Josephine

Waking at 5am that morning, disorientated from my dream, I stretched and rolled out of bed. Another night terror, some were less gruesome than others but last night’s dream was pretty timid to what I would usually expect, even though I have never got use to them.

I ran my right hand through my bed hair, realizing that I had been sweating more than usual in my sleep as my hair stuck to my face like glue. I reached out for my bedroom door with my left hand, stopping still as I heard a creek on the stair case. I listened in silence for a minute and then heard Merlin purring as he pushed his head between the wooden door and the rusted oak frame, welcoming me with those doting orange eyes of his.

Merlin is a ginger tabby, a warm and silk like texture that is my cat, a big ball of friendly fur, just waiting to be cuddled like a kid’s first teddy bear. Strangely, he turned up on my door step a year ago and never left.

I walked down stairs to the kitchen, I had only been living in this house for a month but it already felt like my own place and not one that I had rented. I slipped on my white, cosey ugg like slippers that were sitting on the bottom step and slumped onto the kitchen tiles.

Filling up the kettle, a nice cuppa tea would settle me before the day starts but standing there I no longer felt like I was alone in my house; I could sense there was someone other than me and Merlin here. As I turned around, I saw a shadow sitting in the front room on the Chaise Lounge chair I had recently acquired. I walked towards the room, with caution, Merlin stood back unwilling to follow as I switched on the light and jumped! How had he got into my front room, why was he here at this time of hour and what did he want? 1000 questions whizzed through my head and my recent nightmare relapsed throughout my mind!

"Good morning Jenny, you really should look your back door; you know anyone could walk in and take advantage of you!" The words flowed like a calming spring, trickling out with no effort on his behalf.

You see, Nate was always like this. I never saw him during the ‘normal’ hours of a day, he just popped in and out as he pleased, which I thought would have changed when I moved, obviously not!

I met him 2 years back, when I was living in Ireland, I’d taken a year out after University and decided to trace my family routes, a lot of good it did me, I didn’t get passed Dublin but it still makes me chuckle to think of that year out.

Nate had shown up one night, in a pub I was working in as a barmaid, I needed the extra cash.

I’ll always remember him drifting up to the bar, like an effortless breeze swaying an open door too and thro. He smiled at me, with no lack of confidence he opened a conversation, which dwindled into the wee hours of that Saturday morning. I felt comfortable with him; I didn’t feel a savageness that he was out to get that one thing and then bugger off, like a majority of men I had met over the years. He evened offered to walk me home, which I was ecstatic about, my mind wondering off like a 14 yr old school girl, rather than the 24yr old woman I was then.

I saw Nate near enough every night from that day.

I only had 3 months left in Dublin before I decided to move back home to Ruscombe, Berkshire in England. With this, I felt saddened that I may not see him again but as the days, weeks and months passed, he assured me he wouldn’t be far off. He saw something in me, something that I was unsure of and I swear he was pulling my leg about his thoughts that he would tell me each night. Before leaving me at the foot of my door, things became a routine and Nate would tell me I was more than I thought I was. He had a special way of leaving thoughts and words hanging, like it was a guessing game and at times I felt like I was playing a never ending ‘hangman’ with him.

As time passed, our friendship grew but strangely, it felt more than that to me, like I couldn’t be without him! Just a silly thought really.
The night before I left Dublin, Nate paid me a visit and told me that he would be taking an extended visit to the UK, I didn’t realize at the time that he meant he’d stick with my shadow every single step I would take but this didn’t bother me.

So here I am, 2 years on and Nate still acts like we are ships passing in the night, as much as a pain this was, I never questioned his motives. I took a deep breath and exhaled "Nate, you continue to scare the hell out of me, I swear I locked that back door! Why can’t you use the front door, like every other normal person?"

Waiting for his response, I flopped my body onto the 3 seated sofa and curled up with my cuppa. "I’m not normal but Jen, my dear, you have known this about me for a while now and yet you do still dispute my actions". His soft, Glaswegian accent always caught me off guard, as I giggled and let this episode slide.

"At least put a lamp on, so I know you’re here, you still scare the crap out of me"

I yearned to be near Nate whenever possible!

He was handsome in an old worldly sort of way; 6”1, the natural muscle type, big pale green eyes, pasty skin, perfect white teeth. When he smiled, he would only ever reveal the front of his teeth, like he was holding back. The corners of his mouth would curl round his dimples. His short styled bed hair, a mild brunette colour would shimmer in any light. I swear his hair smelt like French vanilla. He had an addictive presence, one that I could never get over and needed, which he knew and played on at every chance he got. His jaw line was chiseled with high cheekbones, come to think of it he would be perfect catelog model material. He would be 30 in our world by now but didn’t look a day older and to be honest, he could still pass for a 27 year old.

This thought left me giggling a bit louder than I first imagined.

"Jen, what’s funny? Do tell, I could use some light entertainment after tonight", his eyes lit up as he looked out the front room window, searching for something, maybe nothing, before his stare landed on me.

"‘Not much, just thinking about you and how you always end up here, round about the same time". I looked to him for an answer, one I had wanted to ask for a long time now but knew I wouldn’t get. Even if I did ask!

"I wonder the same thing lass, I try to stay away but you’re like a magnet to me" his grin widened, showing a brightness through the lightly lit room before proceeding " You had another nightmare"; this seemed to be a statement rather than a question.

"I do worry about you, Jen, these dreams are.......... significant to some part of your life, they may have a meaning more than you can see". He does like his dramatic pauses

Nate had caught me off guard with that last sentence, I had never really told him the full content of my nightmares but he seemed to know the basic outlines.

"My dreams become stronger a week prior to the full moon, I’ve kept a diary of dates". I drew in a deep breath, realizing how I was passing myself off as. Any minute now the men in white jackets would be bursting through my front door!

"It always ends with the same male attacking me, He’s not a wolf but not a man, I cannot see his face but I know who he is. A cliche but strange, maybe I should stop watching horror films huh?"

I stopped there, realizing Nate had a fix stare on my face, my heart had begun pounding like before. I pulled my blanket up from the side of the sofa, to cover my top half and sighed again.

Reassuring me, Nate passed a final comment on my state, "They are just dreams Jen, don’t worry" .

He stood up and walked over to me, pressing his cool lips against my forehead, before pulling away and running his hand down the back of my neck. A shiver of excitement run through my body, with Nate smiling, he knew exactly what his presence, let alone his touch, did to me!

"I have to go for now Jen, I promise to be round tonight, 8pm OK with you?", still frozen by his touch, all I could manage was ‘perfect’ as he walked out the front door.

What am I going to do with myself; I ask that every single morning he leaves.

I looked over at the small clock on the radio across from me, it flashed 6am, I must have been sitting there dazing for a good half an hour after he left. At that point I decided to go for a hot shower, maybe it would shake me from my weird mood that I woke up with this morning, hopefully.

Walking up the stairs, I stopped and turned around to spot Merlin on my heels.

"Maybe I should check the front and back doors are locked Merlin, peace of mind and all"

Merlin looked at me blankly and retreated upstairs to my bedroom, whilst I trotted round downstairs.

You see, the difference between Nate and any other male I have known is a simple fact. Nate is not human but something more mystical.