Heather

Heather

An Ancient Oak on an old hill

A forbidden love

Transformation.

The large oak tree stood silently on the hill overlooking the little town of Franklin. It had been there for eons before the first peoples had ever set foot on dry ground.

When the settlers came from across the sea, they voted that this hill was to be used to bury their dead. They took a day and had the priest consecrate the entire hill. It is said that when approached the large oak, he hesitated in his ministrations and suddenly fell ill.

About a week later, he passed away much to the shock of his parishioners.

Many of the people of Franklin had heard this tale and dismissed it as folklore. One person who didn't was young Heather Michaels. She

was a senior in high school who was often described as “bookish”. She didn't interact much with the other students unless it was necessary and most of her free time was spent in the local library researching the town’s folktales.

“She’s weird!”, she would hear the other students say. She ignored them most of the time and simply immersed herself in folklore.

Her teachers sometimes expressed concern about all the time she spent in the library instead of interacting and they made the suggestion of having her get a part time job at the local coffee shop in town.

Heather’s parents were not against the idea and talked to her about it. She thought about it briefly and accepted the offer dutifully.

The job was a little scary at first but she soon got the hang of it. The clientele at the cafe were always nice and she found that working with Becky was not only pleasant but actually enjoyable

Becky was about 21 and she dressed as Goth most of the time. People all said that she was the town rebel and often showed up at “approved” events and church meetings in full goth with black lipstick and black fingernails to match her jet black hair. People would stare at her as she was about to attack them at any moment. This usually earned them a little smirk from her.

For Heather though, Becky was a non-chalant, anything goes type and she made Heather laugh.

One Friday evening, both of them were working late, prepping the store for a corporate visit the next day. Heather spent a good deal of her time cleaning every table, mopping the floor until it was spotless, while Becky spent her time going over the receipts and the register to make sure the deposit was correct.

Becky looked up from the register and noticed Heather had suddenly stopped moving all of a sudden and was gazing out the window towards the old cemetery.

“Hey, Heather? You okay?”

No response

Eyes widening, Becky walked towards her softly until she got right in between her and the window.

“Heather?”

“What?!”Heather exclaimed as if waking from a dream. She shook her head, almost losing her large Sophia Loren glasses in the process. “Oh…uh..” she mumbled, her face growing red.

“Girl, you okay? You just zoned out there for a little there.”

“Sorry, Becky..I’ll….I’ll try to do better.”

Becky waited there for a moment as if weighing a decision.

“You know, we’re almost done, here. I can finish this up, myself. Why don’t you head home and get some rest?”

The broom clattered to the polished cement floor. “‘Oh, uh..sorry.”, she trembled. “I…I.. enjoy working here. May I stay a bit longer….please?”

Becky walked towards her again..”What’s going on? Is there something going on at home?”

“No….my folks are away at the lake for the weekend.”

Becky snorted. “Perfect! Party time!”

Heather laughed nervously. “No…I could never do that…it’s that….that place…the…..”

“The what?”

“The big oak tree..”

Becky turned to the window and looked at the old tree that seemed to tower over the town.

“‘It’s just an old tree”

“I know..but I have to walk by it to get home. There’s something about it. I can’t seem to shake this feeling. It’s like it's following me.”

Becky turned back to her, seeing her trying to avoid eye contact.

“Hey…hey. Look at me.”

Obediently, Heather lifted her face, her blueish eyes staring through those thick lenses at Becky’s dark brown eyes. She hadn’t noticed that she had moved so close to her, so close that she could catch the scent of plum blossom perfume.

“Look, how about I walk you home?”

Heather’s heart leaped up her throat, spreading a new warmth all over her…a warmth that was both unfamiliar but also intoxicating.

“You…you’d do that for me?”

“Sure! Why not have a girls night? I usually just go home after work and watch horror movies, especially this time of year. It might be nice for me to have someone to talk to as well.”

Blushing, Heather nodded her head and picked up the broom from the floor.

After Becky closed the shop, the two girls headed towards Heather’s neighborhood which was just beyond the old cemetery.

The fall leaves drifted down onto the pavement while the pair walked down the hill. To most onlookers, they made an odd pair. A bookish girl with mouse brown hair and a rebellious goth girl. Some looked at them wide eyed, but quickly turned away when they saw Becky returning their gaze with a challenging stare of her own, almost as if daring them to say something.

“So, what do you do for fun, Heather?”

“Ummmmm…I go to the library?”

“Library?!”, she exclaimed softly, shaking her head. “‘You don’t go to any school events like games or dances or anything?”

“No”

“Wow! No parties?”

“No”

Becky put an arm around Heather’s shoulder and shook her head. “We have to get you out more, girl. You’re too pretty for a library.”

Again Heather’s face turned red, trying to hide her face. That same warm feeling she had earlier. She felt her heart beating slightly faster as Becky drew closer to her and slowed the pace of their walk.

Heather gave a sideways smile at Becky, who smiled in return in a way that was almost an invitation. Becky’s heart shaped face tilted slightly downward, a strand of her hair draping over her left eye.

Her face moved closer and closer until they were almost a millimeter away..

“Creaaakkkk!”

The sudden sound from the old oak tree broke the spell and Heather’s heart froze and the air seemed to still itself as if waiting for a judgement to be handed down.

Becky turned towards the tree and stared. “This thing’s got you spooked, huh?”

Heather nodded her head quickly. “I’ve read about it. Legend says that this tree was the only part of the cemetery that remains unconsecrated.

“For the last two nights,” she continued. “I have had nightmares about this tree. I would be walking alone in the cemetery and go right for the tree.”

“And?”

“And when I got there, the lines formed a mouth that opened wide and the branches would grab me and drag me into its jaws. I would always wake up after that.”

Becky didn’t speak right away; she continued to look at the tree for a moment, then she turned to face Heather with a mischievous grin and made her way up the hill.

Heather gaped at her new friend. “Becky!? Becky, no!”, she half shouted and half whispered. Becky turned back to face Heather and slowly beckoned to her with a seductive smile.

Heather’s heart raced as she followed. “I have to be dreaming”, she thought to herself, as she followed Becky up the hill. That warm feeling traveled up her legs, into her stomach and filled her face as she got closer and closer to Becky, the old oak tree all but forgotten.

As she got closer, Heather slowly removed her Sophia Lorens and dropped them on the ground. She was sure her parents would scold her but for some reason, she felt that this moment was worth it. She shook her head, letting the wind caress her mouse brown hair while watching Becky’s mouth as her tongue slowly circled over her own lips.

She closed her eyes as Becky approached slowly, methodically, reaching out and lightly touching Heather's left cheek.

“Crreeaaaakk!”

Suddenly alert, Heather opened her eyes and found herself alone.

“Becky!?!” she cried.

She looked around the cemetery in the dimming light, but saw no one.

“Becky!?!?!”

Again she was met with silence. She glanced back at the old oak tree in the middle and glared at it.

Shivering, Heather left the cemetery, her eyes brimming with tears.

*****************

The very next week, during school hours, Heather’s parents were called to the school to discuss Heather.

The little conference room seemed stuffy, the air, musty as they all sat down. Heather herself sat near the end, her expression blank, while the guidance counselor expressed her concerns.

“It seems that she has….regressed. Her grades, while passing, have fallen, she doesn’t interact with anyone at all and now, as you can see, she is ……different.

All three of the adults looked at the far end of the table. The scent of plum blossoms drifted over the room. The mouse brown hair had been changed to midnight black and her blue eyes seemed to radiate an unseen power behind the Sophia Lorens and a mischievous smile formed on her lips.