Into the Wilderness

An intake of breath seemed amplified in the breathtaking views of Cecilia's first views of the Irish countryside. 'Begging your pardon ma'am, but are you Ok?' The train conductor had stopped just behind Cecilia and started her out of her reverie with his question. They had reached her stop and she was so overcome of what lay in front of her she had failed to even step onto the platform. Cecilia started to apologize in a somewhat shaky manner, but the conductor merely laughed at her, his blue eyes smiling gently down at her as he chuckled
'Don't worry young miss. I seem to get a lot of people with your reactions. Beautiful, I know. You don't ever get over the views. Do you need any help getting your suitcase down?'
Cecilia smiled warmly at him, unconsciously comparing him to the not so-polite conductors at home; dishevelled at never really having encountered a stranger that was so friendly and at ease with the passengers. 'No thank you, the shock has worn off slightly so I think I'll be okay now. But thank you. And it was lovely to meet you' she hastened to add as she clambered onto the platform.

Watching the train flew by she once again  found herself being sucked into the countryside consuming her; her plans of hiring a car to meet Alec flew far from her mind. A walk in the tranquil Irish countryside, inspiration is exactly what was needed. At that moment Cecilia couldn't think of any better to do. As she made her way across of acres upon acres the woodland Alec's face would not seem to leave her mind; it swam annoyingly perfect in front of her making her wonder what his true intentions were for this trip.Cecilia had longed for years to experience Ireland; it had been her dream to discover the rich culture, and to be able to wallow in the glorious beauty, that dream was commonly known around her peers.  And it seemed that Alec was like her knight in shining armour, saving her from a life of increasing hardship, if only for a while by inviting her to stay for a month. But where, she had no idea. If anybody knew how to antagonize her and leave her waiting, Alec did, just like his parents when she was a small child.

Cecilia's parents had both passed away, years ago, she could hardly remember their faces, but she was constantly told that her stubbornness was that of her mothers, and her patience and kindness of her father. She took pride in hearing of them, no-matter how much pain it caused her. Now, she lived with her two younger brothers, and her sister, and her beloved Grandfather and Grandmother. Without them, her and her family would not be standing today, Cecilia would be now and forever, truly thankful. She loved them. More than she could ever love anything else.'Amazing what a few blend of colourful flowers can do to your thoughts' Cecilia muttered to herself, scolding herself at her transparency of over active emotions. She was now nearing the village that she and Alec had set on, her pace seemed to quicken and her heart gave a tiny flutter as the shadow of her shining knight set before her.