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On her way to the park where Rowan was waiting for her, Charlie decided to take the long way and walk through the streets of Riverton one last time. The day was particularly beautiful, like the autumn weather remembering what it was like on a warm summer morning. She took in the sounds and sights of the city, admiring the things that she never before took the time to appreciate. For the first time since the night before, Charlie felt like she would miss this place.
Then something strange happened.
As Charlie was walking past a large restaurant window, she noticed a waitress carrying a plate that she was bringing over to a customer.
And on that plate was a sandwich.
The sight of the sandwich was strange for two reasons. First, she could swear she once had a dream about that exact same peculiar-looking sandwich. However, she couldn’t quite remember to be sure. Second, her entire conversation with Mr. Morris while at work that day had all come rushing back to her, and she could suddenly hear his voice inside her head.
I am passionate about my sandwich-making ability. You know why? Because I make a damn good sandwich! It’s my passion. Life is meaningless if you’ve got nothing to live for.
Then, just as suddenly, words that Rowan had said also filled her mind.
The Fae will never possess one thing, the one thing that I admire so much in humans, and that’s the value of life. It’s what makes you unique. It fills you with the desire of making every day of your existence one that will matter. Life is precious to you, and so your passions have that much more meaning.
Charlie stared through the restaurant window at the man who held the sandwich in his hands, realizing something important. Although she had failed to notice that he was also staring back at her, raising an eyebrow, and appearing as if wondering why she wouldn’t look away from his sandwich. That was his sandwich. He paid for it. If she wanted one so bad then she’d have to get her own. He gripped the toasted exterior of his early lunch like Gollum grasping his precious; covetous and unwilling to share it with anyone else.
Charlie walked away from the window oblivious to the man’s existence. The only thing that mattered was the significance of that sandwich. To anyone else, it would represent nothing but a way to satisfy their hunger, while to Charlie it meant so much more. It represented everything she would ever miss out on if she abandoned her life to live in another world.
An enormous weight lifted from her shoulders at that moment. She now knew that she couldn’t go through with Rowan’s request. However much it hurt to watch him leave, she realized it would hurt much more to never experience life the way she should have for so many years. So, leaving the city streets behind, Charlie hurried to the park to meet with Rowan, because suddenly she needed to meet someone else at a bus station.
When she arrived at the park where Rowan told her to meet him, Charlie found him waiting by the pond, with Roxy standing nearby, leaning against a tree with her arms crossed, waiting expectantly. As Charlie approached, Rowan must have seen something in her expression, because his smile changed from being happy to see her, into one that was understanding but disappointedly sad, like he half expected her to change her mind. It was a big decision after all.
“You’ve had a change of heart?” asked Rowan.
“I’m really sorry,” said Charlie. “But I can’t go through with this.”
“It’s okay, Charlie,” he said, taking her hands in his own. “In all honesty, I know I was laying down a pretty big request. It was kind of selfish of me to ask you to leave behind everything you have ever known for a life with me.”
“You’ve changed my life, Rowan. I’ve lived my entire existence hiding away from the world, too afraid to really live. But since you appeared, you’ve helped me realize that I don’t have to be ashamed to be myself anymore. And I know that if I run away now, I’ll never get to experience all the things that make me human. I’ll never find my true passions that make my life worth living. I don’t doubt that living in your world would be the most amazing thing that could ever happen to me, but I’m just not ready to give up on my own just yet. I want to experience all the joys and sorrow this world had to offer.”
“Humans never cease to amaze me,” said Rowan, smiling that familiar bright warm smile. “Just when I think I’ve learned all there is to know, you prove me wrong once more. I’ll miss you, Charlie. I hope you find what it is that you’re looking for.”
Rowan pulled Charlie into him one last time and embraced her gently. She hugged him back, knowing that she, too, would miss him dearly. But at that moment, after all that had been said, she knew that this was the right decision. She wasn’t afraid anymore.
After releasing each other, Rowan walked to the edge of the pond, where he turned and looked back at her and smiled one last time, then he dove into the water, never to be seen again. Charlie hadn’t expected the gateway to The Fae to be inside the pond, and for a moment she feared that he might drown.
“Don’t worry,” said Roxy, finally approaching her and waving a hand at the water, “he’ll be all right. It’s a faerie trick. We use nature to travel back and forth from each realm.”
“Does this mean you’ll leave me alone now?” asked Charlie.
“Now that I’ve accomplished what I was paid to do – yeah, you’re off the hook.” Roxy was just about to dive into the pond, but stopped herself and turned back to say one final thing. “You’re a heartbreaker, Charlie Cradle. You’re all right for mortal.”
