Love in Disguise

I was the first one to awaken in the morning. Deciding to do something nice for her after all she’d done for me, I slowly got out of bed and quietly made my way to the bathroom to wash up. Then I headed downstairs and proceeded to make us a pancake breakfast. She came down just as I was finishing things up and ready to call up to her. “That was delicious! Thank you ever so much,” she told me when we were done eating. “No problem. Especially after all you’ve done for me.” She shrugged as if it were no big deal. We cleaned up the kitchen, then headed out for our nature walk. Children’s laughter came from a cabin we passed on our left, and soft music came from another one on our right. Soon we were in the secluded wilderness. It was filled with tranquility and wonderment. The sky was cloudless and brilliantly blue. Birds chirped everywhere. After twenty minutes of hiking through the woods, we came to a river with a roaring waterfall. “It’s breathtaking!” I cried with delight. “It is quite beautiful,” agreed Raven. I turned to look at her. Her jet-black hair shimmered in the sunlight. “Thank you so much for taking me here.” “Oh, it’s my pleasure. Need to use the bathroom?” I shook my head. “Well, I do. It’s just behind that stand of trees over there. See the little brick building through the trees?” I squinted and studied the direction in which she was pointing. “Yes, I do.” “You can wait here and enjoy the view. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” “Ok,” I said. She walked off, and I turned and approached the river’s edge, careful not to get too close and fall in and then down the big waterfall. It was a good-sized fall. Due to the direction of the wind, I could feel a slight mist on my face. It was such a wonderful scene. It felt so good to feel the cool freshness of the mist along with the warm sunshine. “My, my. I never would’ve pegged you as the outdoor type.” My heart stopped. Then it started again, only many times faster. I spun around. “No!” I screamed. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. This only happened in slasher movies! I blinked, hoping she was just an illusion that would disappear when I opened my eyes, yet, sure enough, I had hoped for the impossible miracle. She was still there. She was dressed in black from head to toe. She was the goddess of evil. Yogi stood beside her and began to bark excitedly. Terrified, I began to scream uncontrollably as she came forward. Terror kept my feet planted where they were, as if they were glued to the ground. From there on out, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. She drew her gun. I backed up right to the edge of the river. I heard a pop. Then all went black. Later… “Come on, Sativa, wake up. It’s ok. You’re safe now. It’s ok to wake up.” Slowly, my eyes fluttered open. My mouth was dry. I moaned as I tried to focus. I was in the cabin on Raven’s couch where a few faces peered down at me. There was Raven’s, as well as a couple of police officers. How could this be? Wasn’t I supposed to be dead? “Sh-she shot me.” “No,” Raven said with firm assurance. “I shot her. It was my gun you heard. I snuck up behind her when I heard you scream. You simply passed out.” “She’s in custody?” I managed to ask as I struggled to sit up. A lady cop handed me a glass of water. “Thanks.” “No, ma’am,” said a male cop. “Not quite. She’s missing.” “Missing?” Raven spoke again. “She’s almost certainly not alive. When I shot her, she went down the waterfall. There’s no way she could survive. At least, not to our knowledge there isn’t. The area’s been searched, and there’s no trace of her or her dog anywhere. Chances of her still being out there are one in a million.” “Am I safe now?” “Why, you most certainly are, my dear,” said the guy with a bright, cheery smile. “What a relief that is to know!” I exclaimed, new strength now pouring into me. That night I called Mary and told her everything. “Wow! Thank goodness you weren’t hurt or killed. What’s next?” “What’s next? I guess I go back to Kya’s house, retrieve my belongings before her family does, then go stay with Raven for a while.” “She sounds wonderful,” Mary said. “She is. How are my rats?” “They’re fine.” “That’s nice to know. I was worried about them. She wouldn’t let me take them.” “I figured as much. Just be glad she’s forever out of the picture so you won’t have to spend your life on the run, always looking over your shoulder.” “Oh, I certainly am glad!”