The moment Jessica stepped out onto the street, she was knocked clean off her feet by a large object hitting her legs. On closer examination, that object appeared to be Charlie Anderson.
Dusting herself off, Jessica climbed up off the floor. When she looked to the direction Charlie had come from, the ominous shape of Margaret came out of the fog.
"Och, I'm sorry, Jessie. You'll have to forgive the missus. She's not too happy wi' old Charlie."
Shaking her head, Jessica looked from husband to wife, then pushed her way past the part of them. "You two need to grow up. You can't keep fighting in the streets like this."
"Now, don't you be telling me what I can and can't do, young lady. When you've lived as long as I have, with a useless lump like Charlie Anderson, then I might listen to what you have to say."
Unbelievable! The woman is fighting in the street and still feels superior to me. Without speaking, Jessica made her way along the cobbled street that turned into the winding hill to her home. Salt in the air stuck to her lips and made her thirsty. As she looked out over the cove, it took her a moment to realise she could see. The fog that swirled around the Rum Rum had disappeared. This was the first night since she moved there that she could see the waves as they crashed against the rocks. The roaring sound almost deafened her. Has it always been that loud? she wondered.
The touch on her arm made her shriek and jam back. She relaxed when she saw a young boy of about seven or eight standing in front of her. He wore dark trousers and a button up coat.
"Hello, are you all right?" she asked, wondering what such a young boy was doing out at gone midnight.
"Hello."
"What are you doing out here? It must be way past your bedtime. Where do you live? I'll take you home." She reached out to take his hand, and it was icy cold. "Oh, you're freezing. Come on, let's get you home."
She tugged his hand, but he didn't move. "No. I want to see the ships going out."
"Well, you're a bit early, I'm afraid. They won't be leaving for another few hours yet." Again, she tugged at his hand, and he didn't move.
"No. The ships. My pa will be leaving in the morning."
As he spoke, Jessica regarded his face that was as white as marble. His pinched features added to how small he looked, standing there in the dark.
"I tell you what, tell me your name, and we will think about what to do. My name is Jessica. What's yours?"
The sound of revellers in the distance drew her attention momentarily away, and when she looked back, he had gone. She clutched her hand, feeling the cold spot where his had been. "Child, where are you? Hey, little boy. We can talk. If you're scared of going home, I can help. Little boy!"
She did a 360 and scanned the roads in every direction. But he was gone. Vanished. That's not possible. As she climbed the hill back to her house, swirling fog encircled her path. As she unlocked her front door, she had the strangest feeling she wasn't alone.
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