Short Story
He was looking for an elk when he crossed Oshun’s path. Her skin was auburn like the trunks that circled all around them and her hair was wildly defining gravity. At first he raised his gun, startled since he didn’t hear her. She walked barefoot. Her feet sunk into the sponginess of fallen pine thorns and if not for the bright yellow dress she wore, he would’ve pulled the trigger.
“What are you doing out here?” He questioned.
Oshun wrapped her arms around a large black vase. “Getting water for my garden. Would you like some?”
Perplexed, he raised an eyebrow. She smiled, walked closer, and extended the vase full of lukewarm spring water his way. “It helps my roses grow. I know it will help you.”
His throat was a little parched. He took a sip and wiped away the droplets from his chin with the back of his hand.
“Would you like to see the garden?” Oshun asked in a whisper. She nodded her head down the path of fallen pines and he willingly followed in a daze of her allure. The holistic, high alert energy he held as he was hunting slowly diminished a couple of paces into their walk. Ever so often, she checked over her shoulder with a grin to see if he was still following.
“What’s someone like you doing out here.” He asked with honest curiosity.
“You’d be surprised how many people are out there like me. But to answer your question. My daddy owns a cottage close by.”
He raised his hand against his forehead to block the glare of the sun and gasped in amazement. When the wind blew and the roses rustled in unison it looked as if the garden was a sea of crimson. Oshun took his hand, lead him to the center, and sat down a rectangular space that only contained grass and a glossy stone.
“Isn’t it beautiful? Time seems to stand still while I’m out here. When I’m upset I just look at the roses and see them dance. Strange how they can capture my attention and take away all my problems. Shit that upsets me.” Oshun inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. “They all seem to vanish in stillness.”
He closed his eyes and did the same. Off in the distance he heard wind chimes, then a faint yell. His name being called by a fellow hunter. “When can I see you again.” He asked.
Oshun smiled and moved her lips close to his ear. “As long as I’m here, the garden will continue to grow.”
He joined his friends who all cheered as they strapped their kills to the roof of the truck. One questioned why he hadnt brought anything back and laughed at his empty hands. Little did they know he gained something from the days hunt.
Remembering mention of the cottage in front of the rose garden, he returned the next day with a fresh bouquet of flowers, and knocked on the door. A woman resembling Oshun, probably her sister, answered and sighed deeply. He instantly became sadden by the look on her face as her dark eyes fell on his gift. She took a sip from glass of red wine said, “You’re here for Oshun?”
He nodded. The woman set her glass down on a table next to the door and led the way through the house, out the back door and down a path laid with bricks. The roses greeted him with a wave in the wind. He smiled, but his clear disposition vanished when he realized Oshun wasn’t there in the clear grassy spot. The woman stepped beside the shinning stone. “Please make it quick. I’m not running a cemetery.”
