Dead Eyes in Late Summer

Adelyn leans against the older woman, gathering the strength she will need. “Help him, Momma, because for a very short time he loved me, mourned me, when he thought I was dying.”

“He had already gone to one funeral, Adelyn. Sarah learned and knew all these things, died to keep him from taking your happiness…and Garnett’s.” Momma’s words were like ice water in a desert.

Anguished, Innis cries, “Can’t you see? I wanted to build the bridge, yes. I wanted to come back to live it over, and over, and….” A light from inside Innis shines out, but it is not a soft light, instead a harsh light that needs softening.

“I have Garnett and Trey and Tyler. You have to go, Innis, my sweet Innis.”

He fades, his fist up against his mouth, an unutterable sadness enveloping him. No longer can she see him as she had at sixteen, her gallant knight, and at eighteen, her strong young man who took her to young womanhood. He’s gone.

The pieces fell into place. “When I visited their world this last time, Innis was exposed by Lucianne and Sarah. The unborn child had moved on. That is Lucianne’s sorrow to endure. Innis spoke of breaking the bond, saying he will come into this world again, threatening, saying he would rock me like he did in that hammock.”

“But this time, Momma, you heard his thoughts, sent them to Sarah.” Adelyn squeezed Momma’s hand. “And Sarah rose up and advised Innis his evil desires to abandon Lucianne were not possible. Sarah embraced Lucianne; the bond broke for us. If he could finally join me here, he would change all of it for all of us.”

It was Momma’s turn to ask, “Why did he come back then?”

Adelyn held out her hand to Momma. “He had to hear me say no.”