You've Got Mail! (Weekend Freewrite -- 09/07/2019)

Prompt First Sentence: Jace looked so content and comfortable with his horse. The mailbox...

Image by Bernd Hildebrandt from Pixabay

...at the front of his porch however, seemed to be calling out to him; its unassuming red paint almost like a beacon of what lay inside.

Deciding to check its contents, Jace slowly led his horse towards the porch steps before dismounting. "Bills, flyers, coupons, and..." Finally checking the contents of the mailbox, Jace suddenly stopped and stared at a bright-red envelope amidst the pile.

Stuffing the other contents back inside the mailbox, Jace hurriedly opened the aformentioned envelope. After reading it though, he all-but suddenly mounted his horse and rode toward the distance.

Image by sorawith homsuwan from Pixabay

Prompt 2
She sighed, shook her head. "He called me about the middle of the morning, I think it was

...about the train schedules coming into town." That was what the woman at the ticket booth told Sasha, when she asked whether she'd seen Jace. In a small farmtown like Coalsco, everyone knew who was who, and your business was everybody's business.

In Sasha's case however, it seems that the man she had business with was nowhere to be seen. Even when she tried calling him, but it was always sent to voicemail.

Giving up and deciding to just find her way around town, she was just outside the train station contemplating on which mode of transportation she would take when, "Well if it isn't lil' Miss Muffet, just minus the porridge stains now huh?"

Stopping in front of Sasha was a pickup truck filled with flocks of sheep. Although momentarily distracted by the simultaneous sounds of "Baah, baah, baah.." from the fluffy animals, Sasha couldn't help the grin that formed on her face at seeing the man behind the wheel, his old-gentle eyes twinkling with amusement despite his thick specters.

"Ole' man Jenkins! It's been so long! I see you haven't retired? How are you?" Sasha greeted as she hugged the old man through the open car window.

Reciprocating the show of affection, Jenkins laughed heartily as he said, "Retirement? That's just for the old in spirit! Hah!" Seeing as Sasha was alone, he continued to ask, "Jace not up for show? I thought I taught that boy some manners!"

"I was actually planning to head up to his place to give him a piece of my mind for ditching me today." Sasha said smiling. "Well, I ain't opposed to that! How 'bout I give you a lift? These herd will just be delivered along there." Jenkins gestured at the flock he had in his truck.

Seeing it as an opportunity to also ask about the going-ons in the town in the years that she was gone, Sasha agreed.

Looking out into the wide fields of green and the occasional grazing cow, Sasha couldn't help but reminisce her childhood here in the town of Coalsco. She and Jace were childhood friends, turned highschool sweethearts. It wasn't until college when she got accepted at a university in the city, that she and Jace got separated.

That didn't stop them from having a long-distance relationship though, what with the influx of social media these days, although they opted for the good old-fashioned letter from time to time.

With Jace having inherited the family farm right after college however, and her finding a job in the big, bright city, with only holidays as her free time to come home; it's like they've reached an impasse in their relationship.

They've discussed their future together for a couple of years now and just recently, Sasha sent out a letter regarding her final decision. "Now if only Jace wasn't missing in action.." Sasha briefly thought.

"Alrighty then! Here's your stop, I'm sure you still remember Jace's place is just down that way, right?" Jenkins indicated to his left while slowing the truck to a stop. Nodding and saying her thanks, Sasha just about got off the vehicle when Jenkins called out to her, "By the way, Jace told me to give you this once I picked you up!" Handing her a small, red velvet pouch, Jenkins winked and started the engine.

Making sure she heard right, Sasha was just about to call out to the old man, when she saw that the truck was already turning the corner. Shaking her head, Sasha suddenly remembered the small item in her hand, and decided to see what it was. Inside, lay a thin, silver chain with what appeared to be an odd-looking pendant. It briefly reminded Sasha of a cog you'd usually see inside grandfather clocks; albeit this was smaller than her palm and had a gold shimmer to it.

