The Girl With Aquamarine Eyes (36 page)

He could recall nothing.

He sighed in despair, confused and saddened he couldn’t
remember who she could be. He lay back on the pillow, tears of sorrow slowly
filling his dark eyes.

Minutes later he determinedly wiped them away. He struggled
to the edge of the bed and stared once again at the unknown angel. Quietly, he
picked up the largest book he could grasp. It nearly fell from his hands, but
he slowly managed to pull it onto the bed next to him.

He heaved himself up, panting in exhaustion. Finally, he
caught his breath and launched the book into the air, watching in glee as it
spun madly about and crashed to earth.

“What in the world?” Heaven leapt from the chair, taking
with her a tangle of blankets and pillows. She rubbed the knot on her head, and
glared at Bice.

Bice smiled at her sweetly, and fluttered his dark lashes.
He pointed to the bookshelf behind the chair, and grinned. “It must’ve fallen.”

She whirled around and stared at the empty wall. “There is
no bookcase there, Bice.” She turned back to him. “Bice?”

He smiled at the girl. “Heaven!”

“Oh, Bice!” She rushed to him and leapt into his
outstretched arms.

“My dear, dear girl.” He whispered as he held her close. “Thank
you, Heaven. Thank you.”

After he regained his strength, Bice was overcome with the sudden
urge to study hurricanes. He bought book after book, relentlessly pouring over
them late into each night. Once in awhile if the notion struck him, he’d toss
one at Heaven and point to an invisible bookcase behind her.

Harmon fretted for weeks over the loss of his prized
Ferrari. Finally, with Bice and Hawk at his side for support, he managed to
somberly enter his garage. He eventually picked out another, in a different
color. But it just wasn’t the same as the shiny red one.

Hawk continued to work for the odd family, and on occasion
if he talked sweetly to Bonita, she’d fry him up a batch of tasty donuts. He
never asked what happened that awful night. Because deep down he knew, and
besides, he didn’t talk much anyway.

Tommy and Heaven remained the best of friends. She told him
his father tossed her cell phone into the darkness that dreadful night. He
breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe one day he would tell her he loved her. But
for now, he was happy to be her best friend.

Harmon gave him back the Lamborghini. Now, girls were
falling at his feet like gumballs each time he turned the key. But he was
always on his way to a certain secluded mansion on a hill to visit a very odd
family, and to see a very special girl. A lovely girl with aquamarine eyes.

He turned the key and smiled, as the racecar’s engine roared
to life...

* * *

Shelley Madden is an award-winning author who resides on her
small farm in Wise County, Texas, along with her ponies, poultry, dogs and
cats. She enjoys writing, fishing, shooting her pink guns and falling off her
horse, Diamond.

She writes a weekly column for an entertainment magazine,
is a guest columnist for a local paper and is a frequent contributor to
Heartwarmers and Petwarmers.

Her short stories have been published on numerous
websites world-wide, and broadcast on radio.

She aspires one day to learn how to change the light bulb
in her gun cabinet.