Subj: Petofi's Maze Chapter 2
Date: 1/16/99 7:11:51 PM Central Standard Time
From: miranda

Chapter Two

Carolyn Stoddard strolled along the familiar gray cobblestone streets in Collinsport. A cold breeze blew in from the ocean that stung her cheeks and mussed her hair. A day of shopping. What a better way to spend time in the very town that bore her family's name. She causally held a package containing a handsome antique clock she had brought for Barnabas. He seemed so despondent and gloomy since returning from "his trip" abroad, but wouldn't explain to the family what was wrong. Knowing Barnabas' love for the past, Carolyn decided she would purchase the old timepiece to cheer him.

As Carolyn walked past a quaint little café, the aroma of their "chef's special" filled her nostrils and reminded her she had yet to eat lunch. She was about to turn and enter the restaurant to get a bite to eat, but something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. A quizzical expression formed on her face as she stared at what seemed to be an odd looking hearse driving slowly down the street. It was the strangest sight she ever beheld. Instead of a secluded back to shield onlookers from the spectacle of death, the shiny black hearse possessed clear windows all the way around that revealed not a coffin, but a body displayed inside. It seemed to move in slow motion as Carolyn fixed her gaze on the corpse lying on a bed of white satin which resembled the inside of a large casket. Clothed in a soft blue gown, the small waxen hands were folded neatly on the still chest. Carolyn studied the soft golden hair carefully fanned out on the pillows and then rested her eyes on the colorless face. She gasped as she unmistakably recognized her own visage lying motionless within: her eyes closed in the sleep of death, lips parted ever so slightly as if preparing to whisper a secret.

Carolyn turned and began to flee the terrifying sight, but found herself colliding into the chest of a tall young man. Flustered and disoriented, Carolyn hastily made an apology before trying to depart and return to the safety of Collinwood, but the man spoke, "Are you okay? You look upset."

Carolyn looked up into the handsome stranger's eyes, "I…I thought I recognized the girl…in that hearse."

"What hearse?" The man asked. Only met with Carolyn's open mouthed stare he offered, "I was a little preoccupied, I guess I didn't notice. Hey, why don't you join me for a bite to eat and you can tell me all about what happened." He offered his hand. "My name is Jeb Hawkes."

Carolyn, cognizant of how peculiar she must appear, was determined to compose herself. She extended her own hand and accepted Jeb's offer for lunch. She tried to put the vision out of her mind as she spent the afternoon getting to know Jeb, but she couldn't shake the feeling that it could be a premonition of some sort.