Two Heart’s Beating

Lucy waited anxiously in the cold barn, the nigh breeze was seeping through the thin Cotten of her cardigan, making the hair’s on her arms stand up straight.

Perhaps she should go back.

No!

He promised he’d be here.

Looking down at her watch once more Lucy’s teeth were biting down on her bottom lip, not enough to make it bleed but enough to make her wince.

It was 1:45am, her sweetheart was forty minutes late.

They’d promised each other to meet in her family’s farm at exactly 1:05, that way she could be sure that her family were non the wiser.

Lucy had arrived at 1:05 on the dot, yet Anthony was no where to be found.

The only company besides her in the barn was a small yet beautiful barn owl perched in the top corner of her barn, tucked away in its nest with it’s beady eyes just starting intently at her.

It was as if the barn owl could see right into her soul, see the longing, the pain, the agony of being denied to one person you desire above all else, above money, above status.

Did the simple barn owl know that she would forever be barred from her true love, would be forced to sneak around in the early hours of the morning just to be with the other half of her soul.

Lucy had never expected to fall in love.

All her life Lucy had been brought up by her family to be the perfect housewife. Told that her choice’s would be chosen for her by her husband which her father would choose for her, just like her grandpapa had chosen her father for his daughter and her father had chosen her older sisters husbands. She would be moved into his house and begin her role as a dutiful wife and mother to their children.

That’s the role that Lucy’s family believed was a woman’s job, so why would Lucy think any different.

Then one warm summers evening she would meet him.

Anthony Bushwall.

Her fathers new stable hand.

At fist Lucy didn’t pay him much attention, why would she.

Her father banned his wife and daughters from interacting with any of the male workers on their farm beside her brothers of course.

She hadn’t even intended to ever speak to him, but one summer evening she had been in the orchard picking some of the apples off the tree’s.

Her mother was making an apple pie that evening and she had needed some fresh apples.

Lucy hadn’t been paying attention, while trying to reach at particularly juicy looking apple the wooden stool gave away from underneath her.

Lucy had expected to land on the soft dirt, Instead it was a pair of strong arms.

Anthony’s arm’s.

Neither had spoken yet they continued to hold eye contact, the was the Lucy had realised she was gone.

Lucy had never believed in love at first sight, yet here it was right in front of her.

It wasn’t long after that they began to secretly meet and after a few months those initial feeling’s grew.

Anthony had stolen her heart, not only with his striking features, but also his compassion and gentleness.

He was the first person that had ever treated Lucy with respect, who genuinely cared for what she had to say, wanted to hear her opinion’s, who instilled confidence and belief in herself that she could be more than what was expected of her.

Her Anthony was the man she wanted to be with, the man she wanted to marry, to share a life with.

She had planned to tell him tonight she was ready.

She wanted to take him up on his offer to help her escape the chains of her family, to take her to a place where she would be free to be who she wanted to be.

She had already begun secretly packing her bags.

Lucy had it all planned out, they’d leave tomorrow night after everyone was asleep, they’d walk into the town, obviously they wouldn’t be able to use the car. They get the first train ticket out of this town to wherever, as long as they were together it didn’t matter where they were. They probably rent a small shoebox apartment that Lucy was always seeing on the tv, she’d find a job, perhaps as a waitress and Anthony would have job working in landscaping, Anthony had always loved being in the outdoors. After they’d saved enough money they’d buy a house together, nothing to big but it would have a white picket fence and a small garden, they get married, just the two of them no one else. A few years down the line perhaps they’d have a couple of children, Lucy had always envisioned three, She’d watch as they ran around the garden without any of the pressures and expectations that were placed on her as a child. Then one day she and Anthony would sit on their porch together both with wrinkled skin and grey hair, holding hands and watching their grandchildren play.

It was perfect.

Lucy was shaken out of her thoughts by screeching, it was the barn own.

It’s fathers were all ruffled and it was hooting and screeching, though it was the look in its eyes that made the hairs on the back of Lucy’s neck stand up.

Fear.

The owl was scared, and the way it kept looking at her, almost as if it were warning her.

Suddenly Lucy heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps.

Squinting Lucy tried to see through the gathering fog, and when her eyes, finally adjusted to the sight in front of her the blood in Lucy veins turned to ice.

Anthony was walking towards her, tears streaming down his face, blood leaking from a fresh cut along his forehead, the look in his eyes was one of defeat and right behind him standing with a hunting gun pressed into Anthony’s back was her father.

A fearsome scowl was marring his face, this eyes were like stormy black pools they were swirling with hints of insanity.

“Looking for someone?” Her fathers gruff voice sent goosebumps up her arms.

“Father-“

“I don’t want to hear it! I’m a fair man Lucy, but there is one thing I won’t stand for and that is disloyalty. In fact let me show you exactly what happens to those who disobey me.”

The sound of the gunshot was so loud it ratted her eardrums, yet Lucy was far from caring.

Lucy watched In despair as Anthony fell face first to the ground a perfectly shaped hole in the back of his head.

A gut wrenching, heart pulling wail assaulted Lucy ear’s, not just anyone’s wails, hers.

Her leg’s gave out and Lucy slumped to the floor, unable to find the strength to stand Lucy all but pulled herself to the still form of her love who by now had already passed onto the land beyond.

Sobs tore out of Lucy’s mouth, tears were clouding her vision, yet still she found the strength to get to Anthony lifeless body.

It felt like the wind had been kicked from her body, her heart had been pulled out of her chest and stomped on right in-front of her.

The pain was agonising.

All she could do was grip the body of her dead love and sob.

Lucy was so far gone in grief she didn’t even acknowledge the footsteps what were coming towards her.

“You don’t need to cry daughter you’ll be with your so called love soon.”

Lucy lifted her head only to be met with the end of the barrel.

There was one last gunshot.

Lucy slumped against her lover, it was so quick Lucy didn’t even have time to register any pain.

The life was fading from her.

With one last look up, Lucy’s rapidly dimming eyes came to rest on the barn owl that was still tucked in the top corner of the barn, yet the hooting and screeching had stopped, now the owl only stared, perhaps she had imagined it but moments before everything went dark Lucy swore she saw a stray tear fall from the left eye of the owl.