caress the small of her chin.
“Baby, what is it?”
“I see her, Gavin.”
“See who, sweetheart?” I ask patiently.
“Your mother. She’s here…with Merelyn,” she murmurs with a comforting half-smile.
“Is she saying anything to you?”
I always thought about this moment. If I ever saw my mother again, what would I say to her? Ever since she passed, I have always longed to see her again in my dreams, but she never comes. I whirl on one foot, hoping to see what my wife is seeing, but all I get is mesquite, trees, and the horses in the distance. The grass is empty. No footsteps, no floating orbs she talks about. Everything seems normal.
“No.”
She grabs my hand and threads her fingers with mine.
“What are they doing?” I ask, worriedly.
“They’re okay, Gavin. They’re happy.”
I swallow the growing boulder in my throat. I cough, clearing it so I don’t lose it.
“She wants you to know that she’s proud of you. And that, she never left you. She’s always been with you, by your side through everything. Her presence wasn’t just in the cabin. She has always been with you and will always be.”
My brows furrow.
“I thought you said they can’t talk?”
“I did, but trust me.”
I nod, itching for a cigarette. I pat down my jeans because I don’t remember which pocket I put them in. Finally, I snag it out of my back pocket and light one.
She’s here. In Texas.With us.
My mother was the biggest reason why I couldn’t leave the cabin. I always felt her around, and it was the place she died in. We stand in silence, listening to birds chirp and bugs sing in the tall grass. The grief doesn’t follow me anymore. We’re all going to die one day, and I will be reunited with Mer and my mother and introduce her to the most beautiful woman—my wife.
“Gavin!” Coraline’s father, Estaban, shouts. His mitted hand holds a plate wrapped in aluminum foil with an uncut brisket in the center. He has one foot out the back door and one still inside. “Coraline! Food is ready!”
“Let’s go eat.” She walks in front of me, the wind swooping through her long curly hair.
“I told you.” I smile, walking after her.
“Told me what?”
“My cabin wasn’t haunted. It’s just always been you haunting me.”
THE END
