1 #2
The motorside motel that we stopped at had somehow taken every single stain known to man and made it an interior design choice.
Or at least that was what I told myself in order to convince my mind to settle enough and take to the bed.
‘Bed’ might have been a stretch, I was certain that it was plywood with stuffing stapled to it and bedsheets attached in order to look the part.
Looking up at the muddling of greens, browns, and greys that was my ceiling, I let the exhaustion of my day drag me down, down, down, until I was at last asleep.
~
I had promised Charlotte that I would see to her ashes being placed across the four sites she outlined for me.
For that reason, when the coach made several stops between Exeter and Cornwall that were not on my list, I remained with my bottom glued to my seat in the coach and quietly awaited the groan of the vehicle indicating movement once more.
Evan announced our crossing into Cornwall just as I finished braiding the lengths of muddy-blonde hair over my shoulder.
Tide was to be low off of Marazion — where the coach parked — as of noon. So it was with extreme disdain for my childhood friend that I stepped off of the coach with the rest of the tour group and looked across the walkway that would take us to St. Michael’s Mount.
“I haven’t had this much exercise since we were in secondary, Char,” I hissed beneath my breath as I looked across the stretching path before us.
Evan led the group, leaving me to linger at the back as I adjusted my pack awkwardly on my back.
One step at a time, I took to the cobbled path that had pooling of sea water collected in the grooves.
As much as I hated the thought of the walk, I would have been lying if I said it wasn’t the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
I would also have been lying if I didn’t admit that for the first time in years, I felt like I could breathe.
For some reason, the sun was inclined to let me bask in it for once.
The island ahead seemed to grow and grow with every step we took. A hoarding of greenery spanned from one edge of the secluded land to the next, only a few rooftops and building spires to be seen poking out beyond the trees.
To my left and right was the overwhelming sight of every shade of blue.
A light teal to the water closest to me, revealing freed pebbles and stones that had rolled away from the walkway in the years of being present.
Beyond that, the blue slowly shifted to a deep navy that signalled the tremendous depths of the water.
Only then did the blue change back once more to a faint azure that was the sky, the horizon only made apparent by the plumes of white clouds that breezed over the conjoining line.
The salt of the sea assaulted my nasal cavity, eventually mixing with the faint stench of freshly clipped grass as we — what felt like hours later — made contact with the island.
Evan halted in an overly-dramatic fashion, lifted his arms to the sky, and turned to face us. “Welcome to St. Michael’s Mount.” He twisted his raised wrist to check his watch. “Our tour of the castle starts in two hours. You are free to roam the island as you see fit, meet back here then.”
No one wasted a moment, our group of twenty-or-so dispersing like water across a lake. It felt wrong in a way, like we were children who needed constant monitoring. Which was incorrect, considering the sign-up age was twenty-one and I was a handful of years beyond that.
It would give me enough time to locate somewhere nice to not only release the last of Charlotte, but hopefully dig into my cold container of porridge within my bag.
Climbing to a mid-point on the tremendous green hillside, I leapt over a few stone walls, carved a path through the lush greenery, and dropped down onto my tailbone.
The small forest bordered me from behind, whereas the never-ending sea stretched out in front of me. I could see people unloading and boarding various vessels on the docks below, just as tourists made the treacherous walk across the pathway I had walked only moments prior.
Twisting so that I could retrieve my pack from my back, I pulled out the last necklace, a spoon, and my container of brown goo.
Setting the latter two down against the earth, I sucked in my last deep breath as I let the dark sapphire on the end of the necklace roll in my palm.
Life was buzzing around me in the form of ladybugs, flies, gnats, and little iridescent dragon-flies that moved from flower to flower around my feet.
At first, I thought it was the shadow of persistent dread that I hauled around like a trophy that they were attracted to, but it was the flourishing of pollen that surrounded us on all sides.
“You know, I was going to deposit the final necklace in the castle,” I hummed as I dropped my gaze down to the jewel. “But just for making me do that walk, you can stay here.”
I chuckled to myself as if she could hear me while I opened the compartment.
“I hope it’s glorious, wherever you are.
” Whispering my final goodbye, I tipped the pendant towards the earth and watched the dust settle amongst the blades of grass.
With a half-smile that was born of sorrow, I gently set the necklace upon that pile, scooted a foot away from it, and pulled my breakfast along with me.
Ushering a quick curse under my breath as I realized my spoon had been touching a wild mushroom, I wiped the end furiously on my shirt while I pried open the container full of porridge and condensation.
My first bite of that concrete mash was worse than I expected.
Questioning the water that I had poured from the motel to create it, I spat out the small mouthful I had taken.
With a growing pain for this whole trip, I tipped the container of porridge over and let it slap the ground to my side, soaking into the earth within seconds and leaving strange clumps behind.
Just as I started to rise from my spot on the hillside, a hoarse throat was cleared from behind me. Followed by a deep voice.
“Well, what a strange assortment of offerings you have provided.”