~ My sweet Katie, The playground lives ~ Synopsis, Excerpt

Chapter One

My Sweet Katie, The Playground Lives

 

 

 

The orange sun set over the campus pond as two white swans entwined their graceful necks under a weeping willow.  Keith Wellington stopped in the middle of a bridge that crossed the south end of the pond and pulled his girlfriend into his arms.

"Jennifer Leann Cravens-I can't imagine spending my life without you.  I think I fell in love with you the moment I met you.  I still remember the scent of the perfume you wore that night."  He smiled.  "And the strawberry lip gloss you coated on your lips."  Keith got down on one knee and pulled a two-carat pear-shaped diamond ring out of his pocket.  "Will you be my wife?  And give me lots of babies?" 

He stood up and Jennifer wrapped her arms around him, passionately kissing his adorable mouth.  Tears traced down her cheeks.  "Yes...."  She nodded.  A smile spread across her face.  "I'll marry you."  She buried her face in his shoulder. 

The perfect church wedding she dreamed of since she turned ten years old flashed before her eyes.  She pictured herself walking down the aisle surrounded by beautiful flowers arranged in many styles and colors, with little flower girls tossing rose pedals at her feet.  Standing to the right of the preacher, the groomsmen, best man and her handsome Keith wore big smiles.  To the left, she could see her lovely maid of honor, Claire, and her bridesmaids, Kari, Lisa, Tina, and Liz...  A piercing pain shot through her heart. 

"Wait...this is all wrong," she said coming back to reality.  She stepped back and lowered her head. 

Keith gingerly lifted her chin until she met his gaze.  "What's wrong?  Have you changed your mind about marrying me or is something else troubling you?" he asked, wiping the tears from her face. 

Her wedding wouldn't at all be what she dreamed.  Without her friends by her side, how could she go through with it?  "No, I want to marry you, I do.  I just miss my old friends," she softly spoke.  "We were supposed to be together when we got married.  Now they're gone, and it just won't be the same without them." 

As Jennifer stood looking into his dark eyes, Keith opened his briefcase and handed her a piece of paper and pen.  He'd asked her to be here on the bridge right after her very last class for what she thought was a congratulatory glass of champagne.  She'd met Keith right here on this spot last summer.  When a bunch of her friends commandeered the bridge to watch the Fourth of July fireworks spectacle over the lake, her roommate introduced her to Keith. 

"What's this paper for?" she asked. 

"I want you to write down the names of your friends so they can be at the wedding," he explained with a smile.  "Go ahead and start the guest list.  I know it's important to you." 

Jennifer took the piece of paper from him and crumpled it.  "That won't be necessary.  They can't be there because they all died almost five years ago.  And if it's okay with you, I'd rather not talk about it."

Keith lowered his head, nodding.  "I'm so sorry, sweetheart.  I didn't know.  Please forgive me." 

"No apology needed.  You had no idea," she said.  "Listen, I really need to go.  My parents are coming in tomorrow for the graduation ceremony and I still have to clean the bathroom and do my dishes.  Will you keep my ring until we tell them?  I don't want my mother to find it and freak out." 

He pulled her into his arms, embracing her like he'd never see her again.  "I'll see you tomorrow after the ceremony, my beautiful girl.  We'll celebrate then.  Get some rest and we'll talk more about the wedding later."

She smiled and waved, walking off toward her apartment complex not far from the campus. 

 

***

 

The day before graduation found Jennifer ruminating as she cleaned her miniscule apartment.  Her parents called as they left the house to make the two-hour drive for her diploma ceremony.  The idea of being an actual college graduate made the adrenaline pump through her.  She'd get that job she always wanted, buy a house of her dreams, and someday have that family she longed for.  But she also knew how much she'd struggled just to get to this point.  Her father believed she should wait for marriage until after she lived a little and traveled a lot.  That meant putting Keith on hold.  Jennifer had no intention of following some stupid tradition her parents followed after graduation.  She didn't need to see the ancient castles of Germany to feel fulfilled.  Besides, she worried Keith might move on without her and her heart couldn't withstand the hurt.

 Of course she felt nervous, knowing the responsibilities she'd face in the adult world, but telling her parents about Keith put more strain on her.  She rehearsed the words over and over in her mind, searching for the best way to convince them what a wonderful and intelligent man she'd chosen to marry. 

