Written in Ruberah

Keep a look out, Mitch says. We should be close to the road leading to Trellan Bay. They approach a roundabout, and Mitch downshifts and guides the car into the traffic whizzing around the concrete circle. e !isses his turn. "a!ning the British for their silly traffic syste!, he circles back and #eers onto the correct road. $fter a few yards of pa#ed surface, the road beco!es little !ore than a dirt lane. Mitch eases the hatchback between hedgerows o#ergrown with long, lacy weeds that flop against the windows. $ncient el!s tower abo#e, darkening the day. %esus& Miria! eyes the narrow lane. What happens if we !eet a car co!ing in the other direction' (et)s hope we don)t. Mitch tightens his grip on the wheel and steers the car around a sharp bend. The road plunges downhill at a terrifying angle. e na#igates the twists and turns, passing perilously close to the edge where the land falls sharply away. $ waterfall gushes through a ra#ine in the cliffs. *unlight plays in !ist rising off the water. $ rainbow spans the sky. Mitch rounds another turn in the road. The shining body of the $tlantic spreads before hi!, hea#ing and rolling to shore like a carpet of dia!onds. Wa#es crash against the sharp+serrated cliffs, car#ing a

sa#age face on the land. The sky swells with yellow and pewter clouds. Miria!)s breath catches in her throat. This sudden pro,i!ity to nature !akes her feel #ulnerable. *he longs to be back in the concrete safety of her -ew .ork apart!ent. $ dark green /ange /o#er approaches. The general rule on these roads is that the person tra#eling uphill has the right+of+way. Mitch is lucky the dri#er of the /ange /o#er is (ance 0enrose, owner of the inn. (ance tips his fingers to his tweed cap and re#erses. The hatchback and the /ange /o#er tra#el downhill, radiator to radiator. This is the craziest thing 1)#e e#er seen, Miria! says. ow can you ha#e a hotel in a place where you ha#e to take your life in your hands to get to it' Mitch laughs. To! /eilly told !e that local lore clai!s no one is the sa!e after a stay at Penrose Hall. 1 belie#e it. The road le#els and widens a little. (ance 0enrose pulls off to the side to let Mitch and Miria! pass. The bri! of his cap shadows his face, but Miria! catches a cast of sadness in his eyes. is !isery touches her. er neck hairs prickle. *he looks 2uickly beyond hi! to a spread of rich, green fields that sweep down to the

edge of the cliffs. $ herd of 3uernsey cattle huddle together, grazing, while sheep nibble under a sprawl of large oak trees. (ook at that girl, Mitch says, pointing his finger in front of Miria!. Miria!)s glance falls on a girl riding a black horse, galloping flat out, heading toward the inn. er fla!ing red hair trails behind her like a ri#er of fire. *he leans forward on the beast, her face nuzzled in his !ane. $ sense of d456 #u sweeps o#er Miria!7a sense of so!ething lost. This is fantastic, Mitch says. That !ust be Kate 0enrose, daughter of the owners. e bangs a fist on the steering wheel. 1)ll be darned. To! /eilly said that as you near Penrose Hall, you)ll see a girl with long, red hair riding a black stallion. Mitch lowers his window and sniffs the salty air. Words spin in his !ind. e)ll pour the! into his co!puter as soon as he)s settled in. Thoughts of To! /eilly and the !etaphysical 5unk he writes about increases Miria!)s an,iety about the place. *he rifles the cigarettes fro! her bag. Mitch snatches the packet fro! her and stuffs it in his 5eans pocket. .ou 2uit, re!e!ber' 3odda!!it, Mitch. "on)t tell !e what to do. 3i#e the! back to !e.

1)! trying to help you, Mir. Mitch guides the hatchback onto a gra#el pathway. .ou 5ust spent a fortune to 2uit s!oking and lose twenty pounds. .eah, well it was !y fortune. Mitch bites his lip. They ride in contentious silence. Penrose Hall co!es into #iew. True to its brochure, the ancient house stands on the cliffs abo#e Trellan Bay. (ong, !ullioned windows front on the dri#eway, and a portico o#erhangs the!, supported by twel#e pillars that for! an i!pressi#e colonnade. $ swathe of pink !ist clings to the turrets of a s!all, round tower rising abo#e the west wing of the hall. *un sparkles in the 2uartz+rich granite, lending the house a fairy+tale 2uality of belonging to the sky. Mitch stops the car and hauls up the parking brake. e fu!bles for the keys, knocking the windshield wipers on as he searches for the ignition. "a!n& Miria! yanks the keys fro! the lock and slaps the! in his hand. *he opens the door, puts one foot on the dri#eway, and then draws it back. 1 don)t know. Mitch eases hi!self fro! the dri#er)s seat and struts o#er to Miria!)s side. Mir 8 listen 8 9laine told !e she)s going to get clean and stay clean this ti!e. *he said that the last ti!e.

-ot to !e. Mitch and 9laine. Miria! cannot fatho! their relationship. *o!ething passed between the! upon first sight of one another. Miria! felt it slip through air7a slender recognition of so!ething shared. They sit ne,t to each other on the sofa like a storybook #ersion of a father and daughter watching T:. They #iew whate#er progra! the other selects and laugh at the sa!e things, usually in contrary a!use!ent. They seldo! speak, but when one does, the other listens as if pri#y to top+secret infor!ation. Miria! searches Mitch)s e,pression. 9laine really said that to you' .eah. Miria! swings her feet onto the gra#el path and stretches her ar!s abo#e her head. *he !ust con#ince Mitch that it)s ti!e to !o#e in together. Mitch !ay be a little #ague, as if separate fro! the e#eryday nuances of life, but he has endearing 2ualities too. e often brings her flowers7usually three or fi#e carefully chosen blosso!s nestled in a piece of e,otic greenery. When he gi#es the! to her, she feels like the !ost lo#ed person in the whole world, and her ner#es fuse as if she)s hardwired to be with hi!. *he lo#es hi!. 9laine lo#es hi!, and 9laine needs the co!fort of fa!ily life. 3ulls swoop and wail. The eternal thud of the sea pounds against the land, and a bank of clouds block the sun. The thundering of horse)s hoo#es draws near. The great black stallion sails o#er a hedge and lands on the dri#eway, clouding the air with dust.

Kate dis!ounts. "espair shadows her e,pression7a grief that pains Ta!ara. Kate, Ta!ara)s earthly helper, was born with her spirit #ision open. Ta!ara co!!unes telepathically with Kate. *he has since her birth. Ta!ara catches the girl)s glance and knows at once that Kate has percei#ed Miria! could resol#e the sadness she)s carried for nearly a !onth now. The girl narrows her eyes7pools of deep green, like ancient 5ade. *he studies Miria! and then looks back at Ta!ara. *he)s the one to bring her ho!e, isn)t she'