Whispered Promise

By Nita Davis

The first rays of morning peak through the curtains waking Rebecca from her restless sleep. The morning rays are calling to her, promising a warm and peaceful day amid the comfort of the woods. If she hurries she can be dressed and out of the cottage before anyone else awakes. She will have to hurry because if they awaken first she will be trapped indoors cleaning and cooking, while she listens to the old couple grumble about how ungrateful she is. How if not for them she would have no one to love and care for her. She slips on her favorite dress, not one of the cast offs from a relative doing their duty, but the pretty new yellow one her mother sent for her 10th birthday. As she softly tip toes down the narrow stairway that leads from the attic to the kitchen, she wonders why her mother or father don't come for her, maybe the old couple is right maybe her parents don't love and want her.  Escaping through the door of the loveless cottage her gloomy thoughts begin to lift. Within her mind her heart whispers 'It was not my parents choice that I live here, they do love me'. 

A path of small footprints is left in the thick morning dew as she makes her way quickly across the yard headed for the forest. The cold dampness of the dew upon her feet is soon forgotten as a warm glow comes over her. Entering the forest she whispers 'one day things will be different'.  The woods are alive with the glory of a new spring. All around her life is happy. The robins are welcoming the new morning with a song. Rebecca laughs with joy as she watches a pair of squirrels race past her in some animated game. The loneliness of the cottage left far behind she soaks in the beauty and love all around her. Gently she picks a bright cheerful blossom from its' home, careful to take only one so as not to erase its' beauty from the forest floor. Following the path that leads to the river she carefully gathers more flowers. Soon she has a small bouquet of fragrant blossoms that will find a new home in jar on her windowsill. Nearing the banks edge a feeling of wonder comes over her as she gazes upon the loveless cottage all aglow. 'One day I will have a home that is as warm and full of love on the inside as this one looks from the outside' staring down into the clear water she begins to see a young woman dressed in a beautiful wedding gown, holding a bouquet of flowers much like her own. The leaves in the trees begin to rustle as a whispered promise is carried upon the gentle breeze, 'Your dreams will come true'.

[ I often draw inspiration from paintings and photographs to write short stories. This story was inspired by a painting of a cottage on a lake in the middle of a forest with a young girl staring at a reflection in the lake. I am not sure who the painter was but I suspect it was either Thomas Kinkade or Terry Redlin as it had the glow they are both famous for. I hope you have enjoyed this short story. Whispered Promise while a short story is also the starting point for my next book project. ~ Nita]