With that in mind, she worried that her father would object before she and Keith had time to explain their plans.  Her apartment finally spotless, she sat at the small table in her galley kitchen, staring out the window, sipping on her hot tea and waiting for them to arrive.  Her knees trembled and her stomach clenched with worry. 

As she finished the last drop of her tea, she heard a knock on the door.  Bracing herself for the worst, she opened the door to see her parents, Cindy and Steve Cravens, standing there, weighed down with luggage. 

"Hey, Sweetie!  Congratulations!"  Cindy said as she hugged her. 

Her dad slid past them and flopped down on the recliner in the living room.  "Still in this tiny apartment, I see.  No wonder you didn't want the double recliner we offered you.  There's no room." 

"Thank you, Daddy.  I'm glad you like it," Jennifer said sarcastically, inviting her mother to sit on the convertible sofa.  "I don't care for the cluttered look."

Her dad's words went through her like a knife in the gut.  He repeated himself over and again every time he'd visited.  Nothing suited her parents and that angered her.  However, to avoid hurt feelings, she held her tongue and acted like the responsible adult she'd become. 

Silence engulfed the room with tension.  The quiet seemed worse than insults.  Say something, Jennifer thought.  Tell them about Keith.  She wanted to, but she couldn't take that chance without Keith being there to defend himself. 

 "So, Baby, have you picked out your outfit for tomorrow yet?"  Cindy asked, eyeing Jennifer's bedroom. 

Jennifer dreaded the subject of her clothes.  Although a grown woman now, her mother still stuck her nose in her business and treated her like a child.  "You know what, yes I have.  I have my dress hanging up on the closet door if you'd like to take a look."  She got up and snatched the remote off the coffee table.  "Here, Daddy, I think there's a baseball game on channel 5." 

Steve gladly took her up on the offer, as she knew he would.  He now lacked only his chips, dip and beer.  Too bad she didn't have any of those items.   Jennifer chuckled as she headed for the bedroom with her mother. 

"What's so funny, dear?"  Cindy asked, taking a seat on the bed.

"I'm laughing because Daddy can't get soused this weekend.  However, I did buy Cokes and Swanson T.V. Dinners."  Jennifer opened the closet door to show Cindy the dress.  She smiled inwardly, knowing how her dad hated both soda pop and frozen dinners.  "Sure hope he's hungry."

"Don't tease him, Jenny.  You know he has a sensitive stomach." 

Taking the dress off the hook above the door, Jennifer pulled off the plastic bag.  Her mother's sober expression disappointed her.  "I hope you like it because this is what I'm wearing and I found shoes to match." 

Cindy clutched the bottom of the dress and scrunched her face.  "Don't you think this color is much too bright for this time of year?" she asked.  "You'll look like a school bus in this." 

 "Mother, it's yellow, and it's May.  What other color would you suggest?"  Jennifer rolled her eyes. 

"Well, maybe something less flashy.  How about this pink flowered one?  It's lovely." 

Jennifer's patience wore thin.  She gritted her teeth.  But to make her mother happy, she agreed on the pink one, even though she just bought the yellow dress.  She'd save that one and wear it for her engagement party.  Glancing into the living room at her dad, she hoped he'd call her mom in the other room, but instead, he reclined back in the chair and paid no attention to either of them. 

Jennifer wondered if this day would ever end.  Her mother drove her crazy with all the grousing.  They couldn't be in the same room with each other more than five seconds before a huge fight broke out.  Just when she thought this visit couldn't get any worse, her mother threw something else in her face.  "I really think you need a haircut, Dear.  It's too long and it looks awfully shabby," she said lifting the thick heavy hair off Jennifer's back.  "You want to look soft and young, but this makes you look old and dated.  Long hair is so 90's." 

Heat rose up Jennifer's chest to bloom on her face.  For a minute, she literally felt steam blow out her ears.  Like it or not, her mother insisted she dress and act meek like she did as a child.  Why couldn't she open her mouth and tell her to shut the hell up?  When she went to say something, the words stuck in the back of her throat.  Jennifer bowed her head like a coward and went on with whatever her mother wanted her to do. 

Taking a deep breath, she put a fake smile on her face and nodded.  "You're probably right, but I like my hair just the way it is.  Let's not go there, Mom.  We have dinner reservations at La Palma tonight, and I don't want to be late." 

