Fleur de Aleta

Awake by: Aleta O'Brien She woke sometime after midnight with the distinct feeling that her subconscious had been drinking without her.  Her eyes remained closed, as if keeping them that way would retain that delicious feeling: the soft caress on her shoulder, the attentive look in his eyes, the soft breath on her neck.  But the sound of the CPAP machine took her dreamland away.  She desperately tried to grasp the disappearing dream, but the memory eluded her once she opened her eyes and saw her partner sleeping next to her.  The CPAP machine was a constant sound, the iPad was still on, and he farted in his sleep.  There would be no return for her.  She closed her eyes tight.  She tried to reconstruct the dream and, without realizing it, squeezed her thighs.  The dark room and fuzzy feelings allowed her to piece together more… the breath near her ear, the anticipation of a touch that hadn’t quite happened yet.  She remained perfectly still, b...

Mystery Key by: Aleta Grimball O'Brien The morning news warned that a cold front had moved in after last night’s storm. Her fingers pushed through the hangers in the closet until she found the dark green coat with the fur-lined hood. She was already ten minutes late. Cool mornings made it difficult to get out of bed. She quickly put on the coat, grabbed her purse, and hurried outside. Her hands found the coat pockets as she walked toward the car. That was when she felt something.  She stopped. If her neighbors were watching, they might have thought she had become a frozen sculpture. She pulled out the object and examined it in the palm of her hand. It was a small silver key, about half the length of her index finger. It looked like an antique. Between the cold and the knowledge that she was late, she shoved the key back into her pocket. While maneuvering through the morning traffic, however, her thoughts returned to it. Her mind raced through a list of possibilities. What did she n...

Chapter 17 Six months later, Eliza Jane Ward had a marker.  It was small, s imple.  The historical society had arranged it after the parish approved the corrected burial record. ELIZA JANE WARD 1873–1891 HER NAME IS REMEMBERED Mara disliked the last line initially.  Claire loved it.  They compromised by leaving it exactly as Claire wanted.  Mara maintained this was not compromise.  Claire maintained that winning was a form of compromise. Margaret Vale and Thomas Mercer were included in a small historical exhibit about the recovered records and the people who had protected Eliza. Silas Bell’s story was presented carefully.  Documented claims only.  No embellishment.  No convenient villainy where evidence did not support it. Mara insisted.  Helen agreed.  Claire complained that historical accuracy was ruining a perfectly good scandal. Daniel came to the exhibit.  He stood in front of Thomas’s photograph. “That’s your ghost?” “Gui...