Haste Marriage With The Enemy

Chapter 3

To say I am feeling lonely would be an understatement.

As I look at the smooth and silent road ahead of me, I feel depressed. Lucky seems not to be in the best spirits too. He hasn't eaten properly ever since we left home. He doesn't like all the food that I carried, and I have to beg him to eat some of it that he finds edible. Usually, I spend hours just preparing Lucky and Trust's meals, to make sure they have the best nutrients. This is new to Lucky, the first time he has to eat things he doesn't like for the sake of surviving. I don't blame him for lying quietly in the basket, no longer responding when I try to talk to him. I buried Trust in the yard of the first house I was offered lodgings, (with permission, of course). That too must be contributing to Lucky's bad mood.

I feel hungry.

We've been traveling since morning without much to eat and drink. A few cars passed by us, giving me hope that there is a town somewhere ahead if we keep following the road. Now it is sunset. We are going to eat the last loaf of bread, sleep, then wait for hunger to kill us. I get too tired to continue walking, so I start examining the forest on one side of the road, looking for a friendly looking spot for us to go and rest our tiredness away for the night.

It has started getting dark and I am a little scared. I notice a narrow path with lovely flowers and grass on either side of it. It looks welcoming, so I rush towards it and follow where it is going. Then I find myself in a large clearing.

This will be the perfect place for tonight. Gathering some wood, I make a campfire and make myself comfortable on the ground. Leaning tiredly against the tree, I pull the basket towards me with a yawn.

But neither bread nor squirrel is in the basket. Only Lucky's chewing stick remains. Instantly roused to alertness, I spring to my feet, looking around for signs of Lucky. This forest is dense, Lucky might get lost.

"Lucky!," I call in the night. He doesn't respond. I call him several more times before I hear a faint chirping. He is responding. I get my phone and switch it on ( I had switched it off to avoid calls from people who care about me back home, especially Lucea). I turn on the phone's torchlight and go in the direction I heard Lucky's sound come from. I find Lucky lying asleep on something that seems to be made of concrete. Upon careful examination, I can't believe what I see.

It is a tombstone!

I look all around the clearing and almost faint. How come I didn't notice before that this is a graveyard? Fear grips me hard I almost can't breathe. I've had Necrophobia since the age of ten, which means I get scared senseless of anything related to death. I don't know what to do now. Looking back at Lucky, I see the last bread half-buried right beside the tombstone he is lying on. Does he want the dead to have some bread, too?

Thinking of the dead makes me shiver. I almost jump out of my skin when my phone dings with notifications, probably from thousands of missed calls and messages from Lucea and the others wanting to know my whereabouts. I am about to unlock my phone to read messages when I hear a "Hey", from behind me.

My heart beats impossibly fast as I turn around at breakneck speed.

Have the ghosts already started coming out to play? I once heard they come out to play at night.

But the man I see standing before me doesn't resemble a ghost at all. On the contrary, he is one of the most beautiful people I have ever seen. He is short, almost my height, but he couldn't be better any other way. His face is so beautiful, if not exactly handsome. He looks like an angel under the moonlight. I can't see the color of his eyes, but I can see them twinkling, giving him a kind look.

I am not scared of this stranger. Instead, I feel a kind of happiness I can't even explain, making me want to be closer to him.

" Hi," I say back with a small smile on my face. I am not scared of the man but I wonder how he happens to be here. How did he find me?

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" I ask curiously, hoping I don't sound rude.

"I would like to hear the answers to the very same questions from you, as well. But since you asked first, I will be fair and give you the answers." He talks smoothly like he practiced every word before talking. I like the sound of his voice, he has a foreign accent. I nod for him to continue.

"I am called Albert. I come from a country far from here, Cleverland is the name of the country. I came here on a business trip for my boss. I've been here for quite a few days and today was my last day. I am going. back early in the morning tomorrow."

At all the explanations, I feel slightly uncomfortable. I feel like I am troubling him and feel the need to also tell him something about myself.

"Cool," I say. "And my name is Kelina and I have lived here all my life. I have never left this country. It must feel good to have a boss that allows you to travel abroad."

"Yes, I guess you could say that, but I don't always come to play, see? It's mostly work that makes me travel abroad. Sometimes I allow myself some time to explore the places I visit when I have free hours, like today. We settled everything before midday and I allowed myself a little time to visit the Templeton Caves that I have heard so much about."

"Oh, those."

"Yes. I must say, they are quite impressive, I didn't notice it was getting dark because it is already dark in the caves. On my way from there, the driver and I heard someone shout 'Lucky!', on this part of the forest, so he stopped the car and I came here to check. Forgive me, but may I ask what you are doing on the graveyard?" He tilts his head to one side, curious to hear the answer.

"How do you know it's a graveyard?". I ask, trying to find a good explanation for my situation that he would buy.

" There's a huge signpost that says, 'GRAVEYARD' right beside the path that leads here."

"Really? How didn't I notice it? I would have avoided coming here because I am terrified of the graves."

Albert shrugs.

None of us realizes we are talking like old friends. Nothing feels awkward as we freely chatter away.

"So, why are you in this place alone at night?." He asks again.

It seems I have to answer. He doesn't give up.