A Quiet Afternoon

Mindy has been waiting for this for weeks. She has a brand new puzzle that she has been desperate to do. This weekend's forecast is perfect weather for it. Rain, all weekend, and she has no plans; it’s going to be perfect. After work on Friday, she made a point of getting the house clean.

So on Saturday, as the rain falls outside her window and the grey sky rolls on by, Mindy dumps the puzzle out on her kitchen table. She loves the sound it makes and that cardboard smell. She quickly starts sorting the pieces, and she feels a wave of peace wash over her.

"This is exactly what I needed," she sighs contentedly. She starts to put the edge pieces together, and she stares at the picture. It's a woman standing on the shore in a white dress, holding a violin. The shore isn't sand, it's a piano fading into sand. 

When Mindy first bought the puzzle, she thought the boat was leaving, but looking at it now, the boat was definitely returning. The photo had tugged at Mindy's imagination at the store. Was the woman waiting for a lover? Or preparing for battle? So many options. 

As she places pieces together, her mind unwillingly wanders to the fight between her and her boyfriend, Eddie, had before he left for his short-term research project. She’d been so mad he’d agreed to go without talking to her first, she’d said things she hadn’t meant, but neither of them had picked up the phone to call. What if neither of them picked up the phone again? Would those be the last words she spoke to him? 

Tears prick at her eyes, and the lines of the puzzle start to blur. Mindy shuts her eyes hard, forcing the tears away. She draws her eyes away from the puzzle and back to the photo on the box. She’d seen so much whimsy in the photo at the store, a woman watching her lover go, sending him off with the violin farewell. Now that she sees the ship is returning, it makes her heart ache. 

Is the water moving in the picture? She leans in closer; her table feels rougher, more like stone than her woodgrain table. She has to have been sitting here longer than she thought she had; she should take her break. The rain must be falling harder than before; it sounds like waves crashing against the shore. Her kitchen chair feels stiff and uncomfortable. 

Is there a window open somewhere? She could feel rain on her skin. Wait - When did she take off her cozy sweater? She rubs her eyes, her kitchen table is gone, her house has vanished, and she is in the picture from her puzzle! "I have to be dreaming. right?" she pinches her arm and feels the pain, and groans, "I just wanted a simple afternoon! Not some fantasy world experience." She beats her fists against the rock she realises she's sitting on. As she does, she realizes she's gripping a paper, and she slowly unfolds it,

My Dearest, Melinda, 

My heart aches to leave you, but the king needs me and my men, and I must protect our hidden magical island. I swear on my love for you that this is the last war I will help this foolish king fight. When I return, together we will play music and hide the island and its people forever. Watch the shoreline, my love, when you see the mast of my ship, play your violin, and I’ll know that I am home. Don't give up on me, my muse. I will return.

Ever yours.

Edward

"Well, he has a flair for the dramatics, doesn't he?" she chuckles, but the sound is hollow; She had a drawer full of Eddie's silly love notes in her vanity, he used to tape them to her mirror so she’d find them when she got ready for her day, hours after his started. The note rushes her pushed away feelings to the surface. 

This man truly loved his muse. It felt wrong to take this girl's place. She leans back, and her hand hits a case. It must be this girl's violin. She pulls it onto her lap. "But, what if I didn't get his Melinda skill set?" 

She pulls out the violin, her hands tracing over the instrument, trying to unlock the knowledge Melinda has, and to her surprise, her body seems to know how to hold it and how to prepare the bow.

“Whoa," her voice soft as she feels the power flow through her. She leaves the rock and walks towards the shore. She sees sails in the distance. "Edward!" Her heart leaps in her chest, and she runs to the shore. She feels the sand cool beneath her and to cold water lap at her feet. "Okay, I can do this for Melinda and Edward, so they can have the next chapters in the love story." 

She brings the violin up to her chin and closes her eyes, “Trust yourself," she whispers and starts to play a song. She feels a longing come from her soul. Melinda's longing for Edward mixes with her longing for Eddie; her heart feels as if it has cracked, and emotions pour out into the song. She briefly opens her eyes to find the ship heading towards her. As the ship gets closer, the sand seems to be pulled into the water, and piano keys appear beneath her feet; she feels compelled to dance across them. As she plays the violin, she dances across the keys, surprised at how powerfully her body moves; her dress flows, adding to the magic. The music seems to pull the ship to safety. More instruments join in, and she opens her eyes and sees who must be the people of the island join in. 

She's also sure the crew members are playing too. The music swells, and she feels her heart swell with joy and love. The ship runs ashore. People stop playing and race to their loved ones. The beach becomes a crowded, cacophony of music, tears and cheers. She continues to dance through the crowd while playing her violin. Then she hears it, "Melinda! Melinda!"

She turns, "Edward!" She lowers her instrument and races to him. She wants to let the instrument fall, but she has a feeling the real Melinda would not approve of such an action.

As she gets closer to Edward, he pulls her into a hug, then lifts her off the ground, "My Muse, we won! Our island is safe. We'll have the peace we used to dream of!" 

"You won?" She beams at him, "That's amazing!" He sets her down, and someone hands him a flute. 

"Are you ready to make our island disappear one more time?" She nods, and together they play a beautiful but haunting song, and slowly the music fades, and the sound of rain builds. 

She feels the warmth of her sweater return, slowly the party fades, and her quiet kitchen table welcomes her home.

She clicks the last piece of the puzzle into place. “I hope you and Edward find the happiness you deserve, Melinda.” She traces her hand over the woman in the puzzle. She glances over at the photo of her and Eddie she hadn’t taken down, maybe she and Eddie could still find their own happy ending too. She slips her hand into the pockets of her sweater and finds a note, 

Mindy, my Axiom,

I hate the way we left things, but I can’t delay my leaving. I will await your call. I think we both owe each other an apology. I love you, Mindy. Once I return home, we will fix this, I promise. Call me when you're ready, and I will answer. Don't give up on me, my axiom, I will return to you.

Your Constant,

Eddie

Mindy blinks back tears and reaches for the phone.