Wrecked by AJ Harmon Page B

He
prayed for one more. He prayed with all the faith he had that he would be with
his Elizabeth. They had waited so long to be together and this is not how he
wanted their story to end. Pleading with God, he begged for mercy and as he
said Amen, the lower half of the mast fell. He felt the sharp pain on the back
of his head and then all went black.
    *****
    Elizabeth Sherton stood at the window and peered through the
fogged glass at the rain pelting down outside. It was one of those storms that
had her praying their roof would remain overhead and the wood stacked under the
overhang would remain dry enough to burn in the fireplace and keep them warm
and cozy.
    Her father, William Sherton, sat in a wingback chair next to
the fire and read from the Bible, as Andrea sat on the rug at his feet, playing
with some wooden blocks of various sizes. She liked to stack them as high as
she could and then kick it over, her glorious laugh filling every corner of the
house and making Elizabeth smile every time she heard it. The family dog,
Rufty, a homeless mutt that had adopted them several months ago, lay beside
Andrea, content to be a back rest for his young charge. Elizabeth glanced over
at her family, happy they were together but sad that one vital member was still
not with them. Andrew had written a few months earlier telling her of his plan
to arrive in America in the fall when they would finally be able to be married
and begin their life together. What he didn’t know was that in the eyes of the
town, they were already married.

8.
    Bess knew she was being silly, but still she turned on every
light she could find on the upper floor, expelling all darkness from every
corner. As she walked from room to room, opening doors and peering around
furniture, there was no one to be found.
    “I know I saw you,” she muttered to herself. “I’m not crazy.” She sat on the four poster bed in the last bedroom at the end of the
hall and sighed. She’d read the pamphlet that came with her medication
thoroughly. There were many side effects she was to watch for: nausea,
headaches, tingling in the extremities, and loose stools were just a few. Nowhere
did she read she might experience hallucinations or visions. “Maybe I’m tired.”
    “I’m tired.”
    “What the…” She jumped onto the bed, standing and looking
all around the room in a panic. “Who are you?” she yelled, pretending to be
tough. “ Where are you?”
    He stood in the doorway, his eyes fixed on her. On one hand
Bess was relieved she saw him, that he was not just a figment of her
imagination, but on the other hand, there was a strange man in the house and
her knees shook in fear.
    “I won’t hurt you,” he spoke softly.
    “I might just hurt you!” Bess spoke sharply. “Who the hell
are you and what are you doing here?” Ethan had said he didn’t want any
vagrants getting any ideas about taking up residence in his empty house. Maybe
he’d had a point.
    He smiled slightly. “You’re feisty.”
    “I’m angry!” Bess spat. “Who the hell are you? Answer me!”
she demanded.
    “My name is Andrew. Captain Andrew Wentworth.”
    “You’re English.” Bess noted his accent.
    “Yes.”
    “Why are you here?”
    “I’ve been here for a long time.”
    “I live here and I can tell you that you have not been here
for a long time,” Bess snapped.
    He took a step forward and Bess screamed.
    “I told you I won’t hurt you,” he frowned.
    “No… it’s… you’re… how? Who are you?”
    Captain Andrew Wentworth walked further into the room, his
black boots clicking on the wooden floor with each step he took. But Bess,
still standing on the bed watched him with her mouth gaping open, her eyes wide
with shock. As he moved through the room she could see the wall behind him… through him. He was… translucent. He looked like a man. He walked like a man. He
sounded like an Englishman. But she could see through him!
    “What are you?” she asked, the trepidation