Charlie smiled, then Roxy dove into the pond and she never saw her again.
Suddenly, Charlie saw the world in a different light. The crisp air of the morning tasted sweeter and the sun’s warmth filled her with a sense of belonging she’d never experienced before. She now belonged to the world just as much as it belonged to her.
Charlie checked the time on her watch and suddenly felt a sense of urgency. It was almost noon. If she didn’t make it to the bus stop on time she would miss the chance to tell Tom how she really felt about him. So, wasting no more time, she ran with all her might down the gravel path of the park, then paused to catch her breath, ran some more, paused again, then ran until she reached the street where she was able to flag down a taxi to drive her the rest of the way. She thought it would have been more romantic to run the whole way, but knew that she’d pass out from exhaustion before reaching him. Thankfully, she had just enough money—left from that ten dollars her father had given her—to pay for the cab.
Charlie was nearly driven crazy because time felt like it was on fast forward while the rest of the world moved in slow motion. Her heart pounded in her chest at the fear of not making it on time. She couldn’t let Tom leave without knowing that she, too, felt the same way about him.
Finally, her cab had made it to the bus station and with not a moment to spare. As they pulled in, so did Tom’s bus.
“That’ll be $4.87,” said the cab driver, but Charlie just threw all the money she had on her without caring for the change in return and jumped out of the car.
People were boarding the bus now, and at least half of them had already entered. She hoped Tom wasn’t one of them. And thankfully he wasn’t, because just as she spotted him, his head down while playing a Gameboy, he placed his first foot on the bottom step and was about to go inside.
“Tom!” yelled Charlie, desperately hoping she was heard.
Then, a second before he pulled himself into the bus, Tom turned at the sound of his name and looked for the source of the call. And that’s when he saw her.
Tom and Charlie locked eyes, and when they did, he smiled in amazement and took his foot off the steps of the bus.
Charlie was overcome with relief. Tears filled her eyes as she smiled back at him, his completely average self now appearing more perfect than it ever had. Tom wasn’t a wizard or born of magic; he had no special powers other than the ability of being simply awesome, and he probably couldn’t battle a demon and win if he tried. But none of that mattered
to Charlie. He was a regular person, just like her, who hated working for a call center. He played video games and laughed at jokes that most other people didn’t understand, just like she did.
Charlie knew that she was taking a chance by pouring her feelings out to Tom like the way he did. What if things never worked out between them? But right, now she didn’t worry about that; even though it was only the beginning of their relationship, just as Rowan had said to her, she was sure they would learn to love each other. She didn’t want to live her life anymore always wondering what could have been. Maybe she and Tom might never travel the world or experience extravagant things or make lots of money. Maybe they could only keep living their lives the simple way, but now with more appreciation for it. They could exist together. And that would make her happy.
It would be a wonderful existence.
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Acknowledgments
I want to thank my wife, Carlie, for always being encouraging, believing in me, and for all the time she let me spend writing while I’m sure she would have rather have cuddled on the couch. From now on, I’ll try to remember not to place the toilet paper beyond your reach.
Thanks to Ang Meydam for all the great feedback and for being one of the first to read the story. Her encouragement and enthusiasm made me giddy with joy! Every writer needs to have a friend like her.
I especially want to thank my grandmother, June Jimmo, for plain and simply being awesome. Her love and support has been a shining light in my life, and an anchor that’s kept me from drifting out to sea.
Thanks to my editor, Monica San Nicolas, for helping me reach my goal of becoming published through her willingness to work within my needs. Without her skill and expertise, this story may not have seen the light of day for a very long time.
And finally, my biggest thanks to my high school English teacher, Penny Matthews, who has been the greatest influence in my desire to write. Thank you for reading every one of my terrible poems and song lyrics and still telling me they were awesome. You made writing feeling good.
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About the Author
Scott J. Callaway was born and raised in the small Maritime fishing community of Escuminac, New Brunswick. As a child, his most despicable moment was when he left his sister for dead in a hole in the snow while trying to escape the evil clutches of a talking doll. It was that moment when he realized that he could never be a hero, and would have to settle with writing about them instead. Currently, he lives in the city where he works trying to provide for his wonderful wife and beautiful daughter in the best way that he can. He draws energy from peace and quiet and values the stillness of a room while enjoying a good book. His dream is to someday be able to share all the things he makes up in his head with the world.
For more information about the author, visit his blog at www.scottjcallaway.blogspot.ca or his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ScottJCallaway.
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