Janey stood by the open window, holding the curtain aside. Only a candle on the fireplace mantel lit the room, so she could easily see the moon-drenched countryside. A long, low fog was moving ever so slowing across the fields. She knew that fog well. Its coming always brought her visitor, the one she'd known since she'd become a woman.
Why did she come back here? She should have known it wouldn't let her be. How could she believe that distance and maturity would protect her?
At twenty-nine, Janey was tall with an athletic body. Her face was just this side of beautiful. She had grown into a proud and confident woman. She was an able forester and animal protector. She could outstalk a grizzly or sneak up on an eagle's nest, with neither creature being the wiser. Yet here she was, increasingly frightened by the heated imaginings of a young girl.
She thought back to those days of her burgeoning womanhood. The changes in her were frightening, but exciting too. As were the intimate surges of her young body. That was when it all started. She was standing at this same window, watching the fog come in. She loved the way it pulled its white blanket over the meadows and vales, like a lover gently drawing the blankets over his lady's sleeping form.
That was when she felt it. Just a caress, not really felt, but sensed. Then a touch, a fingertip, running up her cheek, bringing a blush to her face. She whirled around, expecting to see someone, but no one was there. She ran over to the lamp and switched it on, bringing lovely electrical light to the room to wash away the dark shadows.
From that time she began to fear the night fog. Its touch became increasingly familiar and bold. She began to plan for the day she could leave, and at eighteen she left her family home. She left and never returned; until now, eleven years later. Her father was gravely ill and not expected to live. So, here she stood in her old room, watching the fog creep in. Frightened, so very frightened as she saw the first tendrils touch the house, seeming to caress its cold stone facade. It crept up the wall, until it reached the open window where she stood. Jane grabbed the window to slam it down and keep the fog out, but just as she did, a voice sounded in her ear, My darling, don't lock me out. A small scream escaped her throat. She could feel her heart jumping erratically in her chest, and she had the crazy thought that she might die before her father. Then something pounded on the window. The loud booms echoed off of every corner of the room. She let out a shriek and raced out of the room, hearing those booms inside her head and the words, heard over and over again, You're mine. You'll always be mine.
