Chapter 20

Time in the green tunnel had seemed to slow but during that last hour of the trip, the road had become narrower with trees hugging the road. In some places the land fell away on one side. Then, she began to notice that the road seemed to be climbing. Gradually, the trees had thinned out a bit. She kept watching the forest on either side for any sign of men dressed in green but it appeared that word had spread of their travel and they were of no further interest or value to either the villagers, green men, or potential thieves. At least, she hoped that was the case.

Then, suddenly the forest ended and they were on an open plateau that was bordered to the north and west by mountains, to the south by the forest, and to the east by the sea. They had reached the eastern most border of the Island. The road continued but turned here to the north. John pulled on the reins and the horses stopped.

She had never seen the mountains and so these seemed very tall. However, it was to the sea their eyes were drawn. From this vantage point it was something new and exotic. They were obviously at a higher elevation. A few hundred yards from the road the land seemed to fall away and the sea stretched out below in a crystal blue mirror reflecting the sky and sun. In the far distance, the mist rippled and swirled and flowed.

Samantha notice that the motion was much clearer from this height, more defined than when she viewed it from the her beach. Up here, the air seemed clearer and everything sharper. In fact, the mist appeared to be farther away than it looked from the village beach on the southeastern edge of the Island. She shook her head. That can't be possible, she thought. But then she realized it could be possible because on some nights the mist rolled in and covered the land, pressing against the windows and saturating everything in moisture. Obviously, it could move and change direction.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" John said.

She looked over her shoulder at him. He was staring, as she was, out at the ocean.

"Yes," she replied and turned back to watch. "Have you been here before, John?"

"Once, when I was about sixteen. I came with Dad but I don't remember much about it from this point."

Samantha thought about that. It would have been around the time they became aware of what was happening to her.

They sat silent, watching as the sails of the Merchant Queen came around the island from the north, on her way to the village. The watched as she moved around the headland and sailed away. She would drop any passengers and supplies, then, in three hours she would load more supplies and passengers and continue the journey around the island to the next province. It was an easier, faster, and safer way to travel, she realized.

"So, where do we go from here?" Samantha turned her attention back to John. She reached down and stroked Sergeant's head then snapped her fingers and pointed to the ground, "Down boy, take a break for a bit."

The dog didn't have to be told twice. He jumped to the ground and darted away, sniffing and examining every bush, tree, and blade of grass. Samantha jumped down and stretched her arms over her head. A stiff breeze tugged at her skirts and hair. She moved toward away from the wagon.

"We don't need to stop here long, Sam. It's getting late. I don't know if anyone will bother us but I'd rather not be here after dark." John said, but he climbed down as well.

They started walking toward where the land seemed to disappear into the ocean. They came upon the edge suddenly and John caught Samantha' arm and stopped her. "I don't think we should go closer. Looks as if it has given way here not to long ago."

She nodded and stood staring out toward the mist. Something was different. She leaned forward and squinted her eyes in an effort to strengthen her sight. Yes, something was different than when they had arrived moments ago. Something heavy and . . . here her thoughts stopped as she realized she was holding her breath. She stood up and breathed deeply. Not now, she thought.

"Sam?"

"Yes," she turned, flashing a smile at him.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, of course not. I thought I saw something near the mist. Maybe a small boat." Somewhere in the back of her mind a small voice said, "Is that the second or third lie, Samantha?"

"I think Sergeant has finished his business. Let's get going. I want to be done with this journey."

They climbed back in the wagon and John turned the horses to follow the road. It meandered north, away from the cliffs until it disappeared around the hillside. The forest now lay to their left and the ocean to their right. Samantha looked up at the hills before them. Somewhere ahead lay answers to questions she was afraid to ask. She turned and looked out to sea. Out there, where the cerulean water slipped under the mist, lay questions for which she had no answers.