Deciding to look at it closer later, she pocketed it and started the short walk to Jace's property.

Image by Sadia from Pixabay

Prompt 3
in the damp earth were boot prints

...which Sasha found in Jace's backyard. As there was no one to answer the front door
, she decided to head out back to try her luck through the backdoor.

Now the usual boot prints wouldn't have stopped her dead in her tracks, seeing as she had lived in a town where boots were usually the go-to footwear, but these boot prints were tinged with a red substance.

With Jace nowhere in sight, Sasha couldn't help but think the worst. Shakily getting her phone, she decided to call him again. Imagine her shock when she heard a mobile ring nearby. Following the source of the sound, she briefly noticed that the boot prints were leading to the same place where the ringing seems to be coming from. Inside the barn.

Not wanting to take her chances, she decided to take the axe she spotted near some split firewood at her side. Taking a deep breath, she barged into the barn with a war cry when, "Woah! Woah! Woah!"

She stopped, her arms raised, frozen mid-swing. There was Jace, his green eyes wide in surprise, arms raised in defense. "Jace?", said Sasha in disbelief, lowering her arms but still holding the axe.

"Ok... We should probably start with putting this away before someone gets hurt.." Jace cautiously said while gently removing the axe from Sasha's grip. Though once her hands were of the object, she proceeded to slap Jace in the chest, "You! You scared me half to death! The bootprints leading here! The blood!" Sasha was ranting while Jace was trying to get what she was saying.

"What? Wha- blood?" His eyes brightened in understanding and he ended up laughing. Sasha stopped mid-rant at his sudden laughter and glared at him instead.

"That-ha, that was paint! Sorry luv, it was just paint! So sorry... sorry..." Jace said wiping his eyes, while catching his breath from laughing.

"Paint? Paint for what for?" Sasha crossed her arms against her chest and asked testily. Jace shook his head and held both her arms, soothingly rubbing out the tension there. "Look around you luv, what do you see?" he said, as he gazed down at her lovingly.

Sasha couldn't help but look around and be amazed at what she saw. The interior of the barn was painted a red color with some white left here and there; but what amazed her most was the effort used in decorating the beams and rafters with fairylights, giving the barn a soft glow as if fireflies decided to seek shelter inside the barn.

She also registered the scent of flowers and turned around to be greeted by a dozen red roses near the front barn's entrance. She returned her gaze back to Jace in wonder. "I was actually planning this weeks after I got your letter but... that wasn't exactly how I pictured your entrance.." Jace sheepishly rubbed his nape.

"Old man Jenkins said..." before Sasha could continue, Jace beat her to it by saying, "About that... I kinda asked him if he could drop you off here, so I'd have more time to prepare this surprise but... turns out it was you who surprised me..." Sasha blushed just as Jace remembered, "Did he give you the necklace?" he asked.

"Oh right..." fishing it out of her pocket, Sasha asked, "It's an odd-looking pendant, what's it for?" Jace just looked at her meaningfully while he produced a container shaped like a rose that has yet to bloom.

"You noticed it's shaped like a cog?" Sasha nodded, trying to get where Jace is coming from. "Well, think of me as a machine, luv. Once missing a piece, I'll stop working... You're my missing piece, Sasha, without you in my life, I'd lose my very purpose of existence..."

Leading Sasha's hand to the base of the container, the cog clicked in place before Jace turned it clockwise. The rose suddenly played a happy tinkling tune much like a music box, while it seemed to mechanically bloom in Sasha's hands.

There, Sasha stared in wonder at what lay amidst its synthetic petals. It was a ring. The diamond, place delicately on top of a gold band, seemingly shimmering under the fairylights inside the barn.

"I made it myself..." Jace said grinning at her, "...Just like how I'd like to make our relationship last..." He said suddenly turning serious.

Sasha smiled, tears flowing from her eyes. She was here for a reason, it was time to give Jace her final decision.

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