 "Not until you tell me we'll go to a salon.  We have time this afternoon.  You don't want to graduate looking like a shaggy dog, do you?" 

Jennifer sighed heavily.  "Fine.  I'll agree to have my hair done on one condition.  I refuse to cut it above my shoulders, so if you can't live with that, the deal's off."  Jennifer finally stood up to Cindy.  It felt so good, too.  Now, if she had that kind of gumption all the time, her life wouldn't seem so bad. 

"Anything you say, Dear," her mom said with an undertone of irritation. 

As they walked into the living room, Steve had the television blaring.  A picture on the bookshelf trembled like it'd fall at any given moment.  "Where are you two off to?"  he asked, craning his neck around. 

 "If you'll turn down the volume, you might be able to hear us," Jennifer said, walking over and scooting the picture frame away from the edge of the shelf.  "We're going to the beauty salon.  Would you like to go with us?" 

He shook his head and stared at the screen.

"All right then, we'll be back later." 

 

***

 

On the walk to the car, Jennifer absorbed her surroundings, realizing this might be the last time she stood on this campus.  The vision before her of mature deciduous trees against the intense blue of the sky and huge expanses of velvety green grass-she loved where she chose to attend college.  She'd called Wisconsin State University her home for five years now and in less than a day, she'd go back to Old Creek to resume her life. 

"This is just like old times, you and me again out messing around," Cindy said, looking excited. 

Jennifer shook her head.  She couldn't remember a single time they had any fun shopping.  They fought too much to enjoy time together. 

"Where is it that you go, Dear?  There must be hundreds of different places around here." 

 "To be honest, I haven't gone to a salon in years," she replied, getting into the passenger seat of her parents' car.  "I wanted to keep my length for graduation."

   She kept it long for Keith and not just for graduation, but she couldn't very well tell her mother this yet.  Usually she wore it up in a ponytail, but on special occasions, she curled it and let it flow down her back.  She felt satisfied and comfortable with her appearance.  Never much feeling the need for prissiness, she figured why start now?  Only when her mother came to visit did she worry about her looks. 

Cindy's idea of a style?  Bobbed above the shoulders and curled under, with wispy bangs, like Buster Brown.  She felt young women should look and act innocent.  Jennifer understood why her mother felt the way she did.  The woman came out of the 60's.  But to pacify her, Jennifer said what she wanted to hear.

Finding a salon in a strip mall down the road from her apartment, they pulled in the parking lot and sat for a few moments.  "Mom, I want to ask you something." 

Cindy glanced over at Jennifer with a satisfied glow on her face.  "Yes...what it is?"  she asked. 

 "Do you ever...like...think of that night in the cemetery?"  Jennifer gazed down at her jeans, drawing circles in the material with her fingernail. 

Cindy gripped the steering column so tight, Jennifer thought she'd rip it off any second.  "I try very hard not to, and neither should you.  Why would you ever mention that again?" she snapped.  "That time is past, and I don't want to hear you talk about it again.  Save that for your shrink." 

Jennifer figured she'd say that, but she had to know how she felt.  For years, Cindy acted like it never happened and once, when Jenny finally felt ready to confront it, she twisted things and made it seem like her daughter caused it all, even though Claire carried just as much guilt.  "Why are you so bitter about this after all these years?  Damn it, mother, it helps to talk about it every now and then.  Otherwise, I'll go stark raving mad!  Accept the fact it happened and help me heal my wounds."

Cindy ignored her as usual.  "Leave the subject alone.  I don't want to hear about this again.  If you'd like to talk about something pleasant, fine.  But if you want to continue this ridiculous talk and dwell in the past, do it with someone else."  She grabbed her purse, storming out of the car. 

Trailing behind her, Jennifer refused to let this slide.  "Wait just a minute, Mother.  I need your support and I'm begging you to give it to me.  Understand?  Please?" 

Cindy whirled around, scowling.  "Enough, Jennifer.  When I'm ready to discuss Claire and the other girls, I will let you know.  But for now, you are getting your hair cut and graduating.  Nothing should ruin this moment for you."

 

***

           

After the stylist finished cutting Jennifer's hair, she sat looking in the mirror at her new hairdo.  Her bangs looked uneven and choppy, while the rest of her hair curled under below her earlobes.  She looked like she had on a weird round, hair-shaped hat.  What the hell had she done?  She knew she shouldn't have listened to her controlling mother!    

