GHOST by Crystal Daniels EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Author: Crystal Daniels
- Language: English
- Formats: PDF / EPUB
- Status: Available For Free Download
- Genre: Short Stories
- Price: Free
- File Size: 2 MB
GHOST
I close my eyes, listening to the sounds of nature surrounding me. The
squirrels scamper across the tree branches, and geese honk as they fly in
formation above the open meadow. I open my eyes and breathe in the dewy
air, which smells of pine, oak, and moss. I scan the open field beyond the tree
line, taking in the light gray mist blanketing the grassy area as I sit in silence.
Silence. It can be your greatest adversary and your worst enemy.
I’m a loner, and over the years, I’ve grown to like my life the way it is. I
answer to no one. Keeping myself closed off from the world can sometimes
be a heavy weight pressing on my chest. Still, the hurt of loneliness is far less
painful than allowing yourself to love and then losing it all.
Solitude is where I find refuge. I live off the grid—away from people, in
the middle of the woods, inside a small cabin—where I survive off what the
land provides. My life is simple, and I prefer it this way.
I spot movement and watch a large buck slowly make its way out into the
clearing. I’m encapsulated in the silence and by the steady rhythm of my heart
beating while staring at the young buck through the rifle’s scope. The deer
raises his head, and from his mouth, blades of grass fall while he chews. His
instinct keeps him tuned in to his surroundings, always looking for danger.
The six-point antlers on top of his head span wider than his shoulders. I
admire the majestic creature for a moment longer before pulling the trigger.
Another successful kill.
A calm breath leaves my body.
I rise from my seat attached to a sturdy oak tree where I’m hidden several
feet above the ground. I sling my rifle over my shoulder and descend the
ladder to the forest floor. I make my way to my kill and kneel. “Thank you,” I
murmur, knowing his life will now sustain mine. Every life has a purpose.
Just like she had a purpose.
In an instant, I’m having a flashback and find myself swimming in the
past, drowning in memories of her.
Four years ago
My wife looks over her shoulder at me while pouring freshly harvested
honey into a sanitized mason jar. Her bottom lip pushes out in a pout. “Do
you have to go?”
“It’s only two weeks.” I stroll across the kitchen, and Amber catches a
drop of honey on her finger and turns to face me.
“Taste?” she offers, and I lean in and suck the honey off her fingertip. The
sweetness explodes in my mouth while I lose myself in her sapphire-blue eyes.
“Good?” She smiles, pulling her finger away.
“Not as sweet as you.” I bury my face in the crook of her neck, breathing
in the scent of honey and wildflowers and thinking how lucky I am.
“It’s not fair.” Amber moans as my lips linger against her skin.
“It’s my job.”
She sighs. “I know, but we said ‘I do’ three days ago. Can’t they get
someone else to go after the bad guys?”
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