Forget Me Never by Sable Hunter (books successful people read txt) 📗

teacher who died here.  She played the piano and some have heard music coming from the empty house.  Others have heard weird laughter emanating from the second floor baly.”

“Well, that gives us something to focus on.”  They began gathering up their gear.  Swarms of mosquitoes made them stop and apply some spray and a squeal from one of the female crew members had them all running to her. 

“What’s wrong, Shelley?  Do you see something?”

“Yes, a snake!” 

One man stopped another from killing it.  “Don’t, it’s not poisonous.  That’s a king snake.”

“I’d rather face a ghost any day than a snake.” Shelley was still unnerved.

“I know how you feel.” Savannah agreed.

The slave cabins were amazing.  She could almost feel the weight of yesterdays and the despair of being a captive of circumstances.  In some ways, she could relate.  But there was one place she wanted to see more than any other.  The well.  Should she tell the crew?  She considered it for a moment.  No, she couldn’t.  It was just too private.  There was no way she would want to share her grief with the world.  But she couldn’t resist seeing it.  “I think I’ll take a walk.  How much time do we have before we start filming?”

“About half an hour,” Jeremy was checking the batteries in his thermal camera.

“I’ll go with you,” Shelley grabbed a flashlight.  “You don’t mind do you?  I just hope we don’t run into anymore snakes.”

Savannah wanted to tell her that she’d rather be alone, but she couldn’t do it.  It just wasn’t in her to be rude.  “Sure, let’s go.”

They walked on down the road between the great rows of oak trees.  “Don’t you just love these trees?  It makes the most magical alleyway.”  Shelley followed about two steps behind.

“Yes, I do love them.  Very much.”  Savannah had her mind on other things – like would tonight be the night she’d make contact with Patrick?  She turned left at the mill pond. 

“You have a destination in mind, don’t you?”

“Yes, I had a friend who used to live here.  He told me about a well dug by slaves.  I wanted to see it.”  That explanation seemed to satisfy the other girl.

“Wow, look at that!” 

They came upon the brick structure standing starkly in the moonlight.  “It is kind of impressive, isn’t it?  Patrick told me an old shaman blessed the water.”  She walked up to it and laid a hand on the bricks.  They were still warm from the day’s sunlight.

“Do you know what we ought to do?”  There was a mischievous excitement in Shelley’s voice. “It’s Halloween!  Have you ever heard the old wives’ tale about looking in a well and seeing the face of your future husband?”

“You’ve heard about that?”  An odd feeling of déjà vu washed over Savannah.

“I sure have, the other way is to hold up a hand mirror and look into another mirror behind you.  Of course that has to be done in the dark, lit by a candle – and like this way, it must be done on All Hallows Eve.  All very scientific, I assure you.” 

Savannah had to laugh, even though the familiar tender ache was still there.  “I am familiar with the one about looking in the well.”   

“Let’s do it.”  She went to the curb and began to push.  “Help me.” 

Savannah stepped up.  “Be careful.  Let’s aim it at that shelf behind it; I think that’s where it’s supposed to go.”  It took some huffing and puffing, but they managed to do it.  “Now what?”  She couldn’t muster up any enthusiasm; after all, she had lost her soul mate.  Savannah had no intention of ever marrying anyone.

“I’ll go first.”  Shelley hung over the side so far that Savannah grabbed onto her belt buckle.  “Ooohh, it’s dark down here.  But I can see the moon over my shoulder.  Listen to this, cause you’re gonna want to say it to.  My grandmother saw granddad in the well and this is what she said.  “Love of my life show your face.  Let me see you at this magical time and place.  May the future come to light while the moon shines bright.” Shelley giggled – “Or something like that.  I forget the exact words.”

“At least it rhymed.”  Both girls went quiet and Shelley stared into the waters.  “Look!” Her voice was quavering with emotion.  “Do you see what I see?”

Savannah looked over into the water.  At first she didn’t see anything.  Gradually her eyes adjusted and it seemed she could see something reflected in the dark surface.  “What am I seeing?”

“You’re seeing my childhood friend, Chris Evans, that’s who you’re seeing.he sip; Shelley strained to lean further over, holding herself up on her forearms.  “What are you doing in my well-spell, Chris?”

“I presume you were expecting someone else.” 

“That’s putting it mildly.  Chris made my childhood miserable,” grumbled.  “And if you think I’m going to marry you, you’ve got another think coming, Mister!”

Savannah held the other girl around the waist.  “Be careful.  If you fall in, you won’t be marrying anybody.”  She stared down in the water, but the reflection that she saw was unsteady and wavy.  It could have been anybody.  Yet, the longer she stared, the clearer it became.  What in the world? 

Savannah blinked and looked again.  A wedge of tears formed in her throat.  Beyond a shadow of a doubt, she was staring into Patrick’s face.  Her Patrick.  “Why?”  Balling up her fists, she wanted to rail at whatever malicious power was playing tricks with her mind.  Dashing the tears from her eyes to clear her vision, she couldn’t tear her eyes away. 

“Just look at his smirky expression, like I would ever even consider going out with you.”

Obviously they weren’t seeing the same image.  But Patrick’s face was becoming clearer.  It was him – yet different.  He was thinner and had a scar on his right cheek.                                

Surely, it was her imagination. 

“Hey, what are you two doing?”  Garrison leaned