Third time's a charm

The buildings of the town began to recede in our vision as we returned to walking up the highway. At one point a large tour bus roared by causing us to scramble to the side of the road, but otherwise it was an extremely quiet hike towards the familiar point.

"Wait a second. Stop here." Helen remarked, pointing to a small clearing that lay between the road and the ocean. It was wide, with a few trees at one end and a steep descent to the crashing waves nearby.

"What's going on?" I asked, noting the slightly lighter air.

"I'm sorry. I wish..." And with that her voice faded, and I turned to see nothing where she had been standing just a moment before. This seemed like it happened before, somehow. The dream... it was back. I whirled, scanning for the vehicles that I expected to see. Nothing.

I pulled my fingernails to the inside of my left arm and scraped down hard. It hurt, bad. It was real. I glanced around, the fog still present but somehow lighter than before. A rose light seemed to emanate from the cliff, and I found myself drawn into the open space in the fog. My feet crunched along the soft dirt of the turnout, the guardrail to the ocean marking the barrier. From below, the pale reddish light continued to pulse, a beacon that seemed familiar.

And then I heard Charlotte's laugh. Musical. From everywhere. It seemed to echo from the ocean, off of the fog. From the very ground. I felt my breath catch, and I tried to see her, to take in her presence, but it was everywhere. It seemed to move from one side to the next, never holding still, and as it moved the light continued to grow in stature.

"Surprise..." Charlotte's voice echoed in my ears, and the light became nearly blinding.

And then there was Charlotte. Exactly the same as I had seen her that first night. Emerald Green Shirt, Long Red hair let down from braids and gently flowing across her lush and desirable body. Her eyes promising everything I could desire, and I felt a deep primal urge to have her again. To give her what we both wanted, what we both had wanted.

She stepped forward, each step a sensual movement that made me think of a predatory animal. Her eyes were hungry, and I remembered that look from the previous night. What those eyes had promised, if only the Bus hadn't chosen that moment to...

Charlotte smiled softly and brought her upraised finger to her lips. She shook her head softly and continued to step towards me, her curves and motions promising warmth, comfort and love. So much love.