Jennifer almost cried the longer she gazed at the mess on her head and the shocking amount of dark hair on the floor surrounding the chair. 

"Well, what do you think?"  the beautician asked, plugging in the curling iron.  "This is such an easy hairdo to maintain.  Just wash and blow dry."

Jennifer cracked a fake smile.  She ran her fingers through the top of her hair then took both hands and tried to squash the poof from the sides of her head.  "I had something totally different in mind.  It's much too short and puffy." 

Immediately, Cindy blushed furiously.  She glared at Jennifer shaking her head.  "It looks lovely, Dear.  I see nothing wrong with it," she replied.  "I think once you get used to it, you'll see that it suits you."

Jennifer kept fingering the sides.  The style looked too fat for her taste and she didn't care for the cropped bangs.  "Maybe if the sides weren't so curled under, it might look better.  Sweep them back."  She slid her arms back under the cape waiting impatiently for the woman to finish. 

The inept hairdresser continued to work on Jennifer's hair, although Jen wondered if this chick had barely graduated from beauty school.  She picked up the straightener and began to flatten out the curls, when Claire's face jutted out at Jennifer in the mirror, like a 3-D movie.  Jennifer jumped up from the chair and yanked off the towel from around her neck.  The curling iron flung from the woman's hand and crashed to the floor with a hard clank.

 "Hey!  I'm not through with you yet," the hairdresser said.   

 "Yes, you are!"  Jennifer insisted, tossing the apron down on the seat.  Grabbing her handbag from the floor, she took out a twenty and handed it over to the woman.  "Keep the change, I'm out of here." 

With a galled look on her face, Cindy stormed out behind her.  "What's your problem, young lady?  Do you know how badly you embarrassed me?" she growled, jerking her by the arm. 

Jennifer broke loose from her mother's grip, got in the car and flopped down in the seat.  "Mother, don't start with me.  I have enough going on in my life right now and I don't need any more crap added to it.  Look what you did to my hair!  It's all about you, and that's the way it's always going to be, isn't it?" 

Slamming the door as she got into the car, Cindy started up again.  "What's with you?  Claire never spoke to her mother this way, and she wouldn't have talked to her like this on her graduation day." 

Jennifer's anger flared hotter.  Something in her snapped.  "Shut up!  How can you compare me to Claire?  She's dead, why won't you let her rest in peace?  That's all I ever hear you complain about.  News flash, Mother, my friends never made it to adulthood.  How would you possibly know what they'd act like now?  And besides, why is it that you tell me never to speak of them again, but whenever you feel it's convenient for you, you can trot out whatever the hell you want about them?" 

Cindy sighed.  She put her head down, holding onto the steering wheel.  "You know what...I promise I won't say another word to you about them.  I'm sorry for talking to you that way," she said pulling out of the parking lot.  "I realize that tomorrow's your big day, and the last thing you need right now, is my big mouth running at you constantly.  And your hair looks lovely, despite what you think.  Please forgive me." 

Jennifer slung the seat belt around her and gazed into her mother's pathetic, pouty face.  "Don't do it again.  I know you mean well, but I can handle my own affairs; trust me, I have for awhile now." 

 

***

Tossing and turning in her sleep, Jennifer awoke drenched in sweat.  She peeled the sheet and blanket off her then took off the socks she forgot to remove before going to bed.  Damn, another nightmare, she realized, getting up and going into the bathroom to wash her face and change her gown.  Reaching for a washcloth in a cabinet above the toilet, a sudden cold breeze wrapped her in shivers.  Goose bumps spread up and down her damp body. 

Jennifer ignored her discomfort and wet her rag with cool water.  I'm gonna be tired as hell in the morning, she thought wiping her face.  Dark circles ran through the puffy bags under her eyes.  She stood there gazing into this face she no longer recognized.  You're so damned old, she said.  How in the hell did you attract Keith?  She tried to comprehend.  Here she had a gorgeous man with flawless skin and the whitest teeth she'd ever seen and yet she looked twice his age, with stress lines running across her face.  The thought that he wanted to marry her overwhelmed her.  Well, whatever he loves about you, you'd better hang on to it. 

