in the begining

   this is just the begining of an unfinished, and truthfully, not really begun piece....but if i ever get around to finishing the begining i'll post more        

 

 

 

1

The howling wind roared furiously that night; it moaned and clawed at the house like a terrified cat.  There had been signs for weeks now that a storm was on its way, but no one suspected it would run its course with such rage.  The rain had been coming down in sheets for two days solid and the streets were flooded.  Living near a lake was bad news during times such as these; the water seemed to build on itself, never seeming to drain.  Aiden Dakota had no complaints though; he was a loner so the seclusion of his boarding house didn’t much bother him.  It was the slow season for boarders; being mid autumn and in weather like this, no one came around Asher Lake.  During a particularly rough patch of storm, Aiden heard a strange banging sound coming from outside. At first, he just assumed it was one of the branches from the large oak out front bumping into the house, but as he listened closer and the winds died down a bit, he realized someone was outside.  Aiden jumped up quickly and headed for the door. He almost slammed it shut in alarm after he’d seen what was outside waiting for him. 

            There was a small hunched over elderly man standing out in the stinging rain, hugging his old and tattered coat around his short, round body.  His hair had fallen out in patches, and his grotesquely large nose was pockmarked in several spots making him less than easy to look at.  As Aiden stared at him, he raised his globular face and smiled a crooked pleading smile, as if pleading for his life.  Aiden quickly smiled back still in shock and ushered the man inside and away from the storm.  The little man wobbled in with a slight limp, and Aiden then noticed one foot was considerably larger than the other.  “Hello there sir,” Aiden said quickly.

            “How’s it going?” the man replied.  “The name’s Ralph Cole, pleasure to meet you.”

            “Aiden Dakota, pleasure’s all mine.  Welcome to the boarding house, I assume you’ll be staying a few nights?  Considering the weather it might be longer...let me get you a warm blanket, you look freezing.”

            “Thank you, Aiden, very kind.  Yes, I plan on staying for a week or two, that is if there’s a room available.” Ralph said as he looked around the living room area.  It wasn’t a large house considering its purpose.  It was simple.  There were five bedrooms, one small bathroom in each room and one in the main area, a living room, kitchen and small dining room, and a quiet office where Aiden often lost himself in his work.

            “So Ralph,” Aiden began as he handed the warm flannel blanket over, “what brings you all the way out here to Asher Lake in weather like this?”  Ralph shook his head a little and chuckled to himself.  After you got used to his appearance, he wasn’t all that frightening.

            “The truth of it is, I was on my way up to Sycamore when this damn storm hit, and I did some looking around for a nice place to stay.  Just because the weather’s bad and I won’t be any place very long, it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the place I’m staying at.”  He grinned, and for a second Aiden thought he saw a flicker of fear and anxiety in Ralph’s eyes, but as quickly as it had come, it disappeared.  In spite of himself, Aiden got goose bumps and walked over to the brick fireplace to get a strong fire going.  As he picked up the first log, images flashed through his mind. He saw Ava in her silky loose nightgown on a night not so different from this one.  He saw the pills in the medicine cabinet, could remember the look on her face when he’d questioned her about them; he saw the terror in her cold dead eyes. 

            “You ok there, Aiden?” Ralph asked, looking puzzled.

            “Um, yeah sure...I uh, just remembered something I need to take care of next week,” Aiden lied as he dropped the logs into the fireplace and lit a match.