Continuing to wipe her face, the chilled air intensified, wrapping its icy fingers around her legs and midriff.  The faster she tried to clean herself, the worse the situation became.  "Claire!  If you're there, show yourself." 

Nothing stirred in the bathroom, but she could still feel something standing behind her.  Turning toward the bedroom, Jennifer fluttered her hands through the air, to see if it would recoil, but the breeze kept moving closer. 

She sat the washcloth down on the sink and rushed back into the bedroom.  Suddenly, an icy blast went right through her.  Then a sweet smell permeated the air, engulfing her with jasmine.  Jennifer lifted her nightgown to her face when suddenly, she knew Claire came to see her.  "Where are you?  I can smell your scent all over me.  Please let me see you, Claire." 

As the words fell from her lips, the light flickered out in the bathroom.  The room darkened as a bright light rose from the floor. 

Backing up, Jennifer barricaded herself against the bed, falling back against the mattress.  Quickly getting under the covers, she pulled them up by her eyes, peeking out to see what roamed through her room.  A silhouette appeared at the base of her bed, looking so peaceful and glowing like an angel.  With a whispering sound coming from the light, Jennifer barely heard what she said. 

"It's me-Claire." 

Jennifer trembled.  She threw the covers up over her head and slowed her breathing. 

 "Did you forget about me?"  Claire asked with sadness in her eyes. 

Jennifer peeked through a small opening in the blanket and there stood Claire, front and center.  Frightened, Jennifer stifled a scream as Claire picked up her hand and gently placed it on her face.

 "It's me, Claire.  Don't you remember me?"  she asked once again.

"How-how do I know it's really you?" 

A tear fell from Claire's eye.  She knelt down beside the bed removing the cover from Jennifer's head.  Jennifer shivered from the cold air radiating off of Claire.  "Is it really you?" she whispered.  "I'm so sorry you're not here in the flesh.  Can you ever forgive....?"

Claire placed her finger over Jennifer's trembling lips before she continued to speak.  "There's nothing to forgive my friend.  You saved me from Maddie Ann's clutches and I will never be able to thank you enough." 

Jennifer pressed her warm hand against Claire's chilled transparent hand and as she did, beautiful mountains appeared before her.  An array of flowers, ones she'd never laid eyes on before, spread out on top of that mountain range as far as the eye could see.  Smack dab amid the mountains, she spotted a ridge with a waterfall pouring over the side into pools far below, surrounded with big oaks and green grass.

"You see it, don't you?"  Claire asked.  Her face began to glow like the glow- worm toy Jennifer used to play with growing up. 

"Yes...it's so amazing.  Is this Heaven?"

Claire giggled.  "No, it's a place God puts us until we go to Heaven," she explained.  "If you really concentrate, you can smell the sweet scent of the flowers and hear the water flow through the streams."

Jennifer closed her eyes still pressed against Claire's transparent hand.  When she did, she stepped into this world unimaginable to the human race.  The sky shone crispy blue, with white clouds rippling across the horizon.  She wiggled her toes as she realized she had no shoes on and the grass felt warm under her feet.  Suddenly, a flock of birds flew overhead and a cool breeze whirled around her.  "Can I stay?"  Jennifer whispered.  "The energy is calling me."

Claire shook her head and moved her hand away from Jennifer's face.  "Someday you can be with me, but for now, you must stay here."

As much as Jennifer wanted to believe that, she couldn't see herself in such a peaceful place.  If what Maddie Ann told her came to pass, she'd see the pits of hell instead.  "I'm afraid I will never join your afterlife.  You know the Black Souls will come after me once I return to Old Creek.  And even if I change my mind and stay here, they will be there at my bedside to take me when I take my last breath upon death."

Claire turned away from Jennifer bowing her head.  "We can fix this.  I will never let Maddie Ann have you again.  You belong to God, not to the devil." 

"But she told me I belonged to her and no matter what force tried to break me free from damnation, it would fail."

   Suddenly, Claire faded back into the shadows dancing on the wall. 

Jennifer heard a faint cry and then silence.  "Claire...wait!  Where are you going?  Please don't leave me here," she cried.

After two minutes and Claire did not reply, she flopped back on her pillow, feeling her heart vibrate through her hands on her chest as it pounded in her ears.  Turning her bedside light on, she turned over on her side and gazed at the wall, too wound up to go back to sleep.